Chapter 11

I don't know how long Bella and I talked. I listened to her talk about Masen, about his interest and his hobbies. She had been right, he was rather quirky. Still, the things she told me only served to entice my curiosity even more. I wanted to know everything, I wanted to know so much more about him. I hated that I had missed so much of his life.

"Oh, and he absolutely hates wildflowers." She laughed brightly. I sighed with contentment, I'd forgotten how much I adored her laugh.

"Wildflowers? What's wrong with them, they're nice." I said with a chuckle.

"He said, bees use the bathroom on them and butterflies have sex on them. I think it's so hilarious. That he even knows that fact." I couldn't help but laugh with her. Only someone like Masen would know those sort of things. he was such an odd little guy.

"Oh shoot!" Bella checked her watch.

"What's wrong?" I asked nervously.

"We talked the entire night, I have to start getting ready for work or I'm going to be late!" she hopped up from the couch band ran out of the room. Within the next few seconds, I heard the shower begin to run.

'Don't think about her in the shower, don't think about her in the shower.' I pleaded with my mind. It was already too late, my mind was already adrift. I could just imagine how she looked, soaking wet. Her long mohagany hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall.

"Wake up Edward. Wake up." Masen was snapping his fingers in front of my face.

"Oh, hello Masen, how are you this morning?" I asked politely.

"What are you still doing here. I woke up, I went to sleep, I woke up again and you're still here."

"Yeah, your mom and I talked all last night. She told me a lot about you. I was really surprised by what I heard." I said tentatively.

"What, by the fact that I'm not like you." he sneered angrily.

"No, that wasn't surprising at all. I didn't expect you to be at all like me. I was just shocked to find out that you actually enjoy having fun. From the impression I've been getting, I assumed that you just liked to sit around brooding." I laughed.

"Yeah well, we can't all be like your mother."

"True enough." I laughed again. He sat down on the couch and brought his knees up to his chin. He looked so much younger than he actually was, like a little boy.

"Why did you come over here Edward? What do you want from us?" he asked, his voice a whisper.

"I don't want anything from you Masen. I just want to get to know you, get to know my son." I said responded almost as quiet.

"Why do you suddenly want to know so much about me? What do you stand to gain from it!?" he closed his eyes tightly and twisted his hands in his hair.

"I just told you, I stand to gain a son. Masen, I just met you a few weeks ago and I'm already so proud of you. I can't believe you've done so much, that you've taken such good care of your mother."

"There's nothing to believe Edward, it just is what it is."

"No. Masen, you're a teenager, you could be doing do many things but you choose to care for your mother. I think it's…I don't know what to think anymore. Especially about you."

Masen didn't respond. He just leaned his head against his knees and sighed.

"Your family wants to take me away from her." he said after a few moments.

"I'm aware. I swear to you, I won't let them take you away from your mother. You two need each other."

"Well look at this." Bella came out wrapped tightly in a bathrobe. It took all I had not to start drooling.

"Shouldn't you be headed of to work?" Masen asked.

"Yes, I'm getting something really quick and them I'm going to go put some clothes on." She skipped out of the room, the towel moving upwards just the slightest bit.

"Put your eyes back in their sockets Edward." I heard Masen say.

"What?"

"I saw the way you were staring at her. I'm a guy too, I know how you think." He stood up.

"Why don't the two of you do something today?" Bella called from the other room. "Something fun."

"I'd rather choke on my own vomit." Masen replied.

"I mean it! Go out, do something! Have some fun."

"You don't want to push him Bella." I told her.

"I mean it you two, go out and do something."

"Fine, we'll go to the library." Masen huffed. "Don't embarrass me Edward." he snarled. He stalked off to his room just as Bella came out. She was pulling a comb through her hair as she was smoothing out the skirt to her work suit.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"You look good." I said quietly as I looked her over. She looked more than good, she looked downright beautiful.

"Thanks, I'm gonna head out. Please try to get along. I don't want to have to pay bail for the two of you." she touched my shoulder lightly and smiled.

"I'll look after him. You don't have to worry Bella. I reached out cautiously reached out to touch her face. She didn't move at first but instead, leaned into my touch.

"You're engaged Edward." she whispered.

"Bella…" she pulled away and walked right out the door.

"Okay, don't talk to anyone. If you embarrass me, I swear Edward, I will kill you." Masen threatened me.

"I know. I'll probably just end up looking around." Masen crossed his arms as we entered.

"Don't talk to anyone." He said again.

"I thought we already established that I wasn't going to do that." I sighed.

"Masen!" Masen's head shot up.

"Oh great, we've attracted her attention." He groaned.

"Hey Masen! Why didn't say hi?" she asked. I recognized the girl. She had been at the exposition.

"Because I don't like you Sylvia." Masen sneered. She just smiled coyly at him and tapped his cheek.

"Oh Masen, you do amuse me." she blew him a kiss before skipping away.

"Who is she?" I asked.

"The spawn of Satan." He replied angrily.

"I mean who is she? Like, in reality."

"I just told you Edward. She is the spawn of Satan sent here to make me miserable."

"Why does she make you miserable?" I was starting to get curious,

"You ask way too many questions. I just don't like her okay." Masen shuffled his feet anxiously.

"Alright, I won't ask anymore." I shrugged my shoulders and the two of us headed of to the computer lab. Apparently Masen had a computer reserved specifically for him. He went to the library that much. He sat down at his computer and began working.

"What do you do on the computer if you don't have homework? You also don't strike me as a video kind of guy." I sat down next to him.

"There are always things to learn Edward, always knowledge to gain." He said darkly, his fingers moving over the keyboard with such speed.

My phone began to ring again. I picked it up and checked the caller ID, it was my mother again.

"Oh look, It's the mother of Satan." He said.

"She's probably freaking out, I'm going to take this. I'll be right back." I stood up and walked out of the lab and into the hall.

"Hello Mother." I snapped angrily at her.

"Edward! Oh thank god, I assumed you were dead!" she screeched.

"I told you where I was going mom, there was no reason to jump to conclusions." I said in dull voice.

"Edward, don't tell me that you're still with that girl." She hissed.

"No actually, she went to work. I'm spending time with Masen." I said angrily. Bella wasn't just a girl.

"Edward please, you should just come home. Bring Masen with you, we can come to a consensus!"

"Mom, I'm hanging up now."

"Edward! I want this to work out, I want you to be happy!"

"Then keep your nose out of my business." I closed the phone and sighed. If I ever went back, she was going to kill me.

"So…you like ice cream." I sat across from him in what I presumed to be his favorite ice cream parlor.

"Yeah, mom and I come here a lot." He said in a bored tone.

"That's cool. I didn't know you liked sweets."

"Why would you think I didn't like sweets? I'm not a freak." He leaned back in his seat and looked around. "Why does your mom keep calling you, doesn't she have you micro chipped or something." I tried to ignore the jab.

"No, she doesn't have me micro chipped. She just gets worried is all, she doesn't want anything bad to happen."

"And by anything bad, you mean my mom. She doesn't want the two of you to end up together." it wasn't a question.

"Yeah, I guess that's what she means. I don't usually take what she says literally though and your mother is nothing bad, heck, she's nothing short of an angel." I smiled at the thought, Bella was wonderful. She'd been through so much and yet she was still strong enough to wear a smile on her face. She was beautiful both inside and out.

"Admit it Edward, you're in love with her still aren't you." Masen rested his head on hi arm and looked up at me through his thick lashes.

"Masen I…I don't know what I feel for your mother. As you've made several points to remind me of, I'm engaged." I shrugged my shoulders nervously. I didn't want to think about my feelings.

"Okay Nimrod, I'm not stupid. I see the way you look at her. You love her so much it hurts. Be a man and admit it." he stood up and walked to the counter to order another cone. It twisted my hand in my hair. What was I supposed to think? I knew I still had feelings for Bella, I always had. I just wasn't sure if it was love anymore. I didn't like to think about it, it was all to complicated.

"So is this how you always handle things?" Masen sat back down across from me.

"What do you mean?"

"You're just sitting there looking like a little lost puppy. Trust me, mom doesn't go for that shit."

"Excuse me?"

"She doesn't. You want her back, prove to me you can handle her."

For the longest moment, I just stared at him. Was he challenging me?

"You know I don't get you." I said darkly. "I mean, do you want your mother and I to be together or what? I'm confused. And why are you practically threatening me?"

"Because I want to know the truth. If you really love mother, prove it to me. Prove it to me right now Edward!" he hissed venomously.

"There's nothing to prove, I told you I'm not even sure about how I feel about her. I don't know."

"You're lying. You know exactly how you feel but you're to much of a child to admit. Go run back to mommy's skirts Edward, go on and hide." He stood up.

"Masen, what is your deal with me? I know you're upset but you don't have to keep throwing shit in my face. I'm just trying to figure everything out." I stood as well.

"You are such a-"

"I know, nimrod."

"I was going say coward."

"That might actually be worse." I laid down some bills and followed him out of the parlor.