So, Ffn has been a PITA again it seems. That's why I downloaded the app. No more missing updates and alerts.
Welcome new readers and thank you to everyone who followed and favorited the story — I really, really appreciate it.
A big thank you goes to my pre reader purpleC305 and Ninkita, my beta extraordinaire.
Mille grazie to Pa Trizia 88 for the translations.
I like to change/add things after the chapter is already beta'd so any eventual mistakes are mine.
Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 3
"Ciao, brutta."
"É brutta tua madre, stronzo." A deep, hoarse voice talked back, causing Edward to chuckle. "How have you been?"
"Good, can't complain," he answered, his smiling eyes on Bella.
Bella blushed, of course, and started fiddling with her napkin.
"Dove sei? Where are you? What are you doing right now?" They could hear the clicking of a keyboard on the other side.
"I'm about to have dinner," Edward revealed. "Why are you up already? Isn't it like 6 am over there?"
"It's closer to 5. Luca is sick and I'm doing some work since I'm already up and nursing my man, who thinks he's dying from a little bit of cold. Pfft! Anyway, what about you? Are you at home?"
"No, in a restaurant."
"Ooh. Are you alone or with someone?" There was some hint of teasing in Gianna's voice.
"No, not alone," Edward said amused. "I'm on a date actually."
"You're on a date?" Gianna sounded so excited, Bella had to suppress a giggle. "Wait! Who's your date?" Gianna's tone changed from teasing to cautious in seconds. "You didn't tell me you're seeing someone. Why haven't you told me? Who is it? I really hope she's not a nutjob like Kate, Edward, or I will have to personally come over there and…" Edward could have sworn he heard her uttering some additional curse words while typing furiously on her computer.
"Jesus, woman, relax," Edward interrupted her and rolled his eyes at his friend's overprotectiveness. "She's nothing like that." He took Bella's hand and brought it to his lips. "At all."
"She better not be, Edward!" The clicking of the keyboard got faster, more aggressive. "I like seeing my best friend carefree and happy and not having to walk on eggshells around some self-centered chick who didn't deserve him in the first place." Edward's lips twitched at Gianna's words. He was playing it cool but deep down he was touched by his friend caring about him and his love life. "Anyway, who is the lucky lady? What's her name?"
Edward squeezed Bella's hand affectionately but didn't let go. Bella watched his thumb brushing her fingers softly. The action made her want to crawl over the table and into his lap.
"I'm the lucky one and her name is Bella." Edward gazed intently at his companion. He needed her to know that he meant it.
"Bella, Edward, really?" Gianna giggled but when Edward didn't speak her laugh turned into a gasp. "Are you kidding me now, Edoardo? Bella's there? As in… your Bella?"
Bella's eyes widened in surprise at his friend's knowledge of her.
"Gianna!" Edward hissed, squirming a bit in his seat, smiling apologetically at Bella.
"What?" Gianna asked, puzzled. "Jesus Christ, don't tell me you have me on speakerphone and she's listening!"
"Hi, Gianna." Bella decided to make her presence known before more embarrassing things were said that would make this conversation weird for everyone involved. But mostly for Edward it seemed, because he was pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.
"Ciao Bella, it's so nice to finally meet you. Well, hearing your voice at least." Gianna sounded friendly and it put Bella immediately at ease. She kind of wanted Edward's friend to like her. Gianna seemed important to him. And vice versa. "I'm so sorry I'm interrupting your date. I just wanted to get over with the obligatory once-a-month phone call and it seems I just chose the wrong day to talk to him."
"That's perfectly fine, I don't mind. He was actually telling me about you just now. Of how you two met."
There was amused chuckling on the other side of the phone. "I bet he did. Don't believe everything he says about me."
"Oh, it's only good things, I swear," Bella quickly assured her but then realized that it was a joke and that made her feel dumb.
"I'm kidding Bella." Even though Bella couldn't see her she could definitely hear in Gianna's tone that she wasn't making fun of Bella. "And besides, I heard a lot of positive things about you too."
"You did?" Bella l asked, surprised.
"Of course. Once he started, he couldn't stop talking about you."
"Gianna, please, stop!" Edward begged.
"Why? Isn't it the truth? Remember when I made you describe her in Italian. The adjectives were just pouring out of you." Gianna was full out laughing now. Good thing they were secluded enough not to disturb the other diners.
"I'm so sorry," Edward mouthed to Bella. Bella enjoyed watching their banter because for once she wasn't the one being embarrassed. "Remind me again why we're friends."
"Because I'm the best," Gianna replied matter of factly.
"I'm not really sure about that anymore," Edward countered goodnaturedly and winked at Bella.
"You're just saying that because Bella's back in your life and we all know you think she's the best."
"Jesus Christ, Gianna, I'll hang up now."
"Come on, Edward, you know I'm just messing with you. Kind of." A male voice in the background was calling Giannas name. "I gotta go, Edward. I took enough time away from you and your date. Have a great evening. And Bella, it was nice meeting you. I hope to see you too one day."
"It was great meeting you too," Bella managed to say before Edward hung up with nothing but a rushed "ciao, brutta".
There was a beat of silence, enough for both to gather their thoughts.
"That was… interesting," Bella broke the silence.
"She's something else for sure," Edward said. "I apologize if she in any way or form embarrassed or even offended you. She…"
"Please, you have nothing to apologize for," Bella assured him. "I'm not offended or embarrassed or anything close to it. She seems like a great friend to have."
"That she is," Edward confirmed.
"I'm just a little bit surprised that she knows about me," Bella continued.
Edward shifted in his seat. "You were an important part of my life, Bella, of course I told her about you, about us and what an asshole I was. Let's just say that the adjectives she threw at me weren't that pretty."
Bella laughed. "Yeah, I noticed that she's direct. I like that. I like her. I also noticed that she likes to make you squirm." That earned her a huff from Edward.
"Tell me about it. The first time I visited her in Italy she had to translate for me because pretty much everyone except her grandparents spoke or at least understood English. You should have seen the looks on their faces every time I asked her to translate for me. God knows what she told them." Bella shook her head in amusement. "Her grandparents found out quickly that she was messing with me. That was the moment I decided to learn Italian, just to make sure it didn't happen again."
"That's a really funny story Edward. I'm a little bit disappointed though."
"Why?" Edward asked, alarmed. What was so disappointing about it?
"Well, I had hoped to hear you speak some more Italian." As soon as she finished the sentence her traitorous cheeks turned red.
Why would she blush at that? Edward's mind went back to the moment he had been speaking to their waiter and Bella had zoned out. She had been biting her lower lip and her eyes had kind of a lustful glint in them. Had she been turned on then? By him speaking Italian? Could it be?
Just when Edward was thinking about telling her he'd rectify that mistake and regale her with a sentence or two if she wanted him to, Marco, the waiter reappeared with their food. "I apologize if you waited too long."
Edward was glad for the interruption. As much as he wanted to see Bella aroused (if that's even how she felt when she heard him talking Italian) he didn't want her to know that he had probably found one of her weaknesses. He knew her well enough to know she would want the ground to open and swallow her whole if she even suspected that he'd figured her out.
"Buon appetito," Marco wished after he set their food in front of them.
"Thank you. This smells wonderful!" Bella leaned forward, just enough to be able to take in the aroma of the carbonara. "Much better than in Port Angeles." She sent Edward a conspiratorial wink before she spun some of the spaghetti around the fork and brought it to her mouth.
Edward watched in unexpected fascination how the strands of pasta disappeared behind her plump, rosy lips. Bella closed her eyes and chewed slowly. "Mmmm," she moaned. Well, at least to him it sounded like a moan. It might as well be his imagination. Or wishful thinking.
"Aren't you hungry?" Bella's question brought him back from wherever his thoughts were taking him.
Edward cleared his throat. "Yes, of course." His lips formed what he hoped was a smile but could just as well be a grimace. He cut off a piece of the pizza.
Bella's fork stopped midway to her mouth when Edward puckered his lips to blow on the steamy piece of pizza and then slowly guided it to his mouth. His tongue peaked out to wet his lips before the doughy goodness disappeared behind said full glossy lips. Oh, how she wished she was that piece of Italian delicacy.
She really needed to check herself. First it was Edward's ability to not only understand but also speak a foreign language that made her want to jump him, now her fascination with the way he was eating made her almost grip her seat to prevent the worst. If these actions already made her press her thighs together because she might spontaneously combust, imagine what Edward between said thighs could do. She didn't know what it was that made her all of a sudden feel that way because it surely wasn't the first time she'd seen Edward eating and it never had such an effect on her before. Bella shook her head, she desperately needed a distraction. She set her fork down and wiped her mouth.
"Can I ask you something, Edward? You don't need to answer, I'm just curious about something Gianna said."
"You can ask me anything," Edward told her. He was glad she started to talk, he didn't know how much longer he could take the silence that left him no other choice but to watch her delectable mouth that he so desperately wanted to kiss.
"What did Gianna mean when she called Kate a nutjob?"
Edward took another bite of his pizza, buying himself time to think about how to best explain Kate's behavior. "Gianna calls her a nutjob, I call her insecure. Now that you met my friend — if only on the phone — you got a pretty good picture of the type of person she is. Loud and opinionated. Kind of like my cousin Rose. And Rose you did meet."
"Did I ever," Bella confirmed with a laugh, thinking about how they had mistaken Edward and Emmett as Rose's and Bella's significant others, which caused them to drop their attitudes and forget about their initial dislike for each other. "I absolutely agree, Gianna's personality pretty much matches your cousin's. Gianna doesn't seem mean or malicious. At least I didn't have that impression of her."
"Not at all," Edward agreed. "She can be a handful, sure, but once you get to know her she's nothing but kind and caring and very protective. Especially of the people she deems family and friends. Kate, unfortunately, never made it into that circle."
"Why? Didn't they get along?" She couldn't have been that bad, could she? Bella wondered.
"That's an understatement." Edward took a sip of his beer before he resumed. "It wasn't that Gianna didn't try but you can make an effort only so many times before giving up."
"It sounds like Kate wasn't very fond of your friend," Bella dared to guess.
"You're right, she wasn't. And she wasn't shy to show it either."
Bella took another forkful of her pasta and chewed pensively. "I wonder what prevented her from accepting Gianna?" That was putting it mildly. Bella suspected she knew what it really was that Kate couldn't accept.
Edward huffed. "Kate's biggest problem has always been jealousy."
"So, she was jealous of your friendship with Gianna?" Bella guessed again and took a gulp of her cold brew.
"Of our friendship. Of Gianna."
That's what I thought. Bella grimaced inwardly but said nothing. What could she say anyway? She kind of understood Kate. If Bella hadn't just talked to Gianna she probably would have been jealous too with the way Edward had been talking about his friend. Who was she kidding, she had felt mild attacks of jealousy a few times herself since Edward started mentioning his friend. Who was she to judge?
"Is this why you said that what happened to me came back to bite you in the ass? Was that what you called it?" Bella grinned, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
Edward nodded. "Yeah. Although, I dare to say that her behavior was worse than the way I acted. Not that I'm making excuses for what I said to you. Or Jake, for that matter. But Kate was a whole other caliber."
"Why? What happened?'
"First I have to say that I never went anywhere with Gianna without asking Kate to come with me. I mean, she was my girlfriend, of course she should be with me. And most times she was." Edward took another sip of his beer. "It wasn't that I hung out with Gianna all the time. She still had family in the city. And I had my girlfriend.
"But whenever Kate couldn't go I felt… relieved." He ducked his head a bit — mildly ashamed — before he continued. "I know it sounds awful of me to talk about her like that but the truth is that whenever Kate wasn't around Gianna and I could breathe and feel free to talk about whatever we wanted."
"It's not awful if it made you feel that way," Bella defended his apology. Edward smiled at her gratefully. "What was it that made it easier for you to be relaxed, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I didn't realize that I missed joking around, being silly if you will. Kate was always so serious. Actually, that's not true," Edward added quickly. "When we first met she was funny but at times still reserved. It didn't bother me, to be honest. Opposites attract and all that, you know." It wasn't an actual question but Bella still nodded. "It wasn't until a couple months into dating that she started to act indifferent, almost uninterested in whatever I suggested we could do. Come to think of it, she was in as long as it was something we'd do at home. If I wanted us to go out or hang out with friends she'd make a fuss. Until Gianna. That's when Kate started to be really difficult."
"Or jealous," Bella suggested.
"Or jealous," Edward echoed in agreement.
"Is everything ok? Is the food not good?" Bella and Edward startled at the unexpected voice. Marco stood at their table, his eyes on the almost untouched plates and his face showing concern.
"Oh," Edward and Bella said in unison, looking at the still half full plates then back at their friendly waiter.
"Everything is perfect," Bella assured him with a smile. "We were just having a conversation and it made us forget about the food."
"Era davvero delizioso," Edward said truthfully and Bella almost swooned again.
"Mi fa piacere sentirlo," Marco reciprocated, relieved. "Can I bring you anything else?"
"Give me just a second," Edward said to the waiter and turned to Bella. "Would you mind if we let the rest of the food get packed up to go and take a walk? It's quite a nice evening, too nice not to be outside for a bit."
"That's a great idea, Edward!" Bella beamed at the suggestion. "But we'll come back soon," she told Marco with a promising smile. She felt bad for not having eaten everything and hoped to at least make their nice waiter feel a little bit better about his evident disappointment.
—
After putting the packed food into the car they made their way to a nearby park. A light breeze was blowing which made Bella shudder.
She was about to put the cardigan that she took from the car around her shoulders but Edward beat her to it. "Let me," he offered and took it from her. He waited for Bella to put her arms through the sleeves before he turned her around and fidgeted with the sleeves and lapels to make sure the cardigan sat perfectly.
"Thank you," she said and smiled up at him.
"You're welcome," Edward replied and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"
They strolled down the street, Bella's arm linked with Edward's. The night was indeed beautiful despite it being a bit windy. She was glad she brought the cardigan although only being so close to Edward automatically made her feel warm all over. Actually, the entire evening had that effect on her. She was turned on from the moment Edward stood at her door up to the surprising discovery that her date spoke Italian and it all made her almost go up in flames. To be honest, she wouldn't mind if tonight…
"Bella?" Edward's calm, soothing voice interrupted her thoughts. He squeezed her shoulder. "Did you fall asleep on me, beautiful?" he joked.
Bella looked up at him, her eyes wide in question. She didn't realize that at some point on their walk Edward had put his arm around her and that she had buried herself into his side. "Oh… uh… sorry, I was just thinking," she excused her mental absence.
"Thinking? About what?" Edward asked curiously.
About how I want to throw you on my bed and… Of course she couldn't admit that so she just shrugged. "Nothing important." Liar.
Edward watched as once again her cheeks turned pink. Nothing important? Doesn't look like that to me. Bella only gets flustered when she's embarrassed about something. Or like earlier in the restaurant. His eyes widened at the memory. Fuck, don't tell me she's turned on. Here goes our taking it slow because I really, really want her now.
Ignoring the fact that they were in public Edward stopped walking, causing Bella to almost stumble. "Why did you…"
Bella didn't get to finish the sentence. Edward's lips captured hers, his warm hands cupping her face. Although determined, the kiss was soft but still revealed a hint of desperation. Bella wouldn't complain because ever since they reconnected desperation was exactly what she had been feeling. For Edward, for the possibilities of what this reconnection potentially had to offer.
When she finally reciprocated by fisting Edward's sweater in her hands and kissing him with equal fervor, the entire world around her disappeared. There was only her and Edward.
Edward ended the kiss first by giving her a couple of featherlight kisses before he pulled back, just enough to be able to look into her eyes. "I'm sorry," he said, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. "I know you don't like this kind of public display but I just couldn't help myself. I've been thinking about kissing you all evening."
"I appreciate your concern, Edward but never apologize for kissing me. In public or not, I don't really mind," Bella quickly offered. "not anymore." To prove the truthness of her statement she stood on her toes and planted a big fat kiss on his lips. "And besides, I did it first on Alice's birthday. At the club, remember?"
Edward groaned playfully. "I remember. I also remember how I wanted to wring that idiot's neck for annoying you. And clearly coming on to you."
"Aww, you were jealous," Bella teased and pinched his cheek.
"You have no idea," Edward confessed, grinning. He pecked her nose. "And when you started walking toward me with determination written all over your face, that was quite sexy. Then you took me by surprise when you kissed me. I didn't see that coming."
"Yeah, I didn't know how to get rid of him otherwise." Bella shrugged. "I had to do something. It turned out to be the best idea I've had so far."
"So far? You have more surprises up your sleeves then?" Edward asked and kissed her on the cheek.
"Maybe?" Oh, most definitely. Bella's imagination started to run wild. "If you play your cards right tonight, I might just show you."
"Don't tease, love," he said, kissing the other cheek. Bella closed her eyes, enjoying Edward's actions. "If you're thinking what I'm thinking you're thinking, then I'll just have to put five times more effort into the rest of our date tonight. Just to be sure I'm playing my cards correctly." He leaned down until his lips were mere millimeters from hers. "How am I doing so far?" The movement of his mouth caused to occasionally touch her sweet inviting lips.
Before Bella was able to confirm that he was getting there, Edward kissed her again.
––––––
The drive home was spent talking about their families, Forks and old friends from high school. Anything to distract themselves from thinking about the kiss they'd shared earlier. Bella's pulse was still racing and the feeling of Edward's soft lips left her needy and wanting. She was sure Edward felt the same. The way he was constantly smiling while looking back and forth between traffic and her still flushed face confirmed her suspicion of mutual feelings. It was time to cool down a bit.
"I've been thinking," she started but stopped right away. She wasn't sure if reopening the topic of his ex-girlfriend was a good idea (and she didn't want to seem too nosy and overly curious) but it had bugged her the way they ended their conversation since they left the restaurant.
"About what?" Edward asked and took her hand to put a kiss to her knuckles. Bella shivered at the action. Damn, if this is already making her a quivering mess what would it do to her if he kissed her all over her body? It wasn't the time to think about that.
"About Kate," Bella said, waiting for Edward to tell her to leave it alone, that it was enough for the evening.
"What about her?" His tone was calm, no sign of annoyance. It gave Bella the green light to continue.
"You said she started to act difficult after you met Gianna. Difficult how?" She watched Edward, looking for any signs he might change his mind. "I'm asking because you said she behaved worse than you when… well, you know what I mean." She didn't like talking about the past. Admittedly, it had always hurt her whenever she'd thought about what went down between her and Edward, and she had thought about it often over the years.
Edward didn't respond right away. He was looking straight ahead, his jaw tense. "We don't have to talk about it, Edward, it's ok."
"It's fine, love," he said, squeezing her hand lightly. "I wanted to talk about it before Marco interrupted. It's not really about what she said that upset me, it's about when and in front of whom she said those things." Bella straightened in her seat, anxious about what was to come. "Gianna's boyfriend had just arrived in the States for a short visit. Poor guy." Edward shook his head at the memory. "It was nothing new that Kate was jealous, but that was something she should have left inside our own four walls, instead of stressing out everyone else with her problem. Or worse, trying to ruin other people's relationships. Thankfully Luca knew about me and my friendship with Gianna. Unlike Kate he absolutely trusted his girlfriend."
Bella gasped. "Kate accused you two of cheating on them in front of Gianna's boyfriend?"
"It was embarrassing." Edward confessed with a grimace of discomfort. "I thought Gianna was going to kill her but Luca stopped her before she could even reach Kate.
"After that I drove Kate home. Suffice it to say that we had a bad, heated argument in the car. I told her I couldn't believe she would do and say something like that and Kate told me to go back to my precious Gianna since I loved spending more time with Gianna than with her anyway. How unfair is that?"
Edward was upset and Bella couldn't fault him for that. He hadn't been in an enviable position, that was clear. She remembered how many times she had had to think about choosing between Edward and Jacob, only to get angry at her thoughts because she simply shouldn't have had to.
"I know you're angry about everything that happened and I don't blame you because I've been there." Her words were a stab of truth. She had been in the same position, he couldn't argue with that.
"I know," he only said.
"I didn't say this to make you feel bad, Edward, or even guilty. The thing is, I kind of understand where Kate is coming from." That earned her an almost shocked look from Edward. "What I mean is," she quickly resumed. "My and Kate's situations are kind of different."
Edward shook his head. "How are they different? We both accused our partners of cheating on us, without any reason."
"Yes, you did, that's true. But you had just met Gianna while you were already dating Kate. I had been best friends with Jacob for years before you and I even started being a couple. Everyone, including you, knew Jacob and I were like brother and sister. Do you see what I mean? I don't blame you for being jealous, Edward, God knows we all are at some point, but you had no reason to be, not really. Kate on the other hand was put in a position of having to share you with someone you hadn't been friends with for years but merely hours, does that make sense?"
Edward nodded slowly. Yes, it did make sense. "You're right, Bella. I hadn't really thought about that. I was just so annoyed that I was constantly accused of doing things that were far from my mind. I should have probably considered all the points you just made instead of just blowing off her behavior."
"I'm not siding with her, far from that," Bella clarified, just in case Edward thought she was justifying Kate's behavior. "Did she ever make her concerns known to you? Talk about her thoughts, her fears regarding your unexpected friendship with Gianna?"
"No, not really. All she did was being angry, annoyed and defiant," Edward said, irritated by the memory.
"Well, then that's all on her," Bella declared, crossing her arms. "I can imagine how hurt she was, but still, she should have talked to you. She just drove you further and further away from her. Maybe things would have turned out differently if she had just talked to you. Who knows, maybe she ultimately would have been friends with Gianna too." She sneaked a glance at Edward, gauging his reaction to an alternative outcome of their relationship slash friendship.
Edward huffed. "I seriously doubt that." There was silence for a moment, both occupied with their own thoughts. "It is what it is though. I can't change what happened."
"Would you change it if you could?" As soon as the words left Bella's mouth she regretted it. What if he wished it would have been different? What would that mean? For her? For them? What if he had still feelings for Kate?
Edward grimaced at his poor choice of words. Of course her thoughts would go in that direction. He needed to rectify that. "Let me rephrase it: I can't change what happened and I don't want to. It was complicated from the get go. Consciously or not, by meeting Gianna I was feeding into my girlfriend's insecurities. I can only say that I never gave Kate a reason to doubt my fidelity. I don't cheat on my partners, no matter how rocky the relationship might be." Edward sighed. "I'm quite sure that with or without Gianna our relationship wouldn't have lasted much longer. Despite the saying "opposites attract" our attraction faded quickly. It was about to end sooner or later.
"I think that everything that happens in our lives happens for a reason. If Kate and I had stayed together I wouldn't be here with you." He took Bella's hand and kissed her fingers, his smiling eyes on hers. "And that's one thing I can't regret."
Thank you for reading!
Translations:
Ciao, brutta — hi, ugly
É brutta tua madre, stronzo — your mother's ugly, asshole
Era davvero delizioso — it was really delicious
Mi fa piacere sentirlo — I'm glad to hear that