8/14/2012: Word Prompt: Fence

After Bella disappeared, it was the knocking from inside my parents' car that grabbed my attention and brought me back to the present. Somehow yet another of her small but meaningful gestures had me pulled in every direction imaginable, and for a second I'd forgotten which way was up.

After a deep breath, I spun around, smiling, and pulled open the door. As I climbed inside, nobody asked, but I was bursting to tell.

"She gave me her phone number," I said, a little smugly, sounding every bit like the teenage boy I used to be. All awe and pride and fucking excitement.

The problem was…considering what to do with it next.

The answer to that question didn't come until later that night, as Leah and I sat surrounded by a group of men and women who'd been through exactly what we had. Those who understood what it meant to be an addict. It was then that it occurred to me that if Bella and I were to ever have any kind of chance, I had to let her see every part of me. Including the bad. She needed to not just know what'd happened after she left, but to understand it.

And the only way for that to happen was for her to hear me tell my story.

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.

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"Are you sure you want to do this?" Leah asked, every bit the sponsor and none of the friend. She wasn't asking the question to be difficult; she was asking the question because she wanted me to be sure.

I stared down at the phone in my hand, the same one I'd been staring at for two days, and then lifted my eyes to hers. "No," I responded, trying to be honest. "I'm not sure about anything right now, but why can't I leave the decision up to her? At least…then I'll know. But is that even fair to her? To drop all my shit on her shoulders the first time I see her again?"

"As your sponsor, I think it's a great idea to invite her, Edward. As your friend though…I'm hesitant to be happy about you rekindling a connection with her. Because I'm scared for you. I don't want to see you get hurt again." I could see the sincerity of what she'd said in her eyes.

"You think the idea of that doesn't scare the shit out of me, Lee?" I asked sharply, tossing my phone on the table petulantly and crossing my arms over my chest. My knee bounced with my frustration.

Leah watched my phone bounce across the table, and then lifted an eyebrow. "I didn't say that, Pretty."

"I'm sorry, this isn't your fault." I buried my face in my hands. "You shouldn't have to keep holding my hand. I should be able to make this decision on my own. I don't know why I'm still sitting on the fence about it."

"Everybody needs a hand to hold once in a while," she offered.

I peeked at her between my fingers. "Even you?"

She nodded. "Even me." She popped another grape in her mouth, not even bothering to finish her bite before she grinned and started talking again. "But not today because I have a date with your hot beefcake of a friend, Sam."

"Oh you do, do you?" I smirked, happy Leah was enjoying her trip to Washington instead of spending the entire time at my side. Yes, she had come along as moral support, but that didn't mean I wasn't all for her having some fun. It wasn't a question for me whether or not she'd be there if I needed her. I had no doubt at all that she would.

"I most certainly do."

"Tell him if he's not good to you, I'll kick his ass."

"I will tell him no such thing. If he's not good to me, he's going to know that I will be the one kicking his ass."

I laughed, finally picking up my fork to cut into my own breakfast. "Well then, I'm here if you need me."

She wiped her hands and stood up, coming around to my chair and ruffling my hair a bit. "I know that. And I'm here if you need me." She grabbed my phone and set it on the table in front of me. "Call her. Then you'll know. Jump off the fence, Pretty. The worst thing she can do is say no."

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Bella picked up after two rings, breathless as she shouted, "Hello?" into my ear.

On the other end of the line, there was a loud ringing, making me wonder exactly where she was and what was going on. I swallowed slowly, feeling a little worried she might be in trouble.

"Bella? What's going on over there, are you okay?" It was an instinctual question; one I didn't think I'd ever be able to stop asking.

A door slammed and the sound of bells ringing muffled as her breathing picked up. "Edward?" she asked, her voice hesitant, almost…disbelieving. Like she hadn't expected me to actually call.

"Yeah, it's me," I breathed, curling my hand into a fist as I paced the length of my hotel room.

"Hi," she said, laughing lightly. It was a sound I'd missed so much. It made me wonder what she looked like right then. If her hair was up or down. If her heart was pounding as fucking hard as mine suddenly was.

"Hi," I whispered in return, not sure what else to say. I felt all awkward and out of place, something I'd never felt with her when we were together. There had never been any questions in the past; now there were a million that I didn't have answers to, and a million more I was afraid to ask.

Bella cleared her throat. "I'm sorry it's so noisy. We're having a bit of an issue with the bells at school today. They won't stop ringing," she laughed again, and I smiled. "Lucky for me, they sent all the kids home. Not so lucky for me? They can't get the bells to stop ringing."

I snorted and tugged at my hair, circling from one side of the bed to the other before I got up the nerve to ask her if she wanted me to call back when it was less crazy.

"No, no…unless you want me to call you back?" she asked hesitantly. "I'm hiding in my classroom closet; there aren't any loudspeakers in here. Is it any better?"

"Yeah," I said, picturing her on the floor of a little closet surrounded by school supplies. I was glad to know she'd finally done something useful with the degree she'd put so much work into and that she was actually teaching. "It's better."

She sighed. "Edward?"

My heart pounded. "Yeah?"

"I'm glad you called."

"I'm glad you let me," I responded, my chest suddenly tight. And then without waiting for her to say anything else, I asked, "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?" She sounded surprised, almost a little scared. I realized a second too late how many possible answers my question had.

I palmed my forehead and chuckled nervously. "That you wanted to see me again before I leave," I explained.

"Oh!" She giggled. "Yes…If— If— If you want to…" she stuttered. I could almost hear the blush in her voice.

My shoulders relaxed as I finally took a seat on the bed. She still wanted to see me. She'd said so herself. I just needed to ask.

It was the moment of truth.

"I actually called to see if you might want to come see me speak, um, tomorrow night," I rushed out. "At a meeting…I mean, you don't have to. It's probably too soon…I just thought—"

"Really?" Bella interrupted.

I blew out a huge breath. "Really."

"I'd love to."

"Really?" I asked. We both laughed.

"Without a doubt," she answered.

I planned to include the meeting in this chapter originally, but it needs a little more tweaking. I'll have another update for you guys sometime today. I hope. Thanks for reading and for your wonderful reviews.