Author's Note: Here you go! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Chapter 66
Edward's Point of View
I winced as I turned away from the bright light. I squinted to let my eyes adjust to the sudden brightness...and found myself in an unfamiliar room.
I groaned as I sat up slowly, my hand jumping to my head. This hangover was hell. I regretted drinking that vodka so much.
I glanced at the plain white walls, the simple powder blue curtains, the cosmetics arranged neatly on a classic wooden table. I fought to remember what had happened last night.
Nothing. Blank. I began to panic. What if I was in some random girl's house? What had happened?
I had called Emmett, I remembered that. He'd told me to come over for dinner, but I'd refused. I'd entered a bar and ordered the strongest drink there was...
I rubbed my eyes, silently cursing myself. How could I have made such a mistake? Had I met some random girl at the bar and she'd dragged me to her home?
But that couldn't be right. I was still in my clothes, and this room was too big and fancy for some girl who would work in a bar. I looked closely and recognized the style of the room's features. It was a replica of the Swan's mansion, which meant that this was the second mansion that Charlie had bought. I was in Bella's house.
Miraculously, everything came back to me. I had come here in the middle of the night to tell her how I felt. I'd confessed to her, and I remembered the warmth within her as she'd held me and cried... I remembered every detail.
Was she gone already? I glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table and read eight o'clock. I slid out of bed and walked slowly to the window. Her car was still there, which meant she was here somewhere in the house. But it was awfully quiet.
I spotted a pile of clothes laid on an armchair. Why did she have men's clothes here?
Still, I was grateful, and I took the clothes and slipped into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom, feeling much better besides the headache. The clothes fit me perfectly.
A familiar ringtone began to ring, and I reached for my cell phone on the bedside table. It was Rachel, probably wondering where I was. I was usually at my desk at eight sharp.
"Hello?"
"Where are you, boy?" Rachel sounded grumpy. "I have a pile of paperwork for you."
"I'm sorry, Rachel," I said. "I'll be there soon."
"Is something wrong?"
I glanced around the room. "Not particularly."
"I know exactly what you've done, young man," Rachel said. "You were sulking about your ex-wife until dawn, and you just fell asleep. You overslept, huh?"
I smiled slightly. "Close. I'll be there in half an hour. Hopefully."
She sighed. "Hurry up." And she hung up.
I thought I heard clattering noises in the kitchen as I descended the stairs. And my ringtone interrupted my musing. "Hello?"
"Edward?" a woman's voice asked. "This is Madison Montgomery. Remember, I came to your office last week."
"Of course I remember you. Is there something wrong?" I headed for the kitchen.
"My husband came to visit me last night. He nearly slapped my daughter. I thought he wasn't supposed to be coming within fifty feet of us, at least until the trial?"
"He was. The police were supposed to post two men to follow him at all times." I turned the door handle and froze, mesmerized by her familiar back, moving gracefully in front of the stove.
"Well, he was alone. No one heard me screaming, that's for sure. Maybe he gave them the slip?"
I couldn't respond immediately. There was a guilty pang in my chest.
"Edward, are you there?"
"I'm here, Madison."
At the name, Bella whirled around. She and I had a staring contest. She was perfect as always, luscious mahogany hair, beautiful face, and her scent that was swirling around the kitchen. It made me dizzy, seeing her glare at me. Surely, she was thinking that after my confession last night, I shouldn't be saying another woman's name.
"What do I do? He said that if I called the police, he'd kill me." Madison sounded more annoyed than frightened. "I knocked him out with a frying pan, and he stayed unconscious until this morning. He's still out, actually."
I blinked, more focused on the conversation now although I was still staring at Bella. "Are you sure you didn't kill him?"
Madison laughed under her breath. "Of course I'm sure. I'm positive dead people don't snore and mutter threatens in their sleep."
I breathed a soft sigh of relief. "That's good. Where's your daughter?"
"At school."
Bella's eyes narrowed, then turned back to the stove. I had to speak to her. Apologize for last night. Although I didn't regret my confession, I had invaded in her privacy late at night.
"Do you think you can come to my office? I'm not there yet, but I will be, in about thirty minutes. Do you think you can do that?"
"Yes. But what about the jerk?"
I cracked a smile, and I sounded amused as I replied, even to myself, "Call the police. Dial the number I gave you earlier, and they'll send plainclothesmen right away."
She sounded relieved. "Thank you. I'll see you in a few." She hung up, and I lowered my phone.
Bella was still ignoring me stubbornly, but I couldn't ignore her. She looked almost delicious, standing there wearing clothes that hugged her figure closely, with her long mane of hair flowing down to the middle of her back.
I stepped forward. "Bella."
She didn't respond but moved to a cabinet and pulled out a plate. She transferred scrambled eggs, sausages, and bacon onto it, then pulled two toasts out of the toaster.
Before I knew it, I was crossing the room to her and had wrapped my arms around her narrow waist. She stiffened.
"I'm sorry," I murmured. "I shouldn't have come last night."
She laid down the toast on the plate slowly. "But you did."
"But I don't regret it."
She made a sound of disbelief. "You had some nerve to come to a woman's house in the middle of the night. Especially while you were drunk. You're lucky you didn't go to some random girl's house and ask to stay the night."
Bella brushed away my arms and approached a drawer full of cutlery. She withdrew a fork and a knife, then handed it to me with the plate. "Eat, then leave." She turned to leave.
"I wanted to talk about last night."
She paused. "But I don't."
I set the plate down and left the fork and knife on it. I leaned against the counter. "I meant every word I said, Bella."
She whirled around, her eyes flashing. "You can't possibly remember everything you said. You were drunk."
"I do remember. That's how important you were last night. I wanted to tell you that for a long time."
There was a soft bell-like jingling at the kitchen doorway, and Rollie padded into the room. He was bigger than I remembered.
He stopped next to his mistress and wagged his tail at me. "Woof!" Even his voice was deeper, more mature.
I nodded at him. "Hey, buddy."
Bella rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't believe you. The whole stunt was pointless."
I raised my eyebrow. "I seem to remember you crying."
Her eyes widened. "I was not." She glared at my amused smile. "Are you sure you were drunk?"
"I was drunk alright." I winced. "I have the hangover to prove it. And the fact that I'm late for work." I glanced at the kitchen clock on the wall.
Bella sniffed. "No one's keeping you here. Eat, then leave. Come on, Rollie. You're going to have to guard me from this strange man. I don't know him." She marched out of the room, leaving Rollie to glance back at her retreating figure, then back at me.
I sighed as I picked up the fork and nudged the eggs. "She's really angry with me, Rollie. What will it take for her to come back to me?" I stared at the food, then remembered how I'd craved her cooking for a long time now. Slowly, I speared her eggs and lifted it to my mouth. It still tasted as delicious as I remembered. Perfectly seasoned with salt, not a crystal more.
Rollie stared at me for a long moment, then bent his legs and sat down. He was waiting for me to finish.
I smiled, grateful for the company. "At least you seem to understand how I feel."
Bella's Point of View
I pressed my hand to my burning cheeks. How could he possibly remember last night? He had been drunk. I could believe that he had a hangover right now; he was wincing with every move he made. How was it possible?
I headed back for my room to make my bed. I paused when the spread of my sheets brought his scent to me. I shook my head after a moment and made the bed.
I realized that Rollie hadn't followed me. I pouted slightly by the fact that he seemed to like Edward more than me. I sighed as I plopped down on the armchair and picked up a book that Alice had given me years ago. It was a love story, a modern one, which was I had never bothered to read it. This was my first time reading it, and I had to admit, it was pretty good. I'd been looking for a story like this for some time now.
I quickly became immersed into the world of fiction. So much that I'd forgotten Edward's presence in my house until he appeared in the doorway with my dog.
He raised his eyebrow at the cover of the book, which captured a rather intimate scene between a naked couple. "You never read those kinds of books before."
I shrugged. "It's a nice change."
He cocked his head. "Is that something Alice gave you, by any chance?"
"Yes."
He nodded. "I thought so. You still read the classics." He'd noticed my copy of Pride and Prejudice on the bedside table. "Thanks for breakfast." He smiled gently. "It was good."
I pursed my lips to hide my relief. I hadn't cooked in a while and hadn't been sure about how the eggs tasted. "Are you leaving now?"
"Are you really not going to listen to me?" he countered.
"No."
"Aren't you going to work?"
"I called in a sick day today." I couldn't work today. I would be distracted all day, thinking about last night. I would probably end up killing all my patients.
"Why?"
I cursed him internally for asking in such detail. "Because I didn't want to go to work."
"Are you really sick?" He looked concerned.
"Yes."
"Where?" He looked alarmed now.
I blew out an exasperated sigh. "Nowhere. It's just something I said to make you leave. Aren't you going? I thought you had to meet a client." My mouth twisted at the thought of him meeting another woman. Which was silly. She had a daughter, which meant she had a husband. But if she was seeking Edward's help, I was guessing that her marriage wasn't very happy.
Edward looked disappointed. "Fine, I'm leaving." He hesitated. "I... Won't you think about what I said, Bella?"
I felt guilty as I replied, knowing what I was saying wasn't true, "It won't matter that I think about it. There's no way I can forgive you, Edward." My eyes narrowed at the uncertainty in my tone that even I could hear. I didn't sound very convinced.
Edward didn't seem to notice it, to my relief. "I won't give up, you know." His voice was soft. "I won't let Jasper stop me. This is between you and me, and he can't interfere." He stared at me for a moment, looking wistful. Then, he sighed. "I'm leaving."
He disappeared, leaving Rollie to trail after him, yapping cheerfully.
I could feel my resolve getting weaker by the minute. And I knew: I wouldn't be able to resist Edward Cullen for much longer.
AN: Short, I know. But hey, it's an update. Reviews, please!
