Well, since its my birthday today, I'm giving you another chapter as a present!

Chapter 6

EPOV

I leaned my head back against the brick wall, pulling a long drag from my cigarette. Calm washed over me as the nicotine swirled around inside of my brain, giving me some sort of relief.

Sure, maybe smoking was killing me slowly, but sometimes it felt like the only thing that told me I was alive. I took another deep pull as the back door to the shop creeped open.

"Thought I might find you out here." Peter pulled his own pack from his pocket, lighting up and taking a quick drag. "You nervous?"

I gave a mirthless laugh. "Shitless."

"Hey, what you drew up is beautiful. You're gonna change that chick's life today."

"Yeah, sure."

"You gonna be this friendly to her, too?"

I shrugged, kicking at a loose piece of pavement. "Sorry."

He grinned at me. "I guess it's par for the course. Tortured artist and all that."

Tortured. I guess that was a word for it. Even if I wasn't thinking about it, it was still in the back of my mind. It never left. It was always there, always whispering and making me wonder if it was obvious, if everyone could see I wasn't really okay.

I wasn't the only person he'd tortured, so he'd been put away for a long time.

You'd think in some sick way I'd feel better knowing it wasn't just me he ruined, but it didn't. All it did was make my stomach turn, thinking about how there were other people out there, walking around, constantly feeling fucked up and less than.

Or maybe it was just me that couldn't let go. Maybe everyone else had found closure. Or maybe they had been able to move on and find some sort of happiness while I sat and ruined everything, pushing everyone away because I didn't know how to trust.

"Cute little brunette stopped by the other day when you weren't here."

His words caught my attention and piqued my interest. Was he talking about Bella? Why would she show up at the shop? I didn't have to guess how she figured out I worked here, now that I knew she still spoke to my sister. But she'd barely spoken to—or I guess texted—me since she'd accepted my apology. I'd thanked her and wished her a goodnight, and then I'd checked in with her a few days later. But she never replied. I knew she'd read it, though.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yup. Pretty little thing. That your girl?"

"Wouldn't know. I wasn't here to see who it was."

"Well, I've seen your sketchbook, and she fits that girl you were always drawing to a T."

I let out a breath and pushed off the wall. "Not my girl. She should be, but she's not. Belongs to someone else."

"I dunno, man, pretty ladies who already have a man rarely come sniffing around, asking questions about other dudes in their free time. Unless they're interested, that is."

"Questions? What kinda questions?"

He snorted loudly. "You wanna know so bad, ask her. Come on, we gotta get back in there. You need to get ready."

"Right behind you," I said as I pulled out my phone. I shot off a quick text to Bella.

Edward: Hey, hope you're doing okay. Heard you stopped by the shop when I wasn't here.

I tucked my phone away and stomped out my cigarette before walking back into the building. Suddenly, there was a little more bounce in my step.

—SB—

"Hey, Emily, right?" I greeted her as I walked into the waiting area. She was petite, with shoulder-length jet-black hair and eyes the color of onyx. And in them, was something that I hoped to see in mine one day; contentment. "I'm Edward."

"Wow, you're even cuter up close." She giggled, a light blush painting her cheeks.

I chuckled quietly. "Well, thanks. If you're ready to head back, we'll get started."

—SB—

"So, I know you told Peter that I had free rein on the design aside from the words 'Still I Rise.'" I pulled over my sketchbook and flipped to the page where I'd created hers. "What do you think of this?" Still I Rise was written in cursive, with watercolor swirls of teal and purple floating around it.

She stared at it for a few moments before looking up at me. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, and I had to hold back my own. "It's beautiful. It's perfect," she breathed.

I cleared my throat, regaining my composure. "Where were you thinking you wanted it?"

She flipped over her arm, her fingers running over the silvery lines of scars. "I wanted to cover these," she whispered. "I want to take away the hold he's had on me."

"We can do that," I said softly. "I'm going to go print off the stencil and then we'll really get started."

—SB—

We chatted for a few hours while I worked. She just turned twenty a few weeks prior and was moving in with her boyfriend. It was a huge step for her, and she was really proud of herself. And honestly, I was proud of her, too.

This girl gave me some sort of hope.

Trauma, abuse, grief—they weren't a one-size-fits-all thing. But to see someone with so much light in them, after suffering so much, it was hard not to get sucked into it. It was hard not to want to believe that maybe the good was yet to come.

For the last time, I wiped away the excess ink and blood before sitting back. "All done. What do you think?"

"This is…Jesus, it's amazing, Edward. You're really talented."

"Thanks," I said as I wrapped her up. "Kate up at the front desk will give you a whole list of how to take care of it."

"Yeah, thanks again. This means…well, this means a lot."

"Just be happy, okay?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "You be happy, too."

I gave her a weak smile. "I'll do my best."

As she walked away, I pulled my phone from my pocket, turning it back on. I always shut it off when I was with a client. I didn't want to be distracted at all when I worked.

Once it powered on, I was greeted with a missed text.

Bella: I was curious about the place.

I swallowed thickly, begging my heart to slow down. With the speed it was racing at, I was bound to keel over at any moment. "Keep it simple." Esme's voice ran through my head. "Don't be an asshole," I repeated to myself.

Edward: Sorry I wasn't here to show you around.

Her reply was quick this time.

Bella: Planned it that way.

Edward: Oh, okay.

Bella: I need time to wrap my head around everything.

Edward: I can give you that. Can I still message you, or would you rather I don't right now?

I didn't want to make things harder on her. I was figuring out that pushing myself into her life, if she didn't want me there right now, would only hurt us. If she wanted space, I'd respect her and give it to her.

I was learning and trying to be the man I was meant to be—the one who wasn't attached to all the anger and grief. I was trying to find the Edward that was taken away from me before I even got to learn who he truly was.

Bella: You can text. I might not reply.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

Her letting me text her was something, and I was going to hold on to it with everything I had.