A/N: as always, I appreciate your reviews! Don't forget to stop by my profile page and vote on the new poll! Note: something juicy! Enjoy.
For the second night in a row, I refused to sleep- I wasn't doing it consciously, but my brain would just not shut down long enough for me to get a wink in. I thought of Karly's screams, and Rosalie's look of horror when she got separated from us, and then I thought of him- the man with the weapon. But did he have one on him? Was that a gun or was it just the shadows or trippy lighting or too much alcohol in my system? He had said he would shoot, but he didn't- was it because he technically couldn't, because he never had a gun on his person? I growled in frustration and buried my head deeper into a pillow.
What good was it to dwell on the past? It happened, it was over. Surely, this would never come back to bite me in the ass, right? I begrudgingly dragged myself out of bed and did my morning duties, feeling so fatigued and out of it for a Saturday morning. I was staring out of my kitchen window with a cup of hot tea in one hand when soemti9ngn caught my eye.
But then a car, black and sleek like I knew it would be, pulled on my driveway and unceremoniously parked.
I huffed at the stranger- didn't people know it wasn't polite to park on other people's property? I mean, I knew this wasn't Beverly Hills but I paid rent like everyone else and deserved some damn privacy! Already in a foul mood, I decided it was the best time to get my anger and frustration out on someone. So I shuffled my feet into slippers and tied the robe around me tight before whipping open my front door, only to come face to face with Edward Cullen. "Good morning, Isabella." He greeted me formally, sliding off one leather glove before the other, and pretended not to once over my current state of dress.
I had just washed off the left over makeup from the night before, but the blotchy spots on my skin and the swollenness of my cheeks were tell-tell signs of a sleepless, tearful night. Not to mention I was in a paint-stained tank top and fluffy pajama pants- not exactly what men deemed sexy and sultry these days. "Morning." I grumbled back, my cheeks staining at the thought of him judging me. Here he was, clothes freshly pressed and hair gelled to one side- seriously, who wore business suits at nine o clock in the morning on a Saturday? Then again, Edward was a bit of a workaholic and I wouldn't be all that surprised if he was here on a break or lunch or something.
Not that I actually knew where he worked or what he did… don't get me wrong, I did want to know. But I respected his privacy (Edward was a very private man) and never bugged him over it.
Actually, we didn't talk much at all- I usually picked up Tony from the nanny or a driver would drop him off at my place. "You could use some more sleep." He noted dryly, his eyes bouncing around my compact living quarters.
My parents always hated that I lived here in the smoggy, bustling city- my dad lived in Avila (a small town with green pastures and friendly faces a few hours from here) and my mom, Rene, who really wasn't a mom at all, lived all the way in Arizona- both of them had homely, spacious houses and front & back yards. Unlike where I lived; downstairs was my kitchen/living room/bathroom/dining room and upstairs was two very small bedrooms fit for children. No I wasn't in the lap of luxury, but it was something to call my own. I didn't need roommates or my parents help, or anyone's help for that matter. It was small and simple and in an alright location- why would I ever ask for more?
"Yeah well, I had a rough night." It was almost laughable the way I sold last night short- rough didn't even begin to explain it. I picked at a loose thread on my thrift store couch set, trying not to let all the shit I bottled up spill right in front of him. "What are you stropping by for?" I said it bluntly, not wanting to play this quiet, pretend nice game.
For the last few months, he hadn't stepped one foot into my house or work so why was he suddenly popping up?
Last night's words, the stupid ones that came out of my mouth, replayed in my head. I'm his girlfriend… was that why he was here? Should I say something to defend myself before he brought it up? No, my inner voice snapped. Stay cool and calm, don't give away anything! Maybe he's just here to stop by… "You're acting as the mother of my son- am I not permitted to at least see where my son spends half of his week?" There was an underlying testiness to his tone and if I hadn't known him better, I would have been taken aback by his seemingly overabundant care for his son.
But the fact was I did know him better than that. "So for months on end you allow 'your son' to come over to my place without having ever stepped a toe in my house- and now you're concerned?" My hands went to my hips, a brewing tea completely forgotten on the kitchen counter. Why the need for secrets all of a sudden? "This has nothing to do with Rhyers' then?" I watched his face for any sudden changes or recognition of the club's name, but he remained stoic. Damn him and his beautiful face for being so fucking secretive all the time!
"Rhyers?" Edward played with the word on his tongue, sending shivers down my back- he moved around languidly, that iridescent form hidden beneath a three piece suit and sharp overcoat. He stopped at the tiled countertop, running a long index finger over the salmon pink, chipped corner with purpose. "What were you doing down there?" I rolled my eyes at his pretentious tone. Rhyers District was known as the toughest part of Southwest Chicago, but honestly it wasn't so bad unless you were looking for trouble. Rhyers' Nightclub was pretty swanky for its location and I refused to be one of those snooty girls that wanted a Champagne lifestyle on a Beer budget!
"What's wrong with me out clubbing? I work my ass off and pay my bills." I crossed my arms tighter, feeling less hopeless and now just fired up. I got enough bullshit like this from my dad when he called! I didn't need him to add onto it. "And still make time for Tony, even if not everybody has that same kinda priority for him." I bit out, knowing that if I brought up his parenting ways he'd get as riled as I was.
"And you know that I appreciate that very much." Edward spoke through gritted teeth, a fiery look behind his green eyes. Part of me started chanting, kiss him, kiss him, kiss him, but I shut it off just as quickly as it started. "But Rhyers District isn't safe-"
"For who?" I interrupted him again, also knowing that grated his nerves. But hey we were in my house, on a Saturday morning when I could have sleeping or lazy-ing around, and I was entertaining his little bullshit parade until now! "What, for a girl like me?" I tested.
"Now what's that suppose to mean?" Edward looked furious and slightly confused as he spoke, most likely disliking the fact that I was turning everything he said over on its head. He looked like he was ready to start screaming at me, but instead he took a deep breath and started once again. "It's not safe, period. I wouldn't let my own son down there." His face twisted at the mention of Tony being in Southwest Chicago, and I understood why, but he was exaggerating just a little. He also disliked Desnia, but I lived this close to that hood and I was perfectly fine? Just because he lived in Financial District and was constantly surrounded by security didn't mean the rest of us lived that way!
"I have friends there." I spoke down at him, even if he was taller than me, with a tilt of my head and a snarky tone to boot.
"Yeah?" Edward mocked, a sneer churning his features evilly. "Like the ones that took care of you last night?" My arms fell at my sides- so he did know. My mouth opened and closed, trying to pull some sort of biting rebuttal or excuse but he was right. Obviously my friends weren't as connected as I had thought after everything that happened. "You could've gotten yourself killed, Isabella!"
My eyes stung at that- when I said it to myself I nixed it as my over-active imagination blowing things out of proportion. But when he said it, and Edward never said anything unless he absolutely meant it, I knew it was real. It was a really real possibility that last night could have been it for me- and what in the world did I have to show for my last twenty-three years? A rental agreement and a car note? I never made my dad proud and I was just starting out with Tony, trying to show him the kind of parental guidance I thought all kids should have… things could have cruelly stopped. And for what- a few hours of dancing and drinks in the wrong part of town?
"I know." I croaked out, trying to stop the tears from spilling. I couldn't, wouldn't, let Edward see me cry; how would I ever face him afterwards?
"Look," he said gruffly, obviously realizing that I was on the brink of a mental breakdown, "just don't cry." Edward said the last part rather waspishly, as though he couldn't be bothered with such a thing. I wasn't initially going to cry because that was just not a thing I liked to do in front of people, but the fact that he was telling me that he basically didn't have time for someone so girly and insignificant added another toll.
Just like Dad, he doesn't have time to deal with your sniveling or your stupid problems… that brought fresh tears to my eyes and I felt a few spill, not quit knowing why I was crying but knew I couldn't stop. I wasn't gasping for air or sobbing uncontrollably, but I was letting little tears slip- in front of Edward, the one person I promised myself to never cry in front of! The very man that just made it perfectly clear he didn't want me to. I wiped at my eyes furiously, trying to berate myself hard enough that I would just stop. Hadn't I done enough of this last night? There weren't any more reasons to cry, lest for the fact that I was grateful to still be alive and standing right before the very reason why me and Karly Woods were still here on Earth.
"Isabella." He hissed my name, probably about to let hell rain down on me for being so weak and stupid, but I didn't care. I needed this- even if I was too proud to give him the gratitude he deserved, I could do it indirectly? It was too bad he couldn't read minds.
But then it was like he could.
I had my hands covering my face, salty tears running down my face racing to my round chin, when I felt his hands pry at them. At first I fought it but with a sag of my shoulders, finally just relented and let him do as he pleased. "Look at me." He said softly, and when I refused to meet his eyes, he pulled my chin up until I had no choice. But still I focused on a small, slightly jutted patch of skin that held a scar beside his lip. I couldn't look at this gorgeous man in the face, when we were just inches away from each other, knowing I looked like a hot mess. "Look at me." There was enough force in his command to let me know that he wasn't messing around or pussy-footing anymore- so I looked up into his eyes, instantly realizing my mistake.
Those electric green orbs seemed to consume me whole, taking every part of my fucked up life with it; we weren't any longer in this room or in Chicago for that matter. We were up in space, dancing around cosmos and comets- it took everything in my willpower not to reach up and latch onto his lower lip when he leaned in closer to me. So close that I could smell every last part of him… soap and hair gel and aftershave snared my thoughts so savagely. "Promise me you're not going to be so foolish again." His words were hypnotic, putting me in a dreamlike state as I looked up at him deeper. Hadn't anyone ever noticed that the stars aligned right behind his eyes?
"I- I don't know." I muttered stupidly. What was so foolish anyway? Going out with friend, or clubbing in general, or letting my guard down, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time? I couldn't promise him I wouldn't ever do any of that again.
One of his hands snaked its way through my tangled hair and found the nape of my neck, manicuring my head which ever way he wanted, "Promise you're not gonna go down to Rhyers District again. Ever." I was gonna fight the finality in his tone- I was gonna tell him to tell him to fuck off and that I was my own boss, but then his lips moved ever so slightly downwards and I was caught in a spell. His eyelashes fluttered closed as his lips met with mine, and I had to snap my own shut at the sheer shock of it all.
Butterflies danced in my tummy and wild sparks of sulfur transferred from his lips to mine and then mine back to his as we kissed. I held onto his shoulders for dear life, knowing that any minute now I was either going to faint from the breathless he gave me, or I was going to wake up from a particularly vivid dream. But I did neither; I didn't fight his hand shoving off the shoulder of my robe, his mouth moving up and down the soft skin there and then up my neck. I let out an audible gasp at the way his tongue sucked and lapped at that sensitive area, as if he knew the exact way to drive me absolutely insane. "Promise… me…Isabella." He said between kisses, all but killing me softly with that husky tone and those sultry lips.
"O-okay." I gasped out. "I- I promise."
A/N: Yes, I'm leaving you there.
From here on out it's going to get a little… heavy? So be prepared to switch gears from here on out.
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