Ch. 36 (Continued)
"I can't play with him!" Edward growled in vexation as he crossed the room to stand near Bella's chair.
"Edward, you have to try," Bella sighed as she lifted her head from her hand. She had been trying to doze off during the band's practice, but thus far she had had no luck between Edward's tantrums and the overall ruckus caused by the instruments.
"He's just a Reservation whelp who's all thumbs!" Edward bit back. The memory of Jake botching the latest piece crossed his mind, causing him to almost smash his hand against the wall in frustration. Crossing his arms forcefully against his sides to refrain from causing any bodily damage, Edward leaned against the wall instead.
"Edward!" Bella scolded from her seat at the remark. "Be nice."
"I have been nice," Edward retorted. "We have a concert tomorrow night and because of him," Edward gestured towards Jake," we're going to be the laughing stock of the evening!"
Resisting the desire to pinch the bridge of her nose, Bella took a deep breath at Edward's fifth outburst within the past half hour. If he wasn't complaining about the melody, it was the pitch. If not the pitch, it was the tempo. No matter what the case, Edward had managed to blame Jake for each hiccup, even when her friend hadn't been participating or it was rather evident that Jake was not at fault.
"Look, he's only had a few days to practice the songs, of course he's going to make mistakes." Bella reasoned once she counted to ten. Of all places she wanted to be, it was not here, back in the practice studio with Edward and the Hell-Risers, not even three days after their conversation in her bedroom. She especially didn't want to be here with Edward in such a mindset, trying to calm the man down.
"Yeah, well, if he can't keep up then he shouldn't have joined," Edward huffed, crossing his arms once more, this time in a pout.
"Keep up?" Bella repeated. The indignation of her fiance's words and his behavior caused her voice to hitch slightly as her calm resolve rapidly disappeared. Rising from her seat, brown orbs glared up into green. "You, Emmett, Jasper, and Laurent have been practicing these songs for how long? Months? Years? How do you expect him - anyone in fact - to 'keep up'?" The exasperation in her tone was evident, Bella could hear it herself, but she didn't care at this point. She was tired. Tired of the antics, tired of the drama, and simply just physically exhausted.
For as much as she was proud of what the group had accomplished thus far, and for as much as she longed to see her best friend make a name for himself, Bella did not want to be here. It was too emotionally trying, despite her belief that she could handle it. As is, there was no need to be physically present beyond Edward's persistent desire to have her by his side.
She could easily admit that Edward had been right about one thing, however, when he pointed out that she could not spend her days wallowing away in her bedroom. Simply put, it was not healthy. But, did that make returning to the tour the correct solution, especially on such terms?
It wasn't as if she didn't have options if she stayed back home with Alice and Rosalie. Both women had drilled them into her when they caught her packing her bags. Alice reasoned that she could try to enroll for Spring classes, despite her late attempt, and Rosalie had pointed out that she could work to rebuild some of her savings. Either of those options, albite being boring, would allow her time to focus on herself without the presence of certain others being around to cloud her judgment.
And, yet, despite the obvious healthy and safe choices, Bella found herself lured back as if she was entranced by a siren's call.
Glancing at the clock in the corner, Bella bit back a sigh. It was almost 1 in the afternoon. She had been back for less than 7 hours and was already ready anxious to pack her bags and go back home. That notion nearly caused Bella to snort in sarcastic amusement. Pack her bags, indeed. She still hadn't even made it to her room to unpack anything since arriving earlier that morning.
Scheduled for a redeye flight to ensure that Bella would be back on tour by the second concert, Bella had landed well into the night. Normally, the flight would have been an ideal set up. Not only had the schedule allotted her time to spend with Alice and Rose before she waltz back into the lion's den, but she would have time to sleep in a less crowded environment. Unfortunately, all those lovely factors flew out the window. Between her friends' anxiety over her well-being, a child crying throughout the entire trip, and her thoughts to keep her company, Bella never slept.
To make matters more pleasant, her fiance was nowhere to be found when she landed. With his phone going straight to voicemail and not knowing where the hotel was, Bella was stranded at the airport until she was able to get ahold of David. Thankfully, the driver had no problem picking her up, and by the time the sun crested the horizon she was settled comfortably into the passenger seat, finally able to relax.
Her moment of respite ended about 20 minutes into the trip, however, when Bella discerned that they were heading out of town rather than to the hotel. Upon inquiring, Bella discovered that it would be simpler to simply head to their next destination since the rest of the tour would be leaving shortly themselves. Realizing there was not much she could do at that point, she simply settled in for the next leg of their trip. Unfortunately, sleep still evaded her, despite David's offer to drive the entire duration.
By the time she arrived at the hotel, she was sleepy, stiff, and beginning to become irritated with the world around her. Her irritation doubled at the hotel when strong arms swept her up in a surprise hug before whisking her away to join them for band practice rather than let her retreat to the safe confines of a comfortable bed. And that's where she was, four hours later, trying, but failing, to zone off and rest.
Blinking as her eyes landed back on the man in front of her, Bella belatedly realized that she had completely missed Edward's reply and had apparently blocked part of his continued rant about how Jake kept ruining everything. She had been doing that a lot today, and not for the first time contemplated if her mental state was the reason why she had such a short fuse with her fiance of late or if her mannerism was simply a result of Edward's lack of patience and the heightened level of tension in the room.
Recalling that they were not alone, Bella's eyes scanned their surroundings. Sure enough, the other members were opening watching their argument unfold before them. Unsettled at being the center of an undesired attention, Bella subtly shifted to put her back between Edward and the other occupants. For as much as she wanted to snap At Edward, that was not the solution they needed at the moment, especially in front of an audience. Sighing, she closed her eyes for a moment before speaking.
"Edward," Bella interrupted, causing the man to stop speaking. "You promised," Bella reminded quietly. Receiving nothing but silence as a reply, Bella pushed her stance on the matter. She had come this far, she was not going to allow Edward to create holes in their agreement. "Look, he's good and you know it. Give him another chance," Bella requested before adding, "please?"
Sighing, Edward ran long fingers through amber locks as he glanced about the room himself. He had been delighted at Bella's proposal, but having to actually play with her friend rattled every fiber of his being. Why couldn't Bella just come to her senses and see that she didn't have to create such stipulations in order for him to want to be with her? After another moment's hesitation, Edward caved, "For you, I will," Edward agreed. He would just have to show how much Bella meant to him, even if it meant putting up with unwanted guests.
"Thank you," Bella smiled, relieved that another situation had been defused.
"Alright, from the top," Edward called after leaving a chaste kiss upon the shorter woman's lips.
Holding still during the kiss, Bella's smile tightened as she settled back into her chair for another bout of practice as Edward rejoined the group.
"Good evening, miss. How may I help you?"
"Yes, hi. I need to get a room for the night," Bella greeted the attendant managing the front lobby. The sun had set over an hour ago and she was just now getting a chance to go up to her room to change for dinner.
"Certainly, last name?" the woman inquired.
"Swan."
"Ah, Miss Swan." Grabbing a few items, the woman handed over the information with the room key inside. "You're all set, enjoy your stay."
Glancing at the key pass, a tired brain took a moment to process that she hadn't handed over any crucial information to finalize the room reservation.
"Um, don't I have to pay?" Bella inquired, still not taking the offered material.
"The room has been reserved for you and the fees have all been covered," the receptionist reassured.
"Covered? Reserved by whom?" Bella blinked, surprised.
"I'm afraid I am unable to answer that question, but rest assured that all of your expenses have been taken care of during your stay. Should you need anything, just bill it to the room."
"Are you sure you have the right Swan?" Bella pushed, still bewildered by the turn of events.
Chuckling, the woman slid the information and keycard across the countertop towards her guest. "Yes, miss. Please, enjoy your stay and let me know if you need anything else."
Her mind distracted with trying to solve this impromptu mystery, Bella absently thanked the woman as she picked up the items before heading to the elevator.
Who would have covered her expenses? And why?
Pushing the button to the indicated floor, Bella wondered if Edward had done it as an apology or as a thank you. However, as the door opened to the desired hallway, Bella was unable to find anything to support that theory. This was especially so considering the fact that Edward had done the complete opposite by going as far as offering to kick his band members out of their shared room in order to convince her to stay with him.
Entering her room, Bella locked the door behind her before dropping her luggage onto the large bed in the center of the room.
Then, was it Jake?
Pausing to consider that option for a moment, Bella quickly dismissed that idea as well before stripping for a shower.
Even though Jake was her best friend, there was no reason for him to go to such lengths, even as a thank you for setting up the gig. They had been best friends for a long time and never had they thanked each other in such manners.
Stepping onto the cold tile, a shiver racked Bella's frame as a small smile graced her lips. If anything, Jake should be hating her for the opportunity with the grueling practice he was forced to endure.
Deciding she wouldn't worry about solving the mystery for the time being, Bella turned on the water and let out a content moan as the hot water worked wonders on removing both the grime and the stress of the past twenty four hours from her body.
By the time she stepped out of the shower, her skin was pruney and squeaky clean, much to her delight. That happiness was vastly overshadowed, however, as the fresh sight of the hotel room reminded Bella that she still didn't know the identity of who paid for her room.
It was evident that Laurent and Jasper were out of the running. So was Emmett, despite his brotherly affection for her. Her father still didn't know she was on tour, nor did Renee, and there was no reason Rosalie or Alice would pay for her lodgings, considering their stance on her returning to the tour. That really only left one other option.
Wrapping her hair in a towel, Bella glanced at the charm hanging off the side of her purse. It was a tiny, silver hornlet gifted to her by Kate for Christmas. The cornicello was an Italian amulet meant to protect the wearer against the evil eye. Her sisters had thought the gift was silly, due to the fact that Bella was not Italian, despite her name, but Bella had found the gesture rather enduring and despite their fallout, could not bring herself to leave it behind.
But why would the Denalis go to such lengths? Weren't they upset with her? They had been so distant at the New Years party, surely they must hate her. Furthermore, Bella had still not even seen the women, which made her sad, especially when considering the fact that they typically showed up during the guys' practices.
Deciding she wouldn't think of such depressing thoughts, Bella busied herself with getting ready for dinner. Going the extra length to dry and style her hair, Bella slipped on a black dinner gown and heels before applying a light shadowing of makeup and accessories. Really, there was no need to dress so formally, considering that they were only going to be dining as a group in the lobby, but Bella wanted to feel good about herself.
Grabbing her purse, Bella hesitated at the door. To her left was the elevator, which would take her down to the lobby where everyone was waiting for her. To the right was the door to the hidden stairwell. Hesitating for just a moment, a pair of feet blindly led their owner towards the stairs and away from the laughter and merriment circulating floors below her.