A/N: Sorry this took so long. It was my birthday this week so I have been busy with RL. I had anticipated this chapter to be longer, but decided to break if off at a certain point. Also, I wanted to get something out to you guys.
I am sorry once again for the lack of responses on reviews! I just have had no time, but I do read them all and just adore them. So thank you for taking the time out of your life to write something, even if its one word. And thank you for all the favorites, alerts, etc. Those warm my heart as well.
Oh, and be aware that from this chapter on, we will be skipping days and even weeks. I will try and make it clear enough.
Disclaimer: I am sure it's pretty obvious by now that I do not own this universe. That is S. Meyer; I just spend a lot of time in it. I do own Edward's letter though.
-oo-
Ch. 12
"Crap. Crap. Crap."
I quickly rolled out of bed the morning after the club incident. A soft dusting of snow littered the street outside my house.
Somehow in the craziness of the past few weeks, I forgot that Christmas was only four days away.
Now, I am always one of those stereotypical last minute shoppers. That would usually be fine and dandy because I would usually have all my gifts by now. But add on the re-entry of Edward, my busy work schedule and my hospital visit, my equilibrium seemed to be off.
I had laid in bed awake half the night after watching the retreating form of Edward. I was feeling a lot of things after what happened at his house – the main one happened to be confusion.
My mind and body seemed to be going against each other when it came to him. My mind told me to take it slow; that my heart couldn't handle another torrent of events when it came to Edward. My body seemed to gravitate towards him on its own accord; I had little control over that part of myself even if I wanted to. And if I'm being honest, I didn't really fight the instinct to be close to him too hard the night before.
If anything was going to come of this, it was going to happen the right way. We needed to relearn things about each other. So many things had changed since high school; he may have kept tabs on my life, but I didn't get that same opportunity.
In the mean time, shopping was at the top of my list to get accomplished.
I threw my hair up into a high pony-tail and I threw on a pair of black yoga pants and a UW sweatshirt. My usual 'I don't care' attire. Alice would throw a fit if she could see me now.
I was halfway down the stairs when the doorbell rang.
Great, just what I need. An interruption.
I made my way over to the front door where a college-aged woman was standing with a large bouquet of flowers.
"Are you Bella?" she asked, tapping her foot.
"Uh, yes."
"Delivery for you." She shoved the arrangement into my hands and quickly made an exit. I closed the door while admiring the beautiful colors.
Who are these from?
They were my favorite arrangement which consisted of lilies, roses, daisy poms, button poms, waxflower and salal.
I made my way into the kitchen and set them on the center of the bar. I removed the card that was nestled inside and quickly recognized Edward's fancy handwriting. My hands instantly began to trembled while my eyes scanned the words:
Dearest Bella,
I hope these will brighten your day and put a smile on that lovely face of yours. I will give you the space you need, but just know that I'm not going anywhere. It about killed me the first time; I won't be making the same mistake twice.
Her smile is like the sun,
Her eyes are like chocolate,
Her skin like a Greek goddess.
I will gladly walk in the shadow
Of her presence.
Yours,
Edward
I swear my jaw went a little slack from the shock. Nobody had ever written something for me that was this romantic.
Without a second thought, I quickly pulled out my cell phone and found Edward's number, dialing it.
The other end rang three times before his voicemail picked up.
"Hey, you've reached Edward's phone. Just lay it out there and I will get back to you…"
"Umm, hey Edward. It's me, Bella. I was just calling to thank you for the beautiful flowers. You really know how to catch a girl by surprise. They will make a great addition to the kitchen. I am guessing you are working, which is why you didn't answer. Have a great day; you just made mine a whole lot better."
I was blushing by the end of it. I have no idea why, but it seemed to be a permanent reoccurrence these past few weeks.
I stood there admiring the flowers for another minute before making my way out the door. My car had the signs of the overnight frost and I had to scrape off the windows in order to be able to drive.
Finally pulling into the malls parking lot, it looked like a madhouse. I sighed and eventually found a spot in the furthest area from the front entrance. At least I will be getting my workout in.
-oo-
Hundreds of dollars, many bruises from overzealous shoppers, a massive headache from the night before and hours later I was finally making my way home. Heaven. Word to the wise; don't wait until December 21st to do all of your shopping.
I did manage to get everything I wanted though. That was unheard of.
I got Alice a Prada handbag that she had been salivating over the last time I went shopping with her. Rosalie and Emmett, being the car enthusiasts that they were, would be getting a trip for two to a racing school in Spokane. They would get the chance to learn to drive stock cars, and I knew that it was right up their ally. Luckily there was a booth set up as I was walking by on my shopping adventure. For Jasper, I found an amazing set of journals written by a Confederate soldier in the Civil War. I got my dad more flannel (his wardrobe of choice); Renee was getting a crocheting kit because that was her newest obsession; Esme and Carlisle were receiving matching bathrobes with their initials on it.
Now, I am not forgetting one person. Edward was a hard one. I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to get him anything, but I backtracked on that thought because above everything else, he is still my friend.
I found a book of musical compositions of pianists from the late 19th century, which included his favorite composure, Claude Debussy. I didn't know how often he played anymore but the Edward I knew would love it regardless. What made the book even better was that it was signed by Debussy himself. It cost a small fortune, but I couldn't resist.
I had just made it through the door when my cell phone started ringing. I pushed all of the bags off my arm and grabbed at the phone. I didn't even both to check the Caller ID.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hey Bella. It's just me." Edward cleared his throat.
I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. "Hi. Thanks for calling me back."
"Thanks for calling me in the first place."
"Well I definitely had to after that breathtaking note and flower arrangement arrived on my doorstep."
"I wasn't sure how far I could go without overstepping the boundaries. The flowers seemed to be the safest choice," he said quietly.
"They were perfect. Are you still at work?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Just left. Had to reattach a finger to a construction worker. A 'machinery gone awry' case."
"Yikes. Now I remember why I never wanted to become a doctor," I said with a sigh.
"Oh yes, the weak stomach. I'll keep the gore to a minimum, I promise." He laughed.
"Thanks."
He cleared his throat. "What did you do today?"
"I totally forgot that Christmas is this week and I hadn't done any shopping. Life has been a bit topsy-turvy lately."
"That's an understatement. Did you get everything you needed?"
"Yeah, with a few bruises to go with it."
"Are you okay?" he asked, sounding a bit frantic.
"Of course I am Edward! No worries. But listen, I have to get going. I have tons of gifts to wrap and I have two that I need to get ready to be shipped out."
"Oh okay, I guess I can let you go do that," he mocked frustration.
"Ha Ha," I said sarcastically.
"Bella?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you mind if I call you tomorrow?" he asked almost shyly.
"I would love that." I found myself smiling into the phone.
"Great. Well have a goodnight Bella."
"You too Edward. Goodnight." I hung up the phone after that with a contented sigh.
This slow thing can work.
My contentment was short lived when I remembered the huge stack of gifts that still needed wrapping.
Oh what a joyous holiday treat!
-oo-
The next morning I got up to Alice banging on my door. We had a tradition going of having Sunday breakfast together as often as possible. I threw on my bathrobe and went to answer the door.
It was only nine in the morning and it looked like Alice had been up for hours. She looked at my sad excuse of a Christmas tree and squealed at seeing all the presents.
"What did you get me?" she demanded.
"Wow. A nice 'Hi Bella. How are you this morning?' would have been nice. And I am not telling you what I got you," I huffed while walking into the kitchen to start coffee.
"I may not know what it is but I do foresee that I have wanted it for awhile and that I will be really pleased," she said, tapping her head with her index finger.
"Oh yes, your 'psychic' abilities. I forgot about that."
"Never bet against me." She somehow found some spare ornaments that hadn't gotten hung up and immediately began rearranging things on the tree.
"So what happened with you and my dear brother after you left the club?" she asked.
"Why do you ask me these things about your brother? Do you really want to know what he does with a woman?" I asked with a hint of disgust in my voice.
"Oh shush. You're my best friend, I have to make exceptions."
"We went back to his place, did some heavy kissing, I came to my senses and he drove me home. I am determined to take this slow and he has agreed to go at my speed."
"You came to your senses? How the hell did you manage to stop yourself from fully jumping my very handsome brother?" she said, twirling around to face me; the Christmas tree temporarily forgotten.
"I am not a hussy thank you. I realize it has been awhile since I have been with anyone, but I am not going to have regrettable sex."
"I know. I am glad you stopped; the last thing you both need is to complicate an already complicated situation."
"Exactly."
We ended up making cheese omelets and toast, chatting about what was planned for the holidays.
After all of us kids had moved out of Forks, Carlisle and Esme had followed two years later and bought a home on the outskirts of Seattle. They still kept the house in Forks for the summers, but spent most of their time in the big city. It had become a tradition for us all to go to their house for the holidays even though I had missed the last two because of visiting Renee in Florida. This would be the first time I was staying put and I couldn't be happier.
"Do you want me to take your gifts for everyone over to dad and moms today? I have to run over and help mom finish the decorating," Alice asked while putting her finished plate in the sink.
"That would be great. Saves me the hassle of trying to load it and unload it all on my own."
"Okay, so help me get it all in the car and I must be on my way!"
After a few minutes of getting all my gifts situated into her small car she gave me a quick hug and drove off.
-oo-
Later that evening my phone once again started ringing. I unattached myself to the lights of my tree to get it.
"Hello?"
"Hey you. Just me." Edward.
"Just who? This could be anyone. Are you sure I know you?" I asked teasingly.
"Very funny. You better know me. What other doctor/best friend are you waiting to hear from?"
"Oh you know I have them stashed all over Seattle for when I need them." I felt a giggle start to bubble up in my throat.
"Have you been drinking Bella?" he asked in mock seriousness.
"No, I learned my lesson on Friday night!" I realized what I said after the words slipped out. Crap.
"I feel like shit. I can't believe that I actually took advantage of you like that. I wasn't thinking. Once again, I am very sorry." He let out a heavy sigh.
"Edward. I am only going to say this one more time. It was the both of us. I am an adult and I was being consenting. I just had one too many drinks and I know you did too."
"Even if I did agree with you on that, the fact that I drove under the influence was stupid."
"Yes it was. But everyone makes mistakes, even perfect people like you Edward Cullen," I teased again, trying to lighten the mood.
"I am far from perfect," he mumbled.
I didn't say anything in response.
"So what have you been up to today?" he said trying to change the subject.
"I had breakfast with Alice and then I have been fiddling with this stupid Christmas tree for the better part of the afternoon. Alice was halfway into decorating it when she left."
"Uh oh, Bella is let loose with breakable ornaments. Are you sure you can be trusted?" he said laughing.
"Smart ass."
"Sorry," he said still laughing.
Another hour passed of us catching up on our weekend, of what Christmas would be like having him back with us for the first time in years, what he did once he got his act together for school. We talked about everything, and it was refreshing to know that we still had that easiness of conversation.
After awhile the conversation started to fade out, signaling the end of the conversation.
I could help the yawn that escaped.
"You're tired and have work tomorrow. I shouldn't have kept you on for so long," he said.
"Don't be silly, it's not even that late. But yeah, I'm exhausted." I yawned again.
"Well then I will cut this conversation off right now. I enjoyed it; do you mind if we do it again? You know…until you feel up to see me again?" he said shyly again.
"That sounds perfect, though I will see in three days."
"Well if we talk at least once everyday leading up to it then we are golden," he said.
"Sounds good to me. I guess I will talk to you tomorrow?" I asked.
"You bet! Night Bells."
"Night."
I went to bed that night with dreams of Edward.
-oo-
A/N: So this is Bella's way of taking things 'slowly'. This allows them to rebuild the mental before taking on the physical aspect. So please review! I want to know what you think.
Next up is a brief Christmas and other surprises!