Chapter 3: Shopping with Damon
Bella POV
We were driving in silence. Damon was driving fast but for some reason I felt safe. I could feel my mask fall and my tears soon followed. I felt a hand squeezing mine and I wiped my eyes frantically. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and turned to look at Damon. He was focused on driving, right hand holding mine, left hanging on the outside of the driver's door. I felt a small smile on my face.
"Aren't you gonna hold the wheel?"
He laughed and used his left hand to drive.
"So what are we shopping for?"
"Clothes, bathroom products, and a few other things"
"I'm confused, did you bring anything?
"The car"
"The car has only a few miles on. There is no way you drove from Virginia"
"You're good. I didn't drive, I got a plane. It wasn't planned; I just got up and left. I got the car in Seattle"
'Ok, that sounds plausible'
"What happened?"
He took a deep breath
"Long story short, there was a girl named Katherine that Stefan and I both knew in the past. She was going out with both of us. In the end she changed us both. We were very close before we met her. She lied to Stefan a lot but not to me. Which is why I was so upset when I found out she wanted us both. In the end she left. After a while I thought I found her but didn't as she wasn't where she was supposed to be and a friend of hers told me that Katherine never loved me. It devastated me. As time passed my brother moved on to a girl named Elena who looked physically a lot like Katherine. Their personalities though are opposites. Katherine was a bitch, I can tell it now. Elena is the only person I consider anything close to friend. In the town's celebration called 'Founder's Day', I met Elena as she arrived home just as I was leaving her house. We talked and in the end she kissed me. When I confronted her about it later she refused she ever did. I snapped. I realized that I was used again and I got up and left. Got the first plane, left and found myself in Seattle. I remembered your dad and came here."
It was my turn to squeeze his hand
"I'm so sorry Damon. But I feel that you're leaving something out"
He chuckled darkly
"I'll explain later. Now come on, we're here"
We got out of the car in the shopping street in Port Angeles. First we went to the hardware to get paint, nails and a few other stuff and even wooden boards. We got a dark cherry red paint and a couple shades of blue, a bottle of paint in spray in a rich gold colour and a second in silver. After that we moved on to get brushes and rollers since I wasn't sure what Charlie had. It was getting late and we stopped to get Chinese on our way back. We didn't talk about past boyfriends and girlfriends instead talking about hobbies and ways to pass the time. He asked me if there are good places to have a drink around here and I told him I didn't know. I guess the closest decent places were in Port Angeles.
Sometime later we were pulling in behind a dark blue truck. I looked at the house. Wow it really is old. I don't think I had ever properly looked at it. While sliding with light blue edges. Maybe I should talk dad into adding a layer of paint to it as well.
"I guess we have guests"
We headed in and saw Billy and dad watching sports and talking and a huge boy going through the fridge.
"Hey dad, we're here"
"Hey Bells, look who popped by"
"Hey Bella, long time no see."
I raised an eyebrow at Billy; he knew very well why we hadn't seen each other all summer. I gave a hug to Jake who was looking between me and Damon suspiciously.
"We brought dinner"
I said and lifted the takeout bag.
"We already ate, Billy brought some fish"
Damon shrugged and got his box and headed upstairs to eat and I got mine and went on the back yard. Jake followed me and we settled on the ground on a blanket as I ate. We talked a lot and I could see in him the boy I loved calling best friend when we were little. When they left a couple hours later Jake and I promised to see each other again soon. I threw away my empty carton and sat with dad for a while.
"So how was your day Bella?"
"Slow, school was ok and then Damon came and picked me up to go to Port Angeles to buy some stuff for the attic. Picked dinner and came up"
"Is that all?"
"Yeah, we talked about his ex girlfriend, why he's here, stuff like that. Why?"
"Nothing, just asking"
After a while I headed up to my room and got ready for bed. Thankfully it was Friday so I could skip on doing homework. I was exhausted by pretending all morning and once again I cried myself to sleep.
I woke up late feeling tired and groggy. I pulled my hair back in a messy bun in the back of my head and washed my face. I stumbled downstairs to find dad making pancakes following my home made recipe book. Most of them were brown, really burned but a few seemed edible. Dad turned and got the jam.
"Family breakfast"
I smiled at sat at the table. Dad was in his pjs and when Damon came downstairs a few minutes later he was too. He appraised me up and down and I blushed and looked down. I felt naked, even though I was wearing light grey sweatpants, a simple black racer back tank and flip-flops. We had breakfast and in that moment I realized what Mike was saying the previous day. 'I have friends and family that care about me and want to help me' I thought. We had breakfast together and then I made the plan of the day. The house was filthy so I'd clean my room and bathroom, dad would do his room and guns, Damon said would work in the attic and then dad would help me attack the living room and cars. I'd finish with the kitchen.
By early afternoon the house was spotless again. I took a shower since I was sweating like crazy and got dressed simply in jeans and a white tank top. I kept the flip flops and went upstairs to see Damon laying on a king size bed in the attic which was painted in the dark red colour we bought the day before with golden lines on the walls going horizontally in line with the ceiling. There was also my old desk from my childhood years with a now fixed chair, a loveseat and a small set of 3 shelves on the walls. My childhood closet was also in there. All painted in the same colour. I noticed he had a small refrigerator as a night stand.
"How did you do this so fast?"
I murmured amazed.
"I work fast"
he replied with a sexy smile. I nodded still looking around. I considered staying here for a while but I had homework to do so I went back downstairs and opted to call mom instead of studying. I told her about my break-up and let myself be soothed in her optimism as she bit her tongue and didn't mention my last trip to Phoenix or the fact that I got hurt at all or that I did not visit her as Edward wanted me to spent summer with him and his family. We talked about Phil and his team and a few crazy plans she came up with and thankfully I changed her mind before actually doing them. We talked some more until I felt as if she was right next to me and dad knocked my door saying we'd go to the Lodge for dinner. I nodded and bid goodbye to mom, put my boots on, applied a minimal amount of makeup and we were out the door. Damon didn't join us saying he wanted to see something on TV.
We were sitting and just placed our order and i felt everyone looking at me. I was uncomfortable and it showed. Dad and I struck a light conversation and it wasn't until we were ready to pay that dad got to the point.
"Bella I noticed you spend time with Damon"
"Yes, is that wrong?"
"Not exactly. It's just" he took a deep breath and led me outside "he's dangerous"
"Dangerous?" if only you knew how dangerous Edward was...
"In what capacity?"
"It's better to keep your distance that's all"
"OK..."
What? And yet he let someone dangerous in the house? I needed to figure this out. After all I needed a distraction from the pain
