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This is unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Audio-Visual Prompt: "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Andy Williams.


I arrived at the coffee shop twenty minutes early. After I received Bella's email, I decided I needed a game plan. I couldn't show up and act like I had in her office. I was usually self-assured and confident, a product of being successful in my field and constantly having to interact with people at all levels for work, and my display of utter incompetence felt foreign.

As I walked through the door, I took a look around. There were a handful of empty tables, and I finally settled on one off to the side and toward the back of the shop. It was relatively private without feeling too intimate, exactly what I wanted.

I grabbed a seat facing the door and waited. The sounds of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," played quietly from the overhead speakers. I found myself humming along to Andy Williams' voice and thought about my plans for Christmas.

I was supposed to spend the holidays with Mom, Dad, and my brother, Riley, who would be home from Europe for a couple weeks. I still couldn't believe he had decided to study culinary arts in Tuscany. From the infrequent emails and very rare phone calls, he seemed to be having the time of his life. It would be good to catch up with him.

The bell on the front door jingled, and my eyes immediately flew to the door. A middle-aged man in a brown trench coat walked in, shaking drops of water off his sleeves. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and checked the time – five till.

I thought back over Bella's email. It was hard to guess at her mood or the tone, but the fact she'd agreed to meet me was surprising.

The bells jingled again and a young couple walked in, holding hands and smiling at each other as they placed their order at the counter. The door opened and closed another three times, and each time I felt a twist of apprehension and disappointment in my gut. I wasn't one to get easily worked up or to spend much time dwelling – breaking up with Victoria was certainly evidence of that – but this whole situation had left me feeling uncertain and confused.

I glanced at my phone and saw it was ten after six. Bella was late. I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but my mind whirred with the possibility that she might not come after all. It seemed uncharacteristic of the Bella I knew – to be late, to not show up for something – but it had been a long time since we'd talked, and it wasn't like I really knew her anymore.

Before I could get too far down the rocky path of what-ifs, the door opened again, the jingle bells tinkling softly, and there she was.

I watched as her eyes scanned the room. She spotted me, nodding her head just slightly in acknowledgement as she began walking toward me, unwinding the scarf around her neck.

She arrived at the table just as I stood up, fumbling to quickly stuff my phone in my pocket.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. The department head stopped me as I was walking out and needed to run something by me. I thought he'd never stop talking," she said a little breathlessly.

I took in the pink flush of her cheeks and the way her movements were a little frantic and couldn't help but smile. Truthfully, I didn't care that she was late; I was just glad she actually showed up.

I smiled, relieved. "No problem."

I waited for her to get settled. "Can I get you something?" I asked, stepping out from behind the table

"Oh, um," she said, squinting up at the menu board as she started to stand, "I can get it."

"Bella, just relax. I've got it. What would you like?" I wanted her to have a chance to relax. I was nervous, and I had to believe she was, too.

She looked at me a little tentatively and nodded. "Ok, thanks. I'll have a chai please."

"Great. I'll be right back."

In truth, I wanted a moment to myself to collect my thoughts. Seeing her, just like the day before, had left me feeling unsure and not myself. I took a deep breath as I stepped up to the counter and placed our order.

"I'll have the Guatemala and a chai, please."

The guy behind the counter nodded and called out the order to his partner. "Can I get you anything else?" he asked as he started to ring up the order.

I glanced at the case with the pastries and settled on two mint chocolate chip cookies. I hoped Bella still liked those. I knew she was allergic to coconut and gingerbread had never been her favorite. Memories of conversations of old came unbidden, and I smiled at the thought.

After paying, I watched as they assembled the drip over the bar and poured in the grounds and water. I'd never seen anyone make coffee like that, and it was fascinating.

Several minutes later, the guy handed me my coffee, Bella's chai, and a plate of cookies. I managed to juggle all three and slowly made my way over to the table. When I got there, Bella immediately jumped into action, taking the plate from my hands, so I could set our drinks down.

I quickly took a seat and watched as Bella eyed the plate of cookies, her eyes flicking up to mine. The mood at the table was tense, and the air of uncertainty hung heavily, like a thick wet blanket.

"You can have one," I said with a slow smile, hoping to break the ice but feeling that twinge of nerves twist again in my stomach.

Her eyes met mine, and a grin started to form as she picked one up. "Are these mint chocolate chip?"

I nodded. "Is that okay? I thought I remembered you liking them." As the words tumbled out, I blanched, realizing I had just let it slip that I had in fact been thinking about her. Of course, I had, but I didn't want to make her uncomfortable or add any more pressure to what already looked to be another awkward encounter.

Her grin widened. "Wow. Yeah, I do."

I watched as she took a bite. Her eyes fluttered closed as she chewed.

"I guess it's good?" I asked, relishing the familiarity of the moment as I picked up my own cookie and took a bite. If there was one thing Bella loved, it was chocolate and sweets.

Her cheeks flushed and she looked down for a second. "Yeah."

I finished chewing my cookie and lifted my coffee. Silence had descended over the table. I searched my mind for something to talk about, but everything I came up with seemed too personal.

Eventually, she cleared her throat and set her chai down. "So, how have you been?" she asked.

The question was innocent enough, but I wasn't sure how to answer it. We weren't exactly at that point in our relationship – if you could even call it that – to go deep, so I settled on the lamest response ever.

"I'm good."

Her eyebrows ticked up in disbelief. "After ten years, that's all you've got?" she asked wryly, a disbelieving chuckle slipping out.

For some reason, her sense of humor – something I'd loved about her when we were together and one of the things that had drawn me to her in the first place – was exactly what I needed.

I chuckled, too. "All right. You asked for it. I work for a pharmaceutical company in Princeton, New Jersey. I've actually been there for about five years. I head up on of the research divisions."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah," I said, feeling myself relax. I could talk about work ad infinitum. I was good at that. "I am working with a team conducting a series of clinical trials for a new liver drug. More specifically, we're looking at how to best treat different forms of hepatitis and the impact it has on the liver. In a nutshell," I added as I picked up my coffee and took a long sip.

"That sounds really interesting. And I guess before that you were at MIT?" she asked, her fingers toying with the handle of her mug.

I nodded, setting my cup down. "Yeah. After I left UW-" I ignored the slight tightening of her eyes and pressed on. I was sure that wasn't where she wanted to dwell – and neither did I – and I quickly pressed on. "I moved to Boston, as you know. I spent the first year really trying to get my head on straight but then settled into the Biomedical Sciences MD program."

"You're an MD?" she asked surprised.

I smiled, a little embarrassed. "Actually an MD-PhD."

"That's really… cool, Edward."

"Thanks," I said, picking up my coffee and really looking at her closely for the first time that evening. Her eyes were so expressive – just like I remembered – and I could tell she was impressed. I knew my credentials were something to be proud of, but for some reason, hearing Bella acknowledge it made it feel just that much… cooler.

After a beat of silence bordering on being too long, I set my coffee down and smiled. "What about you?"


I had hoped to finish writing this yesterday, but real life has been hectic. Then I got sidetracked with the Angst contest results. My entry, Finally they Fall (which I posted on my profile last night), got a special nod from coldplaywhore, one of the contest judges. I was/am deeply flattered and humbled. This story is very personal to me, a slightly modified account of my mom and dad's story. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Tissues will probably be needed.

More tomorrow! Thanks for all the love!