Long chapter, but all Edward and Bella. Dual POVs again.

Chapter 9 Open Narratives

-Edward

"I'm going through a breakup," Bella said unhappily to me as we walked down the sidewalk side by side. "It's was a serious relationship. And it was my ex I was just on the phone with earlier." Bella shook her head dejectedly. "The conversation wasn't so pleasant, hence my breakdown."

I was a little shocked at her personal confession. I knew, from Jasper, that this was no ordinary breakup. Bella was no longer engaged. We had been walking in our subdue silence for almost ten minutes under the moonlit sky, but I'm relieved that there was now an explanation behind our sudden embrace earlier at the brewery. And I didn't have a response so I left my mouth stiff, urging my brain to come up with something sympathetically applicable without offending her. But all that came out was a generic response.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I replied sincerely.

"You know it was only a few weeks ago that I was someone's fiancé. I was about to have major obligations in my life I thought I was ready for. It felt right at the time. And now, that I look back, I realize that it only felt safe." She twitched her expression to make it appear that she was upset at herself for this reason. But she continued on with her existential oration. "I went along with what I felt comfortable with for the longest time and maybe that's why our relationship was adequate all along. Like how you get used to something for a while, that it just becomes second nature. But I knew something was missing. A tiny piece that… I couldn't describe, until…" She faded off and didn't finish her sentence. "I was afraid if we dragged on like that, we would just be perfect strangers."

Bella chuckled humorlessly and spun around to face me as she walked backwards.

"You must think I'm crazy - me telling you all this." But after a few steps her heel rolled over a loose rock and I saw that she was falling back. I quickly reached out to grab her with both arms before she could hit the ground and pulled her up toward me to regain her balance. She looked up at me with something in her eyes that reflected the same way after I had pull her off the street. Although it was many days ago, her deep brown eyes always stirred an apprehension inside me every time I looked into them and I held her for a brief second before letting her go.

"I don't think you're crazy at all," I promptly opposed her earlier statement with a smile. "Just a little clumsy maybe."

"Thanks," she shyly replied and I saw a rosy blush form in her cheeks even under the faint moonlight.

"You know…a breakup is not an easy situation for anyone," I continued the conversation, even though I still amused by her facial reaction to her awkward trip, but I didn't want her to be any more uncomfortable.

"Hmm, anyone," she scoffed the last word as if she didn't agree, which made me feel a little shot down, but then she looked up to glance at me with her brown droopy eyes, and my heart went out to her again. "Or for some people."

She shrugged it off. "I don't know. It was like a guarantee that I didn't deserve from him, and in reciprocal, lacking of something… something that I didn't deserve. I mean, aren't we all worthy to have the full capacity of happiness?" She stared at me with all of her conviction in this simple truth and I was sure no sane person would deny it.

"Absolutely," I agreed with her wholly. Her piece of wisdom presented a dash more of hope that I was glad to hear. "Do what makes you happy, and definitely be with someone who can do the same for you."

"Sometimes I don't know if I'm letting time eat at me slowly or if time is being too gradual with the 'moving on' process, so it's a bit difficult to find that happy place right now," Bella spoke softly.

"Then you let time be on your side, even if it's no quick relief," I said it without heavy thought as if someone else could have said that and have it meant for me as well. "And when you find that place, it'll be like what you mean about your painting…bliss."

Bella gave me a small smile.

"Seeing how I come out of this is the scariest part," Bella contemplated aloud. "Am I still going to be me? Or am I going to be this lonely crazy woman?"

Before I could think of a reply, we reached the end of Alice's driveway. Bella stopped a few steps after the curb and turned to face me. I had not gone inside the house before, so I assumed this is where she would offer to call a cab for me. But the expression on her face, lingering with nervousness, told me she had something else to ask me.

"Can I make you some tea?" She asked me as she drummed her fingers on the key chains in her hand. I noticed this was something she did often when she had something on her mind.

Was she asking me inside…to wait for a cab? It could be harmless, right?

"Okay," I replied with some reservations in the back of my mind being careful to stay within propriety. Bella was still in a vulnerable state, and I would not withstand being a faulty gentleman if I couldn't keep her at ease. I had to uphold her belief in my calming effects.

And I was also tempted to be with her little longer. I could keep it light. "Do you have chamomile?"

The nervousness that was so obvious before now disappeared and a smiled appeared. And then she burst out a loud laugh. "You drink chamomile?" I just shrugged, and she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I have some. Come inside."

We walked inside the house and through the entry that lead to the kitchen on the right and beyond the foyer, to an open living room with high ceilings, fully decorated with plush furniture.

"You can have a seat on the couch," Bella motioned to the massive sofa in the middle of the room. "I'll be just a few minutes in the kitchen."

"Alice has a nice place," I commented as I took a seat on the edge of the sofa.

"Yeah, she's a stringent girl when it comes to fashion and style," Bella responded from the kitchen. "No trends go unturned when it comes to her."

After a few minutes, I was feeling comfortable enough to lean deep into the plush of the sofa cushions. But something sharp poked into the side of me and I immediately jumped away. I pushed the cushion apart from the arm and found a hardcover book stuffed in between. Figuring that it might have been a lost item, I pulled it out and placed it on the coffee table.

Bella walked in with two steaming mugs in hand and halted in place for a second. I noticed that she caught sight of the book I had pulled out from the sofa before coming over to hand me a mug without eye contact.

"I found it stuffed in between the sofa cushion," I quickly explained, pointing to the book on the coffee table.

"Um, thanks." She slowly took it with both hands and moved it to the far end of the fireplace mantle. I thought it was a little strange what she did since there were no other books placed there, and it made me think that, maybe it wasn't a lost book at all. She took a seat on the other side of the coffee table across from me and silently sipped her mug. I caught sight of her fingers drum against her mug for a brief moment. And then a slight smile came from the corner of her lips before taking another sip.

We sat there quietly with our chamomiles, seeping in the cool and calm of the night, with no tensions left to bear. I could see Bella appeared a million times more relaxed now since the brewery. And despite my earlier precautious measures, I was beginning to believe that Bella was really at ease with me nearby and that my presence didn't pose any adverse impressions. I was making her feel better. And that was making me feel very good inside.

"When did you move here?" Bella interrupted our silence.

"Umm…about a month ago," I carefully took another long sip of my tea.

"How do you like it so far?" She asked with her curious brown eyes staring straight into mine. It made me stall momentarily.

"I like it so far," I replied with a sincere smile. "It's a nice change of scenery. Less hustle and bustle of things."

"It most definitely is," she agreed in a monotone voice. And then she enlightened me more of her thought. "Some people come to a place like this to vacation, as a get-away, or to retire. I mean, look around you." She motioned her hand toward the window. "There's pine trees, dirt, birds, mountains, blue skies…and I've been here most of my life. I grew up here as a kid and now I'm an adult, living my life like my world around me hasn't changed much. And I'm okay with that. Don't get me wrong, I would love to still see the world. But this is my home." She grinned at me like she was proud of it and it made me glad that this town I've chosen to come to is a better bet than I thought.

"So, you don't mind growing old and grey here?"

"Under the right circumstances….no, I wouldn't mind," she said thoughtfully.

"Right circumstances?" I hedged on.

"Well, old and grey is fine," she repeated and then lowered her voice. "But not lonely."

I nodded understandably. My mug was now empty and I was beginning to wonder how long Bella intended me to stay. I could see that she was alright, but I wasn't sure if she still wanted my company.

"'I would hate to grow old alone," I mumbled in response. I had the same realization that loneliness was not an option. Who would want to live life without someone to share it with?

"More tea?" Bella asked me with some hope in her eyes. She still wanted my company.

"Yes, please," I replied willingly as she reached out to take my mug.

"You know, I've been going on about my troubles and I don't know any of yours," Bella exclaimed from the kitchen. "Are you a fugitive or something?"

"Not a theft, not a bank robber," I playfully replied. Bella returned with a vexed look on her face. She carefully placed the mug on the coffee table and stared at me with a suspecting eye.

"Then who are you?"

I knew I had to let Bella know more about me and that I wasn't just a friend of Jasper's. I owed her more than that. She had already confided in me enough to see me trustworthy. I could be her friend too.

"I didn't move here," I began slowly. "I'm sort of on a long term vacation."

"Oh." Bella took a sip of her tea and waited for me to continue.

I took a deep breath and let some more out. "After I finished college back home, I quit my job and came here to be away for a while."

"So you're on a hiatus."

"Something like that."

I could tell Bella wanted to know more, as she shifted her eyes away from me and stared into her mug and she started to drum her fingers again through the handle. I waited to see what questions she had in mind. I decided that it was easier for me to answer Bella's question rather than try to narrate any lengthy storytelling. I wasn't sure how much I was ready for that.

"Where's home?" She finally asked, and she looked up at me with her coaxing brown eyes.

"In Los Angeles, by the beach." I said shortly. I couldn't help it. Once I told her that, it was like I had opened a window for her to ask me about anything now. My family, my school, my friends…my past.

"You live by the beach?" She said with eyes brightened.

"Yeah, I did." I used my living status in the past tense, even though Bella suspected that I still lived there. She was, however, still under the impression that I was only visiting here.

"Wow, this is really a change of scenery," she commented. "Is it strange, not having what you know around?"

"No," I replied solemnly. "It's actually a relief. Like a rest stop." Bella then turned to look at me with an astonished expression on her face and I was afraid that maybe she took it the wrong way. "I didn't mean to be offensive…I just meant that I needed the change in pace…"

"No – I get what you mean," Bella interrupted with a warm tone. "Trust me, I've been there before."

A low rumbling came from outside, and for a second I thought the house had moved. I sat still, waiting to see if it was what I expected. Another low rumbling and I almost prepared myself for swift movement. But I saw that Bella sat unmoved in her chair, so I stayed stiff where I was on the sofa.

"Earthquake?" I half guessed, although I knew better it probably wasn't.

Bella sighed and then put her mug down to walk over to the window. "No. Thunderstorm."

She walked back into the kitchen and I got up to follow her.

"I'd better call Alice to see where she is," She picked up the phone and started to dial. "Hey, Alice, where are you?" Bella looked at me with some concern and then relief washed over. "Oh, okay. That's fine. No, I'm alright. Well, I'll – hello?" She glanced at the handset confused and then placed her ear back on. "Hello? Alice?"

She hung up the phone and tried to dial again. "Great. Phone line's gone." She then turned to me. "Do you have a cell phone on you?"

I knew when I moved here I wanted to be totally isolated. Even unreachable by any means of all communication. No emails, no phone calls. I especially didn't want people calling me, wanting to find out by their sheer curiosity how I was doing. Or rather dealing. I had only given my mother the address to the cottage in case of urgent emergency, knowing full well she would only contact me if such event was necessary. Other than that, I had disconnected my cell phone and never reactivated a new one when I came here. I didn't think of actually needed one for myself while I was here. I didn't even have my car.

"Sorry, I don't," I regretfully replied.

Bella pursed her lips and stood there thinking. "I cancelled mine with Jacob's last week," she mumbled.

"Is Alice alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's fine," Bella answered with a vacant look on her face. "She's at Jasper's."

A louder rumbling came from outside again followed by some thunder, and then it was apparent that rain began to fall harder by the pounding sound on the roof. From the corner of my eye, I saw that the living room windows flashed a bright glow from behind the lightweight curtains and then the crackling sound of lightning boomed. I flinched at the sound of it. This is definitely not the kind of weather I was used to back home.

"Are you okay?" Bella jolted me again with her sudden worry in me.

"Yeah," My answer came out a little more hesitant then I wanted to sound.

"I'm sorry, Edward," Bella said apologetically. "I shouldn't have kept you here so long." She had a worried look on her face. "But it's really not safe to be outside right now. Especially on the road."

I slowly let out a deep breath. I had not thought this far ahead to be here alone with Bella, this late into the night, let alone during a thunderstorm. And the abrupt change in weather was not helping me in any way to keep me calm. The sounds and sights of what was happening outside suddenly made me feel uneasy about something from my past. I hated storms. Or moreover, I hated how it created dangerous conditions for unwanted situations. Situations that caused carelessness into tragedies. And although this isn't one of those unwanted situations because I was safe and dry inside a house, and on the upside, I also couldn't help but feel delighted that I was still in the company of Bella. I recomposed myself, hoping I wasn't giving too much away.

"So you're not going to kick me out in the rain, right?" I chuckled amusingly.

"No, definitely not," she said sternly. And then she smiled at me sheepishly. "You're going to have to be a prisoner here a little longer."

I smiled back. "I wouldn't call it being held captive if you are only keeping me out of harm's way."

We retreated back to the living room and instead of returning to the arm chair, Bella took a seat at the other end of the sofa, opposite of me. She took off her shoes and lifted her legs up to hug them as she faced me. She raised her eyebrows slightly and was eyeing my way as she lifted her chin, urging me to do the same thing.

A little apprehensive at the fact I was still here and alone with Bella, I didn't shy away from the other fact that I wanted to be with her some more. I bent over and untied my shoe laces, carefully slipped them off my feet and slid my legs over on top of the cushions, matching Bella's same position. She smiled, satisfied that I had correctly done what she silently wanted me to do. And then with one swift movement of her arm, she flipped the chenille blanket from the head of the sofa over and covered us both under it.

"Better?" Bella asked coaxingly.

To my surprised, I felt as if the tables had turned and it was now Bella, who was trying to comfort me. She must have sensed something was off. Not that I was afraid of a little thunder and lightning, but if that is what she thinks is bothering me, I would let her. This unexpected thunderstorm had me thinking of an unpleasant memory and I didn't want to change my entire mood in front of her.

"Yeah." I whispered more relaxed now then I was a minute ago. "Thanks."

We had a few feet of space in between us on the sofa, but there wasn't any awkwardness. We sat there together snug and safe inside while a thunderous storm was looming outside. The blanket was covering us in a way that was symbolic of our seemingly inhabited security of each other, keeping us warm and, in a sense, connected. There was a level of comfort that was beginning to form between us and I could hope that Bella was feeling the same way.

-Bella

Edward appeared less anxious now then he was before when the thunderstorm began. Being in these neck of the woods, the Sierra Nevada region boasts some monstrous storms; more dangerous than in other plains because of the higher elevation, tall forestry and open fields. Many people, especially those who aren't familiar with the area, will not know to take serious caution. And by the look in Edward's eyes earlier, he definitely did not know.

Another bolt of lightning flashed, followed by the piercing roar of thunder, and my eyes immediately glanced to Edward. He didn't flinch this time.

"It usually doesn't last too long," I assured him.

He smiled. "It's okay. It's just a more magnified version than I'm used to."

Even though I knew the worst part could be over soon, I secretly hoped this storm would last all night. There was more that I wanted to know about Edward and the longer I had this chance, I was in a place that took me away from my troubled thoughts. "Can I ask you something?" I bit my lower lip.

Edward looked absorbed in thought, but did not appear bothered by my question. "Go for it."

"Are you frightened by this storm?"

And with the strangest reaction I could expect, Edward laughed at me. "That's your question?"

He glanced up at the ceiling with a whimsical expression on his face as he lightly chuckled again. I furrowed my brows, now feeling a little bothered by his reaction. Does he think my question was childish? I was really serious for asking him. How was I to know if any of this was too traumatic or not.

"I'm sorry, I thought the question was going to be more involved than that," he replied after seeing the confused look on my face. "But to answer your question…not anymore."

I had to laugh at myself after that. I didn't mean to ask Edward in such a way that I would ask a four-year-old. Maybe somewhere in the back of my mind, I wanted to know if Edward was afraid of being next to me, if it wasn't this weather. But if he wasn't afraid of the storm or even me, then what was it that had bothered him before? I wanted to ask, but decided this was not the best time.

"Good," I mumbled and then teased him back mocking his previous muse. "And I didn't even have to make any sudden or unexpected moves on you."

Edward just smile crookedly at me as he slightly shook his head in amusement.

Unable to control my yawning, I leaned my head against the back of the plush sofa with my body slumped in the nook of the corner spot. My breathing became steady and my eyes were fixated on the blanket that Edward and I were sharing, covering both of our legs. I imagined it was like we were two peas in a pod. The resonance of thunder grew fainter as the flicker of lights softened to a fluorescent spotlight in the night darkness. The rain diminished its rampage to just a rapid trickle on the roof top that echoed like cheerful chitter-chatter. I suspected that the storm was moving away in the distance now. I thought that soon I would have to say good night to Edward. We would have to get off of this sofa and say our good byes. Edward probably wanted to go home hours ago, and I had no good reason for him to stay any longer.

But I felt so warm again.

And the light buzzing remnants of the storm was transforming into a soothing sound. Like a lullaby.

Was there red lightning glaring behind my eyes? The storm isn't over? No sound of thunder.

Groggy, I twisted myself toward the back of the sofa and buried my face into the cushion, not wanting to believe the weather was still acting up. As I stretched my body with my arms above my head to my feet pointed out, I felt my toes jam into a warm body part. Stricken with unsuspecting fear and before I could tell what it was, I heard his voice.

"Ouugh!" I heard him groaned in pain. I sat up immediately and brought my hands to my mouth, gasping in horror. I had accidently kicked Edward in the groin, not knowing he was still on the opposite end of the sofa. He rolled to his side with a grimace on his face.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized and feeling extra awful that not only he had woken up to finding himself not in his own bed, but that I had held him captive all night. "Are you okay?"

He fought through his grimace to give me a small smile in an attempt to convey he wasn't hurt too badly. "I'm fine."

There was no more thunder and lightning, just the bright sunlight that was shining through the windows now, lightening up the living room with the evidence of what had happened last night. There on the floor were both of our shoes untied, two empty mugs on the coffee table and my journal placed on the mantle. We had fallen asleep on the couch, sharing the blanket that was still covering us.

"It's morning?" I looked around half dazed.

"It appears to be," Edward answered politely with still some strain in his voice as he took a hand through his authentic bed head hair.

"I feel awful," I put my face into my hands. "I'm so sorry, Edward. You didn't even get to go home."

"Don't be," Edward said to me with his gorgeous green eyes shining in the sun lit room. I was in a morning trance just by his presence, wallowing in the fact that I had woken up to see Edward's face, which was at the moment granting me such close proximity. "It's okay, really."

I couldn't tell if there was any doubt in his answer, so I took his word for it and sigh in relief despite some lingering embarrassment.

"This only means one thing is inevitable," Edward shrugged nonchalantly. He slipped out of the blanket to put his shoes back on.

"What?" I asked curiously. What could he have in mind?

"You owe me big time," he stared back at me as he stood up with a slyish smile on his face.

A/N: Pairing chapter ends.