Author's note: Shout out to Alice Bones Salvatore, thanks for reviewing! Hope you liked Edward's point of view? It turned out much better than I thought it would so there will be more to come! Enjoy chapter eleven and pretty please review =)
Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and its characters. I only wish I did
Chapter songs: Rolling In On a Burning Tire – The Dead Weather, Me & You – Fall Out Boy
After the drama of Riley's party I was sceptical that Tanya would finally back off and leave Edward alone.
I was pleasantly surprised, she had obviously gotten the hint, she never spoke to Edward in the days that followed and she didn't even so much as look at me. But much to my disappointment James was rather taken with me.
I no longer dreaded seeing Tanya around campus, even Lauren, but James, I dreaded bumping into him.
Normally I was skilled at avoiding people I didn't want to see, this stemmed from my experience regarding a certain ex I would rather not talk about.
However with James it was almost as though he had memorised my timetable. To be honest it was starting to really freak me out, I didn't like the way he would stand and watch me, trying to catch my eye. I tried to put it out of my mind but that wasn't possible, Edward had noticed and to say he didn't like it would be an understatement.
He and his recruit Jasper had taken to escorting me to class, they even got Alice and Rosalie in on the act, they would escort me to class whenever possible and even if it was a little ridiculous I was grateful. He would never approach me if I wasn't alone, I was glad, I was running out of viable excuses as to why I couldn't stop and talk.
It was Tuesday, three weeks before Thanksgiving; Edward was giving me a ride to college. This had become a common reoccurrence these days, not that I minded!
"Morning!" he called through the frosty air, it was freezing this morning, the kind of morning that makes me yearn for the heat of Phoenix.
"Hey" I replied as I walked towards the open passenger door of his Volvo, he closed it softly behind me and we were on our way.
"You still have study group this evening right?" Edward asked me, glancing at me quickly before turning his eyes back to the road.
"Yeah I do, has yours been cancelled? I can find my own way home" I asked worriedly, we both had separate study groups this evening since exams were approaching fast, we were both going to be on campus till around 8pm so Edward had said he would meet me outside the English class where my group was meeting.
"Silly Bella, I wouldn't make you find your own way home" he said smiling and shaking his head "My group is still meeting tonight; I'll meet you just like we planned".
The day flew by, it was hectic.
Professors were dumping extra work on us all to prepare us for exams and I was fairly certain a few from my classes would crumble under the pressure.
Study group was non eventful and not as helpful as I had hoped, the time dragged, probably due to the fact that I was anxious to see Edward.
Finally we decided to wrap it up, it was earlier than I expected and there was still another quarter of an hour before Edward's group would finish up.
I hurried outside, it was cold, dark and a storm appeared to be brewing. I decided to hurry across campus and meet Edward outside the library, even though he had given me strict instructions to wait in the English class.
I rolled my eyes, he was worried James would use the opportunity to accost me; I doubted he would be here this late, he didn't seem that studious.
I walked as fast as I could without tripping; I approached a section of path where there weren't as many lights as before. It made me a little nervous so I increased my pace; I heard footsteps behind me and began to panic.
Calm down I told myself, I knew that if I let the panic set in I would probably trip and fall on the cold concrete path.
Why would someone be following me? I questioned myself, you don't even know if it's anyone following you a voice inside my head tried to reason.
I turned around, needing to know what I was up against, I didn't recognise the face in the dim light, but I knew it was a male. I gulped nervously as he got closer. Please walk down the path now Edward, please find me I thought knowing it would do no good.
"Hey!" he shouted, I could hear his footsteps right behind me, I panicked and stumbled.
I felt a strong hand grab my arm, "What's a pretty girl like you doing walking around campus alone?" asked the deep voice.
"I uhh" I stuttered, he laughed a deep throaty laugh.
"Well now, it must be my lucky day, you are a very pretty girl" he said roughly tilting my face towards his to take a better look.
I started to run through all the self defence moves I knew, searching for one that would help me now, "Let go of me" I demanded, the fear was too apparent in my voice, he laughed again.
"You know I don't think I will" he leered. I began to struggle against his hold on my arms, ripping my jacket in the process, I managed to get away and began to run, but I wasn't fast enough, I tripped and fell on the concrete path. He caught up to me easily, grabbing my arm roughly.
I knew now I wasn't going to get away. "Let her go!" growled the voice I had been so desperately hoping to hear.
I heard Edward running towards us; suddenly the man let my arm go and took off in the opposite direction.
"Bella!" cried Edward as he reached me and knelt down on the path beside me "Shit Bella, are you hurt? Sweetheart did he hurt you?" he asked desperately, I shook my head; tears began to roll down my face.
Edward put his arms around me and cradled me, "Bella, sweetheart it's okay now. I promise" he said softy into my hair "What happened?" he asked gently.
"We finished early, I was walking to meet you and he followed me" I managed to choke out. I was struggling to catch my breath and my tears were still flowing freely.
"Whoever he is I'll kill him" he said roughly, he picked me up gently and carried me all the way to the car. He opened the door and set me in the passenger seat gently, he shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped me in it, I hadn't realised how cold I was until now.
The ride home was a blur; he held my hand the whole time, it made me feel safe. When we got home he helped me out of the car, offering to carry me, I shook my head and tried to walk. I must have been in shock; my knees gave out underneath me so he scooped me up in his arms once again and carried me inside.
"Holy shit, what happened?" demanded Emmett as Edward carried me into the living room.
Alice, Rose, Emmett and Jasper all jumped up off the sofa upon seeing us and hurried over, "Bella, fuck, honey are you okay?" asked Rose desperately.
"What happened Edward? Bella are you okay?" asked Alice, her eyes filling with tears.
I tried to open my mouth to talk but I couldn't, tears began to roll down my face again, I began to sob uncontrollably.
Edward set me down on the sofa and wrapped his arms around me, "She's in shock, please grab a blanket, some water and Tylenol" he ordered.
Everyone scattered and within minutes were all back in the living room, Edward was trying to calm me down, whispering words of comfort, holding me tight. It worked, after a while I was able to calm down enough to take a deep breath and tell everyone what had happened.
They were all enraged, upset and worried, "Who is he?" growled Emmett, "We will hunt the bastard down and..."
Rose gave him a look that silenced him. "Honey did he hurt you?" she asked, she looked so upset.
"No" I assured her, "All he did was grab me and I fell" I said in a small voice that didn't sound like my own.
"Did you recognise his face Bella?" asked Jasper softly, "Was he someone you had seen on campus?"
I shook my head "No I've never seen him before. But I would recognise him anywhere now" I said.
"Honey we have to call the police" said Rose.
I looked up at her fearful, "You need to tell them what happened so he doesn't go after anyone else" she said gently.
"She's right Bella" added Edward, "Don't worry sweetheart, I won't leave you, I'll stay right here with you the whole time"
The police arrived and asked me and Edward a ton of questions, they were nice and they didn't push me.
I felt better after talking with them but I was exhausted, I was still in shock. I managed to have a hot shower and dress for bed automatically, Edward waited for me in my room after briefly going home for a quick shower and to change his clothes.
"Feeling better?" he asked worry evident in his emerald green eyes.
I nodded climbing into bed; he lay down beside me and cradled me once again. It was comforting having him here, I didn't want him to leave but I wasn't sure how to convey that to him.
"Sweetheart, if you want me to stay with you till you fall asleep I will" he told me.
"I do want you to stay" I said quietly. I fell asleep quickly, in the comfort and warmth of Edward's arms.
When I woke in the morning I was confused until a vague memory of the day before flooded my mind, I worked at repressing the little memory I had of the incident. It was something I was rather good at, forgetting unpleasant things and since I had let all my emotions out that night it would make things easier.
Edward was still there when I woke up, he was already awake. He smiled at me "How are you feeling?" he asked concerned.
"Better" I replied honestly, "I can't remember all of what happened so that's good. It'll be easier to push it aside and forget" I said in a hopeful tone, Edward looked at me worry etched on his face.
The next three weeks went by fast luckily for me.
Edward had stayed with me most nights, it was good and on the nights he wasn't there I struggled to sleep.
I had repressed the memory well and only occasionally images would flood my mind.
The police had caught up with him only a few days later and he was being charged with assault and ordered back to to the west coast.
I was relieved when Wednesday finally rolled around; I was flying to Florida tonight.
I had decided to use the ticket Edward had given me for my birthday to spend Thanksgiving with Mom and Phil. I would be spending Christmas with Dad and Sue this year in Forks.
I was looking forward to seeing my Mom, but I was dreading being apart from Edward, even if it was only for four days. They all insisted on driving me to the airport before heading to Forks, so here we all were waiting for my final boarding call. "Bells, I'm going to miss you!" exclaimed Alice, "So much!"
"I know Allie, I'll miss you too. All of you" I said earnestly looking at each of their faces, Edward looked sad.
"This is the final boarding call for flight 7-0-3 bound for Jacksonville International Airport, Florida. Passengers please make your way to gate 3" the lady over the intercom announced.
"That's you Bells, take care and we will be here to pick you up Sunday night" said Rose hugging me, after goodbyes and hugs from Jasper, Emmett and Alice I turned to Edward.
He hugged me tightly, "Be safe Bella. Happy Thanksgiving" he told me. I waved one last time before heading through the gates and then I was off.
"Bella!" cried Renee through a sea of voices; I spotted her easily through the crowd. Jacksonville suited her; she looked younger, happier and very tan!
"Mom!" I exclaimed as she hugged me tight.
"Bella, honey, I've missed you so much!"
"Oh Mom I've missed you too" I replied.
"Oh we have so much to catch up on!" she exclaimed excitedly helping me with my bag and leading the way to the car.
We headed out into the warm Florida air, I let the sun's rays wash over me, "Bet you have missed the sun and heat huh?" asked Renee smiling.
"Like you wouldn't believe" I told her.
Even for November it was pretty warm, in the late 60's, warmer than Seattle! On the drive home I took in the scenery as Renee filled me in on life in Jacksonville.
"We thought we would just spend tonight at home, spend a little time catching up" smiled Renee, "Phil has training tonight so he'll be late home, gives us more time for girl talk" she told me giving me a knowing look.
I knew what that look meant, she was going to grill me. We pulled into the driveway; the house was really nice, bigger than our house in Arizona. It had a pool and was close to the beach.
Renee showed me to my room, one of four bedrooms in the house. It was airy and light, I liked it a lot. I quickly unpacked and joined her in the kitchen where she had made us both a cocktail. "So honey how's life in Seattle?" she asked me.
"It's great, I really like living with Rose and Alice" I answered.
"Those boys seemed nice too" she added, "Yeah they are, Emmett and Jasper are like the brothers that I never had" I said smiling.
Renee raised an eyebrow "And Edward?" she asked, I blushed, damn it! I had instantly given myself away.
"He's a great friend" I told her.
Renee knew me too well to let that blush slide "Bella, you like him don't you?" she said grinning.
"Ummm" I replied, she narrowed her eyes at me still smiling.
"Okay yes" I admitted.
"I knew it! Tell me everything!" she demanded.
"There isn't much to tell, I don't think he likes me back" I answered, that wasn't enough for Renee. I filled her in on everything and she prompted me with a million questions.
"Well honey, I don't think you have anything to worry about. He likes you just as much as you like him" she concluded. "Now where are these photos I have been waiting to see"
I pulled out my laptop from my bag and showed her the photos of my party and my first few weeks in Seattle that she had already seen but wanted to see again. I showed her the pictures of the Halloween party and various other photos we had taken.
"Edward is very good looking!" she announced, "He seemed like such a lovely boy too" she said obviously remembering my 21st birthday.
I blushed again and changed the subject; this was easy with Renee with so much to catch up on. Phil joined us later and out came the photos again. He didn't pry as much as Renee, but that was probably because she would fill him in later.
The next day was Thanksgiving, which was a quiet family affair, just the three of us this year which was nice.
On Saturday Renee wanted to take me shopping, they had announced the night before that after buying a lottery ticket for the first time in years they won the jackpot! I was thrilled for them, it meant they could travel to see me more and live more comfortably. This had only happened the week before Thanksgiving so they had decided to surprise me with that.
When Renee suggested a shopping trip she was shocked when I was actually willing and eager. I protested when she told me it was their shout but she was adamant. "Isabella Marie Swan I never thought I would see the day that you would willingly spend a whole day in a mall shopping!" she exclaimed excitedly as we walked through the glass doors into the mall, I laughed "You even got a little excited by the fact there is a big sale on" she looked at me smiling, "What have you done with my daughter!"
"I guess Alice and Rosalie's love of shopping has rubbed off a little" I said laughing still. We had a great day together, it made me realise just how much I missed my Mom, it would be so hard to say goodbye.
I managed to pick up a few gifts for my friends and Renee bought me so much I wasn't sure if it would all fit in my suitcase.
Later that night I was getting ready as Phil had made reservations at a restaurant for the three of us when my phone rang.
Edward is calling said my screen I snatched up my phone excitedly, I hadn't spoken to him since Wednesday at the airport but I had had a few texts from everyone.
"Hello" I answered breathlessly.
"Hi Bella!" he exclaimed, "How's Jacksonville?"
"It's sunny! And good, it's great being with Mom and Phil" I replied, he laughed, oh how I missed his laugh!
"That's great Bella! We all miss you a lot" he added.
"I miss you all too. How's Port Angeles?" I asked hoping he would hear in my tone that I missed him the most.
"It's great, but not the same without you. We are all hanging out here at mine, Mom loves having us all here" he laughed "She really wants to meet you" he added, I laughed.
"Oi Ed stop hogging Bella we all want to talk to her you know" I heard Emmett yell in the background and then I heard a scuffle on the other end.
"Beat it Emmett" I heard Alice shout, It's my turn next remember"
I laughed "Sorry Bella, they are trying to steal the phone from me" Edward exclaimed
"I figured. Maybe you should let them all have a go and then we could talk some more?" I asked sounding hopeful.
"Good plan!" he agreed, "Here's Alice. She threatened me with physical pain if I didn't let her go first. She's pretty damn scary!" he said.
"Edward you dick! I wanted to talk first!" Emmett yelled, "Holy shit Alice that hurt!" he cried.
I giggled; he was so much like a child.
"Emmett Alexander Joshua Cullen, language!" I heard a female voice scold. That must be Esme, their Mom.
"Bella! I miss you!" exclaimed Alice.
"I miss you too Allie, what did you do to Emmett?" I asked her, "Ha I pinched him, he's just being a baby" she replied giggling "What are you up to?" she asked me.
"Oh I was just getting ready to go out for dinner. Today I went shopping with Renee" I added.
"Oooo! I can't wait to see what you bought!" she exclaimed.
After talking with Alice I chatted with Rose, then Emmett and finally Jasper.
"Me again" said Edward I could hear the smile through the phone. We chatted for a while before saying goodbye. It was good to hear his voice, I missed him more than I realised.
Before I knew it the weekend was over and Mom and Phil were driving me to Jacksonville International Airport.
"Oh honey, I miss you already!" exclaimed Renee "But we will see you at Christmas, Charlie and Sue invited us"
She had told me about this over Thanksgiving, I thought it was nice that we would all get to spend the holiday together, Sue and Phil were both completely comfortable with the idea which was good. We said our goodbyes, which admittedly were tearful.
"Bye Bells" said Phil hugging me, "It was good to see you, we both miss you a lot" he added.
"Bye honey" said Renee kissing my forehead.
I waved at them both as I boarded my flight back to Seattle.
Sure enough when I landed they were all waiting for me, when Edward saw me his face broke into the most beautiful smile, my favourite crooked smile.
It felt good to be home. In the car on the way home I filled them in on the rest of my trip and they told me about theirs.
As soon as we got home we headed up to my room so I could show Alice and Rose everything Renee had bought me on our shopping trip.
The boys took over the chair and bed while we looked at all my new clothes and they loved the presents I got them.
We hung out in the living room later sharing photos and Thanksgiving stories and talking about the Christmas break ahead. I felt relaxed, having a break in Florida had definitely helped me get over the incident that happened a few weeks ago, which was good.
I had also almost completely forgotten about the James problem. Little did I know in the coming months things would escalate and become a much bigger problem than I had ever anticipated.