Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer and not to me… sigh.
Previously…
Edward brought his mouth back to mine and we continued to kiss getting lost in each other. Luckily, Edward was the perfect gentleman and never pushed for more. I don't know if he sensed my hesitation to further our physical relationship or if he still felt the need to continue to take it slow, but he didn't try to take it any further. The urgency of our kissing slowed before he pulled back and looked down at me, stroking my cheek with his hand.
"That was even better knowing I was kissing my girlfriend." He said gently. I softly laughed for joy as his words settled into my heart.
Sleeping With A Monster
Chapter 18 – The Message
"You smell so good." Edward mumbled into my neck, planting passionate kisses along my bare shoulder towards my neck as we lay in my bed. I ran my fingers through his hair, relishing in the silkiness. Edward reached back and grabbed my hands, pulling them over my head and gently grasping my wrists in one of his hands. My breathing hitched in my throat, his kisses coming faster and more insistent. His free hand snaked up to my other shoulder as he caressed my skin.
"Edward." I moaned in response, wanting more. Edward growled playfully before he brought his lips back to mine, kissing me deeply. His free hand slowly traced my collar before he brought it up to the side of my neck. Slowly his kisses grew rougher with his passion, his hand tightened on my wrists, and I started to feel a little claustrophobic. I shook off the feeling and I continued to kiss Edward back. I felt his hand on the side of my neck slide to the front of my throat and press down. I struggled with how uncomfortable I was starting to feel. The pressure grew and his hand started to squeeze.
"Edward!" I chastised, but my voice was only a whisper as he was cutting off my supply of air. His kisses were no longer passionate, but angry as he growled menacingly. My wrists were getting sore and I started to struggle, my legs starting to kick. He moved his body on top of mine and pinned my legs with his.
"Marie!" My eyes flew open at the sound of that name, but the voice did not belong to Edward nor did the cold blue eyes staring back at me. A sob rose in my throat as I looked in horror at James's face, a twisted smile gracing his lips. I gasp is response realizing he had me trapped.
"No, please!" I screamed as I bolted straight up in bed. I frantically looked around, completely disoriented. I exhaled the breath I was holding and I groaned and fell back onto the bed. I glanced at my alarm clock on the nightstand and saw that it was almost noon. Edward and I had stayed and 'watched' the meteor shower until after three in the morning. I fell asleep on the drive back and I vaguely remembered Edward carrying me into my house and putting me to bed. I quickly glanced down at my clothing to confirm that I was still wearing what I had on last night.
I heard the doorbell ring followed quickly by an insistent knock and I jumped in alarm at the sound, still jittery from my dream. I shook it off as I hurried to door. I opened it, greeted by my handsome boyfriend as a feeling of relief flooded my system. Edward's worried face took in my appearance.
"Love? Are you okay? I thought I heard a scream." He said his worried look melted into a look of concern. He quickly stepped in the house, cupping my face with his hand. Only then was I aware of the perspiration covering my face and my shallow breathing.
"I am now." I sighed in relief, his touch calming me as I felt my breathing start to relax. I hoped he did not hear the quiver in my voice.
"What's wrong?" Edward pressed as he closed the door behind him and put his arm around my shoulders, guiding me over to one of the couches in the living room. I looked into his eyes and felt myself getting lost in the green depths. I shook my head and smiled at my reaction to him.
"Just a bad dream." I chuckled, trying to make light of my reaction.
"About?" He said.
"Old skeletons." I replied
"Care to elaborate?" Edward continued to press for more.
"Not right now, maybe later." I said trying to play it off, still a little shaken by the dream. It was different from the usual dream I had about James. I still had them but they did not come as often anymore. I did not like that this dream had Edward morphing into James and it unnerved me. I never seemed to have them when I fell asleep in Edward's embrace. His arms were the one place I felt the safest, chasing away all my fears.
Edward looked at me for a moment, scrutinizing my face before he leaned in, kissed my forehead, and sighed. A brief expression of sadness passed through his eyes, but he quickly hid it away. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. Finally he stared are me.
"Bella, you know you can tell me anything, don't you?" He said as his eyes searched mine intently. His voice rang with such sincerity I ached to tell him. However, I wasn't ready. Still a little freaked about the dream, I felt emotionally shaky. I had not given it enough thought on how to broach the subject or how to explain it to him. I wasn't ready let him see how stupid I had been. I wasn't ready to expose my shame to him. In addition, I knew I was not ready to see the pity and disgust in his eyes. Therefore, I nodded my agreement to his question, unsure if I could trust myself to speak. I could not blurt out my secret to this God-like creature. I wasn't ready! I gently gave him a kiss hoping to distract him from his line of questioning. He returned my kiss with equal gentleness. I pulled back, placed my hand on his cheek and gazed into his wondrous eyes.
"I know. I just… I'm not…" I started to stammer trying to explain to him why I could not tell him my secret, when I did not quite understand it myself. However, I was quite certain that my skeletons were not what Edward was expecting.
"It's okay, Love. When you're ready." He said with such understanding and trust I almost blurted it out right then. I closed my eyes as I leaned my forehead into his and took a deep breath, trying to suppress my anxiety.
"Thank you." I whispered. We sat there for a long moment before Edward pulled back to look at me.
"I wish I could stay, but my shift at the hospital starts soon. I stopped by to say goodbye before I left."
"What time are you done?" I said as we stood up from the couch.
"Not until almost midnight." Edward walked with me to the door.
"Do you want me to wait up?" I teased wrapping my arms around his waist as I looked up into his down-turned face. He laughed before he encircled me in his arms.
"No. I wouldn't want you to oversleep and be tardy for school. Get some rest and promise me you'll have sweet dreams." He winked.
"I'll try." I said, before Edward gently kissed me good-bye.
*********************
"So when do I get to see where you work?" Edward asked as we finished eating our meal at his house. It wasn't even 48 hours since Edward asked me to be his girlfriend, but he explained that he was going to be working a lot of night shifts this week. With my schedule tying me up during the day, we would not have much time together. So, he wanted to make the most of what little time we had.
"You really want to go back to high school?" I teased lightly.
"If you were my teacher, I would go back and repeat all four years, over and over again." He teased back. "So how about it?" He pressed the issue again.
"Well, this Thursday is the school open house for the parents to come visit the school, go their children's classes and meet their teachers, etc." I said unsure if it would be anything he would be interested in, but I decided to extend the invitation. "You're welcome to join me."
"I'm working that night, but what time does it start?" He asked.
"It runs from seven to nine in the evening." I said a little hopeful that he might be able to come.
"Oh. That's when my shift starts - seven." He said sadly. He thought for a moment before his face brightened. "Would it be okay if I came during school hours, maybe sat in on a class or two? Then we could go get something to eat afterwards before we both have to get back to work?" Edward suggested with an expectant look on his face.
"I think that can be arranged. You will have to check in with the office to get a visitor pass, but that's about it." I said eyeing him warily, wondering what would ever possess him to want to visit high school again.
"Are you sure you want to hang out in a high school English class?" I was sure he had better things to do with his free time than this.
"Yep." He said popping the 'p' at the end. "Maybe I can get a date with that hot new English teacher, Miss Thomas." He laughed.
"I don't know. I hear she already has a boyfriend." I flirted back. "Besides, you might have some competition for her from Mr. Newton." I said before realizing Edward did not know about Mike's recent attempt to ask me out on a date. I politely turned Mike down telling him that I made a point of not dating colleagues from work. I had a feeling it would not be the last time he tried so I kindly hinted that Jessica Stanley from the Family and Consumer Sciences Department was interested in him. However, if Mike didn't take the hint and persisted, I could now pull out the 'boyfriend' card. I smiled at the thought.
"Who's Mr. Newton? And why are you smiling?" Edward said, all teasing gone as he looked at me with a serious expression on his face, his green eyes shined with worry and something I could not identify.
"Mike Newton works with me at the school." I said. What if Edward didn't believe me?
"Does he teach English like you?" He continued to question, but not in a threatening way, but I could tell he was a little jealous.
"No, he teaches government and history." Answering all his questions was the best I could do. I did not encourage Mike; he was just persistent. I could not be rude to him either because I had to work with him. I was a tricky situation.
"And…" Edward trailed off, waiting for me to explain my comment. I shook my head and sighed.
"He asked me out last week, but I said no – not my type." I said, hoping Edward wouldn't be the overly jealous type, as James had been. Edward thought for a moment.
"Okay." Edward said, letting it go. I was amazed! James would have grilled me about the entire exchange before teaching me a lesson for 'enticing' someone to ask me out on a date. Edward amazed me – he did not push and accepted that I really was telling the truth and not trying to deceive him. Sometimes I forgot how 'normal' people reacted.
"What was with the smile?" He said, still remembering.
"I was just thinking if he tried to ask me again, I can now tell him I already have a boyfriend." I smiled shyly. Edward's eyes lit up at the prospect as he quietly muttered something under his breath about being a fly on the wall.
"So about Thursday. I have some errands and household stuff to catch up on in the morning. What do you have in the afternoon?" Edward continued, his velvet voice free of suspicion.
"Creative Writing at 12:50 and an AP English Literature at 1:50. They are the only classes I have after my lunch hour." I smiled, relieved that he wasn't going to give me the third degree about Mike. I gave him directions to the school, office and my classroom, as we made our plan for Thursday.
"Now isn't it time you got some of that work done, teacher?" He lightly chided with a warm expression on his face. He stood and extended his hand to me. I took it and got out of my seat. I grabbed my messenger bag that was leaned up against the couch in the family room and sat down next to Edward on the couch. He watched TV while I graded papers. Occasionally I would look up and catch him watching me with a far off expression on his face. He would just smile and turn his attention back to the TV.
I was sitting on the couch with my legs tucked under me, leaning into the corner, using the arm of the couch for support as I made notations on my students' assignments. Edward was sitting next to my feet with his arms stretched across the back of the couch as he continued to pretend to watch TV. When I caught him staring at me for the fifth time, I decided to call him on it.
"What?" I asked in fake irritation. "Do I have something on my face?" Edward laughed shaking his head.
"I was just wishing it was my lip you were biting instead of your own." He smirked. I went tomato red, unaware that I had been biting my lower lip. His laughter rang out into the room at my reaction to his comment. I decided two could play at this game as I set the last of the English homework I was grading aside. I turned to face him, pushing myself out of the corner of the couch and towards him.
"Do you mean like this?" I said in my most sexy voice, unsure if it came across as such, as I crawled across the couch towards Edward giving him a sultry look from under my eyelashes. His eyes widened and he gulped. I gave him a crooked smile as I recognized the effect I was having on him. I was amazed I could cause such a reaction from him. Climbing on top of his lap, I placed my hands on his shoulders and pressed him back into the couch before I slowly pressed my lips to his, pulling his lower lip into my mouth and gently nibbling with my teeth. Edward quickly recovered from his surprise and his hands flew up to hold my head firmly in place as he returned my kiss with a hungry passion I had never before experienced with him. I returned his kiss, my hunger matching his own as my body flushed with the heat of sudden passion, my heart racing with excitement. My hands found their way into his hair as Edward flipped me onto my back so I was lying on the couch, with him hovering on top, our legs tangling together, our lips never breaking their connection. Our passionate kiss continued as my hands roamed over his shoulders and arms. Edward wrapped one arm behind my back as he pulled my body closer to him and his other hand roamed down my side to my waist and back up. A loud voice startled us out of our intense kiss, causing us both to gasp in surprise.
"Whoa, Nellie! Would you look at that?" Emmett's voice boomed in the room followed by his laughter. Edward looked up at his brother standing somewhere behind me before he dropped his head into the crook of my neck and groaned. We relaxed our hold on each other as the intensity between us waned.
"Get a room, guys!" Alice piped in a happy voice. The heat of my embarrassment, now evident on my face, replaced the heat of my passion for Edward.
"We don't need to get a room. It's my house remember? " Edward mumbled in frustration, head still down as he sighed in defeat. He raised his head and looked at my red face as he offered an apologetic smile.
"Putting the moves on Bella I see? Sweet little bro!" Emmett continued to tease. I gave Edward a wicked wink, my mouth twisting into a smirk from hearing Emmett's comment and Edward returned my look. Without looking away from each other Edward and I each raised a hand and shot Emmett an obscene gesture, causing him to burst out with more laughter. Edward moved off me into a sitting position on the couch, pulling me up with him.
"Ever hear of a doorbell?" Edward grumbled in frustration as we resituated ourselves on the couch.
"Why, when I have a key." Emmett shot back with a devilish smile, dangling the key in front of Edward's face as he walked by.
"You're going to make me regret giving that to you, aren't you?" Edward said before trying to grab the key. Emmett was quicker, pulling back at the last second.
Edward put his arm around my waist as I straightened my blue baby doll shirt and white pants. I heard Edward's soft chuckle as I tried to smooth my hair. I glanced at him and snickered at the sight of his hair sticking out in all directions from my attack. He mouthed a confused 'what' at me and I giggled louder.
"Nice hairdo, man. Where can I get one of those?" Jasper said as he walked past the back of the couch and ruffled Edward's hair even more.
"Hey!" Edward said as he smacked Jasper's hand away before running his had through his hair in an attempt to tame his unruly mane. Then he grinned at me and pulled me closer to him as he said. "Get your own." I ducked my head a little, still embarrassed that Edward's brother and friends caught us making out. Edward kissed my temple. I looked up to see Jasper, Alice, Emmett and Rose all taking seats in the room with us. Everyone appeared happy to see us, with the exception of Rose who was sporting a stoic mask, avoiding eye contact with Edward and me.
"So, Bella?" Emmett started. I looked up at his face that held an expression of seriousness. "Is my brother a good kisser?" He quipped. I coughed in surprise and Emmett's serious looking face melted into a huge smile as he watched my face flush red all over again. Edward's chest rumbled with a warning growl.
"Yes." I mumbled, my face growing even hotter. I snuck a peak at Edward, who was trying to suppress a smile while turning to scold his brother.
"Emmett. Stop trying to embarrass my girlfriend." Edward said a little smugly.
"I knew it!" Alice yelled happily, as she clapped her hands in excitement. "When did he finally ask you?" She looked at me with raised eyebrows, clearly hoping I would give all kinds of juicy details. I smiled at her and opened my mouth to respond when I found myself cut-off.
"Girlfriend!" Rose barked jumping up from the other couch as her head whipped around to glower at me. She threw her hands up in the air in disgust before she fell back into her seat. Edward instinctively wrapped his other arm around me and pulled my closer to him. Emmett shot Rose a warning look that she promptly ignored.
"Rose." Edward and Emmett said in unison. The warning tone of their voices was so similar; it was hard to distinguish one from another. Edward's body stiffened in anger in reaction to her outburst and transparent distain for me. She huffed before she folded her arms across her chest. She faced forward, refusing to make eye contact with anyone in the room. She reminded me of an angry child, sulking because she did not get her way. I resisted the urge to roll me eyes, wishing she would just grow up already. I peaked up at Edward who had a saddened expression on his face as he exchanged a look with his brother. Edward glanced down at me and smiled sadly leaning in to whisper in my ear.
"I'll be right back." Edward got off the couch and walked over to Rose.
"Rose. I need to talk to you." Edward said. When Rose didn't respond or move to get up, Edward reiterated his request with a 'Now.' She stood up silently, followed Edward out to the front porch, and closed the door. Only the muffled sound of their voices could be heard, but it was clear they were arguing. After few moments of silence, Edward opened the door, walked back in and sat down beside me. Rose followed a few moments later, clearly not happy and sunk back down next to Emmett who put his arm around her. The awkward silence that followed was short lived as Alice pressed for an answer to her question.
"So? Are you going to answer my question?" Alice asked, ignoring Rose all together. I decided to follow Alice's example, and pretend Rose was not in the room. This was her problem, not mine and I wasn't about to let her ruin my evening. I marveled at my new attitude. 'Maybe my new found confidence had something to do with standing up to Tanya. Or better yet, knowing that Edward wanted me. Me!' I thought to myself. I was still trying to wrap my head around that one. I looked up at Edward and smiled touching his cheek lightly with my fingers.
"Saturday night." I said.
"No, love. It was early Sunday morning." Edward corrected.
"Oh, yeah! I guess it was." I agreed, smiling at him.
"Aw! Aren't they so cute together?" Alice said to Jasper in her loudest stage whisper, clearly designed for all to hear.
"Oh, before I forget. We're going boating this weekend. You in?" Jasper said abruptly looking in Edward's direction. Edward looked down at me, poised to ask me a question.
"I already invited her to come and she said yes." Alice quipped. Edward's head snapped to Alice and I could not hold back my smile.
"Jeez, Alice. You think maybe you could let me ask her first?" He sounded a little annoyed, but he looked down at my smiling face and grinned back.
**************
"Bella? Are you in here?" Debbie Cope called as she poked her brown helmet-head hairdo through the door of the teachers lounge. I lifted my head from the book I was perusing for my next class.
"Over here." I said with a wave. Debbie's head disappeared and I heard her voice talking to someone in the hallway. I stood up to see what she needed and was rewarded for my efforts when Edward walked through the door. I could not hold back the happy expression that consumed my face at the sight, and his crooked smile told me he was just as happy to see me. He wore a black polo shirt and faded blue jeans, looking like a model who just stepped off the pages of an advertisement. I felt a little inadequate in my boring navy blue blazer, white blouse and knee length floral skirt. He could wear anything and come off looking like an Adonis. I threw my book off to the side and quickly made my way across the room, just wanting to be near him.
"Hi." Was all I could manage at the sight of him, my heart accelerating with excitement for two reasons. The first was obvious – he just looked so good and it was my normal reaction to seeing him. The second reason was nerves, finding myself a little self-conscience to teach a class in front of Edward.
"How's my girlfriend?" He said meeting me halfway pulling me to him, his arms enveloping me in a hug. Being in Edward's arms was my favorite place to be and it instantly calmed my nerves as a little sigh of relief escaped my lips.
"I've missed you." He whispered, his breath tickling my ear and sending a shiver down my spine. Edward softly chuckled at my reaction.
"I've missed you more." I said playfully back. "You're early." Smiling, I leaned back to look at him. I know it had only been three days since I had seen him, but it was three days too long. We pulled apart and I grabbed his hand, leading him over to the couch I had occupied and pulling him down with me to sit.
"Do you mind?" He questioned worry lacing his voice.
"Of course not." I reassured him quickly shaking my head at the thought of me not wanting more time with Edward.
"So this is the teachers lounge. I don't think I've even been in one before" He said looking around in amusement.
"Oh, yeah. You don't know what you have been missing. This is where we plot all kinds of torture to inflict upon unsuspecting adolescents to make their teen years a living hell." I said as I followed my diatribe with an evil laugh. Edward's laughter rang out into the room, causing those in the faculty room who were not already watching us surreptitiously to blatantly stare.
"Let's get out of here." I said with a mischievous smirk, grabbing my book and Edward's hand as we exited the lounge and headed off to my classroom. Edward spent the next two hours with me, watching me teach my last two classes of the day. I tried not to notice when some of my female students ogled him, sitting at the back of the room, trying to be inconspicuous, as if. I don't think Edward could ever go unnoticed. I could not hold back the snicker as some of the braver girls approached him after class and tried to flirt with him. Edward was looking very uncomfortable as he tried to deflect their comments and shot me a look clearly pleading for help. I let him squirm for a moment longer before I came to his rescue when I took his hand in mine as I smiled smugly at the girls. Most of them just sighed and walked off. A few glared at me for a moment before they remembered I held the power to pass or fail them, not that I would ever hold it against them. Edward couldn't help it – he was just too gorgeous for his own good.
"Thanks." He whispered in my ear as the last of my students left after the final bell of the day.
"I see you took your sweet time rescuing me." He added with a playful pout.
"You weren't in any danger." I smirked back.
"What do you have to do now?" Edward asked as we walked towards my desk.
"I need to go over my lesson plans for tomorrow, check emails, get my room ready for tonight, that sort of stuff. It should only take an hour." I replied sure he would be bored out of his mind.
"What can I do to help? Can I help get your room ready?" He offered.
"I could really use something with caffeine right now." I said a little sheepishly.
"Okay, I'll get us some drinks from the teacher's lounge. And when I get back, I expect you to put me to work." He said, playfully shaking his finger at me. After Edward left, I sat down at my computer and started replying to my emails, luckily there were not that many. I was almost done with them when I felt someone's hands on my shoulders. I looked up expecting to see Edward, but found myself disappointed.
"Mike!" I said in surprise. He mistook my reaction to be that of pleasure and a confident smile played on his lips. I held back the groan that threatened to rise from my throat as I jumped out of my chair shrugging off his hands. I quickly made my way over to my blackboard to erase the last of today's lesson.
"Are you ready for tonight?" He asked looking a little confused that he did not correctly read my reaction.
"Yes. I'm almost ready." I said looking over to the door, hoping Edward would appear.
"Good. Maybe we can grab a quick bite to eat before the parents and students start to arrive." Mike asked as he slowly started to make his way over to me.
"I'm sorry; Mike but I already have plans." I said, relieved that I didn't have to lie, but more excited that my plans involved Edward.
"Oh?" Mike said as if he did not believe me. "With who?" He challenged in a tone that bordered on accusatory. Just as I opened my mouth to answer, Edward walked into the room carrying soft drinks and I couldn't help smiling in relief. Mike followed my gaze as his eyes landed on Edward who continued to walk towards me, looking smug.
"My boyfriend." I said simply, relief fanning out over me like a cool breeze.
"Here you go, love." Edward said to me with a knowing look on his face as he leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the lips before he handed me a drink. I had to control the urge to grab his shirt and kiss him senseless. I set my drink on my desk and Edward followed suit. Then, grabbing Edward's hand, I walked with him over to Mike.
"Edward, this is Mike Newton." I said trying not to laugh.
"Mike, this is Edward Masen, my boyfriend." My voice so happy I could have been the spokesperson for Disneyland. Edward was the first one to offer his hand to Mike, who reluctantly took it.
"Nice to meet you, Mike. What do you teach?" Edward asked, as if he didn't know.
"World History and Government. So what do you do, Edward?" Mike said almost spitting Edward's name. Mike narrowed his eyes as he sized up Edward. My irritation towards Mike started to grow exponentially watching him barely being civil to Edward, who gave my hand a squeeze.
"I'm a doctor at the Mayo Clinic." Edward replied calmly. I tried not to get too much pleasure as I observed Mike's face fall at the prospect of not being able to win this pissing contest.
After Mike left, Edward helped me organize the information packets I had for the parents of my students for tonight's open house. I quickly went over my lesson plan making a few changes here and there before I was ready to go. Thanks to Edward's help, we had several hours together before either of us had to be anywhere. It was still a little early for dinner so Edward took me to a local art gallery.
Edward parked the car and cut the engine, but he made no move to get out of the car. The atmosphere around us was suddenly charged with electricity. I glanced over at him to see him staring at me with a smoldering look in his eyes. He placed his hand on the back of my neck and pulled me closer to him. The shock of his touch caused my pulse to skyrocket. He lowered his head and kissed me eagerly. I grabbed the back of his neck, holding his head firmly in place as I kissed him back.
"I've wanted to do that for days." He mumbled against my lips. I broke off to place light feathery kisses down his neck. The sound of his moan my kisses inspired was driving me mad. If it weren't for the center console and the fact that I was in a skirt, I would have been in his lap, the tension building. 'I need to run a couple of miles – get some of Edward out of my system.' I thought. Otherwise, I was going to attack him, not caring about the consequences of my actions. We broke apart, panting.
"We had better go while we still can." I said a little frustrated, knowing it was for the best.
"I think you're right." Edward sighed before he opened the door and got out. He quickly made his way over to my side of the car and opened the door, helping me get out. We walked hand in hand into the gallery.
An hour or so later, we left the gallery and strolled down the street to a little bistro to grab a bite to eat. When we arrived, I thought it was funny that Edward specifically requested a booth to sit in, until I realized he wanted to sit next to me instead of across. Edward had his arm around my shoulders as we enjoyed our meal and talked. It felt right, being here with him like this. It felt like this was where I belonged.
"I'll be right back." Edward said as he moved to get up.
"Where do you think you are going?" I said playfully as I pulled him back to me and kissed him. He laughed in response.
"The restroom. And just for the record, I don't believe in going to the restroom in a group." He smirked.
"Don't worry, Sweetie. I'm not one of those women who need her friends to accompany her to the ladies room." I shot back.
"Finally! A woman I can relate to!" He laughed before he kissed my temple, got up and left. I was still chuckling to myself when I heard Edward's phone chime. It had been digging into my side while we sat together in the booth, so he took it off and set it on the table. A purely reflexive reaction caused me to look at the large screen of his Blackberry. What I saw there did not register at first. However, as I gazed at the message alert displayed on the screen, a queasy feeling started to build in my stomach. There is was, a single line, that displayed the name of the message sender and the first part of the message sent.
Tanya Butler: Hey Lover!
A flushed feeling spread out over my system as the implications of that simple line sunk into my heart. My heart ached as I realized how much I was falling for a man who might not be the person I thought he was. Was Edward seeing Tanya on the side? Had he ever been in a relationship with her? What if he wasn't honest with me? I felt a little hypocritical after that last thought as I acknowledged I had not been completely honest with Edward. I leaned my head down onto the table for a second as I considered how seriously complicated this was getting. How could I say something about him not being honest with me if I was hiding my own secrets?
Knowing Edward would be coming back soon, I decided to escape to the ladies room for a moment while I collected myself. As I opened the door to the restroom, I heard my name behind me.
"Bella?" Edward's velvet voice called. I glanced back at him and planted that smile on my face as I waved at him.
"I'll see you back at the table." I replied as I hurried in the room Edward would most certainly not follow me into. When the door closed behind me, I leaned up against it and let out a sigh of relief. My shaky legs carried me over to the sinks as I looked up at my overly pale reflection in the mirror. As I calmed myself down, rational thought took over as I considered that this could just be a trick; something I would not put past someone like Tanya to do. She had made it clear that she wanted Edward and was willing to toy with me, so could this be another ploy. Edward's behavior had never given me cause for concern. I decided I would not blow this out of proportion. I was in no position to make accusations about how honest he was with me until I revealed my secret to him. I pinched my cheeks to get some artificial color before I left the restroom to face Edward.
Edward came into view as I walked towards him and his face brightened at the sight of me causing me to wonder how I could doubt him. His reactions to me were so genuine, so real, I just could not imagine that he was jerking me around. He stood up to greet me with a kiss. He looked at me with a chagrinned expression.
"I'm sorry, Love. But I have to leave early. There has been a huge pile up on the freeway and we are expecting a lot of injuries. Everyone who's scheduled today or available is being called in early." He said as our waiter handed Edward our check and he slipped enough money to pay for our meal plus a hefty tip.
"I hope no one died." I said. I could not help the suspicions that slowly crept into my mind. Was that an excuse to cut out and meet Tanya? I chastised myself for thinking that.
"Come. I'll drop you back at the school before I head in." He ushered me out of the bistro and into his car. I was quiet on the drive back. This did not go unnoticed by Edward. He held my hand in my lap, squeezing it occasionally to get my attention. His face was anxious every time I looked up and I would give him a reassuring smile, while I tried to suppress the suspicions bouncing around in my head.
We pulled into the school parking lot and Edward put his car in park, leaving the engine running. He quickly released my hand before he exited the car. He was opening my door quicker than I thought was humanly possible. He pulled me out of the car and into his arms and rested his chin on my head that rested on his chest.
"I'm sorry our time was cut short, love." Edward said his voice full of regret.
"It's okay. Go save some lives." I said trying to put on a happy smile as I looked up at his sad face. I could tell he was mulling something around in his mind and for a moment, I thought he was going to say something. In the end, he did not. He kissed me tenderly, but pulled away all too soon.
"Miss you." He said as he touched my cheek.
"Miss you more." I said with a wry smile before he got back into his car and sped away. As much as I hated to admit it, I was going to watch the news tonight to see if there was a mention of the pile-up on the freeway. I felt disgusted with myself that I could not bring myself to trust him fully.
A/N: Okay people! I am such a slacker - I have not done my Christmas shopping. So if I don't get another chapter out this week, you have my apologies. Just know my time went to a good cause! :) I hope everyone enjoys this chapter - it's my longest so far! And as always - Thank-you for reading and reviewing! I love ALL you comments and ideas. - SavageWoman