Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the characters.
A/N: The sun has burned my face and chest :(
Fists and blood
'What was that for?' he asked in a hoarse voice.
Ding, ding, ding! It worked.
'I'm sorry I had to threat, but you really weren't looking human anymore.'
'That's not what I meant,' he said, lifting his head. I looked confused at him. 'What was the kiss for?' And with that, he watched me in the eye.
'You're talking again, aren't you?' I said, suddenly feeling insecure and looking away. 'Besides, it was the threat that made you talk again, not the...' I said, not able to finish.
'Kiss?' he ended my sentence.
'Yeah,' I said in a sigh.
'See, that's where you are wrong again,' he said. 'Your kiss just startled me and I needed a few second to be able to say something, but you were already talking again, threatening me. Just a few more seconds of patience from your side and I would have been able to talk. You just startled me, that's all. And you kissed me for so long.' He looked surprised.
'I can't startle you. Usually it works the other way around. You know, you startle me,' I said, feeling more uncomfortable at what he said.
'You can startle me more often,' he said, taking my coke, and drinking it. I watched him carefully. 'What?' he asked a little innocently.
'See, this is one of the things that confuse me and I don't understand completely what you're saying,' I said.
'You can figure that one out on your own,' he said, winking. I didn't break the eye contact this time.
'Why can't you just say what you mean?' I asked.
'Because I don't want to startle you,' he said seriously. 'I want to be startled,' he said now with amusement, 'preferably by you.' I scowled at him.
'Are you saying... ?' I said, but then trailing off. No, he's just being an idiot again.
'Yeah...' he said. I looked up at him and tried to continue.
'...that you want me to...' but I still wasn't able to finish.
'Keep talking,' he said, drinking more coke again. He pushed it back in my hands and looked at me when he noticed I was quiet for too long.
'Almost there, Bella,' he said and grinned. I looked at his grinning face and I don't care what had just previously happened or that I had actually thought, for just a second, he might want me to kiss him. It was all just a game to him. Maybe he went for girls like me now? And next week it would be another kind. I slapped him hard in the face and since he had been already sitting very unstable in his chair, he fell over, along with the chair. I might have laughed, if it hadn't been Edward that I had just slapped out of his chair. I heard him get the chair straight again and he sat in it. I closed my eyes and sat straight up, not letting him know I was afraid of what he might say to me. However, I was afraid like shit.
'Mind telling me what that was for, love?' he asked. This time I almost fell out of the chair out of dizziness and Edward stabled me be putting his hands on my waist. I glared at him.
'Love?' I asked in confusion and horror.
'Mind telling me what that was for, love?' he said slower this time, smiling.
'Love?' I hissed in disbelieve and for some reason I felt like hitting him again. I had raised my hand, but of course Edward had already stopped it and held it in his hand. His other hand was still on my waist.
'It's funny the way your worry and fear can so easily change into annoyance, horror and even anger. You looked like you thought I might get a lace and press it against your neck. I'd rather want you to be angry than scared. At least you can fight when you angry.' He showed me my hand in his, indicating that I had just tried to hit him. 'When you're scared, you look like you want to be dead.'
'Okay…' I replied confused.
'Now, back to the original question. Mind telling me what that was for-' I looked up at him just in time and he just smiled and ended with, 'Bella?'
'I don't really remember. What did I do?' He rolled his eyes.
'Slap me out of my chair.'
'Oh, yeah. And what were you saying before that?' I asked. I had really forgotten.
'I think: "Almost there,"' he said.
'Oh, I remember. You had grinned.'
'Is that all?' he asked, raising his eyebrows.
'It just felt like you were making fun of me,' and I shrugged.
'Sorry, love,' he said very loudly. I tried to pull my hand out of his, so I could slap him again. Instead he brought my hand to his lips and gave me a soft kiss. I think he made it short, because I kept pulling my hand out of his. He let go of my hand and his other of my waist and watched me for a second before he said, 'Seems like I was right,' and lightning another cigarette. Not again.
'About what?'
'You are disgusted with my touch,' he said and shrugged. Was he kidding me? That is exactly what I thought about him. How can he think that about me? He was holding the cigarette in his other hand, so it was harder for me to reach. 'It doesn't matter, Bella. I understand.' He was completely misunderstanding. I was just confused because it was still weird for him to touch me. He had made it clear when we first met that he was disgusted by me.
'No, you misunderstand,' I said.
'Is that so?' he asked and I nodded. He was bringing his hand closer to mine and I quickly pulled back. 'I don't think so.'
'No, you don't understand,' I said.
'Try me,' he said. I looked up at him again and he waited.
'I can't,' I said, dropping my head. 'But I really am not disgusted.'
'Yes, you are,'
'I'm not lying. You know I'm a bad liar,'
'That's true. But I still think you are disgusted by my touch,'
'Really?' I said. I was expecting a quick yes, but instead he said something else.
'No, angel, but you are something by my touch. Maybe afraid?'
'Don't call me angel,' I whispered. 'I'm not afraid, because I don't care anymore about what you'll do to me.' His arms were around me and I tried to get out.
'Angel. Angel. Angel. Don't say that,' and I stopped struggling.
'Don't talk to me like that,' I hissed.
'Like what?' he asked, really confused.
'Like I'm your girlfriend,' I kept hissing.
'Whatever you want,' he laughed. 'You know, I just had an amazing idea,' he said, letting me go.
'No more ideas,' I said, rolling my eyes.
'And if you pass the test, I'll know you really don't mind me touching you,' he said, taking another drag at his cigarette.
'Oh yeah?' I asked and I stopped breathing when I smelt his cigarette.
'Yes. Close your eyes,' he said and I watched him as if I hadn't heard him. 'Just a little trust, Bella. Come on, what's the worst I can do?' he asked and I shrugged.
'Only you know,' I said.
'It was a rhetorical question, Bella. Just close them,' he said. I had started breathing again and I just closed them, like he had said. What. Ever. I nearly jumped out of the seat when I felt something against my lips. My eyes flew open and it was just Edward's fingers.
'Sorry, angel. You didn't pass the test,' he said.
'That's unfair. I didn't expect that,' I tried. Why did I react so jumpy?
'Doesn't matter,' he said and he took another drag. This time I smacked the cigarette out of his fingers and it flew over to the table of an older couple. They watched the cigarette and turned their heads, trying to see where it had come from. I tried to hide behind Edward and suddenly I felt his arm around me.
'You are so cute this way,' he said.
'Shut up,' I said. 'I just found out about your third bad habit.'
'Cigarettes?' he asked.
'Yes,' I said, still eying the older couple.
'Only people who have never tried one, would say that,'
'I'll remind you of that when you've got lung cancer,'
'Does that mean you want to be around me for that long? I didn't know you have it in you,' he said, giving me a pat on the shoulder.
'Don't flatter yourself,' I said and again annoyed by his pat. 'You can let go of me now.'
'No, I'm fine,' he said, pulling me closer to him.
'Excuse me?' I said. 'I'm not.' He didn't look like he was going to remove his arm so I grabbed his index finger and I got out of his arm. I let go of his finger and his hand landed on the table. He smiled at something.
'What?' I asked.
He shook his head and the smile grew bigger. He was trying to hide it by looking the other way, but I had already seen.
'What?' I asked annoyingly now. Suddenly he stopped smiling and came to sit closer to me again and put his arm around me again.
'Guess who's coming our way?' he whispered in my ear. I didn't have to guess, because I knew. I felt tears prick in my eyes as I violently remembered James laughter and the insults. I remembered also Edward at breakfast and I tried to get out of his arm, but he was only pushing me against him. One tear had fallen on my cheek and when I looked up, Edward was watching behind us. I quickly dried it off with my hand, but more were coming. It wasn't just because I remembered last night, but because I had a mixture of feelings and one of them was definitely annoyance towards Edward. I just didn't understand him.
'They are coming our way. We're acting again, alright?' he said and when he noticed I didn't respond, he looked down at me. He slowly kissed the side of my eye and asked, 'Too much?'
I nodded. Why did he say we're acting again? What were we doing just now? I thought that was act too.
'Let's go back to my room,' he said, drying away my tears. 'Can you hold them in?' he asked. I nodded. I was able to hold the rest in, but not for too long. He put his sunglasses on my eyes. 'They shouldn't see you crying. That might make me do something that would give me a few years of jail.'
'What are you talking about?' I asked, trying to take away the glasses but he slowly pushed my hands back.
'I am saying that I don't want them to see you cry over them. They will love that and I will hate that. They don't get to see your suffer. They aren't worth it and as I have told you yesterday, James isn't worth you.' He pulled me up by my waist and we walked past the girls. They were all looking pissed off. It surprised me that they didn't say anything. James wasn't there, so we'd still see him in the hotel.
It was a short walk and Edward didn't say anything. James noticed us immediately and I tried to avoid his eyes. James was staring at me directly and I realized he couldn't see my eyes because I was still wearing the sunglasses. He walked over to us and Edward pushed me closer to him. Did he even realize?
'Mind if I talk to Bella?' he asked Edward with that smile I had seen so often. It looked fake now.
'The only place you'll talk to her will be in court,' and he pushed me forward, to the elevator. What did Edward mean by that? At least he didn't just hand me over to James.
When we were in the elevator, James called from behind us, 'Bella, come to me if you need a real man,' and blew a kiss. I winced and Edward watched me for a second, and then he whispered, 'He's going to regret saying that, sweet angel,' and he turned around and walked out of the elevator, over to James. I couldn't see the rest, because the doors had closed and the lift was moving. When I was up, I waited for a few minutes, but then I went to Edward's room and just knocked. I didn't want to go down myself, but Edward might be in trouble. Emmett opened.
'Bella,' he said surprised.
'I think Edward's fighting downstairs with James. You should go and help him,' I said.
'No, he deserves a few punches,' Emmett said.
'This time he doesn't. Look, Emmett, he helped me last night. I had a date with James, but he and a few other girls did something awful. Please go help him,' I pleaded. 'Please.'
He looked confused for a moment, but got out of the room and called, 'Go in the room, I'll be back quick.'
I went inside and all I kept hearing was Edward's voice, saying 'sweet angel'. I stood in the room and I didn't have to wait for long.
Edward came back with cuts on his face and on both of his fists. I even saw some blood on his shirt.
'You stay there,' Emmett said, pushing him on the bed. 'You,' he pointed at me, 'come with me.'
'She can stay here,' Edward said.
'So you can have sex with her again? She's sick, Edward! Seriously ill and then you kiss her! I know she has anorexia and depressions and you just made it worse!'
'We didn't have sex,' Edward said. 'I wouldn't have sex with her.'
'What, she's not good enough for ya?' he said, walking dangerously over to Edward.
'That's not what I meant, Emmett. I'm saying that because of the condition she was in last night. We didn't have sex.'
'Yeah, right,' Emmett said.
'I told you I'm good, Bella,' he said. 'Even Emmett is convinced.' Emmett flew forward and punched Edward in the face. I stared in horror and when I saw blood coming out of Edward's mouth and nose, I flew forward too, but only to see where the blood was coming from exactly. I touched his lip and his blood was on my finger.
'You're bleeding too much,' I told him. 'Does it hurt?' I asked, watching all the blood.
'Emmett enjoys punching me, don't you, big brother?' he said, but winced. He had pain somewhere. Emmett was walking to Edward again, but I quickly put myself between them and turned around to stop Emmett with my hands.
'No more, Emmett. This is enough,' I said.
'That was only the warming up,' he said, but he wasn't watching me. He was watching Edward with some sort of insane animal look in his eyes. He had to get out of here. I tried to push him to the door and to my big surprise he didn't object. I opened the door, but instead he pushed me outside and closed the door and quickly locked it.
'Emmett!' I called, banging on the door. 'Open the door!' I heard a loud bang from the other side and it scared me. What was he doing?
'What the hell have you been doing with Bella?' Emmett said. 'Have you been threatening her? Because I will kill you if you have!'
'Actually, she threatened me,' Edward said and I heard another loud bang.
'Tell me the truth, Edward, if you care for your life,' Emmett said in a low voice. Emmett sounded so dangerous. I wanted to scream again, tell Emmett that Edward wasn't lying, but I was frozen.
'I found her crying last night and James, Tanya and Jessica and a few others made pictures of her while she was in her bra and underwear. She had become suicidal and I gave her alcohol, so she has forgotten about most of it. I have already called dad and he knows about her health. Could you stop choking me now? Call dad, because I know you don't believe me,' Edward said.
'Why would you kiss her twice when she doesn't mean a thing to you?'
'Because if you had been paying more attention, you would have noticed that you weren't the only one thinking we had sex. My goal was James and the girls. They think that now and that's all they get to think. That I had sex with Bella.'
'Are you crazy?'
'No,' Edward said. I heard some other noises and the door opened. Emmett came outside and closed the door shut. He took my hand and brought me to an empty place.
'Did you want him to kiss you?'
'He said it would help,' I said.
'Did you want him to kiss you?'
'He wouldn't let me get away with it.'
'Did you want him to kiss you?'
'No! Alright? No. But he did and no one can change that,' I said. Emmett was walking again and I followed him. He opened the door and I saw Edward with bruises on his shoulder and back. I saw this because he wasn't wearing a t-shirt. He looked hurt, damaged and hot.
Bella! Edward doesn't look hot.
I glanced at his body again.
Who am I kidding?
'Little brother,' Emmett called. Edward turned around and smiled. And got a punch in his face by Emmett. I stared at Edward in horror and he fell on the floor with a loud bang. 'That's for not knowing what 'no' means! If you ever do something Bella doesn't want, I'll make sure you'll never be able to hurt her again.'
I didn't really understand why Emmett was making such a fuss.
'Why do you keep being around him?' he asked me.
'Because his dad ordered him,' I said. Emmett looked surprised.
'Ask dad,' Edward just said. 'Please go. You too Bella. Take her with you, Emmett,' he said. His voice was too strained and I didn't like it. Emmett was still looking pissed but left and pushed me with him. When we were outside, I turned to Emmett.
'I'm going back,' I said.
'The asshole deserves to be alone,' he said angrily. I stared at him in disgust. No wonder Edward had said he was lonely if this was the way he was treated.
'No one deserves to be alone, Emmett,' I said and I turned around to go to the room. Emmett stopped me.
'You are not going back to him. Don't feel sorry for the idiot,' he said, looking very serious.
'You mean Anthony,' I said. He blinked and stared at me.
'What? He never wants to be called Anthony. He hasn't even told anyone. I didn't think he'd tell you,' he said in confusion, shaking his head.
'Seems like you don't know him then. If you don't mind, I have to go back,' and this time he didn't stop me. I opened the door and locked it behind me.
Edward was trying to get up, but he stopped struggling and just lay on the floor. I noticed some blood on his hands and I hated it when people bleed.
'I'm sorry,' I said. 'It's my fault he hit you. I should have told him I didn't mind you kissing me.' Edward turned on his back and I could see his face now. It was a bloody mess, literally. Where did all the blood come from? I just took his arm and pulled at it. I sort of pushed him on the bed and he just lay down.
Actually it would be better to clean the wounds in the bathroom. So I pulled his arm again and dragged him to the bathroom and he landed on the floor and lay down again. He closed his eyes and just stayed like that.
Like I said. I would never understand him. I found a towel and made it wet with warm water. I tried to be careful with the wounds on his face. They were all just small scratches in his cheek but also one big one. His one was also on his right cheek. I hope his nose wasn't broken again. He had blood on his lips and I tried to get that away too. He had pretty lips. No more denying. I can't believe those lips had touched mine.
When his face was free from blood, I took his left hand and examined it. It didn't look broken or anything. Maybe just bruised. I cleaned the blood away from his knuckles and also the ones from his other hand.
Maybe some cold water would help for the bruises on his shoulder, back and face. So I got another towel and made it wet with cold water. I just pressed it lightly on the bruises on his shoulder and I made the towel wet again. I did this a few times and when I was also done with his face and also his back, he still wouldn't open his eyes. He couldn't be sleeping.
I remembered Emmett's other words. He had hit him more often and he had caused more blood than when I had hit him that night when he was drunk. Maybe he didn't deserve to be hit by me that night. Of course he was drunk and he had tried to kiss me, but I could have stopped him on some other way. Edward bled so easily.
'Maybe you should rest for a while... Anthony,' I said. I took his arm and brought him to the bed. He was walking but his eyes had been closed all the time. I was surprised because he either trusted me enough to walk with his eyes close or he really was in pain and didn't care. He sat on the bed and I took off his shoes. He lied on the bed and was still again.
'I'll be back in just a second,' I said. I opened the door and locked it behind me. I went to my room and got the box with pain killers that were mine. I also had sleeping pills, but never used them. I took those too. I went to Edward's room again and filled a glass with water. I took two pain killers and tried to lift Edward. 'Take these,' I said. His eyes were close and he wasn't moving. I considered pushing the pills roughly in his mouth, but I stopped when I saw the wounds on his lips. I didn't realize I was staring too long at his lips and I quickly blinked. I slowly put one pill in his mouth and he did drink the water. I gave him the other pill and he drank that one too. I just added one sleeping pill to it.
I sat on the bed. Everything about him made him look sad. His face. His voice. His helplessness. The blood that had been on his face. The blood that had been on his hands. When Emmett didn't believe him when he was telling the truth. The wounds on his cheeks.
Right now I couldn't see him as the cruel guy. Right now I saw a broken boy. I once thought to myself that so much beauty shouldn't be spilled on just one person. Well, the same goes with hurt. Not that hurt can be spilled. But he had too much of it and he didn't try and hide it. He knew I saw it.
'Is there anything you want?' I asked. It was eleven o'clock.
'You,' he said. I turned my head to watch his face. It wasn't hard now since his eyes were close. I kept staring at him, but he didn't say anything anymore. I took off my shoes and considered myself crazy for doing this.
'I'm here,' I said. I tried to touch his hand, but I wasn't sure he might want that. So I slowly lay on the bed and I did keep my distance.
Eventually, I just put my hand on his bare chest, not caring if he would mind. I looked at his chest hair and I realized that he wasn't a boy. He was practically a man. Wasn't he seventeen? He suddenly opened his eyes, looked at the ceiling, quickly blinked a few times and closed them again.
I had frozen at what I had seen. His eyes were wet. He was holding back tears. And I just realized that he doesn't only have wounds on the outside. The bad ones were on the inside. What had made him so sad? This is Edward Cullen. I don't know why, but I hugged him with both of my arms. I put my head on his chest. It wasn't really comfortable this way for me, but I could manage it for a few minutes.
I had thought that he might respond. Say something or put his arms around me or push me away. But there was nothing. Right now I wouldn't have minded if he had pushed me away. At least he would have responded. Sometimes no response is worse than a bad response.
He wanted me to startle him. If that wasn't act, that meant he would want me to kiss him.
I could go for no response and stay like this. Or I could go for the bad response and kiss him.
I went for the bad response. I lifted my head and let go of his body. I made sure I wasn't touching him anywhere. I waited for a minute, just staring at his lips. I quickly went forward and just made a light press and quickly went back. I hope that made the category kiss. His kisses of this morning were different. Longer.
I hope he even noticed.
Who was I kidding? He didn't like me. Even Emmett had said that I didn't mean a thing to Edward. Not that I wanted to. He didn't respond and he wouldn't. I just turned around so that my back was turned against him.
This was a bad response too. It was silly of me, but it hurt. It hurt to know that it had been an act. About him wanting to be startled by me. Or maybe I had misunderstood. Maybe I had just gotten wrong ideas, just like always.
No, this wasn't a bad response. A bad response would have been an insult, a scream, a swear, anything that would involve me getting hurt and run away out of this room. This was a horrid response.
I startled when I felt his hand on my arm. He brought it down slowly and then he held my hand. He pushed me closer to him, so that I was pressed against him. I held in my breath.
And I waited.
But the bad response wouldn't come. He wasn't yelling at me. Instead of pushing me away, he was pushing me closer. He was lying still again. He must have fallen asleep.
We stayed like that for one hour. I kept awake and after that one hour I realized there weren't going to come any bad responses.
I slowly tried to get out of his embrace and I sat on the bed. I sighed loudly.
What a messy morning.
I glanced at Edward and he had so many bruises. They were bluer now and some places of his skin were red, because it was swollen. I'd better have a talk with Emmett. You can't treat people this way. Maybe I could just call him.
'Edward,' I whispered. 'Are you awake?' I pushed him a little, but he didn't wake up. I slowly got his phone out of his pocket and walked to the bathroom. I closed the door and searched for Emmett's number. I dialed it.
'Fuck you,' Emmett said.
'Nice talking to you again, Emmett,' I said in a nice voice.
'Bella?' he asked confused.
'Yes, it's me. Edward's sleeping, but I have something to say to you. Did you know Edward actually has a heart? Feelings just like the rest of us. Do you have any idea what you have done to him? There are bruises all over him and painful wounds. Do you always fight with people that can't fight back? Do you want to know a secret, Emmett?'
'What?'
'He was holding in tears. I saw it and he thinks I didn't see. But I did and now you know too. Please, Emmett. Don't hurt him like that again. Next time I won't be around to help him.'
'Are you at our room now, Bella?' he quickly asked.
'Yeah,' and suddenly the phone was shut off. I stared incredulous at it. Did he hang up on me? I just stayed in the bathroom until someone was knocking on the door. I opened the bathroom door and then the front door. Emmett just pushed it open and walked past me. He went straight for Edward and stopped to stare at him.
'He's had worse,' Emmett slowly said. I went over to Emmett and pushed his arm so he would face me.
'I hope not!' I said.
'No, you're right. This is the worst he's gotten. He needs painkillers.'
'Already taken care of,' I said, folding my arms.
'And he needs sleeping pills. It's best if he rests for a while.' I just stared at him. 'Also taken care of?' he asked, but he already knew the answer by the look on my face.
'He's your brother,' I said, pointing at Edward.
'I know,' he whispered.
'When was the last time you did something together?'
'What?'
'When was the last time you two laughed together?'
'Bella...'
'Do you care for him?'
'Those questions are silly,' he said uneasily.
'No they are not. They are important and easy. If you care for him, you'll stay here and be the brother he needs.' It looked like he didn't really dare to disagree or argue, so he just sat on the bed.
'Has he been hard on you?' he asked.
'He... he is strange. I don't think he's got himself figured out yet.' I headed for the door.
'Where are you going?'
'Just to my room,' I said with a shrug.
'No, you don't. Edward is supposed to stay around you. Since he can't, which is my fault, I know, you're stuck with me. I called dad and it seems like he was saying the truth.'
'Yay. Another Cullen.' I fake cheered.
'Thanks, Bella,' he said, shaking his head.
'What did you expect?' I asked him.
'I'm not that awful,' he said. 'Can you tell me what happened last night?' I didn't even want to think about it.
'Not really. You can ask Edward. Tell him I wouldn't mind him talking about what happened.'
'I wonder why he is being different around you.' I just shrugged.
'He's been his usual self,' I said. 'He was acting this morning downstairs.'
'No, he was not,' Emmett said.
'Yes, he actually was. It was a plan he made.'
'Yes, alright, maybe in the bigger picture. But at some moments he looked sincere. Whatever he was telling you, it was true. That was definitely not acting.' He looked up at my face. 'Please let that not be a sex wound. It's been the number one question since this morning.' I touched the wound on my cheek.
'I fell last night. But Edward will tell you this too. We didn't have sex. We just talked.'
'So are you two cool now?'
'Cool? No, when we are back, he'll leave me alone again and things will go back to normal. Just like it has always been, right?'
'Is that what he told you?'
'No, but the question doesn't have to be asked.'
'I have another question.'
'Do tell.'
'Why are you wearing that?' he said, pointing at the shirt.
'Oh, yeah. Also part of Edward's plan. Maybe to make it look real.'
'There's a hole in it,' he said, looking worried.
'I know and even Edward knows. He's going to kill me, I guess.'
'I won't, said you're worth it,' Edward's hoarse voice said. I looked at him, but his eyes were closed. Emmett looked up at me, uncomfortable. I mouthed the word 'sorry' at him.
'How long have you been awake?' Emmett asked, pretending he didn't see me.
'Truce,' Edward whispered.
'I'm not here to punch you,' he said. 'You look like shit.' Edward smiled a little. 'Don't smile. It hurts.'
'Yeah,' Edward said.
'Man, I went too far with you. I'm glad you had Bella around you for that moment. She didn't take advantage of you, did she?' he said jokingly.
'She kissed me,' Edward said and Emmett rolled his eyes and then looking back at Edward again. I looked in alarm at Edward, but his eyes were still closed.
'In your dreams, Edward. Maybe she won't even come there,' and he winked at me. I smiled quickly and looked at Edward. His eyes were finally open and he was looking at me.
'Maybe I should go,' I said, looking at Emmett again. They were having fun. Sure I was involved, and kissing and Emmett was insulting Edward in a silly way, but they were talking and I was in the way. I hadn't even taken one step though to the door before I was stopped.
'No,' they both quickly said. There was an awkward silence.
'Where's Jasper?' I asked just to make a conversation.
'With Alice. By the way, Tanya is crying.'
'Oh no,' I muttered. When I looked up, two pairs of incredulous eyes were watching me. 'It's just that she's in pain.'
'Bella, do you sympathize with everyone?' Edward asked. 'You know what she did to you!'
I shrugged.
'I don't compare what thing was worse. She's crying now. She must feel awful.'
'She's probably stopped by now,' Emmett said. I was trying to think what to do best. Yeah, we convinced everyone that we had sex. No good had come from it. It didn't matter at all.
'I want to go down.'
'No, you're not going to Tanya,' Edward said, sitting up on the bed.
'I'm not going to Tanya,' I said.
'You looked away,' he said, and I turned my head to him. He just shrugged. Oh yeah, the first rule to act successful. Emmett was looking like he was missing something. Had I looked away?
'Fine. I am going to go to Tanya and just tell her we were acting.' Edward shot out of bed and it couldn't have been easy. He stood in front of me and I tried hard not to think of him as a hot boy. He looked like he wanted to say many things at the same time.
'Why?' he eventually asked.
'Because I don't feel any better, so why should she feel any worse?'
'Doing this will cause you harm,' he said. 'Besides, so what that she feels worse?'
'Hurting someone else to make your pain go away, remember?' I said. He nodded a little. 'Well, I'm not like that.'
'Remind me,' he said, crossing his arms and coming closer to me, 'what do you want to tell her?'
'Oh, I would... I was thinking... At least...' I said and then just dropped my head.
'Great plan,' he said, tapping my shoulder. I snapped my head up and he smiled.
'Like yours was great,' I pointed out.
'No, but better. Just a minute, Bella.' He went to the closet and found a blue blouse. He wore his shoes again and came to me.
'You're staying here, Emmett?'
'Need me?'
'Ever did?'
'Then yes, I'm staying,' he said and Emmett actually laughed. Edward smiled a little and he opened the door and let me get out first.