I do not own Twilight.
Thanks to SunflowerFran for beta'ing! Remaining mistakes are mine.
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It felt as though he was slipping away from her, and she didn't know what was causing it. Edward was so very distant at times. Always holed up in his studio, always working.
Worse, he was not happy. It was obvious to her, but whenever she tried to ask him about it, he would deflect.
He looked ill; too pale and a little thinner, dark circles under his eyes.
It broke her heart, but she had no idea how she could help him if he didn't let her in.
Bella was losing her appetite over it, and one Saturday night, Alice remarked on that. They were just finishing a catering job in Kensington, and it was long after midnight. Jasper was outside, loading the van, while Bella counted the rented tablecloths and Alice packed a box with their coffee supplies.
"Bella?"
"Hmm?" She looked up from her task, murmuring "Thirty-nine" to herself.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, sure. Forty, forty-one…"
Once she was finished, she grabbed a bag and stuffed it with the linens.
"And… everything okay with Edward, too?"
Alice was staring at her intently.
"Um, yeah. What makes you ask?"
"It's just that you look a little sad." Alice placed one small hand on Bella's arm. "And, don't mind my saying so, but you've become awfully thin."
"I've just been stressed out, I guess."
"That makes no sense, Bella. You've just been on a holiday…"
Bella shrugged, pride and loyalty battling inside her. She wanted to confide in someone about her worries, but she did not want to betray Edward's trust.
"He's… preoccupied. It's nothing."
"Well," Alice said softly, "he did seem a bit… strange when we came to see you guys the other day."
"What do you mean, strange?"
Bella frowned. This didn't sound good.
"You know, when you and Edward first started dating, how Jasper was against it because he'd heard bad things about Edward from Emmett?"
Bella nodded wordlessly.
"Mainly about his drinking," Alice added.
"Yeah, but he's over that," Bella said.
"How do you know?"
Alice's large eyes were gentle.
"Well, I live with him, for one thing. I'd notice it if he was…" She trailed off, a horrible feeling darkening her heart.
"Just… Look out for yourself, Bella." Alice gave her arm a little squeeze. "You're a sensitive person. You know you can always talk to Jasper or to me, right?"
"Of course I do." Bella hugged her friend. "Thanks for looking out for me. And Edward. But there's no real need to. We're fine. We'll be fine."
But in her heart, she knew that they weren't.
That Edward was far from fine.
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Thank you for reading and reviewing.
My laptop is still alive so I postponed having it repaired yet another time in favour of writing and posting…
xoxo
harperpitt