"No way," Tory said in disbelief, "you quit too?"
"Thought it was a club of one," Jun said, surprised, but pleased too. He'd found the community pool just far enough away from campus as a way to keep swimming, but avoid all the people who looked long down their noses at him now. There'd been a few memorable, and uncomfortable run-ins at early morning swim times at the campus pools.
"Didn't want to give up the early morning swim time, huh?" she asked, scratching at her swim cap. It was one of those florally embossed rubber ones. The kind his grandma used to wear. It looked ridiculous on her.
"No," he said, smiling. "You?"
"No," she said, smiling also.
"That why you come so expertly disguised?" he asked, pointing to her swim cap. "I mean, you could totally blend in with the seniors' group here."
"Nice," she said, but patted it appreciatively. "Unique. Like me."
Jun smiled. There weren't many former varsity swimmers around. Male, or female. She was petite, but lean, the pronounced musculature at her shoulders marking her as a swimmer, for those who knew.
"You're not from WSU," Jun said. He would have met her, surely.
"No," she said softly, her voice heavier with sadness, "transferred in from Spokane. Wanted to be closer to a bigger city."
He nodded, his smile but a curve of his lips. He'd thought of leaving, too.
It'd been hard, staying. It would have been so much easier just to go.
He prodded, gently, at this topic, seeing if her experience had matched up with his.
"They were such shit-heads," she muttered, then looked at him, a little uncertain of his response. "Sorry. Salty tongue."
Jun grinned, shaking his head. "Yup, virgin ears—bleeding," he said, making a silly face.
She snorted. "Least you have a sense of humour. I had a team full of Mormons. My God. You'd think I'd threatened to drown puppies, anytime I said anything colourful."
He had more empathy for her situation than she could possibly know. It was how he felt at home half the time.
They chatted more, the conversation easy, before the time crept up on them. Jun was sweating when Tory made her farewells. He'd been so engrossed in reminiscing, he'd lost track of the time. Not a smart thing to do in the hot tub, he reprimanded himself.
Bella was having a different start to her day. She was rubbing her eyes tiredly, trying to remember which leg went in which hole of her jeans. Her arms weren't helping much. They were too sore from last night's swimming practise.
The couple next door had had their own, loud workouts during the night. One of them, she presumed, was named John, because his partner yelled his name loudly. Several times.
Though it was tempting to wreak a small piece of revenge, Bella didn't let her door slam. Better to take the high road. She hadn't met her nextdoor neighbour yet, and didn't want to do it with a nasty confrontation. She shifted her backpack, too heavy with books she might have time to read between classes, onto her back, and scrunched her face up at the sensation. Maybe she could just slouch it over to the side.
Marie and Sam waved to her from a far table in the dining hall. They were nestled up against the solidly grey windows, the day already threatening rain.
"So," Sam asked, "how was your date?"
"Date?" Bella asked.
"Yeah, Marie said Jun dropped you off," Sam said, eyeing a chunk of what passed for scrambled eggs. The kitchen staff served it as a solid yellow, jello-like mass, scooped out by the gastronomically intrepid. The substance wobbled on Sam's fork, as if importuning mercy. She shrugged and popped it in her mouth, and then looked at Bella directly, eyebrows raised expectantly.
"Don't think it qualified as a date," Bella said, "he gave me a ride home from the library."
"You mean," Marie said, "he went to the library with you, and then he gave you a ride home. Sounds date-like to me." She was stirring her watery porridge rhythmically, watching Bella.
"It was fine," Bella said, giving up on shifting their presuppositions.
"Going to see him again?" Sam asked, cutting a corner of egg off the slab on her plate.
Bella blushed.
"Oooh!" Marie said, "you are!"
When her circulation was behaving itself again, Bella tried to recover some of her dignity by saying, "he's offered to help me with my swimming. I'm sure Sam can vouch for how necessary that is."
"Oh, sure," Sam said, waving her fork in the air, "but for a boy like that to make time for you—that means something." She stabbed the fork in Bella's direction. "I'm not wrong. Trust me."
Bella chewed on this, along with her toast, as Marie and Sam squabbled about who had the worse term paper schedule.
"Alright," she said, when there was a natural break in their conversation, "I'm off. See you for dinner."
"What, you're not coming back so we can razz you at lunch?" Marie winked.
Bella smiled, generally enjoying what passed for 'razzing', "no, meeting a friend for lunch." She carefully avoided saying who. Or why.
She'd never thought she'd love school. Ever. But she was loving school. They learned things. Interesting things. Challenging things.
The other students listened. Sure, there were a few whiners, but they were easy enough to avoid. Tuesdays and Thursdays were her favourites for classes, with the rest of the week saved for the special torture of math and science.
She felt like she'd blinked when her second class wrapped up at eleven forty five. She was about to hurry, when she made herself stop, pull out her phone and message Edward: sorry, running late. Be there in a bit. She should have told him a later time.
She enjoyed the walk, seeing fall starting to paint the tips of some leaves, their colours warming against the growing coolness.
She was stopped, admiring one such tree, when his soft "boo!" startled her.
"Sorry," Edward said, grinning, but enjoying her reaction nonetheless.
Bella smiled and shook her head. "Sorry," she said.
"I frighten you, and you apologize?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"For being late, and making myself later," she said, smiling.
He shrugged. "It's not raining. I don't blame you. Shall we?" he asked. He was personally delighted to be able to walk with her. Getting her message, he'd left the restaurant, catching sight of her in the thoughts of those nearby.
She was oblivious to the attention of the people passing. She looked happy. It made his own heart swell to see.
"Sure," Bella said, sticking her hands in her pockets after she adjusted her bag.
"That," Edward said, "looks heavy. Want me to take it?" He held out his hand tentatively. An offer. Not an expectation.
Bella wondered what he'd seen in Emmett's thoughts. If he was trying to interfere.
He's just offering to take your bag, she thought. And your back really hurts. Don't be stupid.
"Thank you," she made herself say, sliding it off. The movement dislodged the top zipper, and as she moved it, her books and binder came sliding out to her frustrated, "shoot!"
Edward bent down to help her assemble everything, shaking his head at her heavy books.
"Pamela?" he asked, frowning. "That's more senior than freshman material." He regretted saying it, as soon as it slipped from his lips.
"Voluntary reading," Bella blushed.
Edward supposed he shouldn't be surprised. If she liked the Brontë sisters, this would suit her well. He cocked an appreciative eyebrow at her, "good for you," he said gently, hoping this made up for his earlier comment.
He asked her about her week, and praised her for going for the intramurals. "Emmett hasn't said anything," he assured her, grinning, "but he seems happy with his team."
"Yeah," Bella said, "it was fun on the first night. I have a feeling I'm going to be hurting for a while, though."
Edward tried to stop his reaction, but he turned, face dark, eyes narrowed. "What?"
"Nothing bad," Bella said, shaking her head, giving a small laugh, "I'm just nowhere near the shape I need to be in. I'm told it'll be easier in a few weeks."
Edward had been envisioning some sort of horrific hazing ritual, and was ready to read Emmett the riot act for not taking his responsibilities more seriously. He relaxed, hearing this. They'd reached the restaurant by this point, and were sitting down, Bella asking him questions about what he was doing.
Edward didn't like it.
He'd spent the months before their first lunch date assembling questions he wanted to ask, curating scenarios in his mind. He'd tried to still the process in the last week, but it persisted, and he wanted to evade hers and ask her about the minutiae of every new experience she'd had.
Maintaining the perspective he needed was harder than he'd expected. Being away from her still evoked the pain of their longer separation.
"I will tell her," Alice had said, through clenched teeth, when she'd seen him wanting to watch from the small, treed quadrangle of her dorm. "Respect. Her. Wishes."
He'd sighed, nodding. He couldn't help it that he longed for her.
"Boundaries, Edward," Alice had chimed at him, as she and Jasper left to hunt. She'd thrown back a menacing, "I'm watching!" from outside.
"I'm taking basic pre-med," Edward said, "nothing new."
"Why then? If it isn't new?" Bella asked, a tentative fork-full of pasta poised at her mouth.
"It helps Carlisle requalify," Edward said, "if one of us takes the courses for him. Transcripts are harder to fake these days."
That made sense.
"What are you enjoying most?" he asked, leaning forward, taking advantage of her silent chewing. He was fiddling with the spoon at his place setting, quietly flipping it over in his hands.
"English," she said, "and yes, even Pamela. I just started it last night. It's so interesting, how you can get so much of the context, just from the way he structures—" and she was off, expounding on Richardson's skill.
Edward listened, rapt by the sound of her voice, her joy in her studies.
Bella, however, became acutely self-conscious, when she realized how long she'd been talking. "Sorry," she said, "this is old news to you. I know ant—"
"Antiquity doesn't impress me?" he guessed, smiling, his hands still now. "No, but you do."
This made Bella blush even more. She busied herself in looking at her watch. With a small sigh, she realized she had left her swimsuit, and towel in her room. She'd be late to meet Jun, if she ran back to her dorm after class.
Her small distress was as easy to read to Edward, as the books in her bag. "What?" he asked, worried he'd made her uncomfortable with his comment. His self-doubt cursed him roundly.
"I forgot something in my room," she said, biting her lip. "Just trying to figure out my plan."
"Easy," Edward said, "why don't we go there on the way to class? It's on the way."
Bella shook her head. "Sure," she laughed, "if you drive in a u-shape, yes."
"A very roundabout definition of on the way," Edward said, enjoying her smile.
She looked uncomfortable saying it, but said, "yes, if you wouldn't mind, please." He wondered if it was difficult for her to maintain this distance too.
Marie was walking into the building when Bella came in, Edward at her side. He'd asked, very coyly if he was allowed to see her room. She figured he might as well. Perhaps it would keep him from doing so without asking. She reminded herself to ask Alice if he was behaving himself on that front.
Marie blinked at Edward, and then looked at Bella. "Hey...Bella," she said, trying to figure out how she could get her to introduce this...deity...to her.
"Oh, hey Marie," Bella said, and then remembering her manners, "this is Edward. Edward, Marie."
Edward nodded once, and smiled politely, "pleased to meet you, Marie."
Marie mumbled something utterly unintelligible, and watched them walk on, staring at Edward's back. He could hear her thoughts, but paid them little attention. He didn't bother to look back to challenge her gaze.
He was too busy watching Bella.
When she finally opened the door, fumbling with the lock, he sampled the wash of air that wafted out. Then he stiffened, ever so slightly, smelling what he did.
Bella missed it, and having her towel and swimsuit, paused, looking at him. "Uh, sorry, you want the...grand tour?"
He smiled, despite his visceral alarm. "You have class. Don't want to keep you."
No. He wanted to pick her up, and run away, hiding her in some safe cranny that he could protect.
Instead, he drove her at the slowest possible, plausible pace, to her class.
He would investigate the smell later. When she wasn't there. In the meantime, someone would have to be nearby, to watch her. Protect her.
"This is you," he said softly, not wanting this precious time to end, keeping his hands to himself. "Next week?" he asked, always hoping it might be sooner.
"Sure," she said, and ducked out, her scent lingering in the car.
The afternoon moved swiftly for Bella, too, and she had little time to give thought to her lunch with Edward. Life's busyness was taking preeminence, and she was realizing just how much of her attention had been centred on Edward, now that it was so thoroughly elsewhere.
Her feelings hadn't changed.
Oh no.
But the time apart was giving space and sun to the other small sprouts in her life's garden.
She let this metaphor roll around in her head as she walked to the pool.
Jun was already in the water, flying across the pool's length, making it look easy.
Bella's shoulders twitched. They were still sore, and would be more so after this, she speculated.
He stopped when he saw her, far into the deep end, raising an arm up high to wave.
Bella sighed. She'd be head half under the water, partially drowning if she tried that move.
She slipped tentatively into the pool, nervous about how much she might have forgotten, and...if she was honest with herself, about disappointing Jun.
"Ready?" he asked.
She wondered what else there was to do to be ready. She was in the pool. In a swimsuit. Was there more?
Her confusion must have shown on her face, because Jun asked, "you stretched yet?"
She shook her head, and he rolled his eyes, motioning her towards the shallow end. After he'd gotten her to move through some basic stretches with him, he said, "why don't you show me what you remember?"
She swallowed, and then nodded, trying to maintain the right shape while she moved stiffly through the water.
"OK," he called, stopping her at a half lap. "Let's go over basic form again."
She blushed deeply, and he felt badly immediately.
Then he checked himself. He was coaching someone. He never felt badly about correcting people. He gave his head a mental shake. Supporting her floating form with his arm, he felt a thoroughly unprofessional flutter touching her.
Give it a rest, he told himself. This is teamwork. Coaching. Nothing else.
He kept telling himself that.
Bella did too.
Her feelings, though, had guilt clamped firmly to them.
She had no right to feel anything like this about anyone.
She knew who she loved.
So why is your body getting all tingly and funny? Hmm? A small voice in her head asked.
She ignored it, trying to focus on the movements Jun was running her through.
It wasn't the best swimming lesson.
The relief was mutual when they left the pool, meeting awkwardly afterwards for a brief goodbye in the foyer.
"Do you want a ride?" Jun asked, eyeing the sky. It always looked like it was going to rain, but it looked like it was really going to rain at this point.
"Um, no, thanks," Bella said, "thank you, though, for your time. I know I'm a bit of a lost cause—"
"No, no," Jun said, and he meant it. "You're not. Don't do yourself the disservice of thinking that. You're going to be great. You just need some pointers and practise."
Bella stopped the deprecating thoughts that were almost instinct. He was right, she told herself. Practise, and ipointers. She could do this.
"You're right," she said, "I'll work at it."
"Thatta girl. Next week, same time?"
"Please," she said, bending over to do up her laces.
"Good," he said, "see you tomorrow for climbing."
She nodded, and they parted ways, Bella trying to make her quick walk look easy. It wasn't. She was sore—sore beyond what she'd ever known muscles could make her feel. By the time she reached the residence, she went straight to the dining hall, not sure she would be able to get up again if she went to her room.
Sam and Marie were waiting to ambush her.
"OK, spill the beans. Who are these people that you know? Is there a model factory in Forks, or something?" Marie asked, the words all gushing out at once.
"No," Bella smiled, sitting down gingerly, "just the Cullens."
Sam looked on blithely, chewing absent mindedly. She was thinking about Leo. He was cute. She suspected the feeling might be mutual.
Marie made a disbelieving sound.
"Really," Bella said, "they're just all insanely good looking people." She shrugged, wondering what Marie would make of the truth.
"And...Edward?" she asked, "He's not attached, is he?"
"No," Bella said a bit more uncomfortably, and Sam chuckled.
"No luck kid," Sam finished for her. "Edward's her ex."
"Crumbs," Marie grumbled. "Alright," she sighed, "I'll just drool appreciatively."
Bella looked at Sam, a silent thanks in her eyes. Sam raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Their conversation tottered to the more mundane details of their day, into which Bella was happy to slip, more a listener than a speaker.
Edward's conversation with Emmett was much less civilized.
"You don't seem to appreciate how serious this is, Emmett," Edward growled.
"I get it," he said civilly, just on the verge of a snarl.
"We all do," Alice said softly, her hand on Edward's shoulder. "And we're all doing our part, while trying to respect Bella's space."
"THERE IS NO POINT IN RESPECTING HER SPACE IF IT LEAVES HER DEAD!" He roared at them.
"And she isn't," Jasper pointed out, uncrossing his arms. He was trying to get Edward to calm down, but he could feel his brother fighting it.
Edward had lurched away from all of them, pacing the long wall of the dining room.
"None of us know the smell, Edward," Alice said, "and they didn't hurt her. Perhaps it was just someone who smelled our scents near her, and was curious."
Edward snorted at this ridiculous idea.
"It isn't ridiculous," she said. "And it's just as likely as your theory."
"Hardly," he said, the word crisp and prejudiced.
"What do you expect us to do, really, Edward? Tail her all the time? Totally violate the trust she has in us?"
"If it keeps her alive, then yes," he said.
Alice was shaking her head, and Emmett was silently agreeing. "She needs to agree, and she won't."
Edward could see this was conjecture. "Ask her, please," he said, "as soon as possible."
Alice sighed, but nodded.
Their group dispersed, Alice trying to follow him.
"No," he said. "Don't. I need to know. Be sure."
"Your grave," she muttered.
Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.