SM owns.
Thank You Mari.
The name of this chapter, of course, it's because of the song "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure.
Chapter 13: Just Like Heaven…Or not.
"But all bubbles have a way of bursting or being deflated in the end."
Barry Gibb. ~
"Have you lost your mind Edward?" My dad asks me trying to hold back his anger. I know he's upset. I know he's trying to be the always-composed man, even though right now, he probably wants to scream at me.
I stay silent. I'm sure he meant it as a rhetorical question.
He is pacing back and forth behind the desk in his study. He tugs his hair and I notice how much I resembled him, even if we're not biologically related.
"How could you be so reckless son? This is not the kind of behavior I expect from you. Is she…one of your clients? Are you the one handling her divorce?" He asks me slightly panicked.
"What? No, dad…listen…Bella's been working on her own with her lawyer to get a divorce. I am not involved in the case." I answer him.
He seems to relax a bit, but his eyes are still hard around the edges. He's not happy with me. I know it. In the meantime, I'm just worried about Bella. She's alone with my mother and despite the fact that I trust my mom not to be hurtful or anything, I know Bella is probably freaking out.
I still can't believe she subjected herself to this.
"Edward, son, why did you do this? How could you let yourself be involved in something like this? It's not…right." My father's voice brings me out of my thoughts of concern for Bella.
"I'm…in love with her dad. It doesn't matter if she's married. It doesn't matter if she's not in love with me…and…" I stop to give my voice more force for the next thing I'm going to say, "It doesn't even matter what you guys think of her…I love her. I can't be without her and as long as she wants to be with me, I am going to be with her." I finish feeling much better and more confident.
I aim to please my family, to make them proud of me, to in some way, not let them regret their choice of adopting me as their child. But that doesn't mean I don't thrive to be happy. My dad stays silent for a while and I am too tempted to leave him and go find Bella.
What is mom telling her?
"I understand that maybe…your feelings betray you and you're not seeing clearly…" He starts but I can't let him continue.
"Dad, I don't need a lecture on what's right or wrong. Believe me, I know the difference. I've struggled with the moral aspects of my relationship with Bella. I am not blind. I just…" I stop there because I don't know if I getting anywhere with this.
"You love her. I…get that son. I just wish…I'm sorry. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to deal with this." He answers and I see the conflict and turmoil in his eyes. He doesn't know whether to be supportive of my feelings for Isabella or stay stuck in the affair aspect.
I stay silent, giving him a moment. When I think he's had enough, I speak again.
"I should go." I announce, because not being with Bella right now, is eating me inside. I need to see she's okay. I need to touch her and let her know we'll be fine.
My father nods at me, and before I turn around to leave, I see a glimpse of compassion in his eyes. He knows this is hard for me. I think that he understands, and I know, even if it doesn't seem like it right now, everything will be fine.
After I find Bella and let her know we need to go, I say my goodbyes to my mom, asking her to trust me, before taking Bella with me to leave. She answers something to my mom and then we are on our way.
Once the secret is out, at least in my family, I think Bella and I start feeling the joys of our relationship much more. We develop kind of a routine. We go out at least twice a week, not only for dinners, but for lunch too. We call each other every morning and every night before going to sleep, and the rest of the day is filled with fun flirty texts.
I notice some changes in her, but I'm not sure if she's conscious of them. She smiles more, she laughs more, and she rolls her eyes less. When we kiss, it doesn't feel like we're running out of time anymore. We hold hands in public, we hug, we kiss, and when she touches me, it doesn't feel like she has an ulterior motive like before. It seems like she does it just because she wants to. I wonder what changed, but I haven't asked.
It's not like she used to be cold, of course not. However, it always seemed like she was holding back. She kept me at arm's length before and now, it really feels like we are a couple. Not an affair, or a dirty little secret, but two people who care about each other and enjoy their time together. She still doesn't know I love her more than life, though.
It's been a month since our first date, and we are meeting tonight to celebrate. She doesn't know that's the real reason behind it though. I don't know if she's keeping track of that kind of thing.
"So…what should I wear tonight?" She asks me through the phone. I'm killing some time talking to her before a meeting.
"Wear whatever you want, sweetheart. You'll look good in anything." I answer.
"I know that. I need to know if it's casual or what…" She tells me above some background noise. That's one thing that doesn't change; her work schedule.
"We're going to an Italian restaurant. You decide what to wear from there." I tell her and she apparently, makes up her mind about her outfit.
After we hang up, I go to the meeting, win some new clients, and I'm done for the day. When I get home, I go straight for the shower and start getting ready for my date. Around seven thirty, I am ready to go and I text Bella to let her know.
The ride to her place is filled with excitement about seeing her. This week we had to rearrange our lunch date, because when she could I couldn't, and vice versa. I am aching to be in her presence. For a moment during my drive, I start thinking about my brother. I haven't really talked to him since that day he went to my place.
My parents, as I imagined it'd be, have reach out to me since I last visited them. We talk on the phone and they even apologized for making me think I couldn't talk to them about Bella sooner. Our relationship isn't as easy as it was before, but at least there is one. At least I don't turn off my phone when they call, which is what I used to do sometimes, when they didn't know about my relationship with Bella.
I arrive to Bella's place and I don't even have to get out of the car, because she's waiting for me outside. I've never been inside her apartment but at least now I know the number of it. It's not like she hasn't invited me in, she did last week, and I couldn't stay.
Maybe tonight, I muse.
"Hi handsome." She says getting in, pecking my lips twice. I get to smell the rich scent of her skin and taste the heavenly flavor of her lips. I instantly want more.
"Hello, Bella. You look beyond words." I tell her looking at her legs that are exposed by her really short pink dress and looking even sexier because of her really high heels.
"You might want to focus your attention elsewhere playboy." She tells me, lifting my head with her hands and smirking at me. I didn't realize I was ogling her so obviously. I smile bashfully and kiss her neck once before composing myself enough to drive.
She plays with my hair on the way to the restaurant and tells me about her day. I listen and comment intently and take her hand to nip at it every chance I get.
We arrive to the restaurant and a couple of valets open our doors before giving me the ticket. A host greets us, and walks us to our table. The restaurant has a classic European décor. The lights are turn down low giving it the romantic vibe I was looking for.
Our waiter arrived seconds after we were seated and he rambled off what I supposed was the usual greeting. Isabella and I didn't really pay attention because we were too concentrated on giving each other looks across the table. Only when the boy asked Bella a question directly, did we come out of our little bubble. She giggled, making my heart sing a little, before asking the waiter to come back later.
One of the many things I love about Bella is how she can allow me to pepper her with attention and treat her like the lady she is, but at the same time she's not afraid to take charge when she feels like it.
"Stop it." She whisper-yells at me once the waiter is gone to another table.
"Stop what?" I ask her, trying not to laugh because I think I know what she means.
"Looking at me like that." She answers trying to be firm, but the almost smile on her face and the bright glow of her eyes betray her. We banter back and forth for a bit, and then decide to read the menu and choose something to eat. We call the waiter and place our orders, asking for some wine before the food.
"So, does this count as an anniversary or something?" She asks me after she sips her wine gracefully.
"What do you mean?" I ask her back because I'm not sure what she's talking about. She gives me a knowing look.
"It's been a month since our first official date, hasn't it?" She tells me matter of factly, and it's a miracle that I don't spill my wine. I didn't think she'd remember.
"Yes, that's right. I…I didn't think you…" I murmur.
"That I'd remember?" She asks me when I don't finish the sentence. I just nod at her slightly. She takes my hand and speaks. "I could never forget."
I inch my chair closer to her and kiss her.
"Your mom called me today." She says out of nowhere. We already ate our dinner and are now walking around a little park that's in front of the restaurant. The night is cold and I'm thankful for it, because it gives me the perfect opportunity to keep Bella tugged under my arm.
"What? Why?" I ask her.
"She wants me to have lunch with her." She replies. The wheels in my mind start running, trying to figure out a reason why my mom would do this. I get lost in a myriad of thoughts, before I feel Bella's hands on my face. She's untangled herself from my grasp and is now standing in front of me.
"Hey," she whispers, "don't freak out on me Edward. She just wants to get to know me better. That's what she said. Something about starting off on the wrong foot and trying to make amends." She tells me caressing my face softly while she speaks. I'm calm by her touch and her words start making a bit of sense.
"It seems like something my mom would do, I guess. You don't have to go, you know that right?" I assure her, taking her hands in mine and kissing each wrist.
"I know… I told her I'd see what I can do. It's not like I have time to be off having lunches anytime I want." She counters.
"You have lunches with me." I remind her, raising an eyebrow at her. She looks to the ground and bites her lip before answering me in a low voice.
"You're…special."
I wonder if the way I get all warm inside when she says things like that is ever going to go away. I hope not. I enjoy the twisting my heart does at her presence and her words. That's the best king of love anyway, the one that hurts so good. I've read countless times people talking about this feeling. When you feel you could burst at any point from feeling so much. When you feel your heart will give out if it doesn't find a way to love a little harder, to love until it aches all over, to love until you can't love anymore. The way I love my Bella.
With a tremendous amount of self control, I manage not to tell her that I love her this way and just kiss her. I kiss her until I feel her knees give out on her, and I have to support most of her weight to keep her standing. I kiss her until she has to pull away to get some air, until my head hurts from her tugging at my hair. I tell her with my kiss all the words I can't tell her. At least not for a while.
"Let's go, please." She breathes and I can't deny her, for I want the same thing.
After our first date, sex has been slow, or nonexistent. We've only done it once, because time hasn't been on our side. At the same time, I think it's been exactly what we needed, much to my traitor body's dismay.
Not having sex every time we see each other, as difficult as it's been, has allowed us to enjoy each other in different ways. I get to talk to her, to listen to her, to watch her be herself. I get to know all the little things I've always wanted to know.
Her favorite color is dark green. Her favorite food changes from lasagna to tacos, back and forth, depending on her mood. She is obsessed with chocolate but doesn't allow herself to eat it as much as she would like. When she's concentrated on something, she taps her fingers nonstop and when she's excited she twists her hair a lot. The silliest things I can pay attention to now that she lets me see them. Now, that she doesn't seem to be hiding behind a constant mask. Now, that she doesn't shut me up with kisses and caresses when I ask a lot of questions. Now, that I am not paranoid that I may not see her again when we part ways.
We start making our way towards the restaurant again to get the car. We stop to kiss several times on the way, until we finally manage to restrain ourselves. When we get there, I hand the ticket to the valet parker immediately, desperate to be on my way.
"Edward? Is that you?" A feminine voice says from behind us, while we wait in the entrance of the restaurant. I turn around to find out who's talking to me. Relief overwhelms me when I find that is just, Mary Johnson one of my parents' friends.
"Hello, Mrs. Johnson, is nice to see you." I greet her politely returning the crushing hug she gives me. After she lets go of me, I instantly find Bella's hand to take in mine. Her posture changed as soon as Mary said my name.
"It's nice to see you too, dear. Look at you, all grown up and on a date." She gushes not so subtly. Mrs. Johnson is one of those ladies who never stop seeing you as a twelve year old. So I'm sure she's surprised I am old enough to have a love life now. I take the bait and introduce Bella to her.
"Swan?" Mrs. Johnson asks referring to Bella's last name. We both nod slowly at her, trying to figure out where she's going, at least I am. For some reason, I think Bella knows what's going on. Mary shakes her head as if to clear it, and then speaks again. "I'm sorry, I could've sworn I'd seen you before, but the name Swan doesn't ring any bells. I'm sorry kids, I'm getting old." Mrs. Johnson smiles politely at us, just as the valet parker comes to the front with my car.
I say goodbye to her and walk towards the car with Bella in hand. She's too quiet. She's too tense. I am definitely worried now.
"What was that about?" I ask Bella once we are both seated inside the car. She's facing completely to the front, not even slightly moved towards me like she usually does. "Bella?" I ask again trying to concentrate on the road ahead of me, but desperately wanting to grab her face and search her eyes.
"She was right, Mrs. Johnson. She's seen me before. We've even been introduced before. Just not…"
"Not like Isabella Swan, but as Isabella Hunter." I finish when she trails off. She nods and I see her eyes drain from any sign of emotion. I squeeze her hand to remind her I'm here.
"When James and I were newlyweds," Bella starts after a moment of silence, "we used to go to a lot of functions and dinner parties, those kinds of things. We met at several of those events. I'm amazed she couldn't figure it out…" She continues with a pensive look on her face. "…unless she's lying. Oh my God, Edward! Do you think she's lying? Why would she lie?" Her breathing picks up and her face looks frantic. Her eyes are wild with worry. I hate it.
"Bella, baby, calm down, okay? I don't see why Mary would lie, relax." I tell her softly, rubbing her hand with my fingers. She shakes her head, not listening to me.
"What if she knows? What if she gossips about it? The only thing rich people do when they get together, besides talking about themselves, is talking about others. What if she…?" She rambles on, until I manage to stop the car on the side road and silence her with a kiss. I attack her mouth with abandon, taking her face in my hands while she holds onto my shoulders.
I peck her lips twice before skimming her face with my nose, humming because of her rich scent. She sighs and smiles tentatively at me.
"You're awfully adorable when you ramble like that." I say against her skin. She doesn't say anything; she doesn't have to for me to know her reaction. "I can almost feel your eye roll, Bella." I tell her while I place tiny bites to her neck. She uses her hands in my hair to push me away and gives me a glare.
"Edward, I'm serious. What if…?" I interrupt her again with a kiss.
"Bella, I know you're serious. I'm just trying to get you to calm down, so that you understand that your theory is most likely, not possible. I've known Mrs. Johnson since I was a child. I don't think she's conspiring against us. Please, relax." I plead with her, caressing her face. She gives me a long, skeptical look before nodding and kissing my cheek.
I know she must be surprised I'm handling this so well. I am surprised as well. Usually I'm the one freaking out about stuff. It's a nice turn of events that she feels she can trust me enough to see her like this. The fact that she's not holding out on me about her emotions is keeping me so grounded that I am calm enough to handle this.
I resume driving and get to Bella's place faster than before. Since it got so late now, the roads are practically deserted. We don't talk again. We just keep our bodies touching in some way. The mood has definitely changed and I can't wait to get to her place. Having Bella at her apartment, finally being in her environment will be the perfect ending to this night.
By the time we get to Bella's neighborhood, I'm feeling completely insane. I can't wait to be with her. I park the car and get out of it without waiting for her to invite me in. Her body language is invitation enough.
While I'm walking around the car to open her door, she gets out and meets me in the middle. She launches herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck, landing her lips against my own. I grab her waist and hold her as close to my body as I can. I devour her mouth and when we can't breathe, I move to her neck. I turn her body to press her against the car, lifting a bit of her skirt to caress her thighs.
She sighs and tugs at my hair to get me to look at her.
"I need you so much Edward." She whispers, and the look on her face matches her words. It takes all of my self control not to give in and take her here, on top of my car. I respond to her sentence by taking her lips in mine once again. Our bodies continue to move and if we don't stop I won't last long.
"Bella…" I plead her when her hands start unbuttoning my shirt and caressing the exposed skin of my chest. I shudder at the warm contact of her hands in the cold weather of the night. I continue to caress her legs, exposing more skin with each pass. Her skin breaks out in goose bumps when I take her earlobe in my mouth.
"Edward, I…" She pants. She's getting desperate by the teasing, I know her too well.
I don't know what clues me in, being as consumed as I am by Bella's turned on body under me, but I feel the presence of somebody close to us. I lift my head from her neck and see no one. I'm about to concentrate on Bella again when a masculine voice speaks.
"I've always knew you were just a horny bitch." The voice spats, making me turn around. I see a man, dressed in a rumpled suit looking at me with hateful eyes.
I feel Bella's body slide from the car slowly. She's as white as a ghost. Her face is full of shock and pain. I look from her to the man in front of me several times.
There's only one person who could ruin our night like this. There's only one person who could get this reaction out of her. There's only one person who could burst the perfect bubble we've been living in for the past few weeks.
James.
Thank you so much for reading, it means the world. I hope you liked this chapter.
Link to Bella's outfit. (Remove the spaces.) www . polyvore . com /cgi/set?id=43977080& . locale=es
People reading my other story Friendzoned, wait for an update later tonight.
Till next time, xo.