Ok! Chapter 5. This isn't my favorite chapter or my best, but it kinda has to be the way it is. Things will get better from here though. I hope you like it :)
3 weeks.
It had been 3 weeks since I had seen Edward. When I'd said I would admire him from a far, I didn't realize that it would be quite this far.
The last time I'd seen him was 3 Fridays ago. It had been a regular Friday dinner. He and I were engaging in our usual flirting, and as usual, Sofie was glaring at us. Edward usually stood at the host stand when he was killing time, not that I minded. We hadn't had another moment quite like the one the day of Sofie's promotion, but I still felt that maybe, just maybe there was something there. But, after our shifts ended that night, he said goodbye to me like he always did, and that was the last time I saw him.
It had been an awful 3 weeks too, especially for the people around me. Alice, I'm sure was ready to kill me. She had gone out with Jasper and every so often she would sigh dreamily, "We're in love". But I was definitely killing her new boyfriend high with my constant complaining and pining over Edward. I had broken down and admitted to her that I was pretty much obsessed with Edward after our "not really almost kiss". And now, every time we were together, I would bring him up, and I would wonder where he went. Today was one of such occasions.
It was now mid-June, and Alice and I were having our now traditional movie and Chinese food marathons.
"I wonder if he thinks of me now. Probably not, he would have at least come back to see me or something. I hope he's ok though. I still can't get over how he just vanished…"
"Bella! I have really had it. I'm very sure that he liked you, but I don't know where he went!" Her chest was heaving a bit at her outburst.
I was staring openly at her, before I was overcome with the feeling to crawl into a hole. I really hadn't shut up about him since I got to her apartment.
"I'm sorry, Alice. How are things with Jasper?" I was trying to make up for my ranting about Edward by bringing up her favorite topic, Jasper.
She looked at me for a minute before she smoothed her short hair down and smiled.
"Things with Jasper are very good. We are going out again on Thursday. He told me he was taking me to Seattle for the day! He won't tell me what we are doing but I'm so excited." She was grinning from ear to ear.
"Has he kissed you yet?"
Her smile became a bit devilish and she nodded. "We've done a bit more than kiss, if I'm being honest. He does this thing with his tongue…"
"All right, Alice." I wasn't really sure I wanted to hear what would have followed.
She giggled and twirled around in a circle. "Don't be such a prude, Bella." I just rolled my eyes at her and laughed.
"You and I both know I am not a prude, Alice. So don't even go there. It's not my fault Jacob was terrible in bed."
She giggled again. "Yes well, what can you expect from a 17 year old who could barely please himself?"
We dissolved into giggles. Making fun of my ex-boyfriend from high school was probably one of our favorite topics.
The door bell rang, and Alice went to retrieve the Chinese food we ordered. A few minutes later, we were settled onto her couch, eating the food right out of the containers. Alice broke the silence.
"You could just ask Emmett where he went you know, if it's bothering you so much."
I stared at her in disbelief.
"What? They are brothers; he would know where Edward disappeared to."
"Alice, I can't just ask Emmett where Edward went. That would be extremely awkward. I don't even talk to Emmett that much. And even if I did ask, what if he ran off and told Edward I was asking about him. I knew Edward for like 2 weeks. I doubt he even remembers my name at this point."
"You need to stop being so damn negative about this. I've seen the two of you working together. I was always half expecting one of you to grab the other and make out on one of the tables in the dining room. Don't give me that 'I'm sure that he was just being nice to me; he never even liked me' crap, because it's getting old. He gave you a nickname, God damn it."
"Well it hardly matters now, does it? He's gone." I snapped at her. I tried not to flush at the memory of the nickname he had for me. She just rolled her eyes.
"I'm not playing along with this any more, Bella. We both know you should have just asked him out, because you missed your chance."
"But I only knew him for 2 weeks! Alice, I couldn't just be like 'Hey let's go out.' I didn't even know him!"
"Bella!" Alice snapped. "Yes you could of! It's called 'dating' for God's sake. You go out with someone outside the work place to get to know each other better. You were just too shy to ask him out. He probably didn't think you liked him enough. I'm serious. If you sit here one more time and talk about how much he didn't like you and how you didn't know him enough, I will seriously lose my mind. It's almost like you don't even want him to like you. "
My mouth was hanging open as she finished her little tirade. I tried to come up with something to say. She was right, I knew that, but I didn't really want to hear it. I was perfectly content wallowing in my own pity about my missed opportunity.
"Fine." I finally got out. I really had nothing else to say. Alice had sufficiently put me in my place.
Later that night, after we had watched a few movies, I headed home with a different outlook. Edward, while being wonderful and handsome, was gone. It was a missed opportunity. We were just two ships passing in the night.
***
The next day at work, Emmett was there. I noticed him sitting at the employee booth. Curiosity got the better of me, so I mustered up the courage and sat down with him.
"Hello there, Bella." He smiled at him. His dimples made him all the more adorable. Apparently charm ran in the Cullen family. I would hate to be in the presence of their father. I would probably melt into the floor.
"Hi Emmett." I smiled shyly at him. We didn't talk often, but he was always very nice to me.
"You are settling in quite well, aren't you? It's like second nature to you now. And everyone seems to like you." He was grinning wide now, like he knew something I didn't.
I took a deep breath. I could just do this. I could be nonchalant.
"Yeah, I really like it here. Emmett, can I ask you a question?"
He leaned forward, his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands. "Ask away."
Just do it like a band-aid, Bella. Quick and painless.
"Where did your brother go?"
Subtle Bella. Really subtle.
Emmett looked at me for a moment before smiling. His smile grew for a moment before he answered.
"He had to take some time off. It's something to do with school. My mom said that he had to go to school for a few days to get something squared away for the fall. I don't know where he's been since then. I haven't seen him. I've been wondering where he's been myself actually." He looked a bit mischievous for a moment before adding, "Why do you ask?"
I was caught a bit off guard by that question. I wracked my brain for an answer, and just sputtered something out, hoping it made sense.
Oh, you know, I mean I only worked with him for a few weeks, but we were friends I guess, and I just noticed that he wasn't around anymore, and I was just wondering where he went. Yeah."
Did that make any sense? Probably not.
Apparently it made sense, but Emmett still found it amusing. His face could hardly contain his smile.
"Well, I'll let him know you were wondering where he wandered off to."
I panicked. "Oh, no! No, that won't really be necessary. I was just curious because I hadn't seen him around. There's really no need to tell him that I was asking about him or anything. It's really not a big deal." I was pleading with him with my eyes.
He looked at me for a moment before he put his hands up in defeat. "All right, I won't say anything. I don't know what you are all so worked up about." He smiled and slid out of the booth.
I sank back into the seat and let my head fall back with a thud. Asking Emmett where Edward had gone was a bad idea. Emmett would surely let it slip to Edward that that hostess from Sofie's was asking all about where he went. I groaned. That's exactly how I wanted him to remember me. Over-eager and nosy.
I got home late that night, and Charlie was already in bed. I really missed him. I hadn't really spent much time with him in the last few weeks. Between work, and moping about Edward, I really hadn't seen him. I had talked to him enough, though, in the past few weeks to know that my mother called every Thursday at 8pm to check on my "progress." Apparently she was getting panicky that I would never go back to school, and she was angry with Charlie for letting me get a job, when I should be focusing on what I was going to do about school. He told me he had just hung up on her when she started yelling. I really loved my dad.
***
About a week later, I was working a dinner shift. It was slow and Alice was there visiting Jasper. She was sitting at the counter giggling at him as he smiled and charmed her like he always did. She came in a lot now, so I got to see them making googly eyes at each other often. Sometimes I thought they were so cute. Other times I wanted to throw up.
Rose and Mary were the other servers tonight, so I just stayed up at the host stand, doodling on the seating chart to kill the time. I would usually be talking to Alice, but when I turned to look for her, she seemed to have vanished, along with Jasper. I sighed and returned to my doodling.
A few people, finished with their meal for the night, were heading out the door. I didn't even bother to look up to watch them leave. I didn't notice the next group of people slip in as they left.
Someone appeared in front of the host stand, placing their hands over the seating chart I was doodling on. Just as I was going to look up and be annoyed, a very familiar voice permeated my senses.
"So, I hear you've been missing me, Jellybean"
My head snapped up. Standing in front of me, pulled directly from my dreams, was Edward Cullen.
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