DISCLAIMER: The story doesn't belong to me; the characters are property of S. Meyer, and the plot belongs to Annalau Thank you so much for letting me share your story in English!

Gracias Laura, por darme esta oportunidad!

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Chapter 16

Claire

"I have to go," I said as I ended the call with Claire.

"Are you going out with her?"

"We've met a couple of times," I clarified. "She's a friend of Jacob's."

"Ah, she sounded upset."

"There was a mishap at the building where she lives, and she needs help." I sighed. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. No matter what time it is."

She stood in the doorway watching me leave. There was pain in her eyes, and I didn't know how to feel about it.

I shook my head.

I couldn't stop thinking about Bells.

Her sad face and the new baby.

There was so much guilt in me, so many emotions I needed to get out.

It felt so strange to have left her in the wee hours of the morning with my son, alone. Maybe she could get sick again.

Crap.

What if the fever came back? She needed to talk to her OB and tell her how bad she was with this pregnancy.

I looked at the building number again and looked down as I saw the fire truck parked out front at the curb.

Claire came over as soon as she saw me, she was wrapped in a plaid blanket.

"Edward, I'm glad you came," she mumbled. "I called Jacob, only he didn't respond."

I scratched my head looking at all the commotion of the firemen. According to Claire, there had been a small fire in the building where she lived and she had no one to turn to, she was alone living in the city. She needed a helping hand to get a roof over her head for a night.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. It was just a scare, but we can't stay in the building tonight anyway. First, they have to evaluate if it's fit for habitation."

"Well, let's go get Jacob," I pointed to my car.

"I'm almost ready to buy my own car," she confessed. "I've saved enough these past few months."

I opened the car door and helped her into the car. She kept chattering the whole way while all I could think about was Bells and my children.

We would have another baby. I regretted not being with her, taking care of her.

Jacob didn't open the door to her apartment no matter how much we insisted for fifteen minutes. I decided to invite her to my place and on the way she kept chattering on without tiring.

"It's very cosy here," Claire's voice made me look at her.

We had arrived at the apartment, and I hadn't been aware of the time that had passed. She looked apprehensively at every nook and cranny, seeming dazzled by the furniture.

"I have a guest room," I pointed down the hallway. "Do you want to rest? You must be exhausted from all the commotion of the flood."

"Actually, there was a small fire," she corrected me. "It seems you didn't pay attention to me."

"Oh, yes... I'm just a little distracted."

"Don't worry, I understand. I've been divorced for a year, and I know how it feels."

His words caught my attention. She was very young, maybe around twenty-seven or twenty-eight like Bells.

Her wheat complexion matched her dark brown hair very well.

And... what did she know about me? Damn Jacob! He'd pay for telling my life story.

"Excuse me if I intrude," she added with a shy smile. "Jacob told me a little about your divorce process. He says you're having a hard time and believe me I understand."

She walked over to the counter where several picture frames were on the counter: each one was a picture of my son.

"He's chickee," she said. "He looks just like you."

"He looks just like my wife... ex-wife," I corrected. "Eric has a lot of resemblance to Bells, even the same smile."

"How long were you married?"

"Seven years," I mumbled.

"I was six," he muttered, "We had no children."

I put my hands in my pants pockets. Frankly, I had no interest in her story and not that I was rude, I just didn't feel like talking about my life with Bells. I was still mulling and processing that we would soon have another child and it pained me to know how he was fathered.

I sighed.

"I'm exhausted and I really want to sleep," I said kindly. "If you'd like to make some coffee or whatever you want, make yourself at home. Excuse me."

I gave her a weak smile before walking to my room.

.

.

.

In the morning I had forgotten that Claire was in the apartment and when I saw her in the kitchen I was surprised. She had prepared breakfast for both of us.

"It wasn't necessary," I whispered as my gut protested for food. It was an embarrassing noise.

"You saved me," she articulated. "I have no friends in town, and I would have had no place to spend the night."

"Where are you from?" I asked as I took the first bite of the cheese sandwich.

"I'm from a town near the town of Forks, maybe you can't place it.

"My father-in-law is from Forks, sorry my... Bells' father," I corrected, "we used to spend time in that town."

"I'm from a nearby reservation and I'm almost raised in Forks," she smiled, but within seconds her smile faded. "My ex is from Forks, that's where we lived our entire marriage."

I cleared my throat.

"Is that why you decided to live away from your hometown, because of him?"

Claire dropped her fork on her plate, leaving her omelette untouched. She took a deep breath, and her gaze went to the picture window. It was a cloudy and windy morning.

"It hurt me to live close by. Seeing each other by chance anywhere in the city was painful. I knew that if I didn't put distance I would never move forward."

I could never put distance from Bells. It was painful to have left home and not live together; to not hear her terrible songs in the morning that sounded more like a dying animal.

I smiled to myself.

Or just the fact of not sleeping cuddled in the same bed. Not seeing her beautiful eyes every day or her mania for biting her lip. I was starting to miss that way of climbing on my back and hanging onto me like she was a spider monkey. I missed her.

I missed what we had and what we had been.

What I had lost by not giving her a chance.

What she had lost by forgetting us.


Well, this is it for now. We will be moving forward in the present and although the story has a happy ending, it won't be easy for them to get there. They first need to heal and walk a path where their feelings will be consolidated. They have a pending conversation, and we know it will come sooner or later. I would like to know your opinions. What do you think about Claire?

Once again, thank you for all your support. Sending virtual hugs!

THANK YOU FOR READING!