Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
Please bear in mind when reading this story that things aren't what they seem. I can't really say much more without spoiling the plot, although it's not really that complicated.
Couples Therapy
A Day with a friend
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Bella's Point of View.
When I arrived at Jake's, I was happy to see that some things never changed. His family had moved from Forks two years ago, but he couldn't bear to leave and convinced his father to let him lease the land. He built another garage and opened up his own mechanic business. When he wasn't fixing cars for other people, he fixed up bangers and sold them for a profit. He was doing quite well for himself.
I walked into the garage that I heard music coming from, and saw him lying under a car. He hadn't noticed or heard me come in.
I nudged his foot with mine and he quickly slid from underneath the car. "Hi stranger," I said grinning.
He smiled widely at me and got to his feet. "Bella, long time no see."
"Yeah...I know. I thought I'd drop in and see how you're doing," I tried to explain my presence. "If you're busy I could go and..."
"No," he interrupted quickly. He looked down at his oil stained overalls and grinned at me. "I don't have to be working, it's Saturday and I'm never too busy to see you, you know that."
I blushed and nodded. "Cool."
"Look, why don't we go into the house?" he suggested. "I can get cleaned up and then you can fill me in with what's been going on with you."
We went into the house and Jake immediately went to get cleaned up. I sat at the dinning room table and looked around. Nothing really had changed about the place. When his family moved they didn't really take much with them, his father had been good enough to leave him with all the household appliances and furniture stating that a new home for him, meant new stuff too.
Jake later entered the room having washed and put on clean clothes. "Wanna beer?"
I didn't drink all that much, purely because I was usually the appointed driver. Edward had driven us to the session today so I didn't have my car with me. I'd just get a cab home when I was ready, which wouldn't be anytime soon. I couldn't be anywhere near my husband right now. "Sure, why not."
Jake went over to the fridge and came back with two bottles of beer. He sat down at the table opposite me and twisted the tops off of them. He put one in front of me, swigged his, and then leant back in his chair. "So, how are you?"
"I'm good," I lied.
He just nodded and smirked, clearly aware that I was lying my ass off. "How's married life?"
I scoffed then rolled my eyes. "Good one."
He laughed. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, you seem real sincere."
"Things aren't getting any better huh?" he asked more sympathetic.
"No," I said shaking my head. "Therapy was particularly illuminating today, especially when Edward came out and actually admitted that he works long hours in order to stay away from me."
"He actually said that?" Jake asked in slight shock.
"Yes."
"See," Jake leant forward and smiled. "I told you, you would have been better off marrying me."
Jake...please," I said picking at the label on the bottle.
Jake had crushed on me ever since we were younger. It didn't bother me or anything; to be honest I found it quite flattering. He was relentless at times when trying to convince me that I should have given him a chance to make me happy, not Edward. His remarks never bothered me, but there was a time and place for everything, and now when my marriage was going down the crapper wasn't one of them times.
"I'm sorry, Bella," he apologised embarrassed. "I just hate seeing you so unhappy."
"Its fine," I shrugged it off. "I just really need my friend right now. I know that's rude seeing as how I haven't seen you in a couple months."
"I'm right here," Jake assured. "Just like I always have been and just like I always will be. Now talk."
I didn't really know where to start. So I started with my insecurity. "What's wrong with me?"
Jake frowned at the absurdity of my question. "Bella..."
"No really, I mean I must have done something, right? I mean why else would he be...doing whatever it takes to stay away from me."
"Bella, none of this is your fault," he told me supportively.
I know that's his heart talking to me, not his brain.
"I've always been supportive of him! I've not once stopped him from doing anything that he's wanted to do. I just don't get it."
"Everyone knows that, Bella."
And that's what the most frustrating thing about all this was. There had to be some kind of explanation as to why we fell apart the way we did, and I had no idea what it was. I had my own suspicions as to why he didn't seem to want me anymore. But, I never had the guts to ask him about it for fear of him confirming them and leaving me.
"I have always been honest with him about everything!" Jake raised his eyebrows as if to remind me that that wasn't categorically true. "Ok so, I have always been honest with him about everything...eventually."
Damn Jake for reminding me of that. 'It' had happened a year ago and I'd become very good at blocking the memory from my brain. I'd once considered it to be the possible reason for our marriage becoming slightly rocky, but when I had told Edward...eventually what had happened, he wasn't the best pleased but accepted that it wasn't my fault. The only thing that severely pissed him off is that I didn't tell him about it sooner. But, if it was a major problem for him he would have never let it go so it couldn't have been that.
'It' had happened a year ago, but I didn't tell Edward about it until three months afterwards.
Flashback - 9 Months ago
I was sat on the couch in our living room waiting for my husband to arrive home from work. It was nearing 10.00pm. It was the latest he'd yet to come home, beating the previous time of 8.15pm. Edwards's long shifts had gotten longer recently which was a shame. Things had started to get better for us lately and we'd spent more time together up until a few months ago, when he was put on some big project at work. Just when I though our marriage was getting better, it began going downhill again as we struggled to find the time for each other. Or should I say, as he struggled to find the time for me.
What I needed to tell him when he got home, was going to make things more strained I was sure. Some people may have thought it wasn't really worth mentioning, but one of the things I loved most about mine and Edwards's relationship is that we had always been truthful with each other. I didn't want that to stop now, no matter how trivial what had happened was.
The guilt had been consuming me for about three months, though, the only thing I did wrong was keep it from him for so long. The only excuse I had is that I didn't want to spoil what very little time we had together arguing about something so stupid. I can only hope that he doesn't see my keeping it from him as an admission of something more.
The short version goes like this.
I am madly in love with my husband, Edward.
I love, as a friend, my best buddy Jacob Black.
Edward and Jake hate each other with a passion, but are civil and polite when together out of their respect for me.
Three months ago Jake kissed me at a party when he was feeling a bit too confident and I punched him in the face. Hard. He apologised later for making a complete ass out of himself. I accepted.
The End.
I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard Edward come through the door; I stood up and walked out into the hall. I saw him drop his bag and blueprint folder to the floor, and hang his jacket on a nearby hook.
"Hi," I alerted him to my presence.
He slowly walked over to me and stopped. "Hi."
"You're Edward, right?" I asked sarcastically, trying to make a joke of the fact that we were almost like strangers lately.
He leaned in close to my face. "Right," he replied just as sardonic, before heading off towards the kitchen.
I followed him and watched him sluggishly pull a beer out of the fridge. He looked exhausted.
"Wow Edward, that was almost a kiss," I said referring to what happened in the hall.
"Almost," he replied bitingly, not once looking at me as he searched the cupboards for something to eat.
Why I was trying my best to piss him off I don't know. Especially before what I was about to tell him. I was personally pissed off because he didn't seem to be missing me as much as I missed him. If he did, he wasn't making any effort to show it.
"I made you dinner if you want it," I told him being friendlier. "It's in the microwave."
He stopped his movements around the cupboards and glanced at me. "Thank you."
I watched as he opened the microwave to see what was inside, and then set the timer to 3.00 minutes. I decided to let him eat is dinner in peace, before I told him about what Jake did at the party we went to three months ago. I left the kitchen and went back into the living room.
Twenty minutes later and Edward walked into the living room with another bottle of beer in his hand.
"Thanks for dinner it was beautiful," he said tonelessly without even looking at me, before heading for the stairs. "I'm going to bed I'm tired."
"Edward," I stood up quickly.
"What?" he asked whilst stopping and turning around.
I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out.
Edward rolled his eyes. "Some time tonight would be preferable."
Being cruel. That's new. "I need to talk to you about something."
"Well I'm sure it can wait till tomorrow," he said snottily, then headed back towards the stairs.
Fuck you.
"Jake kissed me," I said flatly. There, it was out.
He had only got a foot on the first step of the stairs, when I noticed him freeze on the spot and go totally rigid.
There was silence for what seemed like minutes before he spoke. He didn't turn around but just kept his back to me.
"When was this?" he asked so quietly that I almost didn't hear him.
"A few months ago," I told him. "At Charlie's birthday party."
I watched him as he took a few deep breaths, take his foot off the stairs and slowly turn around. He didn't blink as he stared into my eyes, his grip on the bottle of beer he was holding getting tighter. It looked as though it could shatter in his hand at any second.
Before he could ask anything else I started to speak. "I'm sorry that it happened...but it did and I wanted to tell you about it. And before you go crazy, the most important thing for you to know... is that I didn't initiate it and I certainly didn't give him any reason for him to think that I wanted it."
He still hadn't blinked. "Did you respond?"
"What?"
"I asked 'did you respond'?"
"I-I-pushed him away...and then I punched him in the face."
I could've sworn a teeny tiny smirk tried to edge inside his features, but it was gone just as quick as it appeared.
"I meant did you kiss him back?" he asked in a deadly voice.
"What?! N-n-no...I- I didn't." He didn't seem convinced and neither was I to be honest. "I don't know."
"What does that mean?" he asked hotly.
"It means that...I was shocked at first ok? It had been so long since you'd showed any real affection towards me and I just...I was upset and he was comforting me," I told him honestly. "I didn't respond but I admit that it took me a few seconds to push him away."
Edward's face immediately tensed up, his nostrils beginning to flare. But before I had chance to say anymore, he threw the bottle of beer that he'd had in a vice like grip, forcefully against the nearest wall.
I jumped as the bottle hit the wall and shattered into pieces, the beer spilling all over our laminate flooring. I met his cold stare and noticed him breathing heavily.
"Thanks for understanding," I said quietly in a sarcastic manner. I looked away before walking straight past him, and up the stairs to our bedroom.
It was when I was in our en suite bathroom, half an hour later having just taken a quick shower that I heard him come into our bedroom. I was in my robe applying moisturiser up and down my arms, as you do, when I saw him come lean against the doorway that separated our bedroom and bathroom.
I couldn't look at him for long. What happened downstairs, even though it was kind of the reaction I was expecting, had hurt me more than I thought.
"You talk to him about us?" he asked calmly. It was more of a statement than a question.
I still didn't look at him. "It's not like I have you to talk to about us."
No nasty reaction. Weird.
"And that kiss...it was the only time?" he asked softly. "You're not like...having an affair?"
Is that really what he thought? Because of a stupid kiss that lasted five seconds.
I looked into his eyes and saw that that was exactly what he thought. I put a hand to my head. This was crazy. "Edward...I am not having an affair. And I'm very sorry if I've done anything to make you think that I could."
Edward pushed himself off of the door frame and started pacing slowly in the bedroom. "Why did you wait this long to tell me what happened?"
"Because nothing really did happen," I said honestly. "The only reason I'm telling you now is because we've never kept things from each other and I don't want that to change. That and our relationship is particularly fragile at the moment and I didn't want to make things even worse between us than they already are."
I watched him slump down on the bed and put his head in his hands.
"Edward?" I walked over and sat next to him. "I can't help but feel as though I'm loosing you." He raised his head and looked at me with sad eyes. "Like I'm loosing us."
He breathed deeply. "I feel as though I've already lost us. That I've already lost you."
My heart was breaking for him at how vulnerable he appeared. Finally we were talking. This is what we needed, no matter how much it could hurt both of us. Honesty.
"Edward," I raised my hand to stroke back his hair, and then let it rest on his cheek. "I love you."
He closed his eyes tightly for a moment as if he was in pain, before opening them again and gazing into mine. "I'll make this better." He reached up and covered my hand that was on his face with his. "I swear I will make this better."
He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly to him. I missed the look of pure guilt that plastered itself onto his face.
He had given me hope that things would change, which they did for a few weeks to be fair, he started coming home earlier which meant more time together. They even improved enough for me to mention our problems in the bedroom. But it wasn't long before he started to pull a way again, which in turn made me pull away also.
What the fuck was happening to us?
****
"That was it?" Jake asked shocked. "I thought he'd smash more than a bottle. My face for a start."
"I just don't know what to do anymore, Jake."
"The therapy seems to have gotten you guys talking at least, Bella," he said to me.
"Yeah, I guess," I shrugged. "Although sometimes I wonder if it's worth it."
"How so?"
"Sometimes I just think that we're that far gone that there's no way back. Like the only thing therapy is going to achieve is an explanation for why things got so shitty in the first place."
"Right."
The next thing to come out of my mouth was going to break my heart.
"You know," I swallowed hard. "I'm thinking of leaving him."
Before Jake could say anything my cell started ringing. I reached into my bag and looked at who was calling.
Edward.
I pressed the cancel key.
****