Here's a little snippet. These two have a lot to discuss, so there might be more today. Dunno yet...
Thanks for reading along, and the lovely Ms. Meyer owns everything. (Except my typos.)
Listen…
~(~)~
"So…"
His fingers flutter nervously against his House Blend.
"So…"
Her fingers twine together tightly around her latte to keep from doing the same.
They both smile.
It's awkward, and they're entirely too aware of the few sets of eyes and ears around them, but they seem to be on equal ground. Nervous… hesitant… unsure…
But willing.
Edward chooses the table. It's the same one in the corner where Bella first spotted him two weeks ago. She considers mentioning that to him, but decides not to. Better just to move forward, to focus on the here and now.
There's a brief silence after they sit and then,
"How have you–"
"You look–"
They speak on top of one another.
It's a moment of levity they both need and Bella laughs softly while Edward's lips curl into his familiar crooked smile. His shoulders visibly relax and she finally sets her cup down.
They each take a breath and start again, keeping eye contact to avoid a repeat of their previous fumble. Edward goes first.
"I was going to ask how you've been."
She nods, smiles. "Good, I've been good. You?"
"I'm good. Just glad you agreed to stay and speak to me."
His words are smooth, but they prick Bella.
She feels her throat tighten with a hauntingly familiar guilt. "Why wouldn't I speak to you?"
He looks up from his coffee. "Why would you speak to me? You made it pretty clear when you left that you didn't want me to contact you. Not that I remember, or that I blame you. You were right to walk away from me."
Bella can't respond to that without letting her emotions get away from her, so she clears her throat and changes the subject, says what she was going to at the start.
"You look good, you know. You seem… happy."
He inhales slowly and forces a smile. It's nothing like the one he gave her outside, but it's genuine enough. "I am happy. Probably thanks to you."
She swallows thickly and blinks back tears. "That's really great, Edward." Her eyes fall to the table and she nods. "Really great."
It's quiet for a long moment and neither of them look at the other. Finally, Edward braves asking the question he thinks of most when his fractured mind wanders to Bella Swan.
"What about you? Are you happy?"
She looks at him —sees him still staring intently at his coffee cup, his brow deeply furrowed— and answers honestly. "Yeah, I am."
Because she is happy.
She has a small circle of friends that have replaced the ones she lost when she left him. She has a job that she loves and makes her feel as though everything they went through, everything she went through because of his addictions, wasn't all for naught. She has her father as her closest confidant and defender, and a new family thanks to his union with Sue.
Sue wouldn't be happy Bella was here, but Bella would think about that some other time.
Edward finally looks up at her then, his blue eyes shining – the relief in them palpable.
"That's really good to hear, Bella. I've wondered."
She starts to nod amicably and glances down to reach for her cup, but then the weight of his words hits her and her eyes snap to his.
You have? they seem to beg.
He nods once, and she feels her cheeks heat as her own admission pours from her mouth.
"I've wondered about you, too."
~(~)~