Chapter Seven
"It's not that simple," I breathed, gasping for air and begging my eyes not to shed any tears.
"No." Edward half smiled. "No, I wouldn't call it simple. Not at all. I'm sorry if I've been too brash. If you'd like some time to consider everything…I know it's a lot to take in."
"Yeah," I said, feeling sweaty and sick to my stomach, "I can't…I mean, I should…" He had to know about Jacob. It was incredibly unfair to both of them not to mention our relationship. And yet, the words were so hard. In the deepest pit of my stomach, I was afraid to tell him, worried that if he knew I had moved on he would do the gentlemanly thing and leave me alone. My innards were twisted with anxiety at that possibility. I did not want him to leave again. I could not bear it if he left again. "Are you living here?"
"I have a room at the Hilton," he said. "I wasn't sure you would want me around. Alice couldn't pin you down. They're waiting for my phone call. Do you—would you like for me to live here?"
"I don't know," I said quickly. "I'm sorry. There's just—there's just a lot—"
Two quick knocks on the door made both of our heads snap away from the discussion. "Bells?" Kelsey asked from the hallway. "Are you in there? I forgot my key."
Edward smiled and looked at me. "She didn't forget her key."
I groaned at what Kelsey might be thinking we were doing to lie about her ability to enter the apartment. "It's not locked, Kels. Come on in."
"Oh," she said, sounding surprised and the tiniest bit disappointed, and opened the door. Her eyes found Edward in a second, and he smirked as they went wide before she composed herself. "Hi, there." She moved over to the couch and held a hand out to Edward. "I'm Kelsey. You're a friend of Bella's?"
As if she didn't know.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kelsey," he shook her hand quickly, not lingering long enough for her to focus too much on his hand's icy temperature. "I'm Edward, an old friend of Bella's. From high school."
"Oh, right," she shrugged, "I think I remember Bella telling us you were visiting. How'd you like the campus?"
"Oh, it's beautiful," he said, ever the convincing liar. "The architecture is incredible. That library—what was it called?" he looked to me, making me an accomplice to the lie.
"Uh, the Lemieux?" There was really only one library on campus.
"Yes, the Lemieux," he smiled at me. "That was incredible."
"Huh," Kelsey said and sat in the armchair closest to Edward's side of the couch. "So do you think you're going to come here next year?"
He sighed. "Well, I'm not exactly sure yet. There are a lot of factors to consider."
"Hmm," she hummed, nodding slowly at me, her attraction clear without the benefit of reading her thoughts. I could only imagine what Edward was enduring. "So, has Bella changed at all since high school? She barely tells us anything about it."
He smiled. "In some ways. In others," he looked over at me, "Not at all."
"Where's Rachel?" I asked suddenly, not wanting Kelsey to ask too much about Edward and I in high school. "I thought her class ended when yours did."
"It does," Kelsey said, laughing a bit at my obvious discomfort. "She'll be here soon. We should get lunch. Edward," she turned to him, "Have you tried the food here? You should join us."
"No!" I said, too forcefully. Kelsey bit her lip, holding back her laughter. Edward kept his expression neutral, a perfect poker face. "That's okay. Edward—he doesn't like to—I mean, he's got these—"
"I'd love to," he said, and my eyes shot to his in a panicked confusion.
"You'd love to?" I whispered.
"If that's all right with you," he said.
"I mean—it's—if it's all right with you, it's all right with me," I said.
"Well, great then," Kelsey said. "I'll text Rachel. We can meet her at the dining hall. You're in for a real treat, Edward. Get ready for some five-star cuisine." She moved to the bottom of the staircase. "I'll be right back."
As soon as she was upstairs, I turned to Edward. "What are you doing?"
"I'd like to get to know your friends," he answered, shrugging. "I thought it might be fun, but if you want me to leave, I'll leave. Just say the word."
"Edward, you don't eat," I reminded him.
"Not usually, no," he said. "But I'm completely capable of it, and I don't mind the discomfort if it means more time with you."
My face flushed, and Kelsey came back downstairs, her phone in her palm. "She's meeting us there. You guys ready?"
"Sure," I groaned as Edward and I stood.
"Lead the way," Edward said to Kelsey and opened the front door for her. She gave me a mischievous smile and walked through.
"Sorry about her," I said quietly. "Rachel will be better behaved."
He smiled, "After you," and gestured for me to walk through the threshold.
Hey, so I polled all the cool kids. And they're all reviewing. Just so you know.