Chapter 12
EPOV
"I swear to God, I'm gonna smack you, Teds," Emmett was shouting, his fingers drumming incessantly against the side of the plane. "I trusted you."
"I know," I mumbled, for what felt like the thousandth time. "I didn't think-"
"After my apartment was trashed, and after everything that's happened, don't you even think about telling me you thought it was okay!"
I sucked a deep breath, puffing out my cheeks.
He was right, but that didn't mean I wanted to hear it. I felt shitty enough knowing I let Bella down, and then Emmett on top of it?
Damn.
I needed to focus.
I had to get to this...Seth Clearwater.
Part of me knew that he was probably a friend; someone Bella knew from childhood perhaps. But the less rational, more cave-dwelling side of me was convinced she was in love with him. I know, I know: totally inconsistent with everything I knew about Bella, but who said that feelings had to be rational?
Bella may not seem perfect to the outside world, but she was perfect for me. To take the risk that someone else could see what I see...
I didn't think I could handle that.
But Bella...Bella seemed to like me. She seemed to feel the same burst of energy I felt when we touched. She was the one who'd picked me after all.
And it turns out she was right. I would save her.
The closer and closer to Phoenix we got, the more I was realizing that there was very little I wouldn't do for her. I'd go anywhere and be anything for her. But first I needed to get her back.
"...so you better have a plan," Em pouted as I shook my head, realizing that he'd been speaking while I was lost in thought.
I nodded, leaning forward against the seat. "Well, this...Seth person," I nearly choked on the name. "Wouldn't say anything to me about it over the phone. Something about it not being safe."
Em let out an exaggerated sigh. "What the fuck is with this? I mean, seriously. Everything's like...a fucking riddle. Why can't it just be like...Bella's here, here's how to stop all the breaking and entering and...and...go be happy!"
I shook my head, raising an eyebrow and taking a deep breath to keep from laughing at him. "Because that's just not how things worked," I explained. "And besides, don't they say that it's worth it to go through these hurtles in order to get the best possible outcome?"
He scowled, "No. Not even a little. So shut up, Teds."
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "Look, it's done, right? We have to figure out how to find Bella, and then we'll be okay. Focus on that."
"Not on how I want to beat you down?"
"Uh, no," I replied, inching slightly away from him. "You hitting me I don't think would be good for either of us."
There was a long pause where I felt an incredible amount of tension rolling off of him. Then, I heard a thud; the sound of his forehead hitting the side of the plane. "I promised her Teds," he murmured. "I told her I'd keep her safe."
I felt awful that he felt so...responsible, especially when it was my fault. I shouldn't have been so far away while Bella was changing. I shouldn't have even let her be alone. I should have watched more carefully. There were so many could, should, would's that it was dizzying.
"Em, it's okay," I told him. "Bella knows that you didn't do this to her. She knows you loved her. Do you know that she had a picture of you on her nightstand when I picked her up?"
His eye opened a little, deep brown slivers looking at me. "Really?"
I nodded. "Yeah, and that's how I found Seth's number. It was on the back of the photo."
"Oh," He mumbled. "I didn't think...when we picked her up, I didn't think that she knew who I was. I thought we were practically strangers."
I shrugged. "You probably were. But you love your siblings, regardless."
He laughed. "Teds, you're an only child."
"True, but that doesn't mean that I don't value my family. You and Jasper are like brothers to me."
He nodded, sitting back up straight and rubbing his eyes with his hands. "We need to talk about something else cause I'm feeling misty. I can't cry on top of everything."
I laughed at how quickly he went from vulnerable to a typical tough guy, in a way that only Emmett could. Even though he'd reluctantly admitted it, I knew that he felt more pain and disappointment in himself than he was willing to share.
Out of the three of us, Emmett was the goof ball; he never took anything seriously which balanced Jasper and I out perfectly. But I'd come to realize in the years that I'd known him that it all belies a sadness or even a melancholy that he never seemed to shake. I could always tell, even when he seemed to be at his happiest something was holding him back.
It was only in the last couple of days that I realized it was because of Bella. Em didn't feel like he'd done enough for his little sister, so he was trying to make it right. He didn't want to be a hero; just someone who cared enough to help her. So now, despite his best efforts, he'd stumbled upon a problem that was bigger than he anticipated. He'd entered us both into a world we'd known nothing about until Bella.
"Hey Em?" I started, pulling at my hair again. "Everything's...everything's gonna work out," I said, smiling a little. "I know it will." Whether it was because I wouldn't let anything happen to Bella or because everything actually would work out, I wasn't sure. I just wanted him to feel better.
He let out a deep breath, the corner of his mouth turning up in a half smile. "Thanks, Teds. I hope so."
I nodded again, and refastened my seatbelt as we began our descent into Phoenix. I was anxious. I wanted to land, rent the car and get out to Bella's facility because I wanted this nightmare over. I wanted her safe and in my arms. I was desperate to return to normalcy.
Without a word, Em and I deplaned and headed for the terminal to rent a car. But as we came down the escalator, something felt...off.
Em tensed beside me and when I looked over at him, he only nodded. He felt it too. We walked carefully off the escalator and toward the counters, taking in all of her surroundings.
Suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder and I jumped.
A kid, no more than 18 or 19, was standing beside me dressed in a tattered yellow tee shirt and well worn jeans. "Hi," he said, smiling.
Weird. "Hello?"
He laughed a little, shaking his head. "Are you Edward Cullen?"
"Who's asking," Em questioned gruffly.
He grinned. "I'm Seth Clearwater. Bella described you perfectly."
A/N:
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