AN: thanks for the reviews and thanks to bluebaby for betaing this chapter, sorry for being late with the update but I was lost in the Trory world.
Chapter 10.
Bella arrived at home feeling restless, sad because of Edward, guilty because of Paul and she wished only to get into her bed and never get out of it. When she parked her truck she noticed that Paul was sitting on the porch stairs. A sigh escaped her; she was still angry with him, but she had missed that snarky man too. She slowly got out of the truck and walked to him.
Paul looked up when she was right in front of him. He took a deep breath. "Babe, I think I owe you an apology."
She was truly shocked; never would she have imagined hearing such words coming from Paul. Her diffident side won though. "You're sorry about what exactly?"
In his eyes she saw a slip of surprise and then he schooled his eyes to serious again. "I'm sorry for not having asked about the bonfire. I shouldn't have assumed that you would be there."
Bella sat near him. "Let me get this straight, you're sorry for not respecting me."
He passed a hand through his short hair and for a moment she wished she could be the one to do it. "Yeah babe."
"You aren't sorry for your ultimatum." She whispered.
"Hell no!" He said. "I meant it, I still mean it. You can't be friends with Edward Cullen. Have you told him today?"
Bella felt her hands clenching on her knees. "Yes, and he was more a gentleman than you were. He was okay with it."
Paul seemed to relax slightly. "How are you?"
A flicker of anger burned her. "How do you think? He hasn't done anything but be nice and I repay him this way!" She spat.
"Babe, I promise you that you won't regret it in the long run." He said seriously.
She stood up; she was done with him for today. Part of her longed for his warm arms around her but she could be as stubborn as he was. "I think you should leave." She was shocked to realize that she meant it.
He was shocked too, he was frozen. "You don't mean it..."
"Believe me I do. I appreciate your apology for the bonfire and I hope that you'll respect me more in the future, but as of now I can't really deal with you. I'm sorry I'm still angry and hurt." She opened the door wishing he would stop her but he didn't. She closed the door behind her and let the tears fall. Why was it so complicated with him? Wasn't imprinting supposed to ease things out?
A knock at her door startled her. She dried her tears with a tissue and opened the door. Paul was there looking really stricken. "Babe... I'm out of my depth here..." She looked at him not understanding what he was talking about. "I don't know a flying fuck about relationships to put it bluntly."
Well, neither did she. "Me neither." She grudgingly admitted.
He sighed. "All I know is that I want you in my life, that I want to build a relationship with you that could last forever. But I don't know a thing about how to go for it. And you're stubborn, opinionated and fiery. Don't get me wrong, I like that about you but that are my characteristics too and we clash."
She smiled at his words. "I agree with you. So what do you suggest?"
Paul smiled back. "I think you should let me take you out on date. We'll scratch these first few days away and we start all over. What do you say to Friday at 8?"
Bella bit her lip contemplating his offer. "Yes, I'll go out with you on Friday." She opened the door completely and he stepped in. In a flash she was in his arms, she closed her eyes and sighed. It really was a nice place to be. She heard him sniffing her hair and she chuckled. "Hey dog are you sniffing me?"
He picked her chin up and smirked at her. "Little swan..." then he slowly closed the space between them and kissed her. She put her hands around his neck and pressed him closer.
"What the hell!" An angry voice shouted.
Bella and Paul were startled and jumped away from each other. On the other side of the door was none other than Charlie Swan, still wearing his uniform and with his hand on his gun.
She knew that her dad wouldn't use it and she had to stifle a laugh when she saw Paul's quiet scared expression.
"Sir, Chief, err... It's nice to see you again." he stuttered.
Bella was as embarrassed as he was, but seeing Paul so insecure eclipsed her embarrassment. "Hi dad."
Her father's murderous stare moved to her. "Bella go to your room, now."
She nodded, gave a small smile to Paul and started to go upstairs. She managed to hear her father say, "You get into the living room, we need to talk. I will never walk back in my house again and see you all over my daughter, are we clear Paul?"
"Yes sir." She heard him reply politely.
She closed the door behind her and went to the window. She opened it to let the cool air enter and she noticed honey-colored eyes watching her from the tree in front of her window.
Edward came a bit forward on the tree and asked her with a gesture if he could jump in. She hesitated a moment; downstairs there was an angry dad with her werewolf boyfriend and here she was letting a vampire into her bedroom.
That's Forks for Isabella Swan. She nodded and moved away. In a very fluent movement he entered without a sound being made. She started to speak. "What..." but his cool hand covered her mouth.
His breath was close to her ear. "Shhh if you speak like that Paul will hear us."
She shivered, not use to that coldness surrounding her. He moved his hand but didn't walk away from her. She whispered. "What are you doing here?"
He replied. "Just wanted to make sure you were back safe."
"Edward it isn't your concern." She said trying to convey her message to him.
"I know, but I can't stop caring because you don't want me to. Besides, I wanted to tell you that we are going tonight to play. I'll pick you up at 10." He told her.
"And how exactly am I going to get out of here with my father in the other room?" She asked.
He smiled at her. "Easy, Jasper, one of my brothers has a gift and he'll take care of your father." At her horrified expression he hastened to say. "Not in that way Bella... he'll just put him in a deep sleep."
She relaxed marginally. "I don't know Edward, I'm not sure it's a good idea..."
He pleaded with her. "I promise you that after tonight I won't bother you anymore; please it would mean a lot to me."
Why was he so good at convincing her? She was starting to think that he was a manipulator but she couldn't quite figure it out yet. "Fine, 10 o'clock I'll be ready."
He kissed her cheek quickly and jumped out her window. She sat on the bed just in time for the door to open.
Her father grimaced. "Your... boyfriend just left. I laid down the rules for him but the same apply for you. No kissing in any room of the house, you need to keep your marks up and I don't want to know anything involving being a granddad. I'm far too young for that."
Bella blushed. "Okay dad... does that mean that Friday I can go out with him?"
He nodded. "I want you back by midnight. I don't like the idea of you out in the dark." He closed the door.
Bella shivered, she didn't like that idea either but she had just agreed to stay out the night with a family of vampires.
She heard a bark; she walked to the window and saw a silver wolf. She saluted him and he barked again and then ran into the forest. She wished she had told Paul about tonight but she knew that he would have never allowed it; there wasn't anything that she could do now. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
...
By ten she was a wreck. How on earth has he convinced her to spend the night out with him? She sighed; it was too late to take it back. Now she was wearing the warmest clothes and a rain-jacket. She looked up and saw Edward with his brother, Jasper if she recalled his name right.
They entered and Jasper nodded at me. He opened the door of her room and went in the hall, she stayed still, holding her breath but felt nothing. A moment later Jasper was back, he only said, "Done." before jumping out of the window.
Edward smiled at her and gave her his back and then kneeled. She looked at him not understanding. "Edward what are you doing?"
He chuckled. "Come on Bella, you've to get on my back. You didn't really think that I could take where we are going with a car."
Bella huffed. "What is it with men and riding them? Honestly if I did know I would have refused."
He moved his hands and said, "Too late, now hop on."
She hesitated a moment, what if Paul caught wind of this. He would be furious and with reason, but it was her last day of friendship with Edward. She lie on his back, pressed her arms around his neck and held her legs. After a minute they were 'almost' flying through the forest.
Edward was swift and precise. She was tense, but the beauty of the experience made her happy. She wondered why she didn't like Edward, until now he had been perfect with her.
When they arrived at the clearing Bella met the others Cullen's. The family wasn't totally happy about her presence but after the first few minutes of the game they all warmed up to her. She was the referee and they were running and hitting the ball with such strength that Bella understood why they played in this weather; nobody would hear them.
She was having fun, Edward was really good but Emmett was really competitive. Rosalie and Alice were bumping into each other so often and Bella found herself laughing at everyone's behavior. The game was going well until Rosalie arrived at home-base and Bella declared her out.
Rosalie haughtily said. "I wasn't out, maybe your little human eyes didn't see that."
Bella glared at her. "My eyes saw that you were out."
The two girls were staring at each other until Rosalie smiled. "You've got guts to go against a vampire."
Bella smiled. "What can I say; I've got no sense of self-preservation."
"I agree with you little swan." Said a growling voice and after a moment Paul and Sam came out of the forest.
Bella felt her heart freeze. She was in trouble.
The Cullen's reunited around Bella, Edward walked to stand by her. "We're not harming her; she is playing baseball with my family."
Paul looked furious. "I don't give a fuck about you Cullen, I already told her to break it off with you. What I don't understand is how you could lie to me."
Bella bit her lip. "I didn't lie. Edward asked me for tonight and then we would break the friendship."
Paul was glaring at her and Edward. "And you believed him. Don't you see Bella that he did it to suck you in? You were going to have a good time and then he would say -see I'm not bad- and you would fight for your friendship."
Bella thought his words through and then she looked at Edward, he seemed to be avoiding her eyes. "Edward... is that true? Did you invite me tonight to make me change my mind?"
Edward nodded. "I'm sorry Bella; I just thought it couldn't be true... that story about imprinting and soul-mates... but now I see in their mind that it is. I really believed that you could change your mind about choosing him."
Bella was shocked. "But I told you that I liked Paul, and I thought that my reaction to your kiss was proof enough that I didn't feel for you what you felt with me!"
Edward sighed. "I know, but I couldn't stop hoping. I fought my battle and I lost, but at least I can say I tried everything I could."
She felt hurt and tricked, but most of all she was sorry for not having listened to Paul. She turned to look at him and his eyes were unreadable. "I'm sorry." She whispered.
Paul seemed to struggle with himself but finally he raised his hand. She didn't even think, she walked to him and took it. "Let's get you home babe, it's late." Bella snuggled closer to him and she heard Sam saying, "The treaty still stands but don't come near Bella ever again or it'll be war."
Paul picked her up in his arms. Bella tried to speak," Paul I'm so sorry." But he cut her off. "Save it for someone who cares. At the moment I'm so angry with you that I could kill you myself. How could you be so stupid? Is it possible that you didn't see his machinations?"
She closed her eyes feeling the tears streaming down her face. "I didn't know, really. He told me that it was a goodbye evening, that he would leave me alone after tonight."
"And the kiss, the dates and him hanging all over you at school didn't clue you in about his intentions?" He spat.
Bella felt silly. "I've never dated a guy! I don't know anything about all this stuff."
He sighed. "Do you understand why I'm so angry besides your disobedience?"
She shook her head. He answered his own question. "Because I was fucking scared! I care about you and you were there not with one but with seven vampires! You're my imprint my everything. How do you think I was feeling?"
She felt guilty. "I knew it was wrong but I didn't know how to refuse, Edward has been so nice and I thought that after tonight we could start with a new page. I'm sorry Paul." She knew now she had really screwed it, Paul would never trust her again.
"The worst thing is that you're so smart that you'll always find a way to lie to me. Omitting information or bending them is not acceptable!" He growled. "I can't even look at you right now."
They had reached her house and he left her on the porch. "Get in and go to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."
Before she could say anything he had left and Bella felt guilt and sorrow crush her. She had lost Paul even before trying; her stupidity and stubbornness had damaged her relationship with him. She wished that eventually he would forgive her.
...Meanwhile in the forest...
"That girl smells delicious." She whispered.
"It's more intriguing that she has werewolves and vampires at her beck and call." He replied. "I think we should take her and keep her as a pet. What do you think?"
"A new game, I like it." She laughed evilly.
