Thank you for all the reviews! They were really generous and kind...and a huge thank you to Crazykate28!
And I'm sorry for delaying the uploading for so long! I really was super busy!
The day spent in Naples was beautiful and extremely fulfilling. We visited a lot of places including Villa Communale. We had lunch at a little restaurant and later in the evening found a quant café that had the most amazing coffee. I was totally buzzed on caffeine by the time we went back to the railway station. It was time to head back to Rome.
"Bella, we still have the illuminated Rome tour," Edward said to me, as he gently nudged me in the shoulder. My eyes were closed and I had my head leaning back against the bench; apparently the caffeine buzz was starting to wear off. My body was growing tired, as I crashed from my coffee induced high.
"Yeah, I know. I was just resting my eyes," I lifted my head, opened my eyes and smirked at him.
The train ride back was uneventful. The Illuminated Rome Tour was magical and I was glad that I had the opportunity to see it. It was decadent and left me in awe of the magnificence of it all. I could live here all my life and never get tired of the beauty and the splendour that Italy embodied, it was more than just the grandeur of the architecture; it was the people, the trees, the Italian sun and it's gorgeous starry nights. I was captivated! This place was truly magical, it was definitely a place that dreams were made and where marvellous memories were made.
The tour ended at Piazza Barberini, where we decided to have dinner at a small bistro. By the time we reached our hotel, I was so exhausted that I could barely walk straight. Twice, I stumbled from exhaustion. Edward caught me both times, and helped me up to my room.
"I think perhaps we'll have a late start tomorrow," I said to Edward as I entered my room. He just nodded he had somewhat of a wary look upon his face, but I was too tired to think about that now.
Sunday dawned brining bright and sunny morning. I don't think that I have ever slept so well in my entire life. I felt so rested and relaxed when I met Edward for breakfast at 10:30. He was already in the dining room, talking to some girl with blonde hair and a really short skirt. Of course she was wearing a short skirt, I mean what else do you do with mile long legs beside show them off to the world. I thought about what I was wearing – blue jeans and a white t-shirt and I had my hair tied up in a pony tail. Plain Bella, that's me. For a moment, I cursed myself for not wearing my shorts but realised that jeans were essential for my plan today.
Instantly, I was angry because Edward was talking to that girl. Angry, I think jealous is more like it. But it soon vanished as Edward caught my eye and gave me that crooked smile of his. Damn! I smiled back and walked towards him.
He escorted me to an empty table and we dug into our breakfast. "So who was that girl," I asked as casually as I could manage, trying to mask my annoyance.
"Oh…that's Lauren…I was just asking her about the shopping places," he smirked.
I rolled my eyes, "You know, I don't really intend to shop all that much. I just wanted to visit the local sites, you know stroll around at a more leisurely pace. I wanted to go inside the Colosseum and stuff," I said haughtily.
Edward's expression turned into a more serious one. "Well, if that's what you want," he smiled.
We got a cab from outside our hotel and went straight to the Colosseum. It was breathtaking; it was so surreal, trying to imagine all the events that had taken place here throughout history. After that we went to the Vatican. I'm not a very religious person, but it was a truly divine place. The architecture and all of the artwork was so intricate and just beautiful. It is amazing to see the faith of other people manifest itself into something so powerful in a tangible way. It was a good thing that I didn't wear those shorts, I wouldn't have been allowed inside.
In the evening we went back into Rome and I took Edward shopping. He was supremely patient as I tried on mass amounts of clothes and tried to select amongst various knick knacks, but he didn't complain once.
"I had a wonderful day today," I told Edward as I took a bite of my chocolate mousse.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," as he smiled back lazily at me. After our desert we headed back to the hotel. The silence between us while we walked was peaceful and there was no awkwardness between us. It was nice. As always Edward walked me to my room; we lingered for a moment before saying goodnight. I was exhausted from another long day, and didn't waste time getting ready for bed. That night, I slept peacefully, with a strange feeling of contentment.
The next week wasn't as hectic. We had finished most of our work last week due to Edward's stringent deadlines and thus we managed to end the days sooner. But we were constantly in touch with Carlisle regarding what was to be done next. And I had a feeling Friday wasn't going to be the best day in Tanya's life.
And before I knew it, it was Friday. I found myself in Tanya's office, sitting next to Edward and feeling bit nervous. I don't know why exactly because it wasn't me who was going to be given an earful about how I handled the branch.
"Hello Edward, Isabella. I hope you found this trip fruitful," Tanya smiled brightly. God she made my skin crawl, I really don't like this woman.
"Oh we sure did Tanya," Edward said grimly, "So I will just get right to it. Here are our findings,"
I wish I could say that the few hours were spent civilly, however we spent 3 hours arguing with Tanya about the accounting treatment of various transactions. Edward was extremely efficient. It seemed like he had already thought about the replies Tanya would give to each question and had a counter question ready. It was like a complicated yet interesting game of chess. I did my share of questioning, but I wasn't half as aggressive as Edward. He truly was prepared and quit good at addressing the situation. As much as Tanya argued Edward never once lost his cool, he maintained his professional composure the entire time.
By the end of it all, it had been concluded that temporarily, someone from our team would replace Tanya until Esme figured out what was to be done. Edward was pretty sure Tanya would be fired for committing an ill concealed attempt at fraud.
We got out of the office realizing that we had more than half a day ahead of us. So we decided to just roam around the city on foot, before we went back to our rooms to pack.
"I'll see you in the lobby in about 2 hours," Edward told me. It was more of a question than an order. I nodded and turned to go into my room. I thought I heard Edward sigh behind me but I didn't think too much of it.
I met Edward in the lobby 2 hours later and we went out for dinner. I was feeling somewhat sad about leaving Rome and I found myself letting out a heavy sigh, "Wow… last day here! I'm really gonna miss this place!"
Edward took my hand, he didn't say anything as we walked into the restaurant. I didn't fully realize what he had done, but I didn't pull back. We were seated and we ordered our meals. I couldn't get the fact out of my head that I had just held Edward's hand and it felt so natural. My small hand wrapped in his large one.
"I need to tell you something," Edward said.
I looked up at him curiously, but before he could finish our meal arrived. We ate our dinner in relative silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but it was heavy and contemplative. It's only when we got to dessert that I said, "so what did you want to tell me?"
Edward looked up and took my hand in both of his. He stroked my knuckles with his thumb and said, "Please don't be angry…but I've followed you once. That time you went to Charlie's house and I met you at the store? I don't live there. I just wanted to know more about you. So I followed you. It seems like a completely ridiculous thing now, but I didn't know what had gotten into me. Also, the day before that, I had come by at your house at night, but didn't have the courage to come and knock on your door. So I just stayed outside in my car. I know this is almost criminal, but I really don't know why I did it…all I know is that I love you." He rushed through his speech almost as if it were a cry for help.
I pulled by hand out of his grasp and stared at him. It took me a moment to snap out of my momentary shock. I didn't know what to do, what to say, how to feel; I was at a complete loss. Edward followed me? I shot up out of my chair, causing it to tumble over and stalked out of the restaurant. I turned my head to look at him as I stalked out, noticing he was tossing money on the table only to rush after me. I made it out of the entrance and headed towards the piazza. He caught up with me just as I was passing the Trevi fountain and grabbed my arm. He spun me around and before my brain could process what was happening, he crushed his lips to mine, kissing me almost aggressively. It shocked the hell out of me, at first I tried to resist, but Edward didn't stop. I soon found myself giving into his soft, persistent lips. My lips started to move against his and my fingers found their way into his hair gripping it at the base of his neck. God he really had soft hair. Edward suddenly broke away from me, my eyes opened and I was slightly taken back, trying to wrap my head around what had just happened.
"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have done that," he panted out the words only to bring his lips back to mine.. I broke away from his soft swollen lips, "Yes. You really shouldn't have. What the hell were you thinking Masen?" I said my voice was breathy and slightly raspy. What the hell?
"I wasn't" he said shyly, he brushed a piece of hair way from my face, tucking it behind my ear, "But I love you, and that's all I care about." The look in his eyes was intense and his pupils were dilated and the normal emerald green was now darker.
He kissed me bent down and brought his lips to mine again, the kiss this time was deep and soft. I found myself falling into the moment with no protest my mouth parted and our tongues stated to dance slowly together. What was happening, I was unsure, but maybe it was because I was falling in love with Edward Masen.
Do review and let me know...also, you have to read my other fanfiction, "The Workplace" which is kind of a parallel to this one, from Edward's POV! Check it out :)