A/N: *peeks out from under the desk* Is it safe to come out? Look, I know Bella was an idiot. You all know Bella was an idiot. Hell, even Bella knows Bella was an idiot. But sometimes we make stupid life choices. Remember, she's only twenty-two and doesn't have a lot of dating experience (or a fully formed prefrontal cortex). She needs to clear her mind. Don't fret, I don't believe in dragging out drama too long. However, this is an EPOV chapter and the team's about to take another roadtrip, so patience is appreciated. If you'd like a look at sneak peeks on future chapters and stories, as well as BTS details, come join hmerdan's fiction spot on FB. And, of course, thanks to Kneon for her beta brilliance (who was also not happy with Bella's actions last chapter).
EPOV
After a night of tossing and turning, my alarm went off like a bucket of cold water. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping last night was just a dream, however, the truth was clear once I opened my eyes. Bella was gone. She left me, feeling overwhelmed. I knew things would be tough once the season started up, but I didn't realize just how bad they'd get for her. I knew she had been bothered by the media attention, but it seemed like there was a lot more that I missed. I felt like a failure for missing it.
For the first time in my professional career, I was cursing Coach Cullen for being merciful and giving us the day to recover from the Global Series. I wanted to take my mind off everything and push myself to the brink. I needed to punish myself physically to match my mental state. The condo's onsite gym wouldn't do; I would just remember the first time I saw Bella after propositioning her so rudely. She was like a tiger kitten over that; the memory made me chuckle. And I couldn't go to the training centre. That would just lead to questions from the staff there on why I was coming in. That left the gym I regularly visited with Jasper. I figured there was no way he'd be there today, I knew he was looking forward to spending the day off with Alice. Just like I had been looking forward to spending time with Bella.
Once I brushed my teeth, I grabbed the first set of workout clothes I could find and threw them on before snagging a water bottle from the cupboard and heading down to the garage. Fuck, even my cars reminded me of Bella. The Volvo brought back memories of our first brunch when she was so snappy with me, while the Aston Martin reminded me of our first shawarma date. I had to push that aside and jump in the Volvo. It had been longer since she had been in this car, so her sweet floral scent wasn't as prominent when I climbed inside.
It was one of the rare times of day the Gardiner wasn't packed, so I was able to make it to Altea in under ten minutes. Inside the fitness centre, I felt a sense of relief and sadness. This was one area of my life where I hadn't brought Bella, so nothing here could remind me of her. However, the thought that there was a part of my life she hadn't touched made me wistful. She had actually been intrigued by the antigravity yoga classes and had considered trying one out, but we never made it happen. Pushing that thought out of my head, I popped in my headphones, turned up In The End on the Hard Rock Workout playlist, and got to work on my high knees to warm up.
After an hour and a half of pushing myself as hard as I dared without potentially injuring myself, I finally moved into the final stages of my cooldown and took a seat on the bench to focus on targeted stretches. Of course, now that I had slowed down, my playlist decided to be an asshole. The next song that came on was Everlong by Foo Fighters. I swear, I wanted to scream and throw my AirPods on the spot when I heard Dave Grohl sing the chorus. No, Dave, nothing can be that way forever OR be that good again. Instead of possibly damaging property and potentially hitting one of the innocent gym goers around me, I turned the song off and shoved the offending earbuds in my pocket. Although I knew I desperately needed a shower, I wasn't ready to go home yet and I refused to use the showers at the gym. I'm sure they're clean enough, I just didn't want to risk someone in the change room getting a dick pic. So, instead of the necessary cleansing, I made a trip to the smoothie bar and ordered a Tropical Recovery before taking a seat at one of the tables.
"Funny running into you, stranger," a saccharin-sweet voice said, interrupting my internal musings.
"Tanya," I muttered. "I didn't think you got up before ten."
"I wanted to do Sunrise Yoga before the Live DJ Cycle. It's Pop Princess themed," she explained and took a seat at my table. "Getting as many classes in while my membership's still active."
"Finding a new gym to haunt?" I scoffed.
"Sadly, I have no choice," she sighed dramatically. "Ivan and I ended things. He removed me from his membership starting in December."
"That's a shame," I shrugged, trying not to encourage any further conversation.
"Oh, it's not so bad," she brushed off with a wave. "He wasn't quite at the level I needed to maintain my lifestyle. Speaking of which, where's the little lady?"
"She has class." It wasn't a lie; Bella did still have to go to school this morning, even if she had stayed with me. The only difference is my trip to the gym would have been likely followed by joining her for lunch near campus.
"I don't know what you see in her," Tanya laughed haughtily. "She's not made for our world."
"You have no idea what she's made for," I sneered. "And there is no our world."
"You know what I mean, Eddie," she insisted. "She doesn't understand our lifestyle. How does it look having a shy little thing on your arm at red carpet events after having me beside you?" She leaned across the table and placed one manicured claw in my arm. "We were good together, Eddie. We could be good together again."
I felt disgusted at the slight touch and removed her hand from my arm. "Let's get something straight," I started in a low, threatening voice. "We weren't good together. You were a manipulative, deceitful, materialistic bitch, and I was the naive idiot who fell for it. I don't care what you do next - date a Blue Jay, date a Marlie. Fuck, move across the border and work your way through the NFL for all I care. It doesn't involve me." I stood up and grabbed my smoothie. "Have a good life, Tanya."
As I walked away, I could hear Tanya calling out behind me, but I had no reason to turn around. A weight I didn't know existed had been lifted from my shoulders and I finally felt free of Tanya. If only I could say the same about my Bella.
"Okay, boys!" Carlisle yelled as our room keys were being distributed. "You're on your own for dinner and curfew's at ten! Make good choices. I expect you all to be in the Executive Boardroom by nine for breakfast and the team meeting. Brownrig, come see me after you get settled. See you in the morning!"
He saluted us as we all called out, "Yes, Coach!" to his departing form heading toward the elevator.
"Mase, Mac! Hold up!" Garrett said, catching up to us on the way to the elevator. "You guys wanna grab dinner after I talk to Coach? Go over strategy for the Hawks tomorrow?"
"I'm down," Emmett wholeheartedly agreed. "Can we get some deep dish?"
"That's a post-game food, man!" Jasper laughed. "Maybe something a little healthier."
"Tomorrow's still technically a pregame," Emmett challenged. "Come on, Mase. You're a Chi-town boy! You agree with me, right?"
"I'd rather just eat at the hotel," I muttered, remembering the look on Bella's face when she had sauce on her nose during our summer trip. Personally, I'd rather get room service and mope, but I had a job to do.
"Hotel works for me," Garrett agreed as the elevator got to our floor. "Meet you guys here in an hour?" We all nodded and headed in opposite directions down the hallway.
"Man, what the fuck's wrong with you?" Emmett asked. "You've been mopey and shit all week."
"I'm fine," I scowled. While I wasn't ready to admit where things stood with Bella, I wasn't sure what she had told their wives. Had she left the WAGs group chat already? "I'd just rather not eat a fucking deep-dish pizza tonight."
"Is this about Bella being so busy?" Jasper asked, and I snapped my head toward him. "She told Ali she had a lot going on with school this week, and was spending the weekend with her folks."
"When did that happen?" I asked nonchalantly.
"I dunno… Wednesday?" He faltered. "Ali asked if she wanted to come over and watch the game tomorrow with her and Rose, and she declined. I figured she's been busy."
"And that's why you're acting like a bitch," Emmett added like he had an aha moment. "You need to get laid."
"You two don't know anything," I sneered and opened my door, hoping to escape them. Unfortunately, my best friends didn't take the hint and followed me into my room. "The point of a single room is to be alone."
"Like that's happening," Emmett snorted and plopped down on the corner chair while Jasper took a seat at the desk. "Now, tell your big brothers what's happening."
I groaned and ran my hands through my hair. "I don't even know!" I threw myself on the bed and started pouring out everything that had happened over the last week.
"Damn, that's… crazy, dude," Emmett whistled. "You guys seemed so solid."
"I thought we were," I admitted, still staring at the ceiling. "I didn't realize how stressed she was."
"She did a good job at hiding it," Jasper suggested. "I wouldn't worry too much."
"And why would you say that?" I challenged, exasperated.
Jasper shrugged. "Well, she would cut everyone off if it were permanent, wouldn't she?" I looked towards him, willing him to explain. "When she told Ali she couldn't come over this weekend, she offered to help Ali and Kate set up for Rose's baby shower."
I sat up quickly. "So, she's still talking to the WAGs?" This was the most hopeful I'd felt in days.
"At least about the baby shower. She did say that she couldn't confirm anything over the Christmas break."
It wasn't a firm yes, but it was something to hold on to. She couldn't confirm Christmas, but she didn't turn them down. There was still a chance she'd be at the team New Year's party.
After a productive dinner with Garrett, where he superseded our standard credit card roulette by putting down his own card, we left the restaurant debating a trip to the gym before curfew. Personally, I preferred a morning workout, but I hadn't been sleeping well the last few nights, so I was thinking of joining Emmett until I saw a familiar couple sitting in the lobby.
"Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?" I called out, surprising them.
"I took a chance," my dad admitted. "Remember when you were in eighth grade and we met some of the Flyers here during the playoffs?"
"Oh, yeah…" I replied, chuckling at the memory. "That's when I told Pronger that Kane would kick his ass, right? I'm surprised they let me back in here."
"You've grown up enough that I'm sure they don't remember you," my dad grinned.
"Can we talk for a minute?" My mom asked, eyeing my teammates with me. "If you have something going on…"
"No, we just finished dinner," I answered and turned to the others. "I'll see you guys at breakfast."
Garrett, Jasper, and Emmett all left with their mumbled goodbyes, looking curious as they headed to the elevators while my parents and I took a seat on a set of lobby chairs. While I hadn't called them yet, I had emailed back and forth a few times since our run-in over the summer. Nothing deep, just some surface-level catch-up on our lives.
"So, what are you doing here?" I finally asked, trying to break the ice.
"We wanted to see you, Edward," my mom answered with a gentle smile. The same smile I remembered from my childhood when I learned a new piece of music on the piano or shared a story from hockey practice. "We missed you."
My father nodded in agreement. "It's been too long, Junior."
"It didn't have to be," I replied, trying to mask the bitterness in my voice.
"I know," he said contritely. "My pride got the better of me, and you'll never know how much I regret it."
"We're both at fault," my mom added, rubbing my dad's arms. "Either one of us could have reached out to you."
"Honestly, I don't know if I would have been ready to hear from you earlier," I admitted.
"We've been following your career since the beginning. You've done such an amazing job." The look on my dad's face was one I hadn't seen since I got a full ride to BU. "We're so proud of you."
"Not just on the ice, but off the ice. Your charity work, your youth mentorship? It's admirable. Plus, you seem to have done well in your personal life, as well," my mom continued. "We were both hoping to get a chance to know Bella better. She seemed wonderful. It was clear to see how much she cares for you."
"Yeah, about Bella…" I cleared my throat. "She needed some space to figure things out, so we're taking a break for now."
Surprise and concern were written all over my mother's face. "Oh, Edward! I'm so sorry to hear that. You two looked so in love when we saw you together."
"I am in love with her," I admitted. "I saw my entire future with her."
"Junior, lots of couples take a break and still end up together," my dad assured me. I almost scoffed, but he continued. "Your mother and I did."
My eyes widened in shock. "What? When did you guys break up?"
"I was a 2L who didn't know how to balance law school," my dad admitted. "We were only apart for a month before I begged your mother to take me back. I proposed during that summer." My parents shared a sappy look at the memory before turning back to me.
"Your father's right. And that's why I think you should have this." My mom reached into her purse and pulled out a small, black velvet box. I took it from her cautiously, opening it to reveal my late grandmother's engagement ring - a yellow gold ring with a one-carat sapphire stone surrounded by a cluster of diamonds. "She always wanted you to have her ring."
"Mom, it's beautiful," I breathed out. "But I don't know if I can accept this. Bella and I-"
"Will find your way back to each other," my mother interrupted, sounding sure. "This ring symbolizes enduring love. I know I saw that between you two in the short time we met her. Please, hold on to it."
There were no words to say thank you, so I merely nodded appreciatively and put the ring in my pocket. "Thanks, Mom, Dad. I didn't realize how much I needed to hear all this from you."
My dad put a hand on my shoulder and looked me deep in the eyes. "We're here for you, son. Whenever you need us."
After sharing a tearful hug, and a promise from my parents that they would be in the company seats cheering me on, I made my way back up to my room. I took a shower to wash the emotions of the day off my body and slipped into a pair of pyjamas before turning on the room TV and flipping aimlessly through channels. Instead of focusing on the screen, my eyes kept glancing down at the ring box sitting on the dresser below.
Without thinking, I climbed out of bed and grabbed the box from its perch. Alone, I was able to really look at the ring. While it wasn't small, it wasn't too large. The design was unique, and the added history was something no amount of money could buy. The more I looked at the ring, the more I could picture it on Bella's small hand. This ring may have been my grandmother's once upon a time, but it was made for Bella.
And I realized in that moment I needed her back, no matter what.