Thanks as always to Pattinlethr, Iris, MidnightCougar, and SparklyMeg.
Keeping it short as I know you all want some answers from Edward! Well, here they are…
Chapter 9
The following morning, I take longer getting ready than I care to admit. I spend extra time making sure my hair's sitting perfect and wear more makeup than normal. I don't even bother going in to work, knowing I won't be able to focus on anything other than watching the clock. The thought of seeing Edward and not knowing what he has to say to me has my heart in my stomach.
Banana Split is a cute little ice cream shop I found not long after moving to the city, and it's only a few blocks from my apartment. I love going there during the summer to sit outside with my favorite ice cream and a good book. It's a nice way to escape the mayhem that comes with work.
Since it's February, the tables outside are wrapped in their protective covers and pushed to the side. Inside, they have a few sofas, as well as some smaller tables and chairs, much like a coffee shop. The counter boasts more ice cream flavors than you can think of, as well as a blackboard detailing the specials they also offer. In the summer, this place is crawling with families, but now it's almost empty.
I arrive early, planning to grab my favorite seat and wait for Edward, but I'm shocked to see him sitting in my seat. Every time I see him, I hope some of the attraction has dissolved, yet he takes my breath away each time.
He stands as I approach. "Bella." He smiles, this one reaching his eyes and making me smile in return. I take the opportunity to appreciate how good he looks in his fitted, black sweatshirt. His eyes trail over me, and I'm glad I took that extra time to get ready this morning.
"You're early," I state.
He smirks as we take our seats. "So are you."
I shrug off his insinuation. "I really wanted some ice cream."
He chuckles and passes me a menu from the table. "I didn't know what you'd like."
I don't even glance at it and place the menu on the table. "A scoop of mint chocolate chip and a scoop of peanut butter."
He makes a face, which makes me laugh. "Together?" he asks.
"Yes."
"But, that's… that's…"
"What?" I ask.
"Well, it's just gross, Bella." He shakes his head. "You're ruining two of the best flavors by putting them together like that."
I shake my head, already knowing he'd say that. Everyone judges me for my ice cream choices. "Have you tried it?"
"Um, no. No way."
"Then you can't judge it," I say, rolling my eyes. "Don't knock what you haven't tried."
He holds up his hands in mock defence. "Okay, okay. You have your weird ice cream. No more judgment from me."
A server comes over to take our order, and I roll my eyes when he orders a plain banana split. No sauce, no sprinkles. Nothing.
He grins at my reaction. "Hey, if I can't judge yours…"
"But it's so boring…"
"No, it's a classic."
"Classically boring," I reply.
He watches me, and I roll my eyes again. "Okay, no judging."
He looks around the room and smiles when he comes across some of the kids' drawings behind the counter. "One of those is mine," he says, almost proudly.
I look past him and scan the drawings. "Really? Which one?" The back wall's littered with hundreds of drawings — some good, some not so good.
"I have no idea. It used to be… There," he says, pointing. "Bottom right corner, right at the very bottom. The woman with the brown hair and—"
"Blue necklace?"
He grins. "You can tell?"
I shrug. "It looks like a thick rope, but I can tell."
"It's my mother. The necklace was her favorite when I was younger. I haven't seen her wear it in years, actually." He sighs and looks down. "I don't even know where it is."
"Was it special?"
He nods, folding his hands on the table. "My dad gave it to her on their first wedding anniversary."
"That's lovely."
He smiles sadly, and my heart drops a little, knowing their story isn't as happy as it once was. "She wore it all the time. She… uh… stopped once he died."
My heart plummets. "I'm so sorry."
He nods. "It was a while ago. He had lung cancer. They found it too late, and he only had months. When he died, he took part of her with him."
"But she's still—"
He looks up, and I'm suddenly not close enough to him. He looks so sad, so lost. I want to move around the table and hug him, desperate to get rid of his pained look and make him smile again.
"Alive? Yes. She's in a nursing home upstate." He sighs. "She's got dementia."
Unable to stop myself, I reach across the table and take his hand in mine. "I'm so sorry, Edward."
He squeezes my hand but lets go. I try to push away the flash of hurt. "Thanks. She gets looked after very well; it's the most I can hope for now."
"That's… that's good," I stammer, unsure of my words.
Before either of us can say anything more, the server comes back with our ice cream. I take a few mouthfuls, thinking of something to say.
"I've ruined the mood," Edward speaks first.
I shake my head. "No… It's just… Well, I don't know why you told me," I admit.
I watch as he plays with his food, pushing it around the bowl before he answers. "I thought you should know."
"You do?"
He nods.
"Okay, I'm listening."
ooOoo
We eat our ice cream in silence as I try to process what Edward's told me and what this has to do with what he needs to explain to me. No matter which way my brain goes, I can't link us meeting at O'Neills with his father dying and his mother being seriously ill.
Though there's still half left, I push my bowl of ice cream away.
"Not as good as you remembered?"
I look up. "What?"
He points down at my half-finished bowl. "You were raving about it."
"Oh. I… was just thinking."
The server returns and clears away our dishes, asking if she can get us anything else. With my stomach full of butterflies, I decline and Edward does the same.
"So—"
"You know the night we met was the day Tanya said yes to me?"
I flinch but don't say anything. What is there to say?
"It was also the night I accepted a job at her father's company."
ooOoo
"I don't understand what this has to do with me, Edward?" I say as we walk down the street. Edward settled the check for our ice cream and asked that we take a walk.
"I know. I'm trying to think best how to explain it."
I give him the space he needs as we move on in silence together. He's so close to me that I could easily reach out and take his hand.
Instead, I take a step away.
We walk a few blocks until we reach a park. Edward points to a bench. "Let's go sit for a little while."
"Edward, it's freezing."
"It won't take long. I promise."
We sit, and I keep a good distance between us. When it becomes clear Edward isn't going to speak first, I decide to help him out.
"So, that night was a pretty big night for you, then?"
He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Yeah. Kinda."
Kinda?
"I should've been so happy. I mean the girl I proposed to said yes, and I'd secured what most people would consider the job of a lifetime. One year at Turner's is worth five at other companies, and I'm on my way to taking over one day."
"But you aren't happy." I guess.
"No... I am… It's just everything isn't what I thought it'd be, you know?"
"Explain it to me." I slide along the bench closer to him but keep my hands folded in my lap.
"I met Tanya a year ago, and man, was I smitten." He chuckles softly while my heart breaks a little. "Well, you've seen her. She's gorgeous, but I never thought she would even look at me. We met in a bar. I was out with the boys, and she was celebrating with her girlfriends about being signed as a model. I sent a drink, she said yes, and the rest is history."
"That doesn't sound too bad," I remark, my voice cracking slightly.
"Yeah. It was a total whirlwind. I wanted her to meet my mom, she wanted me to meet her parents, and then we moved in together." He blows into his cupped hands, warming them. "It was then that things started to change. My life kind of spiraled out of control, and I barely recognized it as my own."
"Can we walk? I'm freezing."
We both stand and walk farther into the park. I'm no warmer, but I needed to move, needed to do something.
"Her career started taking off, and then my music and teaching degree wasn't enough for her. It wouldn't provide for and fit into the lifestyle she was becoming used to." He almost sneers the word, and I wonder if this is still a fresh issue between them.
"That was also around the time my mom started getting sick. For a while, we thought we could handle things, that she wouldn't need extra care. But coupled with the death of my father, she had no fight in her. She deteriorated quickly, and we had to put her in a home."
"I'm sorry," I say again. I can't imagine what it's like watching someone you love slip away in front of you like that. I think of my parents and wonder how I would cope if it were one of them.
"Emmett, my brother, helped, but he owns his own car shop and has a kid on the way. He doesn't have a lot of spare cash. Between us, we were barely managing to cover the costs. Soon after we found the home, John took me aside and offered me the job at his company. The money's more than I could ever imagine making as a teacher and will set my mom up for the rest of her time in the home."
"You had to say yes."
"Yes." He nods. "Tanya and I fought constantly about it. As far as she was concerned, I should kiss teaching goodbye and be happy her dad offered me a job. She even held the engagement over my head, making it clear if I said yes to her dad that she would say yes to me."
I frown. "That's horrible. Why—"
"Why would I say yes?"
"Well, yes. I can't imagine someone holding something like that over the head of the person they say they love. If she loves you, she should've said yes right away." I bite my tongue so I don't say more, my opinion of Tanya changing rapidly.
"Because I loved her," he explains simply. "I was willing to work at it. I believed, in her own selfish way, that she loved me."
"Loved?"
He stops walking, his stare fixated on me. "I'm not so sure anymore."
ooOoo
I hope you enjoyed this. See you all in a few weeks!
I won't see you next Sunday, as I will be going on holiday for my sister's wedding in Greece. Because of where I'll be and as it's a family holiday/wedding, I won't be able to update while I'm away. I will try my best to update the Friday before I leave, but you're gonna have to speak extra nicely to Iris for any early updates, because the chapter is with her and we know how much of a busy lady she is.
Fic Rec: Alaska by Anton M - For two years, Bella's had a cotton candy romance going on with her taciturn best friend. In her head. So after catching bits and pieces of Edward's unusual upbringing, Bella pays a visit to Alaska. AH
