Chapter 10 - Play With Fire

Oh, by the way, by the way I've found someone who gives me space, keeps me safe, makes me sane, found someone to take your place, now I'm safe in his arms, and I decided only he can play with fire – Hilary Duff

"So…what are you going to do B?" Alice asked with a mouth full of Special K.

Rosalie ran back to her office earlier to finish up some work. Call her crazy for going in on a Saturday, but she had a branch meeting with the CEOs on Monday that was of mega importance. Since Rosalie had to leave, Alice had gotten absolutely nowhere with operation "Make Bella Talk."

The girls gave her time to herself, thinking that she would want to figure out the situation. If Bella needed help, she would always come to them. But no such luck…like none.

"Nothing," she answered digging her fork into half of a grape fruit.

"What do you mean nu-thing Bella?" Alice asked surprised, her perfectly plucked eyebrows scrunching. She wasn't a very patient person and Bella's attitude was nawt helping.

"I mean I'm not calling him back," she said forcefully. "I don't owe that Kevin Federline cheater anything."

"Okay…You're right, but what about E-."

"He doesn't have to know Alice," Bella said cutting her off shortly.

"Yes he does! He's your boyfriend Bella. You have to tell him this type of stuff!" Alice fired back. She didn't yell, they never yelled at each other. But what didn't Bella understand about this type of thing?

"I broke up with Jacob two weeks before we started going out," Bella said, her amber eyes poring into Alice's hazel eyes, trying to make her understand. "It doesn't matter."

"Are you serious?! Are you hearing yourself?" Alice exclaimed.

"Alice drop it, everything will be fine!" She said dropping her fork on the table with a thud.

"Pul-ease! You keep telling yourself that," she said with a huff. She couldn't take it anymore; it like her oxygen was getting used up. She couldn't yell at Bella, they were sisters, all three of them.

Instead, Alice threw her bowl in the metal sink, grabbed her Stella McCartney brown leather messenger bag off the table and walked out of the apartment.

Not knowing where to go, Alice let her bag fall like a sash across her chest and braced the cold air.

Crossing her arms across her navy Dior cropped pea coat, Alice walked down the block.

Certainly Bella's common scene had to come back, right? She had to tell Edward.

It wasn't like Alice had much experience in the relationship department, but he was her boyfriend. Wasn't that just something you did…being honest right?

But was Alice being to pushy, to invasive? She was just trying to help, but she shouldn't have pushed. Bella would do what she thought was right.

Alice tried to shake the off the increasing guilt as she felt the light pat of her bag against her dark wash Calvins. She had some files in her bag and at her office; she could always get a jump start on the following weeks work.

As she tightened her hold on her chest, she noticed where her Tory Burch clad feet were taking her.

Not to her office or Rosalie's, but to Jasper's apartment.

Hoping that he was at in, Alice knocked shyly on the door and rapped her arms tighter around her waist, trying to keep the stress-filled tears off of her mascara covered lashes.

Dressed in a white Nike hooded sweatshirt and basketball shorts, Jasper opened the door and took in Alice's desperate state. His hair was whipped back with a small amount of sweat and his forehead was flushed looking like he had just come back from a run.

"Hey, what's the mat-."

"I need a hug," she said burying her small frame into his large waiting arms.

Alice was right, and Bella knew it.

She had to, just like putting last years LBD tights in the 'Good Will' pile. No mater how much she didn't want to admit.

After stuffing her strait leg Citizen's into a pair of calf high leather riding boots, Bella grabbed her Alexander Wang tote and headed for his restaurant.

For all she knew he would be too busy working. Important critics were dining tonight, so Edward and his team would be preparing the entire afternoon. Maybe he wouldn't have time and she could just come back later.

Cowardly and sluggish Bella climbed the three stairs.

A gust of welcoming warm air brushed Bella's Lauren Conrad styled braided hair back as she opened the polished door.

Unzipping her collard D&G cropped leather jacket, Bella looked around, trying to spot someone. The only people she saw were the waiters covering the wooden tables with soft white linen.

She probably wasn't supposed to, but leading herself to the back, she pushed the swinging double doors open.

It was the first time she had ever seen a restaurant kitchen. It was amazing. Like more amazing than when Bella heard that Kate Moss was Marc Jacobs' new muse.

The kitchen was separated into what looked like three sections. There were two long stoves that ran from one side of the room to the other. Clean white plates piled high on another metal table, waiting to be filled.

Bella recognized the back room as the dessert room because of the cool air she could feel coming from it and the draped plastic sheet separating it from the rest of the kitchen.

When she spotted his copper-colored hair, her stomach flip flopped. Her nerves calmed from the sight of him, but quickly picked up when she realized why she came.

He was bent over, focusing on his task in front of him. From what Bella could see, it looked like he was carefully de-boning some type of fish.

"Chef?" a younger woman asked holding out a small sauce pan. Her hair was rapped in a tighter bun than ice skaters at the Olympics and looked like she was still in high school, maybe she was an intern.

Grabbing a metal spoon off of his wooden cutting board, he tasted the sauce she had made.

"Good. Remember to add a little more salt for when we remake everything tonight. Thanks Kristen," he said dismissing the woman.

When he turned around to grab a hotel pan from the shelf, his jade eyes landed on Bella.

His face turned into her favorite crooked smile as he walked over to her.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he said placing a sweet kiss on her cheek.

"I-I um," Bella stuttered, looking down at her nails that were in desperate need of a manicure. "Can I um talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah sure," he said, his eyes filling with worry. Turning his head over his shoulder he yelled, "Nate, finish up the snapper."

As he lead Bella to a small room that she concluded was his office, she immediately started to second-guess herself.

He had enough to deal with today; she didn't need to dump this on him now. But…no. Alice was right, she had to tell him.

"Are you okay sweetheart? I can tell your not. What is it?" he asked sitting down on top of his desk, letting her sit in the desk chair.

When she got into a comfortable position, Bella took a deep breath and started out. "I just wanted to tell you this now because I want to have an honest relationship with you," she said speaking fast.

"Okay…so um two weeks before we met I broke up with my boyfriend from college. He cheated on me multiple times and I couldn't take it anymore, so um I told him that we were over," she said quietly looking up at him through her thick lashes. There were creases in his smooth forehead from confusion…or was it anger?

When he didn't respond she continued, "So the reason I'm telling you all of this is because well um, he left me a message last night saying he wanted to apologize or something."

When she looked back at him, he was staring at the wall behind her, his jaw and fists clenched tight.

"But, I have absolutely no intention of ever talking to him again. I was foolish to let that relationship go on as long as it did."

"Did you love him?" Edward asked quietly after a long moment of silence, his voice braking towards the end. Bella could hear the pain that he was trying to hold back in his voice.

Standing up she placed both of her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look up at her, "No. I thought I did, but I was young and naive."

"Okay," he said leaning into her touch. "I'm sorry he ever hurt you Bella. I promise you I never will."

"I know," she said sighing as he placed one of his hands over hers.

"Are we okay?" she asked unsure after another period of silence.

Disregarding her question, Edward kissed her, taking Bella by surprise. It was different from their others. Not as sweet…but needy. Like he needed her to understand that he would never hurt her; that he would always be there. Her stressed out nerves were on haywire.

Feeling her knees wobble, she rapped her hands on his neck. His hands wondered down her sides, landing around the hem of her jacket as their lips moved together.

Bella lost her train of thought skimmed his nose down her jaw, placing kisses as he whispered, "Yes…we're okay."

"I'm sorry darlin,'" Jasper said as he continued to make small comforting circles on her back, on her cheeks.

They were on his couch, and Alice was sitting in his lap, but turned so that she could rest her cheek on his hard chest.

"S'okay," she said looking down. "I don't really want to talk about it anymore…tell me something?"

"Like what?" he asked softly.

"Something I don't know about you maybe," she said playing with the two strings that fell from his sweatshirt.

"Okay well…ma dad was in the Military and now he's a teacher. Both of ma parents are actually," Alice lifted her head and placed a kiss on his jaw line, telling him to continue. She needed a distraction.

"I have three brothers. Blake and Brady are seventeen…their twins. Ma other brother Jackson, he's ten. They all play football…it's the sport in Texas. I played too…safety," he said playfully kissing his bicep that wasn't around Alice's shoulders making her laugh.

"Do you miss them?" Alice asked. She saw the way his eyes would sadden when he talked about his brothers.

"Yeah, Jackson and I are really close; he's kind of like ma mini me. I miss ma mom's cooking too...soul food doesn't even cover it, she could whip that Paula Dean woman's butt," he said chuckling.

"And your dad?" she asked curiously.

"He's a good man…bought me ma first football," he said with a laugh, looking back on the memory. "I look up to him a lot, the way he settled down with ma mom when they got married. If he stayed with the Military, we would have been moving around constantly."

"He sounds great," she said smiling.

The lava started rumbling again when he cupped her cheek, smoothing out her pre-mature stress lines.

"You okay now?"

"Yeah…we'll work it out. I'm fine," she said trying to convince him and herself at the same time.

"Good, I hate seeing ya sad," he said kissing the top of Alice's button nose, making her giggle.

"Wait here, I'm gonna go get something,'" Alice yelped in surprise when he picked her up effortlessly and placed her back on the coach so he could get up.

When he ran back into the room, he was hiding something behind his back nervously.

"I don't know about here, but um ma dad taught me to do this with a bracelet, but I don't have one now. So…" he said nervously. She could always tell when he was nervous because he started talking as fast as Eminem.

"Darlin' be ma girlfriend?" he asked sliding his sliver Rolex around her small wrist.

It had a wide band that fell almost comically around her tiny wrist. The circular face plate was a midnight blue.

It made Alice think of his eyes, his sapphire eyes that could look deep into your soul. She would never take it off. Smiling as she fiddling with the clasp, noticing that it would become a habit, she played around with him a little bit.

"Well," she said dragging it out and smiling up at him. "You played football, and see I usually date lacrosse players but-."

He cut her off pressing his lips to hers. The lava spread like wildfire when he almost hungrily threw his hand into her black hair. It was stronger than his normal kisses, not that she minded.

Edward had to get back, so reluctantly Bella walked back to her apartment feeling tired. This Jacob situation was taking a lot out of her. She needed to make up with Alice as much as she needed an espresso and a fluffy pillow.

As peace treaty she picked up two coffees from Starbucks on her way home, hoping she would be at home. Alice was always a sucker for double cream.

When she rounded the corner of the hallway to her door, she almost choked on the hot drink.

Sitting in front of her door, knees bent, and hands on his head was Jacob in all of his six foot eight glory.

Rage exploded inside of Bella. Why was he here? He had absolutely no right! She was so angry; her hands were shaking, making the hot liquid swish around in the styrofoam cup. She wouldn't be surprised if steam was coming out of her ears like a cartoon character.

Taking a settling breath, Bella fished around in her bag for her key and walked forward.

"What are you doing here?" she spat when he got up off the ground.

"You didn't call me," he said. What was it her duty to call him or something?

"So? I said I was done. Get out of my hallway Jacob," she said keeping her voice steady.

"Are you sure that's what you want? We were great together Bells," he said staring at her.

"We never were. I've moved on, and he promised he would never do what you did to me. I suggest you move on too," she said impatiently. What didn't he get? Was his head that dense?

"Fine, I just thought that - okay I'm sorry," he said hanging his head. "Have a nice life Bella," he said as he turned and headed back for the elevator.

Breathing out a huge gust of air she didn't know she was holding, Bella felt free. She was officially free from the cast that was Jacob.

"I'm so proud of you B," a quiet voice said from behind her. Alice.

"You heard the entire thing huh," she said turning around. It wasn't a question, just a statement.

"Peace?" Bella said offering the coffee.

When Bella got a nod and a smile from her best friend she knew their fight was over. It was more comforting than a deep shiatsu massage.

I just want to take this minute to say...GO PITTSBURGH!!! The pens are up in the series and I'm doing cartwheels right now if you couldn't tell!!!!!!

Also, the season finale of Gossip Girl is either this Monday or next, just a heads up.

As always thank you for reading

xoxo

Lex