16 A FREE BIRD

Edward continued to drive ahead in silence, unaffected by his life-altering statement, as he peacefully gazed onto the road, almost humming to himself in pleasure, the relief on his face unmistakable.

I stared at him expressionlessly, a part of me having expected such a reaction from him. Yet, somehow, surprised to see it occur.

After all, why would he even be affected by his decision to let me free?

His life was going back to how it had been before he had kidnapped me and changed my life forever. It wasn't a big change for him; I wasn't his first victim. He had done this before- the whole deed, ending with him reaching the very place where it had all begun, unaffected and willing to begin again.

He would move on.

He would continue to live his life on his own terms.

He would continue to take the same decisions, his reality unaffected from the circumstances that life had pushed upon the two of us in these past few weeks.

He would go back to normalcy, forgetting all about me. Forgetting about ever kidnapping me, or the plenty of ups and downs that we had gone through.

It wasn't a big deal.

It was just a job for him!

He did not need me.

He knew how to survive without me.

He knew what he was, what his identity was, without me in his life.

He did not need me around to feel…. normal in his own shoes.

No.

His concept of normalcy hadn't changed beyond recognition. So hazy the lines that not even him could now differentiate between normal and abnormal.

No.

It was still the same for him….

'Stop the truck.'

'What?' Edward raised an eyebrow in question, turning to look at me as if I was speaking gibberish- my words indeed falling on his ears but entering from one and effortlessly exiting from the other.

'I said, stop the truck!' I repeated, screaming the words out, sitting up straighter in my seat.

Edward instantly obeyed, the truck coming to a screeching halt. 'What the fuck was that?' He demanded; his eyes wide in anger.

I waved him off, taking my head in my hands, a sob tearing through.

What was wrong with me?

Why was I behaving like this?

Why was I being so…. needy and clingy?

I did not need him.

I could not need him.

He was my captor; that was all he was to me!

'Bella?' Edward softly touched me on the arm, all the anger from his tone now lay vanished. 'Are you okay?'

No.

I shook my head vigorously.

I wasn't okay.

I probably never would be okay again.

'I…' my voice was shaky- hesitant, 'I want to go home.'

Edward offered me a sympathetic nod. 'Yes. I know. The bus stop is just on the other end of this road. If not the whole way, it will at least take you mid-way. I wish I could do more but….'

'No.' I cut him off, newfound determination shining in my eyes. 'I am not getting down.'

'What?' Edward looked confused- and then frustrated as some sort of realization shone in his eyes. 'Bella, I don't have enough cash on me to rent a car for you. I need to exit the country. I need all my savings for that….'

'That's not it!' I shouted in annoyance, unbelieving of his selfishness. 'You really think I am that shallow?'

Edward ignored me, sighing audibly. 'If that is not it, then what is the problem? Why have you made me stop the truck?'

I shut my eyes, gulping, my voice back to that hesitant whisper, alternating between surety and unsurety. 'You will drop me home.'

'What?' He pretended like he hadn't heard me that first time around, staring at me as he waited for the statement to be repeated.

'You had kidnapped me from close to my home. Not from a random bus stop a million miles away from my home! In a town that I can't even recognize!'

'We are in Dawson city, Canada.'

I waved him off. 'The point is, you are driving me all the way to my parents' home in Forks, Washington State. I am not getting down anywhere in the middle. And that is final!'

Please. Just a few more days of this newfound normalcy!

I need it.

'No.' Edward instantly- stubbornly declared. 'I am not falling for this trap. You will get me arrested once I get close to your parents' house. How dumb do you assume me to be? Either you get down willingly or I am pushing you out!'

'You are so rude!' I spat the words out, unable to believe him.

Why on Earth did I want to spend even more time in the company of this man?

I was insane.

There could be no other reason but that.

'Doesn't matter what you say,' He shrugged me off. 'I am not driving you to your house. It is far from here.'

'Exactly my point!' I emphasized, shrieking the words out. 'Besides, you owe me!'

'Excuse me?'

'Yes.' I looked him into the eye. I wasn't backing down. I needed this! 'You owe me for all what you did to me. You will drop me home.'

He continued to stare at me for a few long minutes, his face giving nothing away, finally letting out a half sigh. 'Fine. I will drop you in Seattle. Outside the same mall. Don't expect anything more from me. I shouldn't even be doing this much! But if you try any tricks…'

'Oh, just get on with it!' I rolled my eyes in boredom, accustomed to him showing off his gun every time some minor inconvenience came across, similar to that little kid flaunting his toy gun around!

The only purpose of it being to scare others, incapable of being used for its actual purpose.

Edward let out a huff, beginning to drive again.

I let out a breath, a newfound relief settling over me at the realization that I wouldn't be forced to face reality.

At least not yet.

I let my head rest on the seat as I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath in, Edward increasing the volume of the radio, a wordless indication that he could have done without my company, and while I should have been offended by his behaviour- and a part of me truly was, a bigger part of mine was terrified.

Terrified of being alone.

Terrified of going back to humanity.

Terrified of not having Edward around….

No.

Edward was safe.

He had saved me from Uncle Ron's advances.

He had even apologized for his actions!

He had been a witness to my lowest phase, seeing me like no one else ever would again.

I needed him around.

I did not know how to survive without him.

Who was I without him in my life?

I did not know.

Earlier, I had been so sure about myself.

But now…. so much had changed since….

And Edward had been with me through it all.

If someone would know how this new Bella would react, it would be him.

He could understand.

No one else could.

'It is going to take us a while.' Edward commented, sighing deeply, his eyes trained ahead. 'You better hope and pray that your uncle doesn't snitch on me.'

I shrugged in response; it was not like I could guarantee that!

'Irrespective, I need to place a few calls that will assure my safety.' He continued, emphasising on the my in that sentence, 'And thanks to you, I no longer have my cell phone on me.' He accused, rolling his eyes in irritation.

Why did I want this man around me, again?

He continued to mutter under his breath, parking the truck in the driveway of a local pub- a small diversion from the road we had been on, it being late enough that no other vehicles currently occupied the narrow driveway.

'Stay in the truck.' He ordered, exiting from the driver's side as he harshly banged the door, frowning as he turned to look at me. 'I am going to see if anyone is still in there, and if I can make a few calls. Stay right here.'

I dutifully nodded my head, watching as he walked into the abandoned looking pub, the lights flickering shut, his well-built frame disappearing into the distance.

I was well aware that I could have disobeyed him. I was no longer his prisoner.

He could no longer order me around.

But I was safe with him!

It was so late in the night…

What if?

No.

I was safe here!

I rolled my windows shut, my breath bated as I counted every minute till, he returned, a sigh leaving my lips as he walked back in the direction of the truck, a huge smile on his face, a bounce in his step.

'I take it your work went well?' I whispered, letting go of that heavy knot stuck in my throat, him sitting back in the driver's seat as he came to lock the door.

'Yup.' He quipped, refusing to share any further information, pressing onto the engine, the truck roaring back to life.

I nodded my head in acceptance of his answer, gulping briefly, calming my breath as I let sleep take over…. the never-ending day having finally come to an end….

'Wake up, sleeping beauty.' I was softly shaken awake. 'Mornings' here.'

I frowned, peeking out from one half-open eye, Edward staring back at me with Donuts and coffee in his hands, a wide grin on his face.

Wow.

I had never seen him smile this wide.

He looked almost… handsome.

'I am up.' I stated, sitting up straight in my seat, running a hand through my tangled hair, a yawn escaping my mouth as I peeked outside the window, greenery like never seen before surrounding us. 'Where are we?'

He chewed on his piece of donut before answering. 'Should be entering Alberta in the next few hours. You have been asleep for close to twenty hours now.'

'Are you kidding me?' I tested the words out, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

He had to be joking, right?

I couldn't have been asleep for twenty hours!

It was impossible!

No one could sleep that much in one go!

'Nope.' He shrugged, offering me my cup of coffee. 'I tried waking you up, but you were in too deep a sleep to respond.'

'Oh.' I frowned, a strain in my neck that forced me to believe his words, looking down at the black liquid in the cup, stirring it with the spoon provided. 'You sure this isn't spiked?' I quirked an eyebrow in question.

Well, can you blame me for rechecking on that?

He gave me an amused glance. 'Drink at your own risk.'

I waved him off, letting the familiar burn down my throat, wincing slightly. 'This is good.'

He shrugged me off, his hands outstretched as he offered me the box of donuts. 'I did not know what you would like. So…'

'So, you bought the entire shop for me?' I completed his sentence, my eyes wide as I took in the sight in front of me, close to twenty donuts- in varied flavours- staring back at me.

He shrugged, sort of agreeing with me!

'There's Apple fritter, Boston cream, Old fashioned plain, Chocolate dip, Vanilla dip, Honey dip, Sour cream glazed and Double chocolate.' He pointed out towards each donut in the box, my eyes wide in shock.

'I am just one person. I can't eat these many donuts!' I clarified, waving my hands in air.

He did know of my appetite; what made him believe that I could gobble in all this much?

Edward rolled his eyes in response, a sigh leaving his lips. 'I too am going to eat from that, you know?'

I gave out a half nod, resisting the urge to point out that still it would be too much for the two of us, waiting and observing as he began to eat, full-sized donuts disappearing into his mouth quicker than one can say the D that comes in Donuts.

I couldn't look away; It was like a trainwreck.

So, so gross!

'What?' he asked, noticing me stare, licking his fingers, traces of honey stuck to his lips.

Yuck.

'Nothing.' I shrugged, impatient to change the topic. 'Um, did you get some sleep? If you want, I can drive for a while?'

He shook his head at that. 'No, I am fresh. I got a few good hours of sleep in. Just started driving again a while back.'

'Oh.' I whispered the word out, turning to look outside the window.

'Um, Bella,' he called for my attention, slight nervousness audible in his tone. 'I got to do some thinking and….'

'And?' I waited for him to continue.

'I need to apologize to you. Again.' He let out a sigh. 'I have been overly rude to you, somewhere deep down still treating you like my captive. But no more, let's start fresh. Like friends.'

'Okay,' I tested the word out, checking if the link between my ear and brain was still fully functional.

I had probably heard it all wrong…

Or maybe I was still sleeping, this being a figment of my imagination!

'I promise you no more of ordering you around. We are equals here.'

I offered him a half smile at that, nodding my head briefly.

Time would tell!

Strangely, Edward kept to his promise.

There was no more of ordering me around, or pretending like he was the boss in here.

No.

We were equals, like he had pointed out.

We made the decisions together, be it something as small as where to eat our next meal, or something as big as which empty parking lot to park the truck in as we both retired for a few hours of peaceful sleep.

I had as much of a say as him in any given matter, the arguments fought few and far between.

In fact, I would even go as far as calling us friends….

Edward had indeed become like a friend to me, the bond between us getting stronger by the hour. We spoke about our likes and dislikes, sharing our tastes in books, movies and music, with me introducing him to the latest artists and their popular songs. In return, he would tell me about the history of every place that he had ever lived at, hours going by like minutes in his company, with me holding my stomach and laughing at all the funny incidents he shared with me, an eyebrow quirked as he mimicked one of his older "clients" who preferred to speak with a fake accent.

A different side to Edward revealing itself to me with each story shared, this side warm, friendly and inviting- a side that made me want to know more of him!

Another thing I had come to realize in these past two days, Edward was a rather attractive man! In that rugged and experienced all- man way!

His soft, thick lips…. his perfect jaw…. the way his left eyebrow rose when he smirked in amusement… his slightly crooked nose…. and those broad shoulders….

I could keep looking at him all day!

'Bella?' Edward spoke up, pulling me back into the world of reality, him having just come out from taking a shower, his hair still sinfully wet. We had taken a brief halt at this shady motel located on our way, mainly to take a shower and brush our teeth; it being one of my well-needed decisions!

'Yeah.' I hummed in response, unable to look away from him.

He just looked so good!

It would be a crime to look away.

'Are you…okay?' he hesitantly questioned, coming to sit beside me on the bed, running a hand through his uncombed hair.

'Never been better.' I winked in response.

'That's good to hear.' He commented, nodding his head briefly, tying the shoelaces of his shoes, ready to leave the temporary comfort of this motel for the discomfort of our truck, quite a bit more of journey still in front of us.

'Edward,' I spoke up on an impulse, him looking up and meeting my eyes, an eyebrow raised in question.

He was staring at me, waiting for an answer….and then I did the one thing I should have done ages ago.

I kissed him.

.

.

.

And he kissed me back.