Late Night Encounters 18 ~ Where Do We Go From Here?
EPOV
I was being an ass; there was no two ways about it. It wasn't a conscious effort I was making, since there was nothing that could ever cause me to wish on Bella the hurt I'd seen in her eyes in the past few days. I thought that once we got to Chicago, where it would just be the two of us, things would be calmer, more relaxed. I wouldn't feel that sensation in my gut every time I was in the same room with the newlyweds.
I hadn't given much thought to the future beyond the fact that I definitely wanted Bella to be in it. I was in a committed relationship with her—despite the distance—and until a few days before, that had been enough for us both.
Then, our friends went and got married after barely knowing each other for twenty-four hours.
Beyond the shock of the event itself, the feelings it had evoked within me still baffled me. As much as I loved Bella, I would have never been able to be that spontaneous and make a life-altering decision like that. And I had no idea what was going on in my own relationship as a result.
Would Bella's expectations change? I'd seen enough women in my department at work go crazy over two things through the years, more than anything else; marriage and babies. Even with those who'd never appeared to have any aspirations for such a thing beforehand. Was that going to happen with her, too? Would she think I didn't love her enough if I didn't jump at the idea of marriage?
Since that night in Vegas, she'd been noticeably anxious for my attention, no doubt due to my own actions. I could feel it in epic proportions the instant we were alone in my bedroom earlier in the evening. I'd felt guilty that she believed that she needed to resort to such extremes to gain even that small amount of affection from me. None of it was her fault, nor was she the cause for what I was feeling.
I'd wanted her just as badly as she wanted me, and it took everything in me not to scream in frustration when my phone rang between us. Even more so when I saw that it was the hospital.
Here goes another relationship put on the back burner for my career, I thought bitterly as I answered my phone.
And as I sat in Dr. Molina's office for over an hour afterward, my thoughts mirrored Bella's from before I left. I was supposed to be on vacation for the remainder of the week; that was the trade-off for the disruption of my time with her by that damn conference. Why the meeting couldn't have waited until the following Monday when I returned, I had no idea.
Not to mention that my mind wasn't completely there anyway. In my frustration, I hadn't even extended Bella the common courtesy of making sure she felt welcome and comfortable in my home. Instead, I just gave her a kiss, promised to be back, and left.
As I began the drive back to my apartment, what felt like a million thoughts and fears began running through my mind as to what I would be returning to. I wouldn't have blamed her in the slightest if the call from work had been the last straw for her and she'd reached her limit. I knew we needed to talk, I just didn't know exactly where to begin. But we also couldn't spend the rest of the week together with it all hanging over us either. Maybe I could take her out for a quiet dinner or something; I'd wasted enough of our time.
I hesitantly turned the doorknob to my apartment and found the entire place darkened. The only hint of light in the entire area was the soft glow from above the stove in the kitchen, and beyond the crack of the bedroom door.
"Bella?" I called out quietly as I made my way through the apartment, repeatedly calling out her name and receiving no response. Upon reaching the bedroom, I swung the door open to find the room empty, but the soft scent of her body wash wafted out of the bathroom. I released a sigh of relief; she'd only been taking a shower.
"I'll be right out," her voice carried out to me and I shrugged out of my jacket.
"Sorry, I was gone for so long, baby. I tried to get back as soon as I could," I called back to her as I sat on the edge of the bed, removing my phone and keys from my pocket and setting them on my bedside table. "I thought maybe we could go out and grab something to eat, since it's not too late."
"Actually, I was kinda hoping we could stay in."
My head turned toward the bathroom door at the sound of her sultry voice from behind me and my jaw literally dropped as my eyes slowly moved over her body, mesmerized by the sight of her.
Bella began sauntering toward me slowly, and my gaze traveled back up her slender, shapely legs, until it met black satin with lace trim at mid-thigh. The sexy garment hugged beautifully around her hips and waist, as well as the flat planes of her stomach. The front dipped low, giving full view of the curves of her breasts, and leading up to her bare shoulders and long beautiful neck.
She leaned forward onto the bed and began crawling toward me seductively. When she finally reached me, her lips met mine with such passion that it took me aback slightly. Her arms slid around my waist, pulling her body against my back and moving her lips down along my neck.
"I missed you," she whispered against my skin as her fingers began unbuttoning my shirt. "I want you right now, nothing else. Just touch me."
I turned toward her and my hand rose to weave into her hair, my lips claiming hers gently as I lowered us down to lay on the bed. Her soft scent flooded me and I felt her cool fingers trace along the skin of my chest and abdomen, our kiss deepening with each passing moment.
Bella gently pushed me onto my back and swung her leg over me to straddle my hips, laying her body atop mine and kissing along my jaw. My hands rested on her thighs and slid up to cup her ass to press her more firmly against me.
My heart was pounding with desire and our soft moans filled the room, but even with the sexy woman writhing above me, I wasn't becoming aroused. I wanted to—God knew I did. I guided her hips against me, attempting to stir a response, but my thoughts were still consuming me. I wanted to drown it all out and focus on spending the time with my beautiful girlfriend that we'd both waited three long months for. I'd never had this problem before, especially with as much of a turn-on as Bella was for me.
After several minutes of the futile attempt, I growled in frustration and let my head fall back onto the pillow, causing her gaze to meet mine in obvious confusion. She sat up to look down at me and I rubbed my hands roughly over my face before driving them into my hair.
"What's wrong?" she asked softly, biting her lip. "You don't want to?"
The look of rejection in her eyes was heartbreaking and I brought my hands to cover hers where they rested on my stomach. "I want to, very much." I paused, clearing my throat and gently securing my hold around her fingers. I could almost feel the sweat beginning to bead on my forehead, and my eyes rose to stare at the ceiling, avoiding hers as I spoke. "I uh... I just can't… I'm not…"
Her gaze fell to our hands when I couldn't finish my statement, and watched as I gestured below my waist. Her lips parted and gasped slightly, her cheeks flushing a little as she moved her body off me. "Oh. I see."
An uncomfortable silence stretched between us as she sat on the bed beside me. I sat up and reached over to take her hand again, feeling her tense slightly under my touch. "Bella—"
"What's going on?" she interrupted, her gaze turning sharply toward me. "You've been distant for days and I can't reach you. You haven't wanted me sexually since you came out of that room with Emmett in Vegas. You went into work tonight, while you're supposed to be on vacation, without so much as a single thought about it. I don't understand. What did I do to make you shut me out like this?"
"You didn't do anything," I assured her, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze before she pulled her hand away abruptly. "I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."
"Then talk to me!" she exclaimed and slid off the bed, turning back to face me and waving her arms out. "I mean, that is what two people who are supposed to be in a relationship do when there's a problem, isn't it? I'm your girlfriend, Edward. And I didn't come all this way to be treated like this. Call me selfish, but I actually wanted to spend this time with my boyfriend that I haven't seen in months."
"I don't know what I'm supposed to say, Bella," I groaned, falling back onto the bed and staring at the ceiling. "I don't know why I'm feeling this way, I just am."
"Well, what are you feeling, then?" she asked, her voice lowering as she knelt back down onto the bed. "Are you upset about Rose and Emmett?"
"No… and yes," I mumbled, shaking my head and then releasing a heavy sigh. "I mean, I'm happy for them, since Emmett is happier that I've seen him in a long time. And I've never seen that man unhappy, so that's saying something. Rose is good for him, from what I can see."
"But…" she trailed off, and I glanced over to find her gazing at me expectantly.
I rose off the bed and her eyes followed me as one of my hands rested on my hip while the other pinched the bridge of my nose. "It only took one day and he knew. He had it all figured out and his entire life decided on, and she was moving here to be with him. I've known you for six months. We're in a relationship, for God's sake, and I'm still just as clueless and we're not even close to that point."
"Okay," she responded slowly, shifting onto her knees to face me more directly. "So, are you jealous of Emmett or something? I'm still not sure I understand. We're not them, we don't have to have everything all figured out yet."
I drew in a deep breath and let my hand fall to my side, letting it out slowly before looking back to her. "You saw what happened tonight. That's my life, Bella. The hospital calls, and I have to be there. No matter what I'm doing or what else is going on, that's just how it is. This is who I am."
"I know that, Edward. I knew that going in," Bella replied, shaking her head.
"So did every other woman I've dated," I stated pointedly, watching her eyes widen as she gazed at me. "And every single one of them eventually got tired of waiting for me. It just took some longer than others. What would happen if we were together for more than a visit every few months? If I kept having to leave you behind for my job? How long would it take, Bella?"
Bella's jaw tensed and tears began to well in her eyes, her fists clenching where they rested on her thighs. "So, you're saying that this is all you see for us? Only visiting each other every few months, because you think I'm going to get tired of waiting? All I've done every night for the last six months in LA is wait, and I've never gotten tired of it because you were worth it. We were worth it. To me, at least."
I watched her eyes lower to her lap with her last statement and I felt the sting of her words, spoken in a voice entirely too calm. I knelt back on the bed in front of her and attempted to reach out and touch her face, but she turned her head away. "Bella, of course, we're worth it to me."
"But you still group me in with the rest of them. Like you don't think that I am any different." Bella inhaled deeply and looked to me again, her gaze locking with mine. "So you don't see me here with you? Are you ever going to want something more permanent with me than this? Living together, marriage, kids? Anything?"
I watched her tense in preparation for my response and then I closed my eyes. This was exactly why I had been dreading this conversation with her for days; no matter what I did or said, I would hurt her. If I lied, it would only delay and worsen the hurt for her. I couldn't avoid it and it was the one thing I never wanted to do. Drawing in a deep breath, I opened my eyes to look at her again. "I don't know."
Bella's chest collapsed as she released a heavy, shaky breath and she began practically gasping for air, a tear escaping down her cheek. "I can't believe this."
Once again, I tried to reach out for her, but she backed away and rose off the bed, standing beside it. "I'm not saying that I don't want you here with me. I just can't promise where that will lead."
"Then what are we doing?" Bella asked tearfully, waving her arms out and bringing her gaze back to mine. "I'm not saying that I'm in an all fired hurry to get married and start popping out babies. I'm only twenty-two, for crying out loud. I don't even have my whole life figured out yet. But I'd at least like to know that the man I love sees some kind of a future with me that doesn't involve a damn computer."
Wiping away another tear, she turned away and walked back into the bathroom. I shifted slightly on the bed to rest against the headboard and thrust my head back into it in frustration. I was pushing away the best thing I had in my life and tearing her apart by telling her the truth.
Maybe honesty isn't always the best policy, I thought to myself a moment before I heard the bathroom door unlatch. I lifted my gaze to her to speak, but was silenced when I saw her. Bella emerged, wearing a black tank top and grey yoga pants, her hair pulled back away from her face in a loose ponytail. She walked toward the bed, but instead of climbing in, she grabbed one of the pillows.
"What are you doing?" I asked with a furrowed brow, sitting upright on the bed.
"If I continue this conversation right now, I could end up saying something I regret, and I don't want that," she replied simply but would not meet my eyes, and then shook her head. "But I can't stay in here with you tonight, either."
"Bella, don't," I sighed, my chest tightening at the sight of her reddened eyes and stood from the bed. "I'm sorry."
"I know, but that doesn't change anything," she replied, hugging the pillow to her chest.
"Then you take the bed and I'll go out to the living room," I said gently and she began shaking her head vehemently.
"No, I can't sleep in that bed right now, either way. It's too much, with or without you. Too intimate." Her voice shuddered slightly with her restrained tears, and she moved past me toward the door.
I wanted to stop her, to take her into my arms and tell her I didn't mean a single word I said. To turn back time, and go back to three days before when everything was absolutely perfect. To tell her I loved her. But before I could do or say anything, the bedroom door closed behind her and the emptiness of the room began caving in around me.
I listened to her cries and soft, indistinct mumblings in the next room for over an hour before I finally got up and walked out there.
Whether by conscious effort of not, she never acknowledged my presence in the room. She remained gazing out into the dark sky from her perch on the windowsill, with the blanket from the back of the couch wrapped around her shoulders. Her eyes seemed so distant, even in the dim light, as if drowning out everything running through her head.
However, for the moment, she wasn't crying. So I turned and left her to her thoughts. We could talk in the morning, when we'd both be calmer and able to discuss everything more rationally.
For hours, I tried to sleep, knowing I had the drive to Evanston and the visit with my parents the following afternoon, but the ache from missing Bella beside me was too strong. Her scent lingered everywhere around me; on the bed where she'd sat, on my towels in the bathroom, drifting up from her suitcase in the corner. Her words continued to ring in my ears throughout the night, driving me to distraction.
So you don't see me here with you?
Then what are we doing?
I know, but that doesn't change anything.
It's too much, with or without you.
The idea of losing her completely was filling me with a dread I'd never felt before. If anything, I didn't think it would be something like that situation that would come between us.
When I finally fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion, the image of her walking away from me filled my nightmares and I woke up in a cold sweat, my entire body shaking. I needed to fix this, talk to her and make her realize how much I loved and needed her.
After a brief glance out into the living room to find her still asleep on the couch, I took a quick shower to rid my mind of the disturbing images from the night before and clear my head. When I came back out a few minutes later, Bella was just sitting up and brushing loose tendrils of hair away from her face, revealing her still reddened eyes.
She hasn't been asleep for very long, from the looks of it.
"Morning," I said quietly, trying not to startle her.
Her eyes met mine for a brief moment and then lowered again, before mumbling a soft "morning" in return.
Just as I was about to speak again, she rose and made her way into the bathroom. Releasing a heavy sigh, I began making a pot of coffee while I waited for her. But every moment that passed with that door still closed was evoking the anxiety I'd been trying to suppress all night.
The pot was nearly done brewing and I was pouring a cup for both of us when I heard her come out and I turned my gaze to her. She was walking toward me with her eyes lowered, and slid into the chair at the table with her leg folded beneath her.
"Thank you," she whispered as I set the cup in front of her and she wrapped her hands around it. She made no motion for the sugar or to take a drink, but simply kept her gaze on the dark liquid inside while tracing her fingertips along the rim. "I need to go home, Edward."
My heart stopped along with my breath, fear stricken into it with her statement. "Bella, no—"
"I can't stay here like this," she stopped me, finally bringing her gaze up to meet mine again, her eyes brimming with fresh tears. "And I don't see the point in meeting your family if you're not even sure we have any kind of real future together."
I knelt down beside her, resting my hand on her arm and was surprised when she didn't flinch away. "Please, you don't have to go home. I can call my mother and tell her that something came up and we can't make it. Just please, don't leave."
"I've already switched my ticket," she said flatly and rose from the table, pulling her arm from beneath my hand. "My flight leaves in a few hours. I need some space to think, Edward."
I remained frozen on the floor, gripping the table and the back of the chair to keep from falling over completely. My worst fears were coming to fruition, and there was no way to stop the spiral my world was now caught in.
x-x-x
I pulled up in front of the airport and looked over to Bella. She hadn't spoken or even glanced in my direction since she told me she was leaving, and that moment was no exception. That was, until I reached for my door handle.
"No, Edward. I'm going alone," she said as she opened the door and stepped out, walking around to the back of the car.
After popping the trunk, I got out anyway and made my way over to help her. She stepped back, hoisting her carry-on over her shoulder. "Bella, don't go. Stay and we can talk, please. I love you."
"No. Just no," she stated firmly, shaking her head. "Telling me you love me doesn't fix anything, and right now, neither will talking. Just let me go."
As she walked toward the doors, I leaned back against my car, clutching my hair with my hands at the back of my neck. The world seemed to be moving in slow motion around me, torturing me with the sound of every step she took away from me, until they stopped completely.
"This isn't goodbye, Edward," her voice called out softly to me and I opened my eyes to see her standing a few feet away from me. "I'm only asking for some time to think about my future, and maybe you should do the same. I'll call you."
Her future, my future... not ours. My head fell back and I drew in a deep breath, collecting myself for a moment before the sound of a blaring car horn assaulted my ears. My gaze shifted to the car behind mine, to a large man behind the wheel waving his arms out and mouthing 'what the fuck?'. "Alright, I'm moving!" I shouted out to him, slamming my trunk closed and making my way around the car to slide back in.
Shifting the car into gear and pulling away from the curb, I felt my breaths coming in rapid succession as I leaned back against the headrest. I knew I couldn't go back to the apartment; in fact, I needed to get as far away from it as I possibly could. There was too much of Bella still there for me to think clearly.
I grabbed my phone from my pocket and hit speed dial two, anxiously waiting for the answering voice. "Hi, Mom. I'm heading up there now, if that's alright with you." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she voiced her response. "No. I'm coming alone."
x-x-x
Throughout the day, as I visited with my parents, I tried to avoid the topic of Bella as much as possible. Yet, I felt my mother's eyes on me when my phone buzzed as we sat at an early dinner, and I hurriedly reached into my pocket for it.
I'm home. Ttyl.
I excused myself from the table and walked into the next room, taking a deep breath to compose myself at the impersonal feel to her text. She'd only been gone for a matter of hours, and I already missed her as much as if she'd been gone for years.
Can I call you? I texted back, wanting nothing more in that moment than to hear her voice, even if only for a second.
I'm tired, was the only response I received a minute later and I rubbed my eyes with my fingertips. I'd really fucked up.
An hour later, I was sitting out on the closed-in porch, staring out aimlessly into my parents' back yard, and my mother joined me with two mugs in her hands. "Okay, so tell me again. What happened?"
"I told you. Something just came up and she had to go back to LA," I replied, shrugging my shoulders and taking the heated cup of tea from her hand.
"And you think that just because you haven't lived under my roof in ten years, I don't know when my son is lying through his beautiful, capped teeth?" she asked with a smirk and I rolled my eyes as I took a sip. "Edward, you're as transparent as that window pane over there. What's really going on?"
Suddenly, I felt as if I were eight years old again. My mother had always seen through every antic I'd tried to pull, every emotion I'd tried to mask. I was considered a mama's boy by my peers as I grew up, since she always knew where I was and what I was doing, when I was in trouble or hurt—whether I'd told her or not.
I sighed heavily and set the cup on the table in front of us, resting my elbows on my knees. "What else, Mom? I messed everything up again. She says it's not goodbye, but it sure as hell feels that way."
I felt my mother's hand on my arm as I held onto my head, tugging at my hair. "You were fine the other day when I talked to you. What changed?"
"Emmett got married in Vegas," I replied, sitting up and staring outside. "And I froze. I pushed away the most amazing part of my life, all because of my own personal bullshit."
"Edward," my mother scolded and I glanced over to her, mumbling an apology. Even at twenty-eight, she still didn't approve of me swearing in her home. "Is it about Tanya?"
I stood and walked to the window, leaning my shoulder against it and began shaking my head. "I couldn't stand it if I lost her that way. Bella is just so... she's..."
"Not Tanya," my mother finished for me and my gaze shot over to her, and she rose to join me at the window. "And you're very much in love with her."
Pain shot through my heart like a dagger and I nodded, folding my arms over my chest. "And it scares me to death. What would happen if she came out here and realized, as Tanya did, that it was too much? If I can't sustain a relationship, how am I supposed to believe I can manage a marriage, or children?"
"You told her you didn't want to get married?" she asked, raising her eyebrows and I shrugged, lowering my eyes. "What did she say about the situation with Tanya?"
I inhaled deeply and shook my head, shifting uncomfortably at the mention of it. "I, uh... I didn't tell her."
"Remember how much I love you, okay?" she sighed and I looked to her with a furrowed brow, just as she smacked me on the side of the head. "You know, for all your fancy, expensive degrees, you don't have much in the way of common sense."
"Um... thanks?" I replied sarcastically in confusion.
"So, you just told her that you didn't want to get married, and left it at that?" she asked with her hands on her hips.
"That's not exactly what happened, Mom," I stated, shaking my head. She lifted one eyebrow and made her way back to her chair, crossing her legs and looking at me expectantly. I gave her a brief summary of my conversation with Bella, until the moment she told me she was leaving. "I tried to tell her that we didn't need to come up here, but then she seemed even more determined to leave."
"Of course, she was," my mother said simply and I looked over to see her shrugging, and then she ran her hand over her forehead. "Oh, Edward. You really don't see what you've done, do you?"
"Obviously I do, since I'm standing here by myself, instead of introducing my girlfriend to you."
"Don't get smart with me," my mother retorted, pointing at me meaningfully. "Honey, don't you understand? She's a woman. Everything you say, she is going to take to heart. You didn't just tell her that you weren't sure that you wanted to get married, but that you weren't sure you wanted to get married to her. And by telling her that you didn't need to come up here with her, you showed that her meeting your family wasn't all that important to you."
"It was my idea in the first place," I groaned, waving my arms out in exasperation. "I suggested it."
"She's young, and she's heartbroken, Edward. She's not going to think logically. All she sees is that the man she loves pushed her away and then rejected her. It's all part of being young and in the midst of your first real love," my mother sighed, leaning back further in her chair. "Fortunately, I was a bit older when I met your father, or else you might never have been born. You're not the only man in this family who doesn't realize when he has his foot in his mouth, all the way up to his thigh. But haven't you ever thought of the fact that Bella would probably be the most perfect woman in the world for you?"
"Of course, I have, Mom. Many times. I love her, she's beautiful and smart…"
"No, no. More than that. You said she was studying to be an architect, right?" I nodded slowly, unsure of where she was going with it. "Take it from the daughter of an architect. Your grandfather was constantly surrounded by his work. Perfecting plans, missing family dinners for a phone call with a colleague or a client. Their minds never stop running. She would probably be putting in just as many hours as you do at the hospital, not sitting around idly, waiting for you to come home. "
I sighed heavily and leaned my forehead on my arm as it rested on the window, my eyes closing as I internally cursed myself. Bella had always been different from the moment I met her, and now, it was glaringly obvious why.
Our lives complimented each other. Our schedules were just as busy as the other's, we simply made the time for one another within them. There'd been nights when both of us were late coming home from work or school, having become caught up in our own worlds. On more than one occasion, I'd caught glimpses of her kitchen table in the background, covered in papers and sketches. And that was after having called her to make sure she was alright, only to discover that she'd been engrossed in a project and lost track of time. My mother was right; Bella would never be one to simply sit around and wait for me to come home from work. She'd already shown that she had a mind and a life of her own, outside of me.
Why hadn't I thought of this before?
"God, I'm such an idiot," I groaned, leaning back against the window frame and clenching my jaw tightly.
"You won't find me arguing that point," my mother replied and I narrowed my eyes slightly. "I won't sugarcoat things for you, Edward. You know this. But are you going to keep being an idiot and just let this woman go, or are you going to man up and do something about it?"
Without waiting for a response, my mother rose and kissed me on the cheek before going back into the house. My gaze returned back out the window where the sun was just beginning to set, causing millions of glittering specks to sparkle along the surface of the pond in the back yard. Grabbing my jacket, I stepped outside, feeling the crisp evening air striking my face as I began walking along the edge of the water with my hands buried in my pockets. My mind ran over and over every moment in the six months that I'd spent with Bella.
Her laugh and her blush, her fiery spunk that completely contrasted her times of extreme shyness.
The moment I finally held her in my arms and kissed her for the very first time, how time just seemed to stop in that instant and everything in my world was perfect. Each and every time we made love, regardless of how urgent or gentle it was. There was not a single moment with her that I would change—with the exception of what I'd just done.
Standing in the middle of the small footbridge over the pond, I leaned forward onto the railing and stared down at my phone. Her last text still displayed on the screen, yet at that moment, it struck a new feeling within me. That was exactly how she'd felt for days, when I'd pushed her away without reason, causing her to feel lonely, even in my presence. The only difference was... there was a reason for the pain and loneliness I was feeling— and that reason was me. She'd had more than sufficient cause to push me away for days, and still, she tried so hard to pull me back. And because of my stupidity, she was gone and I had no idea how I was going to even begin to get her back.
Bella, I know I've been a colossal jerk and don't deserve it, but please let me talk to you tomorrow. Sleep well.
After hitting send, I slid the phone into my back pocket and resumed gazing out over the water. I hoped beyond hope that she would speak to me the next day, allow me the chance to explain and ask her forgiveness for what I'd done. And prayed that there was still a chance for us, that we could work through it.
Beyond everything that my mother and I had discussed, experiencing life without Bella in it, even if only for the matter of a day, was excruciating. And each passing minute without a response from her brought back the dread that I had pushed her too far. What if it really was over? That once she thought about her future, she didn't see me in it just as I was realizing that I couldn't imagine mine without her.
I lay in my bed in my old room that night, staring up at the ceiling until fatigue finally claimed me in the silent surroundings. For once, it was a dreamless sleep, for which I was grateful. Neither good or bad dreams would have been welcome, considering where my thoughts had been just before falling asleep. Bella.
I woke to the sound of my phone vibrating and glanced over to the clock to see that it was already nearly eleven. I reached for the phone hurriedly, hoping that it would be Bella and was dismayed to find that it was only Emmett. Surely, Bella would have called Rose by then, and he'd be calling to hand my ass to me–definitely not something I was prepared for that soon after waking up.
No sooner had I gotten downstairs and poured myself a coffee, than my phone began to buzz again with an incoming text.
Dude, you need to call me
"Well, good morning, sunshine," my mother greeted me as she entered the kitchen, gently rubbing my shoulder as she passed. "Getting started already?"
My brow tightened as I looked over to her and she gestured to my phone, and I shook my head as I turned the ringer on. "Oh, no. I haven't heard from her, yet. It's just Emmett, ready to verbally pummel me, I'm sure. He's very fond of Bella, and married to her best friend."
"Oh," she replied with widened eyes and a nod. "Yes, there's no safe haven there for you."
"Nope." Just as I answered, another text came through, and I sighed heavily.
Where the fuck are you? Call me, it's important
Yup, he sounds pissed, I thought to myself as I set my phone down on the counter and took my first sip of coffee as I leaned back against the counter.
"You're going to have to answer that sooner or later, you know," my mother said, tapping her finger on the screen.
I shook my head, ignoring the continued buzzing of the phone. "Not until I talk to Bella."
For the next hour, my phone did not cease to vibrate or sound that obnoxious rap ringtone that Emmett had loaded onto it a month before when I wasn't looking. I was just setting my empty cup into the sink when the generic tone began ringing, and I made my way over to the counter to find it illuminated with a California number. Without another thought, I reached for the phone and answered it. "Bella?"
"See! I told you he wasn't answering because it was you!" I heard Rose's voice screeching at Emmett on the other end, before turning her attention back to me. "Look, I don't want to know what the hell happened, why you're not answering your phone, or why the hell Bella is in LA instead of there with you, as she should be. We can deal with that later, but right now, you need to get your ass to California."
Feeling the instant tightening of my chest and stomach at her tone, I suddenly knew something wasn't right. "Rose—"
"Bella's hurt, Edward," she interrupted me sharply and my eyes shot up as my body froze. "She's in the hospital."