Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight, no copyright infringement intended.
Is everybody else cursing FanFiction to the heaven's as well...? I'm very growly.
I bow down to the pixie lady, she works oh so hard to make this a better story and deserves many a squish and plenty of wine for pre-reading/beta'ing/being my lifeline. I heart you hard woman, I really do.
Thank you to everybody who continues to read, leave feedback and rec this wee thing here, it bemuses me but means such a great deal.
Shout out to the filthy FB lot *snort* Nyddi, we are waiting with baited breath ;) No pressure, no pressure…
So… who the EFF is the rude blonde?
Songs for the chapter: Jose Gonzalez - 'Crosses' and Dido - 'Life for Rent'.
"Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks."
~ Samuel Johnson
Chapter Twelve
Tall.
Tanned.
Blonde.
Beautiful.
Angry.
Goddess.
That's what faced me. If it wasn't for her almost Medusa-like vibe, I would have thought her an angel. As it was, I expected her hair to morph into a mass of hissing, spitting snakes at any moment.
She looked really, really mad. Stunningly gorgeous, but mad.
And her scorched, fury filled honeyed eyes were trained right on me.
I took a precarious step backwards. Edward was behind me somewhere, perhaps I could hide behind him, use him as a shield. I mean, needs must in some situations, right?
It's been nice knowing you, Edward.
The door clicked shut. I heard him sigh.
Footsteps approached me from behind. Behind was good. I was A-OK with behind. It's what was before me that made me want to turn tail with my would-be murder victim and bolt for Europe.
"Whilst I'm sure that attitude serves you well on Chanel sale days, it is not appreciated, nor will it be tolerated in this house. Apologise, now."
Holy crap… angry Edward! That was a new one.
I felt his right arm hook around my shoulder, over my collar bone and below my neck, bringing me backwards into him… flush against him.
I wanted to cling on and hide. Edward equalled safety and I wanted the hell out of dodge.
"Oh fuck off with your chivalrous bullshit, Edward! Who the hell is she?" She spat, pointing a well manicured finger at me.
Her voice was melodic but filled with undertones of acid. I had no idea that was even possible. It was like a dangerous calling, drawing you in only to chew you out.
It was really quite frightening.
Edward's grip on me tightened as he placed a tender kiss to my temple, just before whispering, "Bella, why don't you go and get something to eat? I'll be with you shortly."
My head snapped round to face him, my eyes wide.
He wanted me to walk passed her? By myself? She looked like she wanted to eat me! I liked living!
However, one look at his beautiful features told me not to question, just to do. He wasn't the Edward I had always been privy to anymore, the Edward who had just given me the best week of my life, the kind Edward.
No.
He was tight jawed, frosty eyed and radiating ire Edward now. And the slightly alarming thing about that was how incredible he looked. The God was showing his wrath and boy was it awe worthy.
Slowly I nodded, collecting myself and making my move to head for the staircase. Edward seemed both reluctant and keen to let me go. Medusa on the other hand, had other ideas.
"Oh I don't fucking think so!" She snapped, moving directly into my chosen path. "I want some answers, and I want them now!"
"Rosalie!" Edward suddenly bellowed, making me jump three feet in the air. Christ, the man could shout. "Let her passed - that's not a request!"
Rosalie… the sister.
Oh God…
"Up yours, Edward! You've got some serious fucking explaining to do." I was awarded a derisive 'up and down' glance that made me feel roughly an inch tall.
I shifted uncomfortably, feeling entirely out of place in my purple gypsy skirt and cream tank top with Mrs. New York Fashionista here. It was like I was back in High School all of a sudden with Lauren and Jessica constantly sneering their disapproval at me. I didn't exactly relish the idea of having that particular treatment follow me all the way to New York.
What was I supposed to do? I didn't want to be caught up in this. I wanted away!
Clueless, I turned back to Edward, awaiting instructions.
"Watch your mouth! The vulgarity's not required." His eyes flickered to mine, softening. "Bella, go and fetch the keys for the Mini, maybe change your shoes? This won't take long."
The Mini… my Mini. The keys were still in the box upstairs, along with my new security card. I hadn't even seen it yet, we'd come home early to take it out for a late afternoon drive. If the silver charm now attached to my bracelet was anything to go by, it was a convertible.
Yes I should go get the keys and get out of here.
"Bella?" The blonde sneered. "Oh, it has a name?"
Jesus.
I hurried my steps away from the firing line and bolted straight for the stairs leading up to the first floor. I felt Edward's eyes upon me the whole time I was still visible. I didn't even manage to reach the next set of steps before things… erupted.
"Have you lost your Goddamn mind?" His sibling screeched. "What in the name of fuck are you doing, Ed-"
"ENOUGH!"
Oh my… the man could really, really shout.
I wanted to make a mental note to myself, warning me not to ever make him mad. But something told me that was unnecessary. Edward had never been anything but a complete gentleman to me, he had never so much as raised his voice before. Yet his sister was bringing out a new side to him, a more colourful side. It was almost, dare I say it, protective.
I scurried towards the final flight of stairs.
"If you think for one second that you can just barge in here and speak to her that way, you are sorely mistaken. I will not put up with it, Rose. Am I making myself clear?"
I finally reached our floor. Safety.
"No, Edward! None of this is clear, that's the problem. Who is she?"
Call it morbid curiosity, call it wrong, but I was suddenly very eager to hear his response to that. Who was I – what was I? We had never talked about this, about what we would say to people if asked. The truth was hardly a fairytale I wanted people knowing.
So I stopped directly outside of my bedroom door, listening. I'd give myself a naughty slap on the wrist for doing so later.
"She," Edward enunciated irately. "… is Isabella. And you'd do well to remember her name."
"And why is that, because you've moved her twelve year old ass in here? Don't think I didn't see that room, Edward."
Oh Lord, had she been in my room? My room with my things in it? That felt all different kinds of wrong. That was… intrusive. Had she touched anything?
"The next time I find that you've invited yourself into my house and invaded Bella's privacy, Rose, I'll have you arrested and claim no relation. Just who do you think you are, exactly?"
"I'm your sister and I'm worried!" She yelled. "God, do I really have to explain that?"
For some reason, her statement struck me as a little odd.
Edward hadn't spoken a great deal about his family. I knew that he and his sister were adopted as babies. His father's name was Carlisle and he was a highly successful Neurologist. His mother, Esme, ran her own interior design company, but Edward had made it sound like more of a hobby than a career. From the little he had told me, his mother was more of a New York social elite, a lady who liked to squeeze in gossip over brunch and lunch. They were both in their mid sixties and both came from 'old money'. I'd been saddened to learn that his parents had refused to support his chosen career path before he went to college. Apparently, the Cullen men had a very long familial tradition of becoming doctors and Edward had opted out, incensing his father. His understanding over my financial struggles had certainly made more sense after learning of it; Edward had worked himself to the bone to be granted his own scholarship. By the sounds of things it wasn't easily achieved - the college boards had been reluctant to award a young man from such a wealthy, prestigious background a grant that could have been given to somebody of equal intellectual merit, but from much less desirable circumstances.
His sister was an interesting case. There was a definite unwillingness on Edward's part to discuss her in any real capacity, not that I had pushed for details. Minor things such as her age, thirty-two, and her marriage to a man named Emmett McCarty, had been revealed. Edward's parents had not agreed to their marital match, Emmett wasn't quite as well bred as they would have liked, allegedly. Lord knows what they would think of me.
But that was all I knew of them.
I had gotten the definite impression however, that as siblings, Edward and Rosalie weren't close. Yet here she was worrying about him all of a sudden – in his house.
Like I said, odd.
"Oh spare me the theatrics! The only person you ever worry about is yourself, so perhaps the explanation you should be offering me is why you are really here?"
"You can't just disappear off the face of the earth and expect nobody to notice, Edward!"
"No, but I certainly wouldn't expect you to notice. So why are you here? What is it you need this time?"
"Screw you!" She rumbled viscously. "You skip out of the office for a week, something that you never do. Nobody seems to know where the hell you are. You leave Emmett random instructions to buy you in a Mini Cooper. You've transformed a bedroom into female heaven and now there's a toddler walking through the front door with you! Is this you going into premature meltdown with the big four zero looming ever closer or something?"
"Does Emmett know that you've been snooping through his accounts, again?" Edward's voice was mockingly pleasant.
Things went very quiet.
"I'll take that as a 'no' then." He injected. "So you've been sneaking around, usually indicative of Emmett cutting up your plastic and now you're here, unleashing that shining personality of yours onto the first unfortunate soul you come across. I'll hazard a guess, Rose… you want money?"
"We're not talking about me!" She screamed. "Who is that girl?"
"I've already told you who she is - Isabella."
"And…?" She pressed.
"And what?"
"And what the hell is she doing here?"
"Bella lives here."
I smiled shyly at that.
I did live here, this was my home now. I liked it here. I quite liked the owner too, he was a good egg.
"So that's her room upstairs?"
"Yes."
"How old is she?"
"Nearly nineteen."
"Eighteen?" Rosalie enunciated harshly. "That's fucking perverted, Edward! Are you and her together?"
I think I actually heard his teeth smashing together – two floors up from where he was stood. I held my breath, waiting.
"Excuse me?"
Oh that didn't sound too good…
"What is it? You get young arm candy and she gets access to your bank balance? I take it the Mini was for her, what else has she requested, one of your kidneys?"
And that stung. Is that how people would always see me? As some parasitic leech that was out to drain Edward dry?
Oh who was I kidding, of course they would! And technically that's why I was with Edward, for his money. Just not quite in the sense most would likely come to conclude.
"You know Rose, given how holier than thou you're attitude has suddenly become, I'm surprised that you can even stand to be in the same room as me. I take it you haven't come to beg the pervert for money after all?"
I think I heard her growl.
"I came here to see if you were alright!" She defended stubbornly.
"Oh," Edward said, extending the sound. "Well in that case, as you can see, both the pervert and the gold-digger are just fine. Insulted beyond belief, but otherwise fine. So you'll be on your way now that you've gotten what you came for…"
I heard footsteps fall against the wooden floor, the handle to the front door was pulled and the door opened.
"Thank you for the concern, please tell Emmett that I said hello." He was dismissing her.
Jeez…
Everything was quiet save for the sounds of the outside world floating through into the hallway. I heard no more footsteps.
"Rose?" Edward pushed.
The silence stretched on.
"I'm air-conditioning all of New York, Rosalie. I would like to shut my door."
"Emmett took my credit cards away from me." She admitted so quietly, I almost didn't hear the words.
"I see," Edward mocked surprise. "How unfortunate."
"Edward!" She huffed.
"Yes?"
"Can you stop being a bastard and just write me a damn check already?"
I heard the door close.
"I tell you what, Rose; I'll make you a deal. You go on upstairs and apologise profusely to Isabella and you make it damn good, and I'll write the check and leave the amount box blank. Fair?"
"Apologise for what?" She shrieked. "Telling the truth? I saw that photo album she's got up there, Edward! I think it's sick! What the hell are you doing with an eighteen year old girl? I can certainly see why she'd be interested in you, but what the hell is the appeal towards her? She's a nothing – you could have anyone, absolutely any woman in New York! So why the sudden interest in a barely pubescent girl?"
And there was that feeling again – the feeling like 'shit'.
"Refresh my memory, Rose." Edward said darkly. "Were you or were you not pulled out of college your second year by our parents for dating a man in his fifties?"
"Yes and he was wrong for ever taking an interest in me!"
"Interesting. So because a twenty year old adult threw herself at an older man with a Ferrari, he's the one with a target painted on his back? It was entirely his fault? I just want to be clear on this…"
"How many times do I have to say it, Edward, we aren't talking about me!" She hissed. "We're talking about this phenomenal fuck up between you and that girl - I don't get it!"
"Nobody's asking you to!" Edward suddenly roared. "It's none of your Goddamn business, Rosalie!"
"Someone sucking my brother's finances dry is my business! She's making a fool out of you!"
Edward scoffed. "Is that what this is really about? The money? You're determined to storm in here and give us grief because I've spent money buying Bella a new car, while you're still licking your wounds after your husband cut you off again? Is that seriously what's gotten you so angry, Rose? You're jealous?"
"I am not jealous!" She denied venomously. "Why the hell would I ever be jealous of somebody like her?"
Call me crazy, but I was getting the distinct impression that Medusa and her head of spitting snakes really didn't like me all that much.
"Oh, I don't know…" Edward sounded off. "She's young, beautiful, well-mannered, intelligent and she's being spoiled while you're sitting in your proverbial financial dog house. And that's chaffing on you, isn't it? You're not the centre of lavished attention and you don't like it. You thought that by barging in here and creating a scene, everything would just stop for you. And instead all that you've done is make yourself look incredibly stupid in front of a perfect stranger thirteen years your junior! How proud you must be."
"Do mom and dad know about her?"
"Does Emmett know that you've stolen my house key - again?"
Christ.
I decided that I'd heard more than enough. I had officially reached my fill.
Slap on the wrist for being nosy, Bella.
Silently and erring on the side of great caution, I opened my door and slipped through, shutting it noiselessly behind me.
I felt utterly exhausted all of a sudden, I was ready to flop.
My room was stiflingly clammy so I headed straight for the window nearest my bed and cracked it open, basking in the slight breeze that greeted me. I was pleased to find that nothing looked out of place, even my photo album was neatly resting on my side table, just where I had left it, or should I say just where she had replaced it?
I pulled my bag over my head and nudged off my sandals, saying a welcomed hello to my plush carpet as it massaged my feet below. I collapsed onto the bed, curling up into the soft cotton sheets and silky throw pillows. It felt like heaven.
Unfortunately I could still hear Edward and his sister. The voices had become muffled through the barrier of my bedroom door, but they were still there – raised, angry and determined.
Sighing, I clambered off of my bed and went to switch on my iPod, finding a sweet contentment steal over me as the lush, soothing sounds of Jose Gonzalez's 'Crosses' began to pluck away through the speakers, telling me that 'you'll be alright'.
I sank back down onto my bed, glad to have drowned out the argument downstairs. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. I felt hugely responsible in one sense, like I had caused a rift between the two siblings. But then there was also something telling me that while on the surface, it may have seemed as though the argument was centred around me, the real issue between the bickering pair ran much deeper.
Edward and I were going to need to figure out what to tell people, I didn't much like the idea of being blindsided like this again. We'd been cocooned in our bubble all week and now reality was beginning to set in. I had a feeling I was going to have to brave the storm of sneers and opinions and strengthen my backbone to people's disapproval. Something was telling me that Rosalie McCarty was only just the beginning of what was likely to become a lot of aggravation for us both.
Edward Cullen – the pervert.
Bella Swan – the gold-digger.
My, what a pair…
(*)
Something was tickling my stomach. And my ear. And my throat.
Hmmm…
Fumbling sleepily, I made a haphazard attempt to shake off the disturbance near my face and bat away the cause of the sensation from my midriff.
Another ear tickle.
And a… laugh?
I stirred, consciousness seeping its way in slowly.
My room, my window, my bed, music still playing, a light breeze wafting through the confines of my personal space, a hand on my tummy…
I flinched.
"I didn't mean to wake you." Edward whispered, kissing the delicate flesh directly behind my ear.
Oh my.
His hand was underneath my top, gently stroking the bare skin of my stomach. It was almost soothing enough to lull me back into my slumber.
Lazily I turned my face towards him, stretching my muscles out and loving how good it felt to exercise them.
He smiled affectionately down at me, his hand moving from my belly upwards to cup my face, where his thumb lightly moved over my eyebrow, my cheek, my lips.
"Hi," I croaked groggily.
His head bent down towards me, his lips delicately touching mine. "Hi."
"What time is it?"
"A little after four." Another kiss, his hand held me close to him.
After four, I'd been out for just under an hour.
I yawned. "I'm sorry, I was just so tired."
Edward chuckled softly. "If I get to see you wake up like that again, sleep all you want. You're far too precious, Miss Swan. I'm thinking about investing in a lot of cotton wool before you start college."
I smiled despite myself, playfully knocking his arm. "No cotton wool, Mr. Cullen."
He nuzzled into my throat. "How about a large, plastic bubble then?"
His mouth began to leave a trail of tiny wet kisses leading up towards my jaw. Oh it felt nice.
"No bubble."
"Mmm…" His hand moved into my hair, tilting my face further into him. I felt his nose skim along mine and I closed my eyes, savouring the feeling of being so affected by this man.
I actually felt very proud of myself for being able to absorb Edward in this sense. I didn't feel the overwhelming need to go running for the hills, to cringe and pull away. I didn't feel as though I was being burned. I found that I was really quite comfortable taking comfort from Edward. I didn't know what it was about him that made me okay to do so, the thought of it being any other man touching me in such an intimate manner made me want to shudder violently. Perhaps it came down to trust. Edward had been so in tune with me all week, like he could sense my limitations or something. He hadn't once pushed too far or made me uncomfortable and I was beginning to trust in his approach to physical handling.
"You are so lovely, Bella."
I opened my eyes to find him gazing down at me, almost adoringly. His green orbs were deep, bright and honest.
I squirmed. Progress was a one step at a time kind of thing, right?
"And you still don't see it." He sighed, pressing his forehead to mine.
I felt Edward's hand move slowly from my face and travel down to my waist, where his fingers squeezed and pressed me to him.
"Is everything okay?" I asked hesitantly.
I felt him tense.
"Everything's fine now." He kissed the corner of my mouth.
I found that hard to believe after everything I had heard.
Edward's lips gently pressed to mine. It was so innocently sweet yet it sent a bolt of something that felt like electricity through me. His eyes flashed to mine, lips hovering, his breath vibrating against my sensitive flesh. It was almost as if he was asking permission. I gave a slight nod.
I felt his mouth press firmly down, his hand on my waist tightened, making my body lift slightly into him. I placed my hands tentatively onto his shoulders, feeling them flex beneath me. They were so hard, strong – manly. I could feel his muscles working. There was something incredibly sensual about the whole thing - about being small and female and utterly cocooned within a strong, male embrace. It was like ying and yang, like opposite ends of the weighing scales that for some bizarre reason, weighed up equally and fit just so.
Oh, I liked it. I'd never known it could feel so good. Nearly five weeks had passed by since I'd created that profile and not once had I ever thought I could feel like this.
The glide of his wet tongue snaking out to trace my bottom lip thawed me completely. I sank into him, moving my fingers into his hair and pulling on it. I opened my mouth a little and tongue met tongue.
Edward shifted, his body coming to linger and align above mine. I felt oh so tiny and safe and wanted beneath him. I felt protected, like nothing could reach me here, with Edward. My cocoon of safety.
His tongue was teasing against my own, slow and tantalising in its dancing rhythm. It felt like sparks going off every time he withdrew only to reconnect. I could taste butter mints. I could smell his cologne. I could feel him.
It was like system overload.
Edward's hand moved down to my hip, where his fingers brushed aside the material of my top to meet with my bare skin. He began making a pattern of ticklish circles over the bone before flattening his hand across my tummy. His entire span covered the width of my stomach.
I broke the kiss, desperate for air and feeling a little dizzy. The weight of his hand against my rapidly rising and falling belly felt strange, but not in a bad way. It was flesh on flesh, his warmth on mine, transferring heat and touch.
Edward's eyes were trained directly on his hand, watching as I made it move up and down.
"You feel incredible." His eyes flickered up to meet mine.
"Edward, we need to talk about what happened." I said breathlessly.
"Like I said, incredible." He winked cheekily.
"Not what I meant," I batted his hand away, trying not to giggle. "I heard a little…"
He sighed, sitting himself up against the headboard. He pulled my head into him so that it was positioned over his lower stomach. His fingers wound their way into my tresses.
"How much did you hear?"
Did I tell him that I had been listening? No, no I didn't want to do that. It's not something that I would normally have done; I understood how important personal privacy was. I had just been intrigued to hear his answer, to hear him explain who I was and why I was here. I mean, that's something that I too would need to know, yes? But I didn't want Edward thinking that I was a snoop after he'd chastised his sister for doing just that.
Perhaps a half lie?
"Um… I heard her asking you if your parents knew. I turned the music on after that."
He cocked his head, angling it to get a better look at me. His eyes were piercingly green and intense.
"Rosalie is… a complicated person, Bella. She's my sister and I love her dearly, but she doesn't necessarily make it easy to love her at times, does that make sense?"
I snorted.
Had he forgotten who he was talking to? That was, in a sense, exactly how I felt about my parents. I knew that I should love them, but I found it difficult. They made it hard to; they had never taught me the how. But they were still my family at the end of the day and there would always be that obligation to love them and an overwhelming sense of guilt if I didn't. I think I loved them…
Yes, it made perfect sense to me.
"I think you understand." Edward whispered, giving me a sad, half smile.
I shrugged. I didn't want to get into it. Past was past.
"Rose is a bit of an enigma, she always had been. I often liken her to a Rubik's cube. Every time that you think you have her colours finally pegged, one part of the arrangement goes wrong and you either have to start from scratch or spend hours figuring out where you made a mistake. The puzzle can be incredibly time consuming and frustrating, so a lot of the time it's easier to just admit defeat."
I could relate to that, I often felt that way about people in general. I could never figure them out. The world's population was one big riddle to me and I was often lacking in the clues department.
"I know that you probably feel as though she was attacking you and you have every right to feel that way. I know that her behaviour was inexcusable, Bella, and I will not for one moment condone it or allow her to treat you that way. But I do want to make it clear that her attitude towards you was not singular. I've seen Rosalie reduce grown men to tears within seconds using only three words. She has a way about her and even after thirty-one years of knowing her, I still can't say that I 'get' her. I've certainly found ways to manage her, but Rose is Rose and there is no changing her. She is how she is. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to her manner. She's a bit of a lottery – you hope for the best."
I bit my lip, not quite sure how to approach the subject. I didn't want to offend Edward in any way, she was his sister, but what exactly was I supposed to say? 'Yeah, she's a real treat. I wish I had ten just like her.'
Maybe not.
Diplomacy was probably the best policy.
"Why was she so angry?"
Edward's fingers began tracing the outline of my ear.
"I've told you that Rose is married?"
I nodded. "To Emmett."
"That's right." Edward shifted, pushing my shoulders up gently and then pulling me onto him so that I was tucked into his arms. I buried my face into the crook of his neck. I loved Edward's 'smell'.
"Rose and Emmett have a very tumultuous relationship. What started out as absolute adoration on Emmett's part soon turned into a rather harsh wake up call. My parents indulged her too much as a child. She's grown up spoiled and with no solid awareness of real life. Money grows on trees in Rosalie's world and she's never worked a day in her life. She never will. It took Emmett a little while to see things clearly and when he did finally start putting his foot down, Rose didn't react well."
"They don't get along?" I hazarded a guess.
"I think like most people who are close to my sister, he's learned how to deal with her, Bella. It's not easy. She can be a very trying. My parents never agreed to the match, they found Emmett too average I suppose. Not good enough for their daughter. Truthfully, he's about as decent as they come; he has a lot of time for people. I think you'll really like him, there aren't many people who don't." He kissed the side of my head. "But everybody has limits and Rose sure as hell knows how to push them. If she wakes up one morning and suddenly decides that she wants a pony, she wants it by lunchtime. It took Emmett a couple of years to learn how to say no. I think today may well have been a 'no' day and well, you saw the result firsthand."
I squashed down my bemusement, a factor I was sure would always correlate with Rosalie McCarty, the thirty-two year old sounding toddler. What I wanted to know was what any of that had to do with Edward and I? What he was explaining sounded like a problem between husband and wife.
"So why was she here and why so angry with you?"
Edward swiped a hand roughly over his face. "If the ATM won't give you cash, but you know that there's money in there somewhere, what do you do? You go to the bank, the source, if you will. Emmett's the ATM, I'm the source. I don't think she much cared for walking in to find a certain young beauty at the front of the line before her."
Oh.
"She's mad because I'm here taking your money?"
That made sense. She was probably just protective of her brother. Granted her approach had been less than civil, but I could certainly understand the colourful reception if that was the case. While Edward and I knew the truth behind our arrangement, nobody else did. People were bound to jump to their own conclusions. I mean, let's face facts; it didn't exactly look good, did it? We were both sliding easily into appearance based stereotypes.
Edward raised his eyebrows sardonically. "Miss Swan, when have you ever taken my money? I've just had to ship your car in sneakily to avoid an argument. I sincerely wish that you would just start taking it."
I rolled my eyes.
Not going to happen buddy.
"Rose is fundamentally a very selfish, jealous being. I think she's threatened by you more than anything, Bella. She's stormed in here on a bad day only to find someone much younger and prettier up on a pedestal that she's never been able to reach. It ruffled her feathers and she reacted in the only way that she knows how – she opened her mouth."
I started laughing.
"Edward, are you honestly trying to tell me that she's mad because she feels like I'm peeing on her territory or something like that?"
Completely ridiculous! And why on earth would a woman like her ever feel threatened by somebody as inconsequential as me? For heaven's sake!
Edward smirked down at me. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Rose doesn't like when things are out of her control, she hates surprises and anything that doesn't benefit her. You being here with me doesn't benefit her, Bella. She's probably worried that her personal bank branch is about to close and open up to you instead. And for the record, this is your territory, not hers."
Before I could respond, the home phone that was sat on my desk began to ring shrilly. The echoing chimes of every other handset within the house soon followed.
Edward kissed my forehead before placing me back down on the bed and strode over to retrieve the racket-machine.
"Hello?"
I watched as his entire face scrunched up, wincing.
"Yes, she was…" His eyes flickered over to me. "No, she's alright… there's no need to apologise, no I know that you didn't give it to her… Hmmm… just give me a sec."
I scooted to the edge of my bed and stretched my hands upwards. I wanted to moan when I felt my back cracking lightly.
"Bella?"
I glanced over.
"I need to take this sweetheart. Are you still tired? You can go back to sleep if you want, I can come and wake you up in an hour?"
I shook my head. I didn't want to sleep the rest of the day away.
"Do you mind if I take a bath?"
He gave me a 'look' and I put my hands up in a surrendering gesture.
"Sorry, sorry! I'm going to take a bath."
Edward walked over and bent to give me a kiss.
"Much better." He winked.
I made my way into his, no – our bathroom just as he walked from my room. I set the plug into place and watched as the hot water began to gush from the facet and fill the tub. I would quite happily live out the rest of my days in the large, circular shaped bathtub. It had Jacuzzi jets. Enough said.
I added a generous amount of jasmine scented bath oil and went to brush my teeth.
The week's worth of sun had given my consistently pale complexion a light, healthy glow. It surprised me actually, just how well I was looking. My normally dull brown eyes were bright and alive and instead of the dark orbs washing out my pasty skin they now seemed to warm and soften my face. My hair, even in the birds nest state that it was, looked shiny and had a definite bounce to it. I had even put on a little weight. Not much but definitely a couple of well needed pounds. New York was agreeing with me.
I finished brushing, stripped off my clothes and clambered into the bath, much too impatient to wait until it had filled. I toed the stainless steel tap and revelled in the calm that washed over me. I needed this. The day's events had certainly been a little on the overwhelming side, what with the tall, scary building followed by the tall, scary sibling.
I sunk further into the water, gladly putting the festivities on temporary hold.
(*)
I dressed myself casually in a pair a light wash, ripped jeans, a V-neck white T and my black flats. I'd brushed, dried and plaited my hair messily and felt thoroughly refreshed. The muggy heat added to the city's lingering dirty air could make you feel somewhat grimy at times and I'd gotten into the habit of bathing or showering twice a day. I couldn't figure out why Edward did this initially, but after a couple of days here it made sense. Your whites didn't stay white for very long in New York.
I padded my way downstairs in search of Edward, stopping on the first floor to check his study, the ground floor to check his workroom and finally clambering down to the kitchen. I smiled when I heard his voice and figured he was still on the telephone, but when an angry female voice countered his words, I stopped short.
Oh no…
Please don't say she's back, please don't say she's back, please don't say she's back!
"… Cannot believe her audacity! Did she scare Bella? I swear to God Edward, if she's set that poor girl back I'll throttle the vapid bitch myself!"
"No, I don't think so." Edward responded quietly. "She seemed okay when I went up. I tried to get her out of earshot as soon as I could but by the sounds of things she heard quite a bit regardless."
Somebody snorted. "I'd be surprised if three doors down didn't hear, Rose isn't exactly known for her volume control."
The voice was unknown but distinctly male.
"The hell with volume control, she needs an 'off' button!" The female snapped. "Did she say much to Bella?"
"I didn't let it get that far. She was rude, probably shocked Bella with her attitude more than anything, but I wasn't prepared to keep her downstairs only to be awarded a Rosalie special."
"Edward, I'm so sorry. I don't know how she keeps finding the damn key!" A new male sounded off.
"It's not your fault, Em. Rose is just… Rose." Edward sighed. "I wouldn't have been so angry if she'd just stayed out of Bella's room. She's only been here a week and already had a space that I wanted to make just hers completely invaded by a perfect stranger. Christ only knows how she feels about that particular sufferance."
"Hey," the female cooed soothingly. "Edward, Bella will know how much work you put into making that room perfect for her. I'm sure she treasures it and even though the idea of Rose snooping around probably gave her the chills, she'll always love that room regardless."
"Vick's right Ed, and besides Bella doesn't sound like the type to dwell. It probably freaked her out a little initially but she won't focus on it." The first male voice reassured.
"You think she's really alright?" The second male asked worriedly. "Sounds like you both had an amazing week."
"We did." Edward said happily. "She's settling well, I think. She took herself out to find The Strand on Thursday," he chuckled. "Gone all day. I came back to an empty house and nearly had a heart attack. But in she came, lugging bags of books and completely in her element. She even bought me one; I nearly fainted when I saw it. It's not even in print anymore; I think Columbia had a really old first edition copy of it in their rare books section when I was there. Here only five days and off she went. I thought she'd maybe chance exploring somewhere closer to home, you know? But not Bella, straight on up to Union Square."
There was a round of amused laughter and it reminded me suddenly that I was listening in – again.
Second slap on the wrist for Bella!
I wasn't quite sure what to do. Did I go in or should I run back to my room? I didn't think I could handle anymore drama; my nerves had been frayed enough for one day. They sounded friendly, but what if Edward wanted to speak to them privately? I didn't want to overstep. Maybe I should just pop my head in and, I don't know, say hello? What was the correct etiquette?
I fidgeted nervously, feeling inadequate. I wasn't dressed fancy, what if I embarrassed him in front of his guests? Should I go up and change first? What was Edward wearing today?
I wracked my brain.
This morning's table incident popped unbidden into my mind. Jeans and a polo shirt.
Maybe I would be ok?
I mean, he knew that I'd gone in for a bath. I had been up there for just short of an hour; he would be expecting me to come down at some point, wouldn't he?
Oh Lord!
Just do it Bella! One foot in front of the other!
Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and took the few steps towards the arched doorway and through it.
They were all settled around the large breakfast bar, none of them had noticed my appearance. Edward looked carefree and young among these people who I assumed to be his friends. The woman was slight, dressed in cream coloured pants and a red silky camisole. She had the most magnificent head of fiery red hair and her milky skin was lightly dusted with freckles. She had two, strong, well toned arms wrapped around her, though I couldn't quite make out the man that they belonged to. They were both standing up, but bent slightly over the bar. Next to them was The Hulk incarnate, minus the green skin. Huge didn't seem to quite cover his vast size. Dressed in baggy jeans and a black wife beater, his arms were laid bare to dirty grease marks and bold, black tribal tattoos.
It was Goliath who noticed me.
Silvery blue eyes flickered up in my direction and everything seemed to go very still. The hands that had been supporting his colossal weight on the countertop pushed away and he smiled slowly at me, almost as if he was scared that I would bolt from the room like a frightened doe.
It was like a domino effect after that.
The woman saw me next, her eyes a flash of sparkling hazel. She gasped out and 'oh!' and stood up straighter, lightly smacking her partner's chest to get his attention. I barely noticed him before Edward was spinning around in his seat to face me.
I bit my lip, locking my fingers together and repeatedly making pretzel shapes out of them.
"Feel better?" He asked softly.
I nodded quickly, feeling awkward and out of place.
Edward smiled warmly at me, though I only really had eyes for the three strangers stood in the kitchen with him.
"Bella, this is Victoria, James and Emmett. Everyone, this is Bella." There was a distinct note of pride in his voice when he said my name.
My eyes snapped to the first man. The man with the redhead. James.
That sounded oddly familiar.
Did I know a James?
No, no I didn't.
But I had heard it somewhere before.
He had a gentle face I thought. He looked a little older, a bit like Edward with his laughter lines around his eyes, but there was something youthfully handsome about him too. Just like Edward. He was perhaps an inch shorter and had the same lithe yet muscular toning as him. His hair was a shock of golden blonde and his eyes were the colour of a summer blue sea. A definite contrast to Edward's bronze and green.
I didn't recognise him, but the name… James?
And then it clicked.
Oh holy mother of God…
The awkward just got kicked up a notch or nine.
And before I could stop myself, I was staring him directly in the eye and asking, "The nuisance?"
The woman, Victoria, immediately started giggling. Edward threw me a proud grin just as James mocked a hurt look, holding a hand dramatically over his heart.
"You wound me, Edward! How many years have we been friends and that is how you introduce me to others?"
"Damn straight, you're a pain in my ass!" Edward beamed as he came over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, lightly kissing my temple.
I wasn't quite sure whether to feel completely mortified or to thank this James man profusely for passing on my profile. I was being split in half, embarrassment vs. gratitude. This man had seen my profile – seen it before Edward and then sent it to him. He knew where I came from. He knew what I had asked for.
Did I bury my face in shame or kiss his feet for irrevocably changing my life for the better?
I swallowed. I was at a complete loss.
Sensing my trepidation, Edward gave me a reassuring squeeze.
"Is the rabble staying for dinner?" He asked them teasingly.
The big man, Emmett, went to speak but Victoria cut him off, smiling kindly at me.
"Only if that's alright with you two? We would love to catch up but understand if it'd be best left for another day."
"We bought steak, figured we could barbeque and do some manly shit with fire." James smirked.
Victoria huffed. "You're not allowed to play with fire anymore, we've talked about this! Edward's only just replaced the damn barbeque that you and Emmett blew up the last time and I didn't appreciate having to introduce you to friends when you had no eyebrows!"
"It was his fault," Emmett argued. "I didn't know that he'd already added the gas!"
"The neighbours thought a bomb had gone off! No touching the barbeque, either of you," she turned to wag a finger between the two now pouting men.
I laughed despite myself, drawing their attention.
"Why don't you go set up, we'll be out in a minute." Edward said, the amusement clear in his tone. "And if you break my barbeque this time, I'm going to break fingers."
They walked out through the patio doors, shopping bags in tow and arguing about whose fault the arson really was. I was leaning towards Gargantuan-The-Great; he had a distinctive naughty twinkle in his eye.
"How's my little one holding up?"
I peeked up at Edward, my lip felt tenderly swollen from worrying it so.
"He knows." It wasn't a question, it didn't need to be. "He knows where I came from."
"They all do," he replied honestly. "And I don't want you sinking into that dark place you go to, Bella. They've all been dying to meet you."
I looked away.
All of them?
"What must they think of me?" I whispered.
A few choice words sprung to mind, none of them pleasant.
"They think that you're an incredibly brave young woman and respect your determination, Bella. There aren't many who would have had the guts or the drive to do what you did."
I snorted.
"Something you'd like to add?" He rebuked firmly.
Plenty! I thought dryly, shaking my head.
"Bella, I'm not going to stand here and watch you tie yourself up in knots. They don't care where you came from or what you did to get here; they've been really looking forward to meeting you. I've just spent an hour effectively telling my sister where she can stick her opinions and another hour trying to calm the three raging bulls that came rushing over here to make sure you were alright. Please stop doing this to yourself; we've had such a nice week."
Third slap on the wrist for Bella.
I wasn't doing a very good job of making him happy, was I?
But did they honestly not mind? On the surface they all seemed pleasant, but should I expect their amiability to morph into a mass of hissing snake heads as soon as Edward's back was turned? Would they go all Western on my ass and demand I skip town?
Edward sighed, wrapping his arms around me.
"I'm overwhelming you, aren't I? I keep forgetting that you've only been here a week. I can ask them to go, they really won't mind. We hadn't planned for them to come over and I don't want you feeling uncomfortable." He nuzzled his nose into my hair. "But you need to stop thinking so lowly of yourself. I hate that you do."
"I'm sorry," I murmured. "I don't want them to go, I just… it's strange. I thought that maybe they would, I don't know, judge me? I think I'd judge me if I were in their shoes."
It was Edward's turn to snort. "Bella, Vicky spent all of her free time before you got here running around buying accessories for your room to make it feel homelier. The woman actually flooded my office at work in fabric swatches and lived off of nothing but coffee for several days. James used just about every illegal cyber hole he could think of to completely eradicate your internet history relating to that site, including hunting down anybody who saved your information, so you're profile is long gone now. And Emmett's just spent the last few days pulling your brand new Mini apart and doing God only knows what to it. I think it's safe to say that you now have the latest tech gadgets and security system fitted into it though. They didn't do any of that for me – they did it for you."
"But… why?"
His pointer finger hooked under my chin and raised my face to meet his. "Because some people deserve a break in this life, Bella, and we all happen to think that you're very deserving of one."
(*)
It had been a wonderful evening, one of my best yet, in fact. Never had any four people made me feel so at home and so welcome. But I think I liked the three newcomers so much because having watched them interacting with Edward, it became clear to me that no man had ever had such good friends. They cared a great deal for him. They really, truly did.
Emmett was fun. Once we had gotten past the 'my wife's a troll, please excuse her' apologies, the jollies began. He had a fantastically witty sense of humour and was quick to the draw with his comebacks. I learned that he was a mechanic and owned his own garage, specialising in classical car and truck renovations. At one point, he had thrown me a cheeky wink just as Edward came back out to the garden, and started rattling off design ideas for my 'first tattoo'. Edward's face had paled to near transparency and he'd threatened Emmett with loss of limbs if my 'perfect skin was so much as punctured by a tattoo needle'.
James was very sweet but razor-sharp, there wasn't much that got by him. It was evident that he loved Victoria a great deal and it was actually a little heart-warming to be around a couple who were so comfortable with each other. He had worked alongside Edward ever since finishing college eleven years ago and was unmistakably loyal to him. He and Vicky had been dating for four years and at thirty-five, he had plenty of relatable stories to tell regarding their ten year age gap. I'd found myself absorbed in them, my earlier unease being replaced with an odd sort of circumstantial comradeship.
Victoria blew me away with her kindness. She was simply lovely. The way she policed the 'boys' was highly amusing. She worked in Edward's HR department; a job that James had quipped was perfect for her nosy tendencies. That had earned him the loss of his steak to Emmett. She had given me the biggest hug before they all left; her sweetly feminine, floral scent had been strangely comforting and the woman just radiated warmth. She'd told me that I was good for Edward and that she couldn't wait to get to know me better.
Edward had, simply put, been on cloud nine where nothing could touch him by the end of the night. This was further highlighted the following morning when I woke up to find Tiffany turquoise box adorning my pillow. Inside had been a heart shaped padlock charm with one single word etched into the shiny silver.
And I knew, without a single doubt, that the word was not a reflection of my feelings, but of his.
The word was 'happy'.
Facebook – 'Positively Fourth Street' for teasers/general filth.
Thank you again to everybody who offered their assistance with the French translations, I've bagged myself lots of help! Apologies if I still haven't gotten back to you, I'm not being rude I've just had a lot of highly irritating roadblocks recently.
James and Vicky – good guys. Not without human fault, but good. You can quell the worry ;)
Update – week to two?
