Two

"Birdie," Carlisle whispered, giving her shoulder a gentle shake. She groaned and rolled from her side onto her back, finding him sitting on the side of her bed. She'd finally passed out from pure exhaustion, though she wouldn't exactly call her rest peaceful. She couldn't remember the last time she had a good night's sleep.

"Hey, sleepyhead," he said with a smile. "It's almost noon."

She nodded and sat up.

"I need to head over to the shop. You want to go with me?"

She shook her head, causing him to sigh.

"You sure? We can get snow cones?"

Again, she shook her head.

"Okay." He placed his elbows on his knees. "I left my debit card on the table. You know, in case you decide you're hungry or want to go shopping or something."

Bella nodded.

"I can stay if you want me, too."

She sighed.

"Fine, okay. Just know that I'm here, if or when you want to talk." Carlisle leaned over and kissed her forehead. "It's okay to be sad, Birdie. I miss her, too, but she wouldn't want you to . . . to give up."

No, her mother wouldn't want her to give up, but she had. Hadn't she? She'd left her behind, left her alone.

"Let me know if you do decide to leave the cottage just so I know."

Bella nodded, and he walked out of her room, closing the door behind him. She laid back, her eyes shifting to the picture on her nightstand before she rolled over, pulled the blanket over her head, and cried.

—TBHC—

It was late in the afternoon when Bella finally emerged from her cocoon of silence. She showered and dressed because her mother had always told her to start the day fresh and clean.

" A new day is just another opportunity to start over, but just make sure you're wearing clean underwear."

She wandered through the cottage before opening the fridge and finding there wasn't much to eat. Some cheese, cucumbers, and an avocado that looked like it had been there for at least a month. She leaned against the counter before picking up Carlisle's debit card.

What the hell, she thought before she texted him that she was heading out and not to worry. The last part was a futile effort, she knew. He worried about her, but what she was supposed to say? Her world had shattered, and along with it, her heart had been broken.

Bella found herself at the Waccamaw Arts and Crafts Guild. It had always been her favorite place to go when she was little. One of the places her mother always brought her.

" Look at how creative and unique each piece of art is, baby girl. It's amazing how they let their hearts show like this."

A lump crawled up the throat, and she had turned away, only to bump into someone. She stumbled backward, looking up to find herself facing the boy from the beach. Edward, he had introduced himself as.

"Hey, it's you." He smiled. "Are you okay?"

She nodded.

"You sure?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Again, she nodded.

He stuck his hand out. "I'm Edward."

"I know," she said quietly.

"Do I get to know your name?"

"Why do you want to know it?"

"So I can stop calling you the pretty girl from the beach."

Bella's mouth opened. "Oh."

"Your name is Oh? That's different, but who am I to judge."

"No, it's . . . I'm Bella."

"Bella," he murmured. "That suits you better."

She nodded.

"Are you hungry, Bella?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm hungry."

"And?"

"Well, I thought we could get some food. Satisfy our hunger. I know, I know, it's a crazy concept, but it seems to work."

"Where would we go?"

"Where do you want to go?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, adventure time, is it." He held his hand out to her. "Shall we?"

Bella wrapped her hand around his. "Guess so."

Edward smiled before leading her outside, stopping and looking to his left and then the right before leading her toward the left. "Are you just visiting?"

"I . . ." Bella shook her head. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"It's . . . My uncle lives here. I'm supposed to only be here for the summer, but I don't know."

"Well, when you aren't visiting your uncle, where do you live?"

Bella frowned.

"Are you okay?"

"I've gotta go," she whispered before yanking her hand out of his and running away, ignoring the way Edward called her to stop.

Half an hour later, she stumbled back into the cottage, tossing Carlisle's card back onto the counter before retreating to her bedroom and back under her blanket where she could cry in peace.

—TBHC—

Carlisle arrived home just after seven with a couple cheeseburgers and two orders of waffle fries.

"Hope you're hungry."

Bella sat at the table, her hands in her lap.

"Did you have fun in town?"

She shrugged.

He placed a burger in front of her. "Still like pickles, mustard, and mayo on your burgers?"

She nodded.

"Thank God," he laughed, sitting across from her. "So, where'd you go?"

She shrugged.

Carlisle tossed a waffle fry into his mouth before saying, "I talked to Phil today."

She shifted her eyes to him.

"He wanted to be sure you were settling in okay."

Of course, he did, she thought. He could have called her or even texted, but he didn't. He had never made any effort to communicate with her before; why should he start now?

"He told me to tell you that he loves you."

Again, she couldn't reply.

What was she supposed to say? Thanks? Thanks for loving her yet shipping her off because he couldn't deal with her feelings on top of his own.

"Maybe you should call him," Carlisle suggested. "He's worried about you, Birdie."

Bella scoffed.

But the last thing Phil was worried about was her, about how she was feeling. If he had, he wouldn't have sent her away from the only home she remembered, away from her mother.

Pushing her food away, she stood and walked out of the cottage, down the white curving staircase, to the beach. She wrapped her arms around herself before crumbling to the sand, letting her tears fall once again.

She didn't want to talk to Phil or be here with Carlisle.

All she wanted was her mother.

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