AN: So my normal posting will be Sundays and in a few weeks I'll begin posting Edward's story
My absolutely heartfelt thanks to MeteorOnAMoonlessNight and annharding who pick up on word order, lack of commas and general grammatical errors. Without them this would not read as well as it does
To all followers and favoriters, leave me a review; let me know what you think
I love every single review I receive, it makes me feel 10 feet tall and if I was 10 feet tall then I'd be the right height for my weight so keep them coming you lovely people
Disclaimer: SM owns, I play
A Little Piece of My Heart
Summary
After moving to San Francisco for her dream job, Bella lives her life to the fullest, even though a little piece of her heart is missing. It's small enough to be missed but large enough to know something is missing.
A story of not knowing what you have until it's almost too late.
Chapter 3
After a restless night, I woke earlier than normal. I showered again, wondering what would greet me when I left my room. I needn't have worried; Edward was already long gone, leaving me a note on the fridge. There was nothing unusual about that since it was the way we normally communicated, but the fact that he'd told me he was taking Kate away for a few days and wouldn't be home tonight at all made me feel as if I didn't matter.
I left for work feeling out of sorts, worried about how our relationship would be affected by what nearly happened last night. A mid-morning text from Edward told me how he was going to approach the situation.
I'm so sorry about last night, B. It was all my fault and I let things go too far ~ E
I didn't know what to say back, and another text eventually followed mid-afternoon.
You haven't answered, B. I promise it won't ruin anything ~ E
When I still didn't respond, he sent a few more.
I haven't told Kate and I think we should keep it between us, don't you? ~ E
Bella, answer me please ~ E
I gave in and answered.
I don't know what to say, Edward. I guess I could have stopped it if I'd wanted to ~ B
He said nothing more about that, and the next text just made me angry. He'd initiated things last night after saying he and Kate were over and now he wanted to just forget it? I couldn't deny how much it hurt that he could just dismiss what we'd done—worse, what we'd almost done.
Thanks, B. That's a weight off my mind. Kate and I are going to work things out. It was just a stupid blip. Say we're still best friends, please? ~ E
OK, yes. When will you be back? ~ B
I've taken a couple of days off work, so I'll be back on Wednesday after work ~ E
Well, I'll see you when you get back then ~ B
I called Jess, and when she said she was free for the weekend, I invited myself over. I needed to tell someone about what had happened or I'd never get past it, and a good night out tomorrow would go a long way to soothing my bruised ego.
After finishing work for the day, I slipped home and packed a sexy outfit for the clubbing we'd planned for Saturday evening, along with the usual sleep clothes, underwear, and toiletries. At six, I locked the door and headed downstairs, climbing into my small Jeep and heading north across Seattle to Jess's apartment. Even with the Friday evening traffic I made it to her place just under an hour after leaving work.
"Bella," she squealed when she opened her front door to let me in. "It's been ages since we've hung out together. I'm so looking forward to this weekend."
I hugged her, glad that we'd stayed friends right from high school in Forks through college in Seattle. Even when my mom had up and left my dad, taking me with her to Phoenix, Jess and I had remained firm friends, meeting up when I'd visit Dad during vacation. When Mom died of cancer and I'd returned to Forks, we'd picked up where we left off. She had been the one to pull me through that awful time and had even put off going to college for a year until I was ready to face the world again.
"Me, too, Jess. I've missed you," I murmured while she rocked me back and forth and then pulled me further into the apartment she shared with Lauren.
"You're okay with sharing a bed, right, Bella? Lauren's away for the weekend, but I want to have a slumber party, get drunk on wine, watch chick flicks, and talk about boys all night. I've got all our favorites." She chattered non-stop as she grabbed my bag, hauling it into the bedroom, and then headed toward the kitchen to put out plates and silverware before answering the door to the delivery man.
Seated in front of the sofa between it and the coffee table, I was just pushing the food around the plate. "Edward and I fooled around last night."
"I knew it; I knew there was something between you two. How did this happen? Tell me everything," Jess squealed again, her eyes shining.
When tears filled my eyes, her face fell and she pulled me into another hug. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Bella. Please, tell me what happened. I know he's always been your best friend, and I really thought that one day you'd both realize you mean more to each other." She rose and grabbed a box of tissues from the table and seated herself beside me again. "Tell me what happened," she repeated softly.
I spent the next hour telling her about the fight between Edward and Kate, how we snuggled up together on the sofa as we've always done. Each thing I told her tore me up a bit more until I was sobbing as I described how I hadn't seen him since Kate had called that night and interrupted us.
"I never thought he could be so callous, Jess. I know he and Kate had just broken up, but to do that to me and then walk away was just plain selfish and callous. We haven't spoken at all, just a few texts." I showed her my phone and the messages he'd sent earlier in the day. "Maybe it's just as well her call stopped us before we went too far." I took another tissue and blew my nose, wiping away the latest bout of tears. "I don't want to lose my best friend, Jess. I really hope we can come back from this. I don't know why I let it get as far as it did. It was stupid, but it's not as if I've ever thought of him that way, either."
"This needs more than wine, Bella." Jess heaved herself to her feet and rummaged in the back of the freezer, bringing back a bottle of Grey Goose and filling our wine glasses with it. We sat in silence while the movie she'd put in earlier played on, unwatched.
Jess finally broke the silence. "I have no idea what to say to all that. It might take some work to get back to where you were before, but you've been friends for too long to let this ruin a great friendship. Are you sure you don't want more from him?"
"No, Jess, our relationship has always been about friendship. Of course I think he's attractive, but it never entered my mind to cross that line. He's been with Kate forever, and despite their arguments, I think they love each other. I don't want to get between them."
"As long as you're sure that's what you want, Bella, but you still need to talk to him."
I nodded and turned my attention to the television, blindly watching as Mia accepted Michael's proposal. Not sleeping last night, the impossible day at work, and my crying jag had all conspired to exhaust me. I leaned back against the sofa, closing my eyes.
~ oOo ~