CHAPTER THREE
Disclaimer: I'm only playing with Stephenie's crayons; I'll return them in perfect condition, I promise.
Huge AN at the bottom. This chapter's extra long to make up for the last. Enjoy.
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EPOV
This job was exhausting. My body still hasn't accustomed to the late hours of the night, and I was left with exhaustion. My sleeping schedule was erratic, I'd gotten less than 4 hours of sleep each day. Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and pressed the elevator's call button.
Walking in the building, I decided to take note of the paparazzi parked in front of the apartment building. This was getting ridiculously insane. There were people, hiding out with their huge camera lenses in the bushes across the street. I shook my head when the elevator finally opened.
I walked inside and didn't bother punching in my number. I decided to wait for Bella's return. The dull roar was heard again in the elevator from outside the building. I laughed quietly to myself. I took off my gloves and leaned against one of the elevator's side walls awaiting Bella's voice to stand out from the noise.
"Thank you so much, Charlie." I could almost imagine her expressing her gratitude to Charlie as she rushed in the building. I heard Charlie mention a gruff 'no problem' before Bella came into view. She stood in outside the elevators in front of the open door, her body parallel to mine. She smiled at me knowingly and stepped inside. Her smile was contagious and I couldn't help but to smile back. Her lithe fingers traced the metal panel looking for her button and I was surprised when she pressed mine right after. She remembered my floor number, just as I did her.
My heart did a little victory dance.
When the doors started closing, she took a step back and leaned on the wall opposite to mine. I reminded myself again that she wasn't mine. The exhaustion from my shift overtook me and I let out an involuntary sigh.
"What's wrong?" Her voice pulled me out of my exhaustion.
I looked up at her, finally looking at her clearly. She was wearing a light brown overcoat that fell to her knees. A purple scarf was wound around her neck, falling softly at her sides. She was beautiful, as always.
"I'm alright. It's been a long day, that's all." I answered simply. She looked at me with raised eyebrows for a second but shifted her gaze and looked down at her boots. She inhaled deeply and let out a sigh, looking up at the luminescent numbers above the door.
14. We were close. "What?" I asked, curious about her sudden change in attitude.
She didn't take her eyes off the numbers as she answered, "I just wished people would answer my question, honestly." Her reply was quick, dismissive, and dare I say, harsh.
At that point, the elevator dinged and she walked out onto her floor. Holding an Austen novel in her right hand, she walked to her door and didn't say another word.
I was left in the small confines of the elevator, watching this stunningly beautiful girl walk out from where I was and I sighed. I truly sighed. I was disappointed, and furious at myself. I'd accidentally pissed this amazingly beautiful girl off and I had nothing I can do about it.
I couldn't help the fact that this girl intrigued me. The question marks she left in my head annoyed me to no end and I was agitated at myself. The elevator started moving up again, farther away from her and closer to my floor.
Persuasion. I had to get that novel, and I had to get it fast.
BPOV
I leaned on my just closed door, exhaling so loudly, it was unlady-like. Stupid Bella, stupid, stupid, stupid! I was on my PMS, clutching what happened to be the saddest Jane Austen novel ever written and I completely snapped at Edward. I sighed and rubbed my cold fingers over my eyes, they felt like those gloriously comforting cold cucumbers in spas. Oh, I would kill for a spa right now…
I shook my head and opted for second best. I knew I needed a dress for next week anyways. I picked up my Blackberry from my desk and speed dialed my friend, Alice.
Alice Cullen owned one of the most famous clothing lines of the entire decade. Her clothes made its way toward the red carpet slowly but surely, and now she's among one of the best. I was introduced to her when I'd first started being a publicist, managing models.
Alice picked up on the first ring and I felt instantly better. She squealed and chirped her delight in my news of stopping by her store tomorrow. She also made sure to slip in a strict demand of details of Ben. I voiced my complaint but agreed anyways.
I couldn't tell anyone anything. As far as I know, nobody could ever deny the allure of the media. I couldn't risk Ben's reputation, or my job. I knew that I had to stick with my plans, and there was no easy way out now.
I stopped talking to Alice when it got too late; she needed her rest to wake up early tomorrow. I didn't get why she needed the rest so much anyway, she always seemed high on too much sugar and caffeine for as long as I've known her.
I relied on my temporary contentment. On the fact that I was going to meet Alice tomorrow and meeting Alice was like… smoking pot on the rooftop. She had the ability to make me relax, and stop worrying. She practically held the key to my sanity.
I jumped in my shower and changed into my pajamas. I then checked the locks on my door and shrugged inside the warm covers of my bed. I fell asleep soon after 3am.
I didn't dream that night.
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I left my apartment soon after noon and greeted Charlie on my way out. I took my car this time, Alice's store was at a distance from The Summit, and I didn't my 15 minute walk there a chance to be mauled by the paparazzi. I pulled up to her store, Mary Alice, and made a quick run for the entrance. She saved me once my feet hit the inside of her store and she locked the door, keeping the paparazzi outside. I was greeted by her warm hug once her hands were cleared of the ring of keys she carried around. I hugged her back and she didn't waste time to start searching for a dress for me.
She led me into a small room in the back of the store, filled with mannequins and boxes, marked and etched with Sharpie pens. I squeezed my torso through the maze of items and the enclosed space opened up to a much bigger space. In the center were countless racks, filled with countless different dresses. Each rack held a specific color of clothing, all of them lined up chromatically.
Alice quickly grabbed random dresses, which after questioning, wasn't really random after all. She sometimes grabbed a dress and holding it up to align with my torso, before either adding to the assortment of dresses on her bent arm or placing them back on the rack. She then proceeded to hand me the dresses she had on her arm and shoved me inside a small room, covered by a curtain.
"Hurry up, Bella. The in-demand designer will not wait on you and your slow stripping pace!" I shook my head and smiled at her antics. I walked out of the small room, barefoot, after I've tried on respective dresses.
She kept demanding me to take the dresses off quickly and putting on the new ones hastily. "I don't have super dressing speed, Alice."
She laughed at me, "Silly Bella, only you wouldn't. Now hurry!"
"Yes, sir!" I answered in a mock sergeant-Alice tone. I could almost see the smile Alice struggled to keep off of her face. "You're so lucky I love you so much, Bella."
"I know." I pushed aside the curtain and showed her the dress on me. I made a show of lifting up my hands on either side of my face, palms up and crossing my legs at the ankles while I posed.
"Voila!" I totally had the accent down, complimenting my 'I'm-selling-products-on-tv' pose.
She laughed at my shenanigans and clapped her hands. "I knew I was born to do this. You're wearing this dress, Bella. And I will hear of no complaints from you." She then threw my jeans and shirt at me, directing me to put them back on. I walked inside the dressing room and closed the curtain behind me.
I placed my hands on my hips and stared at my reflection. It really was a nice dress. It was a strapless black and white dress that ended mid thigh.
I looked back up at the reflection of my face.
I realized that I no longer knew who I really was anymore. All this time spent lying, all this… pretense. About Ben and me, continuously trying to keep both our reputations up; it was incredibly exhausting. I just missed being myself.
I shook my head and pushed my thoughts away. I put on my sweater and jeans, with the dress slung over my arm, I hopped over to Alice, my free arm slipping on my shoes. I walked outside the store and again, I was Ben Hollis' perfect, down to earth, girlfriend.
I talked to Alice for a while before leaving. She had to re-open the store to the public and I had to go anyway. I hugged Alice and reassured her that I was coming by next week for the event. She hugged me again before I got in my car. And then I drove off.
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EPOV
I was in the break room of the hospital, catching a break. I wasn't up for a double shift tonight. I don't have nearly enough sleep in my system to even stay awake. It was an hour past midnight and I was ready to leave the hospital and sleep. "Stupid graveyard shift." I murmured under my breath in disgust and left the break room. I walked down the corridor again, the white walls of the room sickening me.
I honestly loved my job. It was just the shift. Lately I've been constantly tired, my work bored me half to death and I wanted nothing but to just lie down and sleep in my own home. But really, I couldn't.
My father, Carlisle, is one of the most famous surgeons in the country. If I hadn't worked my butt off and completed Medical school in record time, I would never be able to break out from the name they pegged for me, 'Dr. Carlisle Cullen's son'.
Thankfully, I moved states and stopped carrying that stupid nickname. Here, I was Dr. Edward Cullen. I needed to be nobody but myself. I was free to work in my own pace, without the added pressure.
I rubbed my tired eyes again and grabbed a clipboard. Back to work.
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I had yet to change out of my scrubs but I had to leave now if I wanted to catch a glimpse of Bella. Her attitude yesterday completely blew me away. I couldn't apprehend how that hostile… person came out of something so beautiful. I stopped in a bookstore on my way home.
The old lady behind the register at the store smiled at me when I went to pay for the book. "She confused you didn't she?" I was astounded. But then again, I was too tired to care. "Uh, yeah she did." The lady handed me my change and I left. I heard her laugh softly when I walked outside.
I tossed the book to the passenger seat. I placed my hands on the steering wheel and drove home.
It was exactly 2am when I made it inside the building. But it was different this time. The dull roar was already heard when I pushed through the door. Charlie was already rushing out the door when I greeted him with a nod. I already pressed my floor number when Bella wasn't present.
I had my attention in my new book as I blatantly ignored the closing doors. I knew that Bella was standing on the other side, but I let the door close and cut off my peripheral vision of her stunning form.
Before I knew it, the doors closed completely with a creak and the elevator moved up.
What game are you playing, Cullen?
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BPOV
"You can't leave now, Bella!" And here we go…
I put on my best 'I'm-not-agitated-I'm-just-indifferent' expression and turned around to face Ben again. "But I have to. I have to go, Ben. I'll call you later, I promise."
Truth is, I was rude to Edward yesterday. And I needed tonight to at least go and apologize.
"Why won't you ever stay?" Ben's eyes were hopeful and I couldn't bear to look at his blue orbs anymore and out of impulse, I kissed him. When I pulled away, he was speechless. His eyes confused, but excited.
That shut him up pretty quick. "I-I have to go, Ben. I really do." I gave his hand a quick squeeze reluctantly reassuring myself. Stay sane, Bella.
And with that I stepped off his porch and jogged to my car. When I glanced back at him from the rearview mirror, he had a smug smile etched on his face.
That was easy.
I'd never kissed him before. It was always him kissing me. Always. But after he initiated the fact, I was a participant in all our activities. I ran my left hand over my eye. I knew that he probably took my gesture the wrong way, but right now I was too exhausted to care. I drove the familiar route back to The Summit.
I proceeded to push through the familiar crowd and ignore the familiar dull roar at the front door.
I then took in the familiar comfort of Charlie's hands, keeping the paparazzis at bay.
I walked inside the building welcoming the familiar warmth. I thanked Charlie, like usual, and walked to the elevator. It was different this time.
The doors were closing. There wasn't a familiar hand in between the creaky, metal doors. I ran, unlike usual and more like the first time, toward the elevator. I saw Edward. He was reading… something. Clearly too distracted to even notice me. The doors were closing fast and by the time I got close enough, I only got a tiny glimpse of him before the doors closed completely and a second later the luminescent numbers above the doors increased slowly.
Persuasion. He was reading Persuasion, for creeps sake! I pressed the call button for the elevator again, causing it to light around the edges. I was sure that Charlie could see me, and the peculiar scene that unfolded between the two of us, but my mind was too preoccupied to care. I shifted my weight to my right leg, quietly studying my reflection on the closed doors of the elevator.
There was no way he couldn't have heard the crazy insane crowd outside. No way. Which meant that he left me down here, on purpose. Oh Bella, what does it matter? You were rude to him yesterday after all! Even after a relentless self reminder that I didn't know anything about this man, I couldn't stop my mind from going insane.
When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, I shook my head slightly. You're crazy, Bella. Have you forgotten Ben?
When I saw the button 23 un-pressed and un-illuminated, I sighed. You're not even going to think about pressing that button, Isabella Dwyer!
By the time I was on the 15th floor, I grunted under my breath. And I kicked the toe of my boot down on the fake hardwood floor of the clearly metallic elevator. When I reached floor 17, I knew that my suffering was over and I left the elevator, walking toward my door.
And just before the elevator doors closed, I slipped my hand inside, stepped one of my 2 feet inside the elevator and pressed the number 23, lighting it up instantaneously. I smiled. Satisfied, I walked back onto my floor and unlocked my door.
You need to find yourself a therapist, Bella.
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AN: Big ass author's note down here. If you have no questions, scroll down and leave a review, thanks!
Just to make things clear:
1. The reason that Charlie is the Charlie we know in this fic is because honestly, I was getting tired of Charlie as being the I-don't-hover father. I wanted him to be more I-care-so-therefore-I-hover father figure and do Bella some good. Edward too ;]
2. Bella and Edward's relationship will happen soon. It's just going to unfold at a slower pace, stay with me on this one. No worries, Ben cares for Bella, but not deeply enough to love her. Bella thinks she loves Ben. But it really is just her heart that needed some love, so badly that she convinced herself that she fell for Ben. I promise you that there will be no love triangles! I hate love triangles; they complicate things for no reason.
3. I honestly have no plans of writing the award show, unless my muse sparks up and something really awesome happens. But for now, my brain says no to writing a chapter for the awards. It would most likely be boring. But the topic will be brought up. I still have more planned for Edward and Bella.
4. As for Tattward fans, Edward's tattoos will be discussed, just not now. He has some secrets too, and I can't wait until we get there!
5. The reason that I don't put extensive character backstory is because I want things to unfold alone, throughout the story. I want you to get to know the characters in a pace that they get to know each other. So I'll stop my rambling here.
~ Thanks so much to all the amazing reviews and the amazingly flattering story alerts, thanks so much for reading! More love to the people at LL and Twitter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
I've gotten nearly 400-something hits on this story, and less than 20 of reviews. Please review… They help motivate me, they help me write. Get me to 40 for this chapter, and I'll update on Friday.
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