Chapter Twenty-One
Edward stood in front of the long mirror in the bedroom and observed the man looking back at him. "Had he changed over the past two days?" he asked himself. There was something different about the person who was reflected in the glass and he stared for a while studying his face, trying to pinpoint the changes. He remembered the last time he had really looked at himself in a mirror and that was in the hotel, when all he saw was a puppet, a commodity, a money-making enterprise; he couldn't see himself at all. But the person looking back at him now was the old Edward Cullen; he hadn't seen that man in a very long time.
Kate was sliding a Spanish omelette onto a plate as Edward came into the kitchen. There was already coffee and warm bread on the table and Edward's stomach growled in anticipation. He hadn't eaten so well in years, which could be another reason why he felt different inside. Even though he had drunk coffee, brandy and beer while he was here, he felt as though he had been thoroughly 'de-toxed.'
"We're going out after this," Kate said as Edward was drinking his second cup of coffee. "You'll need the boots again." He finished his breakfast as Kate loaded drinks and sandwiches into a basket then sat on the doorstep to pull on her own boots.
Edward cleared up his plate and cup then they walked down to the garden gate carrying rugs and the picnic basket. Turning in the opposite direction from the day before, they made their way along the riverbank which was lined on either side by a spectacular display of ancient weeping willows. Gaps in the brilliant green canopy allowed beams of dappled sunlight to filter through onto the black water and dance across the surface of the river as it rolled into the distance. It was another glorious day of warm sunshine and the only sounds they could hear were the movement of the trees as they swayed in the light breeze, the rushing sound of the water as it touched the stoney bank, the distant birdsong and the buzz of dragonflies as they skipped across the flowing river.
They had been walking for about five minutes when Edward spotted a small wooden shed on the riverbank ahead and the prow of a boat poking out from the front and bobbing up and down on the water. Kate made her way down the bank which was quite slippery and opened a door at the back of the shed. Edward followed her, and as he presumed they were taking the boat out, he dropped the picnic basket into the boat before helping Kate climb in. He untied the rope and gingerly clambered over the side as Kate was fiddling with the outboard motor.
Once Kate got the engine started, they made themselves as comfortable as possible on the narrow wooden slats that served as seats, then Kate dropped the screw further into the water and carefully guided the boat away from its mooring using the rudder, turning right as soon as they were clear of the shed then steering towards the middle of the stream.
The path of the river before them had disappeared into the tunnel of trees and as they floated under the low-slung branches, the willows' delicate tentacles brushed inside the boat and along the surface of the water. As the boat travelled deeper into the forest, the light from above diminished rapidly and the air temperature became cooler as the canopy became denser. As the tree-line closed in, the river became narrower and faster-flowing and Kate had to skilfully dodge several low hanging branches that were attempting to block their passage, and the further they went, it became obvious to Edward that Kate knew this stretch of the river like the back of her hand as she knew exactly where to place the boat in the stream to negotiate the next hazard. Every now and then they had to duck down in the boat to avoid hitting their heads on a branch when there was no other way through, but after a while the trees began to thin out and they could see an obstacle-free river stretching out ahead of them and they could relax.
As they were chugging along, Edward's favourite childhood story came to mind and he smiled at the memory. He had read Swallows and Amazons many times when he was a boy; reliving the escapades of a group of adventurous children and their boats in the English Lake District. It came to him then that there was something in his make-up that drew him to water. Looking and listening to it calmed him, his favourite method of exercise was swimming or surfing, he loved being on any type of boat, either for transport or pleasure, but most of all he loved reading stories about rivers and the sea, so his affinity to water must be part of his DNA.
He was totally at ease now as the banks slipped by. The dappled sunlight sparkled dreamily on the surface of the dark green river as it wound its way through a world alive with the sounds of birds and insects and the occasional splash from the riverbank of an otter or water vole diving for cover as they passed. As his fingertips skimmed the surface of the chilly water, he resolved that when he was ready to settle down and make himself a home, he would choose a house by a river or lake, and if he was lucky enough to have children in the future, he would take them out on a boat and have lots of exciting adventures with them.
The water was flowing slowly now as the channel had suddenly widened. The trees had become less dense and above them there was now an unbroken view of the midday sun in the middle of a bright blue sky, whereas just a few minutes ago they had been protected from its glare by the canopy of brilliant green.
Edward looked ahead of him and could see in the distance that their river was about to converge with another which was substantially wider so he sat upright to get a better view of where they were going. As their boat was caught in the flow of what he presumed was the River Thames, ahead of him he could see a small island covered with densely packed trees that stood at the spot where the two rivers calmed after joining together. He noticed that Kate had cut the engine to an idle and was steering straight towards the island and a wooden landing step which he could just see protruding through the foliage. She skilfully manoeuvred the boat alongside so Edward could throw the rope onto the step, and as they moved closer he was able to tie it onto a post. After securing the boat at both ends, they carefully climbed out carrying the picnic basket and blankets.
Edward spotted a narrow loose-stone footpath leading upwards from the step towards a narrow gap in the trees and presumed this was where they were heading. He followed Kate up the slight incline and after about twenty steps the trees had closed behind them and Edward couldn't hear or see the river anymore. After walking only a few more steps, the trees suddenly thinned and Edward found himself standing on the edge of a small clearing bathed in brilliant sunlight.
In front of him was a magical, sylvan scene and he blinked his eyes a number of times to confirm that what he was seeing was real. The dark brown earth under the trees had given way to lush, sweet-smelling meadow-grass, dotted with wild flowers of purple, yellow and white. Bees and other flying insects were hopping from flower to flower, drinking in the last of the summer nectar, and as he stepped forward into the long grass, a flock of brightly coloured birds flew up from where they had been hiding in the undergrowth, then, after circling overhead and vociferously complaining about being disturbed, they disappeared into the surrounding trees.
Edward took a deep breath of the pristine air and he could taste the freshness of it on his tongue; something he had never experienced before. It was as though the air in the meadow had never been breathed before by a living soul. He turned his face into the sun and saw the red glow of her life-giving rays through his closed eyelids and his body felt instantly rejuvenated, almost as though he had been re-born.
"This is my favourite place in the whole world," Kate said, breaking the silence. She took hold of Edward's arm and led him to the middle of the clearing where she placed the blankets on the ground and sat down. Before he joined her, Edward turned round and round on the spot, trying to take in the beauty of this place and preserve it to his memory. He thought about Bella and how she would love it here, and he vowed that if they ever got together again, he would bring her here on a day such as this so she could experience the peace and tranquillity of this magical place.
Edward sat down on the blanket and Kate handed him a cup of apple juice.
"It's so peaceful here, Kate. I feel as though I'm inside a dream," he said, amazed that he sounded so poetic.
Kate nodded and smiled knowingly. "I know what you're trying to put into words. It's sort of weird, like this place is cut off from the rest of the world. The colours are brighter, the air is softer, the scents are more delicate and the sounds are sweeter. I like to imagine that the whole world used to be like this before mankind and technology ruined it."
Edward lay back on the blanket and gazed up at the bluer than blue sky, wishing that he could stay here forever if the world outside the tree-lined boundary was a world without Bella.
"Do you want to carry on with your story, Edward?" Kate knew that Edward was approaching the cataclysmic event that destroyed his relationship with Bella. She didn't want to press him for details, but for him to come to terms with what had happened, he needed to put into words what had led up to their break-up.
In this beautiful place, Edward was reticent. This was the part of his story that led to him being here today. The darkest part. The part where he went back on his word. The part when he became a victim of injustice. He knew he needed to relate the events to Kate, but was reluctant to lose the feeling of peace he felt in this place. He was certain that by the end of the story he would have resurrected the feelings of despair and desperation he felt when he left the hotel, but he wanted to tell Kate everything, so he half sat up, leaning back on his elbows, crossing his legs at the ankles and after a few deep breaths, he carried on with the story.
Bella returned to New York after their weekend and Edward was missing her as soon as she walked away from him at the airport. He made his way back to the hotel and closeted himself in his room to read his script so that he was well prepared for the first rehearsal the next morning.
The following weeks and months were completely taken up by the exhausting schedule of rehearsals, stunt training and filming, which mainly took place in the studio in LA. There had been several location shoots in Yosemite National Park and the Mojave Desert, but these were mainly of Edward and Tanya's characters driving in fast cars in spectacular locations, usually when they were being chased and shot at.
The location shoots in Niagara and New York were approaching fast and Edward had surprised Jasper by paying for his airline ticket so that they could meet up in the city. Fortunately the shoot coincided with school holidays in the UK so Jasper was delighted to accept. He didn't know of course of Edward and Bella's cunning plan to set him up with Alice.
Bella was unable to get away from work to join him in Niagara, but also she convinced Edward it wouldn't be a good idea, just in case Tanya spotted her. Niagara was a small town compared to New York, so Edward did a 'rain check' on the Niagara experience.
Mike was happy that the financing of their movie was 100% guaranteed bar the final paperwork, and studio time was now being booked and paid for so that shooting could start directly after the premiere of Edward's third film. Contracts were flying between Mike's legal team and Jacob's, and Mike's lawyers had checked out Jacob's company and everything seemed to be above board. Mike was used to having at least two or three individuals or companies financing his films, but beggars couldn't be choosers nowadays and he felt lucky to have one exceedingly rich backer in times of recession.
Tanya had been reasonably well behaved on set, with Emmett only having to pull her up about her attitude on a couple of occasions and always discreetly. They had one love scene to do in Niagara that Edward had been dreading, but amazingly, for the first time, Tanya was very professional about the whole situation which astounded him, as on previous occasions she had deliberately messed up takes so that Edward would have to kiss her again and again. She hadn't mentioned Edward's girlfriend once during the shoot and the sexual innuendos were now a thing of the past.
Edward flew into JFK after a short flight from Niagara and hung about in the VIP lounge waiting for Jasper's plane to land after its transatlantic flight from Heathrow. They met in a private area and gave each other a manly hug, then headed out to The Big Apple to rendezvous with Bella and Alice. Jasper had never been to the States before and was practically bouncing in his seat with excitement, listing all the things he wanted to do and see. Edward was thrilled he had arranged this for his friend; being rich and famous had its advantages sometimes.
They pulled up in front of Edward and Bella's favourite Italian restaurant in the Bowery and while Edward was giving the production company's driver instructions where to take their luggage, they heard a squeal coming from inside the restaurant. Edward quickly walked through the door, only to be jumped on by an excited Bella who hadn't seen him for weeks. She kissed him passionately on the lips then buried her face in his neck to hide her tears of joy.
"Hi Bella," Jasper said, looking at both of them with an amused but slightly envious expression on his face, then he turned to look at the girl sitting at the table, who had been waiting politely to be introduced but was now staring up at Jasper, her mouth shaped in an 'O' and her eyes wide and unblinking.
What Jasper saw was a girl dressed all in black; even her fingernails were painted black. The only colour showing was her bright red lipstick and the hint of an electric blue bra strap peeping out from under her t-shirt. Her hair was icy white with bright blue tips and the style was short and spikey. Her skin was pale, almost ghost-like, but it was her eyes that he was drawn to. Deep pools of brown, almost black, that were now fixed on his and growing wider and wider.
Jasper's knees suddenly felt weak and he had to put his hand on the back of a chair to steady himself. Never in his twenty-seven years on Earth had he experienced an instant attraction like he was feeling now; she had literally taken his breath away. He remembered scoffing when Edward told him what an effect seeing Bella for the first time had on him, but was that happening to him now? She hadn't even said anything; he knew absolutely nothing about her, but he was seriously attracted to her and he could tell from Alice's expression that the feeling was mutual.
"Hi, I'm Bella's friend, Alice."
"Hi, I'm Edward's friend, Jasper."
"I love your accent!"
"I love yours too."
"Shall we leave these two to catch up?"
"Good idea, let's go."
Alice stood up from the table and waited until Bella and Edward had detached themselves from one another.
"Hey, you guys, I'm going to show Jasper the sights. I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on and we don't want to cramp your style, do we Jasper? I won't be back at the apartment until really late by the way, Bella. Have fun!"
Edward and Bella stared at Jasper and Alice in surprise, then smiled gratefully as they watched them run out of the restaurant hand in hand, followed by the sight of Alice jumping up and down in the middle of the road, flagging down a cab that just managed to stop in time. They dived into the back and that was the last Bella and Edward saw of them until the following afternoon.
"Jesus! That was quick work," Edward said, not having that much experience of the nuclear force that was Alissandra Parker. "I hope she doesn't eat him alive."
Bella laughed and led Edward over to their table and said suggestively, "Let's eat quickly, then we've got the rest of the evening to ourselves."
They both devoured bowls of pasta in record time and took a cab back to Bella's apartment. Once inside they made up for lost time in bed and didn't notice that Alice hadn't returned home until they got up for breakfast the following morning.