Edward
I know today is much more than chili.
I know today I need to proceed with caution.
I'm very much aware that while things seem simple on the surface, it couldn't be further from the truth.
Today is not about chili.
With one last wave to Bella over my shoulder, I begin the short walk back to my cabin. I pass her truck on the way, stopping only briefly to grab my tools to put back in the shed on my way inside my place. My shed sits on the other side of my cabin, small and disheveled, but it works for me and has ever since I was a kid with an interest in fixing cars. Even when the day comes when it's time for me to toss it with the rest of the junk Carlisle left around here, I'll most likely keep it and use it for something else. Take the pieces and turn them into another thing I can find useful around here.
For now, the shed stays, and I place my bag of tools on the floor of the well-used structure, rubbing my hands over my face in an attempt to keep it cool.
Today is not about chili.
Today is...new.
I've learned it's possible to see a change in someone you just met; someone you haven't known for long. Someone who suddenly becomes aware of a lighter, positive life.
Bella won't tell me her story, and I'll never push for her to tell me, either, but I know she has one. We all have one, fuck knows I do, and some people are better than others when it comes to keeping it to themselves.
But Bella is different. Bella has a story she doesn't want anymore - but she still wavers between holding onto it and letting it define who she is, or tossing it to the side with a loud and deserving fuck you.
She doesn't need to come out and tell me any of this. Even if I wasn't trained in things of this nature, I can read it all over her face, despite how hard she tries to hide it.
Maybe I wouldn't see it on her face so easily if I weren't always staring at her all the time.
Shaking my head at myself, wondering what the fuck has gotten into me, I leave my tools in my shed and close the doors behind me, heading inside to shower before heading back over to Bella's for a late lunch.
It's more than an invitation to share a meal in thanks for fixing her truck.
Stepping into the shower, I let the hours of work melt off my body, the water warm against my back. The work on Bella's truck had been easy, a standard job I've done hundreds of times in my years as a mechanic, so it isn't the physical labor that makes me stretch my muscles beneath the stream of water.
The thoughts in my head are what press on me when I should be relaxing.
I've lived here at the cabin, alone, for the last five years. At different times I had Embry and his grandmother to call my neighbors, but our lives never intersected. Unless they had car trouble or I ran out of firewood in the winter and Embry had extra, we didn't have a reason to stay connected.
Other than a friendly hello every now and then, I was here by myself, just the way I liked it. I have no qualms with anyone, no skeletons in my closet, but the silence out here is exactly what I need. After so many years of noise, being out here with no one other than myself to look after brings me the peace I've needed for far too long.
But suddenly, I'm more involved in the life of my new neighbor than I had been with anyone in years.
It isn't unsettling. It's more of an adjustment and one I didn't realize I needed to make until she pulled into her driveway, and inadvertently, into my life.
I dress quickly when my shower is done, making sure to dress warmer than I had earlier since it's the time of year when the weather can't decide how to be during certain times of the day. Never go anywhere you're invited without bringing something; Mom's voice resonates through my ears, and I laugh to myself and make a mental note to call her tomorrow to check in.
Not knowing what to bring, as it's the awkward time of day between lunch and dinner, I look at my watch and wager if I have enough time to hop in the car and drive to town to pick up something to compliment her chili. I decide time is not on my side, so I head to my cabinets to see if I can find something Mom may have slipped in there on her last visit.
I spot a box of not-yet expired brownie mix and decide it will work, considering Bella's love for cooking she told me about earlier. It may not be much, but I know anything else would overwhelm her.
She's just my neighbor, but I know the thought of her relying on and getting to know someone makes her nervous. And even though I haven't known her long, I don't want to spook her and have her retreat into herself.
But I know today is more than chili.
And when I'm about to knock on her door ten minutes later, boxed brownie mix in hand, I know she knows it too by the look on her face when she sees me.
It's her opening the door to more than just a meal.
It's her opening the door to her new life.
And I'm eagerly here standing on her doorstep.
Waiting.
Edward's story will come later. But today was just a little insight into Edward's side of things. Hope you enjoyed!
See you tomorrow!