Disclaimer: I do not own, only play. These are Stephanie Meyer's characters.
"If this is about ma, it shouldn't be."
"Edward, when have I ever brought your mother into work-related business?"
"That's not answering my question."
"Edward, you know why I am asking you this; don't pretend you don't know why. You're not stupid."
"She's my girlfriend."
"That's irrelevant."
"That doesn't make sense, of course it's relevant!"
"Lower your voice; I don't want this to become someone else's business."
More or less of the conversation was finished in hushed tones but not one of the participants felt content when it was finally over. Edward walked out of his father's office and left early for the day. He ignored Emmett's snickers down the hall, all of which confused Edward because he obviously wasn't in on the joke that was going around.
He then called Bella later that night to cancel their dinner plans.
A minute later, he felt bad, and called her back to tell her to come over.
He blatantly ignored the T.V, watching Bella curiously from his peripheral. She was wearing his sweatpants and beater, sitting cross-legged on his couch beside him. Her lavender hair down around her face, sitting in her lap.
"Wanna ask me something or you going to keep staring?" Bella said without breaking eye contact with the T.V.
Edward smiled faintly, bringing a napkin to his face. He didn't say anything. He took the untouched crust off her plate and nibbled at it. She still didn't break contact with the T.V. He decided to crawl over to her and nuzzle her neck.
Peppering kisses along her jaw, her skin smelt like the perfume that she probably sprayed on countless hours ago. She smelt like sweat and apples and textbooks and laundry detergent and spring wind. She smelt real.
He heard a giggle caught in her throat.
"Hey, would you care to lend me some of your financial advice?" she asked.
He hummed against her neck. "Sure."
"If I'm 26,000 dollars in debt, and I pay 20 dollars every month after graduation, how many years would I have to commit to paying back my college debt?"
Slowly, he dragged his teeth along her neck.
"I'm a columnist, Bella, not a mathematician." His response was light and playful.
But suddenly, she became stiff. "Who's Bella?"
Edward pulled away. Her hair was blonde. Shoulder length. Straight. Her eyes were green. Her shoulders were broader, her voice was lighter. Her nose no longer curved, but rather developed a small bump at the end. She had a mole on her left eyebrow.
It wasn't Bella.
Kate looked at him confused, still wearing his sweatpants and beater. "Edward, I asked 'Who's Bella?'"
He was shortly baffled, perplexed, finding his surroundings blurry.
"She's… she's..."
"She's who?" Kate asked calmly.
And for the life of him, he couldn't remember.
Edward woke up.
Bella was sleeping soundly to his left, as she usually did. Though darkened by the night, her lavender hair still sprinkled itself along her pillow, even branching out onto his.
He lay back down.
Near the end of the week, Bella had invited Edward to the end-of-the-year-art gallery her university held every year. It was held in the Communication's building. It was a beautiful building with a large, beautiful foyer. Once entering the main doorway, there was a stair case on each side that led up to the entire second floor. This was where the art was held and hung up.
Students' submitted pieces hung on the walls, or if sculpted or constructed, were placed on neat presentation tables.
While others strolled through the art, Bella and Edward searched and skimmed through, looking for a piece in particular.
"Are you sure it's here?" Edward asked, noting that they were beginning to reach the other side of the stair case, which would inevitably bring them around to the beginning again. He wasn't in the mood to go around in circles.
"She said it would be here. She took an art class this year."
"Isn't this submitted work, by the Art Majors?" he asked politely.
Her hand slipped out of his in order to touch and lightly dab through some of the art hung above. She was looking for a signature. Or plainly just a name.
"I'm pretty the one class she took as an elective didn't give her entitlement to submit a piece of her work in the end-of-the-year art gallery," Edward added, following behind Bella lazily.
She was beginning to get flustered.
"I don't know, she said—hey! I found it."
Bella reached for the painting, and ran her finger over the black penciled signature that bore a back-slanted, angular curve; it read Rosalie Hale.
The two stepped back to look at the stencil drawing more fully. The piece was about a yard high and was drawn on what looked to be some sort of wood-pulp based paper, bearing a thin exterior. It was stapled securely to wall.
It was a full detailed sketch of a woman's body from behind.
"I guess I know why they chose this," Edward said, mostly to himself. His shear surprise of how well it was drawn was not lost on him. Or Bella.
The drawing held an extremely realistic take on what a woman's body generally looked like. The back was twisted and box-y, the line of her spine somewhat crooked and branching down to her tail bone. The woman's figure was neither skinny nor plump but somewhere in the middle. The cheeks of her backside were not round and did not represent the perkiness of a young teenager's however, it was toned and shaded.
Regardless if Rose perceived this woman with resemblance of someone she knew, or had just simply drawn from the imagination, it was obvious that this was the perception of a woman Rose wanted to show.
This woman was someone that Rose wanted everyone to love. Because this is what she saw.
Edward tilted his head respectfully at the drawing, observing the strange fade out of the legs. The woman's feet were not drawn. Nor were her hands.
"She has talent."
"I didn't know," Bella shook her head.
They looked at it a bit longer. In comparison to the other art in the room, it was not the most well-drawn or the most creative by any stretch of the imagination. And because of this, it was purposely placed near the ending of the gallery. However, it was chosen for a reason and stood out amongst the others to attest to its powerful image.
Rose had shrugged off her own invitation; she said she wasn't of fan of looking at her own work, nonetheless others, gawking at what may or may not have been good art. But she more or less let on about the show in case Bella was interested in going.
And Bella was certainly interested in going. Especially to see her best friend's work. Alice apparently went earlier than Bella and Edward's arrival. Bella didn't see her roommate there now.
"Think she used a nude model?" Edward asked, jokingly.
Bella shook her head. "Well," her gaze drifted to the bare back, "we know it wasn't me."
With that comment, Edward kissed her lightly on her shoulder.
A woman passed the both of them, not even realizing she was giving off an estranged expression. It was small but it didn't go unnoticed. The atmosphere changed a bit then but no one said anything.
They decided to head out.
Abruptly, as the couple descended the staircase, Edward motioned Bella to a vacant corner, letting other students pass them to exit the building.
"Hey, I want to talk to you about something." With his head low, he scratched at his chin. He wanted to tell Bella about the gala, against his father's best interest.
"Want to wait until we get back to my room?"
Edward shook off her offer. But then he thought about it, and sighed, nodding in agreement. He was always so bad about his timing when asking things.
So they left without another mention of it.
Rose was never much of a drawer. She knew she could draw but she never found a lot of joy in it and she never practiced much either. It just wasn't something she took up as a hobby.
Her grandfather was painter who painted imitations for a living. She watched him and found his work to be too profound for her interest. Rose liked having liberty with her art; she didn't like having guidelines. Or another picture for reference.
Which was also why Rose didn't favor her art class. She had worked her way around the class as much as possible only until she realized it was the very class she needed to fulfill her Art requirements. She figured if she took a basic course, an introduction class like 101 she wouldn't have to try as hard. In the end, the class was exactly what Rose pegged it for.
The 8 week course also had a final project. The final project was a free range project. The students could do whatever they wanted; paint, sculpt, draw, mold, rip apart and glue together, anything to show off their talents in their strong areas. Finally, she wouldn't have to use references.
So Rose drew what would make her liberal arts professor give her an A. While concluding that sketching was probably her only strong point, she took her good grade and checked the class off her requirements. But it was the fact that her work had been submitted to the art gallery that had her feeling rather... embarrassed.
A knock on the door gave Rose a flinching nerve in the chest while at her desk. She stood up and went to the door, seeing as how her roommate was not in her room on a Friday night.
At the door, stood a girl with her cell phone clamped in her right palm.
At the door, stood Leah Clearwater.
Instead of heading back to Bella's door, it was Edward's suggestion to walk around for a bit. The warmth of the night invited them both; they churned out casual discussion as they walked side by side. Edward's hands jingling his keys in his pockets offered an unsettling feeling for Bella.
"What are you doing after college?" Edward asked casually.
Bella's fingers lingered near her neckline where she proceeded to keep her hair off her shoulders. She shifted her fading hair to her left side.
"You know my plans," she replied absently.
Edward slowed his walk. "I've known of your plans since the day I met you. But what I'm asking, now that you've really gotten to know me, is, what are you doing after college?"
As he slowed, Bella stopped completely and turned to him completely.
"Why are you asking me this?"
"Because it matters."
"I… still would like to move to L.A. and pursue my filming career."
Edward swallowed and gave a solid nod. It was an understanding nod but it didn't even pass the surface as a convincing one.
"And what will happen to this?" he asked, referencing the both of them.
"I would still like to keep this."
A car drove past them on the street, warding them of the still very public place they were in. Edward looked back to her, finding her pale lips to be puckering underneath the stigma of a soon-to-be fight.
"Long distance relationships are not my strong suit," Edward commented lightly, using a matter-of-fact tone.
"Neither are relationships in general for me, but I managed to keep this going on my end."
"Bella, that is not the same thing here. This is different; this is more important."
Her reaction was taken aback. It was, as a matter a fact, very important to her. The process of being in a steady relationship was no easy feat for her and instantly, he made it sound like a lousy grab for an excuse.
"Edward, I'm not getting in a fight with you right now. This is not how I wanted to spend my night."
He reached for her arm when she went to turn. "This is now how I wanted to spend my night. But I'd like to talk about this like the adults we are."
"You think I'm being childish?"
Edward took a minute to reply.
"Right now? Yes, yes you are."
Bella ripped her arm from him. "Then I guess it would be appropriate for me to stick my tongue out at you as I walk away." Which she proceeded to do so as Bella turned the street corner, heading for the dorms.
Leah Clearwater set her phone on her lap, sitting crossed legged on Rose's bed. Rose sat across from her, mimicking her same position however, she had a packet of study guides in her lap instead.
"Bella sent me a picture of your art work from the gallery."
Rose's eyes went big. "She did?"
"Yeah. It was unbelievable. I'm sorry I missed it. When you get the drawing back, can I see it in person?"
Rose's nose scrunched unintentionally, like she did when she had a cold. "You didn't miss anything. It's not a big deal."
Leah scrolled through her phone again. "It's a beautiful drawing, Rosalie."
"Rose," the blonde haired girl mindlessly corrected. For some reason, she didn't care for Leah calling her by Rosalie. None of her closet friends did, and she guessed she didn't want Leah to either.
"Rose," Leah extenuated the name in a joking matter, "You should be more proud of you work."
Her shrug was light-hearted and not intended to mean anything else, so when Rose shrugged her small shoulders, Leah leaned in forward.
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you in a while," Leah started to say.
Rose gently leaned backwards, feeling trivial and almost cautious; she settled back on her pillow.
"It's okay; you're busy."
Leah shook her head quietly, letting her dark strands brush her cheeks.
"No. I'm just terribly shy at seeing new people." It was an honest response and it made Rose curl her sock-covered toes underneath her legs.
"It's okay. I'm not worth impressing or the least bit threatening."
Leah's raspy laugh caught a nerve with her. "I doubt that."
"Which part?"
Leah shrugged her shoulders. "After seeing your art, you are very threatening."
Rose laughed cynically at that and played with the papers on her lap. Just then, her phone beeped and lit up. Rose asked Leah, sitting closest to her end table, if she could hand the phone to her.
She did as asked but once something caught Leah's eye, she kept the phone close to her and smiled.
"Who's Emmett?"
"Bella?"
"Bella? Would you just come back for one second?"
"Bella."
"Bella, c'mon, now you're being ridiculous."
Fifteen steps in front of the tailored man in a suit, Bella Swan turned back around and laughed. "No. What's ridiculous is you thinking that somehow, we can't have a conversation like adults."
Edward threw up his hands, submissively. "By the looks of it, yeah, Bella, I'm going to say that's true." There was quite a bit of space that was between them now, along with the minor stares from other pedestrians.
Bella's sling-bag bounced furiously against her thigh as she walked.
"Calling me childish isn't going to make me feel any less inferior to you." It bothered her so much because in a way, calling her 'childish' felt like a personal stab at her age. Though it never seemed like a real issue before, she felt maybe this was his subconscious yelling out at them.
"Again, look where we are right now," Edward said in a lower tone, not really caring if it was meant to be heard or not.
Once she reached the front of her dorm, she waited until Edward caught up just to tell him to leave.
"Bella. I'm sorry I said how you felt wasn't important. I didn't mean that, okay? The main reason why I even brought up this whole conversation was because I hate the thought of you leaving, okay? Now will you let me stay?"
Bella stopped fumbling with her keys, letting her arms fall to her sides. She pinched in her cheeks, looking for reasons to say 'no'. She didn't have any.
"Give me the phone, Leah." Rose grabbed for her cell phone, only to have Leah pull away.
"God dammit, Leah, give me my phone!" She let out an high pitched laugh as she reached further and further over the bed. Leah jumped down and pretended to read the texts from the unknown Emmett. She made a face like she was reading something incredibly juicy and laughed herself.
"Boyfriend? Secret boyfriend?" Leah offered playfully.
Finally, Rose was able to snatch her phone back and when she saw that the text was still unread, she exhaled loudly through her nose.
"That's not funny."
"Oh, c'mon, Rose, I was only kidding." She continued to follow her back onto the bed where Rose sat down with a plop! Her study guides crinkled underneath her legs.
"But who's Emmett?"
"No one. He's no one."
"Okay."
Leah paused.
"So is he your boyfriend?"
"No! He's just a friend."
"A secret friend?"
"Leah, he's nothing. Not a friend, not anything."
Alice was still nowhere to be found which was fortunate for Bella because three was a crowd. Especially in a studio.
Edward's fingers touched her lips when he commented on something about her makeup.
"You don't wear lipstick anymore."
"I don't always."
He let it go, shrugging, like it wasn't personal to him. "I just noticed, that's all."
Bella walked away from him and sat in her computer chair at her desk. It was a very tight space, Edward thought to himself; he couldn't imagine two girls living here. Peacefully, at least. He could walk around the entire room and see everything he needed to see under a minute. He shortly followed Bella to her desk.
Standing in front of her, he leaned against her bed post.
"I want you. I want you after you graduate. I'm still going to want you, even if you move."
"Me too."
"Childish or adult," he sighed, "it's how I feel."
"Me too," she repeated.
Silence.
Music lightly played in the background, bouncing off the walls from another dorm room. Biting at him like a flea, Edward itched at his dream he had the other night.
The clock on the wall behind them had a loud tick. A ticking spir then pinched his stomach. The Sun-Time gala was initially what he had wanted to talk about with her. It seemed a little insignificant now.
"Bella…?" he asked quietly.
But suddenly, Bella's phone beeped and it was Alice; she apologized and answered the text, notifying her she was back in the dorm.
Edward remained silent afterwards.
"I think I should go. I have a whole bunch of other things I should probably be doing right now."
Before Rose could take slight offense to her statement, Leah quickly mentioned 'school related' things and nudged her jokingly on the shoulder.
Leah Clearwater found her way to the door, turning around to say goodbye. Rose stood in her multi-colored green sweater and black shorts; her hair pulled into a bun. Leah chewed on the inside of her cheek.
She was going to wave goodbye but felt it was too impersonal now. So as Leah went in for a hug, she felt Rose return the favor except, she was instantly taken aback when Rosalie Hale kissed her instead.
Alice was entering her room the same time she and Bella, both, received a text from Rose saying: I made a mistake.
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