~AL~

Damn Your Eyes

September 1995

~AL~

"Flight thirty-twenty is ten out," a voice called through the microphone on my shoulder that wound up from the radio on my belt.

"Copy that, thirty-twenty, ten out," I replied back into the microphone that was assisting me in an on-time operation.

"Emmett, get your crew ready. Did you hear thirty-twenty is ten out?" I said to the Crew Chief that was working tonight.

"Yeah, we've got it covered. Don't worry so much," he chuckled.

I worked swing shift from two p.m. to ten-thirty p.m. at a small commuter airline called American Eagle Airlines. I knew everyone I worked with and was well respected. I worked hard, knew my job well, and treated everyone with respect. I loved my job and was working my way up the ladder to Manager. Without a college degree, I had to work ten times harder than everyone else.

My husband, Mike, was the guy I dated occasionally in High school. I moved to Culver City, California the summer I turned sixteen. It was right before I was to start eleventh grade. I'd left Boston and all of my family to live with my father. It was a difficult decision, but I wanted to make him happy. Charlie had begged me for years to move in with him as we actually only saw each other during school vacations. He and my mother divorced when I was three.

I expected to move back home after I graduated, but the two years with Charlie really opened my eyes. After living in the melting pot of Los Angeles and meeting a huge variety of people I could never fit in back home again. Boston was too uptight. Boston didn't have many other nationalities, other than Italian or Irish. I just couldn't go back to that close-mindedness.

So, I graduated high school, got my own apartment and dated Mike for a few years. Then he asked me to marry him and because I was comfortable, I said yes. We got married and a month after his proposal I was pregnant. Charlie always warned me against getting married and he wasn't happy when we told him about the marriage and pregnancy. My mom, Renee, was flighty so our news didn't really faze her. She just acted excited and moved on to what was important in her life at that moment.

I should have listened to Charlie. He never liked Mike and didn't want me to marry him or anyone else for that matter. He said I was too young and needed to go to college. I was too stubborn and hated being told what to do. I guess I had to learn the hard way.

I was married by twenty and had my first child at the age of twenty-one. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but shortly after Matthew was born, I couldn't stand my husband anymore. I guess I grew up and realized I had someone else very important to take care of, but Mike was still so immature. I realized he never took care of me. He jumped from one job to another after I paid to send him to trade school to be a plumber. I had to work two jobs to take care of my son and the household. I refused to care for my grownup, irresponsible husband as if he were another child of mine. He was more interested in hanging out with his equally stupid high school friends rather than taking care of his family. Yes, I was extremely resentful.

It was about a year after my son was born that I kicked Mike out of the bedroom and onto the sofa, and I honestly didn't have much to do with him after that. He still loved me and wanted to be with me, but I was done. I was done trying and was dreadfully building up the courage to move on. He never worried about taking care of us. So, I just did what I had to and coordinated with Mike about babysitting Matthew while I worked.

During holidays or get-togethers, he would get so trashed and then become violent. On many occasions, I had to fight him off while he'd try to stab or choke me. I was a fighter and would try my hardest to hurt him enough so he would leave me alone. He truly didn't know whom he was dealing with. Being Sicilian, I had a temper and would kick anyone's ass that wanted to mess with me and mine. God forbid if something happened to me and Matthew would be left with him. I would just die.

My escape from him and his drama was going to work, but I missed my baby so much. I picked up extra shifts not only because we needed the money, but because I didn't want to be home with Mike all day.

One night, I was walking on the ramp delivering payloads to the captains on the aircrafts, and I saw the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. There he was sitting on a baggage tug most likely waiting for his next flight to arrive.

I did what any friendly person would do, walked right over to him, and introduced myself.

"Hi, my name is Bella. What's your name?" I asked as I stuck my hand out to shake his in introduction. I couldn't help the huge smile playing on my face.

He looked shocked and kind of sat there with his jaw hanging open. Finally, he snapped out of it and answered, "Oh, um, I'm Edward." Then he smiled a deliciously crooked and beautiful smile, which made me soak my panties.

God, he was beautiful. Perfect bone structure and those damn green eyes just pierced through my soul. I looked at his mouth as he spoke and wanted to lick his pouting lips just to see what they would taste like. I couldn't see his body, but fuck, from what I could see he was delicious.

Once I stopped ogling him I had to ask, "Are you new, because I've never seen you before?"

"Yeah, I just started a couple of days ago. I transferred from AMR cargo department," he replied. I wasn't really listening; as I was too busy checking him out. Wow, he had the most perfectly tanned skin and shinny light brown hair. The sun was starting to set behind him, and it reflected the auburn highlights in his hair.

~AL~

I'll never forget that day and I look back on it often. Little did I know at the time but it changed my life forever.

Edward and I spoke a lot and spent our breaks together. Since we worked the same shift, we ate lunch together or drank coffee on our breaks. During those times, we talked about our lives. He told me that he was married and didn't have any kids. I told him I was married and had a son. I learned he was thirty-four and I had just turned twenty-four. We had a lot of things in common and just clicked so easily.

I felt quite comfortable with Edward so I told him about Mike and how I wasn't happy. Edward never actually spoke much about his wife, Jane. I didn't know much about her or their relationship. He never mentioned that he was unhappy so, I assumed that all was well on that front.

I introduced Edward to my group of friends and was quite embarrassed when I found out one of my best friends was his sister. Alice, my little pixie of a friend, never told me that hottie I've been drooling over that first day I met him was her brother. Nepotism wasn't allowed when they were hired and they never spoke of being siblings.

Since we all worked swing shift, we would often go to the local bar after work and have a few drinks before heading home. Mike never questioned my whereabouts because he knew better. Edward began joining us for drinks, and he fit in perfectly with my friends. Four of the people I regularly got together with were my best friends. Rosalie and Alice were dating Emmett and Jasper.

The four of them were so good to me. They understood my situation and always helped out where they could. Whenever I needed a last minute baby sitter, one of them would jump at the opportunity. They all loved Matthew and he loved them. They tried to convince me all the time to kick Mike out, but I felt awful for Matthew. I didn't want him to blame me for not having his father around. They promised that if I did they would stand by me and help out. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I needed to do it on my own time.

The more time I spent with Edward the more I wanted Mike out of my life. I was falling for Edward in an extremely bad way. I knew no good could come of that situation since he seemed happily married. We had an amazing connection and enjoyed each other's company, but that's all. The word in the rumor mill at work was that we were fucking. As much as I would have loved that to be true, it wasn't. Poor me. Right? The biggest problem was that that type of gossip was not good for my career.

One evening Mike told me that he and his mom wanted to take Matthew to visit his great-aunt who he hadn't seen in a long time. She hadn't met Matthew yet either and since she was aging he wanted her to. So they left on seven-day trip and I stayed home and worked.

I hadn't been home alone in years since Mike never went anywhere and I began to feel liberated. During my days off, I cleaned the house, did laundry, and went to my kick boxing class.

~AL~

The first day Mike was gone I still had to work so I drove the ten minutes to the employee parking lot. When I got on the employee bus that took us to the terminal, I saw Edward sitting alone in the back. I went and sat down next to him and began to tease him. I kept nudging my elbow into his ribs but he didn't reciprocate. We we're usually really playful with each other. I stopped and looked at him in the eyes, and his eyes were laced with sadness.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked. He shrugged and said, "Nothing, I'm fine."

I knew him too well so I knew he was lying. "You know you can tell me anything, right? I'm your friend and am always here for you," I said.

When he looked me, again there was nothing but sincerity in his expression. He told me he was fine, and he knew he could count on me, but he left it at that.

That night at work, I watched him carefully trying to figure out what was bothering him and I spent all of my free time with him, silently comforting him from whatever it was that was tormenting him.

It was a perfect night for our group to get together since we were all working. It was almost time to go clock out when I made the last minute decision and invited everyone over to my house instead of going to the bar. I told Edward to come over and gave him my address. He said he would be there, but I wasn't so sure.

Everyone stopped to pick up their choice of alcohol on their way to my house. We started drinking quickly, guzzling a few beers right off the bat and a couple of shots of tequila for good measure. I started feeling good and pulled out my CD collection to have my friends pick what they wanted to hear. Edward was the first one to look through my music and was impressed with my collection. Although he didn't like it all, I did have a wide enough selection to satisfy his tastes. I owned anything from R&B, Disco to Salsa, Spanish pop, Motown, rock and many other genres.

I remember my favorites at the time were Gloria Estefan's Mi Tierra, Charlie Zaa's Sentimientos, and a bunch of Spanish Rock songs. I was addicted and had them on repeat all the time.

Yes, I learned to speak Spanish because living in L.A., it was a necessity. It also came in handy because I could communicate with Edward on a whole other level. Spanish was his first language ,as he was born and raised in Mexico City.

There I was an Italian from Boston living in L.A. who spoke Spanish and loved every minute of it. Even better than that, no one ever expected me to speak Spanish so I got the juicy gossip. I remember my first day of work when I was being showed around I heard someone make comments about me in Spanish. When I turned around to see who made that comment, I surprised him by answering in Spanish. Man, he was shocked and embarrassed. It was always cool to surprise people like that.

Anyway, everyone was getting majorly trashed and we were all dancing around like carefree teenagers. At some point, Edward came over to my side to ask me something.

"Bella, is there a fast food place around here? I'm starving and want to get something."

I thought for a moment trying to remember somewhere suitable. "Umm, well there is a place around the corner that has everything from Mexican to hamburgers. The place is called Lucy's you can't miss it. Or better yet, do you want me to go with you?"

Edward smiled his gorgeous crooked smile and said, "Sure, let's go."

Edward drove a 1990 BMW 325i, and never let anyone drive it. It was his baby, and he cared for it greatly.

"Hey, why don't you let me drive since I know where it is," I said innocently, batting my eyelashes knowing he'd never let me. I knew how much he loved his car and never expected him to hand over his keys.

"Sure, here," he said as he handed over his keys. I was pretty shocked and seriously didn't expect him to say yes. I smiled to myself because it meant something that he trusted me enough. I tried not to analyze it too much, but I hoped it meant something for him, too.

So, we went to Lucy's and ordered a bunch of food for everyone. Once we pulled up in front of my house, I turned off the engine and started getting out. Edward made no effort to get out and as I turned to face him, I found that he was staring at me. I began to feel a bit uncomfortable under his scrutiny. Before I could register what was happening, he pulled me towards him with his hand behind my neck. Next thing I knew his lips were on mine and we were lost in a deep, passionate kiss.

Oh my God! What is he doing? Holy shit! What did this mean?

I couldn't even think. I just went with it and didn't want to think of the consequences.

Finally, when I needed to breathe I pulled away. I whispered, "We better get inside before everyone wonders where we are." I was so nervous I was shaking.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go," replied Edward.

I was flushed and I honestly didn't want to go inside. I had no idea why he did what he did and I wasn't sure I wanted to find out. I figured he made a mistake and didn't mean it and I didn't want to face the rejection. For me, though, it was the most spectacular kiss I'd ever had. But I just didn't know how I should act around him after the kiss.

We went inside and gave everyone some food. After we were sated, we continued to drink and enjoy ourselves. But every chance I got I would look over at Edward. He was just so beautiful.

I sat next to my two best friends Rosalie and Alice.

"What's wrong? You're acting so strangely," Rosalie asked. Rose was extremely observant and I should have known that she'd see right through me.

I laughed. "Nothing is wrong. What makes you think anything is wrong?"

"You have the most wicked smile spread across your face." Alice pointed out.

"Oh, God. Nothing, it's nothing. I'm fine. I think I just drank too much." I hushed them.

They knew me so well. I didn't want them to know what happened yet since I didn't thoroughly understand it myself.

A couple of our friends started leaving since it was already around two in the morning.

Emmett and Jasper stood to leave and so did Rosalie and Alice. Emmett and Jasper lived together, but Rosalie and Alice still lived with their parents. The girls were saving their money for their futures.

Finally, the house was empty except for Edward and me. I looked at him with a questioning expression, and he just shrugged and smiled. I didn't think anything of it because I was much too wasted. We just sat on my sofa and chatted for a while and sneaking looks at each other. When I least expected it, he grabbed my face and kissed me again. His lips were so soft and he was so gentle. I loved it and was in heaven. My lips and face tingled where he was touching me.

I had such mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was ecstatic that he kissed me again, and then on the other hand I thought about the fact that he was married. I knew I was married too, but it had been a long time since I had honestly felt married. I didn't love Mike and hadn't for a long time. I knew it was wrong, but I just couldn't help myself. I loved Edward.

I never realized it before then but our close friendship was so much more to me than just that. He was quickly becoming an important person in my life, and I understood that he had a wife. It was just easier to not think about her, and since he never spoke of her, it was like she didn't exist.

Edward began caressing my neck, and then down my back until he left his hand was on my lower back. I placed my hands on his chest and just reveled in the feel of him kissing and touching me. Before I could get used to his hands on my back, he placed them under my shirt.

In between kisses, he said, "So, soft." His hands continued up and then under my bra. He moved his thumbs over my nipples and they stiffened instantly. I was panting just from his touch, if he continued I would die for sure.

He removed his hands, grabbed the hem of my shirt, and lifted it off me. He undid my bra with a quick flick of his fingers and continued exploring. He caressed every bit of my torso and left a trail of tingles behind. I wanted more.

I unbuttoned his shirt and slid it over his shoulders. He was lean, muscular, and absolutely stunning. His skin was so smooth and he had a small trail of hair right above his pants. I began to lick and nibble across his collarbones and down to his nipples. His skin began to pebble, and he was trembling.

With that, he went straight to my pants and began to unbutton them. I lifted my butt to allow him to remove them. I didn't want to be the only naked one, so I removed his pants, as well. We lay on the sofa kissing and exploring each other's bodies.

"Beautiful," whispered Edward.

Edward moved his hand lower and lower until he reached my bare mound. His finger moved down between my lips. It felt so foreign but good. It had been such a long time since I had been touched in that way. It had been over a year since Mike and I had been intimate in any way.

Edward knew his way around my body. Every touch and caress left my skin on fire. He continued to stroke between my lips and let one of his fingers enter my pussy. I was sucking on his earlobe and kissing his perfect jaw. I grabbed his large length and began stroking it. He was amazingly hard and soft at the same time. It felt like silk over titanium.

We were panting heavily and he moaned when I touched him. Finally, he shifted us so he was on top of me and his legs were between mine. The weight of his body on mine felt so right. The tip of his cock was right at my entrance. I waited and held my breath in anticipation of what was to come.

I opened my eyes and my breath caught with the way he looked at me. His gaze was so intense and his lids were hooded. I fell into his spell. He must have seen the love reflected back at him because in that moment his lips crashed into mine while he entered me. I gasped at the welcomed intrusion. I felt so many sensations at once. That kiss was different from our first. It was possessive, passionate, and if I'm not mistaken, it was filled with love.

"Ah. Mmmmmm…. God, you feel so good," I breathed.

We both sighed our pleasure. In that very moment, while we were connected as one, all other thoughts were forgotten. Our spouses, my job, and all other obstacles didn't exist in that moment of bliss.

I pushed my hips up to meet his thrusts as he pushed in. It felt so incredible to be one with him. Our bodies worked together as sweat covered our skin. We kissed, touched, and caressed. Finally, we both exploded. Bodies tensed, bright lights flashed before my eyes, and we collapsed. Our boneless limbs tangled on the wet cushions of the sofa.

Edward kissed my eyelids, my nose, and my lips and then looked at the time. He got dressed and kissed me good-bye.

"Do you have to go?" I asked as I watched him gather his keys and walk to the door.

"Yeah, I need to get going before my wife realizes I'm not home yet." He pulled the door open.

I threw my shirt back on and walked to the door while I stepped into my pants. "Oh, of course, it's late. You better get going."

He chuckled and replied, "No, it's early." I fake chuckled, because honestly I didn't find it funny.

I hid my disappointment and showed him out. With one last good night kiss, he was gone.

I fell asleep there on the sofa where we had shared the most intimate of moments. When I woke up, I started panicking. As I began to recall the events of the previous night, I couldn't contain the panic attack that was coming on.

What we did was so wrong on so many levels. We were both married. I vowed to myself never to get involved with anyone from work. Everything was ruined. I just knew that my friendship with Edward was now tainted. I couldn't believe that I had been so stupid. How was I supposed to act around him at work?

All these different thoughts and questions were running through my mind. I felt dizzy, clammy, and had trouble breathing. I felt like I was going to pass out from the worry. Things would not be the same after what we had shared.

Just at that moment my phone rang snapping me out of my panic attack long enough to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, beautiful!" Edward said.

Oh, my goodness. Beautiful?

I quietly began hyperventilating from the shock of his call. To say I was surprised would be an understatement.

"Hi, How are you?"

I never expected him to call. I was about ready to chalk that one off to a one-night stand, never to be addressed or acknowledged again.

But I supposed Edward had other plans in mind. That was when our relationship began.

~AL~