ConSeQuences Chapter 16, a twilight fanfic

I apologize for the delay. I wasn't well for almost a month.

My team freaking ROCKS! These two ladies, Mel Cee and SassyNoles encouraged me when I wasn't in the best head space.

All mistakes are mine… I changed a few things.

Chapter 16: Begin Again

Bella

"I miss you too, Gray." I cooed. "Give me two more hours to finish and I'm all yours for the rest of the day."

I couldn't wait to see what he had planned.

"Mmmmm," he hummed. "Mine for the rest of the day you say?" he teased.

"Yes." I bit the inside of my cheek.

"I like the sound of that," he sang. "So, let's say I'll be there around three o'clock?"

"That's perfect." My eyes danced, excited to see him.

"See you later, sweetheart."

"Later, baby," I murmured before I ended the call.

I looked around the monstrosity that was supposed to be my childhood bedroom and was immediately exhausted. I knew I wouldn't be back home until late November, so I needed to take some fall clothes, too. There were jackets, coats, and sweaters thrown across my bed. Not to mention several pairs of boots, scarves and gloves.

Usually, I would've been better prepared, but the last few weeks had flown by. I kept delaying packing because I wanted to spend as much time with Grayson as possible, since he went to Loyola University in Chicago and I was down state at University of Illinois.

We'd decided that he would come and visit me in mid-September, since he'd never been to my campus before.

Grayson and I had been inseparable since the day we officially started dating. We went to a sip and paint one afternoon, then he surprised me and took me on a dinner cruise. One Saturday morning, we enjoyed the Street Art, while we drank fruit smoothies. The following day we caught the train downtown with a basket full of food and a blanket, cozied up and watched a show in the park.

If we weren't together, we were on the phone. Even after he'd drop me off, we still talked on the phone until the early hours of the next morning. Our conversations just flowed… they were easy. We hadn't experienced one of those awkward, silent moments when you ran out of things to say. And there was no topic we hadn't talked about. Grayson made his life an open book to me, not being evasive, the way Edward tended to be.

Even the day Grayson got his test results back, he handed me the envelope, so I could read them for myself. He had insisted we have a relationship where we talked about any and everything. No secrets.

I knew this was a new relationship and, in the beginning, it could seem like everything was peaches and cream, but I had to admit to myself that it felt like we were both building a relationship, opposed to me doing it alone, which was how I felt with Edward.

My phone vibrated on my bedside table, bringing me out of my thoughts. I smiled when I saw Tanya's face appear. "Hey, girl."

"Hey, B. What are you up to?"

"Packing." I huffed, wearily. "I'm down to the last of it."

"I hate being here without you. Hurry up and get down here." She whined.

"I know, you spoiled brat." I snorted out a laugh. "I'll be there tomorrow afternoon."

She huffed. "I know, but I still hate it."

Normally, Tanya and I drove back to school together, arriving on campus a week before classes started. But I couldn't say no to Grayson when he asked me if I could stay longer.

"So, how is the new room?" I tried to change the subject.

We had to move to another dormitory since the one we'd previous been in was for freshman and sophomores, and we were in our junior year now. The upper-class dorms were as nice as apartments but without the high cost.

"Oh my god, Bella, you're going to love it!" Her tone perked up. "We have a window in our room, which gives us perfect natural lighting. There is amble storage space that is hidden away above a wardrobe that's built into the wall." She paused. "And believe it or not my bed was very comfortable."

"It sounds like they've been holding out on us," I chuckled.

"Yeah, obviously they have." Tanya chuckled too. "Oh yeah, we have a common area with a kitchen, stainless steel appliances, a table set with seating for four people, and huge dark blue sectional."

"Oh wow! That sounds nice. I can't wait to see it."

"I thought to send you some pics, but I decided to wait for you to see it in person. Oh yeah!" I heard a door close. "We'll share the common area with two other juniors, Journee and Gia. They seem nice but the jury is still out on whether they will stay that way."

Tanya didn't trust others easily, so I wasn't surprised by her response. She'd have to observe them for a while and then she'd make her decision.

I threw my head back and laughed. "They're not your new BFFs?"

She scoffed. "You know better, Bella. Will you just hurry up and get your ass down here?"

"Okay, okay, girl. Let me go so I can finish up." I looked at the clock on my wall. "Gray will be here soon, and I still need to take a shower and get dressed."

"All right call me when you're on your way," she rushed out.

"Will do. Love you, T."

"Love you more," she replied before the call ended.

I scanned the room one last time, exhaled and dug into the many piles of clothes.

CCCCCCCCC

I stood in front of my full-length mirror and examined myself again, wondering if my outfit was a bit too much. It was a white bohemian style dress, with two rows of ruffles, that tied in the front, showing just enough cleavage, without being too provocative.

I'd never been one of those girls that felt like I needed to display my body with the clothes I wore. I was more the classy, sexy type of woman.

I wasn't exactly sure where we were going, since Grayson had refused to tell me. He'd been full of one surprise after another. He told me to wear whatever I wanted to because I always looked beautiful. While his statement made me melt, I still didn't have a clue as what to wear. But when I'd pulled this dress out, I knew it was the one.

After one last satisfied glance in the mirror, I sat down in the chair and wrapped the long straps to my gladiator sandals up my legs. Then I walked over and sat in front of my makeup vanity. I tilted my head to the side, pleased with the small amount of makeup I had on and then added a sheer pink lip gloss.

Just as I had put the cap back on the lip gloss, the doorbell rang. I smiled as I looked at the clock on the wall. Grayson was right on time, as usual. There was no rush for me to open the door because both my parents were home, and I knew they'd get it.

I lightly sprayed some Dior J'adore on my pulse points, grabbed my purse, and headed for the stairs. As I made my way down, I heard my mother talking. "Oh, Bella's going to love that," my mother squealed out.

"Bella's going to love what?" I smirked.

All three heads quickly turned toward me.

"You look beautiful," Dad spoke first.

"Breathtaking." Grayson stated, as Mom smiled and nodded. He stepped closer to the staircase with his hand out, waiting for me.

Mom's smile grew wider, as Dad gently pulled her into his side, and kissed her on the cheek.

The thing about it was, one might think Grayson had put on a front for my parents, but he was truly being himself. If he said he was going to do something, he did it. When he said he would pick me up at a certain time, he did. He opened doors for me, and he pulled out my chair for me, no matter where we were. He held my hand every opportunity he had. Grayson was a true gentleman.

After I had finally descended the stairs and placed my hand in Grayson's, he kissed me on the cheek. "Bee, you look…" He trailed off, seemingly searching for words.

But as he sought for the right words to find, I took note of the way his white linen collared shirt clung to his broad shoulders and chest, as if it was handcrafted just for him. And his scent, it pulled me closer to him. It was musky but subtle, with an undertone of bergamot.

Grayson's lighthearted laugh pulled me out of my perusal. I blushed because not only had he caught me ogling him, my parents had too.

"You ready, sweetheart?" Grayson asked.

"Yes." I squeezed his hand, smiling.

"You all have a good time." Mom winked.

"We will." I ducked my head, still a little embarrassed.

I kissed both my parents on the cheek before I moved to the door, as Grayson put his hand on the small of my back.

"Drive safely, son," Dad said, extending his hand to shake Grayson's.

"Will do, sir," Grayson nodded, as he shook Dad's hand.

Once we were seated and buckled up in Grayson's SUV, he kissed me on my cheek. "Baby, you look incredible." He smiled at me.

"Thank you." I bit my bottom lip. "You look and smell amazing."

He reached over and grabbed my hand, kissed my knuckles gently, then intertwined his finger with mine, as he laid our hands on the console, before he pulled off.

We rode in a comfortable silence, as the cool breeze blew through my wavey locks, and the warm rhythms of jazz filled the SUV. The sky was ablaze with the orange fire of the setting sun.

I leaned my head back, and closed my eyes, so I could relish the moment. Who would have thought the way my summer started it would've ended like this? I had finally ended a hurtful, toxic, relationship that I probably never should've been in, in the first damn place. But more importantly, I was at the beginning of a relationship with someone who had been my friend first.

That was a realization that I'd come to one night as I journaled-Edward and I weren't friends. There was a lot that I didn't know about him. It wasn't because I hadn't tried but you can't make a person open up or be honest with you. He knew more about me than I knew about him, and looking back on it, that should have been a red flag for me.

It's easy as hell to say shoulda, coulda, woulda, after the fact, but while you're in it, you miss somethings because emotions can blind you.

Grayson gently squeezed my hand, pulling me out of my introspections. "We're here."

I smiled, opened my eyes, and turned my face to him. "That was fast." I looked around and noticed that we were downtown. I had been so relaxed I hadn't realized we weren't moving anymore.

"As you know, we weren't that far away." He lightly pulled our entangled hands to his lips and kissed my hand. "You ready?"

"Yes." I nodded, immediately missing the warmth of his hand.

I watched him, after he got out, walk across the front of the SUV to open my door. He stuck his hand out waiting for me, and I slid mine into his.

As we began to walk down the street, with one of his hands on the small of my back, I was curious as to where we were going. There were so many restaurants downtown, so I didn't have a clue. "So, Gray, you're still not going to tell me where we're going?"

"And ruin the surprise." He chuckled and shook his head. "No."

I exhaled and rolled my eyes.

He full-out laughed. "You can roll your eyes all you want. I'm still not telling you. Now, walk, woman."

Cocky ass.

As we strolled down the street, I smelled several different aromas from the restaurants we passed and the vendors street food. It had been hours since I'd eaten so I grew hungrier by the minute.

I had decided to stop trying to figure out where we were going and just enjoy the evening but then Grayson slowed down in front of a tall glassy building with planted trees and blue umbrellas, where we were greeted by a hostess.

I gasped and he turned, smiling down at me.

"Hello." She smiled at us. "Welcome to the London House Roof Top. Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, we do." Grayson nodded. "Two for Walsh."

The hostess looked down and marked something on the book in front of her. "Yes, you're right here." Then she picked up two menus. "Right this way, please." We followed behind her passing other beautifully set tables, for those who choose to dine inside. Shortly after, we approached a bank of gold colored elevator doors. The hostess pushed the button and we followed her onto the lift.

She smiled at our connected hands. "Is this your first time here?"

"Yes," we answered in unison.

"How sweet." She grinned. "Celebrating anything…" The hostess trailed off.

"No, not really. I wanted to make tonight special for my girlfriend." Grayson responded, squeezing my hand, as he looked down at me. I beamed up at him, as heat radiated through my chest.

The doors opened and we were met with tall white top tables with black chairs that accompanied them. There were couples that faced the lakefront, in their own conversations, while others some others stood at the bar, laughing and talking.

My eyes gleamed as they took in the electric atmosphere and the backdrop of some of the Chicago skyline.

One of the many nights Grayson and I were on the phone, he'd asked me what restaurants I had never been to that I would like to try, and London House was one of them. But the conversation had moved on from that topic on to something else. But I had no idea he was making his own lists of places for us to go.

What a sneak he was… but in a good way.

After the hostess briefly spoke with another host, she escorted us to our table. "You all are at table nine." We followed behind her, she sat the menus down on the table, and Grayson pulled out my chair. "Such a gentlemen," the hostess said. "Your attendant will be with you shortly. I hope you enjoy your night." She smiled warmly before she walked away.

I had been going to nice restaurants since forever. My parents had exposed me to many different experiences, even as a child, but none of the other guys I'd dated had ever done something like this, including Edward.

"Gray." I lay my hand on the table, asking for his. He slid his hand into mine. "This is beautiful and so sweet." I rubbed my thumb across his knuckles, as we stared into each other's eyes.

"So are you." He leaned in closer. "Bee, there are so many firsts I've planned for us to share. I have already scheduled for us to go horseback riding at Millbrook Trail, not too far from the campus when I come down in September."

My stomach fluttered because this showed that he truly listened to me. I mentioned months ago, while we were on our lunch break at work, that I wanted to go horseback riding on that trail.

"How did I get so lucky?" My heart felt full.

"I'm the lucky one, baby." He lay his other hand on top of mine. "And I'm going to show you every day just how grateful I am, as long as you'll let me."

"I think I'll keep you around…Walsh." I smirked.

"Is that right, Swan?" He smirked too. "You know—"

"Good evening," the attendant cut Grayson off. "My name is Vince and I'll have the pleasure of serving you all tonight." He smiled as he held his pad and pen. Grayson and I both smiled back at Vince. "Can we start with your drinks first, please?"

Grayson and I picked up our menus quickly, since we hadn't looked at them yet. "I'll have a strawberry mocktail." I spoke up first. "Great choice. That's one of my favorites because the fruit is always so fresh," Vince nodded. "And for you, sir?" He looked at Grayson.

"Since I'm driving, I'll have the non-alcoholic old-fashioned." Grayson closed his menu.

"All right, I'll be back with your drinks shortly. I'm not sure if you planned on ordering any appetizers but may I recommend the chilled crab meat cocktail, the spicy tuna, or the jumbo lump crab cake."

That was a hard choice because they all sounded good.

"What's in the jumbo lump crab cake?" Grayson asked.

"The crab cakes are lightly fried, stuffed with aioli, sitting on a sweet and sour slaw, made with a horseradish mustard sauce." Vince smiled.

My interest was definitely piqued.

"That sounds good to me." Grayson looked at me.

"That does sound good. We'll have that."

"Perfect." Vince stuck his pad and pen in his waist apron. "Someone will be over shortly with your drinks and ice water. Would either of you like a twist of lemon in it?"

"I would," I said.

"Regular water is fine for me. Thank you," Grayson said.

"All right, great. Your appetizers will be out not too long after your drinks." Vince dipped his head.

"Thank you," I smiled.

Then Grayson looked at me with a devilish grin. "I think I'm too far away from you." He got up and set his chair next to mine. "That's better," he said as he placed his arm on the back of my chair.

We looked over our menus together and eventually talked about how beautiful the view was until a different waiter brought us our drinks. "The strawberry mocktail for the lady." He smiled, as he sat the drink in front of me. "And the old-fashioned for the gentlemen." Grayson nodded. "Thanks."

"My pleasure." The waiter slipped the tray under his arm. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening," he said and walked away.

I took a small sip of my fruity drink. "Mmmm, this is good."

Grayson did the same with his drink. "I'm going to order another one." He drank half of the dark liquid down.

I shook my head and chuckled, as I picked up my water.

"Here we you are." Vince sat the dish down in front of us along with two smaller plates. "Be careful, please. It's still hot." Grayson and I nodded, as we looked at the delicious dish in front of us. "Would you like me to put your mains in now?" Vince asked.

Grayson turned his head to me. "Is now okay or do you want to wait?"

"Now, is good with me." I glanced at the menu. "I'd like the Colorado lamb, with twice baked potatoes and a house salad, with ranch dressing, please."

"Great choice. And for you, sir?" Vince smiled with approval as he wrote.

"I'll have the ten-ounce filet mignon, medium well, with sauteed mushrooms on top, whipped mashed potatoes, and asparagus."

"I think you'll like that. I ate that for lunch earlier today." Vince finished writing. "If there isn't anything else, I can get for you now, I'll let you enjoy your food."

"No, thank you. We're fine," Grayson said.

I looked at the mouthwatering crab with the sauce dribbled over it, as the small skillet it sat in sizzled.

"Looks like we picked a winner, huh?" Grayson said. He picked up the serving spoon that has already had a piece of crab scooped on it and sat in on my plate. Then he served himself.

I picked up my fork and sectioned off a small piece because they were actually jumbo. Just as I was about to taste the first bite, Grayson called my name. "Bella." He smiled, with his fork held up to me, waiting.

He was so attentive. But when I thought about it, he'd always been like this.

I smiled at him and took my first bite. "Mmmm, this is good," I mumbled in between chewing, as Grayson smirked. I knew he was going to like it too, so I picked up my fork. "Your turn." He leaned in closer taking the food off the fork and bobbed his head immediately after.

We finished off the food that was on our plates and decided to save the rest to go so we wouldn't get too full before our main course.

Grayson pushed his plate away from him and turned toward me. "I know I've told you this a million times already, but I am going to miss you." He gently rubbed small circles on my back, with a soft expression.

I leaned in closer and pressed my palm lightly against his cheek. "I'm going to miss you too, sweetheart." I was almost breathless with the sincerity in his eyes. They had pulled me in, not that I wanted to turn away anyway. The other people and their conversations seemed to fade away into the black. It was only Grayson and me, in our own little world. The next thing I knew, his hand was at the nape of my neck, as he lowered his lips and caressed my mouth with a lingering kiss.

He had the most perfectly balanced lips, full and proportionate. And they were soft, like rose-petals blown apart. I willingly surrendered every time because I had slowly become addicted to his intimate, tender kisses and touches.

We both slowly pulled away and he leaned his forehead on mine. "Bella," he whispered.

I felt his warm breath and my eyes immediately fell on his mouth. I licked my lips ready to feel his lips on mine again, but a throat clearing pulled me out of my bubble.

I was a bit irritated on one hand because I wasn't ready to be brought out of the space, we were in but on the other hand how could I be upset for someone doing their job.

Grayson turned his head first but didn't say anything, which made me turn mine.

"Isabella, my sweet." Eliana grinned mischievously, as Hugo stood beside her with a smirk. He was the last one I wanted to catch me. I knew Hugo would tease me about this for the rest of the year. A flush creeped across my cheeks as I grimaced. "Please introduce me to your gentlemen friend," she said as her eyes shifted between Grayson and me.

I bit my bottom lip and shook off my slight embarrassment. "Hi Eliana and Hugo. How are you all doing?"

"It seems not as good as you, darling," Hugo goaded.

"Oh, stop it, honey." Eliana lightly hit his arm, while she never took her eyes off of us. "We're wonderful."

I knew neither one of them would move until I had properly introduced them to Grayson.

"Eliana and Hugo, this is Grayson Walsh, my boyfriend." I turned and smiled at him, as he gave me a chase kiss on the cheek.

"Well." Eliana sighed happily. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Bella has told me so much about you and I'm glad we got a chance to meet you before she left."

She beamed almost as bright as the sun. We'd had lunch some weeks ago and I told everything that had happened with Edward. Although Eliana and Esme were best friends, she was furious with him. She was glad I had finally broken it off with him and had moved on.

Grayson stood up, extending his hand to her, as I stood to hug Hugo. "The pleasure is all mine. Bella has shared some funny stories about you two." He shifted and shook Hugo's hand next.

"Anything she said that made me sound bad… is absolutely… true," Hugo taunted, as I playfully rolled my eyes, standing next to Grayson.

"Now that is true." Eliana shook her head, smiling.

Grayson lightly chuckled as he snaked his arm around my waist.

"We didn't mean to intrude. We just wanted to come by and speak since we saw you all on our way out." Hugo said.

"No worries at all." I waved dismissively. "I'm—"

"Eliana?" She interrupted. Hugo and Eliana turned around to face her. "Carlisle and I have been waiting on you all. What's ta-" Esme became speechless when she finally noticed Grayson and me. Her eyes swiftly darted to how closely we stood with our arms around each other's waists. Her eyes bulged but she instantly controlled her expression, and then her gaze settled looking me directly in the eye.

I stared back at her, calm with all the confidence in the world. I wasn't fazed in the least bit. And if Edward hadn't had the balls to tell his family we were not no longer together, that was on him.

It seemed she had finally found her voice, again. "Hi, Bella." She smiled but it wasn't her usual one. "Long time no see. How have you been?"

Eliana stood beside Esme with a sheepish look, while Hugo smirked smugly.

I almost laughed because Hugo had wanted to throttle Edward from the moment he found out what happened.

"Hi Mrs. Cullen." I smiled back, but mine was genuine. I had nothing to hide and no reason to feel bad. "I've had a busy summer between work and spending time with my family and friends. But other than that, I've been good. How have you been?"

"Same as you. Busy." She tucked some hair behind her ear, as she glanced at Grayson, again.

I saw curiosity written all over her face. She wanted to ask who he was, but she was probably conflicted, being too proper, or classy to do so. The petty side of me wanted to ignore her questioning look. But there was no way in hell I would disrespect Grayson that way.

Time to rip the bandage off…

"Please forgive me, Mrs. Cullen." I paused, being dramatic, purposefully. "Let me introduce you to my boyfriend, Grayson." Her eyebrows raised with my bluntness.

Grayson being the confident, unflappable person he was, slid his arm from around me and stepped forward, reaching for her hand. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Cullen." He knew who she was, but it would've been outside of his character to be anything but polite.

"Oh, um," Esme fumbled, finally realizing his hand was in front of her. "It's nice to meet you too." She met his hand with her. Esme opened her mouth to say something else, but Eliana cut her off.

"Es, honey." She gently touched her arm. "We should go. Carlisle is still downstairs waiting on us, right?"

Realization came across Esme's face. "Yes. We should go. He's been downstairs waiting on us for a while."

Esme stepped back as Eliana moved forward and hugged me. "I'm going to miss you so much sweetheart. Make sure you call me and let me know you made it safe, okay?" She pulled back and cupped my face.

"I will." I nodded, agreeing.

Eliana did this every time I drove back to school. "I love you, Bee." She kissed my forehead.

"I love you too," I said with my eyes closed, enjoying her motherly love.

I opened my eyes to Esme standing beside Eliana fiddling with her necklace. "Bella, do you mind if we can spoke privately for a moment?" she asked softly.

I felt bad for her. I understood the Mother Bear was only trying to protect her cub, but little did she know others needed to be protected from her cub.

I nodded my head once and followed Esme to a quiet corner.

She began, getting straight to the point. "Bella, I have no right to ask you this and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but exactly when did you and Edward break up?" This was the Mrs. Cullen I was used to.

"No problem." I shrugged. "At the beginning of the summer, shortly after I got home."

She squinted her eyes, then gasped, as if she had pieced some things together. "So, wait a minute." She held up one palm. "You're usually home before the end of May, right?"

Only god knows how many different stories Edward had made up for my absence.

"Yes."

"And it happened shortly after that?" She didn't let me answer before she asked another question. "So, all those different reasons Edward said why you couldn't come over was all him?"

I furrowed my eyebrows and then released them. I was curious as to what he said for the whole summer but that was a rabbit hole I decided not to go down, especially with his mother. "Yes, that was all him," I said in a no-nonsense tone.

"Oh," she sighed.

I glanced past Esme and saw Grayson, Eliana and Hugo talking and laughing. I wasn't going to be rude to her, but it was time to end this conversation. "Mrs. Cullen, I apologize that you had to find out Edward and I were no longer together like this, but since tonight is my last night home for a while, I'd like to get back to my date with Grayson."

She answered with a small nod.

"No disrespect to you, but I don't feel comfortable answering any more questions about what happened between us. Perhaps you all can have that conversation." I paused giving her a moment to digest what I said. "It was good seeing you. Take care," I said with finality before I walked away.

I headed back to our table where they all stood, and I heard Esme following behind me. "Hugo and Eliana," Esme cleared her throat. "I'll meet you all downstairs."

Eliana spoke after she saw Esme get on the elevator. "Sorry about that." Her eyes went from Grayson to me. "But Edward hasn't been as… forthcoming as he should have been about what happened." Her shoulders slumped, as she sighed. "I didn't feel like it was my place to say anything."

It annoyed the hell out of me that the person accountable for this whole big mess was the only one not taking ownership for his shit.

"And you shouldn't have to either," I blurted out. "He's the one that's been lying to his family all summer, not you," I pointed my index at Eliana. "That's their problem, not yours." I shook my head, disgusted.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, little Bee." Hugo chuckled. "It was great talking with you Grayson but we're going to let you two get back to your date." He gently touched Eliana's back. "You ready, sweetie?"

"Yes, dear." Eliana smiled. "Good night, dears." She blew air kisses, then paused. "Grayson, I hope to see more of you?" It came out as more of a question.

"You will." He tangled his fingers with mine. "I plan on being a fixture." He smiled, and Eliana and Hugo grinned widely, before they walked away, waving.

Goosebumps slide along the back of my neck and my stomach fluttered.

I looked up at him and smirked. "A fixture, huh?"

"A permanent fixture," he said, sealing it with a kiss.

As always, thank you for your reviews, follows, favorites and alerts. I appreciate you taking this journey with me.

I'd love to hear your thoughts…

Rec: The Way I Wanted, by iambeagle, it was a fantasy that never should've been a reality. This story drew me in from the first chapter. Please… go read it!