LL: Shit's gonna hit the fan
PWTF: Fan's gonna explode said shit
LL: Maybe we should get an umbrella for this shit storm
PWTF: It'd have to be one big-ass umbrella
HEY CONKY, THE WORD OF THE DAY IS SHIT!
I'm up with Edward, I love him so, and all our readers! Thanks as always to my beautiful beta and boo, PWTF, you complete me!
Disclaimer: We own nothing of the Twilight Universe. Only each other, and you!
EPOV
As quietly as I could, I slid out of bed, searching the floor for my discarded sweatshirt. It was still dark thanks to the blackout curtains in our room, but the alarm glowed red: 7:35.
Early enough to hopefully avoid a crowd, but late enough that the papers would have been delivered to the gift shop downstairs.
Grabbing my key card out of my wallet, I slipped out the door unnoticed, wincing as Tanya turned her body, her arm searching for me even in her sleep.
The halls were an eerie calm, much like the calm before the storm, and I walked into the empty elevator, grinning as I passed Bella's floor.
That kiss last night was amazing; it had never felt like that with anyone before. Just kissing Bella far surpassed the most amazing sex I had experienced up until that point.
That kiss was also going to cost me. It was possibly the biggest mistake of my life, but in the afterglow and still feeling her warm lips pressed against mine, I didn't want to admit it.
There would be hell to pay with Tanya.
I doubt she would feel betrayed, but she wouldn't like the negative publicity, or the fact that they were less focused on her swimming and beauty than her wandering boyfriend. I'm pretty sure I've seen her angry, and it's not something I want a repeat performance of.
Walking into the gift shop, I greeted the security guard who was chatting up the cashier. The newsstand was like a glowing beacon to me this morning, and of course the first thing I saw was photo after photo of that amazing kiss, on display for the entire world to see.
There were a lot of them – it graced nearly every relevant news venue and some that weren't. Sighing, I grabbed one of each and took them to the register.
Both the cashier and the security guard gave me pathetic looks and didn't say a word as I checked out and carried my stacks of paper to the lobby. No way was I taking all this up to my room.
That would be telling Tanya myself and signing my death certificate. Some might say it would be better for her to hear it from me, but I knew otherwise.
If I walked up there and told her, she would demand details and an explanation of just what Bella meant to me. Reading the articles first, she would come to me and I could brush it off.
How would I brush it off though?
It was me who had her pinned up against the alley. Me who had my one hand tightly around her waist and the other wound up in her hair.
Not that you could see where the hand on her waist was, since there wasn't even a centimeter between our bodies. Maybe I could say I was thinking of Tanya, though I didn't know if that would work.
I would just have to play aloof with it. When she asked what was going on, it was just a kiss. It was after all just a kiss, there was no more to it, and there was no secret rendezvous.
No affair to speak of. There could be though. Did I want that? Did she want that? After that kiss it wasn't even a question. She had to know how much that kiss had affected me; I was pressed up against her.
Alone in the lobby, I took a seat on one of the couches that were beginning to be habit for me. Pulling the coffee table up to my knees, I laid the magazines and newspapers out like a spread.
We even managed to end up in a few tabloids, though those were the worst of the headlines.
'Olympic Champion Edward Cullen has Secret Affair with American Swimmer Isabella Swan'
Ugh, she hates the name Isabella. Seriously? That's what I choose to worry about right now? Looking over various US and UK papers, the headlines are much the same, implicating a deeper relationship but not going as far as to SAY we were having an affair.
Doesn't someone have to be married to be having an affair? Neither of us was married, that I knew of.
'Playboy Edward Cullen betrays longtime girlfriend Tanya Denali with her Olympic Competition Isabella Swan'
So I kiss one girl and now I'm a playboy?
This was the only article where they brought Tanya into the headline as well as the story. Though the topic of the article was of course stressful, it was well done and suggested that maybe Tanya and I were not as strong as we let on.
Could our favorite Olympic powerhouse couple be crumbling? Well said, average reporter, well said.
Leaning back into the couch I sighed. I was going to have to face the music eventually. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I turned it on and was greeted by the standard greeting my mom had put on two years ago when she got me the phone.
Seven voicemails and four text messages. The first four text messages were from my parents, the next two were from my agent and coach. The last two were from a random newspaper asking for comment; how did they even get my cell phone number?
Tanya's agent. Shit. That means Tanya knows. I looked through the text messages and it was more of the same.
My head hung in my hands and I very nearly broke out into tears as I thought of going back upstairs to deal with Tanya. Not that I hurt her, I didn't care if I hurt her and if that makes me an asshole I really don't care.
I wanted to cry because I didn't want any of this; I didn't want to have to deal with Tanya. To be able to kiss Bella anytime I want, that was what I wanted.
The newspapers were left on the table as I sluggishly made my way back to the elevators. Someone would enjoy the free papers, even if they were my end.
My eyes stayed closed the entire elevator ride, firstly because I didn't want to think of Bella as I passed her floor, but of course not wanting to think of Bella always leads to thinking of her, so that was a lost cause.
Secondly because of the quick moving time, I was no longer alone in the elevator and whether they had read the papers or not, I didn't want to meet anyone's gaze at this moment.
As I arrived at my floor, I jumped out as soon as there was room enough between the doors. Padding my way down the hallway I stopped in front of my door.
Easing the key card into the slot, the door opened of it's own accord and behind it was a bleary, red eyed Tanya, fisting a balled up tissue and glaring daggers at me.
Dropping my head, I walked past her into the room and took a seat on the corner of the bed. The door closed and after a moment of silence, I looked up to see Tanya sitting crossed legged on the armchair across from me, just staring at me.
"How could you do this to me Edward? Do you know what this means? You can't just go around kissing other girls!"
She stood, throwing her tissue into the wastebasket before grabbing another. She wheeled around, finger pointed at me before she dropped it silently.
"Why, Edward? Am I not enough for you? I've given you everything and more. Don't think I haven't noticed how distant you've become. Is it because of her? Do you want her instead?"
Dropping my head once again, I closed my eyes. I couldn't tell Tanya that it was a mistake, that she was all I wanted, but I also couldn't tell the truth. Sitting there, I let my silence be the answer.
"Oh god, its true isn't it; you want to be with her instead of me. What did I do wrong Edward, I love you. I would do anything for you."
Looking up at her, I was on the verge of tears, "I…think I love her. She gets me."
There I had said it.
"YOU LOVE HER? SHE GETS YOU? I thought I GOT you Edward, I LOVE YOU! Don't you love me?"
Looking straight in her eyes, I could see the desperation, it lined her entire face. There was hope and there was love and something I couldn't decipher, and it was too much. Looking away, I searched for something completely uninteresting.
The thermostat, fascinating, you have won my focus for the next thirty seconds. I could hear it in her voice, could hear the break of not only her voice but her heart as she whispered, "you don't do you; you don't love me."
Focusing intently on the thermostat I spoke, "Tanya we didn't get together because I fell in love with you, or because I was attracted and wanted to explore things. You know that."
It was at this point I chanced a glance her way. Her head was down, so I continued looking at her and said what I needed to say.
"You knew this, hell you were the one who said, 'hey we look good in pictures, let's date.' It was never more than that for me; it was never going to make me fall in love and was never going to make it mean more than it did on the surface, I'm sorry."
"I'm not going let you give up this easily Edward." She lifted her chin high and proud, the strength quickly coming back to her voice.
Ah this was the Tanya I knew. Nothing was ever this easy with her. "I have to try Edward, I can't just give up and you can't either. You could love me, if you really tried. I don't think you ever did. You didn't want it to be more so you never tried. You have to try, damn it. TRY."
Wringing my hands together, I didn't want to know what she had in store. I knew this face; it had 'planning' all over it.
"We are going to issue a press release stating you had an error in judgment and that I, the gracious love of you life, have forgiven this minor indiscretion. Bella Swan is nobody. You can't be in love with her, Edward, you don't even know her."
Shaking my head, I knew I was wrong, but I also knew that I would go along with this plan, because eventually she had to see that I did love Bella.
"I'm going to call my agent and have her issue the press release before my race, which you will attend and you will look every part the loving and supportive boyfriend. I am going to go take a shower and get ready for the day. I suggest you not go out in public again until I am with you.
The stadium seating at the pool was filling quickly, and I grimaced as Tanya headed back to the warm up pool. The same warm up pool Bella would be in right now, readying herself for the race.
Of course I was swarmed by the press, all wanting answers, and I gave the Tanya approved answers as best I could. I didn't have the heart to demonize Bella like Tanya had wanted me to.
I merely mentioned that Bella was a good friend, and we had an emotional moment that went too far.
Finding a seat on the floor with the other athletes and families, I noticed a small group building for Bella, fellow Olympians I was familiar with, and they all had varying expressions for me.
The little one Alice was smiling smugly at me, as though she knew how all this would end.
Both guys, Jasper, a fellow swimmer, and another larger guy who I knew was named Emmett were both shooting daggers and trying to accentuate how large their muscles were if I went the wrong direction with Bella. The blonde woman was merely sitting there filing her nails, looking extremely disinterested.
Alrighty then.
It was only a few minutes before the swimmers came out to the pool. They announced names as the swimmers took their place on the blocks.
Tanya smiled over at me and I smiled back, trying to be covert in turning my eyes over in Bella's direction. She looked good. I had seen her in her suit before, but that was before I had my hands on her and still wanted to put them even more places. My luck worked out in that I was right in front of Bella's friends, so when she looked over to them and smiled, I saw her gaze shift to my eyes, and no one else was any the wiser. She looked sad, guilty even. Looking away, her eyes dropped down and she looked ashamed. Shaking it off, she stretched her arms and took her mark with the other swimmers.
The shot rang out and the swimmers were in the water. With the clarity of the water, you could see the swimmers quite easily. I couldn't remember which lane Bella had been in, but I knew Tanya was in lane four, right in the middle.
At the last flip at the other end, it was obvious that Tanya was not in first. The swimmer in lane three reached the ledge about five-tenths of a second before Tanya did, and I knew a loss was not going to help her state of mind right now.
It would be my job to console her and be the good boyfriend after she took silver.
Silver was nothing to laugh at, but Tanya and I, well we've been there done that and we're gold kind of people.
I stood, ready to greet Tanya and console her, when the swimmer from lane three climbed out first. Bella.
Bella won first, and gold, against Tanya's silver.
How ironic, the first in my heart is the first of the race.
As was Tanya in second.
She smiled brightly for a moment, thinking I had come for her, but her face fell when Tanya laid her head on my shoulder. Bella looked away as Tanya took my face in her hand and kissed me.
It wasn't as gentle or passionate as my kiss with Bella had been, it was dry and a little like a dead fish.
Tanya turned to Bella with a bright smile and stuck her hand out.
"Congratulations, you earned the win." But not my boyfriend, her eyes said as Bella gently shook her hand and thanked her.
She afforded me one more shy glance as she was greeted by her coach and friends and celebrated her victory. This was big for her, and I knew it.
It was her first gold medal in the Olympics, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss her and swing her around in my arms, screaming to the world that she was the most amazing woman ever.
Instead we answered more questions from the press and followed her to the cool down pool.
Bella got out and headed to the locker room after only a moment or two of watching Tanya all over me, and I peeled myself from her, reminding her of the importance of a cool-down.
In all seriousness she agreed and stepped in while I found a place on the bench. It was killing me not being able to see Bella, well I could see her, but I wanted much, much more.
I wanted my arms around her and I wanted to feel her small hands against my body and I wanted to kiss her.
Oh yeah, I've got it bad.
There has to be some way to see her.
Maybe we can meet somewhere, but I can't even talk to her with Tanya around.
Standing up, I got Tanya's attention before motioning towards the men's bathroom. She nodded and I walked over the heavy wooden door, standing by the counter and emptying my pockets.
Paper, check; pen, check.
What do I write?
I've never planned a secret rendezvous before.
Ice cream stand in Hyde Park around 8 tonight.
There, that's simple enough. Poking my head out the door, there was no sign of Bella. I kept watching a few more minutes, until the woman's locker-room door opened. Bella came out, almost tripping over her bag and I ran out, joining her little pileup.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry, I…Edward?"
She looked horrorstricken as she backed away from me, looking around to see if Tanya had noticed the scuffle.
She hadn't.
I picked up her bag, folding the note around the strap and handed it to her. Shoving the note into her hand and then the bag, she looked up at me, a question in her eyes.
"Just do what the note says, please?" She nodded lightly before thanking me for her bag back and making her way towards the exit. Please come, I need to see you.
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