I had been staring at the doorbell for number 23 for a good 10 minutes now. It had been relatively easy to find the apartment block, it really was just down the road from the cinema.
But now that I was actually here I was suddenly scared. Whatever kind of job Edward did, it didn't seem to involve very nice people. Who knew what this guy was actually like.
I was acutely aware that time was ticking on and if I had any hope of making the date with Jacob I really had to get a move in.
I inhaled deeply and eventually pressed in the bell. I was expecting a voice to appear on the monitor but instead there was a large buzzer sound and the main building door creaked open. I took one last breath and walked in.
The building was quite dreary. The walls looked old and there was a lot of dust in the corners. There was a faint smell of weed apparent and I heard a man shouting from one of the apartments.
Thankfully it wasn't coming from the one I had to go to. 23 was towards the end of the corridor on the right. I knocked briskly three times, not wanting to spend much more time in this place.
After a minute or two the door swung open and I found myself staring into a pair of dark blue eyes.
The guy was brunette with a short, spiky hairdo. He was at least 6'3" and was clearly very ripped. My eyes trailed down his arms which were completely covered in tattoos. He had a nose, lip, and eyebrow piercing.
It suddenly dawned on me that I had seen him before. He was the guy that I saw talking to Edward in Rizzo's a couple of weeks ago.
"Yeah?" he grunted at me.
"Um…are you…are you Rhys?" I quivered, desperately trying to stop my legs from shaking. His appearance was so intimidating and I could feel a lump in my throat forming.
"Could be, who's asking?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.
"I..uh..I'm Bella and I'm here…well I've got…I was told to––" I stuttered.
"Oh maaaan," Rhys broke out in an exasperated laugh. I stared up at him utterly confused.
"Eliza sent you? Really, that girl just can't give it a rest?" he hung his head back and rolled his eyes. What was he talking about?
"What? No um..I—"
"Look, you tell her to just get over herself and these stupid little tests. I've told her repeatedly I'm not cheating on her. Can she just get that into her head?"
I was starting to get really tired of being used as a messenger pigeon between these guys.
"No, that's not why…I don't even know who…," I tried to explain, but still couldn't manage to get many words out.
"And I kind almost understand her logic. I mean she sends someone that looks like you to my door, with that body, those tits. It would tempt even a saint," Rhys shrugged, gesturing towards me.
I'm not sure was it from my discomfort or my impatience at his interruptions but I found myself shoving the package into his stomach.
"This is for you. Edward told me to deliver it here. That's all," I said bluntly, and turned to leave again.
"Hey, woah, woah, wait up," Rhys called out after me. I sighed and turned back around to face him.
"Cullen sent…you?" he asked, clearly bewildered. I just shrugged in response.
"Well, sorry about that, I didn't think…anyways, before you go I have to make sure it's all here. I've never been one to put my faith in postmen," he joked, nudging me with his elbow.
I just stared blankly back at him which made his grin fade.
"Why don't you come in?" he suggested, opening his door wide.
"Oh, I don't think—"
"Any friend of Cullen's is a friend of mine. And I really can't let you leave without checking this first. You know…admin," he winked.
I must have been insane, but I was finding myself less and less scared of this guy. If anything he seemed almost…goofy? Maybe it really was just his appearance that was terrifying.
I glanced to my watch. It was already 6.55. I mean, the movie didn't actually start until 7.30, so what harm would being a few minutes late do?
I followed Rhys into his place and closed the door behind me.
His apartment was pretty average, what I would have expected given the overall building. I was quite taken aback by how long it was. Everywhere was spotless.
"You can grab a seat there, I'll just deal with this," Rhys said, waving the package. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
"Oh no, I'm fine thanks," I replied, sitting down on the couch. Going into a stranger's apartment was one thing, but accepting a drink from him was just a whole new level of stupid.
Rhys went into the next room over and I could hear him unwrapping the package, the very thing I had restrained myself so hard from doing.
"So…do you study medicine with Edward?" I asked, looking around at the scarce pictures on the walls. There was one of him and Edward that seemed pretty recent, and another of him and some pretty girl, I guessed she must be Eliza. Other than that it was filled with random posters.
"Me? God no!" he exclaimed from the other room. "Cullen's the one with the brains, I'm not even in college."
He walked back out without the parcel. "All good there. Sorry I had to check, it's nothing personal just protocol," he explained.
I nodded timidly and stood up to leave.
"Can I ask, how did someone like you become involved in all of this anyways?" Rhys mused, cocking an eyebrow up.
"Eh…I guess I would just call it being in the wrong place at the wrong time," I sighed, half laughing. He chuckled and nodded understandingly.
My curiosity was creeping in and who knew when I would ever have another chance like this.
"So, what exactly do you do in this…company?" I asked, attempting to give the impression of nonchalance.
Rhys just smirked at me and sniggered. "Love, I know I said Edward has the brains, but I wasn't born yesterday. It's pretty obvious you haven't been told what this…company…is."
I sighed internally. Guess I wasn't getting any information from him.
"Seems kind of shady," I remarked. Rhys just shrugged and looked around his apartment.
"It pays the bills. You know I keep nagging Cullen to move out of that glorified frat house and go halfsies on a place with me, but he insists on staying there for some god awful reason. Just imagine the crib we could get if we pooled in together. Then again, I guess he could easily manage it by himself," he laughed.
"Edward's…well off?" I asked, hesitantly.
"Well off?" Rhys snorted, "Try loaded! How could he not be when his dad is the most renowned neurosurgeon in the state?"
"Edward's dad is a surgeon?" I asked again. It suddenly occurred to me how little I really knew about the guy I had declared as my enemy.
"Do you know him at all?" Rhys laughed, not realising how accurate he was.
"He's a pretty mysterious guy," I shrugged, "you've known him long?"
And with that Rhys launched into his and Edward's backstory. They were neighbours growing up but came from two completely different worlds. Edward's father's career meant that the Cullens lived in the lap of luxury, while meanwhile Rhys lived with 5 siblings and his single mother in a 2 bedroom house. His dad had left when he was 9 and as the oldest he had felt the need to stand up and look out for his family.
The Cullens were like a second home to him and he and Edward were like brothers. When things went downhill with his mom who had begun self-medicated, he had even lived with Edward for a while. When he was 16 his mother's drug habit got the best of her and she overdosed, leaving her family devastated. His siblings went to live with his aunt but he decided to make the move directly to the city to find work. Two years later, Edward started college and they were back scheming together as if nothing had ever changed.
I was so amazed at his honesty. He had told me the most intimate details of his life and he barely knew me. The contrast between him and Edward was remarkable and I found myself wondering how they had remained friends after all that time.
"Those kind of loyalties, they stick for life, you know?" he stated, seemingly answering my thoughts.
I had been so entranced by Rhys's stories that I hadn't even noticed the time. It wasn't until my phone buzzed that I jumped up in panic.
"Are you okay?" Rhys screamed, jumping up too.
"Yeah, no! Oh crap! It's already 8pm, shit I have to go!" I exclaimed, flustered, heading towards the door. "Sorry, um thanks for all this."
"No problem. I'll tell Cullen you make a much better delivery person than the smelly fat dudes he usually sends," Rhys laughed.
I laughed in response and waved at him as I sped down the corridor. I had about 20 messages and missed calls from Jacob that I simply hadn't noticed until now.
My mind felt like it was overloading with all this new information. I couldn't think about that right now. All I could focus on was making it to the cinema as quickly as possible.
