I voted! If you are in the US please go and vote. I don't care for who...just have an informed opinion and go and pull that lever (or push that button as I did). I'm keeping who I voted for a secret, like a birthday wish. It won't come true if you tell.

Chapter Eighteen

Opportunity

"So Alice told me Bella started running," Jasper said casually as he tossed Edward a beer. He should be thankful for the company, but he wished his friends would just leave already. He wanted to be alone. It was pitiful to cry yourself to sleep when your friends were sleeping in the next room.

"Yeah?" Edward grunted, as he tried to listen. He wished Jasper would stop saying Bella's name. Every mention of her, cut through him.

"She's working up to three miles now. She might end up passing the house pretty soon."

Edward looked up at him, suddenly desperate for more information.

"What?" he rasped.

"Yeah, Alice said she leaves her parent's house and loops around the other side of Broad before she comes over to this side. She goes out every morning before her dad leaves for work," Jasper told him, kindly ignoring the way Edward was hanging on his every word.

Charlie left for work at eight every morning. So if Bella was running an eleven minute mile, and doing three miles, and their house was a mile and a half from her parents' house…

Then that meant Edward was terrible at math.

*()*()*

Edward found himself standing in front of their living room window at seven the next morning. He didn't care if he had to stand there all day, he would do anything to see Bella. The window was open a crack, just enough that he was able to hear a rhythmic sound coming. His palms were damp and his heart was racing as he leaned forward. He tried to look down the hill, his cheek pressing against the cool glass, leaving a smudge mark on the otherwise pristine surface.

Suddenly, he was unable to breathe as he watches Bella come up the road. Her hair was up off her neck in a high ponytail, swinging freely as she ran. She was dressed in all black, as if she were a shadow trying to hide from the early morning sun. Her head was up, earphones in and Edward found himself silently begging her to turn her head and look at him. He just wanted one glimpse of her big, brown eyes. He was desperate to see if they were still full of love for him.

But she didn't.

He watched her until he couldn't see her anymore, waiting until the last swish of her ponytail had disappeared before he fell to his knees and cried. He missed her so much; the teasing glimpse of her made him ache. He would do anything to get her back.

As soon as his tears were dry, he was on the phone to the therapist, scheduling twice weekly appointments for as long as was necessary to fix him. Whatever he had to do, he would do.

But for now he would watch her from his window, and it would have to be enough.

One more 'present' chapter and then an epi.

Almost done.

Love that you guys are with me on this ride again!