A/N. – Alrighty then…after reading through this chapter I decided that it needed some more work so I added quite a bit to the end of this chapter so go check it out please. Sorry. Anyway…I don't think I've mentioned this before but my friend gave me a great idea and I started a playlist for all of the songs used in this and there is a link to it on my profile so if you want to hear the songs I suggest you check it out. Well here it is some more of our lovely Edward, some people haven't been particularly fond of my Edward. Maybe after this chapter you'll like him a little more…
EPOV
Bella Swan was a complete and total mystery to me. The last few weeks I had been trying and trying to get both my brother and his girlfriend to give me Bella's number with no success. After seeing her at her house I had to admit that maybe I was getting a little smitten with her. I knew my goal was to make her fall for me and for me to not fall for her, but I was beginning to see how difficult that was going to be. Every touch, every look, drew me closer to her. I had seen her perform and win at the VMA's with her band and I had to admit that I don't know why I never saw their talent to begin with.
She was mesmerizing on stage. Not that she didn't mesmerize me off stage as well, because she did, it was just so much more when she was performing. I knew what it was like up there for her. The feeling of the crowd when they were really pumped up about your performance could be intoxicating. The fact that their first really big televised performance was the VMA's didn't throw them one little bit. I was lying in bed the day after her performance thinking about her. The way she sounded, the way she moved, the way she looked. I was very much enjoying the path my thoughts had taken when I got an unexpected call from my brother. "Are you in jail?" I asked in an aggravated tone.
"Well good morning to you too brother dear." He said cheerily.
I looked over at the clock on my bedside table. "It's nine in the morning…" I practically growled. "What do you want Emmett."
"Still not a morning person I see."
"Are you dying?" I ground out between my teeth.
"No." He answered quickly.
"Do you wish to be?"
"No."
"Then you better tell me what you want Emmett."
"Okay, Crankward." He said laughing. "I need a favor."
"What?" I asked fully exasperated. If he didn't get to the point quick I was going to hang up on him and return to my rather pleasant thoughts I was having before he called.
"Listen I know that you have become interested in a certain singer lately, and you asked if I could help you out…well I might have just figured out a way to help you."
I shot up to a sitting position fully aware now. "What is it?" I asked anxiously now.
"I see I now have your attention." He chuckled. "Well you see Twilight is having a band crisis. I just got a call from the rhythm guitarist, Mike, evidentially he has suffered from a broken arm. As you know you cannot play guitar with a broken arm."
"No you cannot. I don't see where I fit into all of this?"
"Dude you're slow this morning. And you're supposed to be the one with the brains. That's scary."
"Emmett!"
"Okay…Twilight is supposed to go on tour in three days. I need a miracle. More importantly I need my incredible insanely talented brother to fill in for him."
"You want me to be the substitute guitarist?"
"Yes."
"How is this helpful?"
"Simple. I get you the music. You do your guitar speed learning thing that you've always been able to do so well. We break the news to the band, but you come sweeping in like Superman to save the day and sweep them off their feet including a very fiery brunette who seems to have caught your attention."
"Emmett…That is actually a really good plan." I said slowly.
"You know I should be more offended by your tone than I am…"
I ignored him. "How soon can you get me music?"
"I'll be at your house in about a half hour."
"Perfect." I hung up the phone and rolled out of bed I made a pot of coffee and waited of Emmett to get there.
After he dropped off the music for the tour songs I practiced night and day until I knew that I was ready. I packed up my guitar and drove to the rehearsal space. Oh well I was late, but I called Emmett and he told me just to get there fast. So I did. Now here I was on stage with Bella once again. Only this time I was playing with her. I was on stage while she was singing and I found myself catching on to her energy. We played through every song. When we finished she turned to me.
She chuckled once. "What?" I asked. She smiled and shook her head. "What?"
"You're just surprising that's all." She said finally looking me in the eyes.
"Is that good or bad?" I asked.
"I'll let you know." She said with another smile. She turned away from me to look at the rest of the band. "So…what do you guys think?"
"Well he can play that's for sure." The blonde, whose name was Jasper, I think, said.
"Yeah." Rosalie agreed.
"Alice?" Bella asked.
"Well…yeah." The small one chirped with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Okay then." Bella turned back to me. "I guess you're in. Welcome to the madness that is Twilight." She said with a gesture of her arms.
"Hey…we aren't that crazy." The small one chirped. I was really going to have to get better at their names. Alice. Alice was the little drummers name.
"Baby. You know I love you…but you are definitely crazy." Jasper responded as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Whatever." Alice rolled her eyes. "Edward. If you're coming with us. I'll give you a list of what kind of outfits we'll be wearing so you'll know what to bring." She said. There wasn't a question attached to that so I didn't think I had much a choice but to go along with her. "I'll have Emmett fax it to you tonight."
I nodded and looked away from them to see Bella looking at me. Sometimes when she looked at me like that I couldn't help but feel like she was looking all the way down to my soul. She smiled and blushed and looked down at the floor after a long moment. After a few moments the rest of the band filtered out leaving Bella and I on the stage once more. "Thank you." She said suddenly after a few moments of silence.
"For what?"
"For this." She said gesturing around her. "For filling in. I know that you wanted to get away for a while. The photographers, the fans…I don't know what favor you owed Emmett, but I hope you realize that you're entering the 'twilight zone'" she said with a giggle after realizing her pun.
"Well at least I'm not the only one who knows who Rod Sterling is." I said causing her to go into another fit of laughter. I loved to make her laugh. I loved seeing her like this. Open and free.
"No you definitely aren't. Jake and I used to watch that show all the time." She said sitting down on the edge of the stage like she had before.
"Jake? The guy that was at your house?" I sat down next to her.
"Yeah. We go way back. Like back before we were born back. Our dads were really good friends."
"Were?"
"Yeah. My dad…he's…he's not around anymore." My heart broke at her tone and I wished that the world could open up and swallow me whole. "He was the police chief in the town that I grew up in. Forks. He was shot in the line of duty about a year ago. He was always really supportive of us and our music. I'd like to think that he's really our bands guardian angel now." She said quietly.
"God…Bella…I'm…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…"
"No. It's okay. You didn't know. It's fine. We dedicated our album to his memory. His picture was on the inside cover and everything. Billy, that's Jakes' dad, he sure got a kick out of that." She said with a small chuckle. I just realized then that it had been here where Bella admitted to me that her mother had passed away only a few years earlier. Bella had lost both of her parents. Just like…just like I had.
"Well. If it helps I know…I know how it feels."
"What do you mean?"
"I know how it feels to lose your parents."
"How could you?"
"Well I've lost mine."
"But I thought…"
"Carlisle and Esme adopted me. Esme is really my aunt, but when my parents both died I came into their care, and they raised me like I was their own. I was only about eight when it happened but I still remember…I know what it feels like. The loneliness, the sadness…" I said looking up into her eyes. They were looking at me. They had a watery sheen to them and I saw a few tears trailing down her face. I had wished that I wouldn't have brought any of this up at all. "I've never told anyone that." I said after a moment. "That I'm adopted."
"I won't tell anyone." She said still looking into my eyes.
"I know." I said before I could stop the words from coming out of my mouth. It was strange how I felt I could trust her with one of my deepest secrets. Sitting there only a few inches away from her I could feel the usual energy that I felt when I touched her zing through the air between us. "I know that I can trust you." I said firmly.
"Well…" She said after a moment sliding off the stage. "We should probably get going. I mean tomorrow is our first show after all."
"Yeah." I said as I packed up my guitar. "I'll walk you out." I said as I hurried to catch up to Bella.
"Okay." We walked in comfortable silence for a while until we came to an old Chevy truck.
"Is this what you drive?" I asked her.
"Yes. Old red and I go way back." She said petting the truck.
"Yeah…okay…old red goes back to before you were born."
"Hey." She said shoving me playfully. "Don't hate on the truck. I don't always use it. I just…I like to have it. It reminds me of home."
"Well then…" I said with a smile. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning when we get on the busses."
"Yeah. I've got to go through my bags and make sure Alice at least packed something I like to wear."
"Alice packed for you?"
"As I told you at my house the other day I have lost the privilege to pick what I wear on my own." She laughed.
"Did Alice pick this out?" I asked gesturing to her form fitting jeans and old fashioned rolling stones shirt and…chucks? I hadn't even thought about what she was wearing before now. I just had thought she looked amazing. I thought girls were supposed to want to wear heals and things like that. It was oddly refreshing to know there was someone out there that didn't have to try hard to look stunning. I was beginning to think that she always looked amazing, even if she was only wearing converse sneakers and a t-shirt. Hum…Bella in nothing but a t-shirt and her sneakers…Bella in less…my brain was spinning out dangerous fantasies. I needed to try to keep my brain in the here and now. Thankfully she interrupted the thoughts going through my head.
"No. I did." She said. I was momentarily confused before I remembered that I had asked her a question. "And believe me I heard all about it when I got here. Apparently I have no fashion sense."
"Well…If it means anything. I think you always look fantastic." I said and then wished maybe I hadn't been so honest. That was until I looked to see her blushing once again. I wanted so badly just to reach out and touch her cheek so I did what any respectable man would do in the situation…I left. "Well…I'll see you tomorrow." I said and I waved as I left her by her car in the lot. The paps obviously didn't know where they were rehearsing, because I'm sure they would have been around. I knew we would be so lucky when we started the tour. With the whole tour schedule out in the open it was easy for the vultures to track you down.
I climbed into my new non-descript silver Volvo and started the drive home. I was pulling up my drive and through the gate before I really even registered the drive. I was thinking about something…or someone rather…the entire way. I collapsed in the bed with all of my clothes on. I really wanted to just fall asleep but I know I was waiting for Alice to send me a fax of what was acceptable to take on the tour. From what Bella had said if I didn't follow instructions I would regret it. So I was waiting thinking about Bella's brown eyes when I heard the fax machine start up in the other room. I heaved myself off the bed and trudged to the office to get the piece of paper off the ground.
I looked at the paper it had the text 'From the desk of Alice Brandon' on the top of the sheet. I looked through it and sure enough it was a list of clothes that would be acceptable to pack for the tour. I scoffed as I read through the list. Honestly stage clothes hadn't changed at all since the last time I was packing to go on tour, but then on the bottom of the page there was a note scrawled in a perfect script.
'Her number is 987-4021 if you don't call her I'll personally hang you. –Alice'
I wondered how Alice had gotten that by Emmett and at that point I didn't really care. Evidently I had one friend's approval and that worried me. What would happen after all this was over. I went back to my room phone in one hand and paper in the other. I sat down on the edge of my bed and thought a few things through.
I know why this whole thing started, and I had spent months going over and over this thing with James in my head. I had put it off as long as possible debating over whether I would be able to do this at all. I had thought if I was able to keep my distance, emotionally, it wouldn't be a problem. The issue was the more I knew about her the more I was finding we had in common and the more we had in common the more I was falling for her. Whoa! Wait a minute. Falling for her? Is that what is happening here? Was I Falling for Bella Swan? I think that I was. When did this happen and why didn't I know about this before hand? I was Edward Cullen girls fell over me never the other way around.
The more I thought about it the more tempting it was to dial those numbers to call her. I wondered though, what she would think if I just called her. She didn't even know that I had her number. That is unless Alice told her that she had given it to me, but then again I didn't think that that was a very large possibility. Maybe a text would be better. No I needed to call her. I could ask her about the list that Alice had given me that was a good enough reason right? God…when did I become a girl.
"Come on Cullen!" I said to my ceiling. "Man up and call her!" I had to dial the number four times before I settled on texting her.
Bella. Hey how are you? – Edward
There was a long pause before my phone pinged indicating that I had received a message.
Edward who? – Bella.
Cullen. - E
Another pause. Finally I got another message.
How did you get this number? - B
I smiled.
Well…Let's just say that I got it from a friend -E
Was this friend a short, black haired, bouncy female that can't keep her nose out of anyone else's business? - B
I laughed out loud at her question.
Maybe... If that's an adequate description of Alice…then yes. - E
Yes. Yes I say that's a very adequate description of that little evil pixy. –B
I was a little more than relived that she seemed to be conversing with me easily enough, but I had to ask.
If you say so...Are you angry that she gave me your number? – E
Not really. I'm actually surprised that it took you this long to get it. – B
I thought about all the times I had practically begged Emmett for her number and he wouldn't give me anything.
Hey. It wasn't for lack of trying. Rose and Emmett wouldn't budge. – E
Well it's nice to know who I can trust. :) You were really trying to get my number? – B
Since the day of your party. Are you surprised? – E
A little. – B
You shouldn't be. - E
I was obviously flirting with her, but Bella didn't seem to mind yet, but I waited holding my breath and let it out in a hearty chuckle when I read her response.
So you have my number…is there something on your mind or did you just miss my amazing personality? – B
If I said both what would you say? – E
Um…I would say that if you think I'm amazing you obviously need more friends... – B
You don't see yourself clearly.-E
Whatever you say Edward. –B
That statement had all sorts of possibilities tied to it. I wiggled my eyebrows as I typed back…
Really? –E
What is on your mind? –B
You mean besides your amazing personality? –E
Haha. Of course…-B
Well…actually it's about this huge list that Alice sent me. – E
Wow…I didn't think that she would actually send you a list…okay…what about it? –B
She didn't seem to adverse to talking to me…even if it was about the list that Alice sent over…maybe to start off with, but all of this texting was beginning to get tiresome. I wanted…no I needed to hear her voice again. How sad is it that I had already become addicted to the sound of it?
Can I call you this would be easier that way? – E
I held my breath and waited the long moment before she finally answered.
Sure. –B
"Hey." I said as soon as she answered.
"Hi. So what do you need?" She said in a sweet voice.
I stayed lost in her voice for a moment before I found my own. "Well do you think all of these things are essential or can I improvise?"
She laughed and I got lost in the sound. I loved her laugh. "That's all on you. I'd stick to the list if I were you though…Alice can be scary when it comes to fashion."
"Good to know…but I don't think I have some of this stuff…" I said scanning the list carefully. It was detailed that was sure. Things weren't just listed by like color. No they were listed by designers. I didn't think that I had most of what was on that list. I walked over to my closet.
"Well as long as you stay close I think you'll live…" I could here the smile in her voice. "I mean we kinda need you so I don't think Ali will go crazy on you if you aren't exact. Plus it's not like we've given you gobs of time."
I smiled at her slight rambling answer. "I kinda like that."
"What that we haven't given you time?"
"No. That you need me "
"The band needs you…" she remarked.
"Oh…the band…"
"Yes the band."
"Admit it you need me too."
"As a member of the band."
I chuckled. "I'll get you to admit it eventually…" I don't know what possessed me to say that.
"I highly doubt it." She said with an indignant snort.
"Really now?"
"Yes."
I dropped my voice slightly. "That sounded scarily like a challenge."
"No. A fact."
I laughed. "You should know. I'm not one to back down from a challenge."
"Really?"
"Yes. When we were growing up Emmett told me that I couldn't eat a whole pack of pudding, so I had to do it just to prove him wrong."
"Oh and how old were you then, if I may ask."
"I was five and he was six." I thought of that time when things were simpler. When Emmett wasn't my brother but my annoying cousin and I was living with my parents.
"So…how did that turn out for five year old you?" Bella asked breaking into my morbid thoughts.
"Well I ate it all…of course I threw it up five minutes later…" Bella burst out into loud laughs and I had to join her.
Bella talked to me all the time that I was packing and more. We talked well into the night and when I hung up and said goodnight I crawled in bed and realized something. This was it. I had found someone that could possibly make me happy, genuinely happy. That could make me laugh. That would understand my way of life. Someone I could share all of my secrets with. This wasn't about any bet anymore. This was now just about me and Bella. No matter what James had to say about it. I had found her…now all I had to do was win her, for real this time.
End Notes:
Okay so do any of you hate Edward a little less? Please leave me some review love! Sorry about the reposting thing, but sometimes it's nesissary. The next chapter should be up soon. Happy Holidays!
