I don't own Twilight. What I own is my character's behavior, personality, background, and the plot of the story.
Author's note at the end of the chapter.
"What the hell were you doing? Why are you not answering my calls?" Bella demands when Marco finally answers.
"I was showering Bella. Once I finished and saw you calling I answered. Is there something wrong?" Marco tells her in a worried tone.
Ignoring his question, Bella tells him, "iPhones have the option of saying the caller ID while ringing. Next time you shower, keep your phone in the bathroom and if you hear my name, you drop everything and answer, got it?"
Marco is quiet for a moment before he finally answers her, "Got it." He is very aware of how ridiculous Bella is sounding. He also knows that if he gives her an hour or so, she will come to her senses and apologize for her behavior. Bella has never been this demanding or irrational, not even while they were together. Something must be awfully wrong with her or else she wouldn't be behaving this way.
"Talk to me, Bella. What's wrong?" Marco asking her this in his calm unassuming kind voice is all the invitation she needs to spill her guts which is how she ends up in tears as she asks him, "Can you believe the nerve of him? How could he lie to me like that?"
At her last emotional outburst, Bella realizes that she is being too loud and looks around to make sure Cece hasn't heard her as she tries to discreetly Pat dry her wet cheeks with the sleeve of her jacket.
She is met by a moment of silence from the other end of the line before Marco finally tells her, "Sweetie you need to calm down or else you will have a panic attack. Inhale for five, hold for five, then exhale for five. Can you do that for me?"
His question brings her back to the first time she managed to stop herself from having a panic attack. Cecilia had just turned one and instead of being a normal person, Bella was freaking out over the fact that Edward missed an entire year in his child's life. That was before she started going to a therapist and understood how abusive Edward was when her emotions used to yo-yo between being angry at him for driving that night and crying herself to sleep over missing him. Marco had caught her hiding under a shelf in the corner of the pantry hyperventilating and crying into her fist. He had approached her then the way one would approach a wild animal to not scare it away.
He crouched till they were at eye level then told her, "I want us to do a breathing exercise together. I am going to count to five out loud three times. The first set you will spend it breathing in, the second set you will hold your breath, and the last you will exhale."
She remembers telling him worriedly that she can't, and his answer then had been that she has to try or she will never know for sure. Ten minutes later, he was helping her stand up and she had known then that she met an extremely important person in her life.
She realizes then that she has been stuck in her head for too long and quickly answers him, and to the surprise of neither, she finds herself feeling better ten minutes later.
Once she is calmer, Marco asks her the million-dollar question, "Why are you so angry?"
He is met with silence. Bella isn't sure how to answer him. Does she choose the path of least resistance and be honest, or should she take Marco on a merry chase and deny it till she dies?
She contemplates lying to him, but God, she is so exhausted that she wants to die. The idea of lying sounds like too much work when all she wants to do is die. Just lay on the ground and let the storm the anchor spoke of consume her, so she does.
She lays on the ground and looks at the sky and then whispers into the phone, so low that she doubts Marco hears her, "I am scared, not angry."
Marco does hear her and asks, "What's scary about what you found out?"
Bella starts feeling the cold seep into her back but ignores its sting, and tells him, "He can still lie to me and feel okay about it Marco. He can lie to me and I can't tell."
She is met by Marco's silence. This time he is the one who finds himself at a loss for words.
She sniffs then whispers to him, "What does this mean for me?"
Marco clears his throat and tells her, "It means that you are still the kind person you have always been and you didn't let what he did to you change you."
"No, no," Bella mutters then sits up and tells him, "I know what the first part means. It means that I am an idiot and naive. That's not what I am asking about. What does him being single mean to me?" Bella demands from him in an urgent tone.
"What do you mean?" Marco asks in confusion unsure what she is asking him.
"How will him being single impact me?" Bella rephrases.
"Huh?" Marco asks still unsure of what she is going at.
Running her fingers through her hair, she tugs at the ends and collects all of it to one side, then asks him, "Don't you understand? Despite his worst action I still care. What will happen when he is single and I am single and we are spending 24/7 hours together? What will happen to me? What will he do to me?"
"Are you worried that you will take him back?" Marco asks her.
Bella laughs as she turns to look at the cottage and spots Edward cleaning through the window. "I know I will."
Hello lovely people,
I updated this chapter in less than five days. This should count for something. I loved writing this chapter. We got to see Bella be vulnerable this time. Tell me your thoughts. Do you want to see more of vulnerable Bella? Did the chapter answer all of your questions? What do you think will happen next? How will Bella deal with Edward and how will Edward apologize? Let me know what you think in the review section.
Until my next update, remember to vote for me in the Golden Onion Awards. Left Behind, and Bella and Marco in Left Behind were nominated. I was nominated, and Risk It All was also nominated. Voting for me would be like the best gift you could give me.
Stay Safe