A/N: Hello! Anyone here? Thank you all of you who still read this little story and put it on alert/favorite. I really appreciate it.
My betas Ginginlee and VoluptuousVamp, and my pre-reader Amy (Nolebucgrl) are awesome! Thank you guys for all your help and suggestions.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters, Stephenie Meyer does. No copyright infringement intended. I'm just playing around with her characters. :)
We get to hear Edward in this chapter!
EPOV
My date with Bella had been absolutely amazing. I had such a great time with her at the bowling alley that I made a mental note to myself to take her there again in the future. It probably seemed irrational, but I missed her already.
I had a permanent smile etched on my face as I drove home after dropping Bella off that night. Making my way inside my house, I noticed the whole first floor of the house was dark, except for Carlisle's office.
Mom must be asleep, I thought.
"Hi, Dad," I said, walking in his office and taking the seat opposite his.
"Hey, Son, how was your night?" he asked. He looked exhausted. It was time for him to take a vacation already; he was clearly working too much.
"It was great. I had a really good time," I said.
"Good. Good."
He looked back down at the medical text he was reading before I walked in, and placed a bookmark in the open page, and then closed it before raising his eyes to face me again.
"This Bella sounds like a nice girl," he casually. "Your mom mentioned that you really like her."
I quirked my eyebrow at him. What was he getting at? He didn't sound too convinced.
"Yeah, she is. And I do like her… very much," I answered in the same casual tone.
What was up with him? Did he not like Bella? I mean, he hadn't even met her to judge her. His reaction was even more bizarre because he had never seemed to have a problem with anyone I'd dated. The only time he was this serious was when he went all doctor mode with me and started in on his "responsibility" talk.
I grabbed the obnoxious yellow stress ball from the top of his desk and squeezed it slowly. An uncomfortable and awkward silence fell over us for a few seconds before I got tired of waiting for him to finally spit out what he had to say.
"Is there something you want to tell me, Dad?" I asked.
He looked at me with a surprised look on his face. I hoped that this conversation wouldn't turn into that particular discussion I had with him just two and a half years prior.
"I just wanted to know how… err… serious you were planning to take this relationship," he said hesitantly.
Here we go…
I shrugged. "I don't know yet. I mean, we've only been out on one date so far," I said. "Listen, Dad, I don't need this talk. You've already covered this in the most embarrassing way possible, and I don't wanna experience that again."
Last time I had this talk with Carlisle we still lived in Chicago, and I had brought my then-girlfriend Kathryn to officially meet him and Esme. Carlisle had brought us into his study and had the most embarrassing talk with us about taking precautions if we were going to be intimate, contraception, and all the other awkward scenarios you never in your life wanted to confer with your parents – in front of your girlfriend no less.
Carlisle chuckled anxiously.
"Yeah, I'll admit I went a little overboard that time," he said. "I guess you're old enough to know better now… and I expect you to be responsible for your actions."
His tone was stern. There was no place for arguing, and who was I to disagree with him? I knew he only wanted the best for me, so I just nodded.
"I also wanted to run something else by you," he said carefully.
He paused for a moment to gauge my reaction before leaning back in his chair. His never-ending calm was unnerving me today. His blue eyes regarded me carefully before he continued talking.
"You remember Eleazar, right?" he asked.
I nodded.
Eleazar Marin was one of my dad's best friends. He and Carlisle met while they were in medical school, and had been friends ever since. I'd practically known him my entire life. His wife Sasha, and his daughters were also considered good friends. Esme and Sasha had developed a really close friendship, and had been almost attached at the hip – now, not so much.
"Well, he is going to be in town next week… I've invited him over for thanksgiving dinner."
I shrugged. "That's cool. I think you should tell mom though, so she makes enough food."
I didn't get why he was telling me this. It was as if he was asking my permission.
"He won't be alone."
I scoffed. "Of course not. Sasha's coming too, right?"
He nodded. "So is Irina… and… Kathryn."
Say what?!
And he completely just killed my mood.
"You can't be serious, Dad!" I exclaimed.
I started squeezing the stress ball with more force. This was going to be so awkward. I didn't have a problem with Eleazar and Sasha. Hell, even Irina was fine, but not her. Not Kathryn. I didn't want to see her. Not after the way she ended things with me. I didn't hold a grudge against her anymore, but I just didn't want to deal with anything from my past anymore. I didn't need his curveball thrown at me right now.
"You didn't expect them to spend this holiday away from their kids, did you?" he asked.
His normally passive persona was really infuriating me at the moment. I had moved on from this. At least, that's how I felt. I didn't want anything to do with her anymore. I knew I wasn't going to be able to avoid her forever since my parents were very good friends with hers, but I thought I would have more time.
I studied my dad, but he had an unreadable expression on his face. He took off his glasses and folded them, placing them on the side of his desk parallel to the book he had been reading earlier. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose – a gesture I learned from him – before exhaling loudly and addressing me again.
"Listen, I know this is not a comfortable circumstance for you, but please, can I trust you to keep things civil?" he asked
I rolled my eyes. "Right. Because you guys raised a savage," I said sardonically.
"Edward…" he warned.
I raised my hand in surrender.
"You know what? Do whatever you want. I don't care." I said exasperatedly.
Bullshit. I did care, but I didn't want to fight with him and risk mom waking up. Throwing the stress ball carelessly on his desk, I got up and stalked out of his office without looking back.
-x-x-x-
I spent most of the weekend grouchy as fuck. It was way too cold, and it snowed on Saturday, so I didn't even have the option to go on my weekend run and let off some steam. I spent most of the time cooped up in my room, and only saw my parents during meal times. During lunch, Esme tried to talk to me, but I wouldn't listen and ended up excusing myself from the table. After that, she didn't once breach the subject again.
The highlight of my weekend was definitely that time I spoke with Bella. We'd only spoken through text because she was busy with her mom, but that didn't matter to me. We were talking. Apart from my bad mood, I couldn't get Bella's face out of my mind. I kept replaying over and over in my head specific things about her I had noticed the night before. The way her brows creased whenever she was concentrating on something, or how she bit her lower lip and blushed whenever she was nervous. The way she laughed so carefree, and how much fun she was having. And also that amazing kiss. It definitely wasn't a detailed kiss, but it still was one of the most enjoyable kisses I'd ever experienced. The intensity I felt as I kissed her could only be described as out of this world. It was such a profound feeling; I never wanted to lose it.
I was grateful when Monday morning rolled around, because at least I had school to keep me distracted for most of the day at least. I woke up late because Esme had to go into work earlier than usual, so she wasn't there to make sure I was up, and my alarm never went off. I stumbled out of bed like a bat out of hell, took the quickest shower known to man, and dressed for the day. No matter how fast I accomplished all that, I was still going to be late – unless traffic worked in my favor.
It was so ridiculously cold and windy. It looked as if it was getting ready to snow once again. This winter was going to be brutal.
I managed to get to school with about a minute to spare before the warning bell rang.
As I hurried to get inside the school building, I spotted Bella and Rosalie by the entrance. From my distance, I couldn't hear what they were actually saying, but based on the expression on Rosalie's face I could tell it wasn't a lighthearted conversation.
"I would never do that to you, Bella. You know this." I heard Rosalie say as I got closer to them.
"I don't know Rose… It just seems so strange… I mean –" Bella said.
"Hey, Bella. Hi, Rosalie," I said as I approached them.
Rosalie muttered a quick hello while Bella turned to look at me. When our eyes met, her features completely changed. She was all serious one second, and the next, a bright smile graced her face. She reached out for my hand, and I graciously took it squeezing her hand in response.
"Hey, Edward," Bella answered before turning back to Rosalie.
"Can we finish talking later?" Bella asked Rosalie.
"Yeah… I uh, have to get to class anyways. I'll see you guys later," Rosalie said, walking into the school building.
Bella took a deep breath and turned to me again. "Do you mind if we talked before going in there?" she asked, pointing behind her at the school.
She had an impassive expression on her face, and suddenly my heart fell. My mind raced thinking she wanted to break things off with me when they hadn't even had a chance to grow. I hadn't heard from her much over the weekend, and I hadn't made too many moves to contact her either because I didn't want to seem too eager.
"Yeah," I said, "I can skip gym for a few minutes."
I faintly heard the warning bell ring as Bella led me to the other side of the main entrance where there was a door that led to the old part of the school building. We found an old empty classroom and walked in.
Bella sat down on the edge of one of the table, with me standing right in front of her. The way she kept biting her lower lip and avoiding my eyes told me she was nervous about something.
"What's bothering you?" I asked, hoping to get straight to the problem and not beat around the bush.
She slowly raised her eyes to look at me, opening and closing her mouth a few times before finally answering.
"My mom found out we went on a date," she said quietly.
"O…kay…" I said slowly, not really getting where she was going with this.
"Remember how I told you that I didn't want her to know I was seeing anybody just yet?" she asked.
I nodded; I did remember that conversation. She had told me that she didn't want her parents to "scare me off" before our first date. I still wondered what the big deal was with her mother finding out that we were seeing each other. We certainly never talked about it being a secret, and I knew that if we took what we had seriously I would have to meet her parents formally one way or another.
She hesitated before answering me again, and I lifted her chin with my fingertips so I could see her face.
"Just tell me, Bella," I urged.
"She um… she wants me to break up 'whatever it is I started' with you," she said bitterly, using air quotes as she spoke.
"What?" I exclaimed, clearly surprised. "Why?"
"Because I lied to her. She thinks I'm not mature enough to be dating," she said. Her voice was full of annoyance.
I had met Bella's mom the weekend I went to her house to work on the Bio project, and she seemed like a pretty nice lady. What was her problem now? Did she think Bella was still five years old? I ran my hand through my hair in frustration as I pictured different scenarios in my head. The best case was that Bella ad I continue "whatever it is we had," and figure out a way to tell them. The worst: Bella would want to end everything with me just to satisfy her mother. Honestly, I would've assumed her dad would have been more problematic when it came to the issue of Bella dating. She was his only daughter after all. I was still surprised at the fact that it was her mother putting up all the resistance.
Fuck! Why couldn't things be simple for once? I felt my insides churning at all the different possibilities. I really wanted to give this a try with her, and now I didn't know if that was even going to be possible. I already had a decision made up in my mind. Now, all I hoped was that Bella would mirror my thoughts, and we could move forward and take one day at a time.
"Why does she have to choose now to be overly strict with me?" Bella said, instantly pulling me out of my thoughts.
I didn't have an answer for her question, and I really wish I had.
"I mean, I haven't really been a bad kid… except for the time I started smoking and stuff… but still…" she continued.
"What do you want to do?" I asked her.
"I don't want to end things with you," she said firmly.
"What about your mom? And your dad?" I asked, trying to figure out where she was going with this.
Shit. I really hoped her dad didn't take things to the extreme like her mom had. It would be worse for me because he's the chief of police. He could easily charge me with something and arrest me. I hadn't even thought of that. And to top it off, he probably owned a gun or ten. Oh fuck! I might as well start planning my funeral now if he decided to side with his wife.
I stepped even closer to Bella. My hands were now resting on either side of her on the table.
"Bella, you know I really like you. But… I also don't want to be the cause of you arguing with your parents," I said. "Besides, your dad's a cop. He can easily make sure I'm out of the picture if he decides to side with your mom," I explained, frowning.
Bella's eyes widened before flat out laughing in my face.
"Relax," she said in between giggles, "He's not such a bad guy. My dad is harmless."
"For now," I muttered.
"It's nothing to worry about," she said. "Trust me." She reached up and ran her hand through my already messy hair, and I slightly relaxed.
"Charlie tends to be more reasonable with things than Renée, and I'm going to try and talk to him before my mom corrupts his head," she said.
"You're sure?"
She nodded.
"Well… I guess we should head to class," I said, not making a move to leave. It was gym after all, and I wanted some time to think. I had so many things jumbled up in my brain, and they didn't make sense. I just wanted to skip over this entire week and act like nothing happened. I was all for avoidance. I also wanted to figure out some way to prove myself to Bella's mother – and father, for that matter. If that meant I had to meet them right away and butter them up, then I would.
"Okiedokie," she said quietly.
Instead of making a move to get off the table, Bella pulled me closer to her until her lips were almost touching mine. Even though it was warm where we were, her hands still felt cold, and I felt her shiver in our close proximity.
"I'm not giving up," she whispered before gently pressing her lips against mine.
"I'm way too selfish to give you up now," she smirked.
I smiled. We were on the same wavelength. "I feel the same way," I told her, kissing her cheek and straightening up so we could get going to class.
As we walked toward the main hallway, I remembered a little detail Bella had told me earlier.
"How did your mom find out?" I asked.
"Fucking Alice," she said through clenched teeth.
What the fuck?! I knew the girl wasn't fond of Bella, but I didn't understand why. But fuck, she hit an all time low. That was crossing the line already.
"I don't know whether to overlook it, or kick her ass when I see her," Bella said angrily.
I didn't blame her. If Alice wasn't a girl, we would've already had problems.
"Who told her? I mean, I know you guys aren't exactly the best of friends so I don't think you would've told her about it," I said.
"That's what I'm trying to find out," she answered. "I know for a fact that Jasper didn't do it. Even though I haven't mentioned what happened to him yet, I know him. He wouldn't do that to me."
"I don't really talk to a lot of people here, and the only two I mentioned it to was Ben and Emmett," I said.
I doubted Emmett would tell Alice though. I mean, he was Rosalie's boyfriend, and judging from what I had seen of Rosalie's temper so far, I doubt he ever did anything to get on her bad side.
Bella snorted. "Emmett wouldn't. He wouldn't live to see another day after encountering Rose's wrath."
That's what I thought.
"Ben? I don't know," she continued. "But whatever. I'll find out one way or another. It's not like we were planning to keep this a secret," she said motioning between us.
"Yeah," I agreed. "Let's get to class, we're already extremely late."
"Shit, yeah," Bella said, looking at the time on her phone.
She walked up to me and kissed my cheek before walking in the opposite direction of the hallway to get to her first class.
"I'll see you in Spanish," she said.
"Later," I called.
I walked in the direction of the gym, but never made it inside. Instead, I spent the rest of first period in the library.
-x-x-x-
The rest of the school week was pretty bland, and before I knew it, it was Thanksgiving Day. The dreaded day was here, and I didn't want to get out of bed. Would it be too irrational of me to fake a sickness right now?
After finally getting up and taking a shower, I played my guitar for a while in order to relax. I had been working on a song for the past few weeks, and no matter how much I tried, I never seemed to get the melody of the bridge right.
While I played, I heard my phone ring beside me.
"Bella! Happy Thanksgiving," I said as I answered the phone.
"Hey, Happy Thanksgiving to you too," she said.
If there was one thing I was thankful for at the moment, it was Bella.
"What are you up to?" she asked, her voice sounding light and cheery.
I really enjoyed hearing her over the phone. Her voice was always slightly deeper and lower than normal, which made her all the more interesting in my opinion.
"Not much, just playing my guitar for a while," I replied. "I don't really have much to do today."
I heard her gasp. "Oh, ,let's trade places! I've been cooking with my mom all morning."
"I wish I could, but I know nothing about the art of cuisine," I said laughing.
"I'm sure your mom can give you a few lessons," she said.
"Or maybe you can," I answered back.
There was a slight pause between us. I would've thought the line had disconnected or something if it wasn't for the fact that I could hear Bella's soft breathing on the other side.
"One of these days, Cullen," she said.
Instead of probably making things more awkward over the phone, I changed the subject.
"So… you doing anything special today?" I asked.
"Not really. Just dinner… I think we're going over to Jasper's house later though. What about you?"
I sighed. Should I tell her?
"We, ,uh, have some guests over tonight," I said vaguely.
"Hmm, you don't sound too happy about that," she murmured.
Shit, was I that obvious?
"Ehhh... I'll deal with it." At least, that's what I kept telling myself since the day I found out they were coming.
"You wanna talk about it?" she offered.
Did I want to tell her what was going on? Yes. Did I think it was too soon for me to be having this conversation with her? Most likely. But I was going to try my best to be as open as possibleI could for now and tell her what I could. When I finally decided to talk to her about it, I would like it to be face to face, and also, I didn't want our relationship starting on a bad foot.
"It's just…" I hesitated. "They're family friends, and the last time I saw them, we didn't quite end up on good terms."
"Oh. Was this before you moved to Forks?" Bella asked.
"Yeah. Right after we moved, there were a few disagreements, and stuff… then it got worse after we moved." I explained as much as I could without going into too many details.
"Wow. That's not cool… I don't think you should be too worried though…" She said.
That's what I kept telling myself, but somehow I ended up doubting my thoughts.
"… I mean, if it wasn't yours or your family's fault, then you should be fine if anything happens."
I exhaled loudly. Bella and I were thinking similarly once again. Even though she didn't know the whole actual story, her advice made sense. It also reassured me that I had nothing to worry about.
"I know… it's just… this is the first time I'm gonna see them since that day," I said, laughing tensely.
"Ouch! That wound is still open then," Bella stated.
Yes, it definitely was.
"I still think you shouldn't fret over it too much. Just… be careful of what you say. You don't want to say anything you might regret later, ya know?"
I nodded even though she couldn't see me.
"I will," I said.
Suddenly, I heard a loud beeping noise coming from Bella's line, and heard mutter a low "oh shit!"
"Edward? I gotta go. The time on this pie just went off. Call me or text me later and let me know how it goes, okay?" she said hurriedly.
"Yeah, okay… I'll talk to you later."
I disconnected the call, and leaned back to stare at the ceiling. No matter how much more at ease I felt after talking with Bella, it was going to be a long day.
-x-x-x-
Later that night, as I got ready for dinner, I heard a knock on my door.
"Edward? Can I come in?" Esme asked through the door.
"Yeah."
She walked in and gave a brief look around my room before sitting down on my couch and crossing her legs.
"You're looking fancy," she said smiling brightly.
I rolled my eyes. "It's your fault. If it was up to me, I would be wearing pajamas," I said.
She scrunched her nose slightly before her features turned serious.
"Come here," she said, patting the space next to her on the couch. "Let's talk for a second."
I walked over and sat down next to her. She raised her arm to lean it on the back of the couch, and reached over to run her hand through my hair. This was her way of calming me.
"I know you're not happy about today, sweetie," she said. "And I wish Carlisle would've told me sooner so we could've come up with an… agreement or something. You knew sooner or later you would have to confront her, didn't you?" she continued.
I sighed. "Yeah. It's just… It really caught me off guard," I said. "And honestly, I don't want to risk saying something I'll eventually regret and hurt her." It was the truth. Even though Kathryn had hurt me with the way she ended our relationship, I wasn't a vindictive person.
Esme smiled warmly at me. "I know. You're a good kid, Edward."
I waved her off. Esme was such an amazing mom. She was always so incredibly supportive of me, and she always made it comfortable for me to just go and talk to her about anything that was bothering me.
"I love you, Mom," I said sincerely. It was obvious that I didn't say that to her as often as I should based on the look on her face.
Her eyes were shining with unshed tears, and she had a radiant smile on her face. In a second, she reached over to me and pulled me in her arms, holding me so tight, as if her life depended on it.
"Oh, ,Edward! I thank God everyday for giving you to me," she exclaimed. "Now you're making me cry," she said slapping my shoulder once she released me. Delicately, she ran her finger under her eye to remove the tear that had pooled there without ruining her makeup.
I shook my head in amusement.
"Oh, by the way, are you and Sasha okay?" I asked Esme.
A few weeks before my argument with Kathryn, Esme and Sasha had been acting like enemies. One of their arguments had gotten so bad that my mom had actually slapped Sasha and kicked her out of our house. I had never seen Esme so angry. I never knew the real reason why they fought, but I know that whatever had happened between them was one of the reasons we rushed to move to Forks. The original idea was that we were going to move after I finished high school, but that plan had clearly failed.
"I believe so. I spoke to her a few days ago, you know – to apologize," she stated. Well, that was a good start. At least the grownups would be acting like grownups tonight.
"She seemed to accept my apology, but I'm still not sure… We'll see," she shrugged.
I nodded in response. "I hope you guys can repair your friendship. I know you miss her, Mom."
"I know. I'll let you finish getting ready. I need you downstairs in fifteen," she said.
I nodded in response, walking to my closet to get my shoes.
"I still think you should wear the tie," she said as she walked out the door.
I don't think so, I thought.
Fifteen minutes later, I stood off to the side in the hall leading to the living room with Esme as Carlisle went to answer the door. I shifted uncomfortably in my spot as I stood there with my hands buried in my pockets. Esme looked up at me and squeezed my forearm reassuringly.
"It'll be okay," she whispered, before leading me to the main room to greet our guests.
Sasha was the first to enter and approach us, embracing my mom in a tight hug. "Sasha! You're looking well," Esme said as she returned her hug.
Sasha was about an inch taller than Esme. She was a very good-looking woman with medium length black hair. She had a petite frame that she always accentuated with tight fitting clothes, and her bright hazel eyes seemed to shine contrasted with her olive toned skin.
"So do you, Esme. This town suits you," Sasha responded, giving her a friendly smile.
It seemed like everything was really okay between them, and for that I was glad. They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Sasha's eyes locked on mine.
"My, my, Edward! Look at you. You look older," she said walking towards me and kissing both of my cheeks.
"Nice to see you again, Sasha," I said politely.
Her husband, Eleazar was right behind her, and we exchanged handshakes.
Eleazar was a tall man – almost as tall as me – with Spanish features and dark eyes. He was dressed in a pale grey shirt and black jacket looking very authoritative. Even though I knew him since I was a little kid, there were still times where I still felt nervous around him. I was always mindful of my behavior around him. He was much more stringent than Carlisle, and that always intimidated me. His dark, intense stare made you want to cringe away from him.
"Good to see you, Eleazar," I said looking at him straight in the eyes. One thing I had learned about him was to never break eye contact when greeting him.
"You too, Edward." He answered coolly. There was a tiny hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips, and I internally relaxed.
Irina was next. She was Eleazar and Sasha's eldest daughter. She was practically the female version of Eleazar, except she had eyes just like Sasha. She was five years older than I was, and ever since were kids, she teased me like a big sister would.
"Little Tony!" She said cheerfully as she approached me, giving me a hug.
"Long time, no see, Rina," I said, embracing her.
I heard our parents laughing behind us. They knew how much Irina hated being called "Rina." She was never a fan of having a nickname.
"Ugh! You had to go there, didn't you?" she said punching my shoulder.
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Hey, you started it," I responded. I hated being called Tony. It was just one of the unwanted perks of being named Anthony.
"Whatever," she huffed. "I'm gonna eat your slice of pie for that," she said with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes at her. She wouldn't dare.
And there she was finally. Kathryn Marin. She walked in with a grace only she was capable of. Kathryn was the opposite of Irina, being an exact replica of her mother, except for her hair which was light brown and currently in waves cascading down her back. Her bright hazel eyes were the first thing I had found attractive about her back then. After greeting my parents, she walked over to me hesitantly before embracing me, her arms tighter around me than I expected. My body stiffened automatically and I tried to wriggle my way out of her hold.
"Edward! I've missed you," she said, pressing herself against me once more.
"How are you, Kathryn?" I asked after putting some distance between us. I noticed everyone had left the room, giving us unneeded - and in my case, unwanted privacy.
She looked at me confused, with her brows creased. "Kathryn?" She whispered surprised. "I was always 'Katy' or 'Kate' to you," she said dejectedly.
"Things change," I replied casually.
"Can we talk?" she asked.
I shrugged. "I don't think I have anything else to say to you," I said.
I really didn't have anything else to say. She broke up with me. We moved on – at least I did. What else was there?
I thought back to my earlier phone conversation with Bella. She had been so perceptive when we talked. Even though I hadn't told her exactly the reason why I felt the way I did, it was still good to be able to talk to someone and listen to another's opinion. Her voice really calmed me. It helped me think clearly, and I assured myself I would not let this bother me. Not anymore. Kathryn and I were done for good.
"Please, Edward."
My mom chose that moment to tell us dinner was served, and I was grateful at the interruption. I motioned for Kathryn to walk ahead of me, and we made our way to the dining room. The table was filled with a turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, garden salad, bean salad, lasagna, rice, even chicken. I briefly wondered how much time it took my mom to make all of it, and if we were expecting more guests.
As it was tradition in my house, we all stood around the table and held hands as Carlisle said grace, and then we all sat down in our respective seats. I was thankful that I was seated in between Esme and Irina, and Sasha had taken the chair directly in front of me. Of course, I did endure another round of teasing from Irina, but that was routine for us.
Dinner was pretty civilized with casual conversation flowing around the table. Carlisle and Eleazar were the ones that talked the most – no doubt catching up with one another. As we ate, I noticed Kathryn stealing glances towards me, and I tried my best not to pay attention to her. After dinner, she offered to help Esme get the plates and the pies from the kitchen.
"I hope you know I spit on your slice of pie, Tony," Irina whispered to me with a devilish smile on her face.
I laughed out loud. "And how would you which pie I'm gonna eat from?" I asked her.
She arched her brow at me. "Touché. But I have my ways," she replied.
"Gosh! I don't know how your boyfriend deals with you, Rina," I smirked, trying to get a rise out of her.
Carlisle and Eleazar had listened into our banter, and were now laughing openly at us.
"Idiot. I'll get you for that later." She huffed and glared at me.
After we finished our dessert, we moved to the living room where more conversation followed. The TV was on with a replay of the latest football game, but no one paid attention to it. Irina had excused herself to talk on the phone with her boyfriend, while Carlisle, Esme, Eleazar and Sasha were in deep conversation; I was playing the dodging game with Kathryn. I spoke whenever I was included in conversation and managed to stay at least partially engaged in my surroundings. After a while, it just got awkward, and I excused myself. I passed by the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge, heading into Carlisle's office to have some time alone.
I looked around the office, noticing how clean and orderly it looked. It was clearly a good place to go if you needed some peace. I raised the beer bottle to my lips, feeling the cool, bitter liquid travelling down my throat. I stood in front of the window and took a deep breath as I watched the snow piling down on the ground. This day was by far the most dreadful thanksgiving I had experienced. I prayed that this wasn't going to be a yearly tradition.
"I thought I'd find you here," I heard someone say from behind me.
I turned around and saw Kathryn standing on the other side of Carlisle's desk, her hands leaning against the top. I hadn't even heard her come in the office. Her head was cocked to the side, and she was watching me warily. I ignored her, and turned back to stare out the window when I heard her voice again.
"I know you're mad at me," she mumbled, her voice low and careful. It was as if she thought someone was eavesdropping on our conversation.
"You're wrong. I'm not mad," I said.
I'm over it, I thought.
I took another drink from my beer and put the bottle back down on the desk. "What do you want, Kathryn?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
She looked down at Carlisle's desk and traced random patterns on the surface with her fingertip.
"I just… I wanted to apologize for… you know… what happened last year," she said.
"I forgive you," I replied.
And I did. I wasn't the same person I was when I lived in Chicago. Admittedly, there were certain days where I still felt homesick, and wanted to go back, but then I thought of all the good things that had happened to me after I moved to Forks – meeting Bella, for example – and that settled me.
"I made a mistake, and I really want to fix it."
I scoffed. "What is there to fix, Kathryn? Tell me."
She looked up at me with a gloomy look on her face. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears.
"Haven't you read any of my emails?" she asked.
About two months after Kathryn had broken up with me, she had resorted to sending me an email almost every day since I rejected all of her calls. I was bitter and angry, so I refused to read any of her emails as well. I knew that having any sort of contact with her would hurt me even more, so eventually, I changed my email address.
"Why should I? You had already said your piece when you broke up with me over the phone," I pointed out crossly.
I saw her visibly flinch at my statement. I wasn't lying though. A week after the summer I moved to Forks, I received a call from a crying Kathryn.
"Katy? Honey, what's wrong?" I asked anxiously over the phone.
I was so worried when I had answered that call. I had never heard her sound so miserable. I felt powerless being so far away from her that I couldn't console her on whatever was happening. For a while, all I could hear over the line were the sounds of her hushed sobs, and that just made me edgier by the second.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Edward," she said in between sobs.
What was she apologizing for?
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
By that time, I was sitting up in bed, my leg bouncing frantically in expectancy.
"I- I can't do this!" she cried.
"Can't do what, Kate? Tell me what's wrong. I've never heard you like this before."
Fuck! How I wished I was in back in Chicago. I felt so helpless.
"I miss you too much, babe," she admitted.
I puffed out my cheeks, letting out a huge breath. Kathryn and I had gotten into a few disagreements before I moved to Forks, mainly because of the issue of how we were going to keep our relationship going. After a couple of weeks of long talks, we had decided to give it a try. We knew it wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but we still promised each other we were going to try our best. After all, we had been romantically involved for about two and a half years.
"I know, baby… I wish I could do something about this," I said.
At first I thought of asking my parents to let me go back for a few weeks. After all, I was already registered at Fork's high, and school wouldn't start for another month. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Katy's voice again.
"I think… I think we should… we should just… break up," she sniffled.
What? No! Why would she say that? Why was she giving up so quickly already?
I stood up off my bed, and started pacing the length of my bedroom.
"Katy? Kate, no. Listen to me. We can work this out. Don't do this. Please." I said quickly.
"No. No. I can't! I just can't!"She kept insisting.
"It's all going to be okay, I promise."
"How can you promise that? You're over two thousand miles away."
She had a point. I couldn't promise that. I didn't know if we were going to be okay, or if we were going to make it through this. I just thought we would at least have some more time to get used to it.
"You're right, I can't promise that. But, honey, we talked about this, and
"I know what we talked about, Edward. I've been thinking about it all week. I just… I – it's too much for me," she restated.
I sighed again. I didn't want to lose her.
"Damn it, Kate! Why now?" I exclaimed, "Why couldn't you just talk to me about this before I left? In person!" Now I was just aggravated.
"I don't know, okay! I'm sorry!" was all she had to say.
She was still crying over the phone, but at that moment I doubted she was feeling as hurt as I was.
"I have to go," she said after a pause.
"No, Katy… wait…" I stammered. I was quickly running out of time, and I didn't know what else to say in order to change her mind. To see that this could actually work if she gave the chance.
"Edward, I really need to go," she said once again.
I exhaled loudly. I couldn't come up with anything, so I told her the only thing I knew that would show her I was not giving up."I love you."
"I know," she said almost inaudibly before hanging up.
I growled in frustration after the call disconnected. I couldn't think straight. I threw my phone on the bed and heard as it connected with the wall with a loud thump. I kicked one of the boxes I had yet to unpack to let out some steam for good measure. I was a wreck. Why the fuck did we have to move to Forks?
I stared back at Kathryn waiting for an answer from her.
"I know. That was really stupid of me. I realize that now," she said quietly.
During the days after she had broken up with me, I had spent countless nights just laying in bed and trying to come up with ways in which I could win Kathryn back. Then I came up with reasons. Reasons that led me to believe I was the problem. I wondered what was wrong with me, and where I had gone wrong in our relationship. I knew we had started dating when we were pretty young; Our parents pushed us together so much, we had decided to give it a try. And it worked. There were times where I felt uncomfortable and that our relationship was progressing way too fast for my liking, but, for almost three years we made it work. We had shared so many things. We had been earth other's firsts in almost every sense of the word. And then I moved to Forks and everything changed. Esme helped me understand that I wasn't at fault for what happened. Pretty soon I got tired of trying to find more reasons, so I slowly started letting go of Kathryn, and all the anger I felt toward her.
"We had plans, Kathryn! We had it all worked out. I had even planned a surprise visit for you during the holidays. What happened to all that?"
"I said I was sorry," she said accusingly, "I didn't think things though. I was scared, and insecure. I knew you were going to be going to a new school, and more girls would pay attention to you. I just… I…"
"And you couldn't talk to me about it? I thought you trusted me," I said, interrupting her.
"I do trust you, Edward."
"It didn't seem like it when you decided that breaking up with me – over the phone no less – was the best way to go. We've known each other for so long, ,,Kathryn. We spent almost three years as a couple. I know our relationship was somewhat forced and fast paced, but I fell for you. That was something I never expected would happen."
She looked at me passively.
"I thought I was doing the best thing for us at the time," she said.
It ended up being the best thing for me. I had met Bella. Now I had a chance to be happy again.
"I want to fix my mistake. I want us to try again, Edward," she said. She walked around the desk until she was standing right in front of me. Her hand reached up to stroke my cheek. "I miss you."
Maybe in another time, I would've considered her proposition. Hell, I had longed to hear those words from her a long time ago. Not anymore.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I reached up to grasp her hand in mine and moved it away from my cheek, shaking my head gently.
"I can't," I murmured, opening my eyes to look at her again. "Not anymore."
She looked at me clearly confused, before her eyes widened in surprise. It was as if I could hear the gears going off in her head.
"You've moved on," she said, looking down at my hand which was still holding hers.
Indeed I had. With the most wonderful girl ever.
"Yes, I have… and so should you."
"I'm too late," she whispered to herself before looking up at me intently. Her hazel eyes were wide and unblinking, shiny and full of unshed tears.
At that moment, I pushed aside all the history I had with Kathryn pulling her to me and embracing her. I could feel her shoulders shaking as she cried against my chest. I never imagined I was going to feel such peace as I finally expressed my feelings to her. It was great to finally be able to let go of everything in the past, and start living my future. What I didn't like was that now Kathryn was suffering. Even though I was over her, it still upset me to see her like that. She was still my childhood friend.
"I hope… I hope we can still be friends," Kathryn said after she pulled away from.
I smiled weakly at her and nodded.
"You've really changed since the last time I saw you," she said.
She leaned over to me again, and pressed her lips against my cheek. "I hope you're happy," she whispered in my ear. "You deserve to be."
She walked out of the office, leaving rooted at my spot. She had changed as well. She was definitely more mature. I stood where I was for a few more minutes, and turned to stare back at the window, all the while finishing the now warm beer. The snow had stopped falling, and all was quiet. It was exactly how I felt inside.
As I took the last sip of beer, I heard the door open, and Esme came into the office. She had a look of utter disapproval on her face when she noticed the beer bottle in my hand, but decided not to comment on it.
"Eleazar and his family are leaving," she said. "Are you going to come say goodbye?"
"Yeah."
I moved to walk out of the office with her, but she held my hand and pulled me into a tight hug. One of those hugs only mothers could provide.
"Kathryn told me you guys talked and cleared the air. I'm so proud of you, sweetie," she stated.
"Thanks, Mom,"
After our guests were gone, and everything was cleaned up and done, I took a shower and just let the hot water wash off any tension I had left of the day. After I finished and got ready for bed, I did the one thing that would make my night just right: I called Bella.
So... what do you think is gonna happen next? let me know by clicking that blue button!
Thanks for reading!
Recs:
Close Your Eyes by CaraNo: Bella barely remembers her godparents, but after losing her mom and dad, she's shipped off to rainy Washington to live with the Cullens for her final semester in high school. On the outside, the Cullens are perfect. Behind closed doors is another matter. (very angsty story; completed... Matter fact, go ready anything by CaraNo. Her stories are just amazing! )