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CHAPTER 19

AN AWKWARD START

Bella kept looking at her watch. It was nearly one o'clock, roughly the time Carlisle was supposed to arrive.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, wearing her favorite jeans and a white fitted cardigan, Bella pursed her lips and considered her appearance. Since her hair had been a bit unruly today, she had opted for a messy bun with a few loose tendrils to frame her face.

"It's good enough. Why am I nervous?"

This wasn't a date, just a day spent with a friend. A friend who had occupied her dreams the night before.

The memory made her face turn hot. Perhaps due to the romance novel which now rested on her nightstand, the dream had been rather sensual. Even now, Bella could bring it to mind, how Carlisle had hovered over her as her back had settled into a luxurious bed. Wearing a white shirt with the buttons mostly undone, he had been the picture of gentleness, his eyes soft and dark as he had mapped her face, and leaned ever closer.

When her fingers had threaded into his hair, a hint that she had wanted him to kiss her, the dream version of Carlisle had breathed her name with such want, Bella could feel her toes curling even now.

What would he think if he knew? Had he ever thought of her in that way?

"Okay," she said to herself. "Get a grip. It was just a dream."

A soft meow reached her ears, and she looked to see Lollipop in the doorway. As the cat lingered and purred, Bella said, "Don't mind me. I'm being ridiculous today."

Lollipop merely sat down and started grooming. With a final glance at her reflection, Bella pushed away from the sink, exited the bathroom, then gave the apartment a once-over. The place looked fine. She was stressing for nothing.

It was ten past one when the buzz sounded.

Her heart quickening in her chest, Bella wasted no time in pressing the intercom button. "Hey, Carlisle. Come on up."

Eager to see him, she ventured out into the hallway, then down the stairwell where she finally caught sight of the newcomer.

Her smile vanished and her stomach dropped, for the man who was climbing the stairs was not Carlisle, but Evan.

Shit.

"It's you," she said flatly, and crossed her arms as she watched him from above.

"Hey." His features were repentant and uncertain, his car keys jingling as he stuffed them in his coat pocket. Hesitating on the stairs, Evan opened then closed his mouth. Finally, he asked, "Who's Carlisle?"

Really?! He had the audacity to ask that question?

"Never mind that." Her voice echoed in the stairwell. "What are you doing here?"

Having climbed the rest of the way, Evan was only three steps below her. "I was hoping we could talk."

"About what?"

"Not here." A murmured plea, uttered as he indicated the apartment upstairs.

Fuming at the fact that the lying dirtbag had shown up out of the blue, Bella gritted her teeth before saying, "If you want to talk to me, fine, but you're not welcome in my apartment. Let's do this outside." Suddenly aware that she didn't have her keys, Bella held up a hand, and told him to wait. Moments later, she returned with her keys in hand. Without a word or a glance, she walked directly past Evan, down the steps and into the autumn air outside.

It was cloudy and a bit windy today, but thankfully it wasn't overly cold.

When Evan just kept staring at her, with shame and regret, Bella's patience ran out. "Since I don't have anything to say to you, go ahead. Talk. I don't have all day."

"I messed up. What I did to you… it was the worst mistake of my life."

Her throat clogged up. She pointed an angry finger at him. "No. You don't get to do this. I don't care if you regret it or not. It's done. There's no fixing it. And what about Amber? Does she know you're here?"

"Amber and I… we've taken a step back from things. I tried but… she's not you. I know it's cliché, but sometimes, you don't know what you have until you lose it. Hell, I miss you, Bella. Regardless of how things turned out, you gotta admit, we were good together at one time."

"Were we? For all I know, you could have been cheating on me from day one," she accused.

"I wasn't. I—"

"Look. Whether we were good together at one point doesn't matter anymore. I don't trust you. I will never trust you. And if you want to know the truth, I don't love you anymore."

His shoulders slumped forward. "So that's it?"

Her anger partly yielding to a numb sort of sadness, Bella replied, "It's over. For good."

Whether it was good or bad timing, a silver Mercedes rounded a corner further up the street. When the turn signal activated and the vehicle began to parallel park behind Evan's sports car, she knew it was him. Carlisle.

Still upset with Evan, Bella tried to gather herself. But too late. When Carlisle exited the car, and their eyes met across the distance, there was definite concern on his face.

"Is that him?" Evan asked as he followed her gaze. "Wait… I've seen him before. Isn't that one of the doctors who—"

"You need to go." Her tone was hard and uncompromising. This conversation was over.

Evan's features hardened, his nostrils flaring when he said, "Fine."

With a disgusted stare at Carlisle, he stalked toward his vehicle, and muttered, "Real professional, pal. You date all your patients?" Seconds later, he pulled out of his parking spot with a screech of tires.

Of all the days Evan could have shown up, why today? Fuck.

Bella's cheeks were burning with embarrassment. If only the sidewalk would open up and swallow her. "I'm so sorry," she said to Carlisle as he neared. "I didn't know he was going to show up today."

But Carlisle didn't seem bothered by Evan's rude remark. Rather, he only seemed worried about her. "Are you okay?"

"I am now." Genuinely glad to see her friend, Bella willed her lingering anger to the side. She even managed a small smile. "It's good to see you. How was the drive?"

"It was alright."

"Good. Well, come on in," Bella said and ushered him inside. "So, this is it," she declared once the two were in the apartment.

As Bella led him toward the living-room, and he took in the space, his gaze lingering on her bookcase, she said, "It's not a mansion, but it's home."

"You have a lovely apartment."

"Thanks."

Today, Carlisle wore a tweed jacket with a gray sweater underneath. Paired with black slacks and black leather shoes, the outfit looked great on him. But then, he always looked gorgeous.

"I'm sorry about the timing out there," he said.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I just can't believe the nerve of that guy."

"You're certain you're okay?"

"Absolutely." She meant it. Now that Evan was gone, she could put him out of her thoughts and focus on the fact that she and Carlisle still had a full day to hang out. "Do you still want to go to the museum today?"

"Anything you want to do is fine by me."

"Great! Let me just grab my things and we'll go."

Heading into her bedroom, Bella was making for her purse when she noticed that Lollipop was on the bed. "I forgot, there's someone I'd like you to meet," she called, loud enough for Carlisle to hear.

"Bella," she heard him say from the other room, "I should warn you that—"

"There she is. Come on, old girl." Bella grabbed hold of Lollipop just as the cat was stretching. With the feline now snuggled against her chest, she turned and started for the living-room. "This is Lollipop. Lollipop, this is Carli—"

The introductions went no further than this, for the cat freaked out as soon as she saw the vampire in the room. With a spitting hiss, Lollipop swiped her claws in the air. Her fur was standing on end, an angry meow rising in her throat as she urgently pushed to get free.

"Ow!" Bella exclaimed as the cat's claws dug into her forearm right before Lollipop leapt off and ran away.

Carlisle was next to her in an instant. "Are you hurt?" he asked as she rolled up her sleeve.

"It's just a scratch." A very angry scratch, with tiny beads of blood along much of its stinging length.

"I should have told you sooner. Animals tend to be scared of me." Carlisle swallowed hard. "You're bleeding."

"It's alright. Don't worry about it." Concerned by the anxiety on his face, she forgot all about her arm and peered up into his eyes. They seemed darker than before. "Carlisle?"

He raised a hand and nodded once. It looked like he wasn't breathing. But then, taking a moment to gather himself, he chanced a breath to speak. "It's okay." His hand went to his throat, though. He seemed to be in pain.

As his singer, Bella should have been afraid, but wasn't. Instead, she just felt bad, and was about to pull down her sleeve when he asked, "Allow me?" While his eyes had yet to lighten, he was in doctor mode, his features calm and professional. "I won't hurt you."

"I know." I trust you, she thought, but only said it with her eyes. Acquiescing to his request, Bella extended her arm, and watched as he carefully examined the scratch.

"We should clean it to prevent infection. Do you have a first aid kit?"

"In the bathroom."

Moments later, Bella guided him into the small space, where she proceeded to retrieve the kit while Carlisle washed his hands. When he had finished, they swapped places so she could clean the scratch with mild soap and lukewarm water. Having dried her arm, she turned to see that Carlisle had already fetched the gauze and antibacterial cream from the first aid kit. Embarrassed by the way their day had started, Bella found a seat on the edge of her bathtub, then watched as Carlisle knelt before her.

"This might sting a bit," he said as he applied the cream. His touch was soothingly cool and steady, his focus absolute.

"Does it hurt?" she found herself asking, needing to know. "When you smell my blood?"

"Not as much as it used to." Her guilt flared again at that. The last thing she wanted was to cause him pain. "What does it feel like?"

He shrugged, like he was trying to downplay it. "It's a slight burn."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Carlisle looked up and locked eyes with her. "It's a small price to pay to spend time with you."

His words caused her insides to flip. So did the way he was looking at her.

Her chest growing a tad heavier, Bella told herself that she was imagining things, seeing what she wanted to see. As last night's dream briefly popped into her mind, making her blush, she shifted her focus. She had to.

"What do you say?" Bella started once she was all bandaged up. "Ready to get out of here?"

Even if their day had started on an awkward note, they still had hours ahead of them. She planned to make the most of it.

His mouth bearing a kind smile, Carlisle straightened, and gave a nod. "Lead the way."

Glad for his company, she did.

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