oOo
What the hell?
Bella was sleepy as she checked her alarm.
It was five to one.
Probably some drunk youth, having pressed the wrong button. Connor from upstairs always had wild parties whenever his parents were gone. She lay back down.
It rang again.
And again.
Worried that the neighbours would ultimately wake from the incessant beeping, Bella got up and used the intercom.
"Who's this?"
"Bellaa?" a garbled voice asked.
"Who is speaking?"
"'sme. Edward. Can I please come up? Like really please?"
He sounded terrible.
She pressed the button to let him in.
It took him ages to take the two flights of stairs. When he finally stood in front of her, he didn't look as awful as she had feared. His hair was dishevelled, but that seemed to be its permanent state. His open coat revealed that he was wearing a suit, and it was slightly crinkled. His tie was loose.
"Hi," he said.
He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes, the lines on his face a little deeper than before. His stubbly chin and cheeks told her that he hadn't shaved in a few days.
"Hi," Bella replied. "What brings you here? It's after midnight, you know."
She was not going to make this easy on him. He hadn't even bothered to call, and now he showed up drunk at her house?
"Can I come in?" His voice was thick.
Bella stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.
He looked around, blinking.
"Why don't you take off your coat and have a seat?"
"Um, yeah," he mumbled.
She took his coat and placed it over her desk chair. It looked out of place, this two-thousand-pound thing in her tiny flat.
Edward plopped down on the loveseat, which left Bella with only one choice. She sat down in the rocking chair, which put a few feet between them.
Edward rubbed his eyes, then forked his fingers through his hair.
"I'm sorry," he said after a couple of minutes, and fell silent again, his face in his hands.
"What made you come here?"
"It was the only place I wanted to be. Where you are." He swallowed, repeating, "I'm sorry."
"Where did you spend the night?"
"Do you have a glass of water?"
"Of course." She got up and retrieved a water bottle from the fridge, pouring him a glass and placing the bottle next to him on the coffee table.
"Thank you." Green eyes looking up at her through long lashes.
He took some large gulps, emptying the glass.
"I'm sorry," he said again.
"Okay, stop saying that. Rather tell me what happened. And what I can do to help."
"You're helping. Right now. Just… just letting me be here, with you. It's so warm and lovely here."
Bella frowned. She was proud of her little home, because she managed to pay for it, and because she was able to survive on her own. But from someone like Edward, with his shiny shoes and expensive suit, it sounded odd. Surely, he had a big house of his own, with a fireplace and pretty lamps?
She looked at him; he seemed so forlorn.
oOo