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Chapter 17
Using a palette knife to mix the squirts of paint on the plastic plate, I eyed the mixture and compared it to my reference picture. It was almost there, but not quite. I grabbed the tube of a shade of blue to add to my mixture. I had taken a picture of the ocean from the Cullen's second story balcony and wanted to create the image using my paints.
The bell signaled the entrance of a customer, so I put down my tools and wiped my hands on my paint covered apron. Pushing the swinging door connecting my studio to the gallery, I spotted Alice perusing the artwork covering the walls.
"Alice! It's good to see you," I smiled.
"I was in the neighborhood and wanted to see if you wanted to grab some coffee," She grinned, giving me a quick hug.
"Sure, let me just clean up a little and put away my paints."
"I'll wait here," Alice said, looking back at the art.
In the back, I washed my hands, covered my paints, and hung up my apron. I cleaned the couple of brushes I had been using and looked in the mirror to smooth out my hair. It was pulled back into a braid, but the Floridian humidity still made it a bit frizzy.
I met Alice back in the gallery and she grinned at me upon seeing my return. "Ready?" she asked.
"Yes!" I grabbed my purse and followed her to the door, locking it behind us.
"I asked Rose to join us too if that's alright," Alice said, linking her arm around mine.
"Of course!" I didn't know Rosalie as well as Alice, and she intimidated me a little. She was always cool and collected, maintaining confidence in everything she did. I never had a negative interaction with her and I was looking forward to getting to know her more.
Alice and I walked down the sidewalk a few blocks to Coral Coffee and found Rosalie sitting inside at a small table.
"Hey, Rose!" Alice beamed as she kissed her cheek quickly.
"Alice," Rosalie smiled warmly. "Bella."
"Hi, it's nice to see you again," I replied with a smile.
"Have you already ordered, Rose?" Alice asked.
"Not yet,"
"Great, because I'm paying!" Alice replied, smirking.
A few minutes later, we were seated with coffee in our hands. We had each opted for iced drinks, as the August heat would not be agreeable with hot drinks.
"I took an early day today," Rose began. "The garage can get so...blistering."
"I have to work a late night, I am finishing up the alterations for Angela's wedding dress. She's coming in tomorrow for her final fitting."
"Her wedding is so close, only two weeks away now," I said, shaking my head in disbelief. "Thankfully my dress didn't need many alterations."
"Thankfully," Alice giggled, and Rosalie joined in too.
Rosalie stirred her drink with her straw. "Are you bringing Edward to the wedding?" She asked nonchalantly.
"Oh...I hadn't really thought about that. I need to ask him, I suppose."
"Good, he could use some experience at weddings before mine. He is one of Jasper's groomsmen, he needs to step up!" Alice chuckled. I smiled and my heart fluttered as I imagined Edward dressed in a suit.
"So...I have some news," Rosalie smiled timidly. "Emmett and I are ready to start our family. We've been trying for a baby, and hopefully, I'll be pregnant soon."
"Oh my gosh, Rose! That is so exciting! I'm going to be an auntie!" Alice squealed.
"Not quite yet, but eventually, yes," Rosalie smirked.
"That truly is exciting, Rosalie. I am happy for both of you," I added.
"The garage has been open for almost three and a half months now and is in a great place. We are constantly busy and have had to hire a couple of new employees. Emmett and I figured we are in a good place in our business and our relationship to add some members to the family."
"You'll be pregnant soon, I just know it!" Alice clapped.
"I haven't told Esme and Carlisle yet. If we do end up having trouble conceiving on our own, I'll talk to Carlisle to find out some more information. I don't want to bring anything up yet." Alice and I both nodded in understanding.
"How is your wedding planning going, Alice?" I asked.
"I've always wanted a beach wedding, but Grandmother would never allow it. I know Mom would be a little disappointed too." Alice gave a small frown.
"Edward has told me a bit about your grandmother, she definitely seems like she is something else,"
"She's more than something else, she's just a snobby, religious, selfish old woman who has control issues." Alice rolled her eyes. "And she raised my Mom, so some of her traditions have been passed to her." Alice dropped her head and rested it on her hands, elbows on the table.
"Like having a church wedding?" I asked.
"Yes," She sighed. "Jasper's parents too. He's from San Antonio and that city is literally named after a Catholic saint."
"But Jasper isn't too religious, right?" Rosalie asked.
"Not too much, I mean we don't really attend church. Only on holidays and when we visit his parents. Anyways, how are you and my dearest little brother?"
"Oh, we're good," I blushed. "We told each other 'I love you' last week."
"That is too cute!" Alice gushed.
"It isn't hard to tell he's in love with you, Bella," Rosalie smiled.
"I just like you so much better than all of his previous girlfriends combined!"
"All of them?" I asked nervously.
"Relax, he's had like five, but half of them were during high school, so they almost don't even count as relationships, right?"
"We don't really talk about our past relationships—or we haven't at least."
"Wait, really?" Alice asked, eyes wide. I shook my head.
"What is there to know?" I asked warily.
"Well, it's not really my place to say," Alice shrugged sympathetically. "I would ask him, though."
"We are both honest with each other, we never have had to hide anything from each other."
"I'm sure it's not a big deal, Bella," Rose said patting my arm. She gave Alice a look.
"Oh my gosh! It's almost four! I've got to go." Alice rushed. "I'll see you two later. You're welcome for the coffee," she winked as she whisked away.
"Alice is silly sometimes," Rosalie said. "I feel like she has too much going on in her brain, sometimes things just slip out."
"I hope you're right, Rosalie."
I sat on the shore, looking off into the horizon lost in thought. I had been sketching some shells I found, but I was too distracted. With Alice's words at the coffee shop, I felt there was something I was missing out on. Alice said it wasn't her place to tell and Edward hadn't mentioned any past relationships. I didn't mention Paul at all because Edward and my's relationship was all that mattered now. Maybe I was making a big deal out of nothing.
I was so caught in the sound of the waves and the breeze I didn't hear someone approach me from behind. Two strong arms scooped me up from my place on my towel on the sand. I almost screamed, but quickly realized it was just Edward. His copper hair glinted in the sun and his manly smell overwhelmed my senses.
"Edward!" I gasped. "You frightened me!"
"Sorry, love. I was too excited to see you," he nuzzled his face into my neck. He returned to my little setup and sat down on the towel, still holding me in his lap. He removed his face from my neck and looked down at me, smiling crookedly. He held me in his arms and all I could do was stare into his green, green eyes. I inwardly sighed. Edward was just so damn handsome. His strong jawline, the planes of his face, so smooth and sprinkled with stubble, his Romanesque nose combined with his perfectly chaotic bronze hair made me melt into a puddle at the spot. How could I be so lucky?
"What?" he asked after my eyes finished scanning every inch of his face.
"I just...I feel so lucky, to be loved by you."
"Bella," he whispered, his voice gruff. "I do not know what I did to deserve you." His lips inched down and kissed mine. First, softly, and gradually roughly, as if all of his passion exploded into a single kiss. I gasped for air, as did he.
"How was work?" I asked breathlessly against his lips.
"Could have been better," he responded, placing kisses along my jawline. As Edward held me in his lap, my thoughts drifted to Rosalie's news. Rosalie wanted a baby. Sitting here on the beach with Edward, I could imagine holding a tiny baby with wispy copper hair and watching an older child with brown hair and green eyes dancing around in the waves.
Children, with Edward. Did I truly want that? Four months ago, maybe not, but here and now with Edward? Yes. I do want that—a family. How would I learn to be a mother when I had such a rocky relationship with my own? I hadn't talked to Mom in a couple of months, and now I had so many questions. I didn't know her like I thought I did.
Would I end up a mother like her? I desperately hope not. This new dream of mine put so many things in perspective. Children, who would have thought I would hope to have some.
Edward would be an amazing father. His compassion and kindness would translate into parenthood well. The thought of Edward holding a delicate bundle of a baby made me fall deeper in love with him, if possible.
According to Edward and his family's beliefs, one must be married before having children. The institution of marriage didn't appear scary or unnerving as it once did before knowing Edward. My parents' marriage and relationship was different than my relationship with Edward. I see myself marrying him, despite my past ideas of marriage. He would be my family.
"What are you thinking about, love?" Edward asked drawing me closer to him and pulling me from my thoughts.
"Oh...just how happy I am with you,"
"No one could be happier than me when I am with you,"
"Want to bet?" I smirked.
"Oh definitely," he teased.
"Me, you make me happier than I have ever felt before."
"We can call it a draw, then."
"Agreed," I said, pulling his lips to mine.
Edward and I had finished up dinner and were loading the dishwasher with our dishes.
"Has anybody ever told you-you're an amazing cook?"
"Oh please," I rolled my eyes, swatting him with a dish towel.
"I'm being honest!" he said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I've never had a meal I haven't liked when you've cooked."
"I taught myself. Youtube videos."
"Well, it's my turn next time, and expect the finest cuisine you've ever experienced." He poked my side. Sliding the last dish into place, I wrapped my arms around his waist.
"You've got some confidence, Cullen."
"Mama raised me like that." He smirked. His arms found their way around me.
"Come here, mama's boy," I pulled his lips to mine. The simple kiss quickly turned into more, ending up on the couch with his top off and mine in complete disarray, it barely covered my bra.
"You're fucking beautiful, you know that?" He growled lips against my ear. He took my earlobe into his mouth and gently bit it, making me gasp. Skin against skin, we made out on the couch and put on a movie, but too lost in each other to notice.
"I've got to get going," He said regretfully, shrugging back on his crumpled shirt as much as he could while we were tangled. "It's almost eleven,"
"I know," I sighed against him. I didn't want him to leave. My hands reached up to the nape of his neck and played with the ends of his hair. He sighed and leaned down to kiss me. Too caught up in our goodbye, I barely heard the doorbell.
"Who could that be?" I asked confused.
"I'll get it," he said against my cheek. Edward buttoned a few of the buttons of his shirt, still crumpled and wrinkled from its discard earlier. He opened the door as I peeked over the couch.
"Eddie-boy!" A deep voice bellowed. Interested peaked, I straightened my top hurriedly and stood up from the couch, moving towards the door.
"Seth?! What are you doing here?" Edward chuckled. He pulled the visitor into a bro hug, the boys clapping each other's back.
"Mama Cullen said you would be over here, I wanted to see you before I head to the hotel. I just got into town."
I now stood a couple of feet away from Edward. He turned around, reaching out for me.
"Seth, this is Bella. Bella, this is Seth. We were friends and roommates in college and in med school."
Seth, smiling huge, towered over me. He was even taller than Edward, with a tan complexion and dark, short hair. His dark eyes danced with amusement as he pulled me into a hug.
"Nice to finally meet one of the girls who Eddie never shuts up about." He chuckled, elbowing Edward's side. Edward promptly flipped him off and muttered a "fuck you" under his breath.
"Oh—it's nice to meet you too," I said, surprised. He let me go and Edward pulled me into his side.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Edward asked, laughing.
"You said to visit anytime, and I had some time off of work, so I said 'why not'?"
"It's great to see you, man."
"Likewise, Eddie-boy."
"Come on, Seth," Edward rolled his eyes.
Seth poked my side, "It's just too fun to piss him off, ya know?" I replied with a grin and Edward shoved him roughly.
"I was on my way out, Seth. I have to go in early tomorrow."
"Too bad, the night is still young," Seth playfully frowned.
"No need to stay in a hotel, just stay with me," Edward said.
"Thanks, man."
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Edward asked, pressing a kiss to my temple.
"Yes, you promised it's your turn to cook. Seth, you should join us for dinner."
"Yeah, sounds fun! Especially when Eddie is going to cook, reminds me of the old times." Seth grinned.
"I'll see you tomorrow then," Edward said, pressing his lips to mine. Seth let out a low whistle.
"Shut the hell up, Seth," Edward groaned against my lips.
"Bye," I said softly, wrapping my arms around him one last time. "It was nice meeting you, Seth," I added, peering around Edward to look at Seth.
He gave a goofy grin, "Likewise, I'll see you tomorrow then."
Edward gave me one last parting squeeze and slipped on his shoes. They both left and I stood watching them in the door frame.
"You missed a button there, Eddie-boy," Seth bellowed.
I sat at Coral Coffee on my laptop, needing a change of scenery from the studio. Engrossed in my tasks, I was surprised by the scraping of a chair against the floor.
"Hey, Bella!" Seth smiled.
"Oh, hey, Seth," I smiled, looking up from my laptop.
"How's it going? Whatcha up to?"
"Oh, I'm just going through some finances. Nothing too exciting."
"Edward told me your an artist. That's pretty badass."
"I am," I laughed, "Thanks."
"He said you're a kick-ass painter."
"Haha, thanks."
"I'm totally not an artist, I can barely handle writing my name. My handwriting totally sucks."
"It takes a lot of practice," I replied, grinning.
"So, are you from here?" He asked, sipping his iced coffee.
"Um, no. I'm from St. Petersburg, but moved to Arizona when I was fifteen."
"Why'd you move back to Florida?"
"My great aunt lived here and we used to visit her, I fell in love with Clear Lake during those summers. Where are you from?"
"I'm from Washington. A tiny town, La Push. I actually lived on the Quileute rez."
"Oh wow," I replied. "Florida is a lot different than Washington, I can imagine."
"Oh, definitely," Seth chuckled. "So, Edward seems pretty smitten with you."
Blush flooded my cheeks, "He's pretty great."
"How did you two meet?"
"Well, it's a little complicated, but essentially I met him here, at Coral Coffee. Then Esme invited me over for dinner one evening to meet her family, as she and Carlisle had just finished moving in next door to me." Seth nodded. "How did you meet Edward?" I asked, fiddling with my straw.
"It's a funny story, actually. Our first semester of college, we both were taking biology in a pretty big class. We had lectures in an auditorium which would fill up pretty quickly. We sat near each other, a couple of seats apart the first day of class, and kept sitting in those seats, as you know college kids can be afraid of change," He laughed, "One day, the professor was going over a big review before our first exam and I totally forgot my laptop charger. My computer was about to die as the professor continued to lecture and I was freaking out. I began muttering under my breath, cursing and whatever and Edward just looked at me and handed me his charger. Thankfully we had the same laptops. We started chatting then and met up at the library to study together. We were pretty fast friends."
"Wow, sounds like Edward, he is always prepared," I smiled.
"Yup, true Edward fashion."
"So you're in med school?"
"Yeah, Eddie-boy ditched me, fuck him for being too damn smart." He chuckled.
"What kind of doctor do you want to be?" I asked.
"I'm going to be a neonatologist, basically a doctor for newborns and preemies in the NICU."
"Wow," I said, stunned. "I feel like it takes a huge heart to work with babies in the NICU. I would feel so sad for them."
"My older sister Leah had a baby when I first was choosing which path I was going to take in the medical field and her baby was born at thirty weeks. His name is Collin, and now he is almost four. I saw how little and helpless Collin was, I felt such a strong pull to help him. Leah and her husband Quil had to move to Seattle for a year while Collin was seeing all types of specialists. Thankfully, Collin only has asthma as a result of his prematurity."
"So you're close with your sister then?"
"Yeah, definitely. My dad died of a heart attack when I was eight so my mom raised Leah and me. She and I are about three years apart, but we kind of clung onto each other after Dad passed." He shrugged.
"I was close to my brother too, despite him being much older than me. He passed away as well, seventeen years ago."
"Oh wow," He said, eyes widening, "How old was he?"
"Sixteen."
"Fuck, he was so young."
"Yes, he was." We sat in silence for a few seconds.
Seth glanced at his watch. "Oh shit, I'm supposed to meet Emmett at the garage. He's going to show me the car he's fixing up. I'll catch ya later at dinner tonight?"
"Oh sure, tell Emmett I said hello." I smiled.
Seth stood, grinned, and headed out, leaving a couple of girls staring at him.
"Hey, Bella," Bree called to me from the gallery, "You have a call waiting for you on the line."
Quickly wiping my hands on my apron, I swung through the studio door and rushed to the desk where Bree sat.
"Hello, Bella Swan speaking," I said into the phone cheerily.
"Hi, Bella, it's Maggie Walsh. I was calling to congratulate you! The editor loved my piece about you. It's going to be published in the upcoming week!"
My jaw dropped. "Wow! Thank you for calling, Maggie! I am thrilled!" Excitement bubbled to my chest. Bree grinned at me, flashing two thumbs up.
"We have a special issue only highlighting the arts in Orlando and surrounding areas. You're going to get some great exposure."
"I sincerely thank you, Maggie. This is a dream come true!"
"Don't thank me, Bella," she laughed, "You're one of the few artists I have actually met and liked. I wish you all the best."
"Thanks, Maggie!"
"If this issue is successful, I can set up an editorial about you."
"That truly means a lot to me, Maggie," I said, tears prickling my eyes.
"We have to help each other out, right?" She said.
"Yes," I laughed.
"I'll send you 150 copies of the issue for your town, straight off the press."
"Thank you, Maggie."
"I'll talk with you soon, bye Bella!"
"Bye," I grinned. Returning the phone to the hook, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Excitement fluttered through my veins.
"Wow, I know a famous artist!" Bree laughed.
I opened my eyes and gave her a great eye roll. "Get back to work, Bree," I chuckled.
"Are you sad about Seth leaving?" I asked Edward as I was curled on his lap. We sat on the beach as the sun had just dipped below the horizon. A small fire danced before us, crackling.
"It was good to see him," Edward said, laying his head down on mine, "I'm glad he was able to stay for four days. I'm elated I won't have to hear 'Eddie-boy' anymore."
I laughed into his chest. "He sure knows how to piss you off."
"Of course he does, we lived together for a few years." He chuckled.
"He told me why he chose to be a...a—"
"Neonatologist."
"Yes, that," I replied, laughing. "It's really admirable."
"He has a huge heart," He said, pulling me a little tighter against him.
"It was nice meeting him, I hope to see him again."
"Next time we can visit him in Washington. It would be nice to show you my old stomping grounds. I want to take you to Chicago as well."
"I've never been—to either. I've not well traveled."
"I can fix that," Edward said, pressing his lips to my hair.
"We'll see," I grinned up at him. "Want to dig into that apple pie I made?"
"You don't have to ask me twice," he groaned. "Your pie is the best fucking pie I've ever tasted in my life.
"Whatever," I said, moving to stand.
"Would I lie to you, Bella?"
"I don't know, would you?" I quirked an eyebrow at him in the dying light.
"You're too damn cute," he growled, standing suddenly and pulled me into his arms.
"Don't forget about the pie," I said as he kissed along my neck.
"Oh, I could never forget about the pie," He murmured against my throat. His warm breath sent shivers throughout my body. He kicked sand into the fire, extinguishing it quickly and pulled me back towards the house.
"I've got ice cream too," I said.
"Fuck, you know how to spoil me," he said, yanking me faster.
Inside, I served Edward a generous slice of apple pie, topped with vanilla ice cream. Upon placing the plate in front of him, he mouthed an "I love you" first to me and then to his pie.
Rolling my eyes, I served myself some pie and joined him at the table.
"Fuck," Edward groaned as he swallowed his first bite.
"Do you kiss your mom with that mouth?" I asked snarkily.
"I kiss her and some other people who don't seem to get enough of my kisses." He winked and shoved another bite into his mouth.
I blushed and took a bite of my own slice. "Screw you, Cullen," I narrowed my eyes playfully.
He looked up from his pie once more to give another wink.
"Edward, you know I'm the Maid-of-Honor for Angela's wedding?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Would you go with me to her wedding?"
"Of course, Bella," He said, pausing.
"I know you won't know that many people there and..." I babbled.
"Bella, I would love to accompany you." He said seriously.
"Great," I smiled, "I just wanted to make sure you were available."
He finished his slice of pie and leaned back into his chair. "Damn, that was good. It's worth the extra mile or two I'm going to have to run tomorrow morning at the gym." He playfully patted his stomach.
"Want to rent a movie?" I asked.
"Sure," He replied, grabbing his fork and spearing a bite of my pie.
"Hey!" I swatted his fork away.
"You're cute when you're irritated," He said slipping the bite into his mouth with a glimmer in his eye. I gave him a glare as he stood up, taking his plate to the sink.
"Since I'm your date to Angela's wedding, would you be my date for Alice's wedding?" He asked as he leaned against the counter facing me.
"Yes!" I bubbled, "I'm so excited for Alice's wedding!"
"She's planning everything, there's no reining her in."
"I'm sure it's going to absolutely beautiful," I said, finishing my slice of pie.
"Over the top seems like a better way to describe it," Edward said, rolling his eyes.
My chair scraped the floor as I stood, walking over to the sink where Edward rest against. "What movie do you want to watch?" He took my plate from me and placed it in the sink to join his.
"Go look through the catalog and I'll wash the dishes." I tiptoed to place a kiss on his cheek then went to the living room.
"So you don't have any requests?" I called from the couch.
"Not really," he replied over the sound of the faucet turning on.
"The Avengers: Infinity War just came out! Let's watch it!" I said as movie titles flooded the screen.
"Sure," Edward said.
"Who's your favorite superhero in the Marvel universe? I asked, grabbing a blanket and extra pillows.
"Uh, probably Black Panther, he's pretty badass. That movie was awesome."
"Oh, I totally agree! I love Tom Holland's Spider-Man."
"He's pretty good," Edward said, joining me on the couch.
I snuggled up against Edward as the movie started.
A loud boom startled me awake, it took me a while to realize I was on the couch, wrapped up in Edward. I switched the movie off and the lamp on, careful not to disturb the sleeping Edward.
We didn't have a good record while watching movies, we either make out and miss most of it or fall asleep tangled together or a mix of the two.
I snuggled back against Edward as his arms instinctively searched for me. I breathed in his scent and his arms wrapped tighter around me.
"Hey," He let out.
"Hey," I murmured.
"We never last during movies."
"Nope," I smiled.
"What time is it?" He asked sleepily.
"12:30."
"Damn," he yawned.
"You've got to go?" I asked, my voice tiny.
"Yeah," he groaned.
I carefully sat up and Edward followed me. His lips kissed my temple and my eyes fluttered closed.
"Tomorrow we have plans with my parents, dinner at their place."
"Yes, I remember," I replied, smiling.
"Alright," he groaned again, standing. He pulled me up from the couch, winding an arm around my waist.
"I'll see you tomorrow then," I said reaching my face up to his. His lips met mine, soft and slow.
"Tomorrow," He whispered against my lips. We walked slowly to the front door once he slipped his shoes on.
I watched him walk to his car and pull away.
I hopped in the shower for a quick shower, soon emerging into the steam filled bathroom. I quickly towel dried my hair and went into the living room to put away the remnants of our movie night. As I folded the blanket and placed it in the chest, the shrill ringing of a phone startled me, making me drop the lid to the chest which slammed shut.
Confused, I pulled out my phone, but it wasn't my phone ringing. The ringing continued and I dropped to my knees and put my head against the floor to check under the couch.
I pulled Edward's iPhone out and flipped it over, revealing the screen. The ringing stopped and his notifications popped up on the lock screen.
Three unread texts and a missed call, all from someone named Tanya Denali.
11:23 PM The bed feels empty and cold without you.
11:38 PM I need some loving tonight, call me.
12:03 AM I miss the feeling of your lips on my neck, Daytona needs some Edward
All feelings left my body only leaving the now unfamiliar numbness. The numbness grew into ice-cold pangs, shooting through my body painfully as the realization hit.
Daytona? As in Daytona beach? That's only a thirty-minute drive from here.
I stood there, in the middle of the living room, in utter shock.
Suddenly, the phone in my hands began vibrating and ringing, and I didn't have to guess who it was. A stroke of bravery swelled in my chest as I accepted the call and held the phone to my ear. I opened my mouth to speak, but words didn't come.
"Edward? Baby, you finally answered! You said you would come over soon. I've been waiting here in my nightie for you. I thought we could make tonight special. Hello? Edward?" A female voice came over the phone. I quickly ended the call, flipped the switch to silence, and threw the phone as if it had burned me onto the couch.
Memories of Edward and I from the past couple of months flooded my thoughts, and a deep hole punched through my chest. Tears blurred my vision as I took a step to grab onto to something—anything for support. I stumbled, foot catching on the rug and I slumped into a heap on the floor.
How could he do this to me? To anybody? Sobs erupted from my chest, sobs that hurt my chest to its core. My face flush against the rug—the rug which had been in its place for over twenty-five years, something familiar and safe. My sobs quieted and the numbness settled in again. I hadn't felt this numbness since—Alice! She slipped me bits and pieces—how had I been so intertwined into this family—how could I have missed this? Thoughts raced through my mind trying to make sense of this.
He always seemed so sincere—he was just emotionally manipulating you.
He introduced me to his family—to further cover up his lies.
He told me so much about himself—to deepen your trust.
He told me he loved me—the biggest lie of all.
My Mom was right about him. He was too good to be true.
I curled into a ball, unfeeling. Three short knocks on the door interrupted the haziness of my mind. I'm sure it was Edward—to collect his phone that held the proof of his, his...his twisted, cruel game. I stood up, wiping my tears on my sleeve. I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing how he broke me so easily.
I grabbed his phone from the couch and trudged to the door. Through the window, I could see his form leaning against the doorframe.
I took another breath in an attempt to collect myself and opened the door.
"Hey, love, it seems like I forgot my phone. I saw the lamp on and thankfully you were still awake." He pulled me into his arms, but my body did not conform to his side as I previously would.
I handed him the phone and took a step back inside. I had yet to look him in the eye.
"See you tomorrow?" He asked confusion laced his words.
I had to mentally prepare myself to look into his green eyes. "Actually, I can't make it," I said evenly, my voice sounded odd, even to me. "But I'm sure Tanya," I spit her name out like venom, "would love to."
"Wh—wh?" He stuttered.
I further removed myself from his reach and shut the door, locking the deadbolt with a resounding click.
"Bella!" He said, words muffled by the door. I shut my eyes and squeezed them shut, wishing to have never met him. I walked to my bedroom, slowly and deliberately as he continued to pound on the door, and sat on the edge of my bed. I removed my socks, pulled down the worn, thin quilt and brought my knees to my chest. Sleep never found me that night, as I lay tucked into the fetal position, unmoving, callous, and apathetic.
Thoughts?