A/N: Sorry for the wait. Between being sick and starting a new business, and have writer's block, life took over. I am not happy with this chapter, but am stuck as to how to fix it, so this is what you get. Enjoy it anyway. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Not sure when I'll get started on 10….so don't get frustrated if it's another couple of weeks ;).
****
"You know, I had a really nice time," Bella said as Edward walked her to her door.
"You sound surprised," he laughed.
"Maybe a little," she said.
I see. You expected to get through the date begrudgingly and never see me again."
"Sort of," she admitted.
"And now? Do you want to see me again?"
"Possibly," she leaned against her door frame when they reached her apartment. He looked at her. "It depends on fate, right?" she teased.
"Right," he smiled, leaning closer to her.
"Would you like to come in?" she asked.
"I better not," he said. She furrowed her brow. She was not used to men turning her down. "I think it will be better to end the night like this," he leaned down and captured her mouth with his for a simple, yet passionate kiss. Bella moaned softly and tangled her hands in his hair. His lips moved softly and gently against her own and she felt her knees weakening. His movements slowed and he pulled back. She whimpered. "To be continued," he whispered. She let out the breath she'd been holding. He ran his thumb over her lips gently. "Good night, Isabella," he said quietly. She nodded slowly as he turned to leave. Edward smirked as he strode down the hallway with his hands in his pockets. He knew he had gotten under her skin and the thought amused him greatly.
****
Bella's body felt like gelatin as she made her way inside her apartment. She tossed her keys and purse onto the couch and kicked her shoes off as she made her way to her bedroom. She hit play on her answering machine as she noticed the light was blinking.
"Bella, it's your dad, Charlie," his voice rang through her apartment. Bella chuckled at his need to clarify who he was, just in case she didn't recognize his voice. She stripped out of the dress and pulled a tank top on. "Um…Bella, your mom called me tonight. She's in town next weekend and wants to get dinner. I refused, of course," Charlie's message continued. Bella exited her room wearing only the tank top, her underwear, and her jewelry. She sat on the couch, leaning closer to the machine as if that would allow her to know what Charlie was gong to say next. "She asked about you, baby girl. I refused to give her any information and we got into a fight. I uh…shit…Bella, I told her you were an adult and she'd have to talk to you personally….I…." Charlie paused. A knot developed in Bella's stomach. "I gave her your number," her dad rattled quickly. Bella's heart sank. "I know I shouldn't have, but we were fighting and you know how she is. I know you're pissed at me, but, please don't hate me. Bells, I'm…" the machine beeped, signaling that Charlie's message had been cut off. Bella stared at the black box, a fury of emotions churning inside her. She knew this night was going too well; something had to ruin it.
"Fuck," she groaned before she got up and padded to her kitchen, retrieving a bottle of Johnny Walker from the freezer and drinking straight from the bottle.
****
By Wednesday, Edward had not heard from Bella at all. He was not going to deny that he was upset by this fact. He felt like the date went well. Bella had started out reserved and guarded, but he had gotten her to loosen up. That kiss at the end of the night… he had surprised even himself. He felt that kiss all the way to his toes and everywhere in between. A cold shower had been in order as soon as he returned home. He didn't hear from her the next day and shrugged it off. He figured she was probably processing everything. On Monday, still nothing. He called Alice with the intention of asking her if she had heard from Jasper and if Jasper had heard from Bella, but he chickened out, not wanting to appear desperate. On Tuesday morning he drove by Carlisle's practice and saw her truck was there. At least she was alive. Why was she not calling him? Why was he exhibiting stalker-like tendencies and driving by her workplace? Why did he listen to Emmett when he said, "Don't call them for three days"? He called Bella Tuesday afternoon and left her a voicemail. She didn't return his call. He called again later that evening and left her another voicemail. Two hours later he called Alice.
"Woah. Step off of the ledge, Susi," Alice laughed because when she answered the phone Edward was rambling about how he hadn't heard from Bella and how she wasn't returning his calls. "Give the girl some space. You and I both know that there's something there beneath her surface that's probably pretty deep."
"I drove by Carlisle's," Edward said.
"Stalker much?" Alice teased, "Edward, seriously, leave her alone. You left her a voicemail…."
"Two."
"You left her two voicemails. She said she had a nice time on the date."
"What if she was just saying that?"
"If she was just saying that, then there's nothing you can do about it. She'll call if she wants to. If not, it's not the end of the world. Rejection is survivable," Alice said.
"Alice, you know I haven't really done the chasing before."
"I know. You fell into the lap of the first girl who talked to you. Seriously, though, just let her be."
"Okay," Edward breathed.
"Good. Change of subject. Bella's brother Jasper is amazing," Alice gushed. Edward rolled his eyes. "I know you're rolling your eyes at me, but, Edward, I'm serious. We get along so well. We've seen each other every night or afternoon, depending on his shift. Tonight he's pulling 12 hours, so I can't see him, but I will see him as soon as I can."
"Nympho," Edward teased.
"We haven't had sex. I mean, I've tried, but he's such a gentleman, without being a pushover," she said. Edward sat silently for the next fifteen minutes while Alice rambled.
****
Bella shuffled into work Wednesday morning five minutes early instead of her usual fifteen. This had been her ritual for the last three day; coinciding with her nightly ritual of drinking until she fell asleep.
"Morning, Chocolate," Mike greeted her. She looked at him. "Chocolate." he repeated, "Your eyes are brown – like chocolate." He smiled; she didn't return the gesture. He cocked an eyebrow and continued filling out charts. Bella sighed and grabbed some charts to begin her day.
"Bella, life juice," Ben appeared, holding a coffee out to her.
"Thanks," she smiled at him gratefully. Mike snorted beside her. She ignored him and continued charting.
"What's with you lately?" Mike asked.
"What do you mean?" Bella said without looking up from her work.
"I mean, you've just seemed out of it lately," he said.
"I just haven't felt very well," she replied.
"Oh," Mike said. He started to say something else, but Bella simply turned and walked away, not wanting to deal with him if she didn't have to. She busied herself cleaning up the room before their first client was scheduled to come in. She knew that if she continually pissed Mike off, she'd probably end up looking for a new internship, but at this point she didn't care. Her past was bubbling just beneath her surface and threatening to choke her.
****
"Edward, 7:00 am tomorrow morning. I expect those figures fixed," Carlisle said as he exited his office with Edward.
"Yes sir," Edward said, taking the paperwork Carlisle offered. "Are you coming to graduation Saturday?" he asked, making idle conversation because he didn't want to be rude and just walk off. Carlisle looked at him quizzically. "Alice's graduation," Edward reminded him. Carlisle nodded.
"Oh, oh, yeah. We're going to try," Carlisle said.
"It would mean the world to Alice if you guys were there and I know Esme would enjoy it as well," Edward said. Carlisle simply nodded.
"We'll see," he said, "Have a good day, son," he said a little too curtly.
"You too, dad," Edward used the same tone in response before they went their separate ways. Edward figured he was probably going to end up comforting Alice because Carlisle again let her down. No matter what, Alice always held out hope that this time, this one time, her dad would not let her down and every time she was hopeful, she was also let down and Edward ended up picking up the pieces while trying to keep Emmett from confronting Carlisle. The routine was getting old, but his siblings meant the world to him and he was going to do his best to keep them happy. He also would not hurt Esme, so he tried to keep family drama to a minimum. He walked in the direction of the PT room, chuckling to himself when he heard two nurses lamenting again about the fact that McHunky (a.k.a Garrett) was officially engaged…..to a receptionist, nonetheless. What they didn't talk about was the fact that Kate was actually working on her MBA and could take this place over if she wanted. Edward did not want to be accused of stalking again, but since he was already there, he figured he'd stop in and see if Bella would talk to him. As he rounded the corner, he ran straight into Mike. "Sorry," he patted Mike on the shoulder.
"Hey, Edward, no problem," Mike said. They stood staring at each other for seconds, "Here to see Bella?" Mike questioned.
"Just in the office. Thought I'd see how things were going for her," Edward said.
"She's okay," Mike said with a shrug. Edward cocked an eyebrow. "I mean, she's a great intern; a quick learner and she has one hell of a work ethic…" Mike trailed off, "She is a little moody though. If you're thinking about hitting on her, forget it. If you're breathing- she hates you, unless you're Ben."
"Ben?"
"Yeah. She's been moody all week to me and to Jessica, but she smiles at Ben," Mike said.
"Did you ever think maybe she gets sick of you hitting on her and maybe she gets aggravated by the fact that Jessica's brain cells have to work over time just to keep up?"
"You're a dickhead," Mike snorted, "Just because your daddy owns the place doesn't mean you can be an asshole."
"Nope, it doesn't, but my 'daddy' did raise me to tell the truth. You can't stop me from doing that," Edward said before he pushed past Mike and into the PT room. He stopped when he saw Bella laughing with Ben. Was Mike right? Did Bella like Ben? Is that why she hadn't called? She looked up and caught Edward's gaze. She wrinkled her brow. Yep. Mike was right. Shit. Edward felt like a complete idiot for being so fooled by her. He turned to leave and passed Mike just outside the door. Mike smirked.
"Told you," he whispered. Edward flipped him off and continued down the hallway. He reached the elevator and got in. Why, he didn't know. He needed to clear his head and he knew the minute he got into his car, his cell phone would ring. The elevator doors were nearly closed when a small hand shot through the opening. The doors reversed their track and Bella was standing on the other side.
"Going up?" she asked quietly. Edward nodded and she entered the car, standing on the opposite corner from him. He reached over and hit the button to take them to the roof. She smiled at him. "Roof, huh?"
"All access pass," he said. She nodded and they rode in silence. When they got to the roof, Edward stepped out and Bella followed him.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
"My dad works here. I was going over some business with him," Edward shrugged. She still stood behind him as he stood looking out over the city. "I'm not stalking you, so don't go accusing me."
"Oh," she said quietly.
"Ben, huh?" he asked.
"What?"
"Ben. You like him? You could have just told me. You didn't have to ignore me all week."
"You think I like Ben? Why? I mean, yeah, Ben's a nice guy, but he's got a girlfriend and I'm not that kind of girl. I'm not interested in him at all. He's just a good guy."
"Newton said you ignored everyone in the PT department except Ben," Edward said.
"What's your opinion on Mike?" Bella asked.
"What? I mean, he's a complete idiot. I can't stand him. Why?"
"Because, clearly his opinion counts. If you don't like him, why would you believe what he said about me?"
"I didn't, until I walked in and saw you smiling at Ben and you frowned at me."
"I frowned because I didn't expect to see you here," she said, "Why are we having a conversation that feels like we're in middle school?"
"I don't know," he turned to her, "Why haven't you returned my calls?" She was quiet. He was too as he looked at her. She crossed her hands over her chest and looked out over the skyline.
"I've had some family issues," she said quietly.
"Nothing serious I hope," Edward said.
"Not yet," she scoffed.
"Care to talk about it?"
"Not really," she shrugged, "I just didn't feel like returning your calls. It was nothing personal, really, I didn't return anyone's calls," she said.
"Do you want to go out again?" he asked.
"I'd love to. I had a great time. My family issues just sort of took over my life for a while. I've had to deal with a lot of stuff lately. I could use a break from it all," she said.
"How about tonight?" he asked.
"Can't," she said. He frowned. "I've got dinner with Rose and Jasper," she said, "How about Thursday?"
"Sounds good. After work do you want to meet me at 'Sorrow's Drown'?" he asked.
"Works for me," she smiled. They were both quiet again. "I'm really sorry for not calling you," she said finally, touching his arm gently.
"It's okay. I'm sorry for getting all paranoid about it," he laughed and pulled her into a hug. "I really like you, Bella, a lot. I would like to continue what we've got going here and see where it takes us." She was quiet, but he felt her nod against his chest. She wanted to continue it too, but was afraid of her past taking her over again. She hadn't let herself feel comfortable around a guy in years and Edward threatened that barrier.
"I've got to get back to work," she finally said, pulling back.
"Okay. See ya Thursday," he smiled, kissing her on the forehead.
"Bye," she smiled before she returned to the elevator and back to work.
****
Edward sat at the bar Thursday night smiling at the decorations. Apparently the bar had adopted a tropical theme for the week. He knew Bella would love it. He took a picture of a parrot on the jukebox and sent it to her.
"Interesting décor, huh?" someone sat down beside him.
"Yeah, but it sets a good atmosphere," he turned to the Native American guy next to him. The man's hair was cut short and he clearly worked out a lot as his muscles bulged through his t-shirt. "It's normally dark in here."
"Oh, well then the cheesy decorations are good," the guy laughed, "I'm Jake, by the way."
"Edward," he shook Jake's outstretched hand. "You're not from around here?"
"No. I'm from a little town called Forks. It's a couple of hours away," Jake said, "I'm in town for my sisters graduation."
"That's cool. My sister's graduating this weekend too," Edward said before his cell phone rang. He looked at the ID and saw it was Bella before he answered. "Hey, Bella, you on your way?"
"Yeah. Our last patient went a little over time, but I'm leaving now," she said.
"I'll be here. See ya in a little bit."
"K. bye," she said.
"Bye, Bella," he hung up.
"Bella, huh?" Jake asked.
"Yeah," Edward smiled.
"Girlfriend?" Jake asked.
"Potentially," Edward laughed.
"I dated a girl named Bella once. She was a sweet girl, very pretty, but one day, she turned into a psycho bitch claiming I was the crazy one and she left. I missed her like crazy. Her brown hair and brown eyes were simply captivating. She was special, but I guess even special goes crazy, huh?" Jake laughed. Edward nodded, not liking Jake's tone. "She even had an unusual last name….like a princess or something…..Swan," Jake said. Edward looked at him. "Uh-oh, that look tells me you're dating Bella Swan."
"She's not crazy," Edward was defensive.
"She didn't start out that way. Just be careful," Jake said, "One morning you're gonna wake up and she's gonna flip out on you about how you hung the towel up. The next day she's gonna flip on how you talk to her. Just watch out."
"Look, I don't know you and I don't care to, but you're not going to talk about Bella like that," Edward said. Jake put his hands up defensively.
"I mean no harm, dude. I'm just saying," Jake said before grabbing his beer and walking away. Edward let out a breath. That was weird and unsettling. He ordered another beer and took a big swig. A few minutes later he felt soft hands on his shoulder and turned to see Bella.
"Hi," she smiled at him.
"Hi," he said as she sat down next to him. He didn't say anything, "Um, is something wrong?" she asked.
"No. I just had a conversation with a guy who says he knows you," Edward said. Bella's eyes widened. Edward turned to look for Jake to point him out to Bella, "I don't see him anymore. He said his name was Jake." Bella paled.
"Native American?" she asked. Edward nodded. Bella looked scared.
"Are you okay? You know him?"
"Yeah. I dated him for a while when I was in high school. It didn't end well. In fact, it was pretty scary," she said. She ordered a Jack and Coke and took a big drink. Edward watched her carefully. Her hand was shaking.
"Are you okay, Bella?"
"Yeah," she said. He could tell she was edgy.
"Let's just go back to your place and hang out. You don't seem like you want to be here right now," he said. She looked at him gratefully before she quickly finished her drink and he led her out.
