AN: YAY... an early chapter! What does that make in three chaps in one month. YAY!
First of all... SORRY!
While reading my review for chapter 23 i came across this one review (which i deleted, cause i felt like shit everytime i read it) which said some harsh things about me and the chapter. It was about the part in which Bella is praying to God and then ends up being quite frustrated with God. Well i got this one review and other review made a slight mention about it so... I am sorry. It wasn't my intention to be offensive or disrespectful. It was a little insight of how we react when things don't go our way and how we think and say stupid things. And if that offended anyone i am sorry. That was not my intension.
I just want to know that all of the chapters that have come out so far, this is my fav chap. I read so many reviews wanting Edward and Bella to get closer, to have a more deeper connection. Well, in this chapter, Bella is gonna get to know Edward... more than anyone had ever known him for.
Thanks to my Beta. Stephaniiie.
EPOV
Emmett was grabbing some food from his stash, while I sat on his bedroom floor, against the couch's matching leather coffee table slash pouffe. As I started to take off my shoes and socks, Emmett appeared, with a packet of corn chips, and collapsed on the end of the couch next to me.
"Sure you wanna do this?" I asked him. Last chance to prevent getting his ass whipped.
"Does a bear wear a funny hat?" he wiggled his brows.
I had no idea what he meant, but okay. On the television screen in front of us, the Playstation 'Mortal Kombats' was ready to start.
Yeah, yeah old game, I know. Emmett's older brother had loved the game and made Emmett obsessed with it.
"You know, this visit was all about mending fences, building bridges, and I'm afraid that my kicking your ass just isn't gonna help." Emmett smirked.
"Oh really? You talk the talk. Let's see you walk the walk." I grinned at him
I settled back against the pouffe with the controller in my hand and then we both turn our attention to the screen.
"So how's Rosalie taking to all this?" I asked as I chose Lui Kang to kick Emmett's Sub Zero's ass.
"All what?" he muttered as he rapidly pressed the buttons.
"Don't act dumb," I said as I started blocking his blows and kicking him.
"Act?" he chuckled and then sighed. "She's pissed that Alice left."
"I didn't ask her to come." None of use looked away from the television.
"Yeah, but you know Rose. She hates Bella so much now."
"Hmm." I didn't take offence; Rosalie hated everyone.
"Yeah. I think it's, Bella, you, Alice and Jacob." See?
Wait.
Black?
"Yeah. Black sitting with you guys. How's my replacement?" I gave a humourless laugh.
"Rose hates him. Laurent hates him. Victoria wouldn't mind fucking him. James hates him. All in all, he's been welcomed." I could hear Emmett's smile while he talked about our group's welcome system. Our group? Really? Not anymore.
"And you?"
"He's quiet. Dude, it's like Jasper never left. Well… even if he did, it would take a while to set in." Emmett said as kept pressing his buttons.
"And Tanya?"
"Why do you care?" he asked.
"We have history and-"
"Exactly. History," he grunted as he tried to kick me.
"Hmm."
"Well… They didn't look that cosy on Monday." That was when Leah told the whole school about our kiss. "But I think they made up or something."
Shit!
Of course they made up. Probably in the janitor's closet too.
"So…" Emmett trailed off.
"What?" I asked as I got ready to kill Sub Zero with my flame throw.
"You fucked Bella Swan at a concert."
"WHAT?" I squealed as I turned my head to look at him.
"Yes. I won. Sub-zero is the bomb." Emmett started doing his victory dance.
"What did you say?" I gaped at him.
"Sub-zero is the bomb?" He raised his brow.
"No before that." I moved my hands to help him remember.
"So?" He raised his brow, again.
"No after that," I growled in frustration.
"After what?"
"After 'so'…"
"Oh, you fucked Bella at the concert," he chuckled like a five year old.
"Who told you that?"
"Everyone's been talking."
Everyone?
"So… how was it?" He wiggled his eyebrows.
"Dude. I didn't fuck her," I grunted and reset the game.
"At the concert?"
"No. Period."
"She had her period?" Emmett squinted his face.
"No. I haven't slept with her. Full stop," I explained.
"Fuck me," he muttered to himself and then shook his head, chuckling.
"What?" I asked as I looked back at him.
"Jesus, you're taking it slow, ain't you?" He smirked at me.
Yeah. I go with that. Slowww…
"Yeah," I muttered as the screen to choose a player came on.
"Shit," he exclaimed. "You've become a girl. Maybe you should be Sonya instead of Liu Kang," he roared into laughter. I grabbed a pillow next to me and threw it in his face.
"At least I'm not whipped." I laughed at him.
"Aren't you?" He wiggled his brows suggestively.
"I'm home!" I called out as I entered the home.
I started planning in my head how I was going to tell my parent about how I 'forgot' to invite Bella. As I past the living room I saw Dad on his chair, reading the newspaper. As he saw me enter he smiled.
Action.
"Oh. Crap Dad. I forgot to ask Bella to dinner. And now it's too late. Dammit." I tried to act, but my father didn't buy it.
"Wow. Don't quit your day job; acting isn't in your near future," Dad chuckled.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I smiled sheepishly. I was a genius.
"Hmm… Well, Bella's already here."
"What?" I cried.
"Mmm hmm. You mother invited her. She's in the kitchen." He smiled as he nudged his head to the kitchen.
He's lying, Edward. Just to see your reaction.
I practically ran to the kitchen… and there she was. Bella Swan.
Crap.
She was here.
I took Bella and explained to her to… well… I don't really know. I asked her not to judge my parents to be… nice. I prayed that they didn't do anything to embarrass me.
For some reason Bella seemed doubtful of my true intentions.
Dinner was going quite well. Small talk and pleasantries were going around the table. Well, until my father told her the cockroach story.
"I think I'm going to be sick." Bella turned a vile purple colour as she put her hand to her mouth, quickly left the table.
"Upstairs, first door to your left!" Mum directed Bella to the bathroom.
"Was it something I said?" Dad shrugged as I glared at him.
I knew what was going to come now. Bella would tell me that my parents were weirdos and probably tell the whole school.
"I'll check on her." I sighed as I excused myself and walked to the bathroom.
I heard Bella hurling as I approached the bathroom.
"Bella? Are you okay?" I asked as I walked in, the door was already open.
Bella let out a cough as she vomited in the toilet. Well, I guess that was my answer. I quickly made my way to Bella and held her hair back as she hurled.
Don't look. Don't look.
I chanted to myself. I didn't want to follow after her. After a few minutes Bella stopped and was just coughing in the toilet. I stepped back to give her some space and to get a little fresh air for my self. I leaned against the bathroom table as I thought about the next words that were gonna come out of my mouth.
"Just keep telling yourself that someday you'll look back on tonight and laugh." I nervously chuckled.
"I don't think I will ever look at an envelope in the same way again," Bella groaned as she flushed the toilet. She walked over to the sink and started washing her face.
Crap. She would never forget today.
"Bella, I know my parents are weird and embarrassing and crazy and very open and-"
But Bella cut me off and she actually told me that she… liked my parents and was scared that they wouldn't approve of her. Bella was just full surprises.
Knock. Knock.
"Bella! Are you okay? I'm sorry about Carlisle. He never learnt about dinner etiquette," Mum said through the door.
"Yeah… I mean, hey!"
I smiled. How could Bella not see that they loved her?
"Believe me. They like you." I chuckled and squeezed her hand in my own. I never made this kind of gesture… ever.
"Bella, darling? Are you sure you okay? Carlisle, maybe we should call a doctor."
"I am a Doctor." My parents kept arguing like children and I smiled. For the first time that night, I didn't feel embarrassed by them. Because Bella actually liked them, even if they were crazy.
"We need a doctor that saves life. If we want a pest exterminator, we'll call you. Go, scat and find a cockroach in someone's tongue."
This caused Bella to go for the next round of her puke-athon. I left Bella to get to her business as I went to have a talk with my parents. As I opened the door, Mum's face drop and she looked at her heels.
"I think she hates us," Mum whimpered.
"Yeah. Sorry Edward. We promised," Dad apologised, he took looked upset.
I smiled. They weren't so bad. They meant well.
"It's okay. I don't know what you did, but you managed to make her not hate you. I think she even likes you guys," I chuckled.
"Yay!" Mum clapped and beamed a smile.
"See it was the stories. Maybe I should tell her about the Purple Mohawk story?" Dad grinned.
"NO!" Mum and I both yelled at Dad at the same time when Bella opened the door.
And my father, being my father, had to mention maggots causing Bella to run back for her third hurl.
"This is why I can't take you out to nice places!" Mum waved her hands in the air.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Dad asked.
"I have no idea why she likes you guys." I smiled as I shook my head.
She actually liked them. Who would have thought?
Mum had made some tomato soup and poured it in a mug for Bella. Dad had given her some tablets for her upset stomach. I on the other hand was eating the tiramisu Bella had made. It was delicious, and I made it known to Bella with my moans.
"Stop it!" she growled at me. "I can't believe you get to have tiramisu while I have to have tomato soup."
She looked so cute when she pouted like that and that had caused me to chuckle. We were on the second floor of the house and right in front of my bedroom door. I opened the door and continued to eat my dessert as I led Bella in.
"This is my room… Huh?"
"What?" Bella asked.
"Feels weird. Bringing a girl in that I have no intension to bang." I chuckled. The only other girl that came in here who wasn't my conquest was Alice. But she was more like a sister to me.
"You're so smooth, Baby." Bella rolled her eyes as she took another step in my room, taking in her surroundings.
"I know its hard, Cutie Pie, but we must resit the urge," I chuckled.
"I'll try," she said sarcastically as she continued to walk round in my room. I didn't mind. I had nothing to hide here. I actually felt more comfortable with Bella here than with my parents. She could find out more stuff about me from them than here.
"Hmm…" She hummed.
"What?"
"This does look like your room. You know, as I expected," she said as she looked at my TV and small desk.
"And?"
"Forget it," she mumbled as she walked to my desk, examining the text books.
"What's this?" she asked, placing her mug on the table.
"What?" I asked as I took a step closer to my study table.
"Application for permission to date my daughter, Isabella Swan… you've got to be kidding." Her eyes went wide as she saw the application her father gave me.
"You weren't supposed to see that," I said as I quickly took the application out of her hand.
"Hang on. Let me read this." Bella snatched it from my hand and began reading it.
"In 50 words or less, what does 'don't touch my daughter' mean to you? Church you attend? Answer by filling in the blank. If I were shot, the last place I would want shot would be…" Bella gasped. "Oh my God. I can't believe he actually did this!" Bella glared at the application as she frantically checked all the questions.
"He's just a little protective, Bella." I shrugged.
"He gave you a freaking application! That's it! He wants to play hard ball. He's going down!" Bella smirked. And in her eyes, there was the same passion as Chief Swan's.
Number Twenty – "If you are not afraid, you should be. My daughter is an extension of me and if you underestimate me than you are definitely underestimating her."
"Bella?" I gulped.
"Edward. Hand me a pen. Now." Without any question I gave her a pen as she grabbed a text book from my desk and jogged to my bed and sat on the middle. Her back was leaning on the headboard as she lifted her legs up, allowing her to rest the text book and the application on her thighs.
"What are you doing?"
"Filling out your application." She smirked as she began filling it in, reading the questions out load.
"A woman's place is in the…" Bella bit her lip. "… Back seat of my Volvo!" She jumped in her place and quickly wrote it down.
WHAT?
"Shit! You can't write that!" I panicked as I ran to the bed, standing in front of her. If Chief Swan read that and thought I wrote it, he was sure to kill me or worse… put me in jail and put it on my permanent record. Bella lifted her head up and grinned at me.
"Watch me." And she was back to reading the questions as I paced in front of my bed.
"The one thing I hope this application does not ask me about is?" she asked herself as she tapped her chin with the pen, "… Favourite position." She blushed as she wrote it down.
Shit!
"Now answer the question you filled in…" she asked. "Hmm…. Oh! Why don't you ask your baby girl?" She giggled.
"Oh dear. I'm going to die." I started praying mentally in my head as I pulled on my hair, with both hands.
Are you there, God? It's me, Edward Cullen. I know I don't talk to you enough, although a lot of girls call out your name because of me. Does that count?
"Don't be silly, Edward." Bella swatted her hand, waking me up from my pray.
Great. So far Chief Swan would think of me as a horny, sex-addicted, perverted teenager. Great. Who wouldn't want me dating their daughter?
"When I meet a girl, the thing I always notice about her first is… Jugs." She rolled her eyes, answering her own question.
"You're unbelievable," I chuckled. Okay, that one was a little funny. Who am I kidding? If it wasn't my head on the line I would think they were all great answers.
"Wanna help? It's fun," Bella giggled.
"What's the next question?" I gave her a crooked grin. If I'm gonna die, might as well go off with a bang. Bella broke into a huge smile as she started jumping on the bed.
"Do you have a waterbed?" She read the next question.
Do you have a waterbed? Hmmm… Oh!
"No…" I smirked, causing Bella to lift a brow say if saying, 'that's not funny, Edward,' but then I finished my sentence. "I like to bang the headboard."
"Oh my God. He's going to flip," she giggled as she quickly wrote the answer.
This was fun.
"In 50 words or less, what does 'late' mean to you?" She asked.
"Worst word a girl can say," I said as I crawled on my bed.
"Huh?"
"Baby. I'm late," I said as I sat down next to her, on her right, my back against the headboard.
"Oh that's gold. Umm… I mean, like it's not my fault it broke." She giggled as she added another sentence after my answer.
"In 50 words or less, what does 'don't touch my daughter' mean to you?" She bit her bottom lip in thought.
"Wouldn't know. Don't have one. Sucks to be you," I chuckled.
"Oh my God, Edward. That's brilliant." She cracked up as she wrote the answer.
"In 50 words or less, what does 'abstinence' mean to you?"
Abstinence?
"Hmm… That's a hard one," I mumbled.
"That's what she said!" she yelled and then started blushing.
"Okay. Okay, let me think. Abstinence?" I said as I chuckled.
"Hmm… Oh! Turn on," Bella answered.
"Always liked a challenge," I added.
"You know the innocent ones are the freaky ones," she said. "Church you attend?"
"Oh, you mean that place with the kinky nuns?" I asked and she wrote it down.
"What is the current going rate of a hotel room?"
"I'm more of a backseat guy," I answered, causing her to giggle.
"Oh and the rooms charge for nights, not hours." And we both laughed as we filled the stupid application.
Hey, if I'm going to die at least I had fun while doing it.
BPOV
"What's up there?"
After writing awesome answers for Charlie's stupid application, Edward and I started walking around. We were on the second floor when I saw a staircase in the corner, like if it was hidden or something.
"Mum didn't show you around the third floor?"
"There's a third floor?"
He has a third floor. Who has a third floor? This house was so huge they didn't even need the second floor, let alone a third floor. Why on earth would they need a third floor?
"I take that as a no," Edward chuckled as we walked past it. Edward must have seen my wondering eyes gaze at the stair case.
"Did you want to see the third floor?" I simply nodded. "Um… okay. Come," He stuttered as he grabbed my hand and took me to the third floor.
So what did I expect on the third floor of the Cullen mansion.
A huge gym?
Maybe an indoor pool?
The gold room, where they keep all their treasures?
Bella, these are the Cullens, not the Richs.
"Oh. My. God," I gasped. This. This was not what I expected at all.
"What is this room?" I asked Edward as I dropped his hand and explored.
There was maroon carpet which covered the whole floor. There was a huge window, I mean huge, like the twice the size of my bedroom wall huge, across the room, draped by curtains which matched the colour of the carpet. The rest of the three walls were cover with shelfs and paintings. Some one had books, other had CDs. The shelfs started from the floor and reached to the ceiling. There were even ladders joined to the shelf that had wheels on them. Like the ones in large libraries. There was a large oak table across the room in a corner, between the window and the shelf on the right. Above my head, hanging from the ceiling was a huge chandelier, that lite the whole room. But the biggest and most exciting thing in the room was… wait for it… a grand piano!
"My… umm… so… umm… this is my piano and… umm slash… library slash, study and... stuff," Edward mumbled as he shifted his feet.
"Wait. You actually have a grand piano in your house. On the third floor!" I turned to him with wide eyes.
"Yeah." He shrugged and looked down.
"Woah. This is so cool," I gasped as I took in my surroundings.
"Umm… really?"
"How many people you know have a grand piano on the third floor of their house?" I put my hands on my hips and asked him. How could he not see this was cool?
"Exactly. It's not quite normal," he muttered.
"Normality is over rated." I smiled at him. Edward was still not meeting my eyes as he kept looking at the ground, like he was… embarrassed?
I walked over to him and lifted his chin so I could see his emerald eyes.
"You don't want to be a sheep, do ya?" I giggled at him. "Baaa…" I giggled, causing him to laugh as well.
We stood there for a couple minutes just quietly laughing and I felt a spark. The spark made me jolt away from Edward. We were now a foot apart. Suddenly there was awkwardness in the room. I slowly turned around and explored the room. I went to the shelf on my left which contained of CDs and, can you believe it, records. That's when I noticed a small record player in the corner. I started looking at the title of the albums, most of them were hand written. If I do say the script was beautiful.
Mozart, Piano Concertos Nos. 23 and 24; Mitsuko Uchida, Cleveland Orchestra.
John Cage, Sixteen Dances; Boston Modern Orchestra Project.
Ravel, Debussy, and Fauré, String Quartets; Quatuor Ebène.
Schoenberg and Sibelius Violin Concertos; Hilary Hahn, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Swedish Radio Symphony.
"Hmm… These are different from the CDs in your cars," I mumbled as I noticed that he had arranged this in… chronological order.
"I've come to notice people our age don't enjoy classic music," he mumbled behind me.
"So?" I said to him as I turned around. "You think people our age like Bon Jovi?"
"Who?"
"My point exactly," I giggled as I looked through his record collection. As I looked around the room I notice Edward being really uneasy, like I was somehow looking in his mind by walking in this room. He was more nervous here than his own room.
I walked up to the book shelf. The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas, Principia Mathematica by Alfred North Whitehead and Bertrand Russell, Ideas and Opinions by Albert Einstein, Principia Ethica by G. E. Moore, Philosophy and Civilization by John Dewey, Principia Mathematica by Isaac Newton, A Mathematician's Apology by G. H. Hardy.
These were arranged in alphabetical order by authors. I walked to the table when I noticed a book lying there, opened on page. I picked it up and read the title.
"The Rest is Noise. Hmm… Oh right. The book that's better than Pride and Prejudice." I rolled my eyes as I turned to see Edward.
"Bella, anything is better than Pride and Prejudice," he chuckled, finally getting use to me, I hope.
"I did not hear that," I told him as I started reading the page he was on.
"Debussy? What's a Debussy?" I asked as I looked up on him.
"I did not hear that," he gasped as he looked and me with widen eyes. I shrugged and kept reading it.
"Hmm… and who is Clair de Lune?" I asked, lifting my head up to see his shattered face.
"Christ. Maybe if you stop banging your head to that devilious noise you would know real music," he said as walked up to me and snatched the book from my hands, shaking his head in disappointment the whole time.
"No way. Edward Cullen. Giving me a lecture on music." I was shocked. Edward walked over to the book shelf muttering 'R'.
"Debussy is not only among the most important of all French composers but also a central figure in European music at the turn of the twentieth century," he said as he placed the book on the shelf.
"Oh. Sorry." I smiled innocently.
"And Clair de Lune is one of the most famous piano suites by him. It means moonlight in French," he told me as he turned.
"Huh." I nodded.
"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" He smiled.
"No a clue," I giggled and looked across, to the shelf around the door with paintings hanging. I spotted something that looked like… no… it can't be.
"What's that?" I straightened up as I pointed to the far wall.
"What?" Edward smiled as he turned around and froze. "Nothing," he muttered, the smile vanished from his face.
"It doesn't look like nothing," I said as I took a few steps closer. "It actually looks like… no." I nearly ran to it.
It was.
"When… Where… How?" I stuttered as I gazed up at it on the wall, where it was hanging, like it was some kind of master piece. Edward walked behind me.
"Umm… I grabbed it with your purse before we left," he whispered as we both gazed up at it.
"Why?"
"He didn't deserve it." I heard Edward hiss.
"And you opened it," I whispered.
"When I was taking you home, I forgot about it. It wasn't until we came back from La Push I found it under the seat."
"You weren't going to give it back," I said as I looked up at it. I forgot all about it. I forgot all about that night as well.
"I thought maybe it was better if you forgot about it, you know? I didn't want to remind of that night," Edward whispered behind me, sending chills down my spine. I continued to gaze at it.
James's birthday gift.
"It's a nice painting. Where did you buy it?" Edward asked. I felt almost embarrassed to say it.
"I didn't buy it. I painted it," I whispered.
"You painted that?" Edward said, for the first time, in a normal voice.
I remembered that day. I had had to get James a gift, but I had no idea what his likes and dislikes were. He had everything he could have ever wanted. What could I give him that he didn't already have?
"It was late notice. I didn't have anything to give him. So I took one of my paintings. I was actually afraid he might not like it." Silly, silly Bella.
"I like it." I felt his cold breath in my ear.
"I painted that at La Push. You know near Ateara's there are these cliffs. It's quite a popular tourist destination. Cliff driving is quite popular."
"You cliff drive?" I ignored his question.
"It was summer holidays. The gang and I were at the beach. The boys were driving. So was Leah. You know, she doesn't like to be left behind." I remembered that day. It was so sunny and bright. I loved the sun. Especially after a storm like we had the day before.
"I never liked the whole idea. Maybe because I knew I would most likely break a bone, knowing my luck. So I sat on a smaller cliff next to the one they were driving off. Saw the jump and fall. One by one." I gazed at my art work. I remember us laughing and joking. I remember him. Being with me. I remember that day so well. I was looking down from the cliff at the beautiful clear water crashing on the rocks below me. And I felt so… so…
"I felt… content."
"Why did you give this painting to James then?" Edward asked taking me from such a happy memory to such a fearful one.
Why did I give it to James?
"When I looked at it… I didn't feel the same. And now… I still don't feel the same. It has another memory joined to it."
After Jake left, I couldn't even open the curtains. I still couldn't open the curtains. So it was harder to remember that day and not have the same feelings now that I had then.
"I'm sorry about James," Edward said as he rested his hand on my shoulder. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. As I opened my eyes I turned towards Edward, causing him to drop his hand, and smiled.
"He's always been a douche. I remember it was 7th grade Music and I had always wanted to learn how to play the piano. I was playing a song when I heard chuckles behind me. It was James and his friends making fun of me. I immediately stopped playing, left music class and never played the piano again." My smiled dropped.
"It's never too late." He smiled.
"Huh?"
"Come." Edward grabbed my hand and took me to the middle of the huge room.
To the piano.
When we reached there, Edward let go of my hand and sat on the seat. He looked over his shoulder and told me to sit next to him. To play with him.
"Edward, I can't," I stuttered as I took a step back.
"Sure you can. Even, I promised your father. Come." I remembered that night briefly, Dad saying that Edward would teach me the piano, but I thought it was just an empty promise.
Edward smiled at me as he held his hand out for me to grasp.
And I did.
I took his hand and he pulled me towards him. When I finally sat next to him, on his left side, I looked at beautiful piano.
"What was the song you playing?" I heard Edward ask.
"What song?" I looked at him
"The one which they laughed at you for," Edward said in a low voice.
"Umm…"
"Please don't tell me it was a rock and roll song," he chuckled. His laughter echoed the room.
"No." I shook my head
"Then?" he asked.
"Nature Boy by-"
"Eden Ahbez," Edward cut me off. "I'm surprised you know it."
"I think that's the only classical song I know." I blushed.
"How?"
I remembered when I was little and I had the chicken pox. Renee was out and Dad stayed home. He didn't go to work for a week. He tried to make soup, the one which you just added water to, but he burnt himself when adding the water. And you wonder where I got my clumsiness. Anyway, I was angry at Dad for not letting me play with Jake. So Dad promised he would be my slave for the day. I could get anything I wanted. I asked for a pony. He said except for that. So instead he pretended to be my pony and gave me pony rides around the house. He brought me my favourite ice cream, cookies and cream. He even brought me all these girly films to watch with him. He even cried at one of them.
That's where I had heard the song first time. It was at the end of the movie and Dad still had a tear in his eye. I had tried to wipe it off and told him not to cry, it was only a film. Dad said he only had dirt in his eyes. He changed the subject and put on Hunchback of Notre Dame. And then I had something in my eye. We both agreed that the house needed dusting and both laughed.
"I really liked the lyrics," I smiled.
"Oh, Nat Cole."
"Yeah." I nodded still looking at the keys.
"Would you like me to play it for you?" My head shot up and meet Edward's eyes.
No way, he can play it?
"You know it?" I gasped.
"Hmm… I think it goes something like this." He smirked and placed his hands on the keys. And it was like magic. The moment Edward's fingers touched the key it was like the piano started making music itself. Like Edward had a magic touch.
Edward played the music. At first it was key by key, like the song, and then he swiftly moved his fingers across the keys. As he continued playing the beautiful music I remembered the lyrics. I always loved the lyrics. They were so hauntingly beautiful.
There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy
And sad of eye
But very wise
Was he
I smiled as I thought about the last verse.
And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings
This he said to me
"The greatest thing
You'll ever learn
Is just to love
And be loved
In return"
"The greatest thing, you'll ever learn. Is just to love and be loved, in return," I sang softly as Edward continued playing. "You're really good," I told him.
"Yeah. I played since I was about seven." He gave me a timid smile.
"Hmm… That's quite young."
"I had trouble concentrating when I was young. They thought I might have had dyslexia. Dad put me on pills and what not, but it only got worse. Mum started teaching me the piano and then my concentration picked up and here I am." He shrugged as he continued to play.
"I would have never known," I whispered. Edward always seemed so… perfect. I had always thought of Edward as that prince who got everything he wanted. Who the Gods bowed down to. I always thought Edward got everything on a silver platter. Now, finding out that he had trouble when he was young… it really showed how much I didn't know about him.
I remembered before, when I thought I knew everything about him. Popular, jock, perfect, lover of pop music, insensitive, aka the total depiction of the High School Golden Boy. But now…
"Yeah. A lot of people don't know," he chucked nervously.
"Well, you play beautifully." I smiled at him.
"I'll teach you." He stopped playing the music as he looked at me.
"What?" I inhaled.
"Come on," he said as he placed my hands on the keys.
"I'm no good. I don't know how to play and I don't know how to read music. I don't know the… rules," I mumbled, thinking about James's laughter. How he and his friends laughed at me. I backed my hands from the keyboard, only to have them caught by Edward, again.
"Playing the piano is a lot like love," he said. He slowly lifted my hands to the keys again, "first you have to learn to play by the rules, and then you just have to forget all about the rules and play from your heart." He finished as he placed my hands on the keys.
"That's beautiful."
"I heard it somewhere," he nervously chuckled and shrugged.
Edward showed me the first few keys of the song. But I had to ask him something that was going through my head since Edward spoke to me in the bathroom.
"Why are you ashamed of your parents?"
The music stopped and silence filled the room.
"I'm not ashamed of them." He looked down at the keys. Staring at them.
"Embarrassed?"
"No."
"Then?"
"I didn't want you to mock them," he whispered.
"Why would I do that? Who would even think of doing that?"
"Umm… Tanya didn't get along with my parents," he mumbled.
"They didn't like her?" I asked. Wow. Miss Perfect wasn't like by the Cullens. How was the possible?
"She didn't like them." He cringed.
I waited. I didn't want to get into his business, maybe he didn't want to talk about it. If he did, I would let him start at his own time. When he's ready.
"We had started dating for about a month," Edward began. "Junior High. So my parents wanted to meet her. I didn't think anything of it, you know. It was normal. So I brought her over and well… my parents were… my parents. Apparently Mum was too in her face, made her uncomfortable and she wouldn't stop talking to her. Dad kept telling her these boring and gross stories and she hated it. She said it was like being in a nursing home," he sighed.
Esme isn't like that at all. She was not in your face, she was kind and sweet and a little funny. Dr. Cullen's stories weren't boring. Gross maybe, but that was my fault, I just don't have the stomach. He was not like a grandpa. And together, Mrs and Dr. Cullen were adorable. Edward wasn't finished, though.
"Mum mentioned to her that I played the piano and later Tanya made fun of me, saying I was a band geek. I never showed her this room. I was scared she would mock it, like she did my parents. So the next day she told her friends all the little annoying habits Mum and Dad had and how weird they were. I stopped bringing her over here when my parents were home. I spent less time with my parents and kept my distance," he sighed as he dropped his head. Ashamed?
"Edward. Your parents are great. They're not weird. You don't have to be ashamed of them."
"I'm not ashamed of them. I'm ashamed that I could never stand up for them, you know. I love being around them, but when we're in public, I just… I just." He started pulling his hair again.
He walked away.
"Is that why you were so comfortable showing me your bedroom and freaked out when I saw this room?" I asked. Edward turned his eyes at me.
"You got to admit my bedroom is more suitable and cooler than this room. This is geeky. I mean, I got a piano, old classical records and books about maths in here."
"I think it's more welcoming than your bedroom and way cooler than your bedroom, I like it," I smiled.
"You like it?" He looked at me like I was from another planet. I looked around the room.
"Yeah. It illustrates you, Edward." I turned to him, "This room represents you, Edward. You should never be ashamed of what you are. It sets you apart. It makes you unique. And anyone who tells you anything else is an idiot. Forgot about them, 'cause you know what the truth is and you know more than they can ever. So, to hell with them and what they think of you, your parents and this room. This is who you are and you should never apologise for it." I gasped for air when I finished my speech.
I remembered it as the same speech I have myself whenever I felt pressured.
Edward blinked at me for a couple of minutes and then a timid smile crept on his face.
"Thank you," he whispered, turned back to his piano and started to play Nature Boy.
As I watched Edward play, the lyrics reminded me of him a little.
There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy
And sad of eye
But very wise
Was he
He was strange. He was wise. And inside he was shy and sad of eye. But he never showed that to the world. To the world he was Mr. Perfect. Mr. President. But really, on the inside, he was still that little boy who made the doctors scratch their heads, wondering what was wrong with him.
What had I learnt today?
Edward's parents aren't rich snobs. They are lovely people and great parents.
Edward loves classical music, old books and records, and he's also a great pianist.
Edward has tried to hide away from his parents love so he didn't have the world see him for what he was, that little boy. His father and mother's little boy.
Funny thing about Edward and me. He was surrounded by love, yet he always ran away from it. And then there was me. Love for me was like sand on the beach. The more I tried to grasp it in my hands the more it slipped out of my reach. I was always chasing after it…
"The greatest thing
you'll ever learn.
Is just to love
and be loved
… In return."
AN: Awww...
Edward! Bella! Get it on already! Wait! I'm the writer. Opps... I mean take your time. LOL. Hey, at least i gave a an awesome moment between the two. The video clips for this chap (which are... 1) a guy playing the song (Nature Boy) on the piano, 2) Nat Cole singing the song and 3) the ending of the movie which I heard the song from), also the pictures (Edward's piano and Bella's painting) in gallery and in the forums there is a new post containing answers to FAQs about IWYTWM on my website. So please check it out and leave a comment! I love the song and i really love that last verse. Which i think fits the story. ExB have loved, they just have to be loved in return. Who hates Tanya more now after knowing what she said about the Cullens? Yeah, what a cow.
Haha... all of you forgot about James's bday present... well not me. I asked you guys what she should of given him, but a lot of you said it wasn't relevant, which it wasn't at the time. But i thought hell... it would be great to have Edward keep Bella's art with him. And bet you forgot about the story about James and the Piano. Chapter 7 people. Bella talks/thinks about it. And obviously it was mentioned at dinner with Charlie. How did you like the answers to the application (which is on my blog)?
Used Mortal Kombat because that was my fav game as a child and because it's old school. Difference b/w Edward's bedroom and his room. Edward's bedroom is a means of sleep, watching tv and... entertaining. Edward's room is a depction of who he really is, while is bedroom shows the Edward everyone wants to see. The sheep that follows the herd. That's why he wasn't nervous showing bella his bedroom as much as he was to show her his room. The bedroom was safe, it was neutral, it wasn't significant to him, not like his room. Where the real Edward lies. Don't foget to ask questions to your fav (or hated) character. Oh and thinking of doing (after all the questions to him) a Jake POV. What do you think?
Next chap... Alice is hosting a pool party. However i haven't started writing it yet, it will take some time to make it really good and i also have a lot of uni stuff to do. So that chap will be late (late May). Sorry :(
Reviews equals to personal and private piano lessons from Edward ;)