Now
Work was slow.
Very slow.
Bella yawned and took another sip of her coffee. She hadn't been sleeping well ever since her encounter the day she and Alice had gone cake tasting. Her mind continued to run through her exchange with Edward. The fact that he remembered that they had been each other's firsts was disturbing to her. He wasn't supposed to remember any of it.
She was still avoiding him any time he was at the house working. He and his men had already made some headway with the front porch. It had been completely deconstructed. The first sight of it startled Bella. Seeing that the porch where she'd spent her childhood was gone was an unsettling.
They'd already taped up the front door so nobody would utilize it and fall on their faces into the ground below. This made it slightly easier for Bella to leave her house and head to work unnoticed.
She'd noticed him, though. Watching him carry heavy equipment and seeing the veins in his arms made Bella's heart race. He'd made the work appear to be effortless. On the occasion where he wasn't in the middle of transporting large pieces of wood, he would greet her. She would stutter a reply and walk faster before she did anything embarrassing.
That's exactly what had happened this morning as well. She sighed and began wiping the counter for the sixth time since she had arrived at work. The bell above her door rang and she glanced up to see who the visitor was.
Standing at the front of the shop was the man who she had been attempting to avoid - the man who had been the star of her thoughts. She straightened.
"Hello, Edward." She was grateful her voice didn't crack.
"Hello, Bella."
His low voice made her shiver. He wasn't wearing a baseball cap, which surprised Bella, since she hadn't seen him without it since he had come back. He was also wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt despite the slight chill in the air.
Strange...
Because his cap wasn't hiding his eyes, she could see how vibrant they were. She'd always felt that those eyes could see right through her.
She shifted her weight.
"What can I do for you?"
He didn't respond to her at first. Instead, he glanced around for a moment. It didn't appear that he was looking for anything in particular. His eyes swept the room and landed on Bella again. He headed to the counter. Her eyes widened as he neared her. His expression was one of adoration - similar to the first time he had told her he loved her.
"Well," he looked up at her through his eyelashes. "I'm hoping that we could get back together."
It took a moment for the words to register. He reached across the counter and touched her face. The touch felt...odd, but she could barely focus on anything other than his gaze and the words he was saying.
"Back together?" Bella's said breathlessly. Desire coursed through her.
"Yes," he smiled softly. "I remember everything. Bella, I love you. I've always loved you."
"But...the spell?" Bella frowned, trying to focus. Something felt very off. She was trying to pinpoint it, but she was struggling.
"The spell didn't work on me," he leaned closer. "I really love you."
His breath touched her face. He was so close to her. If she moved half an inch closer, her lips would meet his. Her eyes met hers, drawing her in. When she looked more closely at his eyes, she realized why it felt wrong.
"You're not real, are you?" Bella whispered.
He gave her his famous half smile. "No, I'm not, but I am what you desire most."
Then, he was gone, and Bella was alone in the shop again. She shook her head, attempting to clear her mind of the image of her ex-lover. It wasn't her imagination playing tricks on her. She knew exactly what that was and why it felt off.
Her phone buzzed.
Alice.
She put the phone to her ear.
"Hello, Alice."
"Bella," Alice sounded winded. Bella imagined that she just had vision and rushed to make this call. "My mom's coming to town today, which means-"
"Which means that I'll see my deepest desire?" Bella interrupted her, groaning and placing her free hand over her face.
Alice was only a moment late. Fortunately, Bella's sensitivity to other witches made her sense it immediately. Unfortunately, this didn't change the fact that Bella's greatest desire was Edward.
"Did she…" Alice didn't finish her thought, and she didn't need to.
"Yes."
"Did you see-"
"Yes."
They were both quiet for a moment.
"Are you okay?"
Bella sighed. "Yes. Did you see anything?"
"No, not yet, but I'm sure I will." She wondered briefly what Alice's vision may be.
Bella's aunt - Alice's mother Tanya - had a gift that affected everyone she came into contact with. Ever since Grandma Helen had passed, Bella felt the effects of Tanya's magic whenever she was near. It turned out that Helen had placed a protection spell over Bella and Alice - at Tanya's request. Much like Alice's ability to show people the future, Tanya had an ability to show people their truest desires. The only difference was that she didn't have complete control over her gift - similar to Bella.
And unfortunately for Bella, every time Tanya came into town, she'd see visions of the only man she'd ever loved. This time, that man happened to be in town.
"How long is she in town for, Alice?"
Bella prayed it wasn't long. She couldn't have Edward feeling the effect of Tanya's gift.
Alice was quiet for a moment and then answered.
"Four days."
Bella sighed. "We need to figure something out."
"Well…" Alice's tone was suddenly playful. "To be fair, her gift helped me find Jasper."
"That was a little different," Bella laughed, remembering how quickly Jasper and Alice fell for one another. "You didn't accidentally place a love spell on Jasper."
"Yeah, that's true. She's going to enter the store in a moment, so I'll let you go."
Sure enough, when Bella hung up with Alice, the door to her shop opened. A woman stepped inside. She was wearing all black, which, with her dark hair and pale skin, made her eyes pop. The same eyes that Alice had. The few people who were out stopped and stared into the shop, which is what always happened when Bella's aunt came to town. She was gorgeous and intimidating.
And she could show anyone their deepest desires. The dazed looks of the town residents who stood outside proved that Tanya already had shown them theirs.
"Hello, Isabella," her smooth voice responded. "How are you, my dear?"
Bella grinned and rushed over to her aunt. Her aunt had helped her through a lot when Helen passed. She'd become a second mother to her. They embraced one another.
"Really, how are you?" Tanya repeated.
"I'm fine," Bella said with her face in her aunt's hair. "However, I'm assuming you must be stressed over this wedding, yes? Is that why Edward Cullen was just in my shop professing his love to me?"
Tanya pulled back and narrowed her eyes at Bella. "He was? Did I miss him?"
Bella raised an eyebrow. It took a moment for Tanya to realize what she had meant. When it registered, she looked a little embarrassed. The blush that spread across her cheeks made her look younger than her age.
"Is that why the weird town people are staring at me?"
Bella glanced behind Tanya at the two women and the young boy who were still peering into the shop. She nodded.
"That may have to do with your looks more than your ability to show them what they want."
Tanya frowned and touched Bella's cheek. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to do that to you. You're right, I must be stressed. Perhaps you, Alice, and I can have a girl's night and let loose by casting some spells?"
Bella grinned. "Well, I will only be doing small meaningless spells if we do that."
Tanya's eyes crinkled at the edges when she returned her smile.
"Deal."
Thanks for reading! This story is beginning to take on a mind of its own, but I'm having fun writing it. I hope you're all enjoying reading it :)
I appreciate your patience as we figure out what happened before.
More importantly, Happy MLK Day!
-Bravery