It's Just Three Little Words
Thanks to Irritable_Grizzzly who beta'd this bad boy TWICE! TWICE we went through this chapter. Also, this chapter is dedicated to IdPattThat because she's awesome and when writing this, for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about her. When you're done with this chapter, go read her story, Secrets, Lies and Famiy Ties.
Finally, I am not SM. My bank account is not even a fraction of hers, so all intellectual (and I use that term loosely) property is hers. This story/plot/ideas are mine, so let's not steal. It's just not very nice.
Edward Masen
"Dad!" Jack yelled as he came charging through the front door.
"In here!"
"Don't slam-" the door swung shut, rattling the windows, "the door," I finished. It didn't matter how many times I told him to be careful, he never listened. Then again, when I was six, I wasn't all that great about listening to my parents either.
"Dad," he whined, coming into my office, "those people with the cameras followed me and Smashley from school again. Why won't they leave me alone?" He flopped into the chair next to my desk.
"Smashley? That's a new one," I laughed at his new nickname for her. It was a constant game of theirs, seeing who could come up with the sillier name.
"Like The Hulk, dad." He rolled his eyes. "She likes it." He crossed his arms and tilted his chin up.
"Of course she likes it. Because you came up with it and you're awesome," Bella said, coming into the room. She leaned down and kissed him soundly on the cheek.
"Ewww, mo-om," Jack complained, rubbing his cheek to get Bella's lipstick off.
"Dude, you gotta stop slamming the front door." She looked around briefly before asking, "Where's Ashley?"
"She's outside trying to get the camera people to leave me alone," he huffed. Even at a young age, he was displaying so many traits that were a perfect blend of Bella and me. He had my patience, but it was only when he would cool down after showing his temper, which he clearly got from his mother.
"That girl needs a raise or she's going to leave us," I muttered.
"Oh please, she loves Jack, not to mention she's constantly checking out your ass," she laughed.
"Oooh, mom gets to put a dollar in the swear jar," Jack teased.
"I'll go help her out. Edward, are you coming?" She raised an eyebrow and waited for an answer, tapping her left hand against the doorjamb, the diamond from her ring catching the light.
"Edward...hello?"
"Edward!"
I shot out of bed, wondering where the hell I was. It took a moment for me to remember I was in Bella's suite, we were in Chicago, and I definitely did not have a kid named Jack, or anything else for that matter.
"Are you all right?"
I took a deep breath and nodded. I wasn't sure if my dream was meant to be prophetic or wishful thinking. Even though Bella had assured me she was on birth control, I still felt that maybe "Plan B" should have been "Plan A."
"So who's Ashley?"
"Huh?"
"Ashley. You were saying the name in your sleep just now." I glanced over and saw Bella looking a little uneasy.
"Nobody, don't worry about it, I was just having a weird dream." I leaned forward and kissed her temple,. I then looked at the clock behind her and saw we'd only been asleep a few hours since Jasper and Alice had left the room.
"You okay?"
Bella still had a small frown on her face, but nodded. "I guess we should get moving. I'm gonna go shower., wWould you please order room service? Lots of coffee." She slid out of bed, taking the sheet with her. Something wasn't right., hHer mood had shifted dramatically and I couldn't figure out the reason for the change.
While Bella was in the shower, I did as she requested. Then I paced back and forth. Something wasn't right, and until I could figure out what was wrong, I couldn't fix it.
I was starting to grow frustrated and somewhat irritated. Bella had never had an issue telling me what was on her mind before, so why now? At the same time I heard the shower turn off, there was a knocking at the door.
I took the cart from the guy in the hallway, not letting the employee see the suite. The last thing I wanted to deal with was the headline, "Edward Masen and Bella Swan's Secret Sex Den" or something equally asinine.
"Oh thank God," I heard Bella comment when she saw me pushing the cart.
"Is that meant for me or the coffee?" I teased. She was still in the bathroom, but had the door open and was pulling her hair up in a knot, wearing a white hotel robe.
"Coffee. Definitely the coffee and food."
I quickly removed all the lids and we both fixed ourselves plates with fruit, waffles and bacon. After we settled into the chairs on the balcony, we ate in silence for what seemed like ages.
"You know, in the sun, your hair is a mahogany color?" I offered, trying to break the quiet.
"You didn't just compare my hair to Ethan Allen furniture," she snorted.
"Would you rather I tell you that your skin reminded me of white Italian marble?"
"Uh, no."
"You would tell me if there was something wrong, wouldn't you?" I asked quietly, taking a sip of my coffee.
She looked confused for a moment and nodded,. She swallowed her food, and asked, "You would tell me if you were interested in seeing someone else, wouldn't you?"
"But I'm not."
"Would you?"
"Of course, but I'm not interested in anyone but you. I thought that was fairly obvious."
"You're right. Sorry."
"Is that why you're so quiet? Are you having doubts about us; about me?" My heart pounded harder in my chest when I thought of her rejecting me. I'd been so certain about how she felt, but could I have been wrong?
"What! No, I'm not having doubts." She shook her head. "Just, after this morning, when you said another woman's name in your sleep, I couldn't help but let my imagination wander."
She briefly reminded me of my dream, but I could barely remember anything. It had almost completely faded from my consciousness.
"I swear, it was just a dream. You," I said, leaning across the table and grabbing her hand to emphasize my point, "are the one I want, okay?"
"Okay. You know the same goes for you, right?"
"Good to know." I squeezed her hand again for good measure and we both finished our breakfast in silence. I didn't miss the small smile that never faded, and I'm sure mine didn't either.
After we cleaned up the balcony and headed inside, I heard Bella's phone and the ringtone made me laugh.
"Sorry, I thought I turned it off," she sighed.
"You're not going to answer it?" She turned the ringer off and threw it on the bed.
"Not a chance."
"It could be important."
"Nothing she says could be so dire to interrupt us right now."
"It's your mother..." my voice trailed off.
"Really?" She put her hands on my chest and looked me in the eyes. "Her ringtone is the "Wicked Witch of the West." She doesn't exactly hold the highest priority for me, especially right now." She slipped one hand under my shirt and traced the outline of my muscles with her nails.
"Am I a priority?"
She stood on her toes and pressed her mouth to mine, answering my question. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her close to my body and backed us toward the bed. When the back of my legs hit the mattress, I sat down on the edge and slowly pulled her robe open and slipped it off her shoulders.
Bella Swan
The heat of his hands as he grabbed me and pulled me closer sent tingles down my spine. The cool air hit my body as the robe fell away, which caused my nipples to harden and I instantly got goosebumps. Edward noticed my reaction and took my right nipple into his mouth, sucking gently while flicking it with his tongue. His hand slowly moved over my torso and firmly massaged the other.
I threw my head back and moaned. The sensations of being licked, touched, and worshipped was not something I'd ever been accustomed to. I gently pushed him back onto the bed, straddling his lap.
I reached between us and slowly stroked him with a firm grip, eliciting a deep moan and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. "Fuck, that feels good."
"That's the point." I grinned and rubbed myself against him. I grabbed the bottom of his shirt and quickly pulled it over his head and pushed him down so he was on his back, then slowly worked his boxers off, and I couldn't help but giggle as he kicked his legs with a never-before-seen sense of urgency.
"You think that's funny?"
"A little bit, yeah."
"The only thing that's laughable is how you'll be walking when I'm done with you."
"Oh really?" I rubbed my hands over his chest, his shoulders, and then his arms, taking his hands and placing them on my waist.
He pulled me forward so that I was straddling his chest, then lifted his head and blew warm air on my clit. Realization struck me. He wanted to do that? I was only used to it on special occasions, like my birthday. I wasn't prepared, and I just couldn't, at least not in this position.
"Hey." He softly pinched my side, "Where'd you go?" He grabbed my hips and continued to pull me closer to his face.
"No." I shook my head.
"No?" He looked shocked, as he should have.
"Not like this, please," I said in a softer tone. Before he could say anything else, I unwrapped my legs and laid myself parallel to him.
Then I hitched my leg over his hip and pulled him close for a deep kiss, the ridge of the head teasing me.
When he felt the contact, he let out a shaky breath, "Is this okay?" he asked, and I nodded in response.
Then it happened. Edward and I had kissed plenty of times since we'd first met; more than I could count, but this time it was different. The tenderness, the sensitivity, the passion; all of it together resonated something deep in me. For my entire marriage, I wanted to feel this with Emmett. For the longest time, I'd tried desperately to awaken the depth of emotion stirring within me right now, but nothing had ever come close to this. I had what could only be called an epiphany.
This was it for me. He was it. This was what I'd wanted and thought I would never have. I had someone to love, and I knew he felt the same. I could feel the tears start to form, so I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping they'd go away and not ruin the moment.
"Please," he murmured against my lips. Without answering I angled him toward me and slowly slid down onto him until I couldn't go any further. My breathing shortened as he began to move, his hipbone against mine. The sensations, coupled with my emotions, were almost too much to bear. Almost.
"More," I pleaded.
"God, yes." He complied, his hips meeting mine faster and with more force. He began sucking my neck as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, grabbing his hair and whispering that I was close, and he grunted that he was too.
Electricity shot through me, to every end-point in my body. I squeezed my eyes shut, not to hide the tears, but because the sheer force of everything combined was too much. Edward moaned and moved quicker, and I could feel his whole body tense as he shuddered his release.
A thin layer of sweat covered us and I shivered when the air conditioning kicked in. After quickly cleaning myself up, I slid under the sheets and curled into him the same way we had the night before. This time, though, I didn't want to sleep, I wanted to tell him how I felt, and that I was finally ready to completely open myself to him; to be his and let him be mine.
"What are you thinking?" he asked, breaking the silence. He ran his fingertips down the back of my arm again, tracing patterns as he went.
"Nothing," I lied.
"Liar."
"You're probably right. What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking that you are amazing."
"Lame."
"Doesn't make me a liar though. What's on your mind?"
"I was just thinking…" I knew this was my moment, but I froze. Could I tell him how I felt and not make it sound like something that was the result of a post-coital-induced haze? Now was not the time, but there would be other chances. If he wound up saying something first, I wouldn't hesitate to let him know. "I was thinking that we're naturals and should be doing this a lot more often."
"You only want me for my body, you can admit it, Swan," he chuckled.
"I have no complaints about your body, or the rest of you for that matter." I snuggled further into his side and kissed his chest.
"I have to say, I have the same sentiments about you."
"Just say it, you love me." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself. His fingers stopped moving, and his chest stilled as well. I could hear his heart pounding.
"What if I do?" he asked softly. My stomach turned. Knowing something in theory and actually hearing the words were two completely different things.
"I would have to say that like your body, the feeling is mutual."
"Look at me," he said, his voice a little louder. I did as he asked, my chin resting in the middle of his sternum. I gave him a small smile and waited for him to continue.
He took a deep breath and I shifted to move off of him, but he kept me still. "I meant it when I told you there was nobody else I wanted, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. When you were gone, it didn't fucking matter that it was only three days, I missed you more than I've ever missed anyone."
"I missed-" he stopped me by putting his finger to my mouth.
"This is my moment, just like you see in the movies or read in those stupid romance novels, so hang on and let me get through this, please?"
I kissed his finger and nodded.
"The fact that we've been through bullshit situations so many times, and here you are, naked with me, choosing to be with me, goes to show that we're good together and not just physically." He took a deep breath. "I love you, Bella, more than I probably should given our history, but I do. I can only hope that I don't epically fuck this up."
I lay there, speechless and closed my eyes, sighing, wishing I could find the words to tell him.
"Bella, please say something." I opened my eyes to see a very nervous-looking Edward Masen. I wasn't used to this. I was used to cool, confident, smooth Edward who could sometimes be a jerk. This nervousness was unsettling.
"I don't have any flowery speeches prepared, and I'm not an actor, so I can't just wing it like you can. I'll just lay it out for you in my own way." I paused. "I know that when I'm with you, I'm happier than I can ever remember being. I want you. I want you to know things about me that nobody else does. I missed you while I was gone, enough to know that unless you tell me to go, you're stuck with me. That I put up with your bullshit and you put up with mine, should be a testament to how much I care about you."
"Say the words, Bella. Please."
I linked my right hand with his left and leaned forward so that we were touching nose-to-nose. "I love you." He took his hand and slid it to the base of my neck, pulling me closer, sucking on my bottom lip while he rolled us over so our positions were switched.
I ground myself against him, but he laughed and shook his head. "I'm not seventeen, Bella. I need more time to recover than just a few minutes."
"You mean it's not a super-fantastic-wondercock?"
He glanced down between us. "No. Right now it's only super-fantastic."
"Oh my god. I'm in love with an egomaniac," I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"Say that again."
"Egomaniac."
"Try again." He dragged his fingers down my side, tickling me as he went.
"I love you."
"I know." He smiled and my heart fluttered. I kissed him gently before looking at the clock, instantly wishing I hadn't. We'd slept in too late and it was almost noon. Knowing Alice's knack for details, she would remember my promise of an early lunch and be knocking on our door soon enough.
The last thing I wanted was to pop our little bubble, but it was only a matter of time before the real world came crashing down on us anyway. Just then, my phone started ringing, as did the hotel phone. There were only two people who knew we were in this room.
Edward sighed and rested his head on my shoulder. "I knew that we'd have to be social, but I was hoping to have more time with you." He rolled off me and threw his arms back to stretch. I couldn't help but admire the way his muscles flexed. Hs long and lean body was for my eyes only. Then he propped his head on his hand and smiled at me.
"What?"
"You're pretty."
"So are you."
"You want to know something else?" he whispered, patting the mattress. I crawled next to him and waited. "You love me."
"I already knew that." I tried not to let the disappointment show, but it was now three mentions of my affections to his one, and I hated that I was being childish, but I was already questioning his sincerity.
"You're being cocky and while I normally find you charming, right now I don't feel that way." I couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh. "Forget it. I'm being a girl about this. I need to get ready for the day." I tried to pull my hand away, but Edward tightened his grip.
"I refuse to let you go until you explain what's going on."
So I told him about my insecurities and how stupid I was being and how I felt bad for instantly ruining the mood. He listened to everything I had to say.
When I finished, he was quiet for a moment and then finally said, "I need you to understand something about me. I rarely put myself in a vulnerable position because of what I do for a living, so for me to open up to someone is rare. I've never had anyone say they love me before, so forgive me if I seem cocky, as you say. I don't mean to be, you just make me that happy."
Well, fuck. Now I felt incredibly stupid, but how was I supposed to know?
He sat up and slid his hands into my hair. "Stop thinking. Whatever's running through your head, just stop. Both of us have a lot going on, so let's just enjoy this, okay? I love you. God I love you so much, so stop over-thinking, please." He leaned forward and kissed me, long and deep.
I nodded, unable to find the words to describe how good we were. Edward was right. I needed to stop the unnecessary worrying and thoughts of doubt. We were good together and we were happy. That's all that mattered.
"I need to take a shower." I loved the idea of being dirty because of Edward, but that didn't mean I wanted to stay that way.
"Me too. You go first though. The bedroom might be big, but that bathroom is tiny."
By the time I was dressed and ready, Alice was sitting in a chair and Edward was dressed, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking uncomfortable.
"I don't know, Alice. I think it's stupid and I really don't see the point," he said, shaking his head.
"Just wait until the movie comes out, and then you guys can go public. It'll garner more publicity," she stated emphatically. From a business standpoint, I agreed with her, but on a personal level, I was annoyed, and based on Edward's clenched jaw, he was too.
"You do remember that I fired Irina for wanting to do the same thing?"
I interjected. "Why don't we do this? Edward and I will continue to go out and do the usual couple things. If people take pictures, fine, we can't stop them from doing that, but it won't be official until the movie wraps," I suggested.
"I guess that could work," Alice said slowly.
"I don't like it, but it's better than hiding," Edward agreed.
"Oh, by the way, Tyler called twice. You weren't returning phone calls for whatever reason." Edward rolled his eyes and smiled. "Alec is in full diva mode right now and he can't deal with him. He needs your help."
"Fine," I sighed. "We're still getting lunch first, right? I'm starving." I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my purse.
"I'd be insulted if you weren't," Edward chided\.
Alice muttered something under her breath and I could only guess that it wasn't positive.
"I'll call you when I leave the set." I leaned down to kiss him goodbye when he pulled me into his lap.
"You smell good," he whispered, and I couldn't help but giggle. I was a little embarrassed by my childish behavior, but at least I didn't blush.
"You smell like sex," I whispered back.
"So do you." He gave me a brief squeeze, whispered that he loved me, and let me go.
"You guys are disgustingly cute together," Alice said, spearing a piece of her lettuce.
I'd promised myself I'd take Edward to this lunch meeting, but he had to meet with Jasper and I figured it wasn't fair to subject him to this.
"I can't help it. He makes me happy."
"It's been a while since I've seen you this happy with someone." She quickly squeezed my hand.
"I know. I just realized today that I was only content with Emmett. We had happy times together, but I never achieved true happiness with him."
"Exactly. I might be miserable right now, but I'm not blind. I'm happy for you, I promise." She gave me a genuine smile.
"I hate to bring this up, but I need to ask a favor."
"Of course, anything, you know that."
"Please talk to Jasper," I pleaded.
"Except that." She sat back and folded her arms, refusing to look at me.
"Just hear me out. You need to talk to him to get closure, if nothing else. I'm not saying you need forgive him, but the least you can do is hear him out and if you don't like what he has to say, tell him to fuck off."
"I don't know if I'm ready."
"Will there ever be a good time to talk to your ex-boyfriend about why he was making out with another chick against a wall? Probably not. Worst-case scenario is that you guys stay broken up, so things stay status quo."
"What do you think the best-case scenario would be?" For a split-second she looked hopeful, as if I had the magic answer. That wasn't going to happen, and as much as I wanted to give her my true opinion, I had promised to stay out of it. Whatever would ultimately happen was up to them. I wanted her to make her own choice.
"I think you should do whatever will make you the happiest. If that means staying away from Jasper, then great. If it means trying to work on building your trust with him, that's great too."
"That's a cop-out answer and you know it."
"It is," I admitted. "I just don't want my feelings about him to influence your decision. All I want is for you to be happy."
"I don't know what to do. I want to hear what he has to say, but whenever I think about returning his phone call or seeing him, all I can picture is him kissing Tanya and it makes me sick." I think she turned a little green.
"Been there, done that," I muttered. "Look, I know it makes you upset, but the sooner you talk to him, the sooner he'll stop calling and you guys can be done," I offered. At the mention of them never speaking, her eyes teared over.
"I don't know what's worse; never talking to him again or being with him and not being able to trust him."
"Talk to him. It might make your decision easier," I pressed.
"Or harder."
"Knock it off." My voice a bit harsher than I intended.
"Knock what off, Bella? I want your opinion, but you won't give it to me. How can I make a decision if you won't tell me what you know?"
"I know absolutely nothing."
"You do know something about Jasper and Tanya, and you aren't telling me what it is.
"You're delusional."
"Fine, then tell me your opinion."
I dropped my fork, letting it clatter loudly onto the table. "You want my opinion? Fine I'll give it to you. Stop wallowing and feeling sorry for yourself. It absolutely sucks that he kissed someone else and hid a relationship, but someone who wasn't desperate to things right and didn't care about you, wouldn't have slept in the hallway all night.
"You need to act your age, not your shoe size. You don't want to talk to him, fine. Change your number and stop crying over it. You have a problem, and you have all the tools to fix it, you're just choosing to feel sorry for yourself instead."
"But-"
I held up my hand. "I'm not done. I told you I would be there for you, to help you get over what happened, but until you decide you want to do something about your problem, don't come whining to me about it. Once you make a decision, I will fully support you, but until then, only you can decide what's best for you."
"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll talk to him."
"I think it'll be good for both of you to move past this," I said, softening my tone. "I'm sorry I yelled."
"No, you're right. I should talk to him. I have a lot of questions I want answered anyway. I'm just not looking forward to hearing a play-by-play of what happened."
We spent the rest of lunch talking about what she'd like to say versus what she should say, and helping her sort out her feelings. I also told her that Edward and I exchanged "I love yous" and she squealed that it was about time so loud it seemed the entire restaurant stared at us. I left out my insecure moment and decided to just enjoy that there was a wonderful man who returned my feelings with no strings attached.
With Emmett, it felt like there was always something. Something I could do better or say a little louder. Be more politically correct. For the most part, he cared about me just the way I was, and we thumbed our noses at what was expected, but this was different because Edward didn't ask anything of me, or expect me to be anyone else. More importantly, he didn't want anyone else, and for the first time in a long time, I truly felt like I was enough.
Edward Masen
After they left, I did a victory lap around the suite. Then I took a deep breath and gathered myself.
I took a long shower, enjoying the lingering scent of Bella's perfume as the steam took over. Various moments from this morning replayed in my mind like YouTube clips . I did feel a little bad about how I'd acted like a prick and made her insecure, but I hoped my explanation cleared things up.
I truly appreciated her and an idea began to take form of doing something to show her how much. I'd made light of my track record of doing or saying the wrong things, but I was very serious. Now that I had her, the last thing I'd ever want to do is push her away.
I came up with several ideas. My first instinct was to call Jasper to help me. My second thought was to ask Tanya, but considering I wasn't thrilled with either one of them, it left me with very little options. This depressed me. I was disappointed in both of them, but also with myself.
The air needed to be cleared. I needed to talk with both of them. Since my first thought was of Jasper, I called him first. He was more than willing to meet with me. I finished getting ready and headed out to meet with him.
The moment I stepped off the elevator, I remembered that I didn't have a car. I tried my best to ignore the stares and whispers as I strolled through the lobby. The doorman tried to hail a cab for me, but it seemed today was the day when all taxis decided to disappear. I spent at least ten minutes signing autographs and taking pictures with fans, which was never a problem, but it made me realize I'd been spoiled by my celebrity. I suppose today was the day of many realizations.
By the time a cab had been flagged, a large group had gathered, including a few photographers. I ignored their questions about who I'd visited, leaving them to their speculations as I got in the cab and gave him the address. The last thing I wanted was to be late and have him assume I'd changed my mind.
When I walked in, I didn't even have to think twice about where Jasper would be sitting. He knew how I valued my privacy. I headed straight for the back. He looked nervous and had shredded his napkin all over the floor. He was clearly feeling the same way I was. It didn't matter how long we'd been friends, we were both in the wrong. I wasn't going to make this a pissing match about who had more to apologize for, so I was willing to swallow my pride and listen to him now, and I would do my best not to get angry.
"Jasper."
"Edward. Good to see you."
I slid into the booth across from him. In record time, a waitress appeared at our table, leaning forward, her tits hanging out as she introduced herself as Bree and asked for our drink orders. We both avoided looking at her. When Bree returned with our drinks, we placed our orders. I called her name as she started to walk away.
She smiled wide and giggled, twirling her hair. "I need you to do me a huge favor, okay?"
"Absolutely," she giggled. She was almost as annoying as the girl from In'n'Out.
"That's great, Bree. Here's what I need you to do. I'm having a very important meeting with my business manager here and we need to be left alone. I'm sure you'll do your best to make sure that everything will be perfect and you won't need to check on us, am I right?"
She frowned and nodded. I had a feeling I was being a little condescending, but the games that I once found enticing no longer held their appeal.
"Thanks," Jasper chimed in. "All I ask is that you keep the drinks coming and we'll make it worth your while." Suddenly the giggles were back and she bounced off to the kitchen.
When I was certain she was out of earshot, I started with an apology for the way things went this morning, but defended our stance on why Bella and I were staying neutral. I did tell him that Bella was having lunch with Alice and she was most likely at the receiving end of a similar speech.
"I understand why you're staying neutral." He sighed. "I want to clear the air about me and Tanya. I get why you're pissed at us. I didn't expect you to find out this way. We felt like we had a good reason at the time to hide it from you, and then it didn't matter because it was no longer an issue. I'm sorry we lied. I know that must have been what hurt the most."
"Yeah, it did, but I'll get over it eventually." I looked at his miserable face. "So how are you doing?"
"Is it stupid that I miss her already?" Jasper asked.
"No, but I think you're gonna have to start thinking about moving on." Jasper's eyes shot up and he gave me a worried look.
"What do you know?"
"I don't know anything. I'm just giving you my opinion." I shrugged, hoping I hadn't just broken the Switzerland agreement.
"I can't even think about anyone else. Dude, I want to fucking marry the girl. It's been less than a week since she ended things. I can fix this if she'd just fucking talk to me!"
"I have a good feeling she'll be calling you. I just don't want you to get your hopes up if she tells you to leave her alone."
"Why would she do that? We're good together. She knows that," he tried to convince himself.
"Think about it though. Why do you want to talk to Alice so badly? What would it accomplish besides making you feel better? Really think about it, man."
"I want to tell her why I was meeting with Tanya that day. I want to tell her that I never meant for any of this to happen. I want to tell her that I'll do anything she wants to make it up to her." He looked so desperate, something I'd never seen before. "I never thought I'd find someone like her and I fucked it up. For once I did everything by the book; I was faithful, honest, attentive, and I know I made her happy. God I sound like a fucking chick but if nothing else, I want her to know that I love her and it doesn't matter what she wants to do with us, I always will."
Wow. I wasn't sure what to say. I was completely caught off-guard.
"Yeah, you do sound like a girl."
"Fuck you," he chuckled. "I know I screwed this up, but I can make this right if she gives me the chance."
"I believe you, but just be prepared."
"Yeah, I know, he sighed." He looked at his watch. "Oh, I almost forgot. We have to go to the set."
"Why? I'm not scheduled."
"Yeah, but I got a call earlier and there are some rewrites. According to your contract, you get final say on all edits. I emailed you, but I guess you didn't get it."
He thew his napkin on the table and signaled Bree over. We quickly paid, leaving her a large tip, and left behind the receipt with her number and little hearts on it.
We got into Jasper's rental and headed downtown.
When we got to the set, we split up. Jasper wanted to talk to one of the producers, and I went in search of Bella. I spotted her standing by the craft table talking to Tyler and Alec. Judging by the way they were laughing, there was absolutely no tension between them.
One of the screenwriters approached me, handing me the new script pages and giving me a rundown on what the changes were. I glanced over and caught Bella's eye. She flashed a grin and waved briefly before returning to her conversation.
Alec turned around to see who she'd been waving to and his smile was instantly gone when he saw me. He turned back and nodded at something Tyler said, and then he obviously said something, because suddenly Bella went from friendly to downright frightening. She punctuated her words by poking her finger into his chest. I pretended to ignore the confrontation, but when I heard a resounding crack, I excused myself and headed in their direction.
I saw Alec rubbing his face, looking shocked, and Bella shaking out her hand. "Are you okay?" I said, approaching them.
"I'm fine. We're almost done here." She turned back to Alec. "If you ever refer to anyone I care about that way again, so help me, I can and will ruin your name. You won't be able to get a book signing in front of Walgreens. Are we clear?"
"Crystal."
"Good. Tyler, please keep me updated on all developments."
"You got it, Bells," Tyler said, trying his best not to look amused by the situation.
"What was that all about?" I kissed her on the side of the head and slid my arm around her waist as we walked away.
"Hey, Masen," Alec called.
"Ignore him."
I couldn't resist answering him, "Yes?" I turned to find him with a smug look on his face; or at least it would be a smug look if he didn't have a red handprint on his cheek.
"How does it feel to know I closed the deal with someone you couldn't?"
Now I was genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Tanya?" he gloated.
"You slept with Tanya?"
"Who hasn't," Bella muttered.
"Oh, but you have everything you need., I mean, you're taking my sloppy seconds., You aren't mad that you didn't give me yours?"
"Not at all."
He looked confused.
"I'd never sleep with my sister," I clarified.
"She's Emmett's sloppy seconds, you asshole," Bella laughed.
I couldn't help but laugh as I watched him process the information. I'd initially taken him for a nice guy. At one point I thought he might be a better match for Bella than I was, but I was beyond thrilled and happy to admit I was absolutely wrong.
A lot happened in this chapter! What did you think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Should Alec get herpes now? Tell me! I have a teaser of the next chapter as ready and waiting as Tanya.
I have discovered some AMAZING stories in the past week or so.
Confessions by morethanmyself is brilliant. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go leave her some love. The amount of reviews this story has does not reflect the quality of the story. It's a severly under appreciated fic that needs more love shown.
I Wept Not by ArcadianMaggie has boy love but it's a lovely story of struggle and trying to move on. Very angsty but oh-so wonderful.
Surviving Bella by Savage7289 same author who wrote Hide and Drink.