Chapter 14: The Old Flame
Bella leaned back into the plush restaurant seat with a satisfied smile. "This is the taste of freedom." She raised her wine glass in a toast, downing its contents with a satisfied smack of her lips. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so hard.
Rosalie arched a perfect eyebrow as she ate her salad.
She had seen in the news the morning after that the fire at Jasper's house had been put out but no mentions of the three —no, five—dead bodies. The death toll sat like a large lump in her throat all day but her first dose of her awful antidepressant helped her throw it all up. She ignored the tremor in her hands and the slow, dull ache in temples and grinned harder.
"No one's stalking me or threatening me. My life's finally back to normal," Bella continued, casting a curious glance at Rosalie, who remained stoic as she started eating her third entree for the night. "So, why the hell are you still here?"
"My presence has nothing to do with Jasper. I told you to stop lumping me with that guy," Rosalie retorted, her expression blank.
"But—"
"I paid your rent through June."
Bella pressed her lips together tightly. "Well, that—"
"And I also paid your tuition—"
"That's with Jasper's money!"
Rosalie scoffed. "It's Cullen-money. Who do you think funded your scholarship, bitch?"
"What? You guys sent me the scholarship?" Bella's jaw dropped, quickling turning from surprised to embarrassed. Bella wanted to put her head in her hand and groan. How could she be so stupid? Why would anyone send her a scholarship for going to community college with mid-tier grades? "Well…well, thank you. But why did you guys end the scholarship?"
"Yeah, we got a little preoccupied when half the family died," Rosalie replied dryly.
Bella pursed her lips. "So how long are you planning on staying with me?"
Rosalie shrugged. "For as long as I paid."
Bella groaned, crossing her arms and pouting. Then a mischievous grin spread across her face as she recalled a very satisfying and pleasant memory, one that she fondly kept coming back to every day. "Hey, Rose, have you ever slapped him?" She mimicked the motion. "Just slapped his smug face like this?" Smack! "Kicked his shin like this?" She kicked one foot out to the side.
Rosalie grinned and shook her head as she continued to eat.
"Are you jealous?" Bella teased. "Oh, I wish you could have seen it. His face was priceless."
"You're so weird," Rosalie laughed.
"No one can mess with me again. Vampire or not. I'm so happy!"
Bella stood in front of the large doors of the church on Sunday morning, filled with dread. She should have asked Rosalie why either of them even insisted on going to church—she hadn't pegged them as religious in the past. It had barely been a week since she last saw Jasper, and she dreaded seeing his stupid face again. She and Rosalie had driven to church together but while Rosalie chose to go inside, Bella had sat in the car the whole time, working up the nerve to get out. She reached for the door but hesitated. She couldn't do it. She didn't want to sit next to him during mass and feel the disappointment and the horror if he passed her another note.
Leaning against the wall beside the doors, she thought, I'll wait until after. He can see me then.
But before she managed to relax, the doors had already opened and people were streaming out. She waited with bated breath as a few people who had started to recognize her waved hello until finally Jasper emerged. He walked past her, less than a foot away from where she stood. She held her breath as she watched him walk away. Despite having fed only two nights ago on Mr. Marsala, his skin appeared hardly a shade healthier than a corpse's. He turned slightly to glance at her. Then looked away.
Bella let out a breath she didn't realize she was still holding. Was that it? He saw her, hadn't he? Was that enough?
"Bella! Where have you been? I've been waiting for you!" Gina exclaimed, rushing over to Bella. Her graying bob bounced as she began to fuss over her, chatting about the upcoming Valentine's Day bonanza for the kids at Precious Promises and heavily implying that Bella would need to volunteer for the event. "By the way, you're not seeing Jasper, right?"
"What? No!"
"Oooh great, there's a really nice boy in there. You two would look wonderful together."
"Um…I'm not really—" Bella glanced over at where Jasper stood by the parking lot. She couldn't tell if he was still listening.
"Andrew!"
A terrible chill ran down Bella's spine.
"Bella?" called a deep but slightly hoarse voice.
Bella felt the goosebumps all over her body as she saw a tall man with neat black hair step out of the church. The dread she had anticipated rushed through her body like a tidal wave.
"You two know each other?" Gina asked, astonished.
"Yes, we met a couple years ago," Andrew answered with a dreamy smile. Andrew was classically handsome, with a chiseled jaw and striking blue eyes. He towered over her easily with broad shoulders and a demeanor that drew attention effortlessly. Bella remembered feeling intensely lucky when he chose to sit next to her in class and strike up a conversation. His Adam's apple bobbed and Bella suddenly noticed the smatter of jagged pink scars littering the side of his neck.
"Oh goodness, I guess I didn't need to introduce you two to one another."
"I'm glad you did," Andrew said softly, eyes never leaving Bella's face.
"I'm sorry," Bella interjected quickly. "I'm a bit busy today so I'll see you next week Gina." Bella began to walk back to her car but felt a warm hand grip around her wrist.
"Wait, Bella, do you have time for a quick coffee? We haven't seen each other in a while."
"No, I—"
"Andrew, that's a great idea!" Gina said, patting Andrew on the back with a wink.
"Maybe next week," Bella said stiffly. "I have a lot of errands to run today." She slipped her wrist out of Andrew's and hurried off to her car. She ignored Jasper's eyes following her from the church entrance to the parking lot, knowing fully well he could hear her heart pounding in her chest.
She hadn't even stepped onto the asphalt when she nearly screamed when she saw Andrew behind her. "Andrew, what—"
"Where do you live? I can pick you up for dinner tonight, if you'd like."
"Around here and no thanks," Bella replied curtly.
There was a long pause as Andrew looked into her eyes. He lifted a hand and his finger gently caressed the skin on her cheekbone. "Bella, I—"
"Stop."
He immediately dropped his hand. "We'll be seeing more of each other."
Bella was about to say something back when she heard a commotion nearby. She saw Rosalie arguing with Jasper.
"When are you going back, Rose?"
"It's none of your business! Ugh, you are so annoying!" Rosalie glanced over and saw Bella. She rushed over, followed by Jasper, who now took notice of Andrew's close proximity to Bella. He tilted his head, examining them with curiosity.
Rosalie was happy to see Bella. "Thank god you're still here. Where were you?"
What the…what's with her? Bella thought. Rosalie liked to take Bella around as if she were some teacup dog that she could shove in her purse but had never looked elated to see her.
"Don't go home without me. Some weirdo is bugging me," Rosalie scoffed, shooting a pointed look at Jasper.
Andrew cleared his throat next to Bella and asked, "Are these your friends?"
A beat. "Um..yeah," she responded.
"Who're you?" Rosalie asked rudely. "Is he your boyfriend?"
Bella, ticked off, responded, "Rose, shut up. Um…this is Andrew."
There was a slight twitch under Rosalie's left eye and Jasper's face relaxed in understanding. Rosalie put her hand to her mouth in mock-aghast, "Does this mean you're breaking up with my brother?"
Bella saw Jasper's eyebrows lift slightly. She felt an impending headache.
Andrew looked shocked. "Oh, he's your boyfriend. Sorry, I didn't know."
"No…it's not like that." She whispered harshly to Rosalie, "Can we please just leave?"
"Well, I promised I'd talk to Shorae about the bake sale, so just come with me," Rosalie said, grabbing Bella's arm and pulling her away. "Bye boys."
Bella turned to Andrew and said firmly, "Let's not meet again. Ever. Please. Either of you." She leveled a pointed look at Jasper.
Although Rosalie had pulled Bella away to speak to Shorae, Bella could sense that half of her attention was elsewhere. Bella tried to engage in the conversation, but was distracted by Andrew and Jasper, who were still standing where she left them, chatting. She inched around Rosalie to eavesdrop.
"How long have you two been dating? I mean, I guess I expected it since Bella's pretty and so sweet. I figured she'd find someone already." Andrew said politely. He glanced over at Bella, who quickly looked away.
Jasper didn't respond.
"Do you love her? Are you planning on marrying her?"
Jasper, normally adept at concealing his emotions, appeared genuinely disturbed. Bella made an uncomfortable sound. But his stricken expression swiftly melted into a Cheshire grin. "And if I'm planning on marrying her? What's it to you?"
Andrew looked dumbstruck and Bella was certain she mirrored his expression. She tried not to let her mouth hang open. What the hell is he saying?
"Our values may differ, but…," Jasper gaze drifted momentarily, then snapped back to Andrew with a heart-stuttering smile. "I believe our personalities complement each other perfectly. We're steady, and I'm sure Bella feels the same way." Leaning closer, he murmured something in Andrew's ear. "See you!" He turned and winked at Bella, who quickly pivoted back to Rosalie and Gina, leaving Andrew behind.
Bella and Rosalie continued to find more and more people to talk to until Andrew seemed to get bored or tired and left the church without another word to Bella. They lingered until his car vanished from the parking lot before finally making their way back to Bella's car. They returned to her apartment after a relatively silent ride home. Upon arriving at her apartment, Bella tossed her keys on the kitchen counter and shuffled to her side of the bedroom and slumped on the now newly lifted mattress with a heavy sigh.
Rosalie followed and sat on the edge of Bella's bed. "What's the story? Isn't that the guy you tried to…?" Rosalie made a slicing motion across her neck. "He seems pretty into you considering he sued you?"
Bella remained quiet for a while, her eyes focusing on the large tree outside her window.
"Andrew and I met a few weeks into my sophomore year. He was, I guess still is, an Engineering major and we had a physics class together. Jacob and I had just broken up and I was feeling really lonely. He seemed super interested in me and my friends encouraged me to have a rebound. Why not? I liked him a lot. He was a great boyfriend, super smart and sweet, incredibly thoughtful, handsome. But then weird things started to happen. My spare keys went missing, sometimes my clothes. My car or apartment door would be unlocked when I knew I had locked it. Then, he started becoming more possessive, demanding all of my time, and acting upset if I wanted to spend time with friends or wanted to be alone. It was unsettling, but I brushed it off. Until he asked me who James and Edward were."
Rosalie seemed startled.
"I'm not embarrassed to admit it but I had to get therapy to cope with Edward leaving me. Discovering the existence of supernatural and magical creatures was a life-altering revelation and having it suddenly ripped away was difficult. But I also needed therapy to get past what happened with James."
"James?" Rosalie asked, surprised. "You were still worried about that?"
"I don't know if 'worry' is the right word. I felt so tense and angry all the time. There wasn't a single night when he wasn't hurting or killing me or my family in my nightmares. Rose, it really, really messed me up." Rosalie hesitantly put her hand on Bella's arm, offering her a reassuring pat, her eyes full of pity. "Carlisle was the one who first suggest I go to therapy—actually the night of my birthday party when I accidentally cut myself and Jasper…."
"You had a panic attack. I remember that."
Panic attack was one way of putting it. It hadn't just been the quick breathing or the intense anxiety, but Bella had shrieked and cried for almost fifteen minutes before Carlisle held her down and injected a sedative into her arm.
"Anyway, when I did start going to therapy, my therapist encouraged me to write down my thoughts, nightmares, etcetera and try to challenge them. Edward and James came up a lot and so I wrote about them a lot. When Andrew brought up their names, he confirmed what I was starting to fear—he had been breaking into my apartment, stealing my things, and reading my journal.
"I confronted him, and he had no remorse. He said as my boyfriend, he had the right to access my life and know everything about me. I immediately broke up with him. I said I couldn't be with someone who violated my privacy and trust like that." Bella caught Rosalie's brief stony expression. "I know what you're thinking—how is it any different from what Edward did? For one, I wasn't afraid of Edward. And he tried to stay away from me entirely for the first couple months. He would have left me alone if I asked him to or for a second thought I feared him. With Andrew, I was terrified. He genuinely didn't believe he was doing anything wrong."
"I assume he didn't leave you alone, considering what happened," Rosalie concluded.
Bella sighed. "No, he didn't. He'd call, text, email me every minute of the day, leave notes in my apartment, even after I changed the locks, sit next to me in class or show up to meetings and events as if we were still together. I couldn't get rid of him.
"Then came the Halloween Party. I went with my friends and tried to have fun. Most of the drinks, I didn't pour myself, so I'm sure at some point he tried to slip me something. He got me in a corner and he was kissing me and he tried to…." Bella paused, feeling a lump in her throat.
"You don't have to say it." Rosalie petted her hand, though her jaw was tense, blue eyes slowly crystallizing to a hard butterscotch.
Bella's voice became quieter, and her eyes focused on branches starting to sway with a slight breeze. "Something about what was happening to me, him holding me down while he tried to kiss me, it triggered something. I felt like I was being pinned down by James again. That he was throwing me across the room or breaking my leg. I just…lost it. And it felt good." She closed her eyes, thinking about the number of times Jasper had forced her to feel fear and her body had reacted to it as if she was experiencing pleasure. "I grabbed a bottle and broke it against the wall and I stabbed him in the neck. I just kept stabbing again and again and again until I couldn't hear him scream anymore, until someone pulled me off of him."
"The thing about Andrew Walton is that he was popular and he was rich. I was the drunk girl who went nuts and tried to murder her boyfriend. People said I was 'asking for it' and should be grateful that such a 'wonderful guy' was even interested in me. I was behind bars for almost two weeks before bail was posted and I got a great team of lawyers—which now I'm realizing was a courtesy from the Cullens."
Rosalie nodded.
"And here we are. Trapped again by another psychopath and the returned ex-boyfriend psychopath. There's no winning for me." Bella attempted to muster a smile, as if it were all a funny joke. But at Rosalie's somber expression and the reassuring grip of her hand, Bella's facade crumbled, and the tears began to stream down her face. "I'm so tired, Rose."
"I know. I'm so sorry, Bella. I'm so sorry."
Later that day, Rosalie offered to help Bella sort through her recycling, completely unwarranted. Bella briefly thought about making a big deal out of it but figured she was more likely to get this kind of help in the future if she was nicer to Rosalie.
"Rosalie, you use a lot of plastic products," Bella commented.
Rosalie flipped her off but ignored her otherwise as she sorted the glass bottles.
Bella pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper from the box and remembered all the notes Jasper had given her. An intrusive thought popped in her head. "I wonder if I should try to use Jasper to get rid of Andrew for me."
"You called?" Jasper whispered in her ear behind her.
She whirled around with a scream and hurtled the ball of paper at him. Jasper easily dodged it. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Energetic as usual." He looked at Rosalie who stood on a stool next to the recycling bin behind Bella, holding two glass bottles, frozen like a deer in headlights. "Are you…recycling?"
Rosalie flushed, dropped the bottles in the recycling bin, and stormed off without a word of acknowledgement .
"What are you doing here?" Bella asked, crossing her arms. "Did you forget that we're never supposed to meet again? Why are you bothering me?"
"I'm not here for you," he replied, eyes trailing Rosalie walking back into the building. "She needs to go back to Oregon. It's going to be suspicious for both of us to be around."
"I already told her to leave. What else can I do?" Bella said with a shrug. Then, she smiled mockingly. "Here's an idea: how about you pack up and leave too?"
"She listens to you. Can't you help me persuade her?" Jasper crossed his arms too and glared.
Bella narrowed her eyes. "Why would I do anything you ask? Don't come here again," she said, jabbing a finger in his chest. She turned away haughtily. "Jeez you've ruined my day."
He caught her by her elbow and pulled her close to his chest, one arm locked around her waist. He pulled her hand up his cheek. "You smell nice," he said with the tip of his nose just millimeters from the pulsepoint on her wrist.
"Thanks, it's Jergens Intense Moisture Therapy," Bella said flatly before she shoved against him. For a moment his eyes went wild and dark, his arm tightening around her, pulling her even closer.
The corner of Jasper's mouth lifted in an amused smile. "Andrew…I'll take care of him for you. You don't seem to be on good terms, especially if it came to you stabbing him with a broken bottle. What do you say? Seems like a good idea, right?"
Bella scowled and squared her jaw to meet his gaze. Her breath caught momentarily as she realized how close her face was to his. She blinked rapidly to clear her head. "Seriously? Who do you think I am? Do you think I'm anything like you? I'm not going to be taking part in anymore murders. Even if it's a sick bastard like Andrew, do you think I want to be involved with you again?" She pulled her hand away sharply and jabbed a finger into his chest again. "Listen well. I don't want someone like you in my life ever again. That's why I saved you that night—not because you tried to control my emotions to make me sympathetic to you. If you weren't going to keep your promise, I would have let you die that night."
Jasper laughed out loud at her. "Liar. That old man was giving you a lot of trouble. You needed me to get rid of him. Not because you pitied me. I didn't use my abilities to make you save me. I couldn't have; I was starving." He laughed again, mystified by her. "Do you really think you're a good person, Bella?"
"Do you think you're good?" she retorted. "You should be ashamed of yourself for what you did to me that night when I tried to stop Mr. Marsala from burning down your house. You told me you wouldn't hurt me."
"You seemed to have enjoyed it," he remarked, smiling with a flash of his fangs when Bella blushed. "And I never promised to never hurt you, Bella. I promised never to kill you. Which is more than you deserve considering that putrid old man you gave me. I knew you two were plotting against me for some time, but truly, I've got to hand it to you for coming up with an obscenely stupid plan. "
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Chemotherapy–-the man's blood was poisonous. You thought you could kill me by luring me to a victim of your choice? Nice try, little swan, but I'm not that easy to kill."
"You're so deranged," Bella said, exasperated. "I wasn't trying to kill you that night and I certainly wasn't plotting with that crazy guy. I'm the one who took him down when he tried to burn down your house, and besides, you asked for his blood. You are so delusional."
They stared at one another, the air angrily charged.
"You can refuse my help now. But if you find yourself in a difficult situation, you can come to me," Jasper said amicably.
"Fuck off," she snapped and walked towards the building.
"I'll wait for you," he called after her.
"Don't bother wasting your time!" she yelled back.
"Why would he even offer to get rid of Andrew?" Bella grumbled as she set aside the recycling bin in her apartment and explained to Rosalie about her argument with Jasper.
"It's probably because he's hungry," Rosalie explained. "That old man killed his emergency supply and he didn't manage to drink enough that night, especially if his blood was tainted with toxic medications."
"How much longer is he supposed to not hunt?" Technically the end of his sentence was the night he killed Mr. Marsala, so she couldn't understand why he was still pestering her to lure another victim.
"He has not been released by the Volturi yet. Until then, he's not allowed to hunt."
They stared at one another nervously. How long would Jasper survive without blood? And what punishment was he going to receive if they found out about Mr. Marsala's death?