Submission for the Eras Contest on Facebook
Wouldn't It Be Nice The Beach Boys
I was always a shy kid. I think part of that had to do with the fact that I am an only child, but I think most of it is my mother. She is a force. She fills every room she walks into with energy and charisma. I guess I learned at an early age to sit back and be her audience.
So when school started, she was so excited. For weeks, she told me all about the friends I would make and all the crafts I would get to do. I was going to learn so many things, and if I was really lucky, my teeth would start falling out, and the Tooth Fairy would visit me in my sleep. I really should be sending her my therapy bills!
Back to Mrs. Cook's Kindergarten class. By the third or fourth day of school, the kids had managed to start pairing off and making friends. Mrs. Cook cleverly sat us in "pods" to facilitate this. Four desks all pushed together. These people would be my hall buddies, reading mates, and hopefully, my friends by the end of the year.
Mike Newton sat right across from me. He ate crayons and paste. Angela Weber sat next to him and catty-corner to me. She was quiet, too, and I thought she might be my new friend. We both loved My Little Ponies and the color pink. Jessica Stanley sat next to me and stole Angela's affection by inviting her to an indoor swimming party for her sixth birthday on the second weekend of school. I, however, was not asked. So much for friends.
Most of the time, Angela and Jessica were friendly to me. We would share glue sticks and tell the teacher when Mike ate too many art supplies.
The day that changed everything was when we got a new boy in class. It was January 5, 1990. We had just come back from winter break. had him stand in front of the class and give us a run down. His name was Edward Cullen. He was from Chicago, Illinois. His dad is a doctor and took a new job in Forks. She asked him how many siblings he had. He told us two: an older brother named Emmett, who was nine, and a little sister named Alice, who was four, and Edward proudly announced he was six!
Mike ran his mouth off about how dumb their names were. Edward didn't blush or hide like I would have. He simply said, "Mike is a dumber name," and went and found his seat at the pod next to mine. I liked him immediately.
By spring, Edward and I were friends. Our moms were also becoming close, which worked out great for us. We spent lots of time together, and Emmett and Alice became my siblings, too. I thought Edward was my Knight in Shining Armor, but that April day on the playground proved it.
The weather was beautiful. It was warm and sunny, and you could be outside without a jacket. The class was rambunctious that day. Mrs. Cook sat at her desk with her head in her hands. She decided we all needed some extra recess. As we lined up at the door, Edward took my little sweaty hand in his. We always walked this way. He told me he never wanted to lose me.
As we made our way to the merry-go-round, Jessica started taunting us. I can still hear her. "Bella, Bella, gonna kiss her fella! Bella, Bella is gonna kiss Ed-ward!" She shouted and giggled. Soon, several other kids started joining in. As the volume of the crowd got louder, I felt my cheeks get hot, and big salty tears began to roll down my cheeks. Edward told me to ignore them. He kept my hand, and we kept walking to the merry-go-round. More kids joined, and they added kissing noises and fish faces. The chanting got louder. I was full-on bawling. Edward helped me sit down on the merry-go-round, and he hugged me.
"I'll take care of you, Bella." He said. He turned to the crowd and did the bravest thing ever. He blew a giant raspberry and kicked rocks. Then, in the loudest voice a six-year-old can muster, he said, "Leave us alone. Bella is my best friend, and if anyone has a problem with that, they can take it up with me." He pointed at his chest for emphasis.
I was stunned. No one had ever stuck up for me like that before. Edward walked back over to me, grabbed my hand, and whispered, "I will always protect you, Bella. No matter what."
Breathless The Corrs
I was so excited to go to school. It was picture day, fourth grade. I had the most amazing Lisa Frank Unicorn shirt and a matching three-layer skirt in the perfect pink, neon green, and purple. I had convinced Charlie to buy me some sparkling purple sneakers to wear with this stunning outfit. My mom wouldn't buy them for me. She said they were impractical and expensive, so when I spent my weekend with Charlie, I complained about how much my feet hurt and how the shoes Mom always bought pinched my toes. He took me to the shoe store, and I walked right over to the display and grabbed a pair of shoes in my size without hesitation. He knew he had been played, but he bought them for me anyway.
My parents split up when I was a baby. I don't even remember them living under the same roof, but my dad has always carried guilt about not being around enough.
The fourth and fifth graders took their pictures last that day. At three o'clock, Mrs. Gannaway herded all of us to the cafeteria. We were told to make three lines. The line to my right was for the students who had picked the classic blue background. The middle line, where I was, had a little more flair. There was foliage. And the line to my left was for the really adventurous kids. It had neon lasers.
Edward stood to my left. I have a feeling Esme didn't know about the lasers until the pictures came back.
"I am proud of you, Bella," Edward said, grinning at me.
"Why?" I asked as I smoothed my hair for the twelfth time since we had been standing in the line. Because of Edward, I had forgotten to grab my hairbrush.
The morning had not started great. Esme was picking me up for school and would keep me until my mom got off work that evening. I had been rushing around getting a change of clothes because Edward and I were supposed to explore the woods behind his house, and there was no way I was getting dirt on my unicorn shirt or my new shoes.
I had also promised to pack provisions for us in case things took a turn for the worst out there, and we got lost. Esme would have questioned us if we were filling backpacks with boxes of crackers, a jar of peanut butter, bananas, and eight cans of Coke. My mom probably thought I was packing lunch.
When Esme honked her minivan horn, I was still filling my bag. I zipped up what I had managed to take. Edward would just have to live without Dunkaroos.
I ran out the door, still pulling my shoes on, and I had everything but my brush.
"You didn't get any lunch on you." He laughed, pointing at my shirt.
"Shut up, Edward." I retorted, but he had a point. It was an accomplishment that I managed to eat spaghetti hot lunch and not get any on me.
As the line slowly moved, the chatter in the cafeteria got louder and louder. I had to yell at Edward for him to hear me.
Finally, the gym teacher, Mr. Harris, blew his whistle. Quiet at last, but it also meant that no one was distracted by their conversations, and all eyes were on what happened next.
"Hey, Bella!" Mike Newton taunted me.
"What?" I bit back. Mike had turned from a crayon-eating Kindergartener to the biggest bully in fourth grade. There was also a nasty rumor going around that he liked me. Gross.
"What!" I say again with my hands on my hips.
"Oh, nothing; I just wondered why you are on the floor?" He smirked.
"The floo—?" Before I could question him, he stuck his leg out and tripped me. I fell forward, with my ass up in the air and my adorable three-layer skirt hiding my bright red face.
Everyone started laughing. I'm sure they were pointing, too, but I was too mortified to even get off the floor.
Edward reached out his hand and helped me up, and then he stood guard behind me as I got my clothes pulled down and back into place. I was ready to run out of the cafeteria and into traffic when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward's fist flying right into Mike's dumb face.
Mike punched Edward back, and the two hit the ground and started tussling. By the time the teachers broke it up, Edward had a bloody lip, and Mike's eye was already beginning to swell and bruise.
"To the Principal's office!" Mrs. Gannaway said in her mean teacher voice.
Once school was over, I waited in front of the Principal's office for Edward. I was nervous for him. Would they throw him in jail? Mike deserved everything he got and more.
"Bella, honey, are you alright?" Esme asked once they got close to the bench I was sitting on.
"I'm fine, but Edward has been in there a long time." I pointed to the closed door.
Esme sat beside me and put her arm around me, giving me a motherly squeeze.
"What happened in there, Bella?" Carlisle asked.
"Mike Newton tripped me, and the whole cafeteria saw my underwear, and Edward punched him, and then he punched back, and they ended up on the floor hitting and kicking each other until finally Mrs. Gannaway broke it up, and is Edward going to jail?" I said in one panicked breath.
"No, sweetie, Edward isn't going to jail." Esme soothed.
"Mike should," Carlisle said under his breath. And I swear there was a look of pride in his eyes.
Edward came out of the office soon after. The Principal talked to the Cullen's, and then we all went home. In the back of the minivan, Edward reached for my hand like he always did. My protector, my hero.
Kiss Me Sixpence None the Richer
It was three weeks shy of school starting when Renee asked me to call Charlie and see if he wanted to come over for dinner. I was in the laundry room folding clothes when Renee leaned into the door frame. My mother has never asked my dad to come to dinner. In fact, during the holidays I would spend with her, she would make me keep the lights turned off and the curtains drawn in case he drove by. She did not want him to know we were home. She could not bring herself to even defrost her famous Christmas dinner, a Swanson pot pie. But now, after thirteen years, she wanted me to call him and invite him to dinner.
"What are you up to?" I asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. I think it might be time for a family dinner. You're getting older and will be leaving us soon."
"Why can't you call him?" I asked, but I knew why. She hated Charlie. She had no reason to, but she did. He was a great father. He paid child support on time, never forgetting a birthday or holiday. He came to every pageant, concert, and play he could. His work as a cop made that hard, but he made the effort, which is more than I could say for her.
Carlisle and Esme would be the ones to pick me up from school or ballet practice. She would get too busy to get me. Their home number was the first phone number I learned because ours was always getting shut off, and when it did work, she would unplug the phone for days. She would tell me the phone tied her down. She wanted us to be free spirits.
"Will you please call your father and ask him to come to dinner Thursday night?"
"Fine, what time?"
"Six will be wonderful; thank you, precious daughter." She kissed the top of my head.
At six fifteen on Thursday, we were awkwardly gathered around the kitchen table, a half-cooked lasagna filling our plates.
I picked at my food, wishing she would tell us what this nightmare dinner was about. Charlie ate his cold lasagna politely.
"Well, as you know, I have met someone." This was news to me. "His name is Phil, and he plays minor league baseball." She paused and pulled her lips between her teeth. I looked over at Charlie; his eyebrows were raised, and his fork hovered midair.
"And?" I questioned.
"Well, he plays in Phoenix. Arizona."
"So you are moving? When do you leave? I am happy to help you pack, Mom." I tucked into my food, my stomach finally unclenching.
"That's why I wanted to have a family dinner." She looked at Charlie. "I am taking Bella with me." She was not asking. She was telling, this was a done deal in her eyes.
"The fuck you are!" I stood up and knocked my chair over. "I am moving in with Dad, I start school in three fucking weeks!"
"Language Bells." Charlie scolded. His face was beet red, and veins were popping in his neck.
"Are you not going to say anything? Are you going to let her haul me off to Butt Fuck Arizona?" I stopped to catch my breath. "Wait, did you already know about this, Dad?"
"Your mother had told me it was a possibility. I had no idea it would be so soon." He got up and put his napkin on the table. "Excellent dinner, Renee." He said before turning to me, "I tried Bells. I tried." His voice cracked. He wrapped me in a big bear hug. "I will see you before you go. I love you." He headed for the front door.
I glared at Renee. Angry tears filled my eyes.
"Bella—"
"No," I said through gritted teeth. When I heard Charlie's old truck start, I ran out of the kitchen out the front door. "Charlie! Charlie! Take me to Edward's." I yelled.
He pulled back into the drive, and we rode the ten minutes to the Cullen's in silence.
When we pulled up in front of their house, Edward was sitting on the front steps. Renee must have called Esme.
I jumped out of the truck and started running toward him. He met me halfway out of breath. He grabbed me up and held me tight. "We will fix this, Bella." He murmured in my ear.
The tears I held back spilled out when I looked at his sad green eyes. "I hate her," I whisper.
"Me too." He whispered back.
The adults sat on the patio, and Edward and I went inside and hung out in the living room. And we talked about ways to get out of this situation we found ourselves in.
Sometime around midnight, the Esme and Carlisle came in, and I heard Charlie's truck start up and the gravel crunch under the tires.
"You can stay here tonight, Bella, but you are both sleeping on the couch, and everyone has their own blanket," Carlisle said, ruffling Edward's hair.
"I'll take you home in the morning, Bella. I already talked to Renee." Esme said softly.
The Cullen's had a giant U-shaped sofa. I laid down on one side, Edward on the other; even with his long legs, our feet didn't touch. He turned on a movie, and we both fell asleep.
Three weeks passed in a blur. Between selling most of our worldly possessions and packing what we couldn't get rid of. Renee didn't want to take 'rainy Forks with us to sunny Phoenix.'
The day before we left, she took me to the Cullen's. We had been fighting nonstop for three weeks, and she was tired of my 'bad attitude.'"
Edward answered the door, "I have a plan." He had mischief in his eyes.
"Oh?" I cocked my eyebrow.
"Remember the tree house our dads built that summer when the moms went on vacation?"
I shook my head. I remembered. We were seven or eight, and the moms went to Vegas. The dads took turns watching all of us. It was a great week. Ice cream for breakfast and pizza for dinner, but the best part was the treehouse they built out in the woods.
"Let's go!" Edward took my hand in his, and off we went.
We walked about ten minutes before we came across the treehouse.
"I can't even remember the last time we were out here," I said.
"You don't?" I shook my head. "It was your tenth birthday." He said.
"Was that when you broke your arm?" I asked, the memory flooding back. Edward and Emmett were showing out. They wanted to see who could climb out onto the roof the fastest. Edward was going to win, and Emmett grabbed his ankle to pull him back. Edward lost his grip and fell hard to the ground. "I think I can still hear the snap sound."
"You and I both." Edward laughed.
We climbed up into the tree and settled in. Edward put his arm around me, and I snuggled in close. I swallowed tears as I said, "I am really going to miss you. Phoenix is so far away, I hate it."
"We can talk on the phone every day. I will give my allowance to Mom and Dad to cover the long distance." Edward smiled weakly at me. We sat still for a moment, and then he leaned up, moving me so I was sitting with my back against the treehouse wall, and he was sitting across from me. "Bella," He said nervously. "I want you to know that you are my very best friend, and no matter what, we will always be friends. When we graduate high school, we can go to college together, and then maybe…" His voice trailed off.
"Maybe what?" My voice trembled with fear and anticipation of what he would say.
"Maybe you can be my girlfriend, and I can finally kiss you." His cheeks flushed.
"Kiss me now." I breathed.
He pulled my face close to his and ever so softly touched his lips to mine. "I love you, Bella." Then he pressed his lips to mine one more time.
The Sound of Silence Simon and Garfunkel
The few weeks at Phoenix Intermediate High School were miserable. I foolishly thought attending school with all freshmen and sophomores would be better. I was so wrong. The campus was huge, and I was late to every class during my first three days of school. I hated the block schedule, and my lunch was at ten twenty. Who eats lunch at ten twenty? I was so focused on keeping up with what books I needed and where I was headed next I hadn't even thought about friends.
When I came home on Friday afternoon, exhausted and starving, Renee started asking me about which clubs and teams I wanted to join and, how many cute boys I had met and on and on.
"Mother," I said sharply. "I have barely been able to get to class on time, let alone join clubs and flirt with boys. I am just trying to survive here."
"Well, it's time to make some new friends, Bella. There's no Edward to hide behind." Renee said casually.
I glared at her. I was well aware there was no Edward. I had been in Phoenix for two months, and he had only called twice. The first call was to tell me about his first day back to school, and the second time he called was to wish me a good first day. That's it, so much for keeping in touch. I hated him almost as much as I hated her.
"Fine, I will make it my priority to join all clubs and flirt with all boys and make lots of friends, Mom," I said sarcastically as I jerked the peanut butter jar down from the cabinet.
Monday morning at ten twenty lunch, I made it my mission to make a friend. She didn't have to be popular or cool or anything. I just needed one friend to get Renee off my back.
I found a lunch table with a few girls sitting at it. I asked if I could sit down, and they said sure but spent the entire lunch period ignoring me. Well, so much for making friends.
While awkwardly eating my lunch, I came up with a plan. The next time Renee interrogated me, I would tell her I had made a friend named Abi with an I, and she was smart and pretty and popular. She has the cutest boyfriend named Josh, and he has the cutest unattached best friend named Barrett. And I think he likes me, and we are all going to the fall dance together. It would take some practice, but I would eventually be able to get all of that out without rolling my eyes.
Once lunch was over, I had gym class. Another scheduling failure. Who wants to eat sketchy cafeteria food and then go to a hot, smelly gym and run laps for forty minutes?
To make it all worse, I had gym with the popular crowd. Most were sophomores, and none had spoken to me since school started.
"Today in class, we start a new unit." The gym teacher said. He gestured behind him to the volleyball nets that had been set up. What lunch I had managed to choke down churned in my stomach. Running was bad enough, but now I was expected to hit a ball that was hurdling at my head. No. This was a nightmare.
"I have already divided the teams, so check the list pinned to each net, and let's get to it, people!" He clapped his hands with a sadistic grin on his face.
I found my team and stood as far away from the net as possible. I would stand back and out of the way and bide my time. This, too, shall pass. I told myself.
There were eight minutes of class left when a rogue volleyball from the other team came flying out of nowhere and hit me square in the back. I lost my balance and fell. I hit the gym floor with such force it knocked the wind out of me. I felt the sting of hot tears burn my eyes. Hold it together, Bella, you are fine. It hurts your ego more than your body. Hold it together.
"Shake it off, Swan." The teacher yelled from across the gym. I stood up slowly. My face was on fire, and my knees were throbbing.
"She'll be fine, coach. I think she's used to being on her knees." Some boy I had literally never seen outside this class said. Everyone started to laugh. What an asshole.
Even though his words were untrue, the pain and the embarrassment took over, and the dam broke. I started crying, not petite lady-like tears, but hiccuping, snot running down my face, hysterical crying.
"Oh, look at Cry Baby Bella!" A blonde girl said. She had her arm wrapped around the Asshole's waist. What a perfect couple.
Thankfully, the bell rang. I ran from the gym and out a side door near the teacher's parking lot. I walked home crying and missing Edward.
Wicked Little Town Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Hedwig's Version)
I made some friends once I went from Intermediate to Senior High School. They weren't great friends, but they were friends. The end-of-the-year party our junior year was the beginning of the end.
Mallory's parents had a huge house and were never home. They had her late in life and decided they did not want to change their plans of retiring and traveling after her older siblings were out of the house. That left us a great place to party.
Everything about this night is hazy. I know we had raided the liquor cabinet, and someone had brought a bag of ditch weed. By the time people started showing up, I was drunk and high.
It was after midnight when I decided I was over this whole overcrowded party. My head was swimming, and I was dizzy. I hated feeling drunk and out of control, but I never seemed to learn my lesson until it was too late.
I must have drifted off to sleep in the overstuffed chair in the corner of the living room because I was startled awake by screaming and everyone running in all different directions. I heard someone yell, "COPS!"
Shit.
I jumped up and stumbled around, trying to get out of the house quickly. I had driven Renee's car to Mallory's, so I knew I had an escape.
I found my bag and ran out the back door. I jumped in Renee's car and turned the AC on full blast. I told myself I wasn't drunk, just tired and to act casual.
I somehow made it home without killing myself or anyone else, but I wasn't home free yet.
Phil's car was parked in the driveway, and I swear I had plenty of clearance. Nope. I crashed the left side of Mom's car into the back of Phil's bumper. Hoping it wasn't as bad as it sounded, I kept driving. If I park it back where it was, maybe no one will notice. I scraped the side of my mom and Phil's cars from bumper to hood.
The porch light came on. My heart started to pound, and I was pouring sweat. I glanced up and saw them both standing in the doorway. Phil came out to inspect the damage.
I had to crawl out of the passage door because the driver's door was smashed up against the other car.
"I have no idea what happened." I slurred.
"Get your ass in the house." Mom snapped. She wasn't yelling. She was beyond yelling. She was livid.
When I walked through the front door, I steeled myself for the onslaught that was about to happen.
"Go to bed, Isabella. We will discuss this in the morning. There is no point now. You are too drunk and high."
"I am not high!" I said indignant.
"Go to bed," Mom said through clenched teeth. "I cannot even stand to look at you right now."
The next morning, I shuffled into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee. My head was pounding.
Mom sat down next to me at the kitchen table.
"Before you start with excuses and lies, don't. Here is the deal. You are going to get a summer job. Two or three would even be better. You are going to pay to fix both cars. You are grounded until you graduate—no more of your wild, unsupervised friends. I should have put a stop to that a long time ago. No more drinking, no more drugs, no more sex." My eyes grew wide, and I started to argue. "Do not look at me like that, Bella. I saw the pregnancy test in your trash. Thank God it was negative."
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
"Fine," I said flatly. I got up from the kitchen table. I was angry and embarrassed but a little bit relieved. I was not a party girl, but I had let myself become one—the things you will do to fit in.
I got a job at the local coffee shop. I worked at the Daily Grind forty hours a week. I babysat for kids of my mom's coworkers when I wasn't slinging coffee or changing diapers. I filled in at the local YMCA as a lifeguard.
When summer was over, I kept the coffee shop job, but only on weekends. I paid back Phil and my mom and started saving every penny to get out of Phoenix. I had dreamed of going back to Forks, but without Edward, what was the point? My grades were shot, even if I killed it my senior year. There is no college for this girl, at least not right out of high school. So I would leave on my own. I wasn't sure where, but I was done with Phoenix, Arizona.
On graduation day, Charlie, Phil, and my mom were all in attendance. Charlie beamed with pride and whistled when I walked across the stage. Several times during my senior year, we were not sure this would happen. I had missed a lot of school in my junior year, and after a while, trying to catch up was so discouraging I almost quit. But here I was, a high school graduate with a 2.6 GPA.
After the ceremony, we all ate dinner at my favorite Italian place.
Once we were seated and our food and drinks were ordered, I cleared my throat, "Everyone, I have something to tell you." All eyes turned to me.
Charlie knew what this was about. I had told him at Christmas that I was leaving after I graduated. He asked if I wanted to come back to Forks, live with him for a while, get on my feet, and start community college. He said Edward was leaving for college in Chicago, but we could have a fun summer together like old times. I told Charlie that I needed to be on my own for a while. After that, I noticed little amounts added to my savings account. It was never much. Ten or fifteen dollars here and there. He wanted to help in every way he could.
"So, I know the past few years have been rough on all of us. I also know this doesn't come as a surprise to hear, but I hate Phoenix." I caught Phil's eye, "sorry, Phil." I shrug. "Anyway, I have thought a lot about this decision, and I know it's short notice, but I am leaving town tomorrow. I had rented a little three-hundred-square-foot furnished apartment in San Francisco, and as luck would have it, there was a Daily Grind within walking distance. I will take a bus to get there, and I will start saving up for a car. I'm eighteen, and I have made my decision." I bit my lower lip and stared down at my empty plate.
Charlie had also helped me find and rent the apartment, and he made some calls to the San Francisco police department. It was a decent neighborhood, even though the building was a little run down.
"You're what!" Renee shrieked.
"I am ready to start over, Mom. I need to."
The rest of dinner was very tense. Mom said she needed some time to process, so Charlie offered to drive me home. We got into his rental car, and he turned the wrong way out of the parking lot. "Where are you going? We needed to go right to get back to Mom's."
Charlie looked over at me with a smirk and a twinkle in his eye, "Gotta make a quick stop first."
A few miles down the road, we pulled into a used car lot. "Charlie," I questioned.
"You need a car, Bells. I don't like the idea of you taking a bus to California, and you will need a car when you get there. I do not want you walking, no matter how safe you think the neighborhood is. And besides, it rains a lot in San Francisco. I know you might have forgotten that sometimes water falls out of the sky." He laughed.
We left the used car lot with a 1996 silver Corolla. I named her Pearl.
When You Say Nothing at All Allison Krauss
I walked through the backdoor of the Daily Grind at ten past five. I was not too fond of the open shift, but being the store manager, I had to open at least three days a week. Tuesdays were extra shitty because I always worked open to close. I grabbed my apron and flipped on the lights as I headed to the front counter to start stocking cups and pastries.
"CONGRATULATIONS BELLA!" The whole morning crew shouted.
"Thanks, everyone, it's sweet you all remembered." I smiled. It had been ten years since I moved to San Francisco—ten years at the same job, same apartment, same life.
"So Bella," my shift leader, Megan, cornered me as I filled the coffee machine with beans, "We were all talking, and since you are our favorite boss, and this is your anniversary and all, I want you to be able to enjoy your day. Let me close for you tonight. Go get a pedicure or something!" She said with a huge grin.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes, if you are not out of here by three, I will throw you out myself!"
The rest of the morning was filled with cranky people trying to get their caffeine fix before starting their busy days. By eleven, I was exhausted. I headed back to the office to get caught up on paperwork before Megan forcibly removed me at three.
I worked for an hour before being called back to the counter to help cover breaks.
I was making coffee drinks and calling out orders, trying to work the line down. People are almost as demanding for their lunch break coffee as they are for their morning drinks.
"I have a Venti Iced Caramel Macchiato with an extra shot for…. Edward?" I looked up from the cup in my hand, and my stomach dropped to my feet.
"Bella? What are you doing here?"
"I work here," I replied. My brain had short circuited.
"I see that." He chuckled. "I mean, what are you doing in San Francisco?" His eyes twinkled.
"I live here?" It came out as a question.
He laughed at me. "Mom said you had moved to California, but Renee was short with the details."
"What are you doing here?" I asked now that my brain was recovering from shock.
"I am here attending a medical conference. I wish I had stopped in sooner. I leave tomorrow." He said with a sigh.
Nervously, I said, "I'm off at three. Are you free tonight?"
"Really? That's awesome. I should be done around five. I would love to have dinner and catch up. It's… it's been a really long time." He looked up at me through his eyelashes.
"There is a great little Greek restaurant near my apartment." I felt my face getting hot.
"Sounds great. Can I pick you up?" He said as he fidgeted with his fingers.
"I would love that." I bit my lip. I gave him my address, and he plugged it into his phone.
"I will see you at six." He flashed a huge smile at me and turned to leave the shop.
After several moments, I realized I was still holding his coffee. "Edward!" I called after him, and he turned back to me. I raised his cup, "I have your coffee." He walked back and took it from me. Our fingers touched, and it sent vibrations through my entire body. I blushed again.
"Thanks, Bella. I can't wait for tonight." He winked and left the coffee shop.
"Who the fuck was that?" Megan whispered in my ear.
"Who?" I asked, walking back to the office.
"The guy that has you studdaring and blushing, that's who!" I managed to get into the office, but she blocked the door. I was trapped.
"An old friend. We grew up together." I tried to act casual, but my hands were still trembling from his touch.
"Uh-huh." She said as she turned to leave the office. "You better add a mani to that pedicure. And a wax can't hurt either!" She hollered over her shoulder.
A Thousand Years Christina Perri
I was trying to buckle my shoes when I heard Edward knock on the door. Why did I even buy these fucking shoes? I thought as I jerked the left one off and chucked both of them into my closet.
I walked to the front door barefooted. I stood at the door and told myself to breathe. I told my stomach to stop fluttering and my hands to stop sweating. It's just Edward. My Edward.
I opened the door, and he stood there with a huge bouquet of daisies.
"You remembered," I said as I took the flowers from him.
"Of course I did." He leaned in and gave me a loose hug. "Bella, you look beautiful." He grinned.
I felt my cheeks get hot, "thanks, you look nice too." He looked gorgeous in his navy suit jacket and dark-wash jeans. "I am going to find a vase, and I need to get some shoes on," I said, staring at my bare feet. "Give me a minute, and we will go eat."
After I slipped on a pair of ballet flats and put the flowers in an oversized coffee mug, we were out the door.
The walk to the restaurant was quiet. He asked me how my day was, and I asked him about the conference.
"This is it," I told him once we were in front of the restaurant.
"Really? You weren't kidding when you said it was close. I don't think we walked five minutes." He chuckled and held the door open for me.
Once we were seated and the waiter had taken our order, I asked him about the family. I had missed them and had lost touch with them as well.
"Well, Emmett is getting married this summer. I like her. Her name is Rosalie. And Alice is working on opening a clothing store. Mom is as busy as ever with volunteering and trying to convince Dad to take a vacation. She wants to go to Italy for their fortieth anniversary. We shall see." He laughed as he helped himself to the bread on the table. "What about Charlie and Renee?"
"Well, Charlie has a girlfriend," I said in a sing-song voice.
"Really?" Edward replied, shocked.
"Yeah, she is sweet. They came to visit for Christmas. I think he might be the one. And Renee is Renee. She is traveling with Phil. I never know where she will be calling from, but she is having a good time. So I am happy for her."
Our food came then. The conversation revolved around how good everything was and stealing bites of each other's plates.
As Edward paid the bill. "Where can we get really good ice cream?" He asked with his eyebrows raised.
"Well, there is a place a few blocks from here. Do you mind a little walk?"
"With you, never." As we walked out of the restaurant, he put his hand gently on the small of my back.
"Lead the way, Bella." He said once we were out on the sidewalk. He reached over and took my hand, winding his fingers in mine. The electric buzz that had started when he touched my fingers earlier amplified by a thousand with my hand in his.
"We need to cross the street." I motioned with our hands still entwined. We crossed the road and got in line at one of the best ice cream shops in San Francisco. "Are you okay waiting in line?"
"It's the best ice cream, right?" He said lightly, then our eyes locked, and he lowered his voice, "because I am willing to wait for the best things."
I felt heat rush across my face and chest.
The line moved fast, and we got our ice cream and found a small table outside. He pulled my chair out for me, and I sat down.
"So tell me, Bella, what have you been up to since eighth grade?" He asked, licking his vanilla cone.
"Honestly, not much. I mean, things were a little rough in high school, but I managed to graduate, and I left Phoenix the day after I graduated. I was already working at the coffee shop, so I transferred. Charlie helped me get my apartment, and that's it. Nothing exciting."
"I don't believe that. I mean, you were eighteen, and you moved eight hundred miles from home by yourself. That's brave. Braver than anything I have ever done, that's for sure."
"What about you, Dr. Cullen? Besides being a smarty pants and attending medical school, what have you been up to?" I asked.
He laughed, "My life was school. I lived at home and drove to Seattle for my undergrad. Then, I got accepted to the University of Chicago for medical school. I lived in a tiny apartment that I shared with a guy that I met at the hospital. We worked opposite shifts, so I never saw him. I took my exams last fall. I'm trying to decide if I want to stay in Chicago or come back home to Forks. I've got some hefty debt, but moving home with Mom and Dad." He shook his head. "I do not think I am ready for that!" He flashed a smile.
"I do miss Forks sometimes," I said. He moved closer. Our knees knocked together. "I miss what Forks was, I guess."
"Yeah, me too."
We were quiet for a moment. I felt his eyes on me, but I was scared that if I looked at him, he would see all the emotion I was trying to hold back. All the hurt and the want I felt.
"Bella, your ice cream." He motioned toward my hand. My ice cream was dripping down my cone and coating my hand in chocolate ice cream.
"I am going to run to the bathroom and wash up. I'll be right back, then we can head home." I push my chair out and walk into the ice cream shop, looking at my feet.
All cleaned up, I met him at the front door. I put my hands up and flip them back and forth. "All clean." I smile.
We start walking down the sidewalk, and I slip my arm around his elbow as we navigate the crowds back to my apartment.
When we reached my front door, my arm was still locked around his. I bit the inside of my mouth, nervous to ask the question I had wanted to ask all night.
"I had a fun night, Bella. Reminded me of old times."
"Me too. I'm glad I saw you today."
"Maybe we can have an early dinner tomorrow night? I am taking the red eye out, but the conference is over at three, so I'll be free."
I shake my head, "Sure." I said with a non-committal tone.
I tried to muster up my courage when Edward leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Good night, Bella." The corners of his mouth turned up in a wicked little grin. Then he turned to walk away.
"Edward, wait. I need to ask you something. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I have to ask."
He furrowed his brow, "you can ask anything Bella."
"Why did you only call me twice when I moved to Phoenix?."
He was quiet for a moment. It looked like he was gathering his thoughts and coming up with excuses.
"You know, never mind. We were kids. It was dumb to bring it up. Have a safe flight tomorrow. Tell the family I said 'Hi.'"
"Bella." He whispered. Tears filled his eyes. "I called you every day for six months. Most of the time, the line would ring. I would sit there for hours, sometimes listening to it ring, hoping you would pick up. Sometimes Renee would answer, and she would tell me you were out with your new friends, your new boyfriend. You were at cheerleading or drama club. She told me you were so busy having fun that I needed to let you go. You had all but forgotten me. So, one day, I quit calling. It was too hard. I was happy you had moved on and made friends and were living your life, but I was heartbroken. I missed you so much. Nothing was the same once you left." He wiped a lone tear that made its way down his cheek.
"I never did any of those things. I certainly didn't have any friends, let alone a boyfriend." Before he could respond, I grabbed his face and pulled his mouth to mine.
"I am so sorry she did that," I said against his mouth. "I didn't know."
He let out a breath, "I can forgive her." He ran hands down my sides and grabbed onto my hips, pulling me close to him.
"Do you want to come in?" I breathed.
"Yes." He whispered into my hair. "More than anything."
I fumbled with the lock, but I finally got it open. When we were inside with the door closed, he took my hand, "Bella?" He questioned. "I just got you back, I don't want to—"
I put my finger to his lips. "I'm not going anywhere," I said. With that, he claimed my mouth as his. I grabbed his shirt and started walking backward until my knees hit the bed. I laid down, taking him with me. I moved up the bed so we could lie down side by side. He deepened the kiss, and I moaned against his touch. His fingertips traced across my collarbones, leaving sparks of electricity in their wake.
I ran my fingers across his stubbled chin. "I wanted to give you my virginity, you know," I whispered.
"That was always my plan. Our first time would be together. I'm so sorry it didn't work out that way."
"Yeah, me too." I sighed.
"Let me make it up to you." He murmured against my neck, leaving a trail of burning kisses down my throat and across my collarbones. His hand moved up my thigh, taking my skirt with it.
I leaned into his touch. I wanted to feel his hands on me forever. The next few moments were a haze of hands and lips and pulling off clothes.
He situated himself between my legs and trailed his thumb along my jaw and said, "I have always loved you, Bella."
I took his face in my hands. "I love you still, Edward."
Our mouths and bodies joined, and time stood still as he made love to me.
I closed my eyes to block out anything but the feeling of him inside me. The way his hands slid over my breasts, his heavy breathing and quiet moans.
Without needing to ask, he must have sensed I was close. He moved his hand between us, giving me the friction that I craved. I came undone around him. He let me ride the high before joining me in the bliss.
He rolled off and lay beside me. We were both sweaty and breathless. I took his hand and wound my fingers through his pulling our joined hands to rest on my chest. I did not want to let him go.
"You should come back with me to Chicago." He said as he looked into my eyes.
"What about your roommate?"
He laughed loudly, "I don't live with him anymore. I got my own place once I started making a paycheck. No roommates. I promise. Not even a dog."
"It's so tempting," I said as I snuggled closer to his chest. "But I have a job and an apartment here. I mean, it's a three-square-foot apartment, and I manage a chain coffee shop, but…" I trailed off.
"I know, Bella." He sighed, "It's just, well I spent too many years without you. I want to make this work. I guess we can take vacation time and long weekends. I love San Francisco." He smiled.
"You do?"
"I do now."
I chuckled before taking a serious tone. "I want to make it work too. Edward." I kissed him softly. My eyes fluttered closed from the touch of his lips and exhaustion.
"Go to sleep, Bella. You can't keep your eyes open." He tucked his arm tightly around me, and I drifted to sleep.
"Hi," I said as I rolled over and brushed the hair off his forehead.
"Good morning." He kissed my nose. "I really, really hate to get out of this bed right now, but I have to be at the conference at nine." He got up and put on his wrinkled clothes from last night. "Still want to have dinner with me?"
"Absolutely. I can meet you at the conference center at three."
"Perfect." He leaned down and kissed me full on the mouth. "I will see you at three." With that, he left.
I laid in bed for an hour debating with myself. Back and forth, I thought about it. Going to Chicago is crazy. Staying put was the smart choice, I reasoned. On the other hand, what is keeping me here? My job? But this is a huge decision. We hadn't seen each other before last night in almost twenty years. A lot can change. Sure, he seemed like old Edward last night, but… last night.
Last. Night.
I got up, dressed, walked down the hall, and gave my landlord notice. Then, I drove to the coffee shop and handed in my keys. At three o'clock, I stood in the conference center lobby with all my worldly possessions jammed into two suitcases and a backpack. I was so anxious that I didn't even see him until he was standing next to me.
"Bella, what is all this?" He gestured to my bags.
"I'm coming with you back to Chicago."
"Really? Forever?" He broke out with a huge grin.
"Forever."
He picked me up and swung me around. "Bella Swan, I love you more than anything in this world."
Shape of Us Ian Britt
That was three years ago. Three years of happy times and some not-so-happy times, but we were in it together. When he asked me to marry him, I said yes without a moment of hesitation. I was his. I always had been his.
"Bella?" Alice knocked softly on the door to the Bridal Suite where we had been getting ready. I had asked everyone to give me a few minutes. I wanted to reflect on our lives and how fate knew we would always end up here. Even if the path was rough, and for a while, it felt hopeless. We had made it to forever.
"Yeah, Alice." I turned as she opened the door and slipped into the room.
"It's time. Oh, Bella, you look stunning."
"Do you think Edward will like it?" I asked, smoothing the front of my dress.
"Only one way to find out!" She winked at me and took my hand. My Maid of Honor, taking me to marry my best friend, my protector, my hero.