A/N: I had to make a change in cities to make the story work. I've fixed chapter two as well. I apologize for any confusion!
As usual, Packy is my partner in crime, Stephenie Meyer owns twilight and I only own the mistakes left here.
Enjoy!
Mac
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Chapter 3.
I have always hated missing Emmett's games, not being at the stadium, not being there for him. Luckily, these days, you can even stream a game on your cell-phone, so I can follow it wherever I am.
It's not ideal of course, but it's the next best thing. For the four years I've been with Emmett, I've followed his team's ups and downs, and I have hopelessly become a die-hard fan.
It's no surprise that the day of my Master's degree graduation, instead of interacting with my fellow graduates, I sit back in a room, my eyes glued to the screen of my phone. Emmett's team is currently down to ten men after a silly foul and an over-reactive referee, and it's not looking good. The game is still 0-0, but they've had to put in so much extra to compensate.
Once I see the game will go to extra time, I start losing hope that Emmett will make it on time.
It takes two hours to drive from Dortmund, where his team plays, to Frankfurt, where I live and go to school.
He will be exhausted once he's done with the game.
I just know this — he won't come.
I flinch and bring the screen of my cellphone closer. That was a bad fall. Edward is down, grabbing his hip, cringing in pain.
Oh God...
They have no more substitutions.
Shit...
"Bella, you ready?" Angela, my classmate opens the door, distracting me from my phone.
It's time to go.
I turn off my cell and grab my gown from the chair. "Yeah, let's go."
I'm already at my department's party when my phone rings — Emmett.
"Hey, how did it go?" I ask, walking outside so I can hear him.
"Bella, hi..." he sounds distracted. There's a lot of noise coming in from the background. "It went well. We're through. We won on penalty kicks."
"Wow... Congratulations! I saw it went to extra time, but I hadn't been able to check the score. Are you on your way?" I try not to sound too hopeful, but there's a chance he can still make it.
"Bella, I..." I hear him take in a deep breath, exhaling through a groan. He's exhausted. I know this.
"Em, it's okay. It's not a big deal." Except it's my freaking graduation!
"I'm sorry."
I can hear someone else through the line, but the sounds are muffled. "Dude, I can't even feel my legs right now, and it's a two-hour drive," I hear Emmett say; even though it seems he's tried to cover the phone.
I let out a small sigh. He's not coming.
"What for?" he asks to whoever he's talking to on the other side of the line.
He seems to do a better job covering the receiver, so I can't catch any of the rest.
"Bella?" Emmett's tone shifts, he's not apologetic anymore.
"Yeah?"
"I'm on my way, okay? I'll see you there."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
As soon as I see him, I can't keep the smile off my face. Emmett stands tall, at his 6'5'', close to the door and impossible to miss. He is in dark jeans and a grey v-neck sweater, the collar of his button up peaking from underneath. His dark hair is a mess, falling over his forehead, and he flashes a cheeky smirk at me when he spots me.
I approach him excitedly, my heels clicking on my way.
"Babe, you look beautiful." He kisses my cheek and half hugs me with one arm, bending over to meet my height.
"Are you okay?" My hands clasps around his cheeks, my eyes examine his. He looks tired but seems okay.
"Yeah..." He shrugs. "Just a bit sore."
"Thanks for coming." I run a hand down his arm while a smile spreads on my face.
He made it after all. He came here, for me, for my graduation, even after his game.
"Where's the bar?" He asks, his eyes roaming the room. "I need to wake up. That two-hour nap might not have been the best idea."
"Nap?" I ask, while he's already moving out of my sight.
"Oh... yeah. Edward drove," he adds nonchalantly, stopping on his way to the back of the room where the reception is already set up. "You want something to drink?"
Edward?
"Oh... no, no." I wave Emmett off dismissively, still confused about what he just said. "I'm... I'm fine."
As Emmett retreats, I look back in the direction of the door to find Edward, his back against the wall, looking straight at me. He's in a grey long sleeve shirt, rolled up to his elbows, with a white t-shirt underneath. His hands are in the pockets of his dark pants.
A nervous feeling settles in my stomach. I don't even know what to think.
Why is he here?
My feet move uncertainly in his direction. My fingers twitch as I clasp my hands together.
He stretches his pose when I stand in front of him, a small but polite smile sets on his lips, but he says nothing.
"Hey," I say.
"Isabella, hi." He nods. "Congratulations." He extends his hand to me for a shake, and I smile, embracing him in a hug instead.
"Thank you," I whisper as I release him, noticing he did not hug me back.
We stand awkwardly in front of each other for a few seconds. Even though he is not as tall as Emmett, he is still 6'1'' or so and towers over me. He glances over my shoulder a couple times, searching for Emmett, I presume. "He's getting drinks," I say. "What... um... what are you doing here?"
He scratches the back of his head, stalling on words, his eyes guiltily peeking at me.
Then it all makes sense. He was the one talking to Emmett while I was on the phone with him. He is who persuaded Emmett's mind about coming.
"He wasn't going to come, was he?" It should have been obvious from the beginning. Edward is the only reason Emmett is here.
"He was..." Edward shakes his head, his hands up in front of me. "He wanted to," he corrects.
"Don't lie for him, Edward." I palm my forehead, saddened in realization. Emmett was never going to come.
"It was a long and difficult game," Edward adds. "That's all."
"Right..."
He exhales through his nose as his gaze penetrates me. I'm grounded to my spot by the intense green of his eyes, which try to say so much even though he remains quiet.
I look down at my hands and notice his are in tight fists at his sides.
Before I can ask him what's wrong, Emmett returns.
"Beer?" Emmett offers Edward, who shakes his head. "Oh right..." Emmett sets one drink down as he sips from the other one. "Not good to mix with those meds."
Emmett's hand finds my shoulders, exposed under my dress, and he runs his fingers from my neck to the small of my back, a devious smirk on his face, peeking down at me.
I'm not sure if my shivers arise from the coolness of his fingertips after holding the beer, or from how uncomfortable it feels that he's being this intimate in front of Edward whose eyes won't leave mine.
"I should probably get going." Edward steps away from the wall, hobbling a bit, keeping the weight off his right leg. His fists tighten infinitely more.
My stomach sinks — he's hurt.
"You don't have to go," I blurt out.
"Yeah, man. Stay. We'll drive back tomorrow morning."
He shakes his head minutely, disapprovingly. His eyes remain on me.
Emmett's arm is off me and over Edward's shoulder in the next second. "C'mon, you don't want to take that two-hour drive back by yourself, do you? This won't be long, plus Bella has a couch. It's fine. Right, babe?"
"Yes, of course." I smile timidly at Edward. He agrees, although his face does not show relief.
It's not too long before the graduates are being called over. I give them both a small smile as they walk to their seats. I head in the opposite direction, joining the rest of the graduates.
I feel silly in my cap and gown as my name gets called.
Emmett's voice resonates in the room as he chants, "That's my girl!" as loud as he can. Next to him, Edward is standing too, a small smile on his lips, clapping and staring at me.
You could pick them both out a mile away, tall, broad shouldered and muscular — professional athletes, no doubt — standing out next to my classmates and their families.
I hold my degree in my hand proudly, as I greet everyone and take pictures. I giggle at Emmett still whistling, and try to focus my attention on not falling down the steps. Glad to have the embarrassing part over, I decide to enjoy the rest of the night.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
A/N: How are we feeling?