Chapter Twelve – Flight
BPOV
The morning of our flight to Washington, I find myself sipping my coffee with a huge ass grin on my face. In fact, I've been in a ridiculously good mood since New Year's Eve. It's kind of sickening really. I've become one of those smiley bubbleheads that used to make me sick. Unfortunately, I can't bring myself to care.
I'm walking on fucking sunshine.
My rational side is screaming obscenities at me for getting so hung up over a kiss on the hand and I know that eventually I'm going to come down from my high, but until then, I'm soaking it up. It sounds crazy, but when Edward looked at me that night, it was almost like he felt the same way I've been feeling, as impossible as that sounds. Yes, Edward is still my boss. Yes, Edward still has a wife. Yes, I'm being completely ridiculous. It's not like I'm picking out bridesmaids dresses or anything. Edward is still obviously completely off limits, I'm just letting myself linger in my fairytale land a little longer than what might be healthy. And until reality smacks me in the face, I just don't care.
I hear the phone ring and smile, yes smile, as I pick up the receiver.
"Cullen Howarth, Edward Masen's office. How may I help you?"
"Hello, Bella. This is Tanya, is my husband around by chance?"
Well that was quick…
"He's in his office. If you'll just hold for a second, I'll connect you," I say. She thanks me with fake enthusiasm and I return to my coffee, a scowl replacing my smile. About fifteen minutes later, I hear Edward's door open and he steps out from his office.
"Hey, Bella. How are the preparations for today coming along?"
"They're all taken care of," I say reaching into my desk drawer to retrieve the folder I've set up for our trip. "Everything we need is in here. Our plan tickets have been printed, we have itinerary sheets for the entire week, the case notes and file details have been compiled and I called the car service to make sure we're all set. They'll be here at noon."
"You are an absolute angel, Bella. Thank you so much," he says taking the file from my hand. "Are your bags here?"
"Yeah, I'm all ready to leave as soon as the car arrives," I reply. I neglect to mention that I've been packed since New Year's Day. Unfortunately somewhere along the way, I inherited my mother's trip anxiety. I've been double checking my suitcase every day since, in fear that I might forget something. It wasn't until this morning though, that I made one last minute addition to my luggage.
I was rummaging through my closet, doing one last sweep, when I saw the blue "life-changing" dress Alice bought on Black Friday. Some voice inside me had me grabbing it from the hanger before I even really realized what I was doing. By the time I stopped to think about it, the dress was already folded and zipped in my suitcase. Who knows? Maybe this trip will hold that world stopping magical moment Alice seems to think it can create.
"Perfect. I have one last meeting with Carlisle and Rose before we go and then we'll be all set. Thanks again!"
I watch as Edward runs off to make his meeting in Carlisle's office. With my buzz sufficiently murdered, I sit back and let myself get lost in my thoughts.
As much as it shouldn't, it surprises me that Edward hasn't acted any different since the night of the gala. Maybe he's just nervous about the trip and all the work that still has to be done once we arrive. Or, more likely, I let myself get way too worked up over something that just wasn't there. I mean, it's not like I was expecting us to declare our undying love for each other and ride off into the sunset. I guess I just hoped that he had done it for a reason other than just to be nice.
I guess I was wrong.
I manage to keep myself busy typing up reports until noon. Sure enough at twelve on the dot, the car service calls my cell and confirms that they're waiting on the street below. I get up and knock on Edward's door, letting him know that we can leave. He grabs his suitcase and mine and we head to the elevator. Despite my sudden shift in mood, I can't help but be excited about the trip. It doesn't seem possible that in just a few hours, I'll be in my home state. Even crazier is that at the end of the week, I'll be home at my parent's house for a few days. With everything else going on, it will be nice to escape to familiar territory.
Rose and Garrett are already waiting when we get to the elevators.
"Where's Claire?" Edward asks.
"She got sick this morning, some wicked stomach bug. I told her to stay home. I figure Bella can handle things just fine," Rose replies.
"So are we all excited?" Garrett asks.
"Hardly. I'm popping two Ambien as soon as we take off and sleeping through this hellish flight," Rose responds.
"Well I'm excited," I offer with a smile.
"That's my girl, Bella!" Garrett laughs throwing an arm over my shoulders. The bell rings, signaling the arrival of the elevator. We climb in and make our way downstairs to the waiting town car.
The ride to the airport is quick enough and we manage to check our luggage and make it through security without much of an issue. When we take our seats on the plane, I'm pleased to find myself in the seat next to Edward. I've never really been a fan of flying, unless it's absolutely necessary, so it'll be nice to have someone nearby that keeps my calm. The flight attendant comes by and smiles at us, asking if we need anything. We politely decline just as the pilot's voice comes over the loudspeaker, informing us that we're ready for take-off. My hand is shaking and my knuckles turn white from the gripping the side of my seat as I close my eyes and try to block the thought of our impending lift into the air. I can usually manage to contain myself once we're off the ground, but the lift off itself always gets the better of my nerves.
Suddenly I feel a hand over my own on the armrest. I pop one eye open to see Edward looking down at me with a smile. He brushes his hand lightly over my knuckles in soothing circles.
"Nervous?" he asks.
"Unfortunately," I sigh in embarrassment.
"When I was a little boy, we used to follow my father all around the world for his business trips. My mother didn't want the family to be apart, so wherever he went, we ended up there too. For the longest time, I was terrified of planes, especially take-off and landing," he explains.
"When did you stop?"
"Not until I was thirteen. My father had just purchased a personal plane so we didn't have to fly commercial air, heaven forbid, right? Anyway, the pilot he hired was this really great grandfather-type. His name was Jim and he caught on to my fear before we even took off for the first time. So he invited me to sit in the cock-pit with him on that first flight. I was a nervous wreck, but once I saw the mechanics of it, I was so intrigued that I completely forgot about my fear. I spent the rest of the flight up there with Jim, talking his ear off," Edward chuckles. I feel a rumble and then look out the window to see that we've gained altitude and are safely in the air.
"How did you manage it before that?" I ask after a deep breath.
"My mother used to distract me with a story of some kind," he says with a huge grin. I feel my own grin take over my face as I realize that he cleverly used the same trick on me.
"Well played," I say swatting his shoulder.
"It worked didn't it?" he laughs in response.
We spend the rest of the nearly four hour flight in content silence. I pull my feet up and tuck them beneath me, pulling out a book to read. Edward works silently, but diligently on his laptop; compiling more questions and strategies for working with Angela and her family this week. I look behind me briefly to see Rosalie passed out as promised, and Garrett with his nose stuck in some sports magazine. When I finish my book, I look out the window briefly at the world passing by below us. While flights may terrify me, I must admit that there's something magical about floating high above the rest of the world. There's a freedom up here that you just can't find on the ground. Eventually, I nod off and spend the second half of the flight asleep.
I'm not sure how much time has passed when Edward softly nudges me awake. I blink my eyes open, adjusting to the harsh cabin light, only to discover that I've fallen asleep on his shoulder. His face, namely his mouth, is deliciously close to mine. Just an inch or two more and I could meet them with my own.
Luckily for both of us, I snap out of my sleepy haze and pull back with a nervous chuckle.
"Sorry," I mutter. I don't hear Edward's reply, but it sounds something like 'doesn't bother me.'
After getting off the plane and retrieving our luggage, we hail a cab to our hotel. Finding a luxury hotel in Olympia had been a challenge, but I managed to set us up in a Hilton with rave reviews for a week. Finally, we arrive in a large stone lobby, with glossy black floors and a huge chandelier. I make my way over to a big desk with a waterfall flowing tranquilly behind it to check us in. To me, it's probably the best hotel I've ever stayed at in my entire life. I guess this kind of luxury comes with the territory of working for a firm of wealthy private attorneys.
"Well, it's not the Waldorf Astoria, but I guess it'll do," Rose says still in a sour mood after being woken up from her pill induced slumber.
"Oh shut it, Rosie. This place is a palace," Garrett says smiling at me.
"Thank you, Garrett. You and Rose will be on the seventh floor, suites 762 and 764," I say handing them their key cards. "Edward, you and I will be on the twelfth floor, suites 1212 and 1213."
"Sounds perfect, Bella. Shall we?" Edward asks, holding out his arm for me. I giggle, but hesitate until I see Garrett offer Rosalie a similar gesture. Once I'm sure that I'm not crossing any professional boundaries, I take Edward's arm and head off to the elevator bank, doing my best to ignore the butterflies batting around my stomach.
We leave Garrett and Rose off at the seventh floor and continue the climb to our own suites. Edward takes our bags from the bellboy when we reach our destination and we both peruse the hallways until we find our respective suites. Edward divides up our bags and we go our separate ways into our rooms. I slide my keycard and hear the lock click.
"Bella?"
"Yes?"
"Garrett and Rose want me to meet them for a strategy dinner. You don't have to come, but uh—well, would you like to join us?" Edward asks.
"Do you want me there? I could take notes for you or help you organize the files."
"No, if you come… Well, I'd like you to come as a friend. It won't be work for you, I promise," he chuckles.
"If you want me there, then I'd love to come."
"Perfect. We're going to take an hour or so to get settled and meet down stairs at six."
"Sounds great. See you then," I say with a shy smile. Edward nods with a smile of his own and heads into his room. I linger for a moment with a stupid grin plastered on my face before pushing the door open and walking into my own room.
My jaw almost drops at the sight of my room. A huge king size bed sits in the middle of the room covered with silk sheets and about a dozen soft pillows. Across from it, hanging on the wall, is a massive flat screen television. On either side of the flat screen is two doorways; one leads to the massive en suite bathroom while the other heads into a combination kitchen and sitting area. Tall lamps sit atop dark oak end tables on each side of the bed and a matching dark armoire sits on the other side of the room.
The only thing more spectacular than the room itself is the view. Perched high up on the twelfth floor, I have a gorgeous view of the harbor. About two dozen boats sit in the water, moving along with the tides. Their lights create an almost magical glow over the shoreline and I'm reminded of the fairytales my mother used to tell me as a child. Beyond the harbor lie the lush green mountains I've known all my life. I know that somewhere beyond them, my safe little hometown waits for me. Growing up, I'd resented those mountains and their lush green trees and vines. I never would have imagined that one day I would miss them.
Well, that day has come.
In a fit of nostalgia, I decide to call my mom and let her know that I've arrived in the state. She and dad were ecstatic when I told them about the trip and my upcoming visit. I hit the speed dial on my cell phone and Mom answers on the second ring.
"Bella honey! How are you?"
"I'm great, Mom. We just landed an hour or so ago and we're at the hotel now."
"What's it like?" she asks excitedly.
I spend twenty minutes or so going over the details of my room and the upcoming week with my mom. I tell her about my visit; that I will arrive on Friday afternoon and will be staying until Sunday afternoon. It's not long before the easy mother-daughter conversation takes over completely. I tell her about my work and the New Year's party, knowing she'll love the magnificence of the whole thing. She asks about Alice's job and how the plans are coming for Emmett's wedding, saying that she and Dad will fly out to Chicago the second he and Rose set an official date.
It's been so long since I've been able to have a chance to just catch up with my mom. Conversation with her has always been easy. She's always been my wacky, young-at-heart mother – my best friend. She has this uncanny ability to know me better than I even know myself. She was my rock growing up and I'm hit suddenly by just how much I miss having her around. As much as I've fallen in love with Chicago and big city life, I wish she could be a part of it.
"I miss you, Mom," I sigh.
"I miss you too, baby, you know that. But you sound so happy, Bella! You've made the right decision for yourself and you're finally out there becoming the amazing woman I always knew you'd grow up to be. Dad and I are extremely proud of you and you should be proud of yourself. We always knew Forks was too small for you, that one day you'd have to spread your wings and fly away. I'm just glad you finally realized it yourself."
"Thanks, Mom."
"Besides, it sounds to me like you have plenty of people out there in Chicago to take care of you. I don't think I've ever heard you sound this excited and full of life. You're radiating happiness from your voice alone, Bella! It sounds to me like there must be someone else you're not mentioning. A guy perhaps?"
Oh shit. Shit shit shit.
"Mom, come on. What am I thirteen?" I say evasively.
"What's his name?" is her only reply.
"Mom? Mom, I think I'm losing you! I love you; I'll talk to you soon!" I shout ending the call before she has the chance to protest. I toss my phone on the bed and let out a frustrated groan. I'd almost forgot that the downside to my mother's sixth sense about me was her ability to know exactly what was going in my life without me saying a word. She needs her own psychic hotline.
I look at the clock and see I still have the better part of an hour before I have to be downstairs for dinner. I make myself a mimosa from the ingredients in the fridge and mini-bar and decide to acquaint myself with the large claw foot tub in my bathroom. I find some lavender bath oil in the medicine cabinet and pour it in before settling myself into the warm water with my drink. I click the remote for the iHome on the counter and lose myself in one of the many playlists on my iPod, sinking down further into the water. I decide then and there that I could definitely get used to this whole, "lifestyles of the rich and the famous" deal I've found my way into.
When I decide I'm sufficiently relaxed, I wrap myself in one of the hotel's fluffy white towels and head back into my room to change. I'm searching through my suitcase for a black dress when I notice a door off to the side of one of the end tables that I hadn't noticed before. I pull the towel more firmly around my body and decide to investigate. I'm reaching for the doorknob when it pushes open and I'm met with the same familiar green eyes I can't seem to escape.
The first thing I notice is his lack of shirt. He's wearing only a pair of black slacks, holding a white button down and tie in his right hand and, my God, does he look good. Sinfully good. I have to fight to keep myself from getting lost in the fantasy of running my tongue along the firm planes of that chest.
The second thing I notice is that Edward's eyes look terrifyingly close to popping out of his head. His eyes run up and down my body a few times and he swallows around a lump in his throat. I turn a deep shade of scarlet as I realize that his eyes seem fixated on my nearly naked chest. He shakes his head and sputters after a few moments of collecting himself.
"I'm sorry! I thought the door led to a closet or something. Apparently we have—"
"Adjoining rooms, yeah, that wasn't on the hotel website," I mutter, cutting him off.
"Like I said, I thought it was a closet. There wasn't enough room in the breast – I mean chest! I mean, ugh, armoire, for my suits."
"Of course, it was an honest mistake, Edward," I assure him.
"Right. Well, I uh, guess I should let you—you know, get dressed or whatever," he says tearing his eyes away from me. I look down in horror as I'm reminded that I'm standing in front of my boss soaking wet, wearing nothing but a towel that suddenly feels too thin and short for my liking.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry, I didn't even think—" I say scrambling to cover myself up as much as I can.
"No really, it's my fault! I'll just, you know, be going," he says shutting the door.
I flop down on my bed, completely mortified. I contemplating skipping out on the dinner, but I know that backing out will probably just make things ten times more awkward the next time we see each other. After all, we're two level headed adults. This was just a fluke. Lots of people have run-ins like this, it's a tale as old as time. Sure, it was awkward and embarrassing—and didn't do much for my level of attraction to my boss—but we can deal with it. More preferably, maybe we can just pretend that it had never happened.
I finish getting ready, slipping on my dress and a pair of heels and throwing my hair in a loose bun. I swipe some light gloss across my lips and decide that I'm presentable.
It takes a lot of courage and deep breathing, but eventually I'm able to open the door to my suite and meet Edward in the hallway. He has his back to me and is pacing a small line across the floor with his head bowed. I clear my throat and he whips around to meet me.
"Hello," he offers.
"Hi," I say back. There's a beat of silence before I blurt out, "We can have the rooms changed if you'd like! I'd completely understand."
Now it's my turn to look at the floor and shuffle my feet. He's quiet for a minute before he shakes his head and answers.
"No, it's not a big deal really. I mean, we know the door is there now and we know better than to just barge through it obviously. It may even come in handy, you know, if we need each other for something—after we knock of course. So unless you're uncomfortable with it, I think it's alright."
"It's fine with me," I say a little too quickly. His mouth quirks up into a smile and his eyes fall accidentally on my chest again. Edward's eyes seem to glaze over for a moment before he shakes his head and looks at me more seriously.
"I'm sorry about earlier though."
"No, it's like you said—it was a mistake," I assure him.
"Right. Just a mistake," he says almost to himself. "Well, I guess we should get going. You ready to head downstairs?"
"Absolutely," I say grateful for the end of our awkward conversation.
As we make our way down to the lobby, I can't help but think that stupid door will be the death of me. How am I supposed to survive the week and keep myself in check knowing that Edward is on the other side of it doing who knows what? I've always prided myself on having great self-control but this was just ridiculous. I can't quite figure out why fate finds it appropriate to keep throwing the man in my face when I should be running the other way. Regardless of my feelings, attraction—whatever you want to call it—he's married, completely off limits, and nothing will change that.
Thankfully once we meet up with Rose and Garrett most of the tension fades. Still, I can't help but feel Edward's eyes on me throughout our meal. I'm once again tortured by the possibility that maybe, on some level, he feels the same things that I do. Of course, that's completely insane. He's married to a blonde goddess for Christ's sake. What the hell would he see in me? I try to stop that train of thought before I depress myself. I know I'm not hideous, but I'm not exactly a supermodel either.
But he had kissed me.
Okay, so he hadn't exactly grabbed me by the waist and kissed me senseless. It was an entirely innocent kiss on the hand, but it had to mean something. Didn't it? I mean, nobody kisses on the hand anymore. It's a gesture reserved for people who you really respect and care about. Or at least that's what I've always thought.
Then again, Edward had been raised in a world of respectable gentlemen and ladies. Maybe to him it was just a friendly gesture.
I'm going to drive myself insane.
I'm grateful when Garrett, Rose, and Edward launch into lawyer mode and talk strategy. I'm able to lose myself completely in their conversation and stop the obnoxious inner monologue from running in circles around my head. They spend the next hour and a half discussing how to best approach their first meeting with Angela tomorrow. Garrett suggests that it would be best to ask her to share her side of the story again, so they can gauge how much more comfortable she's become with talking about it since our last meeting. Rose agrees, especially since the only ones who have actually heard her take on the events so far have been me and Edward.
They settle on a time for our wake-up call that will give us plenty of time to make it to the Weber's home in Hoquiam and still have a chance to grab a bite to eat on our way. I make a mental note to call the car rental company when I get back to the room to verify that our SUV will be ready to go by nine tomorrow morning.
"Well, kids, it's been fun, but I have a late night phone sex call to make with my fiancé," Rose announces smugly.
"Ew. Those are mental images I just did not need, Rose," Garrett complains.
"Yeah, like you and Kate won't be doing any sexual communicating during the week," she scoffs.
"Well yeah, but we use Skype," he says matter-of-factly.
"Anyway! Let's just go upstairs before the two of you have me reliving my dinner in reverse," Edward says pushing his chair back.
"What's the matter, Eddie? Has someone not been getting any from the missus?" Garrett teases. He and Rosalie fall into fits of laughter, but Edward doesn't seem to enjoy the joke. He gets up from the table and stalks off toward the elevator without as much as another glance in our direction.
"Must be past the old man's bedtime," Garrett mutters. "Come on, Rose, let's head to our rooms. Goodnight, Bella!"
"Goodnight," I say back. I get up from the table myself and head over to where I saw Edward leave. He still seems angry when I reach the elevator and the doors close. "Hey," I offer softly.
"Hey," he says back.
"Are you alright?"
"Garrett can be such a dick," he says angrily.
"I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."
He's quiet for a moment before he sighs softly. "You're probably right. I'm just tired from the flight and everything," he says. We ride the rest of the way in silence until; finally, we hear the bell signaling that we've reached our floor.
Edward, ever the gentlemen, let's me step out of the elevator first. We're both lost in thought as we walk to our suites. Mainly, I'm trying to figure out what he could be thinking. Before too long we reach rooms 1212 and 1213 and it's time to leave each other for the night. Though I'm reminded that, thanks to our shared door, he won't be very far away.
"Goodnight, Edward," I say as I slide my card.
"Goodnight, Bella," he says turning toward his door. He slides his car and places his hand on the knob, but hesitates rather than turning it.
Before I can really comprehend what's going on, he steps toward me and takes my hand in his, pressing his lips once again to my knuckles. I close my eyes and revel in the familiar feeling of his lips on my skin. He pulls away and heads into his suite without another word. I take a minute to collect myself before I do the same.
I close the door and lean up against it, sinking to the ground. I put my head in my hands and take a deep breath, thinking about the day's events.
He kissed me again. It was so simple, so innocent, but he had done it without any reason to. He'd done it just because he wanted to. What's worse? It felt good. I could easily get addicted to the feeling of his lips on my hand alone. I could only imagine what they would feel like pressed against my own. And imagine I do.
I'm in way over my head.
Happy Superbowl Sunday!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Things are going to be picking up in the next couple chapters, so get ready! Thank you for all the great reviews I've been receiving. I love getting feedback from you guys!
Until next time!