A/N: Hey y'all! So patience has never been my virtue, and once I finished retouching this chapter, I couldn't wait to release it! So a little housekeeping: I forgot to mention that One More Hook... was a previously posted story here on FFn. I took it down because it needed a lot of work plot wise. Also, someone PMd me to let me know that lyrics are not allowed on FFn, but I took that as a challenge to rewrite this story, removing the 'illegal" lyrics and adding more depth to the chapters. As you can tell, music and lyrics are a big driving force of this story, and it's been thrilling for me to write something including music! This chapter and the next were inspired by Nick Wilson's "Closer". Now since I can't include lyrics, y'all will just need to give it a listen before reading this. Edward's texts are in bold, Bella's are in italics. Cool? Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, only the things I make them do. All creative credit goes to Stephanie Meyer for creating the universe I like to meddle in ;)
Chapter 2: Captivated
BPOV
I open the heavy wooden door that belongs to Midnight Sun, the coziest bar I know, and I'm immediately assaulted by heavy the scent of spilled beer and greasy food. This place is home. I also smell a strong whiff of vanilla custard vapor and I can't help but smile. Marcus. I follow the heady fog all the way back to the office. I tap a knuckle on the rough wood door and call out to Marcus. When I hear a gruff 'come in' I turn the brushed nickel handle and push the door in with my shoulder. Marcus is sitting behind his cluttered desk chain vaping from his mammoth e-cig. It's like walking onto the stage at a rock concert with a fogger machine. That's my uncle. I stand in the doorway giving him the evil eye, hands on my hips, for a full minute before he notices me through the clouds.
"Izzy Marie! What the hell are you doing in my bar on your weekend off, huh kid?" He bellows.
I chuckle and respond, "Uncle Marc! What the hell are you doing clouding up the place, huh? I thought you were cutting back. I walk in the front door and all I can smell is your vanilla custard shit."
Marcus lets out a riotous laugh that makes me grin in return. He rounds the desk and picks me up in a bone crushing bear hug. I take a second to breathe him in. The vanilla custard smell is in the forefront, overly sweet and buttery with an undercurrent of burnt candy, but the English Leather smell is stronger, it's rich and masculine, but ancient at the same time. That's my uncle. The man who took me in when I was seven years old because Charlie and Renee, my sperm and egg donors, were too busy being neglectful assholes and getting wasted to be my parents. Talk about irony though, the one person everyone expected to be the screw-up in my family turned out to be the most responsible. Marcus Swan: owner of a 'seedy' bar, unmarried to the same woman for twenty plus years, a smoker, versus Charlie Swan: local cop, 'upstanding citizen', married to Renee Swan for 15 years… You get the picture. But when my parents failed me, he didn't.
I hug him just a little bit tighter in my gratefulness before I let him go. Uncle Marc breaks the silence by asking his question again. "Izzy, what are you doing here on your day off, huh? You normally avoid this place like the plague." I chuckle because it's true, and then I read him the text I got from Edward earlier this afternoon saying:
Bella love... My studio session is running long. Sorry babe :( Please Pleassssse meet me at Midnight at 8.
"So that's why I'm here…" I say with a touch of melancholy in my voice. "Part of me knows that Edward's a busy man, but shit do I feel like he's been distant lately."
My uncle gets this gleam in his eye that's more mischievous than normal. "Cut Ed some slack Iz, he's an actual friggin rock star." I guess this is what it's like to date a rock star… There's the sound of a glass breaking distantly, followed by a loud 'fuuuuuuck me'. I laugh because I know that voice. I'm pretty sure that Jasper, our new bartender, just broke another liquor bottle.
Uncle Marc takes off in the direction of the ruckus, leaving me in his messy office. I stay for a few minutes, going over the schedule for next week, making sure Marcus didn't fuck it up and filing a few invoices for him. I get lost in the familiarity until my phone vibrates in my pocket. When my screen comes alive, I see that I have a new text message from Edward reading:
Almost there. Laurent finally freed me from his evil clutches. I think I may need a shower ;)
I bark out a loud laugh. Laurent is Edward's flamboyantly gay producer who consistently hits on my man. At first, I was offended. He would flirt and leer at Edward even when I was present. I'm pretty sure my face showed it most days because Laurent finally pulled me aside one day, and told me in no uncertain terms that he was in a committed relationship with his "luvah" James. Laurent followed that up with, "Bella Bitch, if Eddie didn't look at you with loooove eyes every time you walk in a room, I may have tried something." And then he winked lasciviously at me and all was forgiven. I'm still giggling when I respond:
I should let him have you for breaking our plans, mister! :)
I close out my messages and check the time. I have about fifteen minutes before I'm supposed to meet Edward. I file one last invoice and leave the office on a mission. Didyme.
The solid wood of the office door closes behind me with a thunk, and I head in the direction of the kitchen. The smell of grease and salt calling my name. The bar's layout is pretty simple. If you're coming from the loading dock entrance, there's a hallway that leads to four places: The storage room with the freezer, the kitchen, Marcus' office, and the stage door. Only the staff, delivery guys, and 'talent' have access to that area. Now if you come in through the front, you're immediately met with swinging saloon style doors and a bouncer, usually either Felix or Demetri; although Emmett has been known to fill in on occasion, sitting to the right on a bar stool. If you follow the hallway on the right, there are restrooms, and all the way down the hall is Marcus' office.
Tonight Felix is on duty. With his shaved head, tattooed body and stoic demeanor, no one would dare give him a hard time. Plus, he's the size of an NFL linebacker. When I pass by, Felix's permascowl morphs into a boyish grin. "How's it goin' Miss Bella? That Eddie treating you alright?" His brow dips, most likely at the thought of anyone treating me less than gentlemanly. I rush to reassure him, for Edward's sake, "Yeah Felix! He treats me more than just alright if you know what I mean." I wink suggestively. "And how is Janie treating you?" I ask. Immediately Felix's face transforms into a megawatt smile that lights up his face. "Miss Bella, you know I don't kiss and tell," I swear I see the tips of his ears tinge pink. I've never seen anyone bring out the soft side in Felix faster than Jane. I giggle like a schoolgirl, shooting him a wave, and walk through the saloon doors.
I make a beeline to the bar, ducking under the lift in the bar. When I'm at my full height, I almost run smack dab into Jasper trying to impress a customer of the female persuasion by juggling a bottle of Jose Cuervo. I practically leave skid marks on the linoleum. Lucky for Jasper, I wear Vans whenever I'm in this place. Ruffling Jazz's hair on my way by, I warn him "If you break more than three bottles, you have to start paying outta your pocket."
"Duly noted, ma'am," Jasper says in his molasses thick southern drawl, giving me a playful salute. I roll my eyes because this is the second bottle he's broken this week. I pull the elastic off of my wrist while winding my hair into a sloppy topknot on my head out of habit, before heading into the kitchen. I peek through the porthole in the door before swinging it open, making sure no one's on the other side. I'm assaulted once again by the dense smell of frying grease and salt. It makes my mouth water.
Aunt Mae, short for Didyme, is standing at the deep fryer, her back to the door, setting a frying basket of homemade french fries on the hook. She deftly maneuvers to the grill to flip a burger, and then to the countertop where a plastic basket with a checkered wax paper square rests. She places the two white sides of a pretzel bun face up and squeezes ketchup and mayo on opposite sides.
"Enjoying the show?" She asks, shimmying her hips. "Don't just stand there. Feel free to give me a hand, sweet pea." Aunt Mae smiles warmly at me over her shoulder while she arranges lettuce and tomato artfully on the buns. How she can be sarcastic and sweet at the same time, I'll never know. "Aunt Mae, you know that I'm no good in the kitchen. If I'm not getting burned, I'm breaking shit. I just came to say hey. I'm meeting Edward innnnn..." I trail off and check my phone again, "damn it I'm late!" I duck in and leave a peck on her cheek before rushing out the door, Aunt Mae's laughter drowned out by the swish of the door meeting jam. This time I make sure to check for Jasper and his flying bottles on my way by. I duck back under the lift, and freeze in my tracks. Edward is sitting on stage, with his guitar, in front of a microphone. The harsh brilliance of the spotlight somehow manages to highlight the copper strands in his hair and his thick heard. His searing jade eyes find mine in the crowd, and I'm pinned in place by the intensity I find there. What the actual fuck?
I am really fucking confused right now. Although Edward performs on stage regularly, he battles acute stage fright. It takes so much out of him to just be able to play a concert, and when he does go on stage it's like watching a completely different person. He's harder and somehow colder. When he steps off stage, it takes a moment before all of it falls away, and then he's my Edward again. Not 'Eddie Cullen', but Edward Masen, the man I am irrevocably in love with.
So, to see Edward sitting there on stage, so friggin calm and smiling at me with love in his eyes, frankly, it's a little bit disconcerting. And then he starts to sing. This is not the man with millions of fans. This is not the man who's music is fueled by the darker side of love and loss. This is my Edward. He has eyes only for me. I am instantly captivated by him.
