Chapter 30.
"Fuck this shit," I mutter, pushing the door in front of me with a huff, holding it open as Bella walks in silence behind me. We step outside of the carwash downtown—the one my uncle used to work at—where we just dropped Emmett's Jeep off to get detailed, only to find out my uncle owes them money too.
"Hey…" Bella reaches for my face, holding me and shushing me and telling me that everything is going to be okay. I want to scream. I can't seem to take in enough air. My eyes meet Bella's, and she looks so fucking worried. I hate it. I hate this.
I busted my ass the past week to try and help my mom and we still ended up short for her car. There's no way I can come up with enough money while I'm here to now also pay these guys.
I can't do enough. I can't be enough.
"Can they actually make you pay for that?" Bella asks, I don't know if in response to something I might have said out loud without realizing. "Why is it your responsibility?"
I focus on her eyes, on her face, on her hands that run up and down my arms, and try to calm down—try to take deeper breaths.
"Who do you think they'll go after?" I drop my hands on my knees and try to think.
Her face crumples with understanding. "Your mom…" She rubs her hand up and down my back, her motions grounding me. "Crap."
"She's already drowning as it is." I straighten up and take a deep breath, forcing myself to keep it together. "I'll have to schedule more sessions this week."
"I can help," she says with a smile, keeping a hand on me, as if she knew how much it helps me, how much it calms me. "It's going to be okay." She reaches for my hand and intertwines her fingers with mine, giving them a little squeeze. "And I can pay for Emmet's Jeep."
"Swan—" My complaints die in my throat as she holds her palm in front of me.
"It was mostly my fault…" She smiles, blushing. "And you have all this other stuff to worry about now."
"I'll figure something out," I try to sound convincing.
"It's no big deal, I promise." She brings her body closer to mine, making me back into the wall and hugging herself to me. "I just can't use my card—"
"Of course the fuck not."
"Hey, it's my money." She looks up at me under her beanie and the oversized hood of the coat that covers her. "Phil just administers it. But I don't want them to see the charge and know that I am, in fact, not in Fort Lauderdale." She chuckles like it's funny, returning her head to my chest.
The thought of her parents finding out she's here only adds to my worries. I focus on breathing, on holding her, on her.
"I did bring a bit of cash, though, for my tattoo and well, emergencies, like this one." She lifts up her head and raises on her tiptoes to kiss me. "So, don't worry about it, okay?"
Her eyes show me nothing but love and support—trust—like she really believes it will be okay.
I decide to believe her, too, because right now I feel like I have nothing else.
~.~.~
A quick walk through the picturesque streets of Old Town Fort Collins leads us to my mom's diner. Bella is loving it, even though it's freezing. She says she wants to come back at night, to see the lights. I don't tell her that's already the plan—that we have a very busy day ahead.
I refuse to let my uncle's fuck-ups ruin Bella's time here, ruin my time with her.
The walk and the cold air help me calm down, literally cool down. Regardless of the new debt I've acquired, I'm planning to make Bella's days here special, and I had already gotten tickets for tonight. It was easy to figure something out that both she and my mom would enjoy. My mom deserves a break too.
Mom sees us as soon as we enter the diner, and she's rushing to us as we shake off our coats. The smell of syrup and bacon fills my nostrils and my stomach growls. We didn't get to eat anything before leaving Emmett's place first thing in the morning.
"Honey!" Mom wraps her arms around me quickly then turns to Bella with a broad smile. "You must be Bella." She envelops her in a hug as well, while Bella smiles, looking at me. "It's so nice to finally meet you!"
"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Cullen," Bella says easily, while my heart speeds in my chest.
"Oh, please, call me Lizzie." Mom holds onto Bella's arm and guides her to an empty booth, while I follow behind them. "First time in Fort Collins, right?"
"Yes, and loving everything about it so far."
Mom smiles fondly at Bella, cupping her face in one hand. Bella doesn't seem to mind. Neither of them seem to respect personal space very well.
"She does have beautiful eyes." Mom turns to me while Bella blushes.
"Ma!"
"What? It's the truth," she says to me before turning back to Bella. "He wouldn't shut up about your eyes."
"All right now…" My gaze is on Bella while she giggles, and my mom gestures for us to sit.
"Menus are back there." Mom points at the back of the table, by the window, where the menus are stacked. "I'll go sort some things out, and then I'll take my break so I can sit with you." With that, she turns and rushes to a few other tables before she disappears into the kitchen.
"She's so cute," Bella whispers, leaving her bench and coming to sit next to me, her eyes on me, a wide smile on her face. "And young."
"She had me when she was twenty." I inwardly cringe at the thought that I am so close to the age my mom was when she had me. I would be so unprepared to handle a baby right now. I don't let the thought travel far. Bella's eyes won't let me. "What?" I ask and her smile widens.
"You told her I have pretty eyes?"
"Beautiful," I correct her nonchalantly, tapping a finger on her nose and deciding I'm not even embarrassed about it.
Mom sits with us for a bit when she brings our food. Conversation flows easily between her and Bella, while I stuff my face, and before I know it, it's time for us to leave for my coaching sessions at the gym.
Bella and my mom say goodbye with a hug while I let her know we'll meet up with her in the evening once she's done with her shift. She seems surprised but agrees without question.
Bella, on the other hand, has lots of questions—about my mom, my childhood, my schools, my teachers. She just seems genuinely excited about learning more about me, and I answer her the best I can while we ride the bus to the gym.
My first athlete is waiting already, so we change quickly and I get to work while Bella sets up on a mat a few feet in front of us. We had planned to be at the gym for a while, so besides gym clothes, she also brought her computer. She sets up a camera to record footage of my lessons after getting my students' parents' consent.
She stretches, too, while she works in front of the screen of her laptop, her legs bent in impossible poses that defy the laws of physics. It's incredibly distracting.
"You are so good at this," Bella says as I sit next to her, on a quick water break in between sessions. "You're so kind and gentle with your instructions." Her eyes are focused on the screen of the camera as she sorts through the footage. "I wish I'd had a coach like you."
"You turned out alright," I joke, but her eyes get a little sad when she looks up at me. I hold her face in my hand, rubbing my thumb on her cheek, and she smiles, closing her eyes and leaning onto my hand.
The moment dies quickly as I see my next student and her mom walking to us.
"Shit, time's up," I whisper with a groan, and Bella opens her eyes. She seems fine, having recovered quickly from wherever her mind escaped to. "You okay?"
She nods, smiling, bringing her attention to her laptop while I scramble to my feet.
"Can I have your phone?" Bella asks as I get up, a hand extended out to me.
"Sure…" I unlock it and hand it to her, offering her a smile before getting back to work.
The next few sessions go by quickly while Bella waits patiently, occupied between her computer, the camera, my phone, and her impromptu workouts and stretches. Hours pass. Athletes learn new skills. I'm sweating from every inch of skin I own.
"You look hot," Bella says as I'm walking to her, empty water bottle in hand, done with all appointments for the day.
"It's a fucking sauna in here." I wipe the sweat from my forehead with my towel as she stands in front of me. "When I have my own gym, that's the first thing I am investing in: AC."
"No…" She leans closer, her hands closing over my drenched T-shirt at my waist. "Like hot, hot."
I smile as she looks up at me. "C'mon I'm gross. I'm sweating through my shorts."
"I know…" She pulls me closer, biting her lips. "These gray shorts are indecent."
"Swan," I warn, my arms limp at my sides, the gym still crowded.
"Fine…" She sighs, stepping away from me. "Check this out." She reaches behind her for my phone then faces the screen my way. "You now have a 'book now' button on your profile, with a schedule and everything, and people can pay directly through the site. You won't have to go back and forth through DMs to schedule appointments."
"Oh…" I click and scroll through my page. "Wow...that's cool."
So this is what she's been doing while I stunted, finding ways for me to make more money—to help me—just like she said she would. My heart swells. My palms itch to grab her.
"It should save you time and potential awkward interactions," she continues, looking up at me, her eyes twinkling with humor. "There's lots of thirsty moms out there."
"Did you go through my DMs?" I raise an eyebrow at her.
"Only the juicy ones." She laughs as I pull her to me.
"Thank you." I kiss her softly, my hands wrapping around her waist. "Seriously, that's going to help me a lot."
"No problem." She stretches up on her tiptoes, pressing her lips on mine. It's quick and we're both holding back, feeling exposed under the bright fluorescent lights and the eyes of spectators around us. "I created a Square account for you," she says, pulling back. "The password is bobvance, all together, no caps."
I laugh freely, throwing my phone and my towel on top of my bag on the floor. She'll never let me live down my initial trial at an Instagram handle.
"Also, you have several messages from potential collaborators that you haven't answered."
"I know…I just don't know which ones are legit or not." I pull on my neck and try to stretch my shoulder unnoticeably–my whole right side aching. We won't have time to ourselves until much later tonight, and then she'll be leaving me tomorrow morning. We haven't stunted in a whole week, and I miss it more than I ever thought possible.
"Amway is legit…" Her eyes inspect my movements, following the patterns of my fingers. "They sell those organic protein smoothies. Nutrilite or something?"
"The plant-based one?"
"Yeah."
"Hard pass," I say, and she laughs.
"Just saying. You could make some money from posts, too. You're close to reaching influencer status." Her tone is playful. She knows that—as much as she's right—I still find the whole social media life uncomfortable.
"Don't let it go to my head," I say through a chuckle, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the back of the gym. The last thing I want is pictures or videos of us here together surfacing the internet.
"What are we doing?" She asks softly, half confused, half excited.
"What do you think?" I say as I set up behind her, my hand already splayed on her hips. She turns to me quickly, worry coloring her face.
"You've been stunting for four hours straight," she says sternly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I am dying to throw you." I lean closer, my eyes begging her.
"Cullen—"
"I'm fine," I insist.
"What about your shoulder?" Her eyes roam over me, I know she wants this too.
"It's not too bad. We can work on my left arm," I say with a smile that does her in.
~.~.~
After showering and changing, we catch the bus back to the car wash and pick up Emmett's Jeep. Bella pays for the car detailing in cash, and it takes some lobbying, but they accept everything I made with today's sessions as part of what my uncle owes them, with the promise that by the end of the week, I'll have more—hopefully figure something out with my mom for the rest.
Then we drive to the tattoo shop where Marcus is waiting for us. I had called him in the morning, and he'd agreed to have Bella drop in without an appointment, since her design is small and all in black ink. Still on the ribs, which he said he hates doing, but agreed nevertheless.
Bella shows him her design on a little piece of paper—one of her drawings: three little birds taking flight. Marcus re-draws it on transfer paper while we wait at the shop as Bella goes through pictures of tattoos, jokingly suggesting skulls and scary-looking eagles for me.
When Marcus is ready, Bella says she wants me in there with her. I agree in earnest and the three of us walk back to a private room. Bella's wearing only a T-shirt under her sweater, no bra on, in preparation. I swallow hard as she lifts her loose shirt and exposes the side of her left breast to Marcus, showing him where she wants it. He doesn't even flinch.
Marcus sets up a pillow and Bella lies on her right side, while I sit behind the chair, right next to her head. She clasps her fingers with mine, arm over her face, as Marcus gets to work.
She doesn't hide the fact that it's painful, but she takes it like a trooper. By the time Marcus is done, I think my ribs hurt more than hers from tensing so much at every time the needle touched her skin.
"Fuck, that looks amazing," I say as Bella stands in front of the mirror, checking it out. Her face brightens like the sunshine. "Do you like it?"
"I love it!" Bella's lips are on mine then, soft and wet and sweet, but the clearing of Marcus' throat has us quickly pull apart.
Marcus cleans and covers her inked skin, and when she winces, I want to smack his hands off of her.
"Dude, relax…" Marcus laughs, shaking his head at me. "This is why I don't like having the boyfriends back here."
"He did okay though." Bella grabs onto my arm after throwing her clothes back on. Marcus quickly goes over aftercare steps, all I know too well, and I cannot wait to help her take care of it tonight.
But first, my next treat.
~.~.~
"Where are we going?" Bella shivers a little as I wrap an arm around her while we wait outside of the diner for my mom. We just shared a quick bite inside since my mom's shift ran a little longer, and then she had to clean up, change, and close.
"It's just a quick walk, I promise." I rub my gloved hand up and down her arm, hidden in her coat.
"Sorry for the wait, kids!" Mom walks out the door and to us, looking a little tired but seemingly excited that we'll get to spend time together. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty excited too. "Where are we going?"
I chuckle as I gesture to the streets, and she loops an arm through mine. So with Bella and my mom on each side, we start our walk through the lit-up streets of Old Fort Collins. As soon as we cross up to Walnut Street, Mom gasps, looking up at me.
"Really?" she whispers softly, her eyes wide. I nod while Bella looks up at me in confusion.
"Bella," Mom says as she lets go of my arm, walking in front of Bella. "Edward said you're a bit of an artist?"
"I don't know if I'd call myself an artist…" Bella shrugs, modestly. "But yeah, I like drawing and painting."
"Oil painting?"
"Watercolor," Bella explains.
Mom's smile spreads wider just as we reach the doors of Decode Art Gallery.
"Then you're going to love this place."
~.~.~
Mom and Bella go from painting to painting as I follow behind them. At some point, they even link arms with each other, getting lost in the art and losing me in the process too. I hang by the cafe and wait for them while I answer Emmett's text.
You guys staying here tonight? ~Em
Don't think so, but I'll drop your car off in a bit ~E
It better not stink! ~Em
Bella is walking to me just as they announce through a speaker that the gallery is closing.
"Your mom just went to the restroom," she says, stepping between my legs, which are raised on the bar stool I'm sitting on.
"Do you want to stay at Emmett's or my place?" I ask, dropping my forehead onto hers.
"Your place, duh," she says through a chuckle.
"Okay. I have to go drop off his Jeep though."
"I can stay with your mom," Bella offers easily. "She wants to show me some of her paintings."
"You don't have to do that."
"I want to." She leans closer, hugging herself to me. "Thank you for this. For today. For everything."
I breathe her in, wrapping an arm around her and holding her close. "Thank you for coming to visit me. You don't know how much it means to me."
"I love you," she whispers into my neck, a hint of melancholy in her voice.
"I love you too, Swan," I whisper back into her hair, feeling my heartstrings pull, knowing the hours won't be enough before I have to say goodbye to her again.