Chapter Two
Edward lived in a quiet part of town with a driveway that led almost into the forest behind the yard. I'd never been to his house, but the way he'd described how his backyard bled out into a forest made it sound like something out of a fairy tale. His car was parked in between some rose bushes, so I pulled up next to it cautiously, trying not to ruin the landscaping. I could see the back of the house, with large sliding doors, an enormous window that showed a lit-up kitchen, and a glass back door.
I sat in my car, in the complete dark, looking out to see if I could glimpse some sense of life through the windows. I hadn't seen the front of the house properly because I was in such a hurry to get here, so I didn't know where his front door was. I shot out a quick 'I'm here' text and just waited patiently.
Grabbing my purse, I got out of the car and zipped up my hoodie to shield myself against the cold winter air. I resisted the urge to grab a smoke, knowing Edward didn't approve of smokers in general.
In the next second, Edward appeared in the light that shone through the glass door. He opened it, sending a ray of warm light outside along with a smile on his face. His hair was slightly damp, and he wore a black T-shirt, his arm tattoos on display. I tried to ignore how my heart literally skipped a beat at the sight of him.
"Hi," I greeted him, walking up the little steps onto his back patio.
"I'm really glad to see you, Bella," he said, opening his arms to invite me in for a hug. I stepped toward him, eager to feel his embrace. I needed something good after the evening I'd just had. Edward smelled of sandalwood and man, and I reveled in the scent as his warm arms enveloped me. I knew I was lingering and that this hug was taking a lot longer than a casual embrace between friends—a friendly hug. Would he notice?
"Thanks so much for letting me come over," I said, stepping away before I was really ready, already missing the warmth of him.
"Come in, it's freezing outside."
I nodded with a small smile, following him inside and closing the door behind me. There was a faint smell of food that lingered in his kitchen, reminding me of the smell of my gran's meatloaf and of the fact that I hadn't eaten a proper meal at all today. I set my bag down on one of the bar stools at the breakfast bar and followed Edward into the living room. I had never seen the inside of his home, but from what I'd seen so far it couldn't be more him if he tried. There were hoodies over the backs of the dining chairs and an array of opened mail on the large dining table. It smelled cozy and there was some incense burning on a cabinet displaying several 'car dude' memorabilia. I felt a little awkward standing there in the middle of the room, so I averted my gaze, fixing my eyes on the fireplace that was crackling gently.
"Come sit down," Edward patted the spot on the dove-grey, leather L-shaped couch next to him. I smiled and accepted his request.
"Are you okay?" I asked him, noticing the dark circles under his eyes, which seemed to have lost some of their vibrancy. Edward smiled weakly at me and rubbed his temples. His legs were spread far apart, his knee touching my leg.
"Not exactly, but we're not here for that. Tell me what's wrong, B," he said sweetly, focusing his attention on me. I let out a deep breath and tried to steady my emotions so I wouldn't cry. This man barely knew me, yet he cared enough to invite me into his house and listen to what was bothering me. Mike had never once shown me that kind of attention.
"I'm sorry to burden you with my problems, but I had nowhere else to go. I can't go to Kate's, you know why. And I can't go to my mom because I don't want her to worry even more than she already does," I began.
Edward nodded.
"Your mom said you were having some issues with your man, and I know you have issues with him already. You've told me everything that's happened, and frankly, I don't know why you keep up with him."
Edward had a way of being unintentionally harsh, but just enough to make you realize that there really was a problem at hand.
"I'm sorry," I trailed off.
"You really have to stop apologizing, B. It's not your fault and you need to stop with it. You're not pestering me with your presence. At all, okay?" he assured me, his warm hand covering mine. I couldn't do anything but smile.
"You know, I really get along great with your mom. She talks about you a lot, and even though she worries about you, she never once talks you down. She just wishes you would see how much of a jerk Mike is and see your true worth."
I didn't know whether I minded the fact that I was sitting here on the couch with a friend of my mother's. Maybe he felt obligated to be there for me, for her sake. Perhaps my mom told him to monitor me, even? God, what if he doesn't really want me here?
"Yeah, mom's great, I suppose. She just needs to live her own life now. She finally got out of her awful marriage and I don't want her dulling her sparkle with my bad choices."
Edward held my gaze with a hard and pointed look."Ever think about the fact that maybe your mom doesn't want you to repeat her mistakes?"
"You seem to have some insight on this whole topic, right? I know her mouth doesn't stop moving for even one second, so she made you a witness to the gossip of Renée Dwyer," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Look, Bella. Yeah, she talks a lot, and she suffered a lot. She just wants to see her little girl happy and content. Not trapped in any kind of way. You get that right?"
"I'm not her little girl anymore, you know?" I said, feeling uncomfortably self-conscious.
Edward smirked and rolled his eyes.
"B, I know you're not. I can tell just fine," he muttered, scratching the back of his neck.
"I want to leave him," I stated bluntly.
Edward lifted his brows in surprise.
"You mean it this time? You're ready for that change?" he asked, his voice soft.
I shrugged.
"I can't do this anymore, I really can't. I see no future and that just sucks. On the other hand, I'm going to have to start over again. That won't be great, but I guess more people do it. Look at mom, she's over fifty and she's doing better than ever now."
"You're still so young, B. You can do this. Don't stay in a loveless relationship that's making you unhappy. Plus, you deserve so much more. You should have someone next to you that gives you the world."
"I should get going, Edward. It's getting late, and you probably have work in the morning and I'm imposing. I'm sor—," I caught myself and shut my mouth before I went to apologize again. Edward noticed and smiled.
"Good girl," he remarked, his green eyes sparkling. Little did he know it made my insides melt.
"And no, you're staying here tonight."
My eyes went wide at his sudden command.
"What about Irina? Won't she mind me being here?" I stammered nervously.
"Irina can suck it, and she doesn't get a say in this. This is my house, so whoever I invite to stay here, gets to stay here," Edward responded, determined.
"Whoa, things really are pretty bad, aren't they?" I asked.
He sighed. "Yeah, they aren't good. She'd been MIA all week, and now I found out she was over at her friend Alec's place for two days straight. She didn't call, text anything." Edward shook his head. "I know I am a little out of the game, after not dating for twelve years, but I'm sure it doesn't usually go like this."
I frowned.
Twelve years.
"Twelve years? Man, that's tough…" I remarked.
How could it be possible to look like him and be alone for all those long years?
"Yeah, well, I work a lot and I'm not a particularly warm person. I haven't been looking either. Meeting Irina was almost an accident. I wasn't looking for a relationship, and she still tricked me into this shit."
"Tricked?" I wondered.
"Did you eat?" Edward asked, changing the subject. I guessed it was one topic on his 'just don't ask' list.
I shook my head.
"I'll fix you something."
He stood up, pulling up his pants in the process.
"No, that's fine. Really, I'm not starving."
"Shush, I don't want you wasting away. You're getting skinny, B," he noted, my face warming up with a blush because of his eyes wandering all over my body.
I followed his steps into the kitchen, where Edward opened up the fridge.
"I'm just going to go smoke if that's okay."
I couldn't wait any longer. My nerves were getting the best of me and I just needed my nicotine right now.
"Yeah, there's a flower pot you can use as an ashtray."
I nodded and made my way to the back patio. From the dark outside, I quickly realized I could peek into the kitchen through the big window there. Giving in to my attraction to him, I watched, mesmerized by him as he moved confidently around his kitchen. Edward was so masculine, the stereotypical bad-boy, and yet here he was, looking so cute and sweet as he chopped some lettuce.
Such a catch, I thought to myself.
