I don't own anything, SM does.
I apologize beforehand for any mistakes, I don't know French, the Internet helped me. If you find mistakes, tell me, please, I'll take care of them. Thank you!
Translation at the end of the chapter.
BPOV
"Pourquoi es-tu parti?"a woman screamed shaking a small kid by his shoulders.
"Où est papa?" a kid asked, his lower lip quivering.
"Dans l'avion. Le crétin!" the woman said angrily. The kid started crying.
"What are they talking about, Edward?" I asked. Everyone was looking at the two of them.
"The boy went looking for his father, he is on the plane. And she made him a scoundrel" Edward smiled at me. I was amazed by how well he knew French.
"Charlotte's a close…friend. I had to learn the tongue" he explained. I didn't miss his hesitation, in saying that she was a friend.
"Just a friend?" I asked. Edward glanced at me, scooping our luggage and sighing.
"She was more. But let's not talk about that"
"Where are we staying?" I asked. He hadn't told me anything about this, just that we are coming here.
"Let's find Charlotte. She's driving us," Edward said evasively and gestured for me to walk and let him carry the luggage. We got outside. Everything was covered in snow and it was snowing, still.
"Edward! Mon ami!" a woman, around thirty, covered with a fur coat and an elegant beanie on her head, came running to us. Or to Edward because she fell in his arms, clutching his neck.
"Charlie! It's great to see you" Edward said, hugging her. It didn't escape that he said 'great', not 'good'. Why am I acting like this? After his declaration from yesterday, I shouldn't doubt him, ever.
"Charlie, this is Bella, my personal assistant" he grinned at me, "and girlfriend" he whispered.
Charlotte extricated from the hug and turned to me, scrutinizing me.
"Charlotte. Mon plaisir" she said sweetly and extended a gloved hand.
"Bella" I said, grasping her hand. Cashmere, of course.
"We're staying at Mercure Tour Eiffel" explained Edward.
"Of course not!" she said slightly hurt. Edward cocked an eyebrow at her.
"Ma maison est ta maison" Charlotte demanded, gazing at Edward dazed.
"Charlie.. I wouldn't impose" Edward averted, looking scared.
"Edward" she said in a slightly French accent on an authoritative tone.
"She wants, no, she demands we stay at her house" Edward told me, grabbing me by the waist.
"No! The hotel will do" I said blushing.
"You can see the Eiffel Tower from the guest room" she told me.
"And the hotel has the same view" Edward said, trying to make her understand that we wanted to stay at the hotel.
"Non! The view from my house is so much more formidable! Tell her, Edward!" I felt Edward tense next to me.
"Like any other view to the Eiffel Tower. If you wanted us to stay at your house, why didn't you say so?" he asked, annoyed.
"Ne vous inquiétez pas!" Charlotte whispered.
"Qu'est-ce que tu essaies de montrer en faisant cela?" Edward hissed angrily.
"Petite-amie, mon cul!" she spewed, glaring at me.
"Je veux passer le reste de ma vie avec elle!" Edward growled and hugged me closer to him. "I love you" he whispered in my ear, then kissed my lips softly.
"Tu m'as dit la même chose!" Charlotte smirked. I wanted to know what they were arguing about, I had a feeling it was about me.
"Ne fais pas une scène!" Edward demanded her.
"Très bien!" she murmured. The glared at each other for a moment, then she whispered "Viens avec moi. I'm alone, in the big maison. S'il te plait, Edward" she begged.
"Fine" he sighed. "We're coming"
"We're going with her?" I asked, shocked. When did this happened?
"Yes, I'm sorry" Edward whispered in a pained voice. What had she said to make him cave? We walked to a car, a big car.
Edward's eye grew wide, nearly falling out pf the sockets; he started gesticulating to the car, no words coming out of his mouth, he was gaping like a fish. "Mercedes-Benz Vision GLK Bluetec Hybrid?" he asked after a minute.
"The one and only" she smiled and held the keys to Edward. He looked bewildered for a second, then snatched them and ran to the driver's door. He looked at us when we started laughing at his enthusiasm. "Shit" he murmured and sprinted to my side.
Edward opened the back door and held it open for me; he helped me get in and then closed it. Charlotte had rounded the car and was about to open the door to stay next to me when I saw Edward slapping her hand and opening the door himself.
"Un gentilhomme, comme toujours" she smiled and I saw when she squeezed his hand. I felt my blood boil. I had to stay with her in the backseat! God give me strength so I won't kill her!
"So, how did you get the beauty?" Edward asked beaming. He looked like a child in a toy store, not knowing what to touch first.
"Peter was a dear" Charlotte explained. Who was Peter? If he was he boyfriend and she acted like this…urgh!
"Peter? Really, Charlotte? Peter?" Edward asked surprised.
"Oui" she answered simply.
"Charlotte Ronson!" Edward exclaimed, turning in the seat to gape at her.
Her eyes widened and I could have sworn she blushed. "Mener, Edward" she whispered.
Edward chuckled, he gazed at me for a second, then turned and started the car.
I could feel her gaze burning my cheek, but I didn't turn my head; I kept watching out the window.
"Bella, right?" Charlotte asked after a few minutes of silence. I nodded and kept gazing outside.
"Je regrette" she murmured, catching my hand. "C'est très beau!" she touched my bracelet.
"Uhhh thank you?" I thought she admired it.
"She said it's very beautiful" Edward translated. "And of course, it is! I brought it, I buy only wonderful things, especially for my girl" he winked at me, making me blush.
"English, then" Charlotte murmured to herself. "How long have you been together?"
"Three months" Edward said, while I said "Three weeks." Charlotte looked between us dubiously.
"Fine, weeks, because I was an asshole the first time" Edward sighed. She looked at me for an explanation; I just shook my head no. Thankfully, she let it slide.
"Ah, Charlie!" Edward exclaimed from the front seat making us both jump.
"Quoi?" she questioned surprised by his outburst.
"Joe Dassin?" Edward asked smirking. I didn't want to know why he was smirking.
"Pour le plaisir de partir" Charlotte said passionately.
"I love this one. It's called A toi" Edward told me, "Which means 'yours'". Then he started singing. He had such a wonderful voice, it captivated me.
Now we were at a stop, "Left, here?" asked Edward.
"Oui, puis à droite." Charlotte told him and he nodded. "I know. I just asked because they kept forbidding access on this street"
"Oh, they hadn't stopped access in a long while" she told him.
"Not that long, just-" Edward cut himself mid-sentence and stiffened.
"A month and a half" I wished she had spoken French again. I felt my stomach turn, had he been with her, then?
Edward turned the last corner and we were in the yard of a big house. I was momentary distracted by the enormity of the house and the luxury of this place.
We got out of the car and two dogs came running to us. A large one jumped on Edward, nearly making him fall and the other one ran to me and barked happily. The one on Edward was light brown with almost golden eyes and the one on me was more furry and looked even bigger because of the fur. He did manage to send me to the ground and licked my face.
"Bernard, non!" Charlotte hissed and the dog that was over me moved away.
"I'm very sorry. I haven't been home lately and they missed me" she explained helping me up. "They don't like strangers, but it seems they do now"
"She has a dog, too, maybe that's why" gasped Edward trying to get the dog away from him.
"He missed you" Charlotte laughed.
"I didn't! Troll!" Edward exclaimed, pushing the dog away.
"Troll? You heard him, ma chérie?" she cooed to the dog. The dog got his big tongue out and lick Edward who gagged and sputtered.
"Hazel! Down!" Edward snapped when he had had it. The dog obeyed.
"Well, he never listens to me…" Charlotte said amazed.
"He knows I still hate him"
"What's wrong with you and hating dogs?" I asked without thinking. Edward's gaze cut to me.
"They bite or" he turned his head to Hazel "pee in your shoes before an important meeting that you are running late to get." Hazel barked and wriggled his tail.
We took the luggage and started towards the house.
"You know why he loves you" Charlotte said, scratching Bernard's head.
"I should have never pitied him! Why did I take him, it's beyond me" Edward sighed aggravated when Hazel licked his hand.
"He brought this one two years ago. One from his friends had ten small ones and didn't want so many, so Edward got this one"
"Against myself! He came to me and peed on my pant. He has a problem with peeing on me…and licking me" Edward explained as he followed Charlotte in the house. If I thought it was grand from the outside, the inside left me speechless. I expected a black panther coming from somewhere or some other feline, that's the impression the house gave me.
"Where's Toulouse?" Edward asked, looking around. I realized how well they knew each other. And if I wasn't there, they would have conversed in French; they were doing it for me and it made me sick.
"He's hidden when I told him you were coming" she laughed and Edward pouted.
"He's not your toy! You almost killed him last time!" she exclaimed. "You know the way to the guest room"
"Yes" Edward answered dejected and got our luggage again and motion for me to follow him.
"Who is Toulouse? Another dog?" I asked amused by his reaction. We entered a room and he threw the luggage down and came to hug me.
"No, it's a-" he stopped and his eyes widened, then he moaned. "Noo. You are forbidden to call me Thumper!"
"What does that has to do with anything?" I asked shocked.
"Toulouse, love, is a rabbit. Damn cute one" he grinned and leaned to kiss me. "I apologize for this. And I'll answer every question you have, I know you have many."
"Not now, though" I said.
"No, now we'll change and go down to talk with Charlotte"
We changed and on the way downstairs we saw the dogs in the common area by the fireplace.
"They're Mastiffs" Edward told me.
"French Mastiff and Saint Bernard!" a voice said from behind us, causing Edward to jump and me to stumble.
"Easy" he murmured and held me to his side. "Chat" he muttered under his breath.
"I heard you!" Charlotte sang as she got in the kitchen.
"She insists to be called like that but for me they are both Mastiffs, monsters" Edward said and plopped on a couch. He tugged on my hand so I sat next to him, feeling strange in this house. Edward seemed at ease, almost home.
"What are you doing there? Won't you stay with your guests? You brought us here!" Edward yelled to Charlotte.
"Don't yell! I just made some hot cocoa. Hazel doesn't like screaming as you know" she taunted Edward. He looked at me when she said hot cocoa and licked his lips, I bit back a moan and moved to get a mug when something small and black jumped in my lap making me jump up and scream.
"Toulouse, ma chérie! Où étais-tu?" Charlotte exclaimed and moved to get that thing, that was a rabbit, from my lap, but Edward beat her and snatched the furball from me.
"Bonjour!" he whispered, holding the squirming animal by the front paws.
"Edward, give him here!"
"Never, mon amour. Mon petit lapin!" Edward cooed and the bunny struggled to get out of his grasp make funny noises.
"He may bite!" Charlotte tried to scare him.
"He'll never bite me, will you mon petite chérie ?" Edward hugged the poor animal to his chest.
"Don't you think it's wise to let him go, before he has a heart-attack?" I asked frightened for the poor soul.
"Merci, Bella" Charlotte thanked me.
Edward looked at the bunny and put it gently between us, you could see he meant well, you could read the love for the little soul in his eyes, but too much love may kill the bunny.
Toulouse took off to Charlotte as soon as he was free and trembled in her lap.
"Mon amour" she whispered. "You scared him, again! One day you'll kill him"
"He is a dear. The ideal pet" Edward grinned.
"Don't let him buy a bunny. Ever" she advised me.
"I won't. Toulouse is my favorite" he murmured, his eyes trained on the trembling animal in Charlotte's lap.
"Why don't we talk about your new collection?" I asked, trying to distract Edward.
He clapped his hands, "I know! Next time when you come to New-"
"NON! NON! NON! I will not bring him with so you can torture him with your photo shoots!" Charlotte cut him angrily.
Edward looked devastated and sunk in the couch, sipping from his mug.
"It's very simple, the clothes can be worn by anyone. I have a lot of black and white in there…" she continued explaining, finally getting Edward's attention.
Time flew by and she continued explaining about the collection and how she got the ideas. A phone rang somewhere in the house. "Excuse-moi" she whispered and left to get the phone.
"Mon petit lapin! Come to Daddy" Edward cooed to the bunny that was left unprotected. He didn't have time to run because Edward took a hold of him again.
"You're scaring him!" I told him.
"Are you scared?" Edward looked closely at the bunny. "Fine!" I thought he will let him go but he asked him French the same thing, I'm sure. "Est-ce que je te fais peur?" the bunny struggled to get out of his grasp and squeaked hoping someone will help him.
"Edward, please, let him go!" I begged, I felt awful seeing the bunny squirming there and me not doing anything. Edward looked at me, "Here, touch him. He doesn't bite, I promise" he was like a kid sharing his favorite toy.
I tentatively raised a hand and touched the back of the bunny that squirmed worse. I took him from Edward and set him on my lap, tracing a finger over his back. Toulouse calmed and stopped trembling. Edward saw this and leaned over me to press his index finger to Toulouse's muzzle. The bunny moved his muzzle a little and to my astonishment went to Edward and snuggled on his lap.
"He's cute" Edward whispered, looking at me and petting the rabbit.
"We're not getting one! Jake is enough" I said.
"Yes, but Jake is a dog. Come on, love" he gave me his best puppy dog eyes.
"Nope" I resisted. Edward leaned closer and took my face in his hands, gazing in my eyes and making me forget how to breath, "Please" he breathed on my face.
"Uhh" I managed before Edward's lips came to mine and then his tongue sneaked in my mouth. My hand got in his hair, ruffling it. Edward moaned softly and drew me closer to him, "I love you, Bella"
"I love you, too" I whispered, still dazed and laid my head on his shoulder. He continued to play with the bunny until Charlotte came back.
"Fou" she mumbled.
"Me or the one on the phone?" Edward asked.
"Toulouse" she sighed and sat down.
"Mad" Edward whispered to me, grinning.
"It was Peter" she said.
"Where's he?" asked Edward as he tugged on an ear of Toulouse's. I slapped his hand and he looked in mock horror at me.
"Filming. I don't care, bastard" Charlotte huffed angrily.
"Is Maria still with him?" he asked. So Peter wasn't with her, she was alone.
"Yes" Charlotte said through gritted teeth. "It's getting late, why don't you take her out and show her Paris by night?"
"Tomorrow. I'm too tired now. You don't mind, right?" Edward asked me.
"Not really. Tomorrow" I said, already half-asleep.
"Very good. Then, we'll go to sleep" Edward said, not moving.
"Oui…I need a drink. Bonne nuit!" she said, getting up and going to the kitchen and banging cupboard doors.
"Stay here" Edward jumped and ran after her. I heard them whispering in French a few things and then quiet.
"Charlotte! Tu es folle!" Edward exclaimed loudly making Hazel growl softly.
A second later Edward came back, "Let's go upstairs" he demanded. I got up and followed him. He was in front of me so I didn't se him, but he kept his hand to his face the whole time. Was he...crying? I closed the door behind us and turned him around. Edward had red lipstick on his lips.
He grasped my shoulders, "I stopped her! You heard me scream at her! She's mad! Bella don't believe this, please love!" he murmured and I could see tears in his eyes.
"Why did you go after her?" I asked.
"I don't want her to get drunk" he answered simply and went to the adjoined bath and washed his mouth. "But she will, anyway, now"
"Why did you come here in November?"
He stopped scrubbing and glanced at me, "I tried to forget what I felt…feel for you by being with her" he whispered, sniffling. He had started crying.
"Why her? Why not someone from New York?"
"Charlotte…it's a long story. Not now"
"L'AMOUR M'A RENDU FOU!" we heard a scream from downstairs.
"Bella" Edward looked so pained and torn in that moment, I didn't know what to do.
"What did she screamed?" I asked. Edward fell to his knees and tugged at his hair. "Fool! Fool!" he muttered. He raised his head and he looked like a mad man, "The song is right…Fool if you think it's over!" I didn't want to know what he was talking about, the truth scared me.
"She said Love drove me mad" Edward laughed humorlessly.
"Edward Cullen, tu m'as tué!" Charlotte yelled, now much closer to the door. Whatever she said made Edward groan and burst in tears. "Should have known she was pretending. She acted too calm" he muttered.
She poundered on the door, "Veux-tu…argh sweet English…FUCK HER IN MY HOUSE???" she screamed making me gasp.
Edward scrambled off the floor and opened the door to reveal Charlotte. Her hair sticking in every direction, mad eyes, half empty bottle of brandy in hand.
"Mon amour!" she flung herself to him sobbing.
"Charlotte, you're drunk" Edward said, composing himself and scooping her up to carry her to her room.
"Pas aller, ma vie" I heard her whisper, clinging to his neck. Whatever she said made Edward sob harder.
He came back, looking somber after a few minutes. "She's out"
"Will you explain? And before you say anything…I can't and won't doubt your love for me" I whispered and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you, Bella. It means a lot" Edward said and stripped to his boxer and got in the bed, patting it for me to sit there. I undressed and put one of his t-shirts on me and got in bed. Edward took me in his arms.
"How should I start? Promise you won't hate me, please. This is how I was before I met you" Edward murmured.
"I just said that I can't hate you" I reminded him.
"I was twenty-four, out of college, editor of EMC and above all this, young and I wanted to explore the world. I've never been abroad, I've just met Lacroix and he invited me to one of his presentations. So I came to Paris and I met Charlotte, that was working for him. Last year she had her first collection." Edward explained, sighing. "I've learned, as good as I could alone, French. Charlotte helped me around, Christian's orders. We grew close, she showed me everything that has to be seen when in Paris, and we spent the nights and days together. I was happy to have a new friend, to see Paris and to be here as Christian's guest, of course. She gave me her number and I returned to New York. I started my hectic life there and got the reputation you know." Edward said, hugging me tighter. "One night Charlotte called and asked if I wanted to meet her when she was coming to New York. I eagerly accepted, wanting to please my friend and show her my city. She stayed at my house and I took the week off to show her New York. One night, she told me about her brother, Peter. That's another story, that's not interesting, anyway. Only one word registered in my mind coureur de jupons, which means womanizer. She told she detested him and didn't have what to talk with him anymore. Charlotte is three years older than me, so she was twenty-seven then. Peter is five years younger than her. Somehow, she ended in my bed that night; too much wine, I must admit. Tell me if this is bothering you, I'll stop" Edward said, running a finger over my arm.
"Continue, please" I whispered.
"It was easy the next morning, too easy, too normal. We've become an item and everything was perfect. I usually flew to Paris and stayed over a few days, she had left Lacroix and was starting her own business. I had never felt like that before, never loved anyone like that, well…until now. Everything was perfect until last year, eh two years ago, February. I had to go to Milan for a presentation where I were invited and I was supposed to come here, around the 10th, and didn't. She called and screamed and cried, and I took the first plane here, on 13th. I met with a friend and you know how I got Hazel. I got him as a present, for her to forgive me, I don't know. She did, but my feelings weren't the same, I could feel it. When I got back to New York two days after Valentine's Day, Kim had come with some clothes, to show me a pieceof the new colelction. You already know about Kim and you are smart enough to know what happened. So I begun to be my old self until June-July when Esme had to go to the orphanage. After that, Lizzy became my first priority. Charlotte said I'm mad for taking care of a kid and that she doesn't need such complications in her life, then I told her I've been cheating on her for almost an year. I was an asshole, I know. We've come to an agreement to still be friends, I visited her a few times after the break-up, but every time we ended up in bed or somewhere else, naked. She never stopped loving me and she thought I'll come back to her one day, but that day will never happen. She was the only woman, besides Esme or Elizabeth that made me cry; this is before I met you." Edward continued the story.
"What did she say?" I asked.
"Who had you, will never be able to have another. You will be the only man I ever loved and will always love, she had told me in November. Moreover, she told me something once, a long time ago, Who never loved, doesn't know what true pain is. This was when I told her about me cheating. So I thought we could be friends, after everything, but I can see this friendship it's a failure, so far."
"I realized you know her well, by the way you were acting and how at ease you seem to be around here. How much did you love her?" I asked, maybe I was a masochist and I didn't know.
Edward turned me his arms and smoothed my hair, "We got as far as to say some silly, drunken vows to each other and I was seriously considering moving here," he told me solemnly, watching my reaction carefully. That meant…marriage or something like that.
"What really stopped you from being with her, besides Lizzy?"
"My arrogant nature. Bella, I thought I'll never love again, but you proved me contrary. And you love Lizzy, but above that, you love me with my flaws…and we both know I have many. This means a lot to me, you accept me the way I am. Thank you" he kissed me and gazed in my eyes. I was still trying to grasp what he had told me.
"I need to think of what you told me" I said after some time.
"Take all the time you need, just…just don't leave me. I wouldn't be able to live without you. I'm selfish, I know" he murmured and turned me on my side, tucking me in and kissing my forehead.
I fell in a restless sleep, sometime during the night I felt next to me and the side of bed was empty and cold, I heard music, a calm tune, that lulled to sleep.
Review! I really hope you liked this one. Next chapter will be this one From Edwrad's POV.
Pictures on profile: the dogs and the car
***
Pourquoi es-tu parti? – Why did you leave?
Où est papa? – Where is daddy?
Dans l'avion. Le crétin. – In the plane. The scoundrel.
Mon ami – My friend
Mon plaisir – My pleasure
Ma maison est ta maison – My house is your house
Ne vous inquiétez pas – Don't get angry
Qu'est-ce que tu essaies de montrer en faisant cela? – What are you trying to prove by doing this?
Petite-amie, mon cul! – Grilfriend, my ass!
Je veux passer le reste de ma vie avec elle – I want to spend the rest of my life with her
Tu m'as dit la même chose – You've told me the same thing
Ne fais pas une scène – Don't cause a scene
Très bien – Right, fine
Viens avec moi – Come with me
Maison – House
S'il te plait – Please
Un gentilhomme, comme toujours – A gentleman, as always
Oui – Yes
Mener - Drive
Je regrette – I regret
C'est très beau – It's very beautiful
Quoi - What
Pour le plaisir de partir – For the pleasure of the departure
A toi – Yours
Oui, puis à droite – Yes. Then right
Ma chérie – My darling
Chat - Cat
Où étais-tu?– Where have you been?
Mon amour – My love
Mon petit lapin – My little bunny
Mon petite chérie – My little dear
Merci – Thank you
Non – No
Excuse-moi - Excuse me
Est-ce que je te fais peur?– Am I scaring you?
Fou – Mad, crazy
Bonne nuit – Good night
Tu es folle – You are carzy, mad
L'amour m'a rendu fou – Love drove me mad
Tu m'as tué – You killed me
Veux-tu – Do you want to
Pas aller, ma vie – Don't go, my life
Coureur de jupons – Womanizer