CHAPTER 36: What Just Happened?

When I came in for my swing shift, I forgot how busy Starbucks got during lunch time. The line reached to the door like people were in a cafeteria line. The usual crowd is here with cell phones in hand, sunglasses on to shield them from the L.A. sun, and women in yoga pants with strollers. It makes me smile, going back to a familiar day at the office.

After Alice left me yesterday to fend for myself, I explored more of Edward's home. I'm sure he didn't mind if he was thinking of having me live with him so I went around the main floor, looked in the garage, backyard and the rest of the upstairs. It wasn't like I was trying to uncover any dirty secrets he might have.

There was just nothing to do.

Eventually, I went to his room and took a nap. A few hours later, I was greeted with the sweetest kisses on my cheek when Edward finally came home and crawled into bed with me. He told me how the funeral went and how Tanya and Irina tried to play nice but remained on opposite sides of the room for much of the time.

Edward also said that while Tanya was surrounded with people talking to her, he tried to make his farewell quick and simple so that she couldn't persist on him staying with the other guests wanting her attention. Tanya kept her sweet voice and smile for them, but he could tell she was angry about it. He even showed me her insistent missed calls on his phone and listened to her voicemails trying to make him feel bad in her time of need—to which Edward just sighed wearily.

I love this man.

We spent the rest of the night in bed.

I I I

Eric is still on vacation so Lucy scheduled me with Pat and Annie to supervise in case they have any questions or need help with an order. I got back into the swing of things quickly enough. Apparently, Lucy's also been giving them the scoop about me while I was away.

"So…is Aro really your uncle? Like, by blood or just by marriage?" asks Annie when the customers began to dwindle.

She's Vietnamese and short like Alice. She has a round face and her prominent cheek bones always shows when she smiles. Annie has a very friendly personality and easily laughs at everything, which put me in a lighter mood with the stress of the afternoon rush.

I smile at most of her questions. She's very inquisitive but none of her questions seem like she's trying to pry, just merely curious. "Yes. He's my mother's half-brother."

"That's so cool!" she says in awe. "I wish I had a famous relative like that."

"Must be pretty awesome meeting all kinds of celebrities too, huh?" adds Pat. He has short, red curly hair, which I've never seen before on a guy. He also has freckles and glasses. With his cute smile, he makes the nerdy look really work for him.

"Actually, I haven't really met any," I reply. "I don't go to the big, fancy parties like you might think I do."

The only real celebrities I know are Alice and Edward. And I suppose Tanya. It's hard to think of them as celebrities because I know them personally and not just through television, the press and social media. Still, the fact that I'm on a first name bases with these people is kind of thrilling because of how big they are to the outside world.

"Thanks for coming in!" Annie says to the customer walking out the door. Then, she turns to me. "I'm sorry, but I just have to ask—you're dating Edward Cullen, right?" She's trying to keep her cool but I can see how giddy she is through her eyes. Of course she'd want to know.

Pat rolls his eyes because he can tell this is heading into 'girl-talk' territory.

"Yes, I'm seeing Edward."

"I knew it!" She looks relieved by my confirmation like people have doubted her that the world was round. "I've seen those tabloid mags about him and Tanya, and I know it just couldn't be true."

Inwardly cringing, I try to hide the fact that I don't want to talk about Tanya by forcing a smile. "And why couldn't it be true? She's a beautiful model."

With an ogre of a personality. I'm so plain next to her that she would seem like the likely choice for Edward.

"Well…" Annie starts, twiddling with her apron, "I've seen pictures of you and Edward and Edward and Tanya and…he doesn't look at her the way he looks at you."

"Oh?" I blush for some odd reason. My curiosity has also peeked.

"He always looks annoyed whenever he's with her," she makes a face.

Pat chuckles, listening to our conversation nearby while restocking some of the supplies. "Because he probably is." We both turn to him. "Tanya Denali is pretty and all but she looks way too high maintenance. No guy wants that. Edward probably got tired of trying to keep up with her—not that you're low maintenance or anything!" he adds, in case I take offense somehow. "No! Umm…I mean…he seems to really dig you and you're not so over the top, and into that fashion stuff. Or are you? I mean—"

"Pat—stop before you dig an even bigger hole for yourself," Annie shakes her head. Pat blushes, quietly going back to restocking the cups. I give him a sympathetic smile knowing he's merely attempting not to hurt my feelings. "What Pat is trying to say is that you're more genuine than Tanya. She's too…superficial."

"Yeah! That's what I meant," Pat agrees.

"Thanks, guys," I softly laugh.

At least I have others in my corner that doesn't see Edward being with me as a strange phenomenon. Or perhaps it was something Benjamin, the owner of Café Twilight, put in his coffee the night we bumped into each other? Whatever the case may be, I'm happy we're on a better track.

I I I

"I can't believe you actually walked in there," I say chuckling as Edward and I drive off.

When he said he'd pick me up I thought he was going to wait in the car until I came out. Driving my new car was out of the question since I wasn't comfortable driving a stick with the few lessons Jacob gave me back in Forks. I was better with a motorcycle—believe it or not.

After I clocked out, I had no idea Edward was going to waltz in like the movie star that he is. Those who recognized him started gawking and snapping pictures with their camera phones. Females were also asking to take pictures with him and shot dirty looks my way after he kissed me on the cheek when I was ready to leave the premises.

"I just wanted people to know you were taken," he smirks with a wink.

I roll my eyes. "I'm sure the female customers got the memo. I'm surprised they didn't rip your shirt and pants off and left you running away in your boxers."

Annie looked like she wanted to grab at something for a souvenir, but instead she settled for a hug, an autograph and a picture with him. And probably because I was also eyeing her and everyone else like a hawk.

"I have extras."

"What?" I laugh.

Is he joking?

"It's happened before so I've learned to carry extra shirts with me," he shrugs. "No pants though since I've always walked away with my pants still intact."

OK, now I know he's joking.

"But of course," I mutter.

Even if he's off the market I don't see girls willing to step back, not when they can still get a piece of him…those vultures.

He places a gentle hand on my knee. "I only have eyes for you," he says with a sweet ring in his voice, half teasing.

"And you better keep those eyes focused," I lamely threaten. Edward smiles and continues to stare at the road.

"So, what do you want to do for the next couple of hours?" he suddenly asks.

I frown, forgetting he has a meeting for more potential scripts. But I should be thankful he's taken a few hours out of his day to spend time with me. He's been in back-to-back meetings since he dropped me off at work earlier today.

"I don't know," I shrug. "I usually just go to work then go home and read a book or something. Or I hang out with Alice if she's not busy."

And it was a normal routine for me. I never got out much since moving to L.A. and I figured I would have plenty of time to explore, not knowing I'd be living in Volterra for a while.

"Feeling adventurous?" he wiggles his eyebrows up and down.

"Adventurous? Me?" I scoff.

I think I've gotten into enough trouble in Forks with my so-called adventurous ways. I'm surprised I haven't permanently broken anything.

Knock on wood!

"Yeah."

"What did you have in mind?"

His eyes are mischievously gleaming. "Let's stop by the house first and get some change of clothes."

"O-kay…" I reply, unsure of what he has in store for us.

I I I

Edward won't tell me anything until he says we're closer to our destination. His swim trunks under his pants and my bikini I'm wearing underneath my clothes tell me we're either heading to the beach or at least somewhere where there's water. The sun's still warm although it's late in the fall.

I have no clue where we are either because I have yet to learn where anything is in this city.

"We're almost there," he tells me after about half an hour.

"Where?"

"Hermit Falls."

Hermit Falls?"

"Yes," he nods. I see a sign that says Arcadia. "There's a trailhead to the Falls. We'll park at Chantry Flats in the Angeles National Forest. From there we'll head down the trail to the creek bed."

"So, we're hiking then?"

"For only about two miles. It's not as long of a hike as you think," he says. No wonder he told me to wear comfortable walking shoes—which at first I thought was weird, thinking swimming was the only thing on the agenda.

After we get our towels and cooler, we head down to the creek bed. Edward has me walk in front of him so he can keep an eye on me in case I fall into a ditch or off a cliff I didn't see coming.

He knows me so well.

"Are you sure we have enough time to do this? Won't you be late for your meeting?"

If he's late again I know Rosalie will burn me at the stake. She likes Edward to be punctual for everything. She also doesn't believe the two to four hour window celebrities think they have when they show up late to appointments.

Edward looks at his watch. "We have plenty of time," he smiles, although he won't tell me what time he's supposed to be back.

"You know that Rosalie—"

"Don't worry about Rosalie. I'll handle it." He walks up to me and gives me a soft kiss on the cheek and smiles. "Spending time with you is all I care about right now."

My heart just skipped a beat.

About forty-five minutes later, we get to the swimming hole above the falls. It has a gorgeous view of the surrounding landscape full of greenery and natural wildlife. Edward sets our towels and coolers down and proceeds to take off his shirt and pants.

All I can do is stare.

"See something you like?" he smirks.

My mouth is dry as I try to swallow. Will I ever get used to this beautiful Adonis. I break away from his gorgeous sight and begin to strip down to my bikini. Glancing back at Edward, he has the same look on his face as I did when I watched him undress.

"See something you like?" I give his words back to him.

Edwards smiles widely showing his pearly whites. He grabs me by the hips, pulling me toward him and gives me a sweet but forceful kiss. I almost go weak in the knees. I love how alone and secluded we are up here. Not many cliff divers come here this time of year because the water is colder compared to the summer months.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" he asks, after we break away, both trying to catch our breaths.

"Yes," I smile with confidence.

The cliffs in La Push Jacob and I used to cliff dive off were at least 40-feet high. This looks to only be 30-feet at the most.

"I remember you saying you've gone cliff diving before so I thought this would be something fun and exciting for you…and me. It can be a little dangerous jumping down so try to jump as far away from the cliffs as you can," he instructs. "This is something I normally wouldn't do with you since your safety is my number one priority, but I thought…why not live a little?"

Edward grins and gives me one last kiss on the cheek.

"I'm tougher than I look," I remind him.

He only smiles. "I'll dive down first."

Briefly squeezing my hand, Edward's suddenly off in a sprint toward the ledge and disappears down the cliff. I run to the ledge to see him go down. By the time I catch a glimpse of him, he's already splashed down in the water, waves and bubbles rippling where he landed. He emerges a few seconds later with a smile, waving at me.

I wave back, laughing.

"I give you a sold eight!" I call down, chuckling. "You ready for me?"

"Let's see what you got, baby!" he hollers.

I step back a few paces to give myself enough room for a good leap and go for it. I've never really been afraid of heights but my heart is pounding with excitement and adrenaline. And soon, I'm airborne headed down the cliff.

The dive down is shorter than I thought, cold water hitting me like needles, but I endure. The water in La Push, especially First Beach, is colder than this almost all year round so it's actually not that bad. By the time I surface, Edward is beside me, wiping water from his eyes.

"Well, Miss Swan. I think I'll have to give that a ten," he grins, gliding me along the water to him. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and pull him in for a kiss, both giggling like teenagers in love.

We dive down a few more times and lay out on our towels to dry off in the sun. Edward's packed us some snacks to eat while we enjoy the scenery and the animals scurrying around us. We eventually see hikers who we greet with a smile. They don't seem to know who Edward is and continue on their way. It's very peaceful and I'm glad he brought me here, away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi.

"This place makes me miss Forks," I sigh. "I never thought I'd say this, but I actually kind of miss the small town atmosphere and the woods."

After high school I couldn't wait to get away and venture somewhere different like Los Angeles or New York. I love the big cities but I suppose I'll always be a small town girl at heart since I've lived with Charlie most of my life in the great Northwest of Forks, Washington with a population of about thirty-five hundred.

"Have you ever thought of going back to visit?" he asks.

"No, not really," I shrug nonchalantly. "I haven't been in L.A. long enough to really think about going back so soon. And with living in Volterra for three months, I still barely know my way around."

"Think I'll like Forks?" he grins.

"If you like small towns you can practically drive through with lots of trees and where fishing is the number one sport—I can definitely see you buying a summer home there," I sarcastically reply with a laugh.

"Hold on a minute…" He reaches for his pants and searches for his phone. "It's Rosalie."

"Oh, great." I start worrying because she wouldn't be calling if he wasn't running late. He silences the ringer and puts it back in his pocket. "Aren't you going to answer that?"

"I already know what she's going to say, so I'll just text her on our way to the car," he brushes it off with a wave of his hand. Edward stands and puts his pants and shirt back on. I quickly do the same while he packs up our things.

"I was afraid you'd be late if we came here."

Edward walks over to me and cups my chin, stopping me mid-way from buttoning my shorts. "I'm not late for anything," he smiles reassuringly. "The meeting I have is with Rosalie and Emmett at their house. They can wait. And I already told them I had prior plans so they know I'm going to be late. It's basically a casual dinner meeting. Rosalie's probably just freaking out that it'll be the end of the world if the food gets cold."

"Oh, I see." That makes me feel somewhat better. "Still, I'm sure she's going to blame me for your tardiness to dinner."

He hugs me tightly, lifting me off the ground. "You worry too much." Edward nuzzles his nose in my hair. "Rose can think whatever she wants because she knows I've always done what I've wanted with my personal life."

"Yeah, but not when it interferes with your career," I reply. I remember Rosalie telling me how she tries to keep that aspect of his life in check.

Taking our towels and cooler in one hand and mine in the other, Edward leads us back to the car. "Bella, you've never done anything to interfere with my career. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. My career is the second most important thing to me. I haven't worked this hard to let it fall to pieces. Rose just likes to exaggerate. If anything, you've helped me strive to become better."

How on earth did I manage to do that? Looking back at me, he smirks, knowing what I must be thinking.

"Your support and understanding of my career is important to me. You're a big part of my life just as my passion is for acting. I'm doing this not just for myself anymore, but for us. I want you to be proud of me."

I'm at a loss for words. I've never known Edward to be this open and honest with me before and it makes want to cry tears of joy, but I choke back the lump in my throat. I tug on his hand to stop him so he has to turn around to face me.

"Oh, Edward," I hug him. "Of course I'm proud of you. I cherish every second I have with you even if it's just for moments at a time."

I I I

Back at Edward's house I help him take our things out of the back of his Acura SUV. While he grabs his basketball shoes and duffle bag, his cell phone falls out of his pocket. It rings as soon as I pick it up to hand to him so he can answer it.

"Who is it?" he asks, not paying attention to the ringing device. "If it's Rose again, just let it go to voicemail." I stand frozen, looking at the caller ID. "Bella?" Edward finally turns to me with concern.

"It's Tanya," I manage to say, not realizing how tightly I'm gripping his phone. He frowns, slowing reaching for it. "No!" I shove my hand away from his. Enough is enough! She's been blowing up my boyfriend's phone for far too long. "What do you want Tanya?" I answer, sounding very irritated so she gets the hint that she shouldn't be calling.

Edward looks dumbfounded but doesn't try to take the phone from me. I think he's curious to see what I'm going to say. And to be honest, so am I.

The other line is quite. Tanya's probably caught by surprise to hear my voice instead of his. "I need to speak to Edward," she finally says in a calm tone.

"And what exactly do you need to speak to my boyfriend about?" I respond coldly.

"It's obviously none of your business," she spats, still trying to stay composed. "I know he's there. Stop acting like an immature little girl and give him the phone."

I'm gripping Edward's phone so tightly again, I swear I'm going to crush it with my bare hand. My temper is rising quickly with the hairs on my head prickling. If this was the jungle I would shred her to pieces without blinking.

But I keep my cool.

"And when's the last time you actually got a hold of Edward? After your missed calls, voicemails, and texts you've sent him? Are you drunk or just stupid? Obviously, he doesn't want to talk to you!" I lash out.

"How dare you say that to me, you bitch! You've probably just been keeping his phone away from him. Edward cares about me—more than you'll ever know. We share a bond you'll never have with him."

The nerve of this woman!

"Newsflash sister, if you have this so-called 'bond' with Edward then why isn't he still with you? Maybe it's because you're selfish, superficial, manipulative and crazy in the head. Not to mention a whore and a home wrecker! How could you sleep with your own sister's boyfriend?" I hear her gasp on the other end. A secret she's most likely shocked I know about.

"And no, Edward didn't tell me—Demetri did, trying to warn me about you. Oh, yes. I know your sister's now ex-boyfriend. You may have your beauty, but looks fade quickly. And that's all you have, because your personality is black as tar and no one will ever love you because you're an evil person who only knows how to use people! I'm truly sorry for your loss but if your grandmother knew how terrible of a person you really are, what do you think she would have said? …I sure would be disappointed."

"Bella!" Edward disapprovingly shakes his head.

The line goes dead.

I'm still breathing heavily; the adrenaline pumping through my body when I let my words take over me is slowly dissipating the more I calm down. Edward looks disappointed. Had I gone too far? I didn't feel an ounce of sympathy a moment ago, but the guilt is now beginning to surface.

"Bella…that was unnecessary," he says softly.

I hand Edward's phone back to him, frowning and feeling ashamed of what I said.

"I'm sorry," I reply quietly, "I don't know what came over me. She just has a way of making me so angry and feeling…unworthy of you—like you're this Prince Charming and I'm some kind of peasant."

Edward sighs, putting his bag down. He closes the gap between us and rubs my arms, placing his forehead against mine. "I understand how she makes you feel…but there's no need to stoop to her level. Don't give her that satisfaction. You haven't seen how her grandmother's passing has affected her and I have. I'm not taking her side but Tanya's been through a lot this week and no matter how hard it might be, we should try to put ourselves in her shoes as someone who's lost a loved one. And don't forget…Cinderella got her prince in the end."

I half-smile at his attempt to cheer me up from feeling like dirt. "Kill 'em with kindness. Is that what you're saying?" I ask wearily.

"Yes," Edward chuckles softly, "something like that."

Wrapping my arms around his waist with my head resting on his chest, I sigh again. "There's been so much going on lately and I just got here. I would never have guessed moving from a small town like Forks to Los Angeles would be a life changing experience."

And it was. I worked at the local diner part-time after school in Forks to try to save for college so my parents didn't have to pay for it all. Doing that got me into the University of Washington with a degree I could be proud of. Not knowing what moving to L.A. after college would do for me, it was the best decision I've ever made.

If someone had told me I would be in one of Aro's movies in Volterra, Italy, be a hunky movie star's girlfriend, and become one of the most famous up-and-coming fashion designers assistant, I would have thought they were crazy and kept on walking.

This is definitely more than I could have dreamed for.

"You're right," Edward says after a beat.

My thoughts are broken by his voice as I look up into his beautiful green eyes. "Huh?"

He pulls back a little to get a better look at me. "It's been hectic—not just here but even when we were in Volterra with the paparazzi and the press. Why don't we go away for the weekend? Somewhere quiet and secluded…like Forks?"

"What?"

"It'll give you a chance to visit your dad…even see Jacob and your friends. I'd like to see where you grew up and meet those close to you. And it'll be a nice change of scenery."

"Are you serious?" I raise my eyebrows.

What he's telling me sounds surreal, my brain taking its time with processing the information.

"Yeah, why not?" Edward tilts his head to the side with a wondering stare.

"I'd love to but—"

"But what?" he looks disappointed.

I squeeze his hand hoping he'd understand. "Edward, I'm working this weekend…remember? I still have to complete my two weeks and I can't ask Lucy to give me more time off after my first day back."

He nods, caressing my cheek. "I understand…and I'm normally not this selfish, but I can't help it with you."

I smile, thinking we're on the same page.

"But—I believe this will be good for the both of us. And I'm sure Lucy will understand. I'll talk to her myself, tell her it's my idea and how you're against it."

"Huh?"

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Edward kisses my forehead—leaving me hanging on his words, still dumbfounded, as he gets back into the car. "Now, I'm late so I gotta get going. Just use your house key. I'll be back soon."

I watch him drive away, unable to move from my spot.

What just happened?

Author's Note: Adventure time in Forks! I can't wait! Let me know what you thought of this chapter. I'm sure you have some mixed emotions about the Bella-Tanya drama. Thank you for your reviews! Please continue to review!