A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your support on this story, I'm so grateful!
These next two chapters are a turning point-it's getting good;)
Special thank to Mel Cee for betaing-she's fabulous! Fiddling was had, mistakes are my own.
Song suggestion: Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paloma Faith
I don't own Twilight or the music, just my plot...
"Bella, please, name anything you want and it's yours," Rosalie pleaded. Her article was on the line after all.
Anything? If Bella did in fact have the upperhand, she was sure going to use it.
"Well, I guess if you put it like that…" Bella began again.
The possibilities were endless on what to ask from Rosalie. The ice queen was melting, but the question was why? Bella would have to think about what motivated Rosalie's sudden change of heart. But for the time being, she was going with it.
Bella paused, making sure she had her demands straightened in her mind. Who could properly concentrate with Alice doing all these odd dance moves in the background and mouthing the words to a song only she knows.
"Any day now, Isabella." Rosalie snapped, losing her patience for this entire ordeal. Realizing that she needed to play nice, she checked herself quickly. "I'm sorry, but I have a restaurant to close. It's been a long day with the Times and everything…"
Bella pursed her lips and spoke firmly, "For starters, stop speaking to me like I'm beneath you. Just because I don't have a large bank account doesn't mean you can treat me like shit."
Alice stopped mid dance move. "Holy shit!" She gasped aloud. Her jaw was slack, and if it could have hit the ground, it would have. She never heard Bella speak with such dominance and conviction.
But Bella wasn't deterred—Rosalie opened up this can of worms, and she'd have to deal with the repercussions.
"Is that all—" Rosalie interrupted.
"No, and please let me finish. I will under no circumstances serve Edward, or any of the Masens for that matter. In fact, add yourself to that category as well. And I want a raise." Bella looked over at Alice who was cheering her on. "For Alice. She's been working for you long enough. Don't you think it's time?"
Bella couldn't give a shit about the money. Money in general made her uncomfortable. As long as she had enough to make ends meet, Bella was content.
"Okay, I—"
Bella was a woman on a mission so she barreled on. "And no more hair pins. These things are painful and unnecessary." Much like this conversation, she added mentally. "A ponytail will still adhere to the dress code and your desired professionalism level."
Rosalie stood silent in fear of what might come out of her mouth and Bella's. These demands were killing her. Compromise wasn't her strong suit, and to give up this much control for a lousy waitress was asinine.
Bella looked over at her drawings on the wall and got inspiration for her final "request."
"One more thing…you know how last month you let those rich bitc— women showcase their handmade jewelry on a table out front by the hostess station?" Bella reminded, correcting herself while walking over and taking one of her sketches in her hand.
"Yes, I remember. Why?" Rosalie almost whined. The conversation was proving to be tortuous. Fucking Edward Masen. And fucking Emmett for having that asshole as a friend.
"Well, I draw and paint and have been looking for the proper place to get my foot in the door. Seems like your establishment is the perfect stepping stone," Bella announced, feeling pretty smug.
"Yes!" Alice screamed, falling off the bed in the process and onto Aro's tail. "Ow." "Meow!"
"Bella." Rosalie was full-out pleading with her not to make this final demand.
Bella couldn't help but laugh at Alice's mishap and Rosalie's obvious discomfort.
"So I want a little display by the hostess station where people can purchase a small drawing. And I want a bigger canvas to be displayed somewhere in the restaurant. Don't worry. I'll give you a ten percent commission on any sales. It's only fair," Bella reasoned. "That's all."
Silence. Nothing but silence came from the other end of the line. Bella had rendered Rosalie speechless, which was definitely a rarity.
Bella waited for her response. There was nothing else for her to do. She had stated her claim. If Rosalie wanted her back so badly, she'd give into Bella's outrageous demands. Bella was aware the chances of Rosalie going along with all of them were slim to none. But it sure felt good to make her squirm.
Alice motioned to the bottle of water Bella had on the nightstand, wordlessly asking if she could have a sip. Bella nodded, setting her drawing down on her desk.
A minute or so passed before a terse word came through. "Fine." Rosalie spoke so softly Bella almost missed it.
"Excuse me?" Bella asked, just wanting to hear the confirmation again.
"I said fucking fine!" Rosalie choked out, "I'll see you Monday morning in the main dining room." Rosalie quickly hung up the phone before she could be extorted further.
Alice was mid-sip and started choking on the water. Bella was too stunned to help her friend. Wow! She did it! Then the realization sunk in that she'd be going back to a job that she didn't really love, working with someone who was often cruel, and she had to wonder if it was worth it.
"A little help?" Alice croaked out.
Bella patted her on the back. "There there."
The pair started laughing, basking in this small win. Bella won for once.
The following day, Edward returned from walking around Central Park with Embry ready to spend the rest of the day unwinding. It had been a hectic week, and downtime was often limited, so he wanted to make the most of it. On the walk home, he had picked up a bagel with cream cheese and a coffee from this great little shop not far from his apartment. The bagel was so light and airy, and Edward looked forward to eating it while watching some bad television or reading one of the files in his briefcase that he has been slacking on. At some point, he would have to call Rosalie to ensure she followed through on her end of the bargain. Though she'd be stupid to test her luck.
The elevator doors opened to his apartment, and there was Charlie, her feet up on the sofa, eating what looked like an ice cream sundae. He placed Embry's leash and his coffee on the kitchen counter, preparing himself to address his sister. She had chocolate syrup on her face when she looked over at Edward approaching. Embry hopped up on the couch, snuggling into her side as she absentmindedly rubbed his fur.
"Oh hey!" Charlie muttered, nonchalantly turning her attention back to an inappropriate reality show about naked people on an island.
Edward set the bag with his bagel down on the coffee table, grabbed the remote, and clicked off the show. "How the hell did you get up here? Kebi didn't message me for permission," Edward pressed. He wasn't mad, at least not at Charlotte, but he really wasn't doing well with surprises these days.
Now that he thought about it, there had been nobody at the front desk when he walked through the lobby a few moments prior.
"Kebi is making out with the cleaning guy. How did you not see that?" Charlie said flippantly, waving her hand dismissively.
"Charlie, you need to call or text me before you come and let yourself in. I could have had plans or company! I'll always make time for you, but I need to know ahead of time," Edward explained, not wanting to be a dick but he wanted a semblance of privacy.
Charlie held her hands up. "God, I'm sorry. Next time I'll wait in the lobby, or I'll 'call or text' before I come." She deepened her voice to mock him.
Edward rolled his eyes and went to get his coffee off the counter, taking a sip and trying to calm himself. When he turned around, Charlotte was munching on his bagel, loudly he might add.
"Charlotte! That's mine," Edward whined, walking toward the couch to get back the rest of his breakfast. He had been looking forward to that and solitude. Looked like he was out of luck on both counts.
Charlie jumped up off the couch and ran around the counter, putting a barrier between them so that she could shield the other half that she hadn't taken a bite from. She stuck her tongue out at Edward, playfully teasing him. "It's mine now!" Charlie chanted victoriously.
Edward slumped onto the couch in resignation and drank his coffee. Thankfully that wouldn't be stolen from him seeing as the pain in the ass hated coffee.
"You know, you never have time for me anymore. You're always pretending to be Mr. Fancy Pants, or you're home with the mutt," Charlie continued. She knew that in order to get him to take her to a museum on Saturday, she'd need to guilt-trip him. "You're my favorite brother! And I miss you," she said, cheekily, taking another bite of the bagel.
"Charlie, I'm sorry. You know work has been nuts. Ted is riding my ass—fuck, I mean butt." He sputtered, suddenly feeling like a shitty "brother."
Charlie had him right where she wanted him. He would unknowingly take her to whatever museum or art exhibit thingy that Bella came up with. Bella would have no clue about Edward joining them, and vice versa. It was the perfect start to "Operation Get These Two Idiots Back Together." She really should think of a shorter or more catchy name.
"Well, how about you make it up to me, and on Saturday, we go wherever I choose. I really want to go to a museum. I have this project coming up and need to see some art for inspiration." Charlie busted out the lie a little too effortlessly.
"What museum? What subject do you have a project for that would need art inspiration?" Edward inquired. He knew Charlie wasn't taking art as an elective.
"I'll…umm do a little research and get back to you. And it's for my…Spanish class. She wants us to understand the beauty of art regardless of a language barrier." She stammered but caught herself, wiping her cream-cheese-covered fingers on a napkin.
Edward nodded unsuspectingly, buying Charlie's lie. "Just let me know. I'll even get a dog walker for Embry. We can spend the whole day together if you want."
Little did he know, there was going to be one more person in attendance.
The week passed quickly, and Bella fell back into her old routine of balancing work and her art.
True to her word, Rose had a small display set up in the front for whatever "art" Bella brought in. Bella was excited to gain some exposure even if it was with rich uppity people. She had spent the better part of her free time working and perfecting her pieces.
Rosalie was less than thrilled about this whole arrangement, making Bella suspicious as to why she hired her back in the first place. She was a shitty waitress and wasn't good at following orders, but the money would help to pay her bills and purchase more art supplies, so Bella wasn't about to rock the boat anymore.
Grateful for the opportunity, she smiled every time she walked by the bathroom and saw her art hanging on the wall. Sure, it was just one piece, but it was huge and could have easily been the most beautiful painting she'd ever made. It was a watercolor of two kids: a boy and a girl roller skating. They looked to be only about five years old, but they were dressed in oversized clothing to signify them growing up too quickly in a fast-paced world. The symbolism didn't need much explanation. Anybody who knew their history would understand it. Bella didn't even care if it sold. She was just happy to have it hanging up somewhere. In Rosalie's restaurant, hung by the bathroom was better than tucked under her dresser.
Wednesday came and went, and Bella canceled her date with Peter. Sure, she could have tested her luck and asked Rosalie to leave early, but coupled with the fact that she was already taking Saturday off to go out with Charlie, she didn't feel right about going on a date with someone she was so hesitant around.
Bella craved a healthy relationship, but she also looked for pieces of someone else in everyone she met. Who could compete with someone you'd known practically your whole life? She knew constantly comparing potential partners to her past was unhealthy and she had been trying to break out of the habit. So while she had canceled, Bella couldn't accept that she couldn't move forward and vowed to reschedule and push herself to make more of an effort with Peter.
Charlie and Bella had texted throughout the week, making plans to go to the Met Saturday morning Bella really wanted to see the new space exhibit and figured the Met wasn't too abstract for Charlie's taste.
Bella offered to pick Charlie up at the train station, but Charlie insisted on meeting her inside the Met. Bella was hesitant about having Charlie travel around the city by herself, but she wanted to respect Charlie's obvious need to be trusted, so she obliged.
Bella arrived fifteen minutes early at the museum, so she began wandering around while she waited for her sister.
"For God's sake, you couldn't leave the mutt without telling the dog walker his whole life story?!" Charlie reprimanded, annoyed that they were late.
Edward laughed. "I'm sorry, Charlie, but you know Embry is on that special diet, and I have to make sure he's properly cared for even if it's only a few hours." He struggled to keep up as Charlie was practically sprinting down the block.
He hurried his steps and finally caught up to her. She grabbed his arm and began pulling him since he was slow as shit.
"Is this what happens with age?" Charlie wondered, incredulously, doing her ever-so-famous eye roll.
"This must be some art exhibit…" Edward muttered as they climbed the stairs to the Met. When he opened the doors, they found Bella pacing the entrance.
Charlie tugged on his arm, propelling him forward so that they were all in close proximity to one another.
Edward stood there stunned, unable to speak.
Charlie wore a shit-eating grin while Bella gave her the stink eye.
"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Bella huffed, looking between the two of them.
Edward furrowed his brows, confused as to what Bella was talking about. Then he looked down to Charlie who clearly knew more than she was letting on.
"Charlotte! What the hell is this?" Bella shouted a little too loudly for the quiet museum.
"And you!" She pointed at Edward. "Did you know about this?"
Edward was dumbfounded. "What are you talking about? I'm so lost."
"Charlie, why don't you explain?" Bella gestured with her hand, giving her the metaphorical floor to speak.
"Is this why you were so excited to come here?" Edward asked, still clueless. His gaze flicked between the two, drawn to Bella as he admired how beautiful she looked.
"Well, I ran into Bella last week in Jersey…" Charlie started, looking down at her feet, all her false bravado suddenly gone.
Edward motioned for her to continue, his eyes never moving from Bella.
"And I sorta told her I wanted to meet up and plan a day together. Which I did! But I knew you both needed to talk and see each other face-to-face to do so, so I kinda, sort of, maybe…parent trapped you," Charlie blurted. Seeing the reactions play across the pair's faces, she went to hide behind a nearby statue, being careful not to touch it as she saw the security guard giving her a sharp look.
Bella took a moment to process all of Charlie's babbling. Her emotions flip-flopped all over the place, from being angry to being sad to being angry again. When she was settled on how this trap had made her feel, she went to where Charlie was trying to conceal herself and took the girl by the arm so that the two of them could "hide" behind another statue.
"Charlotte, I can't! I can't stay here. I'm sorry. I love you, but I…I just can't," Bella stuttered, trembling slightly.
Bella released Charlie's arm and moved for the exit. Before she could walk out of the museum, Charlie grabbed Bella by the wrist, holding her back from running away. She couldn't let this be the end of her plan. She just needed them to talk, to really talk, and listen to one another. She knew if she could get them to do that, everything would be so much better.
"Wait! Please just stay for a little while. I haven't spent time with you in forever. I didn't want to ruin our day. I just wanted my two favorite siblings to have a chance to talk." Charlie batted her eyelashes to Bella, doing her best to look innocent, but failing miserably.
Bella wrestled her arm loose from Charlie's grasp and tilted her head up, begging for a meteor to hit right now.
"Charlotte…" Bella prepared her speech but a memory of Billy back from when they were Charlie's age made her pause. She remembered how, even though he was down on his luck, even more than they were, he took interest in them. He had been a friend to them, ready to help them out if they were ever in need. With both her siblings gone as a daily presence in Charlie's life, who did she have? Bella thought of that older guy she saw Charlie with, and she thought that maybe Charlie didn't have many positive influences in her life. In many ways, she had already failed Charlie, but if staying and suffering through an afternoon with him would make Charlie happy, then Bella would be forced to oblige. "Fine," Bella grumbled, giving Charlie an annoyed look. "But I'm not talking to him, and you have to stay in the middle of us."
Bella crossed her arms over her chest, standing straighter as she waited for Charlie to agree to her compromise. She was now cocky with demands after her victory with Rosalie.
Wait! Rosalie… It suddenly hit her why she had been so willing to agree to whatever Bella had requested. Edward. Fucking Edward must have gotten her the job back. Bastard! He had a lot of nerve barreling back into her life and trying to control it, control her. She wanted to yell and scream at him to stay out of her business, but she'd have to wait for the perfect moment to reveal that piece of information. If she was right, of course.
Charlie clapped her hands, glad that she didn't have to resort to any other tactics to get Bella to stay, and gave Bella a bear hug. "Thank you! You're the best sister!"
Bella's eyes watered at Charlie's effortless love, and she wrapped her arms around the girl. It didn't matter in that moment that she made her want to pull her hair out because wasn't that what real sisters did anyways?
The girls walked back over to where Edward was standing, nervously looking at his watch.
"Got somewhere to be, hot shot?" Charlie quipped, happy her plan semi-worked. At least Bella didn't run again…yet.
Edward straightened his posture and shook his head. "No, unless you mean here for your Science project."
Charlie looked at him dumbfounded and put her palm to her forehead. "It was Spanish, you dope, and there was no project." Except for getting you both back together, she added mentally.
Edward tsked. "Charlie!" He dared to glance in Bella's direction, wondering if she was staying for this impromptu meetup.
"Yes, she is staying! Don't irritate her, or me for that matter. You're on my list, Masen," Charlotte warned, walking farther into the museum, leaving the two exes to gape at each other.
Bella cringed when she heard his last name. Old habits die hard after all.
"No offense, but what the hell is that supposed to be? It's ugly. Jesus, you'd think someone in this place would have some taste," Charlie explained, never one to hold her opinions back.
Edward chuckled. Despite his grooming from Ted and Liz, he never understood art except for the pieces Bella had made.
Bella looked around, embarrassed by Charlotte's outburst. "Charlie!" she scolded, widening her eyes.
This back and forth had been going on for the past half hour. Charlotte would complain about the art or lack thereof, and Bella would chastise her. Edward just sat and enjoyed the show, admiring Bella and how self-assured she was.
He hardly believed this was the same girl he knew and loved since he was four years old. Somehow she was more beautiful. Edward gawked at her for a bit too long, just like the other five times, and she caught him staring.
Bella looked in his direction and grumbled, "What?" She gave him a pointed look, just as she had every time his gaze lingered too long.
Each time, Edward simply threw his hands up innocently and grinned before he'd force his eyes to focus on something else. He was just thrilled to be in the same room as her. The afternoon was going pretty well until Charlie's phone started ringing loudly, in the middle of the quietest area. Bella gave her a dirty look, huffing for her to answer it or turn it off.
"Do something!" Charlie whisper-yelled at Edward before walking away to take her phone call.
Edward put his hands in his pockets, contemplating his words carefully. "Bella…I'm really—
Bella held a hand out to shut him up. She wasn't here to talk—not to him at least. She was here to spend time with Charlie.
Edward tried speaking again, but it was of no use. Bella moved toward the crowd of people ahead of them to ensure Edward's silence, in order to avoid a spectacle.
Moments passed and Bella looked over her shoulder for Charlie. Edward was leaning against a wall, trying not to piss Bella off anymore.
Charlie stumbled into Bella's eye line, the girl's eyes puffy from crying, her lip quivering, and her body shaking. Bella ran over to her as Charlie tucked her cell phone back in her jeans pocket.
"Charlie, what's wrong?" Bella asked, concerned, pressing the hair out of Charlie's eyes.
That was when Charlie went into full-on hysterics. "Tyler…broke up…not pretty…" she spat, snotting everywhere.
"Tyler broke up with you?" Bella asked, already knowing the answer.
Charlie nodded and began sobbing once more.
"Who the fuck is Tyler?" Edward blurted out. Now it was his turn to make a spectacle.
Charlie ducked her head and waited for her brother's wrath. But Bella spared Charlie from an interrogation just this once.
"Do you have a tissue, Edward?" Bella breathed, feeling so badly for this poor girl. Breakups were terrible, no matter your age or how long you'd been together, but especially when you were young.
Edward stood there in shock for a moment, and then he dug into his pockets only to find nothing. He looked down sheepishly. "I can run to the store and get some?"
Charlie shook her head. "I just want to go home."
"Charlie, you can't go home like this, and didn't you say that nobody's home until tomorrow because Irina is doing a double?" Edward implored, tucking her under his arm.
"Yes, but—" Charlie protested. Bella tried to wipe her eyes as best as she could, but Charlie was still wearing that thick black eyeliner, and now it was smudged all across her face. If she didn't look like a raccoon before, she certainly looked like one now.
"But nothing. Come back to the apartment and clean up. I'll take you home later on," Edward declared.
Bella stood there as Charlie and Edward made their way to the exit. She looked down at her feet, uneasily. Unsure whether or not to say goodbye.
"Bella, please come with us," Charlie urged, looking down at her phone again, her chest heaving.
"Umm, I don't think that's a good idea," Bella stated, playing with the threads on her top.
"Bella, you're welcome in my apartment. Embry would be thrilled to see you," Edward revealed, not knowing if Charlie had told her about Embry yet.
Bella was surprised. "You took Embry?"
Edward nodded solemnly, wrapping his hand around his neck. "Yeah, I—I found Billy, and then I just couldn't leave—couldn't leave Embry." Edward stammered. He was nervous Bella would find him an unworthy owner to the dog, who had a special place in her heart.
"I'm glad he's with you," she whispered. She had worried about what had happened to Embry after Billy passed away. To learn that Edward had taken him in had been a shock, but it also filled her with the smallest bit of hope that there were still traces of that kind-hearted boy she'd fallen in love with inside of the steel-willed man he'd become.
The words were the only acknowledgment she was prepared to give to show him what his gesture meant to her. An olive branch.
The trip back to Edward's apartment was a rollercoaster. An emotional one..
As they stepped into the building, Bella looked around the extravagant lobby with quiet disgust and resignation. She should have known he would be living in a place like this. Characterless. Over-the-top. All for show.
She much preferred buildings with stories built into them, not sterile white walls, like those similar to institutions.
The trio made their way up the elevator. Once it had finished climbing to the highest floor, the doors opened and Charlie ran to the bathroom to wash the sadness off.
Bella and Edward stood in the foyer, not really knowing how to act around each other.
Bella shuffled her feet, yearning to take another step into his domain, wanting to get a glimpse of his life these days.
Edward was at a loss of how to handle this situation, warring with whether he should try to apologize yet again. The anxious look on Bella's face as her eyes darted around the room told him that if he pressed her, she'd run again. So instead of dropping to his knees and begging for forgiveness, Edward whistled and called out to his dog. "Embry, come here, boy!"
The pampered dog waddled his way into the living room, then when he saw Bella, he tackled her, standing up on his hind legs.
Bella laughed, a sound that Edward hadn't heard in years. It made his heart ache seeing the pure joy on her face, hearing the happiness as she bent down and played with Embry. As he watched her, he recalled the years before their breakup, and he noticed how different her laugh had been back then. He began to wonder if they had actually been genuine, or if she had just been playing pretend for his sake. He needed to get her comfortable enough to have this difficult conversation.
"I've missed you! You look so good. The high life's treating you well it seems," Bella said, and then she began whispering into Embry's ear, things only a dog could hear.
"Please make yourself at home. I'm going to order Chinese. Do you still like wonton soup?" Edward almost pleaded, giving her a puppy-dog look.
Bella ruffled Embry's fur, crouching down to play with the dog. When she heard Edward's voice, it was like she was sent into a rage, all the memories and reasons of why she should be mad coming to the forefront.
"Don't! Don't do this. This isn't a social visit. The only reason I'm here is for Charlotte, and once she's settled, I'm out of here," Bella warned, standing up from her reunion with her favorite dog.
"Bella, I don't want Charlie to hear us arguing. She's been through enough today. Please," Edward begged, not wanting to upset her anymore than she already was.
"You know, it's pretty low, even for you, to use Charlie as a pawn. I'm here for her, aren't I? So please don't get this twisted," Bella clarified, standing up straighter.
She reveled in her newfound power in standing up for herself.
"Bella, please," Edward whined, pulling at his hair. Bella couldn't help but notice how short it was. She shook her head, not her place to notice things like that. "I am fully aware that you are only here for Charlie. But you know as well as I do, that we need to have a real conversation. I would love the opportunity to do so—on your terms of course." Edward broached the subject hesitantly, taking a deep breath as he waited for her response. He prepared for her wrath by leaning against his kitchen counter.
Bella stood glued in the foyer, unable to move forward. Both physically and metaphorically.
Bella was sick of people telling her what she needed to do. She didn't need anything—or anyone—but herself. Or so she kept trying to tell herself, but who was she kidding?
Bella looked at Edward, his body slumped against the counter, his eyes sad, and she saw a glimpse of the boy she fell in love with, the one who had always promised to be there for her. The boy with eyes the colors of freshly cut grass could see right through here, except when it truly mattered. When he had donned rose-colored glasses and been blind to what was before him. So instead of feeling hopeful, she felt angry that those types of feelings still existed within her.
She braced herself and took a deep breath. "What do you want me to say?" Bella asked, her tone flat as she took a step to lean against the wall adjacent to him, kicking her foot up. "That I didn't sleep in the truck for the first few nights before I returned it to your parents? That I didn't sleep in mice-infested shelters for almost a year until I found Alice?" Bella bit her lip, trying to push down her emotions while wondering how much she should divulge.
Edward opened his mouth to speak, but Bella wouldn't have that. He walked to talk, so she'd talk all right. She'd use every bit of this opportunity to tell him everything she had been holding in for years, all the suffering she had quietly done to try to keep the peace. She'd tell him all the ways she played pretend, plastering a smile on her face time and time again, desperate to hold onto what they had. "Do you want me to say that I cried myself to sleep almost nightly after you got adopted? Do you want me to tell you how much I hated the parties you dragged me to, with all the people who looked down their noses at me, making snide comments in whispers that were anything but? Should I go into detail about how I cringe every time I serve uber rich people at the restaurant, thinking of how your people treated me, like I wasn't worth a damn thing? I already knew I was so out of place. I didn't need the constant reminders that no one wanted me. That I didn't belong!" Bella chuckled sardonically.
Edward looked at Bella, his eyes growing wider with every revelation that she unloaded on him. He was struggling to understand how he had missed all of this. How he hadn't seen her unhappiness. Being confronted with a glimpse of the damage he had done sucked the air out of his lungs. "Bella…"
"Do you want me to tell you how fucking broken you made me?" Bella bit her lip, the tears starting to pool in her eyes, her voice growing thready as she seethed. She should stop. She'd said far more than she ever imagined getting the chance to say, but there was a part of her that wanted to continue. A part of her that wanted to get it all off her chest, to release the pressure that had been building all these years. Steeling her resolve, mentally she said fuck it, deciding he should know just how much he had destroyed her, how she couldn't let him destroy her again.
"Do you remember what you said to me the last time you saw me five years ago?" Bella implored, narrowing her eyes, swatting away the fallen tears from along her cheek. She knew he remembered. Those venomous words weren't something you simply forgot.
Edward closed his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. "Bella, please."
"Stop!" Bella scolded, "Do you remember?" She pushed off the wall and stood taller than she had in a long time.
Edward paused. He'd love to say he didn't remember his words, but that would have been a lie. Those words haunted him every time he tried to close his eyes.
Edward let out a laugh, but there was no humor in it. "Yes, I remember." He hung his head in shame.
"What if I told you that the reason I didn't get adopted, the reason for my 'sanctimonious bullshit'"—she spat his words back at him—"was that I purposely sabotaged myself to not get adopted. That I did everything I could to make myself undesirable to potential families. That I would have done anything to stay with you just one more day, one more minute, because you were all the family that I needed. The only family I wanted. So yes, I could have been adopted, could have had parents who wanted me, ones who weren't about collecting a paycheck, ones who cared if I came home after school, but if it meant I didn't get to lie in bed with you every night, I didn't want a part in it.".…"
Bella's hands which had curled into fists at her side unclenched as she uttered the last of her speech. Her shoulders sagged as she had finally spoken her truth.
"What?" Edward whispered. He was as frozen as she was.
Bella looked at him like the answer was right there, and in fact, it was. Right in front of her.
"Because of me? Because of…us."
Edward finally knew the truth. All these years later, he finally knew how far Bella's love and devotion went. And all the ways he had fallen short.
Bella's eyes filled with tears, and she looked at the boy who she had been connected to since she was four years old. He looked exactly the same, yet so different. Love shouldn't feel this painful.
She nodded, not having the strength to say it out loud. Everything was so clear to Edward knowing this piece of information. All of her fears, actions, outbursts, and insecurities. She was even more afraid of losing him than he thought. Edward didn't even know where to begin. How he could ever make amends. He had so much more to apologize for then he realized.
"Bella, I'm sorry! How was I supposed to know? Why didn't you tell me?" Edward murmured, not knowing how he was forming full sentences.
"You weren't. I didn't tell you to make you feel bad or feel sorry for me. I just thought you finally needed to know. That maybe it would help you to let me go." Bella nodded, trying to convince herself of that statement.
Bella walked into the elevator, pressing the button for the lobby. "Please tell Charlie, I'm sorry and have her text me when she's home," she called out over her shoulder.
Edward hurried his steps behind her, desperate to catch her before the elevator left. "Please." He wasn't even sure what he was pleading for, but he sure as hell didn't want her to leave again. Not like this. Not when they still had so much to talk about.
The doors began to close, and Bella whispered, "Maybe now we can both move on."
Edward slammed his fist against the doors, his body slumping to the floor, and there in the entryway he sat until Charlie came out of where she was hiding. With one look at her brother, she said, "Well, shit."
A/N: Sorry for the cliffy-next chapter coming soon! Let me know your thoughts, I love hearing them! Also you guys should check out Cullenlvr83's new story: Nemico Del Mio Nemico, it's fabulous!
