Chapter 9: Choosing Easy or Happy?

Disclaimer: Twilight is clearly not mine. But I borrowed the characters for a while.

Here is another chapter with Edward's POV. Enjoy :)

Edward's POV

I couldn't take Bella out off my head since I came back to Chicago. And I couldn't take my conversation with Tanya from the plane out off my head either. Both of them drove me crazy, in different ways. Tanya didn't know how to stop talking and Bella didn't know when to start talking. If only Bella told me sooner, it wouldn't become a mess like this. And if only Tanya didn't talk too much, there wouldn't any thought of another possibility in my head.

Aaarrgghh.. I was going crazy because of them.

Well, I wasn't free of the blame, I supposed. If only I didn't become a coward and just admit my feeling to Bella, I wouldn't be in this mess. Or if only I just stayed cold-hearted like before Thanksgiving, I would just get over Bella and continue my life with Tanya. Everything would be easier like that.

But, if it was easy, would it be worthy?

I awoke at the crack of dawn alone. Our bed was empty on Tanya's side. I looked around the room, but she wasn't there. I frowned. Usually it was me who woke up first.

"Tanya?" I called her name.

"Living room," Tanya's shouts muffled by the door to our bedroom.

I got up and left the room to find my fiancée. I found her sitting at the couch in front of television with phone in her hand.

"Yes, Mom. I'll think about it," she said while turning her head to look at me. She grimaced while indicating the phone conversation.

I grimaced too and turned to leave the room. The phone conversation with her parents was usually a mess. They asked too much, they talked too much, and they demanded too much. Everything about them was all just too much. I chose to not get involved with that.

Tanya usually decided most of our decisions when it came to them. When she needed to talk to me about something, usually she would ask me after the phone conversation ended, not while it was going on.

I took a shower before went to kitchen to fix something for our breakfast. Tanya was not the type of girl who thought that breakfast was important. But, I, being raised by Esme, always got breakfast before I started my day. So, it was me who usually made something for breakfast.

Tanya came to the kitchen when I flipped the last pancake for our breakfast. I glanced at her direction for a second before back to focus on the pancake.

"What is it this time?" I asked her about the phone conversation.

I heard Tanya sighed. "I shouldn't tell her about the engagement," she grumbled while starting to pick the plates and set up the table.

"Why?" I asked flipping the last pancake to the big plate and turned off the stove.

"She doesn't stop talking about marriage," Tanya answered while going to the coffeemaker and pored two cups for us.

I put down the big plate in the middle of our round table. I didn't respond to her statement. It was my fault, I knew that. I made this mess.

I sat down on my seat and start to take the pancake to my plate. I poured down some syrup on it. Tanya did the same, but she continued to look at me while doing that.

I sighed and put down my fork. "Then what?" I asked still feeling confused about this mess.

Tanya cut her pancake before brought it to her mouth. She chewed for few seconds before swallowed it. And then she sighed and put down her fork too. "She wants us to come up for Christmas, seeing that we visited your family for Thanksgiving," she said grimacing at the idea.

I flinched hearing this. I always came home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was some kind of family tradition for us, The Cullens, to celebrate the holiday together in Forks. Since I usually didn't have a girlfriend on Christmas, it never made trouble.

"Tanya, my family.." I started to talk before she cut me off.

"No, Edward, it's not about your family's tradition. It's about your decision about all of this," she said looking at me seriously.

I flinched again. "I don't know what to do," I admitted.

"You love her, right? So why didn't you just end this engagement?" Tanya asked with frustrated tone.

"Why are you talking like that? If you really want me to end this engagement that badly, why don't you just call it off?" I said feeling frustrated too.

"I want the ring," Tanya said shrugging. She looked like she was joking but I couldn't be sure.

"You want the ring?" I asked disbelievingly.

"I really like the ring. If you're the one who call it off, I'll get the ring. But, if it's me who end it, I have to give the ring back to you," she said matter-of-factly. "It's tradition, Edward," she added nonchalantly smirking at me.

"Tanya, be serious!" I said desperately. I was pretty sure it wasn't just about the ring. She could afford the more beautiful, expensive, and extravagant ring. Besides, if it was really the case, I would just simply give her the ring.

Tanya laughed drily. "Alright. It's not just about the ring, although I really like it and I don't wanna give it back to you," she said with more serious voice. "Edward, I don't want to be the one who end it because it's not my decision to make. It's yours, Edward," she said with kind expression.

I didn't respond.

"The real question is not even about our engagement. The real problem is if you'll be brave enough to face your feeling for her or not. Will you go to her and beg for her forgiveness once our engagement over?" she asked.

"Tanya, you said it as if our engagement will be over for sure," I pointed out.

Tanya shrugged again. "I kinda think that it's obvious," she said easily.

"So, basically you have decided to break up with me," I said again.

Tanya didn't respond for few moments. "I feel like I don't have a choice, Edward. I could feel it from the moment we landed in Chicago few weeks ago, our relationship is falling apart," she said quietly.

I flinched. "Really?"

She smiled drily. "Actually, the moment I found out about your feeling for each other, I knew that it is bound to happen sooner or later," she said again.

There was silence for few moments.

"You're a really a good friend, Edward. Despite of this mess we call engagement, I want you to be happy. You have a chance for that. That's why I really try to make you see reason and start to make amend with your feeling for Bella," Tanya said with voice that sounded really wise.

I didn't say anything for a while, trying to think what she just said.

"Edward?"

"Okay," I answered immediately.

"Okay what?" Tanya asked looking confused and suspicious.

"I break up with you, Tanya," I said calmly. "And you can get the ring," I added cheekily.

Tanya snorted. "That's good. I really like this ring," she said easily touching the ring with a satisfied smile.

A few seconds later she looked at me seriously. "And what will you do after this?" she asked looking concerned.

I didn't answer for a while. "I'll try to short out my problem with Bella when I go home for Christmas," I finally said it. I finally made a decision that I should've made weeks ago.

Tanya smiled hearing my statement. "Good for you," she said easily. "Now, let's talk about something more difficult," Tanya said with mocked seriousness in her voice.

I frowned feeling confused to what she referred to.

"What should I tell my parents about you?" she added half-jokingly.

Little did I know that my decision wouldn't solve the problem just like that. There would be a huge disaster when I came back to Forks later.

A/N: So what do you think? Hope you like it.

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