Chapter 20:
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight characters. Although the additional character is a figment of my imagination, you are free to use him, just let me know. : )
I told you I'd update soon. Haha. This is what happens when you're supposed to be out enjoying the sun and that wonderful season called "summer" and suddenly, IT RAINS! Boo rain, ihateyou.
This is for all the reviewers, special mention to those who have wonderful ideas I might just take up in the future. You know who you are. Thank you for taking the time to think about ideas that can help me. They mean quite a lot! And to the rest of readers, silent readers even, THANKS! (I'm in the mood for gratitude because I found out my story got almost 27,000 hits, 300+ reviews and lots more numbers that I won't divulge for fear of being called boastful. Hahaha. But really, thanks!
I made friends in , though we haven't seen each other, it's great to have made acquaintances without the bias of making friends because she/he is popular, rich and/or beautiful but because she's good at something and you think you can learn from each other.
As you can see, I'm rambling now so I'll just stop. This is what happens when it rains and you're all alone in your house with only an ultra-busy househelp and 3 humungous, not-the-"oh what a cute dog can I pet him"-dogs barking like mad. Thank god for earphones and music.
Now I'll really stop rambling so you can get on with the next chapter.
Oh! Before that, I do have a question to ask that might change the plot (not the ending, though. That's already been planned.Hahaha). I'm sure all of you are really smart and may have a good guess at what's going to happen next.
Should Chris really become a minor character in the story (e.g. be part of Bella's lovelife) or should he remain to be a "guest" character just for this part of the story?
The results will help me decide on what to do about him next. But keep in mind that the last decision will still be with me and with what I think would be good. Your opinions would be great help. Thanks!
Now, really, on with the story! : )
I woke up to the rhythmic beating of the heart monitor and the steady wheezing of the air conditioner.
I made a motion to move but I couldn't. I suddenly realized I wasn't alone in the bed.
Sleeping beside me was a guy. I had a hunch this was blue-eyed boy from the day before. Or was it 2 days before?
I poked him gently but he wouldn't budge.
"Hey.", I nudged him.
He tilted his head to see who had woke him up, and upon seeing me awake and staring at him, he jumped off from the bed, looking extremely embarrassed.
"I'm so sorry, the chair is really so hard to sleep on and I haven't slept well since you..when you..you know..so how are you? What's your name? ", he rambled as his face became steadily redder by the minute.
I blushed as I saw him staring at me a little too long. "Isabella Swan. Call me Bella."
He grinned like a little boy.
"I'm Chris. I drove the SUV behind you. So how do you feel now? I'm sorry I haven't contacted your parents yet. I haven't been through your belongings yet."
I smiled at him, liking him by the second. "That's fine. I'm feeling fine. How long have I been out? Did the doctor say when I can go home? What happened?"
He took a seat beside me and began.
" It was lucky you swerved from that rampaging truck or you could have gotten squished. Although you did crash into the sidewalk, the doctor said you just had minor injuries and temporary trauma. I think he said you can be released tomorrow. It's been a day since we got here."
"Oh. What time is it?"
"Nearly 3pm. Are you hungry? I can bring you some food from the canteen. Or I could buy something outside.", he offered me.
I looked at him and smiled. "Thank you, Chris. Even though it isn't your fault, you still had the compassion to bring me here. Thanks. I owe you my life."
He smiled at me. "It's nothing. Now, are you hungry? I know you are. I can almost hear your tummy grumbling, screaming at me to buy you food."
He chuckled as I blushed. "Ha ha. If you must know, I am so famished I can eat 10 cows, 27 sharks and 52 hens."
He left the room with a large grin on his face. I sighed as I stared and examined his back. Hmm, good posture, nice personality, good heart and definitely good looking. The blue eyes were simply stunning. Oh my god! What am I thinking about?!, I screamed at myself. A guy just rescues you from dying on the streets and you start crushing on him?! Great Bella, just what you need now. Another problem. I thought about what happened yesterday and if any of the Cullens had visited me yet. I thought about Charlie and Renee's reaction to my accident and the possible results of those. I rolled my eyes to no one in particular.
"Are you being possessed?", came a teasing voice in the doorway, taking me out of my thoughts.
"No, I'm hallucinating because I'm hungry." I striked back.
Chris laughed as he entered, bringing with him a large plastic bag that I could smell was full of food.
"How did you get food so fast?", I asked him as I took my first bite of Chinese fried rice and vegetable rolls.
"'Cause I'm sneaky and smart and cunning and charming like that."
"You're not so full of yourself, are you?", I retorted, making him grin.
"Nah. Just teasing. The line wasn't long."
We kept our light banter as we dug into the food he bought.
Chris wasn't so hard to talk to. On the contrary, he was a very good conversationalist. Conversation seemed to flow naturally between us, as if we've been friends forever.
I was leafing through magazines when I remembered about my visitors.
"Hey Chris, has anyone visited me since we got here?"
"Nope. Which reminds me, who do you want me to call to let them know you're alive and not lying in a barn, pecked to death by mutant hens while trying to get away from zombie- Munchkinlanders who were desperate to taste your hair?"
I had to laugh at his wild imagination, momentarily forgetting the pangs of pain at not having anyone visit me. I was sure Alice saw this would happen. Maybe she didn't.
Or maybe she did and she told everyone but that important someone from the 'everyone' she had told didn't want to see you anymore. , said an evil part of my brain.
Without noticing, tears started to fall.
Alarmed, Chris got up from his chair and sat beside me in the bed, putting his arms around my shoulders.
"Hey, what's wrong? Is it something I said? I'm sorry if I off--"
I cut him off despite my continuous sobbing.
"No, no, you have done nothing wrong, I swear. It's just that I kind of expected someone to have looked for me already."
I looked at him just as he looked at me with a mixture of pity, anger, even a flash of disappointment.
Why is he disappointed?
"Why is that the look on your face?"
He sadly smiled at me as he continued to pat my shoulders.
"It's just that I feel sorry for you because for a really wonderful person like yourself, you have to wait for someone to visit you. You deserve to have a long line of visitors waiting for you even before you wake up. And I think that someone is stupid for not having the brains to look for you."
"And why did you look disappointed?"
He looked down and blushed. "Well, I knew, by the look on your face, that this 'someone' was a guy. I was hoping it was either 'Dad' or 'Aunt' you were looking for, and not 'someone'. I kinda hoped you didn't have a 'someone'."
I blushed as he looked up at me in total embarrassment and honesty.
"Chris, I--"
"Oh you don't have to worry or explain or be uncomfortable around me, Bella. I'm okay with that. I'm glad we're friends and it's too bad we can't be more than that but please keep in mind that that wasn't the main reason I helped you. "
I smiled at him, in awe at this creation of God who seemed like an angel.
"And why did you save me?"
He had this shrewd look that I knew he was coming up with a witty retort.
"'Cause I'm nice and helpful like that. And I have this saving-the-world complex, you know?"
He did this light swagger that cracked me up. He looked bad trying to look haughty.
He joined in the laughter that we didn't realize a visitor was standing in front of the doorway, listening to our entire banter.
Chris noticed him first as he looked up. "Yes?"
I turned to see who had came and turned wide-eyed as I saw a stone-faced Jasper filling up the room with an insane amount of jealousy and anger.
I frowned at him. The nerve he had to be jealous!
"I came here to see if my girlfriend was in need of help. I didn't know she had already found someone to take care of her. I should be going, you seem to be having quite a conversation, I wouldn't want to ruin it.", he said, his voice so cold that it brought shivers down my spine. It also did fuel the anger in me.
"Yes, that's right Jasper, I met Chris and I hooked up with him in just a day. Is that what you're thinking?", I said,spitefully.
"Wait, is he the 'someone' you were waiting for to visit?", Chris said as he looked at me then at Jasper.
"He was."
Jasper looked surprised. "Bella, I--"
"Save it, Jasper."
"Won't you even let me explain?", he asked, frustration evident in his tone.
I looked at him and sighed. "It's too soon, Jasper. I don't think I can handle it right now."
"Then why were you waiting for me to visit when you don't even want to talk to me?", he demanded, his tone getting more frustrated and desperate by the moment.
This got me fired up. "Don't you get the idea that some girls would like to feel that someone thinks they're important enough to keep track of even when it's 3am or 12noon and wants to be sure that she's safe or she's not lying dead somewhere in Ecuador? I'm one of those girls. Too bad the first thing you thought of was that I was hooking up with Chris to actually notice that I'm feeling lonely without you."
He was speechless, his feelings on haywire. There was a mixture of embarrassment, sorrow, guilt and lots of regret. Although the jealousy was still evident, regret overpowered it by a hundred times.
"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep. Early goodnight, Chris.", I said as I laid down and closed my eyes.
"Early good night, Bella", Chris responded, although a bit too quietly.
It was a miracle I didn't look at Jasper again, for my heart was begging me to look at him again.
When I resolved to open them again, I was met with the sight of an empty doorway.
Ironic, the empty doorway alluded to that feeling in my heart.
Empty.