A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I kinda got lackadaisical... You can Google the meaning of that. (;
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Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the amazing songs that are mentioned in this chapter.
Chapter 9
Some Thing Never Change…?
This was wrong, I shouldn't have come. Was it too late to go back? China was sounding better and better… No, I couldn't turn back now. I had to do this!
At the moment, I was in a taxi – go figure – riding through Forks. Nothing had changed. Like, at all. The drug store still had the chipped rocking chairs on the porch, the police station had the same potted plants by the doors, the hair salon still had the flashy 'Open' sign in the window. Something's just never change. I twisted my hands in my lap, trying to decide if I should do this. In just about three short minutes I would be at the Cullen's. And I was freaking out. And I didn't even know why I was panicking! I mean, I did grow up there after all. Maybe it was the fact that I had left some sad memories here. Or because I hadn't called to tell them I was coming. Or maybe because random men in allies were out to get me. No, I think it was because I hadn't seen any of these people in nine years. I mean, would they still like me? I had become pretty dull while I was at Julliard. I didn't have much of a social life there besides hanging out with Mei-Li. For the past nine years, my life was pretty much my cello; music. What would the Cullen's think of me? I wasn't really up to date on all of the things going on in the world. I hope they didn't think I was a stick in the mud….
"We're almost there, Miss." The taxi driver informed me. I nodded silently.
Okay, Bella. Deep breathes. In, out, in, out. No reason to panic!
We turned onto the familiar drive that was the Cullen's home. The trees, the moss, the plants. Everything I had grown up with.
I smoothed my hands over my red pea coat that I had on. When I arrived at the Forks airport, I had changed into something that wasn't grungy. So in addition to my coat, I had on a white blouse underneath, nice jeans, and some black suede loafers. Not too dressy, but very presentable. My hair was impossible. No matter how many times I brushed it, it wouldn't get rid of that 'just off the plane' look. So finally, I just threw it up into a pony tail. Yes, I know. It didn't sound like it worked with the outfit, but it actually looked good.
My heart was pounding; my hands were sweaty and clammy as we pulled up to the house. It was twilight at the moment, so the sky was a dusty pink color. I could see expensive cars parked in the large garage.
"Would you like for me to help you with your bags?" The driver asked.
"Um, yes. But can we please be quiet while doing it? They don't know that I'm coming."
He smiled at me. "Okay. We can do that." As quietly as possible, he helped me lug my things onto the porch. The Cullen's were probably eating diner right now so I doubted they could hear us. This was a good thing because I tripped about three times, dropping one of my heavy bags on the wooden porch.
"Thank you so much for helping me." I told the man quietly. I handed him the amount I owed and a large tip.
"You're welcome, Miss. Merry Christmas." And with that, he got into the cab and drove off. I knew that my view on the taxi cabs would never change, but that one was the exception.
I slowly turned around to look at the large red door. A decorative wreath was hung upon it. Panic slowly started to set in as lifted my hand to knock. I shouldn't be here! Run! Hide! Turn into a bat and fly away! Ignoring my cowardly instincts, I gave the door three loud knocks before stepping back. I could feel my blood turning cold as I waited for the door open. I could hear laughter coming from inside and lots of talking. I waited a few minutes, but no one came. I knocked again, but still no one answered.
Quick! This is the perfect time to run! I pushed away those thoughts and reached for the handle. I slowly turned it and found that it was unlocked. I slowly pushed it open and stepped into the foyer and was met by Christmas decorations. There were no words to describe it. It looked like it had come out of a magazine. The huge tree that stood proudly by the stairs was beautiful. It was decorated in red and green ornaments and had lots of gifts under it already. Esme had done a great job.
I took a deep breath and ventured further into the house. The laughter was coming from the dining room. They must have been eating dinner. I slowly walked through the kitchen and pushed the door to the dining room open. Almost everyone was there. Alice and Jasper, Rose and Emmett, Carlisle and Esme. Edward was missing though. Everyone had changed but still looked the same. Rosalie was more beautiful and had really grown into her looks. Alice had gotten a little bit taller, but was still really bouncy. She had let her hair grow out a little bit, but it still didn't even reach her shoulders. Jasper still had that calm, serine look on his face. He had gotten a lot taller and had more muscles. Esme and Carlisle looked exactly like they did nine years ago. But the person that had changed the most was Emmett. His chunkiness had turned into layers of muscles. He was massive! But for someone who didn't know him very well, they would be intimidated. But since I had grown up with him, he just looked like a big teddy to me.
No one had noticed me yet. They were all laughing about some joke and talking. Like a big loving family. I smiled at them all. I had really missed evenings like this. Back in New York, I would eat alone in the dorms and sit in silence for hours. Well, I would play my music, but there would be no talking.
Esme glanced up just then and noticed me. She stared at me for a moment before standing up and walking slowly over to me. By this time, everyone was staring at me. Esme slowly put her hand to my cheek. Her fingers were cold. She gasped and said, "Oh, my gosh." Then she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. I could feel her body shaking slightly. She was crying. I rubbed her back gently.
"Bella, you came." She whispered. Slowly, Esme pulled back and looked at me. "You've grown up."
Not quite sure how to respond to that, I just said, "Yeah, I have."
Suddenly, a high pitched squeal pierced that air. I barley saw her coming. Alice slammed into me like a ton of bricks. Luckily Esme had stepped aside just in time. Alice clung to me like I was about to die.
"Bella!" She squealed. "You're here!"
"Yeah, Alice, I am." I laughed as I hugged her.
"Move it, Pixie! I need some love from my little Chunky Monkey!" Emmett boomed from behind her. Alice reluctantly released me. I hardly had a chance to catch my breath before Emmett put his arms around me and lifted me off the ground.
"Can't. Breath!" I gasped. He slowly put me down and gave me a big smile. "Wow, you sure have grown up, Fat Llama!" I said with a laugh.
"Yep. As soon as I got into high school, the fat melted away and bam! These babies popped out!" He flexed his arms.
"No, I think it was more like you went to the gym every day and listened to that Man song by Boston, hon." Rose said as she gave me a hug. "Hey, Bells. It's nice to see you again."
Jasper and Carlisle gave me hugs too and after a while, Esme suggested we go into the living room. We made our way through the foyer and into the living room. I settled down onto the big couch. Alice and Rose sat on either side of me.
"So, Bella, how have you been?" Esme asked. "We've hardly heard from you."
"I've been okay. Really busy with my music though. I'm sorry I didn't stay in touch." I said, "I just got so caught up in my music and didn't have time for anything."
"It's okay, dear." Esme replied, but I could tell it wasn't. "We're just glad you're home now."
"Jazz and I saw you at the Julliard Christmas Concert." Alice chirped. "You were amazing."
"You were there?" My eyes bugged out of my head.
"No, although I wished we could have been. We saw you on TV." Oh yeah, I forgot that all of my performances were broadcast all over the world. That included Forks. "That last song that you did with that man was amazing."
"Thanks." I said, blushing. I didn't really like compliments. I mean, I did, but they made me uncomfortable. "That was one of my professors when I still went to Julliard. Professor Dupree. He's an amazing musician."
"Who was the first girl that went?" Jasper asked. "She was good, but seemed a little…."
"Stuck up?" I filled in for him. "Yeah, she is. Her name is Mirela. I doubt she'll go far. She's a great cellist, but a terrible person."
"Yeah, and did you see what she was wearing?" Alice cringed. "Barf. But you and the girl that went before you looked great! When did you get a sense of fashion? I remember having to pick out all of your outfits."
I smiled. "Well, when you have to perform in front of thousands of people and the media is always asking for interviews, it's important to know how to dress well."
"My little girl has grown up." Alice said, wiping a fake tear from her eye. "She cares about what she looks like."
"Hey, I never said that I didn't wear t-shirts and jeans everywhere. Because I do. When I'm not in an interview or performing, I always dress casually."
Alice's happy face dropped to annoyance. "What? And here I thought you were doing so well. That's okay. We have time to train you."
I groaned. This was going to be a long visit.
We talked for hours. Just catching up and filling each other in about what was going on. So far, I'd learnt that Rosalie was a Super Model, not that I was surprised. She had been living in Paris for the past year. Emmett was the star quarter back for the Colts. And he and Rosalie were engaged. When did that happen?! I had a feeling that they would be together, but then again, it was kind of weird.
Alice – like I predicted – was the chief editor of Vogue and a fashion designer with her own line of clothing. That was a lot of work. I wasn't surprised she did it though. With all that energy, she could very well run the whole fashion world. Which she practically was. Jasper was a professor at Yale where he taught American History.
And Carlisle and Esme were the same. Carlisle was still a doctor at the Forks hospital and Esme was still an interior designer.
A lot had changed, they had grown up, but so many things were the same. The way Alice had a hard time sitting still. The way Jasper and Emmett still played jokes on each other. The way Esme gave them one look and they stopped.
But something was missing from all of this.
"So, where's Edward?" I asked. Silence filled the air as everyone looked at me.
"Um, Bella, do you ever watch the news and stay on top of celebrity magazines?" Alice asked gently.
"Not really. I'm so busy with my music that I never have time for that. Sure, I know about the big events, but nothing that involves celebrities." I said.
Alice cast a quick look at Jasper before saying to me, "It's getting late. We should get to bed. Bella, I'll tell you everything in the morning." Everyone started getting up and moving towards the stairs. Confused, I followed them.
"Oh, my things are still on the porch. Can someone help me with them?" I asked. I couldn't believe that I'd forgotten my things out there. Especially my cello.
The boys carried my bags inside and into my old room. Esme had apparently redecorated all of our rooms when we moved out. They still had some of our things in them, but they were more like guest rooms.
The guys put my things in my room and said goodnight before going to their rooms. I shut the door behind them and looked around. The walls were still a soft blue color. The windows still had the white paisley curtains. The bed had a new sky blue comforter with lots of throw pillows. Esme had kept lots of things the same, but made the room one fit for an adult.
I pulled off my coat and hung it in the empty closet. I went about unpacking my things. Once I finished, I realized something: I had forgotten all of my pj's. In my hurry, I had forgotten them on my bed. Sighing, I opened the door and walked to Alice's room. I knocked softly and waited for her to come. The door never opened though. I'd forgotten how hard of a sleeper Alice was. I walked down the hall to Rose's room. I knocked and waited. The door opened and Rose stood there, wearing a night dress that was slightly slinky, but cute. It was brown with a pink tie right on her chest. She was rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"Sorry to wake you, Rose." I whispered. "But I seemed to have forgotten my pj's." Rose disappeared into her room for a moment and then reappeared holding a stack of clothes. She held them out for me to take.
"Thanks Rose." I whispered. "Good night." She mumbled her reply and then shut the door. I walked softly down the hall to my room. I closed the door gently behind me. I knew that nobody could really hear me because Esme and Carlisle had all of the rooms soundproofed - they got tired of our rowdy playing - but it was the thought that mattered.
I sat down on the bed and looked through the pj's. I wasn't surprised when I found that a lot of them were... what's the word? So Rosalie. Some were extremely slinky, but thankfully I found a few that were somewhat modest. I went into the bathroom and changed into one night dress that was a soft pink color. It came to about my mid thigh and had small lace trimming on the top and bottom. The straps were also lace. I walked out of the bathroom and climbed into bed. I turned off the light and lay there, staring into the darkness.
Tonight had gone better than expected. Actually, I don't know what I was expecting. Defiantly not what happened. But why? The Cullen's were completely loving and welcoming so why had I expected anything else?
I rolled over in bed, wide awake. So many things were on my mind: my stalker, the Cullen's, my music. There was no possible way that I could sleep. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was 1:00. Sighing, I threw the covers off and climbed out of bed. I crossed the room to where my cello case laid. I opened it up and pulled out my instrument. I ran my hand over the smooth wood before grabbing my cello and sheet music bag and walking downstairs. Playing my cello was a way to relieve stress. And right now, I had a lot of it.
My bare feet hit the cold floor of the foyer and I instantly wished I'd remembered to put on my pig slippers – the one thing I did remember to bring. I hurried over to the piano bench and sat down. I ruffled through my sheet music until I found a soothing piece called 'Bargeil-Adagio'. I had heard it once when I went to Steven Isserlis' concert and fell in love with it. Now, I pulled out the sheet music and laid it at my feet. I didn't really need to read the music because I had it memorized, but I felt better with it there. I started playing and instantly felt relaxed. As I played, my body moved with the music. I could feel the cold silver of my heart necklace moving on my neck.
The song was coming to an end when suddenly the front door banged open. I jerked my head up. My heart almost stood still.
There, standing in the door way, was Edward. He looked so much different in real life than TV. He looked even better. His hair was windblown and his cheeks were slightly pink from the cold. He was wearing a light green button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had grown up in the past nine years and had turned into a stud muffin.
Our reunion could have gone in so many directions. It could have been so perfect. But the moment was ruined by the two drunken girls on either of his arms.
They stumbled into the house, laughing loudly. The redhead stopped short though and went back out to the porch.
"I forgot to ring the doorbell!" She laughed stupidly. She rang the bell at least ten times before stumbling back to Edward and the other girl.
I watched as they stumbled around the foyer, laughing. The redhead bumped into a small table that held a vase and picture, sending the two items crashing onto the ground. I winced as the vase broke into tiny pieces and the picture frame's glass cracked. I could hear footsteps coming down the hall way. I looked to the top of the staircase to see Esme, Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, Rose, and Alice standing there, staring at the display. Esme's face was furious. She stormed down the steps and right up to Edward.
"Hey, Mom!" Edward laughed, his words slurred.
"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, how could you?" Esme's voice shook; I could hear the tears coming. "How could you?" Carlisle appeared at her side just then.
"Edward." Carlisle said firmly. He didn't say anything else though. He just stared at Edward. The whole family was standing at the bottom of the steps now. "I want you to escort these two… ladies to the door and then go upstairs to bed." Carlisle said.
"I'm not a child!" Edward huffed.
"Then stop acting like one." Carlisle said. He and Esme walked back up the stairs to their room. Rose gave a big yawn and said, "Whatever, I'm going to bed." Alice rolled her eyes as Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper walked up the stairs to go back to bed.
Edward sighed and muttered something to the girls.
"But, Eddie!" The redhead whined. "We don't wanna leave!"
Edward's jaw clenched. "Get out. Now." The girls huffed, but left the house. I wasn't sure how they would get home, but frankly, I didn't care. Edward stood there, staring at the steps.
I just sat there, watching the whole display, unmoving. And yet, Alice still noticed me. She walked to my side and sat down on the bench with me.
"What are you doing, Bella?" Alice asked softly.
That got Edward's attention. His head whipped around to look at us. His eyes instantly found mine. I was completely lost in his green eyes. We stared at each other for I don't know how long. Unmoving, silent; just staring. That is, until Alice cleared her throat and whispered, "I'm going to bed. Night, Bells. Edward." Edward broke our eye contact to watch Alice leave. She scurried up the stairs and disappeared. He looked down at his shoes. An awkward silence filled the air between us. I slowly stood up and started putting up the sheet music I had gotten out. I could feel his eyes on my back the whole time. I tugged down the back of the nightgown, never feeling more uncomfortable. I closed the bag and then stood up. I jumped in surprise. Edward was standing right next to me, staring intently at me.
"H-hi," I whispered nervously. He didn't respond for several seconds; just stared. I shifted nervously.
"You're here." He stated. His voice wasn't slurred anymore.
"Yeah, I am."
More staring. "Why?"
Should I tell him the truth? "Um…" I started. "I thought it was time I came home." Lying always worked. "It's been so long since I've seen everyone so… Yeah." Had I always been this awkward while talking? I sounded like a teenager! I was twenty one years old for crying out loud! Please don't go back to the awkward moments that filled the teenager's conversation!
"Don't expect me to give you the warm welcome I can tell that my family has given." Edward said, surprising me. "Because I won't. Not again." He turned on his heel and walked up the stairs to his bedroom. I just stood there, stunned. Had he really just said that? What had I done?
I numbly picked up my cello and bag and then walked up the steps and down the dark hall to my room. I heard Edward's door close and sighed. I entered my dark room and put my cello things away. I quietly climbed into bed and pulled up the covers. No way would I be able to sleep with all the confusion. Edward had changed. In his appearance and his personality. In more ways than one had my child hood Edward changed. Gone was the boyish, slightly gangly, but still cute Edward and was replaced with the devilishly handsome, mysterious, intriguing, drop dead gorgeous, pensive Edward. But also gone was the sweet, innocent, caring, gentleman that I loved. And what stood in his place now… I had no idea.
I slowly closed my eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.
A/N: Clothes are on my profile!
I always encourage you to look up the cello songs that Bella plays. They are beautiful! (:
Please Reveiw! I really am serious when I say that they help me write faster!
Also, I would like to recomend the story Stuck! by Annilaia. It is a short story and is rated T. Really great author and story! (: