a/n Excuses are like assholes... everyone's got 'em. I won't give you any, so please accept my apologies for how long this took.
This is the last chapter of the story. What you say? I had a clear definition of how it needed to end, and going over my outline, I realized I had a bunch of crap as filler. So I cut it. And I feel it's ended right where it needs to.
There will be an epilogue. I have 6 papers along with 2 research papers to do for classes, so it may take a bit, though I have started it.
A million thanks to nic, my beta. Without her, my tenses would drive you grammar natzi's insane. Really. She's amazing and never yells about it. I love you sweetie.
I don't own the characters, but Life Coach Alice is all me. Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 21
BPOV
Stepping out of the office building onto Wacker Drive, I picked up my phone to dial Alice. Before I could even dial, the phone rang in my hand. I laughed as I checked the screen and Alice's face smiled at me.
"Hello, Ali! I just got out of media training and was just about to call you as instructed."
"Forget about that Bella! What about the fact that you spent the night at Edward's house four days ago and didn't bother to tell either of your best friends!" She was so loud I held the phone away from my ear. A man walking next to me overheard and leered in my direction.
Giving him my best glare, I stopped a cab at the corner and hopped in.
"I'm sorry. I really am. I just don't know how this works."
"Hey, lady? Where to?" the cab driver interrupted.
"Tell him to take you to the Beat Kitchen. It's on Belmont. We'll eat there and then I have a surprise for you." She promptly hung up on me, probably wanting to yell in person.
I told the driver where to go and settled back for the ride. I was glad the week was almost over. I'd spent every day this week semi-dressed up and in a downtown office building for media training. It was round after endless round of preparation, mock interviews and re-learning how to sit and where to place my hands. My head was still spinning from trying to remember some of the finer details. But like they promised, the generalities were drilled in my head, so much so it almost felt natural.
The only downside was this put me behind in writing, and to catch up, I was putting in late nights. I sighed, thinking of how busy Edward was as well. His company was due to roll the new product out in two weeks, so every employee was putting in overtime to work out all the kinks and any leftover bugs. We'd texted each other here and there, but I hadn't seen him since the Monday morning.
I spent the rest of the cab ride remembering the searing kiss he'd given me when dropping me off on my doorstep early that morning. I smiled recalling the lack of sleep we sustained that night. It had been a long time for me, and now that I had a taste of the perfection that was Edward Cullen, I found I needed it.
As the cab pulled up to the corner, I called Edward to see if he could squeeze in some time to see me. I was disappointed when the call went straight to voicemail.
"Hey Edward, it's me. I was hoping you'd be free later on tonight or tomorrow, I'd like to see you. Give me a call and let me know, okay?" I hesitated a moment before muttering, "I miss you, bye."
Hanging up, I paid the driver and walked up to the entrance of the place Alice had chosen to eat. There were several people smoking along the wall outside, victims of the Mayor's public smoking ban, and they eyed me curiously.
I knew I was in a funkier, more artistic side of town than I was dressed for. I self-consciously pulled off my suit jacket, and grinned at the whistles the guys gave me. I was happy that taking off the jacket left me in a more relaxed state of dress, even in a skirt and heels. Thankfully, today I put a different spin on my business outfit by making it what Alice called the "sexy librarian" look. Pairing the black jacket with a tight red blouse and black pencil skirt and adding glasses and a messy bun seemed to work wonders for the male population.
After having my age checked at the door, I stepped in and paused, my eyes adjusting to the dimmer lights. I saw Alice waving from a booth, Rose sitting next to her. I scurried past some scruffy-looking guys at the bar to sink into the seat opposite the girls.
"Oh Alice, thank you," I said with feeling when I saw she had a drink and appetizers waiting for me. I dove into both with gusto, murmuring hellos and general replies to the chit chat they were engaged in.
Once I was replete and satisfied, I looked up to see Rose leaning toward me in amusement and Alice doing the same. They both had expectant looks on their faces.
"Well, well, someone seems to need some serious nourishment. What have you been doing to eat so much?" Rose's voice was tinged with amusement, her mouth turned into a devious smirk.
"I've been busy lately." When they both gave the "go on" look, it was all I could do to keep my face straight. "The media training is killing me!" I laughed at their astounded looks, shrieking a little when Rose grabbed an ice cube and lobbed it at me. We all giggled for a minute before I finally got down to business.
"First of all, how do you to know anything went on?" I was curious as to how they knew. Was I wearing an "I just got laid" look, or something? Didn't those wear off after a day or so? Had Edward tell the guys what happened? He didn't seem like the kiss and tell kind of guy.
"Well," Alice started, "Jasper told me that Edward was acting funny. I asked him what he meant, because I was worried you two had gotten into an argument," she explained. pausing to glare at me. I held my hands up in surrender, knowing I should have called them to spill the beans instead of doing this. "Well, he said Edward would randomly stare off into space and almost constantly had a goofy grin on his face." I smiled when she said that. "So, he finally asked him what was up and Edward said that you two had, and I quote, 'taken it to the next level.'" We all snickered at the way she almost nailed Edward's tone and body movements.
"So Jasper thinks you guys have said the words, not done the deed and asks him when he's going to 'seal the deal' or whatever they say."
My breath caught when she spoke of the "three words". I knew for sure I felt them, but wasn't sure how deep Edward's feeling towards me ran. I decided to wait and see if she said anything before asking their opinions on how he might have felt about me.
"Edward was so offended when he said that and told Jasper that when he 'tells you how he feels, it'll be a moment for you two', not for Jasper. Then he stormed out of the office and took off. Jasper called me, and after telling him to butt out, I called this meeting to butt in. So spill."
Finished with her story, Alice sat back, eyeing me shrewdly and taking a sip of water. Rose simply looked on, amused and obviously up to speed on the events.
"Do— Do you really think he has feelings for me?" Those were the only words I could get out. I knew I had a story to tell, but I wanted—no, needed—confirmation before I could go on.
"What?" Rose asked. An expression between shock and annoyance settled on her face. "Have you been dating exclusively for at least a month now?" I nodded. "Gone on more than three dates and hung out with his friends." Again I nodded, a little more vigorously. "Did he invite you to him home on any occasion?"
"Yes, Rose, but you know all that!" I finally said, exasperated. When would she tell me what she thought?
"I'm making a point, now shush. Did you spend the night at his home, whereupon you two did the horizontal tango?" I laughed at her term for sex and nodded, blushing a little at the squeal Alice emitted.
"Now, do you think Edward would do any of that with someone he wasn't falling in love with? I guarantee you he waited until he was totally in love before having you spend the night."
I was silent as the words sank in. It was true. Edward wasn't the type to waste his time, and it hit me that even though he was super busy now, he still made time to call and text me during the day. My mind drifted to the past weeks we'd spent together, all the looks, gestures and time we spent flashing like a flip book through my head. The one thing it stopped on time and again was how warm his eyes were when he gazed at me.
Edward Cullen loves me.
I must have been staring into space longer than I thought because Alice's hand waving in front of my face scared the living daylights out of me.
"Bella! Snap out of it!" Alice's demand was softened with a laugh. "We want to hear what happened."
I tried telling them the PG version of that night, but like always, they dragged the PG-13 out of me. They would have asked for the NC-17, but I definitely didn't want to go into too many details. After the oohing and ahhing, we simply sat around, talking about our guys and life in general.
"So, Bella, when do you leave for your book tour?" Rose inquired while polishing off the last of the Thai pizza they'd ordered.
"Less than two weeks," I answered with a sigh.
It's not that I didn't want to go on tour. I just didn't want to be away from Edward for that long. I knew he'd be busy with his own work, and it wasn't like we seen each other a whole lot in the past few weeks, but at least I could daydream about making it happen when we were in the same town. Sighing again at the forlorn direction of my thoughts, I looked up to see Rose eyeing the door.
"What's going on?" I asked tiredly. It had been a long week, and now with my thoughts heavy and melancholy, I just wanted to go home and curl up in bed with a pint of Ben & Jerry's and my movie standby: The Princess Bride.
"I think we're about to be hit on." She replied before straightening her shoulders a bit and tossing her hair onto a shoulder. It was confusing for a moment, because Rose was never the type to encourage men's flirtations. It became clear quickly when Emmett strolled into view.
"Well, hello gorgeous! Where have you been all my life?" With a wink and a grin, he scooped her up into his arms for a searing kiss. Men all around the bar muttered their disappointment at the sight of her taken. We all just snickered and carried on, too used to it to care. Jasper took Alice's hand and pulled it up for a kiss while the half smile that Alice confided to us made her stomach flutter danced on his face.
I looked over a little more to see my Edward, standing with a devilish grin and a glint in his eye to match. I stood up to greet him, and when I did, he moved back a space and produced a flower from behind his back. I accepted it to the chorus of "Awws": the girls' breathy, the boys' joking. Edward ignored all of them to lean down and plant a lingering, toe-curling kiss, lifting me literally off my feet in the process.
"Hello to you, too," I said breathlessly after he finally let me go. He simply grinned again and started to pull me toward the door in the back of the bar. "But wait, we haven't paid yet," I protested.
"I took care of it Bella, don't worry." Jasper drawled, sauntering behind with a beaming Alice on his arm.
I thanked him, telling him that he didn't have to as Edward continued to pull me through the door and into a large, dark room.
I looked around in fascination. One wall was literally covered with stickers and notices of bands that had played the venue. It was a tiny place, no more than a hundred could fit, with a miniscule stage at the end currently holding a couple of mics and acoustic guitars nestled comfortably on stands. A small bar in the remaining corner served both pizza and drinks to men and women milling around waiting for the show to start.
A couple of guys came up and shook hands with Jasper and Edward, speaking to them in low tones with familiarity. I glanced at Alice, whose puzzled face mirrored my own. Turning my gaze to Rose and Emmett, I was surprised to see looks of amusement instead of what I expected.
I caught Alice's glare and was a little startled. I'd never, ever seen her look so mean before, but when I turned to see the person receiving the death glare, I immediately understood.
A few women were milling around where our guys had stepped away to converse. They had gotten close enough to touch, and one had actually tried to play the "Oh, you've got something on your broad shoulder, let me get it for you." trick on Jasper, which led to the hostility radiating from his girl. He smiled politely at the tramp, but turned to grin and wink at Alice. She lost the glare immediately and replaced it with a smug smile. The floozy huffed and flounced away.
Eventually, Edward motioned me over to where they were standing. I was a little nervous walking up, but my curiosity won out. I felt his arm around my back, solid and reassuring once I reached his side.
"Bella, these are my friends, Caius, Marcus and Aro." He nodded to each one respectively, and I smiled a hello to each one.
All three had the avant garde artist look to them. Ripped and faded denim, and concert tees were worn by each. Nine Inch Nails adorned Caius's chest, while Marcus wore a tattered Led Zepplin one. Aro's was the most distinctive with a green Mozart shirt and an added scarf. All three wore hazy, goofy grins, and Marcus even winked at me when introduced. It would've been creepy if it didn't come off friendly and child-like.
"Guys, this is my girlfriend, Bella," he said with a proud tone in his voice, pulling me closer to him.
We exchanged small talk, where I learned they met just after Edward graduated college. They were struggling musicians; he was struggling to find someone to test his program. Many years later, they were still friends, Edward coming to see them to get their input on things, and to simply enjoy their company.
Jasper broke up the group, bringing me and Edward drinks while the trio went up to play. They kept the crowd interested and laughing, mixing covers with originals. We stood around, listening and singing along for a while before the band decided to take a smoke break. Jasper and Emmett followed, bringing the girls with them and giving Edward a knowing look.
Shifting his attention to me, Edward stood fidgeting, causing a shiver of worry to pass over me.
"Is everything okay?" I asked him, hoping to get to the bottom of the problem quickly.
"Everything's fine." He gulped, then squeaked out, "I kinda need to tell you something."
I stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to speak, but he remained quiet, drumming his fingers against the beer bottle in one hand, weight shifting from one foot to another. He was looking everywhere except at me, making me nervous and wary. I finally caught his eye and gestured for him to get on with it.
"You know we've been dating a while, and it's been really good. Great even." He paused to drain what's left of his beer.
My breathing hitched and numbness began to seep its way inside me. Here I was thinking he was in love with me, and the start of the conversation made it seem as if he was breaking it off. Wanting the moment over quickly so I could lick my wounds in private, I took a deep breath and decided the straightforward approach was best.
"Listen Edward, I'm an adult. I don't need a big spiel about how 'it's not you, it's me' or whatever. If you want to end this, I'll understand." At his stupefied look, I took another shaky breath and decide to let it all out. If he was going to stomp on my heart, he may as well do a thorough job.
"I won't tell you I'll be happy about it, because truthfully, it'll hurt. It hurts now to stand in front of you, knowing that if you end this right now, it won't change how I feel about you. I gave you my heart a long time ago, and I'm not sure I want it back." The tears that were threatening to spill washed over my face at the look of horror on his. "I love you Edward, and because I do, I'll respect your decision."
"Oh God, Bella, no!" he rushed out, grabbing my hand when I started to turn away. "No! I don't want to break up, not at all! How could you even think that?" His eyes were wild with terror, and confusion along with a small shaft of hope rose up in me.
"How could I not? You wouldn't look me in the eye, you said you had something to tell me." His eyes widened with understanding. "These things usually don't add up to something good."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make it seem that way. I'm just so nervous." He set the empty bottle down on a passing waitress' tray and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "This isn't something I've ever done, and it's a lot harder than I thought. You'd think I could just tell you." The hand still holding mine suddenly tightened into a painful grip. "Wait. Did you just say you love me?"
I blushed, looked down, and gathered up all my remaining courage to face him and the reality that I was about to change my life forever. After a moment, I met his eyes and saw in them everything I felt reflected back. It gave me the courage I needed to face my fear.
No doubt, he loved me. He was just too nervous to say it.
"Yes, I did." His face showed relief before splitting into an enormous grin. "I love you, Edward."
He pulled me into his arms and covered my mouth with his, kissing me fervently and with such overwhelming passion, I soon forgot everything else. Stepping closer to him, I allowed my hands to roam his back freely, pausing to grasp and knead at his shoulders.
Hooting and catcalls from the crowd reminded us we were in public. He took his time pulling away, drawing the kiss into sweet nibbles than sent shivers through me. I shifted back a little and looked at his face, and knew what I needed to do.
Marcus, Aro and Caius were just settling back to their instruments, when I pulled away from Edward and approached the stage. Thankfully, it was a small club, and no security was there to stop me from going to talk to them. I told them my request with the reason for it, causing them to chuckle and agree.
As I made my way back to Edward, the disappointed faces our friends wore as they spoke to him weren't lost on me. I smile reassuringly at all of them while taking Edward's hand to turn him toward the stage.
As I did, he leaned down to kiss the top of my head, moving to my ear to whisper, "I still want to talk to you later."
"As you wish," was my response.
"This song goes out to Edward, from his Bella." Aro's voice rang out through the club, and the entire group looked at me in silent question. Edward was the only one I focused on. "She said for me to tell you that no words are needed. She knows, man." I wrinkled my nose at his deviation from what I really said, causing a wall of snickers and giggles to run through the people that noticed what was going on around us.
As the first strains of Extreme's More Than Words flowed through the speakers, I turned to face Edward. His eyes widened with recognition and understanding. I nodded my head slightly, hoping he'd get the point that I knew how he felt, and he shouldn't feel pressured to say it.
Without warning, he swung me into his arms and began dancing with me. People moved to give us space and I could hear woman sighing at the romance of it. My heart was flying, soaring higher than it had ever before. The knowledge that he understood and finally knew that I loved him made this the happiest night in my heart's life.
We swayed and laughed, oblivious to the outside world until the applause signaling the end of the song broke through.
He moved close to me, framing my face with his hands and leaned down, and with a smile kissed me sweetly.
"I love you, Bella. Heart, mind, and soul. All of me is yours. I don't want you to go another day without hearing those words from me. It's already been too long and I promise never again will I keep those words from you."
Every love story I'd written or ever read used to make my heart sigh at their declarations of love. Edward's simple statement and fervent delivery ruined me for any other first promise of love I'd hear or read again. I closed my eyes, letting the feelings wash over me, pushing away anything negative about the night, and making it the best ever.
Without a word, I opened my eyes, took his hand, and in unison, we walked out of the club and into our future.
APOV
All of us knew what was happening tonight, and were upset with Edward when he seemed to have missed his chance. When we came in from our "break" it was to see tension flowing between them. Suddenly he swept her into an embrace so passionate and full of emotion, we hung back, hoping he'd finally told her what we all knew.
As she walked away, Jasper approached and congratulated him on finally telling her how he felt.
"I didn't yet. I messed up trying to tell her, and then she told me…." We were all miffed he messed it up, but the dreamy look on his face had us curious. "She said she loved me. I just got so caught up in hearing it…" He trailed off again as she approached us.
Giggling at the dedication, I took Jasper's hand and hoped we could get Edward alone to talk some sense into him. Once the song came on, it was like a light switch went off in everyone's heads. The message that she knew how he felt wasn't lost on any of us, least of all the genius she meant it for.
I sighed as they danced, and like a mother hen, felt pride in both of my new friends as the song ended and he appeared to say what she was longing to hear.
A tear slipped down my cheek as I saw them leave together. Jasper tugged at my hand, as we exchanged goodbyes with Emmett and Rose, I knew tonight was special.
I was already planning all of our weddings.
I do hope you enjoyed my story. I have a feeling a few of you will not like where I ended it. There is one in particular I'm thinking of that I'm sure will send me a bad review. But I don't like to drag it on. Loose ends will be tied in the epi. You will learn what happened to Lauren and other questions you may have. Please don't hold back on your reviews. I can take it, I hope!
Thank you. I'm not a confident writer and you all made me feel like you cared and liked it. For that, I can never thank you enough. You all mean the world to me. Really.