I turn off the ignition and sit in my car. I'm a few minutes early and I need to calm down before I go in. For the past four hours, about a million reasons for meeting tonight have gone through my head. Is he in trouble? Is he mad at me? Is he a psycho-murderer and I'm his next victim? Okay, the last one's a bit far fetched, but the point is, I'm freaking out.
I grab my purse and head toward the green four-leaf-clover sign that's flashing "Rosie's". As I walk in, I notice how quaint the pub is. Very small and eclectic. It only takes me a second to find him.
He's sitting at the bar with his back to the door, but his body is turned sideways as he watches Sportscenter. His unruly but perfect hair makes him hard to miss. God, he's gorgeous. He looks different though. A good different. More...rugged. Thankfully he hasn't seen me yet. It gives me a moment to gather myself.
I take a deep breath and head in his direction.
Here goes nothing.
He smiles when he sees me walking toward him. He stands and pulls out my chair.
"Bella. So glad you came."
Me, too. Twice. In the shower.
"Hi, Edward." I drag my head out of the gutter and sit down beside him. "How could I not show up? Your sneakiness is quite impressive."
He barks out a laugh.
"Me? Sneaky? That's the pot calling the kettle black, don't ya think?"
"Fine. I'm James Bond and you're Inspector Gadget."
"Inspector Gadget? Isn't he an ugly robot?" His eyes narrow playfully as he leans in and whispers. "I can assure you, I'm very real."
I grip the underside of my stool, trying to appear unfazed. "I guess I'll have to take your word on it, Inspector."
He winks and waves down the bartender. "Excuse me, can I get another Heineken and..." He looks over at me, waiting for me to respond.
"Oh! I'd like a Blue Moon, no orange slice, please."
"You're a beer drinker. Nice."
"Yeah, but only a few for me tonight. I can't have a repeat of the last time we met." I smile as I take the beer from the bartender. "We both know how that ended."
He chuckles. "Oh, yes. I definitely remember. I was actually expecting to hear that impeccable accent of yours tonight."
Someone kill me now. Please.
"Oh, that. I honestly don't know what happened. The accent and the words just kept blurting from my mouth. I'm so sorry if I offended you and Tanya."
He flinches at her name. Shit. Why did I have to bring her up?
He shakes his head. "No, no. You didn't. It was priceless. The only unfortunate part was that I don't think she's seen, "My Fair Lady" so she had no idea how hilarious it was."
I laugh loud, relieved. "Really? I guess that's good then. I just couldn't help myself."
He looks around to make sure no one's listening.
"She told me she thought you may suffer from Tourette's Syndrome," he says with a smirk.
"She did not!"
"Did too. And when she saw your rampage on Youtube, she knew for sure."
Youtube. He saw me on Youtube. He saw...it.
"You...you saw the video?" My voice is filled with horror.
"Yes. No. I mean...shit. Kind of. I knew there was a video but I saw it all happen live. No reason to watch it again. Actually...," he pauses for a few seconds, "... a guy from my office was the one who filmed it. He's an asshole and I threatened to sue him if he didn't take it down. Is it still up there?"
"Honestly, I don't know. After watching it over and over for a few days, I decided to never watch it again. It's not my proudest moment. Not that Angela didn't deserve every single word I said, but the falling down and flashing my ass? Yeah, not the highlight of my life."
He leans in and whispers, nudging my shoulder with his, "Well, if it's any consolation, it wasn't a bad view." He leans back and nods matter-of-factly.
"Um...thank you?" I bury my face in my hands, knowing I've turned bright red. "I'm just thankful I didn't have on my grandma panties!"
Did I just say that out loud?! Seriously, what is wrong with me?
Edward chokes on his beer and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Grandma panties?" I can tell he's trying not to laugh.
I respond, while facedown on the bar, trying to hide. "Yeah, well. Hmm. How do I explain this? Have you ever seen Bridget Jones's Diary?"
"I think some of it. Why?"
"Well, she wears big ugly grandma panties to keep herself from...ya know...having sex."
He lets out a loud barking laugh; I lift my head up from the table.
"Let me get this straight. You, Bella Swan, wear big, grandma underwear to keep yourself from having sex?"
"Yes," I force myself to respond.
He grins mischievously. "Say it. Out loud."
I roll my eyes dramatically and let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Fine. I, Bella Swan, wear big grandma undies to keep myself from humping guys."
He laughs. "Did you just call it humping?"
I punch him playfully in the arm.
"Ouch! Okay, okay!" He raises his hands in mock surrender.
He's so perfect. His face. His lips. I want to ask him why he invited me here, but I don't want to ruin the fun. I can't remember the last time I had a genuinely good time.
As if he's read my mind, he interrupts my internal dialog.
"So, Bella, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here in town and why I wanted to see you tonight."
I shrug. "Yes, but if you don't want to tell me, that's okay."
"No, I want to tell you. I just... don't know where to start..."
He takes a deep breath, and his fingers tap nervously on his legs.
"For the past few months, I've been second-guessing myself, wondering if I've made the right decisions in my life, business and personal. I convinced myself that my hesitation about the wedding was just cold feet and that what I was feeling was normal. So I dismissed it."
I nod, encouraging him to continue.
"But, on the flight back to Chicago, Tanya started talking about Forks and how pathetic the people there are. We got into a huge argument on the plane and once we got home, I just couldn't stay."
He shuffles in his seat, his voice softer.
"Bella, the night I met you, in the office, you said something."
Oh, God. What did I say?
"You didn't realize who I was and made a comment about Tanya. You said you heard she was a snooty bitch."
I start to apologize again but he interrupts me.
"No, no. It's okay. I'm not mad. Just let me finish."
"Okay, go on."
"I started to look back on how she treats my friends and even treats me and I realized you were right."
He pauses for a second and smiles.
"You also pointed out that she had a serious medical condition. What was it called...oh...a case of the "Madonnas."
I cover my mouth to stifle a laugh.
"Funny thing is, I never noticed it. Years of dating and I never noticed it. What does that tell you?"
"Hmm." I chuckle as I tap on my lips. "That linguistics isn't your forte?"
"Touché." He smiles and finishes off his beer and continues.
"It made me realize that I'm not in love with her. She's not the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. She's not the person I want to wake up with every day, forever. "
Unable to form words, I just stare at him.
"So, I came back to the only place that truly feels like home. Forks."
My frozen heart starts to warm up and my brain keeps shooting icicles in its direction.
"That's where you come in."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. I need your help...if you don't mind."
"Um...I guess. What do you need?"
"I'd like you to help me find somewhere to stay for a while."
I'm confused. "In Chicago?"
He laughs and shakes his head. "No, here. I'm going to stay in Forks. At least for a little while."
"Why don't you stay with Carlisle and Esme?"
"No. I don't want them to even know I'm here. I need to figure out what I want before I see them. I need time to think."
"You can stay with me."
I blurt it out before I realize what I've said.
His brows furrow. "Stay with you? At your house?"
"Well, my apartment. It's quiet and I have an extra room."
"Wow. Um. I don't know."
He's quiet for a minute. "Are you sure you don't mind?"
"I'm sure. Don't feel obligated, but if you want to, it's an option."
Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say no. ~~ Shut up brain!
He stands and holds out his hand to shake mine.
"I'm going to take you up on your offer. Thank you, Bella. You won't even know I'm there."
Me and my grandma panties will know you're there. Believe me.
I stand beside him and shake his hand, my hand tingles at his touch.
"You're welcome, Edward. I'd be happy to have you."
A/N: Hi! Edward staying with Bella!? Wonder if she'll keep wearing the grannies? LOL
Sorry it's been a few weeks. Life's been crazy! :) Thank you so much for all the faves and reviews. Completely makes my day!
Need to give a shout out to my hubs, (CrackedFic), who is the best beta in the world!
If you want to read a fanfic like no other, check out his Twilight fic on here: Saving The Fandom (A Farce in Eleven Acts)
I can't promise when I'll update, because with the holidays, working full-time and two little kids, my life is crazy. I'm trying to do it weekly, but if I miss a few weeks, don't give up on me. Real life always will come first, but I'll definitely complete their story.
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Hope you enjoy! :)
