EPOV
After Grace informed me of the phone call I quickly took care of the problem. After an hour on the phone I was finally able to resolve the non-existent problem. I fucking hate it when rumors from other companies affect my business.
I poured my self a scotch and sat down in my chair thinking about the even bigger and more important problem that was known as Bella Swan. When I first saw her standing in my dinning room I have to admit I wasn't too impressed. She looked fairly normal and slightly exhausted, which was to be expected from a person who has her job.
It wasn't until she snapped at my comment about her needing etiquette lessons that I noticed how different she was from anyone else I ever met. I learned quickly that she really did know how to act in the situation she would be in for two weeks. It seemed that everything I learned about her made her even more appealing to me.
I have heard that people can become more beautiful by the way we feel about them but I was never a believer, until now. With each comment about my lack of etiquette I grew to appreciate the blush that would spread across her face, unknowingly of course. I knew after that first meal together that she would get along perfectly with my family.
She was definitely a diamond in the rough. She came off as a shy person on the outside but I was corrected when she politely told me that I knew nothing about her and to not assume anything about anyone. Just that alone would get her in the door with both of my prankster cousins and my mother.
The next day in the pool when she told me her story about her parents I felt an undeniable urge to hug her and chase away the bad memories. The thing that shocked me the most was when she revealed that she didn't in fact work in the brothel but instead was the owner's niece. It made me happy to know that she wasn't involved with those kinds of men.
That nigh during dinner I could tell she felt uncomfortable around Emerson but I knew he wouldn't try to do anything to upset her, at least he wouldn't if he valued his job and possibly his life. When he left us I immediately noticed her relax and return to the Bella that had been reading in my hot tub earlier.
The conversation about my family was easy to get through. She was silent and soaked up everything like a sponge I was truly surprised when I caught her nodding along with my words. I'm sure she didn't even realize she was doing it which made it even more sincere.
The best part of that whole night was when she told me I was different than all the other men she had met. I knew that this shouldn't have been a huge compliment considering where Grace found her but for some reason it gave me an ego boost I would definitely need when my father gets here.
The only down side to having Bella around is that I already care too much for her. I wouldn't go as far to say that I love her or even have romantic feelings for her but I do feel completely protective over her. When Emerson scared her this morning I was ready to throw his ass out on the street.
I was in a deep sleep when she screamed. What took my mind a few minutes to register was like an instinct to my body. I was in shock until I saw that she was ok and I was ready to rip into Emerson right then and there but I held it back. I became very self conscious when I saw Bella's perfect brown eyes looking over my body. I sleep naked and I immediately looked down amazed that I somehow managed to put on pants before I ran out of my room.
Once she and Grace were out of earshot I calmly told Emerson to back off. You wouldn't have been able to tell by my voice but the look that I was giving him was enough to scare anyone shitless. I was still outraged all through the morning until we were in my garden.
Now I would never admit this to anyone but I truly to love gardening. It calms me down better than anything else. When I get stressed I will try to run until I feel more relaxed but normally I end up in my garden messing around. Today however I was on a mission. My mother loved to see flowers in a girl's room and I knew she would comment if I didn't have fresh flowers in everyone's rooms.
I took a gardening class as an elective in college, my father really loved that. As part of the class we had to learn the meanings of each type of flower. I chose each flower carefully the only one that worried me was Bella's roses. Several people, Grace being one of them, know that roses in general mean love and white roses mean purity. I however gave Bella a particular rose, it is a cream-white color with the slightest shade of pink on the petal tips I truly hope she appreciates them without knowing the deeper meaning.
The flowers would mean a lot when my mother sees them, but I'm not sure if I want Bella to know about that just yet. I have only felt this way towards one other person before and that grew into full blown love. Nicole, the one who destroyed me, she is one of the two reasons my dad dislikes me.
Nicole was my girlfriends from junior year in high school until junior year in college. I always knew we were meant to be together but she said I was crazy. I proposed and she said yes at the time but as soon as we got home she threw the ring at me.
I didn't understand what was going on. She accepted my ring at the restaurant and then I realized that she only said yes to save me from embarrassment. I ran up the stairs and found her packing a huge suitcase. When I asked her what was wrong she collapsed on the floor and told me she was pregnant.
I fell apart right then and swore to lock away my heart and never let anyone else in. I know what your thinking 'a baby that's a good thing right?' the problem is that I can't have kids. When I was in high school I played soccer and let's just say those cups don't work as well as you would hope.
I hadn't thought about Nicole since I graduated college. I was suddenly remembering her because Bella reminds me of her. Nicole had brown hair and was about the same height as Bella. She also liked to read when she was in the hot tub. The main difference between Bella and Nicole is the eyes. Nicole had green eyes just like me and they always seemed a little cold to me but Bella, Bella had the warmest brown eyes I have ever seen.
I could sit and stare into her eyes forever. They reveal the innocence that is inside of her, and if you look past all the feelings she allows to be revealed through her eyes you can that special something. I don't know what to call it but it pulls you in and you feel like you can't live without being around her.
Damn, how could I even think that I don't care about Bella? After thinking about those eyes it is very obvious that she had melted the ice block around my heart and found away to jump start it. I opened the book sitting on my desk and read over the poem:
THE red rose whispers of passion,
And the white rose breathes of love;
O the red rose is a falcon,
And the white rose is a dove.
BUT I send you a cream-white rosebud
With a flush on its petal tips;
For the love that is purest and sweetest
Has a kiss of desire on the lips.
Until I am man enough to tell her about this development, if I can, I will just have to secretly love her. Who knows, maybe she hates me for having to pay her for her company. Either way she will always be special to me. I jumped when I looked at the clock and ran to get ready, my family would be here in fifteen minutes.
I know it is short again but I think it told a lot. Let me know what you think about EPOV.
The poem is A White Rose by John Boyle O'Reilly.
