Hi all. Welcome to my next story, which will post for the next 10 days until New Year.
No angst, just a little personal drama, and love.
It would be lovely to hear your thoughts so drop me a review if you have the time in the lead up to Christmas.
As always, my absolutely heartfelt thanks to MeteorOnAMoonlessNight for beta'ing this little one, and to Midnight Cougar for her help with anything and everything and her continual encouragement
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns it all, and to be honest the only one of her characters I really want is Edward in all of his wards.
Boyfriends of Christmas Past Chapter 1
Summary
A trip back home for the holidays shows Bella everything she didn't know had been missing from her life.
Chapter 1
Bella
I sighed heavily as I gazed out the window at the dark gray clouds surrounding the raindrops, almost looking like snow, hit the Plexiglas, obscuring any break there might have been between the clouds as we began our descent into SeaTac. Next to me, Alec shifted in his seat, his hand resting proprietarily over mine, his palm slightly sweaty from the anxiety of the flight. I guessed it was a result of flying, which I knew he wasn't keen on, and meeting my dad for the first time wouldn't be easy.
I patted his hand comfortingly before withdrawing mine from under his and placing both of mine in the front pocket of my sweatshirt where he couldn't reach them.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" His whispered words were close to my ear, his warm breath washing over the side of my face.
I turned and smiled at him. "Of course. I'm just ready for the flight to be over. We've still got a three or four hour drive, and I'm already tired."
Thankfully, my reply seemed to satisfy him, and I turned back to the almost non-existent view from the window.
I was aware he hadn't wanted to come to Forks, especially for Christmas, but it had been almost five years since I'd seen my dad, and when Charlie asked me to come, I hadn't had the heart to refuse. Alec argued the ten days in Forks was a total waste of a networking opportunity and furthering his career, but he'd been unwilling to let me go on my own, so here we were.
I wasn't sure I wanted him there either—although, for now, I didn't want to delve into the reasons for that— but it was an ideal opportunity for Alec and my dad to get to know each other.
The almost-fight we'd had a couple of weeks ago flicked across my mind.
~ oOo ~
"Bellaaa."
The whine in Alec's voice grated on my nerves, and not for the first time, I wondered when he'd reduced our conversations to the level of a five-year-old.
"I know you'd rather stay here, Alec," I said patiently. "I understand how important it is for you to network, but I haven't seen my dad in almost five years."
"You can go to Forks any time, Bella. I need to be seen, to meet with as many directors as possible, and this will be the greatest opportunity I'll have to showcase my talent. You know the parties at Christmas and New Year are the most important ones of the year."
Alec was always on the lookout for the next big role, the one that would catapult him into mega-stardom. He was a decent actor, but privately, I thought he would probably never make it to the big time. Nevertheless, I was wary of saying anything, especially since his meltdown a couple of months ago when I'd suggested he take some time away to recharge his batteries. He'd taken it as if I was telling him he was a failure, and nothing I said would dissuade him of the fact he believed I'd spoken out of turn.
"I'm sorry, Alec, but I've already told my dad I'll be there." I could see he was getting agitated, and I put my hand on his arm to calm him. He shook me off and paced across the room, his voice rising.
"Is it too much to ask for you to support me, Bella?" he ranted. "This is so important to my career, and if you loved me, you wouldn't desert me when I need you."
I took a deep breath, holding it in for a second, concentrating on pushing down the sudden anger flaring inside me. "You're not being fair, Alec. I've always supported your career, you know that, but right now, I need to see my dad. Of course, you don't have to come with me; I'd understand."
There was a part of me that wanted him to refuse to go. However, Alec backtracked immediately.
"No, no, Bella. It's fine. I'll come with you." The smile didn't reach his eyes, and not for the first time recently, I wondered why I was with him.
~ oOo ~
Alec preceded me as we deplaned, stalking through the arrivals hall and leaving me to collect the suitcases from the carousel. I decided not to start the time away with a fight and left him to secure the rental car. After collecting the luggage, I found him at the appropriate desk, arguing with the young girl behind the counter.
"Listen to me, miss; I don't want the Escalade Sport, no matter how great you say it is. I booked the Mercedes S55, so why is it not available?" He stopped and leaned over, and I could see her step back, a worried look on her face. "Do you know who I am?"
I rolled my eyes at his tone of voice and stepped forward to tug on his arm gently. Roughly, he shook me off and continued his tirade at the poor girl. "I want what I booked."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I didn't take the booking, so I can't say why it isn't available today. The only upscale vehicle I have available is the Escalade." The girl completely ignored his last question.
"Alec," I said quietly, "it doesn't really matter, does it? Why don't we take the Escalade? It's a nice vehicle."
He scowled at me but eventually accepted the car, albeit with bad grace, and snatched the keys from the desk, then marched off in the direction of the parking lot. I mouthed, "I'm so sorry," at the customer service girl and followed Alec into the elevator. Increasingly, I was wondering why I was still with this man when he didn't seem to value me in the slightest. All the romantic gestures he'd used to get me to come back to him were slowly disappearing, and in their place was the trying man I'd left.
Fifteen minutes later, after practically throwing the luggage in the trunk, Alec sped out of the parking lot and headed for the interstate. He fiddled with the radio, finding a channel playing popular music, something I wasn't a lover of, but rather than argue with him, I settled back in the heated seat, preferring to remain silent. Anger radiated from him, and from experience, I knew it was best to leave him to his own devices until he calmed down.
Alec had never been a violent man; he'd never raised a hand to me, but he was prone to bouts of anxiety, which usually manifested by a loss of temper, so I said nothing and sat quietly listening to the music, staring out the window.
My thoughts drifted back over the years since I'd left Forks, and if I was honest with myself, I wasn't sure about returning, despite missing my dad. He was the only family I had left, not having seen my mother since she'd left us both many years ago, but Forks hadn't truly felt like home since she'd decided we weren't worth her time. True, I'd been relatively happy with only Dad for company, and we'd gotten along well enough. However, being the only daughter of the Chief of Police had prevented me from experiencing my teenage years as my school friends had done.
So, I'd taken the first opportunity that had given me a way out—a way to get away from the stifling atmosphere of Forks, where everyone knew me as the girl whose mother had run away. Winning a full scholarship to the University of California in Los Angeles, studying English and Creative Writing, was in many ways my saving grace. In my first year, I'd branched out, determined to make the most of my time at college. I'd made friends and gone to parties, and had even gotten drunk on occasion. I found myself a job at the campus coffee shop, joined the college newspaper, and even the drama club.
I knew I'd never make it as an actor, but it had sparked my interest in writing screenplays. During my last year at college, I had the good fortune to get an internship at a major motion picture company. It was dogsbody work as I spent the whole summer answering phones, making copies, delivering documents and packages to the mailroom and other studio offices, getting lunch, making coffee, and a thousand and one other minor jobs. I'd lucked out and had worked for someone who was happy to act as a mentor teaching me the art of writing detailed analyses of incoming scripts, and I'd learned as much as I could absorb about my chosen career.
That had led to a job the following year after I graduated. Charlie was as proud as a peacock and had traveled to L.A. for my graduation. I'd made an effort to visit the year after, but hadn't been back since. I lucked out again when my mentor decided she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and I was offered a golden opportunity to step up into her job.
Time got away from me at that point, and I spent the next three years pouring everything I had into the job. Then, after a particularly successful collaboration on a movie script, I met Alec Reynolds when he auditioned for a part. He swept me off my feet like a knight in shining armor with his good looks and charming smile. Black-haired and blue-eyed, he was the quintessential handsome Irishman.
~ oOo ~
After only six months in a whirlwind romance, I agreed to move in with him, though there was a part of me that thought it was a bit soon. Then the possessive and jealous side of Alec made itself known. At first, it was only wanting to know where I was when I went out with girlfriends, but it soon expanded until he insisted on going almost everywhere with me and knowing exactly what I was doing every minute of the day. He began telling me what I should wear to the parties he insisted we attend until he was dictating where we were seen, with whom, and constantly playing up to the paparazzi and fans who wanted a piece of his life.
I'd never wanted that sort of life, and I wasn't happy living in a goldfish bowl with every aspect of our lives documented and commented on, but Alec thrived on it. Eventually, his insane jealousy, his possessiveness, and his need to be in the public eye twenty-four-seven had gotten too much for me, and after a huge fight, I packed my bags and went to stay with one of my girlfriends.
Alec didn't see it coming and was devastated. He fought hard to win me back, taking me on romantic dates, buying me unnecessary presents, and almost worshipping the ground I walked on. He begged me to reconsider, promising me everything would be different, and for a while, it was.
Nonetheless, something wasn't right and it hadn't been for a while. Despite his initial promises, we'd slowly been drifting apart for the last twelve months, and Alec's jealous and possessive behavior had begun to reappear. Coming with me to Forks, even though he would've rather stayed in L.A., was just another facet of his controlling personality, one I didn't much like. He wasn't the man I thought he was, or even the one I'd first met.
Our life had become all about what he wanted, and I'd already admitted to myself I allowed him to dominate it for too long. I vowed there would be some changes once Christmas and New Year were over and we returned to L.A.
~ oOo ~
