A/N: Ready for the mystery to be revealed? ;)
Chapter-37: Camouflage
Word Prompt: Camouflage
A single word meant to inspire immediate thought. Write what your imagination dictates.
~*~*~*DreamWeaver*~*~*~
I keep my eyes trained on the book I've left open in front of me in case someone wanders up here and take a deep breath. This is going to be one of the hardest things I've done, but I need this. I need to let him in to show him that I trust him.
"Hey." The sound of his voice coupled with the feeling of his hand covering mine from across the table finally give me the last push I need to start talking.
"I was very shy in high school," I start. "Painfully so, in fact. I guess you can say that I used to be the typical nerd in school. And my parents tried a lot of things to help me … including finding guys for me to date. I started getting out of my shell and dating a little bit when I moved on to college, but it was nothing extensive … until Jacob."
Edward flips my hand over to hold it in between his hands and then mutters under his breath, "That's a stupid name."
I smile at his words. "He was a stupid guy," I respond, making him smile slightly. "It was my dad who introduced us. Jacob Black was one of his deputies and apparently a pretty good guy—according to my dad anyway."
That's when Edward interrupts me. "Wait, your dad's a cop?" he looks startled by this information.
"Yeah, he's the Chief of Police in Seattle PD," I say before continuing with my recollection. "Anyway, Jacob wasn't that bad when we first met. Of course he never opened doors for me or held out chairs for me," I add with a grin, making him chuckle lightly. "But it was … nice, being in a relationship, I mean."
"What changed?"
I shrug. "I got into the Academy."
He frowns. "What do you mean? What's your profession got to do with this?"
"Everything," I reply simply, feeling all those old wounds sting a little bit even after a whole year. "When he heard that I was going to be an agent, someone a little higher up on the food chain, he flipped. Turned out, he was hoping to get a promotion if he ever got to put a ring on me." I roll my eyes at the ridiculous thought.
When I take a look at him, there's a faraway look on his face, and I hate to be the one to put it there. "I'm sorry. If you don't want to hear this …"
He tightens his grip on my hand and shakes his head. "No, Bella, I want to know you … all of you. So continue please."
"You sure you're okay?"
Nodding he replies, "Yeah. So what? He tried to use you to climb up the professional ladder?"
"That's one way to put it," I say, remembering how pathetic that asshole made me feel then. "He pretended to be interested in me. That was the height of his deceit … a camouflage to hide who he really was ... a selfish prick."
He doesn't ask me anything except raising an eyebrow in question, and I continue talking. "Things got bad after I got into Narcotics, and then they got really bad when I was promoted to the Organized Crime Division."
"What did he do? Did he hurt you?" Edward's voice is very quiet as he asks the question through gritted teeth.
I quickly shake my head, not wanting to make him think that I'm some damsel in distress because I'm nothing of that sort. "No, he wouldn't have dared to lay a hand on me. He just used his words to do it."
"What did he do, Bella?" he repeats. "What did he say to you?"
"He …" I stop to take a breath before uttering the words that had tormented me for months after that day. "He called me a cheap slut because I was so gullible to let him in my life. And he said I was too immature for him … that I loved my career more than anything. And he said that I'm not marriage material."
When I'm done talking, I wait for him to speak, but it seems like he has been turned into a statue because he doesn't speak until I can't take it anymore.
"Edward, say something, please," I request him in a hoarse voice, wondering if I did the right thing by saying all these to him.
What if he thinks that I'm not even worth dating because of how invested I am in my job?
He tilts his head to the side and looks at me. "What did you tell him when he said those words to you?"
His question leaves me feeling baffled, and all I can do is answer with the truth. "I punched him in the face and broke his nose," I respond, starting to pull my hand out of his.
A smile appears on his pretty face as he grabs my hand to stop me. "That's my girl," he says, sounding so damn proud. "Bella, listen to me. You're not a prize to be won for me. No, to me, you're a treasure to be cherished. You are so much more than what that fuck-face was even capable of comprehending." He kisses the back of my hand before continuing. "And you're immature? No, you're like a breath of fresh air in a smog-filled environment."
Something makes my heart skip a beat as I hear him speak so passionately about me and then it starts beating faster when he adds, "Don't even think of what that asshole said to you for one moment, beautiful. I don't believe those things, and I promise to prove that to you one day."
That's the moment I get a glimpse of a new side of my sweet pretty boy—his possessive side. And dare I say it? I like it … a lot.
A/N: And that's the mystery behind our Mystery Girl. ;)
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Take care.
Ann