A/N: Hello again! Thank you as always to my super-beta, Master Yoda, Jessica1971 for making my words much, much prettier.
Disclaimer: I don't own it, Stephanie Meyer has that honor. I'm just playing with her characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Someone like you…
Chapter 9 Two steps forward, one step back...
Early May 2009
BPOV
After our phone conversation, Edward and I began meeting almost every morning just before dawn to run and just spend the time getting to know one another. On the days we weren't able to run together for one reason or another, we had spent the evenings talking on the phone.
In that time, Edward and I had learned a lot about one another, though it was mostly superficial information, at least on my part. Our discussions had revealed trivial things from our pasts like how Edward had grown up in Chicago and my bouncing from Forks, Phoenix, and finally Denver. I learned about his parents and his aunt Esme and uncle Carlisle, Emmett's mother and step-father, as well as the fact that he and Emmett were more like brothers than cousins. That connection with Emmett and his wife, Rosalie, helped me understand why Edward would leave everything he had known in Chicago to make a move to Denver.
I had learned the hard way that the small tidbits of a person's life which at times seemed trivial were actually the clues you needed to discover and understand who a person was down deep inside. There had been many times in the past year when I wondered if I had paid more attention to those small things when I first met Demetri, would I have made different choices, taken a different path?
Of course thinking like that would only get me in trouble and lead to hoping for a life that was not my destiny any longer. Honestly, I was happy with what my life had become. Especially now, knowing that had I not moved back home, I wouldn't have met Edward, and that would have been a very unfortunate turn of events.
The biggest surprise of the things Edward revealed about himself was the fact he had married his college sweetheart while working on his Psy.D. at Dartmouth, but they had divorced before his move to Denver. Even knowing that Edward would turn thirty in a few weeks, he just seemed kind of young to have been married and divorced already. I guess, though, with a national divorce rate above fifty percent, it shouldn't have been such a big surprise.
One thing that was crystal clear was that whatever happened between Edward and his ex-wife, the ending had been messy and painful. Not that he was overly forthcoming with details, but the truth of it was more in what he didn't say than what he did.
I smiled to myself. Maybe I was actually learning to pay attention to people and their non-verbal communication better than I realized. In the few weeks I had known Edward, developing that particular skill would probably come in handy; an entire series of books on how to read body language and understanding unspoken cues could be written on Edward all by himself. It was apparent that while I had never been an open book about my personal life, Edward took being private to an all-time high.
I was working on becoming more open to new people and experiences with Dr. DePetrillo, the counselor I had started seeing after my return to Denver. It was hard to get past the hesitance of letting people get too close. I understood Edward's reluctance to bare his soul; we were just getting to know one another and I wasn't exactly spilling the beans on everything that happened in New York.
After surviving the relationship with Demetri, I would have expected a bit more difficulty having any type of romantic feelings toward a man again, but there was something about Edward. The desire I felt for the relationship between Edward and I to become something more was almost as much of a surprise as his having been married.
What had struck most was how I hadn't had a second thought about being on a remote trail, in the mountains, with no one around but Edward and me and Remi. The idea that I was anything but absolutely safe while with Edward had never even crossed my mind. It was as if I somehow inherently knew he would never hurt me, at least not physically. Emotionally, on the other hand, I wasn't so sure.
The attraction between us was evident, or I thought it had been, at first anyway, but I had begun to wonder if I had misinterpreted Edward's intentions. The phone call from Edward a few weeks ago which jumpstarted our spending time together was a positive sign of Edward's interest. Since nothing had come of it except his becoming a very good friend, I guess I was mistaken. I actually thought he was going to ask me out on a couple of occasions, but he stopped just before saying the words. Honestly, I felt more confused than anything with the hot and cold act and was beginning to wonder if we would ever move out of the "friends" category.
Entering the kitchen on a sigh, I began to smile as a familiar ring tone rang out into the room. I lifted the cell to my ear, "Hey, Daddy."
"Hey there, kiddo." The deep gravel of my father's voice came through the line and made my smile widen.
I hadn't spoken to my father in a while, but it always felt as though no time had passed at all every time I heard his voice. I was instantly a little girl again who loved nothing more than spending time with her daddy. Charlie was a good father.
"How are you?" I asked, stepping to the back door to let Remi inside before crossing back into the pantry to grab a scoop of kibble. "I haven't talked to you in a while. I'm sorry about that- Good lord, Remi, chill out," I laughed as he danced around my feet, knowing what was in my hands. "Sorry, he gets a little excited when it's time to eat."
"How is my old buddy?" Charlie asked.
"Oh, he's great, feisty as ever," I said, smiling down at my best friend as he scarfed down the nuggets of food. "Really though, things have just been kind of crazy with prepping for the recital at the end of the month and then I'm having this party on Saturday night."
"Nah, it's alright, honey, I understand," he said. I could hear the creak of his old rolling desk chair and knew he was at the station. "That's kind of what I was calling about, though."
"What, the party? Or the fact I haven't called in a while?" I teased, smiling as I rummaged through the fridge for the fixings of what might constitute a sufficient dinner.
"Both," Charlie said on a chuckle. "But really, I wanted to ask you about your brother coming for a visit."
"Really?" I asked, my eyes widening at the thought of getting to spend some time with my baby brother. "When? I would love to see Seth. I miss the little monster. Don't tell him I said that, though."
Charlie laughed and began filling me in on the details of the why's behind Seth's visit. It seemed that the girl Seth had been dating, Claire, had broken up with him recently and he was having a really hard time. My dad had mentioned getting out of town and away from the drama by visiting me for a few days.
Seth was Charlie's son by his second wife, Sue. At seventeen, he would be a senior in high school during the coming school year.
Seth was captain of the varsity baseball team at Forks High. I hadn't mentioned to Charlie that I overheard Phil talking to my mom recently about the scouts from the Rockies minor league team already keeping an eye on Seth. That was just not a subject I wanted to broach with my father.
Regardless of the fact that everything had worked out and both Charlie and Renee were very happy with the lives they had rebuilt from the ruins of their marriage, Charlie would most likely always see Phil as the man who slept with his wife. In many ways, Charlie held Phil responsible for the end of their marriage, which just wasn't something a man got over easily. There was little that could be done to forge a friendly relationship between Phil and my father. They were civil to one another because they felt they had to be, but it was no secret that there was really no love lost between the two.
By the time Charlie and I ended the call, arrangements were made for Seth to come for a few days at the end of the month. Unfortunately, I didn't get out of the conversation without also having to promise a visit as well. I was actually looking forward to spending the time with Seth and couldn't wait for him to arrive. I couldn't say that I wasn't a little bit excited to go back to Forks. It had been a long time since I had seen my stepmom or my friends in La Push.
But between that time and the present, there were too many things to count going on, not the least of which was getting ready for the recital performances and Adeline's first solo, not to mention the party at my house in just a few short days.
I groaned as I took a bite of my salad and looked around the room. As I chewed, I tried to envision all the people who were invited filling the rooms and couldn't deny feeling a little bit of nausea at the prospect.
~O~
"Oh my god, Bella," Lauren cried as she reentered the kitchen from the hall, a huge smile on her beautiful face.
Lauren had been that girl in high school - head cheerleader, prom queen, homecoming queen. If it was a contest of beauty and popularity, she was in it and winning. But, behind her back, she was also the girl that everyone loved to hate.
The thing was that Lauren was actually a really nice girl behind the stuck up, self-absorbed, beauty queen persona. We had become friends our freshman year and stuck together throughout all four years. Lauren had even talked me into going with her to try out for the cheerleading squad sophomore year. She made it, I didn't. Honestly, it was insane for me to even think I could have done it with the schedule I kept at Tanya's studio. It would have been impossible had I actually landed a spot.
After I came back from New York, Lauren, like Riley, was one of the few people I had rekindled a friendship with. Truth be told, I was pretty sure that was the reason she had pushed for this party. From the looks of the invitation list, our entire senior class, at least all of those who we had known and still lived in the area, along with several of my neighbors, would be attending the soiree.
Lauren wanted to help me feel more comfortable with socializing again. Seeing that I had been home for almost a year and only saw two people from our group of friends on a regular basis, and had met only three of my neighbors, including Edward, I guess she had a point.
Although honestly, there were some of those from our group I was looking forward to seeing while others, not so much.
"Your house is like, gorgeous- thanks," Lauren said, sliding onto a stool at the island and taking the wine glass I offered. "I mean, I remember coming over here when we were younger to visit your Gran but this…" she gestured around the kitchen, pointing out toward the family room. "This is not what I remember - at all."
The house had always held a kind of peace for me and with the changes it still held that, only it reflected more of me and less of my grandparents. The soft creams and yellows set off by the warm cherry wood of the floors and cabinetry still gave off an inviting vibe with a more modern appearance. The stainless appliances, including a restaurant grade stove and cooktop, and granite counter tops sent me into kitchen heaven every time I entered the room.
"Thanks," I said, slightly embarrassed at the compliment though I was glad she appreciated what had been done. "I made some changes, but really Riley did a lot more than I expected on some of the remodel."
She snorted and shook her head, "Yeah, I'd say. So how are things with Mr. Sexy?" she asked, a smirk firmly in place on her perfect lips.
"Who?" I asked, confused as to who she was actually referring to.
"Hello?" she said, raising an eyebrow and giving me a look as if she was concerned about my mental capacity. "Edward? Come on, Bella. You always keep everything so close to the vest. I know you guys have been spending a lot of time together… so I need details. Spill a little, baby."
I laughed, shaking my head at her antics and busying myself with the final food preparations before people started arriving.
"I don't know, Lauren, we're friends," I said, shrugging and feeling much more uncomfortable as Lauren stared at me disbelievingly. "He's a lot of fun to be around but… that's about all I can tell you."
"Yeah, whatever," she said, rolling her eyes over the rim of her glass. "But that's not what you want, is it? I can't imagine how anyone wouldn't want more of that. I mean, the older guy thing is… Mmm, yeah, I bet he knows what he's doing, if you know what I mean."
"Oh god," I groaned. "Okay we are so not going there."
Lauren laughed loudly. "You are so easy, Bella. I missed teasing you. It was always so much fun to see you get so flustered," she said, reaching out to place a hand on top of mine and smiling warmly. "I've missed you."
"I missed you too, Lauren," I said, flipping my palm up and squeezing her hand.
Lauren gave me a knowing look and I could see the slight sheen of tears in her eyes. We hadn't discussed everything that had happened to me in New York, but Lauren knew enough. She was well aware of what happened last spring and that I was more than happy to be back in Denver, alive.
"So," she said, releasing my hand and standing from the stool to grab a tray of food. "What did you do with Remi? I was sure you would be tearing him off people the whole night."
"Phil's in… god I don't know," I laughed, rolling my eyes but thankful for the change in subject. "He had a game somewhere. Mom told me but I just can't keep up. Anyway, she likes having Remi around when Phil's gone so she took him for the night," I said, checking the food set up for the hundredth time. "I figured that it would be easier on everyone concerned if he just wasn't here with so many people in the house. He would be a nervous wreck and so would I, which would just make him more antsy, and yeah, it was just better if he stayed with my mom."
At that moment, the doorbell rang out. I looked up at Lauren and felt my eyes widen as the butterflies went double time in my stomach.
"You ready?" she asked excitedly.
"Not even a little bit, but it's kind of late for that, isn't it?" I mumbled as I turned toward the sound of voices outside my front door.
Taking a deep cleansing breath, I blew it out slowly and smiled at Lauren, "Here goes nothing."
~O~
The party was in full swing and everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves. I had met most of the neighbors who lived in the surrounding homes as well as a few people who lived in other areas of the neighborhood. Most of them were a bit older than me and several had kids that I had seen playing around the neighborhood, but they all seemed very nice.
I had been surprised by Riley's appearance. He had arrived along with Tyler Crowley and Eric Yorkie, both of whom were part of our circle of friends from high school as well as frat brothers in college. I had spoken with Riley briefly a week or so before, but he wasn't supposed to be in town for another two weeks. Riley had flown in unexpectedly and somewhere along the line hooked up with Tyler and Eric.
Unfortunately, the trio had a head start on the road to being wasted by the time they showed up just after most of the other guests. I wasn't impressed, but had somehow managed to steer clear of the trio for most of the evening.
Thankfully, no one had gotten too out of hand so far and that helped me to relax a little. That only got better when Alice and Jasper showed up a short time later; it seemed Molly wasn't overly excited about staying with her grandparents for the night so they were running a little behind schedule.
Several of my neighbor's children happened to be students at the studio and most were in Alice's classes, so it turned out she knew almost as many people at the party as I did.
As I stepped into the kitchen to find a garbage bag for the back deck, I released a sigh. There was only one person I had truly hoped to see who had not shown up and as the evening progressed I tried to fight it, but the disappointment weighed heavily on my shoulders.
"What's up, buttercup?"
I looked up at the sound of Alice's voice and smiled, hoping it looked more genuine than it felt as the reasons for Edward's obvious avoidance of attending the party danced around in my head. I knew I had not been successful when she cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes.
"What do you mean?" I asked, stooping to grab a trash bag from the cabinet but mostly trying to avoid eye contact.
"Oh, I don't know," she said, leaning a hip into the counter and crossing her arms over her tiny chest. "Maybe that you looked like someone kicked your puppy just now."
"Um… it wouldn't be a good idea for someone to try and kick Remi," I said, hoping to deflect her inquisition with a joke. It didn't work.
I had no idea it was possible to scowl that deeply and felt the ice practically roll off Alice's tiny form.
"Give him time, Bella," she said, nailing me with a level look. "He's… just give him a little more time."
"I really don't kno-" I was unable to finish my sentence as the doorbell chimed. "I better get that." I smiled and quickly made my way to the front door.
I so was not going to get into a discussion about Edward. For the past few days, Alice had been giving me looks as though she knew something I didn't and it was starting to make me twitchy.
Though I hadn't kept the fact Edward and I were becoming friends a secret, I certainly hadn't advertised it or that I had been holding out for the possibility of there being more between us. Unfortunately, it seemed that desire had been completely one sided and Alice's plea to give him more time only confirmed what I already knew. Edward just wasn't interested.
I took a deep breath and plastered on a smile, preparing to greet whichever late comer was on the other side of the door. Turning the knob, I lost all capacity to breathe at the sight that greeted me as I opened the door wide.
"Hi, Bella," Edward said, that stupid roguish grin on his face as he held out a bottle of wine. "Sorry I'm late…"
"Edward," I said, my voice merely a whisper as I took the bottle and couldn't believe what I held between my palms. Looking back up, I saw him run a hand through his hair and cup the back of his neck as he ducked his head.
"I had to go to three different stores to find that," he said, nodding at the bottle in my hands and shrugging.
A few days previously, while Edward and I were running, we had gotten off on a silly discussion about favorite wines. I had mentioned a particular Red that I had sampled during a wine tasting Angela and I had attended back in New York. I looked back down at the bottle of wine and I was completely floored that he not only remembered the conversation, but had gone to so much trouble to find it for me.
"I don't know what to say," I said, shaking my head in disbelief.
"Well… uh, 'come in' might be a good start," he deadpanned.
"Oh… oh God, I'm so sorry," I laughed, stepping back and waving him inside. "Come in. Please."
Closing the door as he brushed past me, I said, "I can't believe you did this. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Edward said, his eyes moving over my face as though he was trying to commit my features to memory.
"Come on," I said, feeling my skin heat under the intensity of his stare and I had to take a breath to steady myself. "We'll open this up and I'll introduce you to a few people. Alice was in the kitchen a few moments ago and Jasper is around here somewhere."
"Where's Remi?" he asked and I turned to smile at him over my shoulder as we made our way through the family room.
"Worried he might come looking for you?" I teased.
"Uh, yeah," Edward said, widening his eyes and cocking his head to the side, effecting a really horrible imitation of a thirteen year old girl.
"He's with my mom," I said, laughing lightly as I led Edward into the kitchen.
As we stepped through the doorway, Alice was nowhere to be seen. In her place was not only Lauren, but Jessica as well, standing at the high-top counter.
Jessica Stanley happened to be one of the people I had not been excited to see again. Though we had been part of the same circle of friends, she was never one of those I would have actually considered a 'friend', but Lauren had always tried to include her in our activities. I really never understood why.
Jessica always reminded me of a yappy little lap dog who followed around behind Lauren, hoping to catch a scrap of her popularity. She was also one of those who was more than willing to tear Lauren apart behind her back while still basking in the popularity she received by association.
I groaned as Jessica looked up from her conversation with Lauren and immediately zeroed in on Edward.
"Hey guys," I said, turning to smile at Edward who stood right behind me. "I wanted to introduce you to someone. Edward, this is Lauren Mallory and I think you already know Jessica. Lauren, Edward Masen."
"It's very nice to meet you, Lauren," Edward said, taking her hand in greeting and nodding to Jessica. "How are you, Jessica?"
Always the gentleman, I thought as I crossed to the opposite counter to retrieve the bottle opener. I turned to look over my shoulder and almost dropped the bottle as I watched the spectacle play out.
"I'm wonderful," Jessica said, sidling up to lay a hand on Edward's arm and bat those ridiculous fake lashes at him.
I almost choked on the laughter as Edward's eyes widened and his head snapped up to look at me with an expression of absolute horror.
"Oh my god," she giggled. "How weird is this? I'm hanging out with both of my bosses tonight. Isn't that just the funniest?"
"Um… Jessica," Edward said, removing her hand from his forearm and taking a step back.
Edward opened his mouth to say something more at the exact moment Alice and Jasper entered the room.
"Yeah, it's not really that funny, Jessica," Alice said, waving a hand in Jessica's direction. "Away with you before Edward decides to file sexual harassment charges against you after he fires your ass. Bad enough that you pull that ridiculous act at work, it's not going to be any more successful here. Go! Shoo!"
I shook my head and shot Lauren a look before looking back at Edward. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop the laughter that bubbled up in my chest when he caught my eye and winked.
"Come on, Jess," Lauren said, rolling her eyes in my direction and taking Jessica by the arm. "I think you need some fresh air before you lose more than you can afford. Nice to meet you, Edward."
"You too, Lauren," Edward nodded in her direction but quickly looked back to meet my eyes with an apologetic expression I really didn't understand.
Alice wheeled on Jasper as soon as the back door closed behind Lauren.
"Why in God's name," she hissed, her hands planted on her hips as she glared up into the stunned face of her husband, "do you two keep that hussy on staff?"
"Now Alice," Jasper started, reaching out to place a hand on her arm.
"No!" she said, moving out of his reach. "Don't you 'now Alice' me. I've been telling you for weeks to get rid of that girl and so help me if one of you two numb nuts doesn't do it, I'm going to. I have a twenty percent share in that company and I'm done with her stupidity and her come-on's to the both of you."
I couldn't contain the gasp and Edward's eyebrows shot into his hairline as he gaped back and forth between Jasper and Alice.
"Alice," Jasper said, his eyes wide as he took a step toward her, his hands held palms out.
"What?" she spat, crossing her arms in a huff. "I'm not stupid, Jasper. Get rid of her or I'm going to do it and it won't be pretty."
"Alright, darling, just calm down," Jasper said, finally wrapping his arms around Alice's shoulders and pulling her into a hug.
"Here, Alice," I said, offering her a glass of the wine Edward had brought. "I think you need this."
I couldn't help but laugh as I stepped back to lean against the counter.
"I have to say that's the first time in all the years I've known Jessica that she was actually completely speechless," I said, shaking my head as I looked between the others.
They all laughed, agreeing it was a rarity.
"I really don't understand why girls in their early twenties think all that," Edward said, batting his eye lashes and fluttering his hand in front of his face in imitation, "is even remotely sexy. It's just… I don't know, but it's not attractive."
I blinked a few times, trying to digest what Edward had said and come up with some way I wasn't offended. Maybe I shouldn't have been because I knew in reality he wasn't talking about me specifically, but I was a girl in her early twenties, so generally speaking, he was.
Dropping my eyes to the floor, I mumbled, "Jessica's three months older than me."
"What?" I heard Edward ask, the laughter still clear in his voice.
I cleared my throat and looked him straight in the eye. "I said, Jessica is three months older than me."
"Oh," Edward said, the smile dropping from his face as he turned to look at Jasper and then Alice. "Bella, I didn't mean-"
"Uh, yeah, no, it's fine," I waved a hand dismissively, feeling slightly nauseated. "So, Alice, did the contractor finish with the backdrops for the performance?"
"They, uh," she stuttered, looking between me and Edward for a moment before launching into full on director mode.
I tried to listen and take in the information, but it was hard when I could feel Edward's eyes burning into the side of head. I knew I shouldn't be upset about his comment. I had come to realize that was just Edward. The man seemed to have no mental filter at all and said things at times without thinking about how they would be interpreted or received.
"Excuse me," Alice said abruptly in the middle of describing a phone conversation with the manager of the facility where the performance was being held and pulled out her cell phone. "It's my mom. Sorry, I need to take this. Is it okay if I step into your bedroom?"
"Yeah," I nodded, "second door on the left."
Alice made a beeline for the hallway and Jasper just shook his head as he watched her go.
"Molly probably just wants to have a snack instead of going to bed. She's like a Gremlin, can't feed her after midnight," Jasper laughed, rolling his eyes with a dramatic sigh. "I'm going to go see what's going on."
When he was gone and we were alone in the kitchen, Edward turned toward me and took a deep breath.
"Bella, listen," he said, taking a step closer. "I'm really-"
I jumped as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back into a hard, obviously male chest.
"Hey, baby," Riley purred, his breath hot against my neck. "I think you've been avoiding me. I missed you."
Momentarily stunned, I couldn't move as everything seemed to happen at once and move in slow motion simultaneously. I pushed Riley's hands away, but when I looked up, the expression on Edward's face was one I didn't ever want to see again as long as I lived.
"Hey, man," Riley said as he held out a hand to Edward, who stared at it for a long moment before clasping it firmly. "Riley Biers. Bella and I are old friends. Aren't we, honey?"
What the hell was he doing? My jaw unhinged at the insinuation that Riley made as he grinned stupidly over his shoulder at me.
"Edw-" I started as I took a step toward him, but it was no use as he turned to me with a look that stopped me cold.
"Thanks for the wine, Bella," he said, taking a step away and picking up his discarded glass of the wine. "I'm going to go see about Jasper and Alice. Nice to meet you, Riley, was it?"
"Yeah," Riley said, taking a drink from the cup he had sat on the counter. "Nice to meet you, too, man."
"Edward, wait," I called out, but he was gone without so much as a backward glance.
I felt the lump form in my throat and swallowed hard, trying to dislodge it before I choked. Taking a deep breath, I wheeled on Riley.
"What the hell was that?"
Okay, so a bit of cliff-hanger, but just remember these two have only known another a little more than two weeks. They're just getting to know one another. Next chapter is EPOV and a little peek at what he's thinking and gaining some understanding. We're very close to full disclosure of their histories.
If you have read, reviewed, fav'd or alerted this story I thank you from the very bottom of my heart! Thank you so very much. Those of you who I haven't replied to I apologize, it's coming. Promise.
Until next time...
xoxoxoxoxoxo
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