Disclaimer – Original characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, plot lines and characterisations all belong to Aurora18, copyright March 2016.
A Sunday night treat for y'all, also longer because one or two of you may have wanted longer chapters ;)
As expected and requested, I don't think this Bella is going to let Edward get away with this kind of behaviour.
Game on.
Chapter 4
"Glad to see you got over whatever thing it was that was so life threateningly important that you couldn't contact me this week and left me to walk to school in the rain."
"You're angry."
"No this isn't angry, this is rage foreplay. You have no idea how pissed I was, actually still am that you just forgot about me. You could have called."
"I don't have a cell phone."
"Bullshit, even if you don't, which is weird but ok. You didn't think of borrowing one from your glam squad of siblings and calling the Chief of Police's home, because guess what, he's listed in the phonebook."
"I really didn't think you would be this…affected."
"Affected? I met you on my first day at a new school, new town. I don't know anybody here. I make the wild assumption that we're getting on because of the talking for hours part of the day and then poof!"
"Poof?"
"You disappeared, asshole."
"What did you just call me?"
I turned around in my seat; Edward was driving me home after Mrs Cullen recognised as a fellow woman that I would probably murder him on their driveway if I didn't have something to distract me.
"I called you an asshole Edward, and I think it's pretty justified given how you behaved. I mean, where were you?" I looked down at my lap instead of out the window at the beautiful Washington forestry speeding by, I figured bitching to him about his speed probably wouldn't help and it really wasn't the most important thing after all.
"Why does it matter?"
"Why does it, why does it matter? Edward stop the car."
I sit there wringing my hands together for what is probably no more than a minute but feels way too long. Before when the car was moving along the road I could find a hundred other things to distract me, now that it's just us my senses are hyper aware of every infinitesimal movement he makes.
I know that I need to get this out so I turn my body to face him and look him straight in the eyes. I need him to know that I'm serious but at the same time being in such close proximity is nerve wracking.
"It matters because I moved here to live with someone who I really don't know at all, there's nothing wrong with Charlie but we just haven't spent much time together.
It's awkward. Forks is nothing like Phoenix, it's a new school on the other side of the country and I'm not trying to sound like a martyr because I made this choice for myself but I'm not someone who just fits in naturally anywhere she goes.
Then I meet you on my first day and other than the fact that you're apparently initially repulsed by my presence, we got talking and for the first time I didn't feel like I was in a strange place. You felt familiar and it was nice to feel like I actually belonged here. And then you were gone and all of a sudden I was the weird new girl all over again. I was mad and hurt and just disappointed."
"I'm not a good friend for you Bella. You should stay away from me."
"Kinda difficult when I'm in your car."
"I'm serious."
"Bullshit."
"Excuse me?"
"That's such self sacrificing, brooding and masochistic bullshit."
"You're angry."
"Play a different tune already. Yes, I'm angry. Yes, I'm hurt. No I am not going to forgive you after one look at your pretty face and athletic physique."
His head snapped up at my words and his eyebrows furrowed in consternation. He turned his eyes down to his feet and muttered harshly to himself.
"I never meant to hurt you."
"Well you did."
"I'm sorry Bella, but this just shows why it isn't a good idea for us to be friends."
"Did you not hear the part where I called bullshit on your superiority complex? You do not get to decide if it's a good idea for us to be friends. I mean what gives you the right? I accept that you have shitty decision making skills but people forgive other people for their mistakes."
"You don't sound like you forgive me."
"Well I kind of don't. Edward I had to show up to my second day at a new school kinda late and wet from the rain. Now I'm no beauty queen but that really wasn't the first impression I wanted to give people of myself."
"I didn't know that that would happen, I just thought it would be best if I took off for a few days."
"Maybe before you decide to run away from something that scares you, you should do the logical thing and talk to someone, namely me, to let me know that you can't give me a ride."
"I'm not a good friend for you Bella."
"Fine, you know what, screw this I'm walking home."
"Bella don't be ridiculous."
"As great as it is to hear you say my name all day Edward, I'm going, you're too pig-headed to listen to reason."
"Bella, wait, please."
I don't think he thought that I'd actually get out of the car, especially given that a light drizzle had begun to fall outside. I didn't slam the car door but I didn't waste any time moving away from the vehicle and along the track that I was, fairly, sure led back towards the centre of town. I felt him behind me before I heard his footsteps and almost came to a complete stop when he was in front of me trying to block my path.
"Bella, please, I'm sorry, just, let me explain. Stop walking, God you are so infuriating." I spun around at his last words, pointing to my chest as I spoke my next words."
"I'm infuriating? Are you serious?"
"You don't do anything I expect you to, you confuse me."
"Right, because cutting school for four days at the start of the semester under the pretence that you don't think you'll be a good friend to someone is…normal. Is that right? Is that really the point you're trying to make?"
His hand is running through his hair again and with the light rain slowly soaking his shirt I feel like fate does not want me to stay mad at this boy for very long.
"Can you please just get in the car?" He looks defeated and part of me feels sorry for him, he's obviously incredibly conflicted about something and I realise that it's causing him significant discomfort.
As soon as we're both settled in with the heater on I turn to face him again, hoping that we can both get some things straight finally.
"Look, I know I ramble sometimes but let's just keep this simple. I'll ask you questions and you can ask me too. I'm tired of this back and forth already."
"Ok."
"Right, so why did you leave? You need to tell me the truth here or I'm done with this whole thing and you can just drive me home and we won't speak again."
"At the time I felt like my leaving was the best thing to do, I feel very drawn to you and being with you feels different to what I'm used to."
"Why didn't you call me to let me know you couldn't give me a ride?"
"I didn't think that you'd be left to walk to school and I had no idea how reliant you were upon me that day. I'm sorry Bella but if I'd known or realised how much you'd be hurt then I never would have left."
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't think that you'd care, or notice."
"No but what do you mean about hurting me?"
"I care about you very much, more than I should."
"Because you have a girlfriend? 'Cause I think you crossed the line at calling me delicious, if you do."
His beautiful face twists into a wry smile and he closes his eyes as he shakes his head to himself.
"No, no girlfriend."
"Then it's ok to care about me, I mean it's pretty obvious that I care for you."
"I can't believe that you walked all the way to my house."
"Yeah well I'm not sporty, like at all but I can walk ok. Besides how else was I supposed to get in touch with Edward MIA Cullen?"
"I like it when you say my name."
"Hey I'm still mad ok. Your cute comments probably do you a lot of favours in life along with that face but not with me. Honesty is the best policy, and you've got some catching up to do."
"Yes I have."
"Are you going to run away again?"
"No."
"How do I know that? What's the point in me trusting you if you're just going to disappear again?"
"I managed to convince myself while I was away that I would be no good for you and that my absence would not cause you pain or distress. You seem to be decided to prove me otherwise. I am also selfish and Bella, I don't think that I can stay away from you anymore."
"Then don't."
Our last words hang in the space between us and I bite my bottom lip as we continue the rest of our journey in silence. I can barely contain my smile and a look at him out of the corner of my eye shows me that he feels the same.
If I thought that he was beautiful before then that was because I hadn't seen the cheeky grin on his face now. He looks extraordinary and far younger than the seventeen year old carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders of before.
"I really am sorry about leaving last week."
"I know. You can make it up to me."
"What do you have in mind?"
"I want to go hiking; you live in a pretty remote spot so I figure you know a thing or two about navigating these trails."
"Yes I'd say that I do."
"Then you can show me the best spots, tomorrow should be dry and that's apparently pretty rare in Forks. Pick me up at ten and if you're a minute late then there'll be trouble."
"Yes ma'am."
We say goodbye with secret smiles and promises of an adventure tomorrow. I sleep soundly in contrast to how restless and jittery I feel in the morning, running around trying to decide exactly which hoody I'm going to wear on my forced platonic date with Edward.
On hearing a car pull up outside I have to cover my mouth in shock as I let out a giggle when I see Edward on my drive at nine am with a brown paper bag from the bakery and two coffees as he gets out of the car.
He might be a bit clueless but it seems that there's hope yet for Edward Cullen.
Oh hey! So this was difficult as very dialogue heavy which isn't normal in my chapters but I wanted to actually get them talking and have a real conversation filled with more than three word sentences. I think this also conveys the intensity of their relationship but also a more realistic approach to communication. That's kind of what I was going for.
Let me know what you think, I love hearing from you.
Happy Sunday!
-Aurora