Chapter Song: Shadow Days by John Mayer
Characters belong to SM. Everything else belongs to me.
Chapter 13 – Flying Solo
Bella's POV
I promised Alice and Rose I would go out for drinks on Wednesday night. I even pulled out one
of my favorite little black dresses for the occasion. I was looking forward to the long weekend
ahead of me, because once Edward's book hit shelves the following week, my life would be
nothing but chaos for a few months.
Mike decided to join us at the last minute, which of course meant the evening would be anything
but boring.
"How did your date go last night?" Alice asked Mike. After several weeks of prodding, Mike
finally agreed to go out with Laurent Giuseppe. Alice couldn't understand why he was so
reluctant to partake in a blind date. Little did she know Mike was still terrified of her
matchmaking skills after the whole Caius incident. As he'd put it to me and Rose on Saturday,
"If I wanted to repeat the BDSM night from hell I'd put an ad on fucking Craigstlist."
"If he has a flogger he didn't bring it to dinner, thank God." Mike cringed when he threw out the
dreaded f-word. "It went quite well, actually. He impressed me enough to get me to book a
second date."
"That's great!" I held my martini glass in the air and the others clanked theirs against it.
"Don't get so enthusiastic yet, Swan."
I shook my head. "Newton, Newton, Newton. How could you let this happen?"
"I swear it wasn't intentional! I hadn't even agreed to go out with him when I saw you on
Saturday!" Mike swirled his finger around in his cosmo and then sucked it into his mouth.
Alice and Rose were looking back and forth between the two of us like we were alien life forms.
"What the hell are you two talking about?" Rose finally asked.
"I no longer have a date to Em's party," I explained. Rose stared blankly at me. "That's Mike and
Laurent's second date."
"Oh my God, you're bringing him to the party on Friday?" I thought Alice was going to shoot
straight out of her chair.
Mike smiled and nodded. "You know I don't let any man get to the third date without obtaining
the seal of approval from my girlfriends."
"Do you really need our seals? I mean, Alice's has been enough in the past, right?" Rose kept a
straight face for all of two seconds before bursting out laughing.
"Fuck you both." Alice pouted. "For the ninetieth time, I legitimately didn't know Caius was into
that shit. It's not like I hand out a questionnaire asking prospects if they like whips and chains and ball gags."
"The man had a fucking torture cage in his closet, Short Stop. That's far beyond the realm of
ball gags and whips."
Rose and I howled with laughter. This story was always hilarious no matter how many times we
heard it.
"Well, Laurent seems like a normal guy, so let's try and forget Caius and look toward the
future." Alice squirmed uncomfortably in her chair. Being the center of attention usually didn't
bother my friend – unless she was wrong about and/or getting called out on something.
"Let's hope he's a normal guy," Rose said after calming down. "Otherwise Mikey boy might
decide to move off the island."
"It's going to take a hell of a lot more than some freaky queen to get me out of Manhattan."
Mike signaled for the waiter to bring us another round of drinks.
"There must be something special about him if you're breaking our contingency plans," I teased.
"I don't think you've ever gone against our chicks before dicks policy."
Mike scooted his chair over and leaned his head against my shoulder. "Please don't hate me,
Bell. I've been sitting on the sidelines of the dating field for far too long. If I don't get myself
back in the game now I'm going to end up old and miserable in Queens with seventeen cats and
too many pairs of Prada loafers."
Rose giggled. "At least you'd still be stylish."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, stylish until one of his seventeen cats decides to turn a pair of Prada
loafers into a litter box."
Mike sat up straight and plugged his ears with his fingers. "La, la, la, la, la. I'm going to pretend
I didn't just hear you use the words 'Prada' and 'litter box' in the same sentence."
"I certainly wouldn't want to be the cause of that sentence ever having any truth behind it." I
grabbed Mike's chin and pulled his face toward mine, resting my forehead against his and
smiling. "Take your new man candy out and display him proudly. I'm sure there will be plenty of
people at the party to keep me company."
"Like Edward, perhaps?"
Fucking Alice.
"I'm sure Cullen would be more than happy to keep you company, Bell."
Fucking Newton.
"And I'm sure there are a few other bachelors on the guest list who would be far better suited
for Bella." Rose pitched in.
"Or maybe I could make that decision for myself like any normal twenty-nine year old woman?"
I met each of their eyes with mine while taking a sip from my martini. "When did my love life –
or lack of – become the hottest topic of discussion for you three?"
"When you made the choice to start banging the most talked about toxic bachelor in the last five
years." Mike raised his eyebrows and tapped the tip of my nose.
"I'm not banging anybody, you bonehead!" I swatted Mike's hand away and narrowed my eyes.
"Sleeping with someone twice does not count as banging. Now, can we please stop talking about
this?"
Rose must have noticed the desperation in my voice because she was quick to change the topic.
"It's usually Alice who brings out something cheesy like this around the holidays, but I couldn't
resist." She reached beneath the table and produced a magazine from her oversized bag. "I
came across an article in here where a set of four girlfriends talked about what they were
thankful for in their lives. I thought maybe we could give this a whirl, being tomorrow is
Thanksgiving and all."
I smiled and reached across the table to squeeze Rose's hand. She put on such a tough front for
everyone, but somewhere deep down inside there was a soft, compassionate woman. It was
nice to get a glimpse of that side of her.
"I'll go ahead and start," Rose continued. "I'm thankful for Bella because you've always been my
rock, Alice because you've always been my cheerleader, and Mike because you've always been
my human tissue."
"What the fuck is a human tissue?" Mike looked mortified.
"You're always there to dry my tears, asshat."
"Ohhh ok, that kind of human tissue." Mike smirked while the rest of us rolled our eyes and
shook our heads.
"Alright Puffs, settle down and put a sock in it." Rose faked a scowl. "I'm thankful for Emmett,
because he's shown me more about romance and how to treat a person right in six short weeks
than some men I dated for years ever did. And I'm thankful for New York because, well … we
wouldn't be here right now without it."
We clinked our glasses together in a toast. I cleared my throat and spoke up. "I'll go next. I'm
thankful for Rose because you've always been my devil's advocate, for Alice because you've
always reminded me of all that I can do, and for Mike because you've been my safety net."
"Tissue, safety net – I can't wait to hear what you have to say, Ali."
"What if I have a Newton-free list?"
I raised my voice a few octaves. "I am thankful for Harvard because without Harvard I never
would have met the two most important people in my life." Alice and Rose looked at one
another and grinned. "And of course I'm also thankful for New York because I can't imagine ever
having a different life than this one."
Our glasses clinked together again and Alice got started. "I'm thankful for Bella and Rose
because the two of you are my heart."
"Ahem." Mike cleared his throat and drummed his fingers against the table. I tried to hold my
laughter inside but a tiny giggle escaped from my lips.
"And I'm thankful for Mike," Alice said, sticking her tongue out at our crazy, slightly – oh, who
was I kidding, fully – narcissistic friend, "because you are the wind that's there to propel me
forward when I need it."
Glasses clinked, Mike snorted, and three sets of eyes turned on him expectantly.
"Unlike you three, I'm not an estrogen-filled, sappy mess, so I'll make this short and sweet." He
drained the rest of his cosmo and set the glass down carefully. "I'm thankful for all three of you
because I've never met a set of people with bigger hearts or more love to give. And I'm thankful
for New York because this city is like a schmorgesborg of cock just waiting for the taking."
We were laughing too hard to clink any glasses this time. Mike smiled smugly and ordered
himself yet another drink. Once the girls and I managed to compose ourselves, we chatted
about the upcoming holidays and Rose gave us a few details about Emmett's newest project.
Before long the night had come to a close and Alice was walking me home.
"Are you really planning on spending Thanksgiving by yourself, Bell?"
I shrugged. "I don't feel like going to Rose's and we're well past the age of getting tanked all
night like Mike wanted to. Chinese takeout and the TV are my only options."
"Come to the Whitlock's house with me and Jasper," Alice said, looping her arm through mine.
"You're kidding, right?" The last thing I wanted to do was cash in on the sympathy invite and
spend the day with a family I didn't even know. "I've hardly spent any time with Jasper and I've
obviously never met his family. That would be supremely awkward and uncomfortable for
everyone involved, Ali."
"Oh, hush. I've never met his parents either, so we'd be in the same boat there."
"Yes, but you're his girlfriend. I don't fit into the puzzle."
"And you're my best friend and I refuse to let you spend Thanksgiving holed up by yourself in
your apartment." Alice came to a stop in front of my building and turned to face me. "Jasper's
family is small, so I'm sure they'd be happy to have an extra face around the table. I know
Jasper won't object – he thinks you're great."
It would be pretty boring to sit at home by myself. Plus I loved the food. I wasn't ashamed to
say I usually stuffed my face, unbuttoned my jeans, and kicked back to watch the football game
with my dad on a typical Thanksgiving afternoon.
Besides, this was the Whitlock family she was asking me to spend the day with. It wasn't like
she was asking me to spend it with the Cullens or something.
It didn't take much to get me to give in. "I'll come for dinner, but if it's too awkward, I'm leaving
right after."
"Yay!" Alice hugged me and smiled happily. "Who knows, maybe mama Whitlock can think of a
single man or two that need New Years Eve dates next month!"
I held up my hands and shook my head. "No enlisting anyone to play matchmaker for me, Alice.
I'm perfectly capable of securing my own dates."
"You're no fun," she said with a pout. I laughed, walking towards the door of the building.
"How can you say I'm no fun?" I asked, pivoting as I was about to open the door. "I just agreed
to go to Thanksgiving with you at the house of a family I've never met before."
"I know, I know. I promise I won't pester you about dating again – at least not for the remainder
of 2011." Alice winked and checked her cell phone. "Jasper is picking me up at ten tomorrow.
Can you be ready by ten thirty?"
"Yes ma'am," I said, giving Alice a pseudo-salute. She stepped off the curb and waved her hand
in the air, hailing one of the dozen or so taxis crawling up the street.
"See you in the morning!" Alice climbed into the back of the cab.
My stomach was twisted in nervous knots an hour later when I climbed into bed. I tried to shake
the feelings of worry, but I just couldn't do it. Instead, I lay awake and stared at the ceiling.
Sometime after two I managed to drift off into a restless slumber.
For reasons unknown to me, I had a feeling that tomorrow would end up being a Thanksgiving to
remember.
- = - HC - = -
I wasn't sure what to expect when I was getting ready the next morning. Alice said that Jasper
was an only child, and that his aunts and uncles were scattered across the country, so I
assumed it would only be the three of us plus Jasper's parents for dinner. I shrugged on my coat
and grabbed my gloves, wondering why I'd given in and agreed to go in the first place. Meeting
your own boyfriend's family for the first time was awkward enough; accompanying your best
friend to meet her boyfriend's family – on a major holiday at that – was awkward times ten.
When I got downstairs I saw Jasper's SUV parked by the curb. I hugged the two bottles of wine I
was carrying against my chest and headed outside. It was cold and windy, and I immediately
regretted not bringing a scarf with me.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Bella!" Jasper turned and smiled at me once I got myself situated. I
returned his smile and pulled my hat down so it covered more of my ears.
"Happy Thanksgiving to you as well, Jasper. And you too, Short Stop." I reached up and tugged
on a strand of Alice's hair.
"Is that wine you were hiding under your coat?" Alice pulled down the visor and looked at me in
the small mirror. I grinned and wiggled my eyebrows playfully.
"Of course. Moscato. It's a staple at the Swan family Thanksgiving, and it just so happens I
bought a few bottles Tuesday night."
"My mom is going to love you," Jasper said happily. "She brings the wine out before dinner even
makes it on the table."
"It sounds like she'd get along wonderfully with my mom." I watched as we crossed the
Brooklyn Bridge. "Except Renee usually has the wine half gone before dinner even goes in the
oven."
"And that is why Charlie hates it when Bella doesn't make it home for the holidays." Alice
unbuckled her belt as Jasper brought us to a stop in front of a large, well-kept townhouse. She
turned to face me and pointed to a foil covered pie plate that sat on the seat beside me. "Can
you hand that to me please?"
I gave Alice her culinary creation and grabbed my wine. We followed Jasper up the sidewalk and
in the front door.
"Charlotte, the kids are here!" A man with the same wavy brown hair as Jasper rounded the hall
corner and stepped forward to take our coats. A short, thin woman, with straight blonde hair
and beautiful hazel colored eyes followed him.
"Jasper! It's so good to see you!" She cupped his face with her hands and smiled up at him. He
leaned forward and gave the woman a kiss on her forehead before gesturing to Alice and I.
"This is Alice Erickson, and this is Bella Swan." He pointed at us each respectively. "Alice, Bella,
I'd like to introduce you to my mother, Charlotte Whitlock."
"It's so nice to finally meet you, Alice! Jasper hasn't stopped talking about you since the first
time you went out." Charlotte stepped forward and gave Alice a hug and kissed both of her
cheeks. "Bella, it's a pleasure to meet you too! I hear you've been giving Edward a run for his
money in the romance department."
I immediately started blushing. Charlotte grabbed my arms and squeezed them gently.
"Oh honey, you don't have to be embarrassed. I was only kidding, although it might do Edward
some good to have a woman give him a run for his money. "
"Mom…" Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "Where should Alice put
the pie?"
Charlotte rolled her eyes and pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. "The kitchen's this way,
ladies. Jasper, why don't you go see what your dad is up to? You're clearly not cut out to handle
the girl talk."
Alice squeezed his hand and smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure Bella and I can manage just fine.
Your mom doesn't look like she bites."
Charlotte glanced over her shoulder and winked at me. "Peter might beg to differ with you on
that one."
"That's my cue to leave." Jasper kissed the top of Alice's head and disappeared. I sank down
onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar and drummed my fingers against the countertop
nervously.
"You have a beautiful home," Alice gushed. Charlotte smiled and stirred one of the pots that sat
atop the stove.
"Thank you. Peter has put quite a bit of work into it over the years, but I think we finally have it
just like we want."
"Can I help with anything?" I asked.
"Would you mind setting the table? We'll be eating in about a half hour." Charlotte turned around
and pointed at a cabinet. "Everything you need should be in there. Since it's a holiday we'll get
out the good china. Eight place settings should do it." She winked.
Eight? I guess there were more people coming after all.
I smiled at her and got to work. I was fairly certain that Jasper's mom could put an entire room
full of people at ease with one glance; she just had that kind of personality.
"Hello!" A female voice called from the foyer. I turned and saw an attractive woman about the
same age as Charlotte striding across the living room. Her hair was caramel colored and hung in
loose waves past her shoulders. Her wide eyes were a faded blue color and a small beauty
mark clung to her left cheek.
"Esme! Why didn't you have Carlisle bring that in for you?" Charlotte scolded the woman and
took the crock-pot she was carrying from her while Alice cleared a spot for it on the counter.
"Happy Thanksgiving!"
Esme hugged her friend and turned her attention to Alice. "Alice Erickson! What a pleasant
surprise!"
"Alice is dating Jasper, which you probably already knew," Charlotte explained. "He invited her
to join us for dinner –and her friend Bella here as well."
Esme turned to face me and smiled. "Bella Swan, right?" Who was this woman? "Your firm
handled my Hamptons summer party three or four years back. I think you were visiting family
in Washington at the time?"
"Mmm hmm, that's right," Alice affirmed.
"Your partner here had nothing but good things to say about you." Esme took a step toward me
and stuck her hand out. "And of course Edward has told me about all the fantastic work you've
done so far for his book!"
Edward? Book?
Oh. Shit.
Esme picked up on my confusion. "My name is Esme Cullen. I'm Edward's mother."
I shook her hand weakly and mustered up a polite smile. Of all the Thanksgiving celebrations in
the city, I would naturally agree to attend the one that Edward's parents were at.
And if Edward's parents are here…
My suspicions were confirmed when I looked back toward the foyer. Broad, cashmere-covered
shoulders? Check. Unruly hair? Check. Rich, velvety laugh? Check.
Please be a mirage, please be a mirage. I dropped Esme's hand and crossed my fingers.
When he turned around and his eyes fell on me, I knew I wasn't imagining anything.
Edward Cullen had just arrived at the Whitlock family Thanksgiving.
And if the expression on his face was indicative of anything, he was equally surprised to see me.
Edward's POV
What.
The.
Fuck.
Bella Swan was standing in the middle of the Whitlock's dining room, talking to my mom and
setting the table. Well, she was setting the table. The conversation and everything else came to
a halt as soon as I entered the room.
"Edward! Happy Thanksgiving!" Alice squeaked out, looking back and forth between Bella and
me.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Alice." I shoved my hands in the pockets of my Dockers and slowly
worked my way towards the dining room table. When I was close enough, I reached out and
squeezed Bella's shoulder gently. "Happy Thanksgiving, Bella."
"Happy Thanksgiving," she whispered, busying herself with folding napkins and arranging
silverware. I was positive Charlotte and Esme would have a million questions to ask by the time
the afternoon was over, but for now they had both opted to behave and were busy checking on
the turkey.
"I didn't expect to see you here."
She looked up at me and scoffed. "That makes two of us."
"Would you like some help with that?"
She stopped what she was doing and closed her eyes. A minute later she let out a long breath
and handed me a stack of salad plates.
"Can you set these on top of the dinner plates please?"
"Absolutely." I took the plates from her and put them in their proper positions. "Are you excited
for Emmett's party tomorrow night?"
She nodded. "Rose never disappoints when it comes to hosting a celebration." Her eyes flitted
up to my face and back to the table. "How about you?"
"I'd be a lot more enthusiastic if I wasn't going stag," I admitted. Or rather, I'd be a lot more
enthusiastic if you hadn't of turned down my offer.
"You won't be the only one going stag to the party," she mumbled. Her brown eyes met my
green ones and I fought to hold back a smile.
"I thought you had a date lined up?"
"Plans changed at the last minute." She held my gaze for what felt like an eternity before joining
the moms in the kitchen. "Is there anything else I can do to help?"
"Can you start putting the food out?" Esme turned and pointed at me. "I need you to go get the
guys from outside. Dinner is done and this turkey is ready for carving."
I trekked to the patio. "Mom needs help with the turkey."
Once my dad and Peter were inside and out of earshot, I cornered Jasper. "Is this Alice's doing?"
"Is what Alice's doing?" Jasper asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"Bella being here." I ran a hand through my hair and sank down onto the steps.
"Well, Alice invited Bella, if that's what you're asking." Jasper sat next to me and placed his
hands on his knees. "Unless the two of you have some previously unmentioned telepathic
connection, I don't think she knew you would be here."
"Her date for tomorrow night bailed."
Jasper raised his eyebrows. "I was serious about ending the bet, you know. It's off."
"I'm well aware of that." I kicked the toe of my shoe against the ground and sighed.
"So why are you still trying to get with her?"
I hadn't really talked to Jasper since the argument we had outside my apartment. Our schedules
weren't jiving as of late and he was spending a lot more time with Alice. Come to think of it, I
really hadn't shared my feelings with anyone.
"I like her." I admitted, both to Jasper, and finally, out loud to myself.
"Excuse me? I'm not sure I heard you correctly."
"I like her, okay?" I stood up and shoved my hands in my pockets. I tilted my face toward the
sky and inhaled the cool air. "I like her and I have no fucking clue what I'm doing."
Jasper laughed. "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"
"This isn't funny," I huffed. "This is the first woman to really catch my eye in how many years
and I can't even get to the second date before fucking things up."
"Relax, man. Bella will come around, you just have to show her that you're capable of behaving
like more than a bed hopping ass."
"I've been trying and she just doesn't get it."
"What have you done to show her?" Jasper crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head
to the side.
"I went to her house and apologized in person, I sent her flowers, and I surprised her with
breakfast at her office." I counted my actions off on my fingers.
"You can't buy Bella, Edward. She's not that kind of woman."
"I don't get what you're saying."
"The girls that chase you like money. They don't mind it if you shower them with jewelry and
designer bags and expensive meals. They like that," Jasper explained. "Bella is entirely
different. Words and material gifts won't get you very far with her. If you're going to talk the
talk to her, you better be ready to walk the walk too."
"How the hell do you know all this?"
"Alice likes to gossip about the ladies," Jasper said, smirking. He turned to go inside, but
stopped and cast a glance at me over his shoulder. "She's just as scared as you are, Edward.
Now you need to give her a reason not to be."
Give her a reason not to be…
How was I supposed to do that?
- = - HC - = -
The moms managed to behave all through dinner and the remainder of the afternoon.
When the wine started flowing during our evening dessert, however, they both got a tad bit
loose in the lips.
"Tell me, Bella, why aren't you back in Washington for the holiday?" Esme asked, filling her
wine glass for the fifth time. Bella eyed my mom warily and polished off her own Moscato.
"Well, the holiday slipped my mind until after plane ticket prices had skyrocketed. That was my
primary motivation for sticking around."
"That's not the only reason, Bella," Alice said with a snort.
"What else held you to the city?" Charlotte joined in on the inquisition.
Bella sighed and glared at her friend from across the table. "Edward's book release party is next
Tuesday, as you all know, and it's kept me slightly busier than I normally am at this time of
year."
"My goodness, Edward, what kind of demands do you lay at this poor girl's feet?" Charlotte
shook her finger like she was shaming me. "Everyone deserves a chance to spend the holidays
with family."
"It's my own doing, Charlotte. I'm a work-a-holic and a perfectionist. It's a rather deadly
combination."
"She's right," Alice confirmed. "Once this woman gets moving on a project there's no stopping
her."
"Which is precisely why I recommend your firm to everyone and anyone who needs PR
services." Esme held her glass in the air for a toast. "To Bella, who, in addition to making my
son wildly famous in the literary world, can hopefully manage to tame him outside of the
office."
I was mortified. "Mom, really?' I turned my attention to Bella. "You didn't have to stay in town
on my behalf. You should have enjoyed the long weekend with family and let me handle some of
the work."
"You're paying me to handle the work for you," she reminded me. "Besides, the less time I have
to spend in Forks, the happier I am. I get sick with boredom about ten minutes after the plane
lands."
"Well, Bella, from what I hear you've done a fantastic job. We're all looking forward to the party
next week." My dad smiled warmly at her. I said a silent thank you to him for rescuing her from
the drunken moms and their round of twenty questions.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Cullen. I only hope it lives up to everyone's expectations."
"Please, call me Carlisle, and I assure you, it will."
The conversation shifted away from Bella and onto what Charlotte and Esme were planning on
wearing to the party. It seemed like the perfect time for me to make my move and rescue Bella
before anyone had a chance to pull even more embarrassing questions out of the hat.
"Did you come with Jasper and Alice?" I asked.
She nodded. "They picked me up at my apartment this morning. Why do you ask?"
"You look like you're ready to get out of here. I wanted to offer to assist with your escape." I
winked at her and she chuckled.
"Believe it or not, your services would be greatly appreciated right about now." Bella stood up
and cleared her dessert plate from the table. I followed suit and grabbed the other empty plates
as well.
"I'm going to give Bella a ride home," I explained, depositing the dishes into the sink and turning
to face the table. Everyone went quiet and all eyes turned on us.
"Leaving so soon?" Charlotte stood and gave Bella a hug. "It was so good to meet you! I'm
hoping – more like guessing – we'll be seeing a lot more of you here in Brooklyn in the near
future!"
"Hopefully I can make it down this way again soon." Bella smiled politely and returned the
embrace. "Thank you for your hospitality! I had a lovely time."
"Thank you for coming," Peter said, standing and giving Bella a hug himself. "You'll have to
forgive the snoop sisters here. This is precisely why Carlisle and I never take them out drinking
in public." Charlotte slapped his shoulder and scowled.
The rest of the table said their goodbyes while I retrieved Bella's coat. I helped her put it on and
led her out the back door to the alley where my BMW was parked.
"I don't think I've ever been in your car before," she remarked when we were seated. I clicked
the heat on and popped a CD into the disc changer.
"I don't drive it very much. Traffic in the city is too crazy."
"It's a good thing you've got Sam. He seems to enjoy his job."
I liked how comfortable the conversation felt. "It keeps him busy, which is a good thing. His
wife passed away shortly before he started working for me. I think he welcomes the
distraction."
Bella frowned. "That's so sad." She cocked her head to the side and turned up the radio. I had
just bought the Kings of Leon disc yesterday and was still trying to figure out whether I liked it
or not.
"Are you a fan?"
"What a night for a dance, you know I'm a dancing machine," she sang softly. "They're one of
my favorite bands."
I knew I'd love the CD.
"Come to the party with me tomorrow night, Bella." I didn't want to appear desperate, but this
was probably the last opportunity I'd have to ask her before we all headed off to Connecticut
tomorrow.
"Edward…"
"Please, Bella," I interrupted. "You have every right to think I'm a disgusting pig. I get that,
believe me, I do. I just want a chance to show you that I'm something – someone – different."
She sat in silence and stared out the passenger window. I could see her lips moving and I
wondered if she was singing more of the song or silently cursing me out.
"Emmett's party is a public thing, Edward," she finally said. "Our friends will be there, people
who think they know us will be there, and I'm sure at least one tabloid will have some stupid
paparazzi lurking. If you and I show up together, that means this," she gestured to the space
between us, "is going to get opened up to speculation. Are you sure you want that, Edward?
Because a week ago you didn't even want to stick around for the afternoon to do something as
simple as go to a movie with me."
I pulled my car to a stop in front of her apartment and cut the engine.
"What I want is to get to know you better, Bella. I want to spend some time with you – outside
the confines of a bedroom or a bar – and learn more about you and your life and the people in
it." I sounded like a fucking Lifetime movie. Playboy to pussy in a matter of weeks – what the
hell is going on with you, Cullen?
"Can I have the night to think about it and I'll call you tomorrow morning?" She finally turned to
face me. "I'm tired right now, the turkey is starting to take effect, and my mind is a bit clouded
from the wine. I'd rather make a decision I know I won't regret."
Ouch.
"Yeah, sure, whatever you need to do." I reached out and patted her knee. "Go get some sleep
and we can talk more in the morning."
"Thank you." She leaned across the center console and pressed her lips against my cheek softly.
I closed my eyes and savored the feel of her lips lingering on my skin. "Goodnight, Edward."
"Goodnight, Bella."
I waited to pull away until she was in the elevator.
This had to be karma. That's right, this was all just a healthy dose of karmic retribution,
courtesy of all the times I'd neglected to call a woman back when I said I would, or let her
spend the night when I said I would. Yes, karma was catching up to me and biting me in the ass.
Whether or not a woman trusted me had never mattered before. I couldn't figure out why it was
so important that Bella did trust me now.
You know why it's important, moron. Jasper said it himself this afternoon – Bella is different.
From the looks of it, different just might be the death of me.
Bella's POV
I stared nervously at my phone.
I knew I told Edward I'd call him, but every time I went to dial his number my stomach twisted
in knots, my throat got dry, and I forgot what I wanted to say.
Texting seemed like a much better option at this point. At least it would save me from having to
hear the disappointment in his voice when I gave him my answer.
Thought about it and I think we should fly solo for the party tonight. Riding up with
friends. See you in CT. – B
My finger hovered over the send button for a minute before I gathered the courage to click it. I
gulped back my nervousness and silenced the phone, tucking it away in my purse so I could
concentrate on getting ready.
Ten minutes later I was in my purse looking for his reply.
I can live with that – as long as we're both flying solo. I'm nothing if not persistent, Bella.
I won't let you get away that easily. – E
I read the last line three times.
He planned on pursuing me.
I was still playing hard to get.
Could I keep that up for much longer?
Highly doubtful, Bell. Highly doubtful.
The smile spreading across my face could only mean one thing: I'd finally caught that itch that
up until now I'd been so hesitant to scratch.
Edward Cullen just might be the death of me.
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