don't own twilight. What I own is my character's behavior, personality, background, and plot of the story.
Thanks to my Beta MadMooey18 for making this readable.
Author's Note at the end.
Swan and Cullen dance the night away.
The coveted Martin Mathew gala was the hotspot of many celebrities yesterday, including Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen. The couple attended the party together. Edward Cullen wore a Martin Mathew suit while Bella wore a black Elie Saab that put her mile long legs on display.
The couple were first spotted together two months ago in the streets of West Village. Since then they have attended the Off to the Races premiere together. While neither reps have confirmed the relationship, sources close to the couple say that they are smitten with each other.
The two were introduced at a party thrown by Alice Brandon, Edward Cullen's stylist and girlfriend of his brother Jasper Cullen, and Bella's childhood friend and were instintly interested in each other.
Their last appearance together confirms that they still are going strong and the spark is still there with onlookers alleging that the couple were attached at the hip and danced the night away before leaving together.
"I am telling you, Bella, your romance is more popular than you think," Tyler tells her.
"Hush, I don't want anyone to know," Bella whispers, glaring at him then looks around the studio to see if anyone is looking their way.
Tyler rolls his eyes and replies, "Everyone knows you're famous."
Bella keeps glaring at him in frustration. "Why are you that bothered by it? You do know that the media will gradually lose interest?" Bella sighs. She stops pacing then sits beside him and whispers, "The bigger of a deal they make of it today, the bigger of a deal they will make of it once we break up."
"Then pray you don't break up," Tyler tells her cheekily.
When she doesn't smile, he tells her, "You're not having any problems already, are you?"
Bella shakes her head not looking at him and states, "I just have a bad feeling."
Tyler stares at her silently for a moment and then says thoughtfully, "Sometimes we think it's our gut when the feeling in us is our insecurity speaking."
Bella barks out a laugh and tells him, "Insecurity? Have you seen me, babe? I'm a fucking model. I don't have anything to feel insecure about."
"Just because you are confident in your appearance doesn't mean you aren't insecure in other areas," Tyler replies instantaneously.
"I don't have any insecurities," Bella tells him irritated
Now is Tyler's turn to laugh. "Everybody has insecurities because nobody is perfect."
Bella glares at Tyler for a moment and then her shoulders sag and her eyes drop to the ground, and her mask drops as she whispers, "It's not an insecurity when you are simply acknowledging reality."
Tyler places a hand on her shoulder gently and tells her, "Insecurities are insecurity. That's all they are."
Bella shakes her head and tells him, "Edward now likes me. He thinks of me as this shiny object, but soon he will discover the reality of who I am and realize that he wants nothing to do with it."
Tyler studies her for a moment and then asks her quietly, "What is that reality he will discover?"
Bella stares at him seething for a moment then silently picks up her things and storms out of the studio. She hears her name being called but she refuses to stop or turn around. She can't answer his question. She won't. She runs into the street and starts walking faster.
We shouldn't have come here.
Shut up.
We shouldn't have come here. We both know you will never be a good actress. This is all for nothing.
Shut up.
No I won't. You put us in this position when you decided that you want to be something you will never be good at.
"What?" she yells, turning to face Tyler.
He calmly tells her, "Bella, answer my question. You can't keep running."
Bella shakes her head and tells him, "You can't know."
"I can. Try me. You won't regret it," he tells her gently.
Bella taps her foot on the ground as she states, "Well, since you really want to know, here goes nothing. I am fucked in the head. I can't handle life. The moment he figures out how fucked I am, he will be running for the hills."
Tyler barks a laugh and tells her, "Everyone is fucked in the head. No one isn't. The only ones who aren't are the ones who have so much privilege that they have never had a reason to do anything."
"You think what I said was a joke?" she demands glaring at him.
The half smile on Tyler's face drops and he confesses, "No. Of course not. I am not trivializing what you feel. I just think you are overestimating it as an excuse to self sabotage."
Bella is silent for a moment and then hisses, "Can everyone say that the only relationship they ever had was with their rapist?"
The moment the words are out of her mouth, Bella claps her hands on her mouth as if she could lock back what she said.
What have you done!
Bella suddenly finds Tyler's arms wrapped around her and hears him whisper, "I am so sorry. I didn't know. I am so sorry you went through that."
Bella is numb for a moment before she feels her shoulder start to shake. Next she feels a tear roll down her cheek. She quickly wipes it away.
You will not cry.
You will not cry.
You will not cry.
Bella manages to hold in her tears and nod her head when Tyler pulls back and suggests that they go to his studio for some privacy so he could tell her how he got into acting.
"My dad was an abusive piece of shit." The knuckles of her hand holding the mug turn white as he starts. Bella stays silent and doesn't tell him her dad was the same. He already knows about her more than he needs to.
"My mum drank to numb herself. I was white trash personified. I barely passed my grades. I was going nowhere and everyone knew that. My only future was the gas station on the interstate near the outskirts of our town."
Tyler pauses to himself and looks down as a shadow of a smile settles on his lips. "Then I met her when we were sixteen. She was smart and funny, loved adventures, was good at school, had a future, and wanted to be my friend. She introduced me to acting. I thought it was lame, but she would always drag me with her to the drama class rehearsals and make me sit and watch her."
"That's how you got into acting," Bella concludes.
Tyler shakes his head and tells her, "Not exactly. One day, she wanted to ride a motorcycle. I tried to talk her out of it but she wouldn't listen. She had found a motorcycle in a dump and sent it to a mechanic. Finally, I gave her an ultimatum; if she didn't let me ride with her, she wouldn't get to ride. The first couple of minutes were good. They were great. It felt like we were flying and then something went wrong and the last thing I remember is my head hitting the ground and everything going black."
Tyler's hand shakes as he raises the mug to his lips and Bella automatically reaches to his free one and holds it in her's. "I am so sorry for what you went through." Bella understood from the anguish in his eyes that his friend died in that accident. She doesn't need him to say the words.
Tyler takes a deep breath and tells her, "When I woke up, I was alone. I wasn't surprised. I could not live with what happened. I discharged myself against the doctor's order and drove straight to her house."
Tyler pauses, his voice hitching as he tells her, "I had to tell them I was sorry, that I didn't mean for this to happen, that this peice of shit didn't deserve to live and have their daughter die," Tyler's voice hitches and he takes a minute to look up the ceiling and blink away the tears.
"I was prepared for them to be angry, curse me out or yell at me. Instead, her parents hugged me and told me they understood. They thanked me for being a good friend to their daughter and told me how happy I made her," Tyler loses the battle against himself and cries at the end of his statement.
Bella drops her coffee mug then gets up and hugs him. "That's where she got her kindness from," Bella whispers softly. Tyler hugs her tightly as a reply.
They stay like that for a minute and then Tyler pulls back. Bella loosens her arms from around him and gives him an appraising look. "I am okay," he tells her after blowing his nose in answer to her silent question.
"Sure?"
He nods his head then takes a deep breath. "I kept going to the rehearsals and gradually it became a passion of mine. Her parents supported me greatly. They were more parents to me than my own. They helped me come here. Her parents took me back to the hospital after I discharged myself and visited me everyday. When things got bad at home, they made me move in with them. They took me under their wings and helped me cope with Rita's death."
"It must have been hard," Bella tells him.
He nods his head and tells her, "It was hard and it wasn't a one man journey." Bella frowns in confusion. "I took the help that was offered to me," Tyler explains.
When he notices her still looking confused he continues, "I went to therapy," Tyler pauses and laughs lightly before continuing, "You know, when I was first told about therapy, I was against it. I remember telling them, I am a man. I don't need therapy. That's for sissies."
Bella laughs at his macho voice and asks him, "What changed your mind?"
"Something her dad told me. Real manhood isn't never needing help. It's having the courage to ask for it," Tyler answers her simply. Bella mulls over his words. It sounds great; in theory. In practice, she isn't comfortable with someone knowing her issues. How can she entrust a person with a map of her weaknesses?
Tyler suddenly gets up in silence which confuses Bella. Tyler comes back 2 minutes later with a notebook in hand. " I know that you aren't ready for therapy. I have been there before, but I also know that you can't keep it bottled in. You will lose it. I want you to have this notebook and use it. Write your thoughts and feelings in it, your dreams and hopes."
Bella decides to accept his gift. Partly because she doesn't want to argue with someone that just stopped crying. Another part because she is bursting at the seams and desperate for any remedy.
Hello lovely people,
I am so sorry for the late update, but I am back and my beta is back too, and since the next two chapters are already written, I will upload them as soon as my beta is done with them.
Meanwhile, you can read the one-shot I recently wrote, Let Her GO, or Head over to my substack account and read my original writing there. My account info is in my bio.
Leave me your thoughts on the chapter in the review section.
Until my next update,
Stay safe