The Epilogue

Ever see those signs that the zoo puts up that say, "Do not tease the
monkeys"? Well, they're there for a reason.
 
The famous writer's POV


About a year later.
"We really don't have to go, Edward," Bella was telling me as I wrestled with
the…freaking bow tie for the tenth time in about as many minutes.
"Oh," I pished at her. "We're goin'. I promised you a night out away from work
and a night out is what you're gonna get."
She giggled and batted at me, playfully but then leaned up and kissed my
softly before fixing my tie and going back to fluffing her hair and fixing her
make-up.
We hadn't really had a "day off", so to speak, since shortly after the first few
episodes of our first show together.
Hopefully, you caught my spiffy little hint there.
Yeah, totally bombed after James left quietly due to my…gift the night Bella
had come back to me.
We hadn't seen James since.
Not that I was complaining but I felt bad for the station.
Carlisle didn't hold it against me, though, mainly because the next show I
created for him became number one within the month of the pilot and it's still
there, raking in the dough.
I stepped down from being a Show Runner.
No offense to those people but I really like the creative writing part of being a
writer as opposed to the, telling others what to do, sticking to budgets and
never really getting to write parts.
Plus, I get things called royalties and stuff like that for creating a pop culture
hit.
Insert smiling all the way to the bank face here.
People from all sorts of age brackets seem to be following the characters, too.
It's like an obsession on some web sites.
Crazy, scary, people sleep outside our building kind of obsessions.
I can't blame them, she's flawless at what she does.
See, Bella plays a librarian by day, female Indiana Jones by night and
weekends. It's all kinds of everything. Sarcastic, funny, frightening,
suspenseful and completely hilarious in some spots.
'Cause you know, I can't leave out the funny.
She's also a lesbian.
Mostly due to the fact that I can handle her kissing another woman more than
I can handle her kissing another dude.
Mike Newton in particular…who wished Bella luck on his last day, telling her
he thought a show about a thespian would flop but that it was her career, so
good luck.
Idiot.
Oh, he's doing fine, don't worry about him, too much.
I hear he's on one of those TV personality reality shows and loving it.
I won my first award at the Prime Time Emmy's for best newcomer and even
though normally, I would have avoided that type of attention like the plague,
having Bella there made it one of the most enjoyable evenings of my entire
existence.
We use the award as a paper weight.
Emmett and I still live together but he's working his way up in the technical
arena and I'm pretty sure that he's gonna be moving out and getting his own
place with Rose, soon, which is probably a good thing considering he's seen
parts of Bella that I'm not a hundred percent comfortable with him seeing and
visa versa.
I had to act like I wasn't having a self deprecating kinda conversation with
myself when we walked in on Rose giving him a blow job one night and heard
the surprised yet fascinated gasp escape Bella.
The guy is a freaking mammoth.
In a lot more ways than one.
I did, however, get a whole lotta lovin' and attention that night to make up for
Bella's moment of weakness toward hugely hung roommates.
And she wore that sexy outfit she wears on the show for me while doling out
that attention, too.
Not for long, though.
Anyway, back to the night at hand.
I was taking my girl out and we were doing it right.
Phantom of the Opera was probably my first ever Broadway show and I loved
it.
There were still so many things about New York that I needed to experience
but this was one I planned on experiencing a whole heck of a lot more with
Bella.
When she was watching the stage, I was usually watching her.
She went through so many emotions while enjoying the story that I couldn't
help but be swept up in the same emotions sitting next to her.
Plus, she was fucking gorgeous.
And mine.
And I was just about the luckiest bastard in all creation for stumbling into her
that first night at WESME.
That's why, when the show was over and I took her over to the Vudu Lounge,
where Jasper had set things up for me, just right…I was planning on
proposing.
Because who knew just exactly when she'd figure out that I was just some
bozo and call it quits?
Right?
However, my plans took a detour when we walked in and saw who'd been
working there for who knows how long.
Even with half of his face covered, he still looked like a dick.
James.
"Did you?" she started to ask me.
"Not a clue," I told her and wondered why Jasper'd never mentioned that he'd
hired James to work his character position…or when he'd even started.
Maybe he was saving it as a surprise.
That was something Jasper would do.
It was funny, ha ha, to me that James would have found himself in that
desperate of a situation that he had to come make some money doing…Show
tunes.
I didn't hide my giddiness and we found ourselves a seat after deciding to
stay.
I figured I could pop the question another time.
A time when we weren't so poisoned with the venom company of an asshole.
When he arrived at our table and the shock wore off of his face, seeing us
sitting there for him to wait on, he asked if there was anything he could do for
us in his best Phantom voice.
Ammateur.
"Needs a little work," I suggested through obviously fake coughs and he rolled
his eyes at me as he held a pen to his pad of paper, waiting for our order.
"Oh I think there's something you could probably do," Bella told him with an
evil smirk on her face.
I turned to see the mischievousness playing at her lips and then I caught on to
just exactly what she was planning.
And I was in.
I was so...IN.
"Would you like to do the honors?" she asked me and I smiled, then turned to
our not so famous friend anymore, lowering my menu and said, "Sing,
monkey."

Chapter 24. Serendipity or Something Like it

Sometimes, ya just gotta sit back and let life happen. ~ That's an Edward
Kuhmasen original. Feel free to quote me.
 
Just Plain Old Edward's POV


"Any word?" Emmett asked me the morning of the show.
I was scribbling some nonsense down onto a piece of paper. Nothing
pertinent to the show, just…random thoughts, ideas, hopes.
I shook my head. "Nada…all I got was a text saying she's coming
home which…" I scratched at my face. "I can't imagine was Bella talking about
herself in the third person."
He chuckled and slapped me on the back. "Well, you've done what ya can,
Edward, ball's in her court…" he winked and added, "So to speak," then
waggled those Emmett eyebrows at me before heading off to do his thing.
Tanya and I had a pre-show pow-wow and things seemed to be ready.
Except for Bella.
She still wasn't home and I was a little worried that even though I hadn't
exactly done anything this time, that maybe she'd just had it with the drama.
I mean, it's not like she didn't get enough of that on a daily basis anyway.
"She's supposed to be here for the live performance Edward," she said as
though she read my thoughts and I snapped my eyes to her.
"Bella? She had me fax her lines to her, said not to worry and that she was
sorry she's been MIA."
I felt butterflies in my stomach and a little dizzy at the thought of her being
there later but I figured I'd just…start with, "I'm sorry."
It couldn't hurt.
Right?
On my lunch break, I visited the florist that I'd gotten the name and address of
a few days before when I purchased that single Spring Snowflake flower for
Bella and bought them out of Sun Flowers.
Then I made a little side trip to Bella's apartment and even though I got the
evil eye from Felix, he saw that I was only a bearer of good fragrance and let
me in.
He even helped me arrange the flowers around Bella's place.
Beginning with the hallway where she'd been stepping off of the elevator later
on.
I left her one last note, in addition to the ones I'd been sending her since she
left.
It simply said, "Much like these flowers bring to your apartment, you bring
sunshine to my life, I hope I get this back some day. PS. I missed you."
I left the note with one of the Sun Flowers and the key to her place on the
table in her hallway where I knew she'd drop her keys and then headed back
to the station.
Really hoping to god that I got that key back some day.
As I watched Mike's opening scene that night in front of the
live…fucking…audience, Bella still wasn't there and quite frankly, I was
FREAKING OUT! Because we didn't exactly have a back up or…whatever the
hell it's called.
Understudy...idiot.
But then…
She was there.
Like magic.
And she walked onto the stage like she lived there.
My heart jumped and I couldn't take my eyes off of her because of course,
Alice had put her in the most sexy…drives Edward crazy in every good kind of
way there is to man outfit. EVER.
In other words, my dick was hard.
Insert uncomfortable adjustment of said dick here.
I tried making eye contact with her a few times, but she didn't give me the
satisfaction, and when her scenes broke, she always made sure to exit
theopposite side of the stage than me.
I was feeling pretty defeated, and rather melancholy when James saddled up
next to me, changing my mood...completely.
Now, normally, this would make me cringe and I'd let him mouth off, knowing
he "had" me and that I didn't really have a come back.
But this time…it was my turn.
I smiled.
"Hey James," I said to him all persnickety and what not.
"Looks like you've lost, Edward, she'll be back in my bed in no time." He was
so cocky.
I smiled wider.
"James, mind if I ask you a question?"
"Sure thing, Cullen," he said. We weren't looking at each other. We were both
standing, arms crossed, watching the show unfold.
"If you're so hell bent on getting Bella back, what happens to Vic…" I started,
and then added, "Toria?"
The asshole actually had the nerve to lay a hand on my shoulder and if I
hadn't been so curious as to his motives, I would have punched him in the
nose for touching me like that.
"You really don't understand, do you Cullen?"
"No, I guess I don't, enlighten me, will ya?"
"I'll put it to you in simple terms then, my friend….ya see, Bella's good for
business, but Victoria's good for…other things."
I shivered.
Because let's face it.
UGH!
I swear to god, I liked Vic and all, but I'd be damned if I saw what she saw in
this guy.
"Well, I appreciate that advice, James," I said, pulling the tiny tape recorder
out of my pocket and stopping the recording process.
Then I lifted the manila envelope I'd put together with Vic's help up off of the
shelf next to me and handed it to him.
"What the fuck is this m…"
I turned then, and grabbed his wrist. "Call me monkey, James, and that'll be
the last thing you say tonight." I threw his hand down and away from me, then
told him, "Promise."
James eyed me cautiously as he opened the envelope and I turned back to
watch as Bella took the stage again.
She delivered her lines flawlessly and I don't know why I'd expected anything
less of her.
She was a true professional.
Even if she didn't want to have anything to do with me after the past few
weeks, I'd still be honored to work with her on this project.
I heard James choke next to me and was brought back to the task at hand.
Emmett was watching and his shoulders were bobbing.
I swallowed down the hysteria.
"Seems Victoria's been keeping shit from ya, huh, James?"
He didn't answer.
He didn't have to.
The guy was speechless and I was relishing in it.
Bella started her final lines to Mike that I'd re-written over and over throughout
the weekend until I'd gotten them just right and even though she was saying
them to Newton, I pretended she was saying them to me.
"Mike," she said. "I have to tell you something, it's about how I feel about
you..."
Then dipwad interrupted my fantasizing again.
"Where did you…?" James spat out, his face was white and I could only
imagine the things that were running through his head at that point.
"I had a nice little heart to heart with her a few nights ago…nice
girl…err…guy…whatever…" I shook my head and then I took the opportunity
to clap himon his shoulder that time.
"Now I imagine if any of this got out into the public eye, that you might be just
a tad embarrassed, considering your...manly man identity and all…" I
whispered to him and he just stood there, staring at the info, and the picture of
Vic I'd enclosed.
"So if you ever fuck with me, or my friends again…and that includes
Bella…you can bet your ass that the first guy I'm callin' is this guy…"
I handed him the business card of the paparazzi that had followed Bella
around via James's info and he took the card, but seemed very much like a
zombie at that point.
I couldn't hide the smirk anymore. "And don't worry, I have copies."
He eyeballed me.
"You might even wanna find another Producing job…elsewhere, but that's not
required, I can play nice…" I said, "As long as you can."
James still didn't have anything to say, he just, took the info and stumbled
backwards until he fell into a chair and I turned my attentions back to Bella,
who was reciting the last of her lines.
"There's one more thing I need you to know, Steele…" she said, and I waited
for it.
This was when she was going to tell him about her feelings as he passed out
yet again, and he wouldn't hear her…it was all part of the cat and mouse
game people loved so much in good television.
But then, suddenly, she turned and was facing me.
Mike was passed out…or…seemingly passed out on stage, and I was
confused as to why she was walking toward me, when she started talking.
To me.
"Edward?" she said and I stood up a little straighter, wondering if she'd lost
her mind.
Did she not know there were a couple hundred people watching her?
The crowd murmured but Emmett kept filming and a spot light shown down on
her.
"I'm sorry," she said.
Sorry?
I scowled and raised an eyebrow at her, but listened, nonetheless.
"I thought that every guy was gonna be another James and I didn't even really
give you a chance in my mind," she said and then even quieter than she
already was, like she was ashamed of herself, she added, "Even before your
promotion."
A lump formed in my throat out of nowhere and I felt my shoulders relax.
She'd forgiven me.
She was forgiving me.
On live public television.
Shit.
"It's easy to get caught up in this world of…smoke and mirrors and thinking
everyone's out to get you…but you…you're not…you're just…Edward."
I couldn't smile, couldn't breathe, couldn't move…all I could do was just…take
her in.
She was beautiful.
"I'm sorry I didn't trust you," she said as she was finally within reach of me and
I didn't waste a single moment in grabbing her and putting my lips onto hers.
The audience clapped and cheered and the end music played as the curtain
dropped and Bella and I just stayed like that.
I breathed her in and tangled my tongue with hers and pulled her up against
me like I was gonna lose her all over again at any minute.
Which, let's face it, was highly likely considering my idiot move to charm the
pants out of her ratio statistics.
"Let's go home," I said and she handed me something, smiling.
Her key.
"You left this."
I smiled at her.
"My place is closer, let's go," I said, and as we walked hand in hand out of
there, ignoring everyone else, I asked her, "You wanna…get something to
eat?"
She put her head into my shoulder. "Are you gonna throw food at me?"
"Absolutely."
"Then yes."
We nodded and waved to our friends and Carlisle just watched us leave.
Smiling.
After we caught a late dinner, talked about everything from her childhood with
her dad to my parents dying, to Carlisle finding me, and her first break in the
business, we left a ginormous tip and took off.
"So," she started, looking a little perplexed about the situation. "James
is...gay?"
I laughed because to be honest, I wasn't ruling it out.
"Not exactly," I told her and then repeated the story that Vic had told me and
how things had unfolded.
Then it was my turn.
"So," I started as we walked the streets of New York back to my condo.
"When you sent that text saying she's coming home…why the third person
Bella?" I laughed.
"What? I didn't send you a…." she started and then made one of those faces.
You know, the one where she realized someone did something they really
shouldn't have done and she's gonna make them pay the next time she saw
them?
Yeah.
"Dad," was all she said and we both laughed as I pulled my arm around her
shoulders and hers wrapped around my hips, her thumb hooking onto the belt
loop in my jeans.
"Well thank god someone was helpin' me out," I joked but then she got
serious on me.
"You didn't need any help, Edward, I just needed to open my eyes."
"Well I'm glad you did," I said, kissing the top of her head and when we rode
the elevator up to the condo, we couldn't keep our hands off of each other.
"I missed you," I told her as I nibbled on her neck a little, emitting goosebumps
around the areas I touched.
"I missed you, too," she replied, slipping her hands under my shirt to encircle
me with them.
When the doors opened and I unlocked the door to my place, we didn't bother
with lights, we just felt our way around for the closest surface to continue our
love fest on.
Bella's feet and mine became entangled and we fell, of course, but that didn't
stop us.
I unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans that she'd worn directly off stage and
home with me and told her, "I've been dying to ask Alice if we could borrow
some of the wardrobe…you are so fucking sexy in this outfit."
She giggled as she wiggled her way out of them and worked on my shirt,
pulling it over my head. "I'll be sure and remember that next time."
I kissed her, cradling her head in my arms and my dick was aching for some
serious up Bella lovin' when the lights flipped on suddenly and we stopped like
someone had hit the pause button on their HDTV.
I looked up to see Emmett at the fridge, with a chicken leg that was left over
from KFC hanging out of his mouth.
"Dude," I said to him as Bella silently laughed and tried to cover herself up.
He smiled and took the chicken out from between his teeth.
"I guess you two made up?" he asked while he chewed and I said again,
"DUDE."
"Sorry, I was getting some munchies for me and Rose and you guys came in
and started undressing each other so fast I didn't have time to stop chewing
and tell you I was home."
I lowered my head into Bella's neck and laughed, then looked back up at him
as he held a leg out to me. "Chicken?"
"Maybe we should move this to the bedroom," I said to Bella, who anxiously
agreed and we got up to do just that.
Emmett called after us, "Good job though, seriously," he laughed. "That was
hot."
Asshole.
"Anything that can hurt me in here, Edward?" she asked as I closed the door
behind us.
"Don't think so," I advised her. She lay back onto the bed and I just couldn't
believe how lucky I was. I also made some notes to myself about not fucking
this up and I knew I was gonna have to consult with my brain before acting
from time to time.
Like I said...futuristic opportunities.
"Let me help you with those," I told Bella as she started to removed
other...pertinent articles of clothing and she bumped her head on the
headboard of the bed when she tried to scoot up some in an attempt to help.
"Ow," she said, rubbing her head and I made yet another mental note to get
rid of the damn head board.
Then I kissed every inch of her as I ascended back up to her lips, including
the top of her head where she'd just bumped it.
Her hands were in my hair and her nails felt...really good as they scratched
lightly at my scalp.
As I entered her, intense feelings engulfed my system and I kissed her
again...and again...probably a little harder than I should have but she didn't
seem to mind, in fact, her breath hitching and body wriggling told me, I'd finally
done something right by the woman.
"This is okay?" I asked her, letting my fingers help out a little. I mean, I didn't
want to assume...anything...when it came to Bella anymore.
Seriously.
"Definitely," she told me, hitching a leg up over my hip some to give me better
access.
Nothing like a silent yet aggressive hint, right?
I slid in and out in a nice, safe pace and just looked into her eyes for a few
minutes, enjoying being inside of her and she smiled up at me.
"What?" I asked, kissing her nose.
"What are you thinking, Edward?"
If I'd allowed myself to, I would have second guessed what I was about to say,
but the new Edward was going with his gut and telling her exactly what was
up, when it was up and not hesitating to keep her informed.
Sort of.
"What would you say if I was to tell you that I loved you?" I asked her, playing
with her hair a little and she smiled.
"I love you," she answered and then I kissed just below her ear before
whispering, "I love you, too."
She hugged me tight after that and our rhythms became more urgent until we
had contemporaneous orgasms.
That's simultaneously cumming, just so ya know.
As I made love to Bella for the second time that night, after the chocolate
pudding, but before the best blow job ever...I promised her I'd do my best
tonot make idiotic mistakes when it came to our relationship, and that I would
definitely call or text her if I thought I was going to miss a date.
She insinuated that a solution to that problem would be for her to stay with me
on the weekends and that I could sleep at her place during the week but I
went a step further by asking her to move in with me on a permanent basis.
Hey now, it made sense, I mean, half the rent for both of us…sleeping with
Bella…spooning…chocolate pudding in the middle of the night?
What could possibly be construed as wrong with that situation?
She agreed without hesitation and we stayed up the rest of the night talking in
intervals that were made up of mindless shit, laughing, making out and feeling
each other up.
I wasn't stupid, knew I'd screw up again.
It was inevitable.
I was young.
There was still a whole lot left for me to learn but with any luck, I wouldn't
screw up so bad that I'd already lost the love of my life by the time I learned
them.
Some people might think that my maturity level and the fact that I tend to fly
by the seat of my pants a little too often would hurt me more than help but one
thing I also knew that they probably didn't, was something my good friend,
Ferris Bueller once said.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you
could miss it."

~ The Beginning ~

Chapter 23. Suck It Up and Face Your Fears

There's an old saying that goes like this: "What can't be cured, must be
endured." Well screw that, I believe everything that's worth loving is
worth curing.

The Protective Father's POV

I was about ten minutes into Leno when the door swung open and I whipped
around, grabbin' my gun off of the end table in the process, when I stopped
abruptly, realizing who it was.
My eyes widened a little as my eyebrows moved an inch or two further up.
This couldn't be good.
"Bella?"
"Daddy," she immediately started cryin', like she'd been holdin' it in for days.
Then she dropped her bags and ran for me, wrapping her arms around my
neck, holdin' on for dear life.
"W…what are you doin' here baby cakes?" I asked her, holding on to her
tightly. I hadn't seen her in at least a year and hadn't heard from her in a good
six months, it was late and she looked awful, but I wasn't about to tell her that.
More crying.
I was never good with the tears.
"Honey?" I asked, cautiously.
She didn't answer me…she didn't wanna talk, she just needed to let it out.
And who was I kidding anyway? I was just glad to see her.
I also swore to god, as I held her there in the foyer, that if I found out that
James asshole had hurt her again, I wasn't stayin' out of it this time.
I was pretty sure I could get off easy for accidentally droppin' the guy who'd
broken my little girl's heart off of a bridge or somethin'.
I knew people.
Shoving those thoughts from my mind, I moved her to the couch, shoving my
newspapers off of it and out of the way. We sat there in silence for about thirty
minutes before she finally too a deep breath, got up and smoothed her outfit
out.
"Sorry, dad, I…" She couldn't finish the sentence, she looked like she was
trying to swallow a golf ball.
"That guy cheat on you again, Bells? I knew you shouldn't of taken him
back..."
I had to ask it, I wasn't about to stand by and…
"No, dad…" she said sadly, not quite looking me in the eyes. "Not that guy…"
Oh man, not another one.
I grimaced because, hell, that's what I do, I grimace and worry.
She didn't let me ask anything else as she turned and picked her bags up and
started up the stairs to her old bedroom.
"I'll uh…be right here if ya need me, honey," I said as she disappeared and
then I rubbed my hand over my old scruffy beard and went to the fridge for a
beer, 'cause…I had a feeling I was gonna need it.
Early the next morning, Bella wasn't in her bed when I got up and went to go
check on her.
Her bed was made like she hadn't even slept in it all night and she'd left some
breakfast for me on the kitchen table, just like she used to. I had to smile at
how right at home she could make herself, no matter how long she'd been
away.
I also happened to notice, she'd left her cell phone sitting on the kitchen table.
I'm a retired cop, my investigative instincts kicked in and I nonchalantly flipped
the phone on and checked her recent calls.
None.
Not since the night before anyway.
Interesting.
I set it back down and got myself some coffee and as I was taking my first sip,
I found Bella.
She was out in the back of the house, sittin' on our old tire swing, lookin' all
kinds of sad and hurt but I knew she wasn't gonna talk about it until she was
ready.
That didn't stop fantasies of puttin' a hurtin' on some jerk for makin' my baby
cry running through my head, though.
I was frustrated as all get out because hell, I didn't know what I was supposed
to do, or say, or…
Shit.
Her cell phone buzzed and I looked at it, then out the window at Bella again,
then at the cell phone.
I picked it up.
The name showing up on the screen said, "Kuhmasen" and I wondered,
absentmindedly, if that was some kinda Indian name or something.
It was a text from him and being the responsible father that I was, I read it.
Listen, don't judge, my baby girl was crying and depressed and I needed all
the information I could get to help her.
The text said, "Bella, it's not what you think. I promise. PS. I miss you."
I cocked an eyebrow at it because how many times had I heard that before?
"It's not what she thinks, huh?" I asked the phone and then set it back down
onto the table, huffing through my nose in disgust at the lame line.
I finished my coffee and rinsed the cup out, then made sure to keep an eye on
my little girl throughout the day. She only checked her phone when she
happened to come back inside for lunch a few hours later and I watched her
reaction closely.
She looked at the text, then silently sat the phone back down.
Nothin'.
Hmmmm.
"I'll be back later, dad," she'd said and then borrowed her old truck that was
still settin' in the front drive from when she'd left home to go find herself and
her new career in New York all those years ago.
I found it odd that she wasn't checkin' in with work and wondered if she'd lost
her new show, or left on her own, or what, when the phone went off again.
Another text.
From that same Indian dude.
"Rose says you went home, I hope you come back, call me. PS. I miss you."
I huffed some air through my nose at the guy yet again.
I mean, there's no apology, no regret for anything, just…wants her back.
"Typical," I said, but then there was another one, not, two minutes after that.
"P.S.S. I should have followed you last night."
"Pushy little shit, aren't ya?" I asked and then went into the living room to
watch a game and wait for Bells to come home.
Throughout the game, Bella's phone went off several more times and you'd of
thought I was playin' a drinking game with it because for every text that
arrived, an empty beer can was set on the coffee table.
I ended up just leaving the damn thing sitting next to me as I caught the post
game and interviews.
"I'm Billy Elliot this week, he's singing for you tonight. PS. I miss you."
"Who in the hell is Billy Elliot?" I wondered out loud.
"I left you a present in your apartment today. PS. I miss you."
I scowled…what was this guy breaking and entering now?
Now THAT I knew I could arrest him for…or, at least get someone in New
York to arrest him for it.
When Bella came home that night after being…who knows where, she
checked her phone, smiled a little, but then just looked sad all over again.
She gave me a kiss and started upstairs.
"Bells, wait," I said to her but she stopped me. "Dad, I really can't…not right
now, okay?"
"This guy stalkin' you, Bells?"
She actually laughed out loud at my question and told me, "Hardly," but then
didn't give me anything else, she just, disappeared up the stairs and I didn't
hear from her till breakfast the next morning.
Just as we were finishing up eating our eggs, the door bell rang and Bella
answered it.
I sneeked a peek at her phone and noticed several new texts on it.
They were unread.
"Drinking with Emmett tonight. Not hearing from you is killing me. PS. I miss
you," said the first one and I shook my head at this guy…drinking never
settled anything but goddamn if I wasn't craving one about then, myself.
I stopped, mid stride on my way to the fridge when Bells came back into the
kitchen, she held a bag of what seemed like at LEAST five dozen bagels and
a note was in her free hand.
She read it as she lay the bag of bread onto the counter, then set the note
down next to them and said she was going to take a shower.
I read the note.
"You can throw bagels at me anytime you feel the need. PS, I miss you."
This guy had serious issues.
I mean, who wants bagels thrown at them?
Bells was still upstairs when the door bell rang again.
"Uh…" I said, momentarily silenced as I took in the guy dressed as a green
Ogre at my door.
"Bells!" I called up to her. "I think this is for you!"
She came to the stairs and stopped short when she saw the guy, who sang a
telegram to her that ended in, you guessed it, "PS. I miss you."
I tipped the guy and closed the door, watching tears well up in my daughter's
eyes.
There were a few more deliveries throughout the day, including a cooler with
stacks and stacks of chocolate pudding on dry ice and she went through at
least half of it in one sitting.
Her phone buzzed a lot, but she didn't answer it except to talk to her agent for
a little while, then she left to go into town and get a fax from the station.
She said it was just her lines for the show this week so I had to assume that
she was planning on going back at some point.
Still no talking though, and when she came back, she once again disappeared
up the stairs and into her old bedroom.
It was an early night for both of us.
An iPod arrived the following day, it only had one song on it with a note that
said, "I meant it when I said I'd walk a thousand miles Bella, as soon as I map
out where exactly you are, I'll start. PS. I miss you."
Another text while she was outside again, sitting herself into the tire swing
again, just, thinking.
"I'm outside your apartment building missing you. Felix physically removed me
from the premesis. He says hi by the way. PS. I miss you."
Annoyingly persistent, I thought, but hell, he honestly wasn't striking me like
he was trying to hurt Bella, that's for sure…Indian or not.
Then I did somethin' I knew I shouldn't be doing, but it was for the best.
I picked up the phone and texted the guy back.
"She's comin home."
…
Before my baby girl had a chance to crypt herself away for the night again, I
stopped her at the bottom of the stairs.
"Bells, we need to talk, hon."
She bit her bottom lip like she thought she was in trouble or something, just
like she did when she was little and I smiled down at her, putting a hand on
her shoulder.
"Come sit on the couch with me."
She followed me over quietly and did just that.
"What happened Bells? And don't give me that…you don't wanna talk about it
crap, I'm your father, I need to know these things."
She let herself fall all the way back into the couch and breathed out, then told
me her story.
From the moment she'd met this guy, to the moment she'd walked into my
house the other night.
And something just wasn't adding up.
"Do you know for sure he was…" I cleared my throat a little. "...messin' around
with this woman? I mean, these texts don't sound to me like a guy doesn't
care, or...who's tryin' to hurt ya, Bells, they sound like a guy who's head over
heels in love with ya."
She seemed to flinch away from the last of my words and then looked at me,
narrowing her eyes.
"You read my texts?" she asked, but she was only teasin', she knew how I
was.
"Kinda hard to ignore them when the thing is buzzin' every half hour on the
hour."
She laughed a little.
"Bells, what are ya hidin' from honey?"
"I don't know, dad..." and with that, she started tearin' up again. "I….I just can't
live through that hurt again. I can't. And it's worse with Edward, he's…"
She clutched at her heart and I knew.
I'd felt the same was with her mom, and when I lost her, it was like I'd lost my
other half.
I put a hand on her shoulder once again and rubbed her arms. Then I told my
little girl, "Just cause things look one way, doesn't mean that's how they are,
Bells."
"But dad, he…"
"You can't assume every guy you fall for is gonna be like that jack ass of a
man who didn't know what he had when he had it, honey."
She looked at me with heart ache.
"What's your gut tellin' ya?"
She looked down a little and then at her cell phone, and the iPod, and the
bagels, and the empty pudding containers.
"It's telling me I might love him."
I laughed. "Well then I think you owe it to yourself and him to try and figure
this out…and I know, I know, life in the public eye isn't easy, hell I'm no movie
star, but I was chief of police for a long damn time and whenever your mother
and I got to fightin everyone knew about it, but you know what kept us
together?"
Bella shook her head.
"Love."
She wiped some tears away and I figured I'd better wrap up before the water
works really started pouring out…I only had one more thing to say on the
subject, anyway.
I knew when she'd taken to acting, that with that type of work, things like what
was happening to her would crop up every so often.
She knew it too, to an extent, she just needed to be reminded sometimes that
there really were good people out there, she just needed to keep an eye out
for them.
"Gotta learn to live with what you are, kid. Once you do that, everything else
will work out. Trust me."
Realization glimmered in my girl's eyes and even though the tears were
flowing now, she finally resembled the girl I knew.
"Oh my god...Dad," she said, and it was the first time since she'd gotten there
that I saw my Bells. She knew what she wanted again, and she was going off
to get it.
"Let me know how it works out, sweetie," I said to her and she left.
No warning, no packing, she just grabbed her purse and that iPod he'd sent
her and…left.
And I knew she was gonna be okay.

Chapter 22. Smoke and Mirrors

Fuck with people's lives long enough, and some day, yours will be
fucked tenfold. – Sorry, that was just me…thinking out loud.
 
Sherlock Holmes's POV


I read this story once, about a private eye. He was kind of a dick, but deep
down, he was good people. He had a lot of things working against him
throughout that story, assholes screwing with him during this case he was
working on, trying to make him give up, attempting to make him think he was
going crazy…but ya know what? In the end…the good guy won AND got the
girl.
I had to believe that this line of reasoning would prove to be my saving grace.
So when Emmett was busy moving the last of his shit into our new living
quarters, I made some arrangements of my own for the party later that night
and just hoped and prayed that Bella would show and that I could make things
right with her…and that she'd realize that I'm really just a dumb ass, not the
cold hearted asshole that recent events might be making me look like.
"You guys okay here for a while?" I asked the two love birds as they were
getting the last of Em's boxes into his room…and a couple that looked like
Rose's, I noticed.
They paid me no mind as they made googly eyes and teased each other over
something having to do with a brand new California king sized bed they were
about to go purchase.
"I stocked the fridge, so…" I waved and then left to go pick up a karaoke
machine and some choice songs albums that would be appropriate for what I
was planning.
Once I got back from my errand running, the place had already been
designed.
I don't know how Alice did the things she did with the place, but I was quite
happy to know her for this occasion, that's for sure.
I should have expected it, considering the number of people she managed to
fit into Em's old apartment within very short periods of time.
Our new place was four times as big and she had twice as long to organize,
so when I saw the decked out, dee jay'd, catered….on my tab I might
add….spread she had goin' on, all I could do was laugh.
There were black lights, strobe lights, flare lights and every other kind of
lighting apparatus you could think of.
A chocolate fountain, champagne fountain, fruit bar and a bartender with open
bar…also all on my tab…
I was beginning to think this was part of her continued pay backs for my idiocy
earlier in the week.
It was all good though, if it got Bella there and talking to me again, I'd throw
parties ten times this size and twice as flashy.
There were drinking games going on and it didn't take long for someone to try
out the Jacuzzi hot tub. *cough* Emmett and Rose *cough*.
Hey, I couldn't blame them, it's pretty fucking awesome.
I just needed to remember to have it disinfected the next day.
"Dude, I've been thinkin."
Uh oh.
Part of me wondered if he was about to try and install a swing rope from the
rafters and have a Tarzan competition in our living room.
"Yeah?" I asked him, hooking up the karaoke machine to make sure
everything worked.
He eyeballed me, then the machine, then shook it off and kept talking.
"I think Jasper has a point, you know…with regards to James?"
"What do you mean? This is our chance to…"
"Dude…the more you fuck with that guy, the more you get screwed over…and
the further away Bella distances herself from you…is that what you really
want?"
I stopped what I was doing and sat back onto my ass, leaning my head
against the wall for a minute.
"No."
"I say let the guy sink his own ship, and if Bella does show tonight,
concentrate more on getting her back and not so much on making James look
like an ass."
Sometimes, Emmett was like, the Dalai Lama of the fucking television
industry.
"I hear ya, Em, thanks man," I said, fist bumping him.
He was right.
James was smarter than I was at every turn, and if I didn't stop screwing
around with trying to teach that guy a lesson, Bella would eventually not want
anything to do with me either.
He winked and then made his way over to the open bar and got us each a
drink.
"What the fuck is this?" I asked him, eying the shot glass of something looking
like water, only, smelling like…
"Tequila dude…liquid courage never hurt anyone."
And with that, we clinked our tiny glasses and threw back the first of the
evening.
Five shots and four beers later, Bella still hadn't arrived and I was getting
nervous when suddenly, I saw her.
At the door.
She looked unsure, and like she was about to run when I did my super secret
hand signal to Emmett that we'd agreed on earlier in the night and he shut the
lights off, telling everyone else there to shut the fuck up.
A single spot light shown down on Bella then, and she jumped, then protected
her eyes from becoming blinded as the karaoke machine started up and I
stumbled, almost falling on my face to grab the mic.
She turned and reached for the door as I began singing the Righteous
Brothers to her, channeling Tom Cruise at his best, in my opinion.
"You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips."
She faced me again but there was no smile and I reached my hand out in
front of me as I walked over to her.
"And there's no tenderness like before in your fingertips."
Her eyes darted around, fully aware that all eyes were on her.
"You're trying hard not to show it."
As I approached her and took her hand in mine, which, she let me do by the
way, I pulled her into me just a little.
"But baby, baby I know it..."
Everyone in the room chimed in for the chorus and Bella put her face into her
free hand, but I could tell she was laughing now and I knew...I was in.
SCORE ONE FOR KUHMASEN!
The rest of the song was way more fun as I twirled her around and even
dipped her once or twice, handing the microphone over to some other
drunken schmuck who wanted to get his Tom Cruise on.
I made a mental note to keep the karaoke machine and hold weekly karaoke
parties from then on.
I kissed Bella as I stood her upright and even though my head was spinning a
little bit, I could still think straight enough to say, "I'm really sorry, Bella, I've
been an idiot."
She sighed and I was smart enough to read the debate that must have been
going on inside of her head about what to do.
I mean, she did kiss me back, but I knew she'd been burned by my evil
predecessor and I didn't want her thinking she was gonna get burned again
with me.
Ever.
So I kissed her again, leading her slightly away from the crowd and more
toward the hallway leading to the back of the condo. She relaxed into me as
my hands slid around her and when her lips parted, I got the hint.
Her tongue was like home to me and we just stayed there, in the shadows of
the hallway, on the outskirts of the madness going on in the living area of my
new place, getting acquainted with each other once again.
I think I might have also whimpered once or twice.
I couldn't help it, she was...hell, she belonged there...with me.
When our kiss ended, I put my hands to the sides of her face,.
"You came," I simply said and she smiled. Not whole heartedly, mind you, but
it was there. "I did," she answered. "How could I not after that beautiful flower
you left me yesterday and that note...Edward...I..." she stopped and looked
down a little.
And there's no looking down in Edward's space. "When I didn't hear from you
last night..." I started, pulling her face back up to look at me, and then she told
me, "Yeah, I um...I guess you could say I was a little exhausted, I kinda
passed out at home and then today...I just...figured I'd see you tonight."
Then it was my turn to smile, because I could identity with exhaustion and it
didn't really matter anyway, I was just glad she was there.
"Hey," I said all giddily and what not to her. "Come have a drink with me, and
then later..." I narrowed my eyes, looking side to side. "Maybe we can figure
the rest out."
She genuinely smiled then and said, "I'd love to, just...let me freshen up and
I'll meet you."
I showed her where to go and then took a seat at the bar across the room,
ordering another drink.
As I took the tiny glass from the bartender, I made some mental notes to
myself. One, I was happy, two, I was content, and three, there was no way in
hell I was letting bullshit fuck things up with Bella again.
I sighed happily and took a sip of my shot.
"Edward," a deep, sexy voice sounded from behind me and I turned to see the
tall red head looming over me like she wanted to eat me.
Yikes.
I'd actually forgotten we'd invited her...and why.
"Victoria Shields, I presume," I said to her in my best Sherlock Holmes voice
and she smiled.
"Thanks for the invite sweetie," she winked. "Though I'm confused as to why
you'd invite me, I'm happily surprised, nonetheless."
She leaned in and whispered, "What James doesn't know, James doesn't
know, ya know?"
Her breath was hot on my neck but it didn't give me goosebumps.
Not like with Bella.
"Look, Victoria, I'm…" I put a hand to my heart, closing my eyes. "Taken."
She seemed to find that amusing and replied, "Isn't everybody, Edward? And
anyway, if you weren't interested in a little," she snuggled up to me. "Nookie
nookie…why'd you invite me to your little love nest tonight?"
I couldn't help myself, I chuckled as I sipped on my shot again, she was kinda
fucking cute, in her own, very creepy kinda way.
"Well, it's funny you should ask that, Vic…can I call you Vic?"
"Absolutely, jitterbug," she winked.
"Ya see, James is…"
Then I noticed Bella, she'd come out of the hallway from visiting the ladies
room and was just kinda standing there.
"Bella! Hey Bella!" I yelled over the loud music and obnoxious guests…I
waved to her but she had this look on her face, like…shock
or…horror…maybe both and I couldn't figure out why.
"Bella!" I called again, laughing, but she looked away, grabbed her coat
and…left.
I scowled, pulling my neck into me, confused.
"Why is she leaving? We didn't even get to the makeup sex yet."
At this point, I figured it was something I did, or…said…or, something…I
mean, how could it not be? After the week I'd just had.
I was sure it would all make regrettable sense to me at any moment, but the
more important thing that was going on for the time being was that I could no
long hold my head up.
I dropped it down onto the bar hard and thought, man, that's gonna leave a
mark, but didn't really much care.
I just let the pain sink in.
"Bella? As in, Bella Swan?" Victoria asked.
"Yyyyyyyep," I answered, waving a hand behind me and over my head.
"Oh, boy...honey, I'm…really sorry," Victoria said, raking her hands through
my hair.
It felt nice and…motherly.
I rolled my head to the side and started to tell her how much I truly liked her as
a person, despite my first, oogly boogly impression of her…when I noticed
something.
Odd.
I blew it off.
"It's not your fault, Vic," I said drunkenly but she curled her eyebrows a little
and said, "Well, ya see, actually, it kinda is."
That didn't sound good.
"What do you mean?"
When Victoria told me what she told me about how she knew Bella, I got the
feeling that all the alcohol in my stomach had started to plot its revenge by
planning on a retreat in the worst kind of way.
In other words, I thought I was gonna be sick.
"You're…"
"The other woman…or rather…was the other woman, you could say."
"Oh fuck."
My head hurt.
And Bella came out of the restroom, witnessing
me…seemingly canoodling…once again, which isn't bad enough, but she saw
me seeminglycanoodling with the woman who James had cheated on her
with.
Not good, folks.
Not good at all.
I let out a very long, painful sigh and slammed my forehead back down onto
the bar again.
Yeah, definitely leaving a mark.
Victoria patted my back and then ordered herself a drink.
"Maybe we can wallow in misery together, sweet cheeks."
I laughed.
A little.
She talked funny.
"Why's that?" I asked, lifting my head just long enough to order another shot
of…whatever the hell it was that Emmett had gotten me earlier.
"I don't know why I stay with him, ya know."
"James?"
She nodded slowly.
Me either.
"He's never going to make our relationship public…not after the cluster
fuckery with your girl."
She rolled her eyes. She clearly was jealous of Bella, which, I couldn't blame
her, but it wasn't like she didn't have her own…positive points.
As I stared blurry eyed at her, looking for something positive to say to her to
cheer her up a little, I noticed the oddity again, and just couldn't hold back like
I normally might have, had I been sober but seeing how I was drunk off my
ass, I asked about it.
"Vic…"
"Yeah, honey?" she asked, looking at me sideways, drinking her pink drink.
"Did you know you have a five o'clock shadow goin' on?"
She spit her drink out and held a hand up to the side of her face.
"Shit," she said in a very deep, surprised voice.
Wait.
My eyebrows enclosed in on each other and I couldn't quite keep my head
from moving as I watched her pull her makeup case out of her shoulder bag
and start fucking with her makeup.
"I thought I took care of that before I came over here…it must be stress."
She laughed, and her voice was back to normal.
I was wondering exactly how drunk I was to have imagined her voice going
that deep.
"Vic….?"
She avoided eye contact and went back to drinking her foo foo drink.
I reached over and touched her face.
"Don't start anything you're not willing to see through, sweetness," she
warned, laughing nervously as my hand slid down her neck, to the…
Adam's apple.
Further, I let it go, unable to stop myself because, well, curiosity DOES kill the
cat, you know?
When I got to her waist, I hesitated, but figured, what the hell as I descended
further until my suspicions were confirmed.
"Dude!"
I jumped off of my stool and finished off the damn shot, because….well fuck.
"You're a…."
"Don't say it, honey…not here," she warned me.
I whispered, leaning in as far as I could.
"You're a guy?"
"Mmmmmmm Hmmmmmmm," she…he answered and winked, putting
his…her finger up to her lips, insinuating I needed to keep that shit a secret.
"How did you…how does no one…"
Wait.
I shook my head. "Wait, James is…gay?"
What the hell was going on?
Did Bella know this?
She laughed at me. "Oh I don't think so honey."
"Bi?"
The he/she just shook his/her head and smiled.
Oh my god.
This was priceless.
"He doesn't know you're a dude…does he?"
Victor...or, Victoria...whichever...curled his fingers around and looked at his
nails. "I have my ways of hiding things." He eyeballed me. "If you know what
I'm mean, sweety."
Oh no…no no no no no…this was just…
"OH my god…I hope I remember this in the morning."
"I hope you don't," she…he said, downing the rest of his…her pink drink.
"Do you…" how does one put this? I almost gagged saying it.
"Love…James?"
He let out a sad sigh. "I only wish I didn't, Edward."
My eyes clasped shut involuntarily and I shook my head for a minute. "But
he…"
"Is not really talking to me about it much, but I like to think he
feels something for me…" she kinda trailed off and then started packing her
things up.
"I'm…" at a completely loss of words right now. "Really sorry, Vic…"
Then I got an idea.
"But...maybe I can help."
I smiled, thinking of the possibilities as Vic put her bag down and we talked for
a while longer until the night was winding down and she said she really did
need to go, finally.
That was when Emmett found me.
And he didn't look too happy.
"What the fuck, Edward? I thought tonight was about getting Bella BACK, not,"
he waved a hand at the door Vic had just walked out through. "Fuckin' around
with the red head."
I smiled and picked up the tequila bottle from behind the bar and poored it into
my shot glass.
"Did you know Victoria was the same woman James cheated on Bella with,
Em?"
He raked his hand over his face and peeked up at me through his fingers.
"Which makes fucking around with her all the more…FUCKED. UP,
Edward…do you know Bella's been crying to Rose over the phone for the
past…" he looked at his watch. "Half hour?"
Oh.
"Well, shit…that's not cool…" I started to say when he cut me off. "You're
goddamn right it's not cool, I was about to get a back of the house party blow
job while all this shit was goin' on out here, Edward….do you know what
interruptus blow jobbikus does to a dude's ego?"
I tried not to laugh.
"Well…I'll make it right with Bella, she'll get it once I talk her, I'll just…"
"It's too late, man, she's gone."
Huh?
"What do you mean, gone?"
"I mean, like, she called Rose from the station's private jet, she's goin' home."
"What do you mean, she's going home? What the fuck is THAT supposed to
mean? Where's HOME?"
I was freaking out now, I mean, shit, from her point of view, I got it, but fuck, I
needed to talk to her, explain, and…
Fuck!
"Is she coming back? When is she coming back?"
He shook his head and shrugged. "I dunno man, she didn't say, she just, told
Rose she needed to get outta here."
Double fuck.
And then, for the third time that night, I let my forehead fall against the bar.
"What were you thinkin', Edward?" he asked and I remembered, I still hadn't
managed to tell him my news yet.
"You're not gonna believe this, Em…"
"I mean, I thought we discussed this, and you weren't gonna fuck with James
anymore."
"Yeah, but…"
"It's just not worth it, and now, Bella's gone and you've blown it…again."
"Em."
"What?" he asked, annoyed, pounding his fist down onto the bar.
"Information about Victoria may or may not have fallen into my lap tonight that
could seriously fuck with James and yeah, I know, we said we weren't
gonna…but this is kinda hard to pass up, dude."
He looked at me all cockeyed and questioningly and I said, "James isn't dating
on the side who he THINKS he's dating on the side."
I chuckled a little but still got nothing from Emmett.
"Victoria has a little secret."
Still nothing.
So I let it all out.
"Okay, let me put it this way," I started and then leaned in a little for secrets
sake. "She doesn't exactly embody muliebrity to its fullest extent."
I winked.
"Huh?"
"She's not a woman, dude."
Emmett's face froze, like the information had shocked his system or
something and it was processing its way through the blood stream until it
finally made it to his brain.
"You mean, James is gay?" he asked quiettly.
"Not exactly," I answered, much like Vic had said to me, just a little while
before and then I proceeded to explain the sitch to Em and then get a lock
down on where Bella was, exactly.
'Cause per mental note number three as drunkenly noted above...she wasn't
getting away from me that easily.

Chapter 21. That's What She Said

Patrick F. O'Keefe said to "Say it with flowers." ... And so did this really
cool doctor dude I recently met.
 

 The Confused Actress's POV

Edward's mood swings are giving me whiplash.
I took my earrings off and set them on the hallway table as I made my way
down the hallway to my bedroom after the highly acclaimed but hardly
overlooked food fight at the five star restaurant Carlisle had taken us all to that
night.
I still had some sort of cream sauce in my ear and tried to get it out.
I mean, one minute, he's this sweet intern with genius level ideas for the
show…he's swooning me, making me laugh, making me…orgasm…
I sighed and tried not to laugh as I climbed on top of the pristine Lavender
sheets, instead of taking a much needed shower...the shower could wait, the
sheets were calling out to me.
The next thing I know, he's promoted and suddenly, I don't exist?
It was like James all over again in some ways...I was seething, exhausted and
desperately needed to pass out so I could just, forget the whole week.
sleep felt good.
The next day, when I woke up, however, I was still seething.
Then he leaves me…roses…which, I guess was a nice gesture and all…but
god I hate those things.
With. No. Note…
NO. NOTE.
Hmph.
I showered the caked on food from the previous night, cursed myself for not
showering before bed, dressed and made my typical way to the station
without issue.
AKA, paparazzi.
Thank god.
Then he stops me in the hall to try and apologize…which, I suppose I was a
little harsh with him, but he was really starting to remind me of James with
his...cocky, stupid, vindictive attitude.
When I got there, meetings were already happening and I silently celebrated
for the lack of confrontations as I crossed the set to the dressing room
hallway.
Then I don't even see him for the remainder of the day.
Until…dinner.
I wondered, even as I eyed her office…if Tanya really thought that I hadn't
seen her playing footsie with him under the table or if maybe she was doing it
SO I would see.
So gross.
And HIM…enjoying it!
I gagged in disgust.
And as if that wasn't enough, I had to witness their canoodling in the hallway
outside of the woman's bathroom? Did he NOT see me get up and excuse
myself because I was going to be sick?
It was like he wanted me to see it all and, what, make me jealous?
Was there a POINT to any of it, or was he really just that clueless?
No.
I absolutely refused to believe that.
Overwhelmed, maybe.
Possibly in over his head.
Perhaps even a little stupid when it comes to women…
But I'd read his thoughts before, on the notes he DID leave me…I had to
believe that he was still in there…somewhere.
And then…he throws food at James, which…was fabulous on one level,
hypocritical on another.
I was starting to think that maybe I'd moved things along a little too fast…that
maybe my gut feelings over him were…wrong.
I didn't want to believe that...since I hadn't really had feelings like this in...a
very long time, if ever...which is why I just had to throw some food of my own
at his stupid face. I thought maybe that would get his attention…snap him out
of whatever ridiculous head bloated trip he was on and back into the sweet,
funny, charming guy I knew when he first started at the station.
And I'd really felt like it worked.
Especially when I fell off of the table and he caught me, once again.
I saw him.
I saw the guy I was…
Falling in love with?
That thought caught me off guard.
I wasn't really sure if it even was love, or, what love was...really...or maybe I
was just…infatuated with someone who was such a stark contrast to James
that…
But he wasn't exactly a stark contrast anymore, was he?
That was what scared me the night before…That's why I had to get up and
leave him, immediately…along with the hold he apparently had on me.
The one where his kisses made me feel like I was in another place, one that's
full of happiness and bliss, and Edward's lips on mine.
Goosebumps. Goosebumps. Goosebumps.
They were so soft and sweet…and whenever he touched me the way he'd
touched me that night…I just…
I mean I of all people…I knew how fame could affect you when thrown at you
the way it was thrown onto him, but…
Okay, I just needed to be realistic about this.
I'd just have to try and see him through all of the bullshit that was hovering
over, under and apparently through us and figure out how, if at all, we could
move forward with what I'd previously thought was happening with the two of
us.
But what about Tanya?
I figured I'd have to confront him about that, I mean, none of this past week
was really adding up for me and I couldn't just assume…as easy as that would
be considering what I'd already been through with James…
"Good morning, Isabella," Tanya coo'ed, pulling me out of my thought process
as we passed each other and I rolled my eyes once she was gone.
"Bitch."
"I'm sorry?"
Woops.
"I said, I…have an itch."
No reason for her to know she'd royally pissed me off or anything.
I smiled over my shoulder and quickly made my way to my dressing room to
attempt to spend a day studying my lines and trying to figure out how I was
going to proceed with the object of my affection who also just so happened to
be the thorn in my side.
…..
The Gentleman in Training's POV
Friday went by.
Painfully.
And I don't just mean like, my head hurt because I had way too much cheap
wine…or, hell, it was probably expensive, but still…
I mean like that PLUS Tanya was all…smiley, which was…weird.
James was being a majorly enormous yet, very tiny dick and really gunning for
me.
Carlisle was MIA.
And Bella was…non-existent.
Much like the first day I'd met her.
Her dressing room door remained closed most of the day and it didn't seem to
conflict with any schedules for anything since Friday now seemed to be a free
for all day in every sense of the word.
Alice luckily did not hate me because she was busy hating Mike Newton for
that whole, cream in her hair thing…so there were no needle poking incidents
and she actually helped me out a lot in the morning by finding a nice place for
me to rent out on very short notice. She texted me pictures and bought the
papers over for me to sign in between writers meetings.
I liked the writer's meetings. They were my favorite part of this whole bullshit
promotion I'd gotten and part of me wished I hadn't been.
Promoted that is.
I even got to do a little writing myself that day…which was…fun. It was a nice
break from the monotony and reminded me in the midst of the absolute chaos
that my life was of late, why I'd moved across the county in the first place.
As I sat in the largest conference room we had, I chuckled as I'd scratched the
lines out I'd been trying out a good ten times before I finally found the one I
wanted Mike to use.
I laughed so hard I could barely write from the shoulder bobbing it caused.
My-bee speebeech impebbiment doebn't maybeek meebeee anbee lebbess in
lub wibbith youbuu, Breebeee.
I heard it exactly as I imagined it in my head and I felt it, like with any other
golden line I'd written recently. It was so goddamn fucking perfect that I
wanted to kiss myself.
I could also imagine the look on Mike's face when he went over the lines and I
knew that when he read it, he'd know I wrote that shit, and he'd probably blow
a gasket or two on his way to see Carlilse to complain again.
But I was prepared.
The speech impediment was key to the plot of this week's story line.
It would get the laughs too, and Mike would look like a comedic fucking
GENIUS, which should actually make him happy, since his particular ratings
weren't exactly great after all.
It wasn't like it was gonna be a permanent speech impediment anyway…he'd
get over it.
One thing that it would ensure, as well, that I was pretty happy with, was that
with his wounded mouth and grossly bandaged face, he wouldn't be putting
his fucking lips on Bella for at least a week.
I was pretty sure I could come up with some other way to keep them from lip
locking between now and then. And then another, and then another, and
then...well, you get me.
In the middle of cracking myself up, Emmett texted me.
We hadn't seen each other the night before after the monumentous food fight
at the five star restaurant…he'd taken Rose to a hotel when he'd left,
portraying Jack Black in "Year One" but there were pictures in that morning's
paper that showed us together as though we'd carefully constructed the whole
thing and made mention of how Carlisle was losing control of his studio.
Not good, and I had to assume that part of the reason he was mysteriously
missing that day, was because he was out smoothing things over on the
outside.
Probably covering your ass, too.
"Told ya to take it easy last night, dude," the text read and I typed back, "What
fun would that have been?"
Then I thought about something…including but not limited to just exactly how
many square feet my new place was gonna have, and how much nicer it was
than Emmett's place and texted him again.
"Hey how fast could you get out of your lease?"
"Uh…why?"
"Feel like movin' in with me?"
"You're moving?"
"Didn't Alice tell you?"
"Why would Alice tell me you're moving?" he asked from right behind me,
making me jump.
"Shit man, can you like…I don't know…jingle or something when you sneak
up on me next time?"
He cocked an Emmett eyebrow at me with the word jingle and then asked,
"Well then it would really be sneaking up on you, now, would it?" jokingly.
I explained my situation with Bella and how I'd told her I was throwing a party
at my new place and how I realized I didn't HAVE a new place and then how
Alice had agreed to not only find me a new place, but to put the party together
and he stood there, gawking at me for a minute.
"And you're doing all of this because…"
"I'm calling it, operation, get Bella back."
Nothin'.
"You gonna make me sleep on the couch?" he asked, ignoring my double oh
seven type facial expression.
"Two master bedrooms, one of them's got your name on it," I smiled and tried
to do that waggly eyebrow thing that he did all the time, but...it just wasn't the
same.
There was a Rose filled gleam in his eyes though, and he laughed.
"Ya know what? I'm pretty sure the guy that runs that building has a wait
list…he probably won't care if I say adios to the termites."
"Sweet, pack your shit, Em…you're movin' on up."
He was all over that until she stopped and turned back to ask me, "Wait, how
much is the rent?"
I smiled. "Same as what you charged me."
"But I didn't charge you…" he started, but didn't finished, realizing what I was
getting at.
It wasn't like I needed his money anyway with the freaking gigantasouras pay I
was making.
I clapped Emmett on HIS shoulder this time and then I headed out to pick up
some sun flowers on my lunch break.
Because operation get Bella back was also simultaneously named, avoid
Tanya at all costs.
…
"No…" I put my fingers to my mouth, looking around. "What about that one?" I
asked the florist after he'd so politely informed me that they didn't CARRY sun
flowers…
Of Course.
I'd gotten some advice from this doctor dude who noticed the stress in my
voice at the new and what he said kept spinning in my head as I looked
through the options.
Flowers that are meant to symbolize who she is...what she means to you…
Something of significance.
She IS afterall, just that.
Significant.
"Okay, significant…what do I think of when I look at Bella?"
Ah!
"I'll take a dozen of those…no wait…give me one of those, and tell me where
I can find some Sun Flowers."
Over doing this shit would just piss her off even more.
Simplicity is often best.
And I had plans for the Sun Flowers…and that key Bella had given me.
Later, though.
I purchased the flower and a card and sat outside the studio thinking of what
to write for about an hour, it felt like.
"Bella, your skin is…"
No…
"Your eyes are like…"
Definitely not…
"Your lips…"
Jesus this sucks.
That was about when Carlisle's limo pulled up and he got out.
"Doing a little bit of damage control, Edward?" he asked as he walked up to
where I was sitting and took a seat next to me on the curb.
"Something like that," I smiled and he laughed as we just sat there while he
looked out to the cars passing by and advised me, "I know the feeling."
Silence.
And more feeling like a schmuck on my part.
"Sorry about last night, Carlisle," I told him but he shook his head at me. "In
the end, I thought it was an excellent way to work out office differences," he
laughed and then added, putting a hand on my shoulder, "It'll all work out,
son," he told me. "You might want to make things very clear with Tanya
though, she seemed to have the wrong impression last night."
I scowled at him. "You saw that?"
He laughed a little. "Ah, Edward, my boy, the question is, who didn't see it?"
That's about when my stomach sank.
Oh no.
That meant…Bella probably saw too. "Shit."
"Shit is right, son…and you appear to have stepped into a big flaming pile of
it."
And with that, he got up and walked into the station.
Suddenly, I knew exactly what to write.
I snuck into Bella's dressing room when she was not in there...I mean, she
had to go to the bathroom at some piont during the day, right? And left the
flower along with the note before going to find Tanya and make things right
with her as well.
I certainly had a lot of essplaining to do, Lucy. Given the opportunity, that is.
Oh, you…wanna know what I wrote?
Sure thing…
It said: "Bella, this flower is called the Spring Snowflake. It caught my eye
today because its shape reminded me of the sound of your name as the florist
described it to me…bell. It seems sad, much like you did last night, but holds
a ridiculous amount of beauty regardless of that sadness. Its scent is subtle,
but it's there if you pay attention to it and it holds your attention like nothing
else. I hope I haven't completely screwed up, please come to the party this
weekend. ~ Edward."
It didn't all fit on the stupid card that the florist gave me so I ended up writing it
out onto two or three sticky notes from the break room.
And I know...it wasn't Plato, but it was from the heart and it was the best I
could do. I could only hope she showed up and if she did, you could be sure I
was promptly kicking every other mo-fo out of that new apartment so I could
properly make up with my…
Bella.
…
"So…" I said, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible as I walked into
Tanya's office that afternoon.
She didn't look up from her paperwork, but pointed to the chair across from
her with the pencil in her hand and said, "Have a seat."
I sat.
And then crossed and un-crossed my legs.
Then I ran my hand through my hair a few times.
I bit my thumb nail a little bit.
When I started to talk, Tanya cut me off.
"I really don't want to talk about last night Edward, but if you're going to say
something along the lines of what I think you're going to say, let me just say it
first."
I held my breath as she went back to writing something up.
"I was under the distinct impression that maybe you were horn dogging on
me," she hesitated, peeking up at me, then going back to her work. "You're
not a bad looking guy, and I was drinking a lot, so…"
She just let it hang there for a minute, waving a hand in the air and then
added, "Tipsy plus horny equals a very bad Tanya….I'm sorry Edward, it's not
like Isabella is one of my favorite people in the world but hell, I'm not out to get
her or anything."
"What? No, I know…it's just…why would you think I was...horn dogging on
you, Tan?" I stifled a smile over the horn dog ness because quite frankly, I
didn't want a black eye.
She stopped writing for a minute and I saw, for a very brief moment, a
vunerable woman.
"I'm not going to lie here, I feel stupid even saying it, but I…sort of overheard
some people talking about it yesterday before the dinner."
Uh huh.
"And would…one of those people happen to have been…"
"James."
Mother of!
MAN! He was so much more fucked up then I'd originally thought he was.
"Settle down, Edward," Tanya said, once more returning to the hard ass I
knew and loved. "He's just trying to fuck with you, and the more you let him,
the more mistakes you're going to make, the more mistakes you make…"
"The more Bella's gonna wanna be as far away from me as she can get."
I said it more to myself than Tanya, but she answered anyway.
"Bingo."
"So, if you knew he was just fucking with me, why would you listen when he's
supposedly secretly telling someone I'm crushing on you but really knew you
were listening the whole time?"
Read it slow…it'll still be there.
She gave me a shrug and said, "Like I said, you're a good looking guy...and I
was drunk."
She winked at me and then pointed to the door.
"Now get out and go run a show…Show Runner."
I laughed but damn, she was right…all this time I thought I was playing James
and he was so far above my level of fuckery that I couldn't even see him at the
time being.
I was screwed. I just needed to live with that fact.
...
Later on when I got to the Vudu Lounge, Japser looked at me funny.
"What ya doin' here, Edward? Didn't I pay ya last week?"
"Um…it's…Friday night?"
He took his cowboy hat off and scratched his head. "Didn't Alice tell me you
got yourself a new high payin' job over at the station?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, then why would ya come here to degrade yourself when ya don't need
to?"
I laughed that time and cocked an eyebrow. I just didn't work that way.
"Jasper, do you have someone else lined up to dress like an Ogre?
Or….whatever it is you're scheming up this week?"
"Nope."
"Well then why would I quit and leave you high and dry like that?"
Jasper put his hat back on and said, "I like you, Edward," then he walked to
the back of the bar and I followed him to the rooms back there where he
handed me my next character…uh…uniform.
"Seriously?"
"Still time to take off ya know?" he smiled and I sighed, taking the costume
from him.
"I don't have to dance, do I?" I asked as I eyed the Billy Elliot outfit.
"Not unless the mood strikes ya, Edward," he said, and with that, left me to
change.
God, was I hoping James didn't show up that night.
I was lucky on the one hand, in that James indeed, didn't show up,
however…Emmett did…and Rose and Alice, too.
Part of me was really bummed they hadn't brought Bella with them and I
hadn't heard from her since leaving the flower and card in her dressing room
but I thought maybe she was just working late, so I entered into Billy's ora and
left my own for the remainder of the evening.
"What'll et bay loydees?" I asked the girls, ignoring Emmett's stupid grin and
shoulder bob as he eyeballed my knee socks.
They giggled too hard to answer and Jasper had already sat their drinks in
front of them anyway, so I was saved from coming up with another round of
British wit and went back to my other, older, drunken women customers.
When we were closing things up and I checked my texts for the umpteenth
time that night…
Just in case…
The gang stuck around to help and something in Emmett clicked when he
said, "Oh shit, I almost forgot, I had a little chat with the limo driver, dude."
"What limo driver?" Rose asked him, but I knew what he was talking about.
I smiled, for the first time that day, a genuine, good to go getting ready to
rumble smile because I could tell by the look in his eyes, that Emmett had
gotten some dirt.
"This is…priceless."
"True that, dude," Emmett said as we clinked beer bottles.
"You boys aren't gonna fuck with that James dude any more than ya already
are, are ya?" Jasper asked us. "Seems like the more you fuck with him, the
deeper into this hole you keep getting' yourself, Edward."
I thought about it.
"Just sayin'," he added.
But there was no way this would back fire at this point. I had him, I just had to
figure out a way to…
"Hey Rose, Alice?"
They looked at me cockeyed and both said, "Yes?" at the same time.
"Think you could find a way to invite this…" I looked at the piece of paper
Emmett showed me with her name written on it. "Victoria Shields to the party
this weekend?"
"Edward…" Rose warned and I smiled, fist bumping Emmett as he said,
"YES."
"Not a good idea," Alice added, but it was too late, the seed was planted.
The bulb was bursting.
And, finally it was payback time.

Chapter 20. BANGARANG!

"Peter, don't you know who you are?" ~ Wendy Darling, Hook, 1991
 
PAN's POV


"Ow, fuck!" I screamed as my skin was pierced for what felt like the fifth time
within twenty minutes.
She poked me on purpose!
"Don't be such a baby, Edward."
"Don't fucking poke me with those fucking long ass pins and I won't have any
reason to be."
Jesus.
I'd already been stabbed in the ankle, thigh, knee cap and buttocks for crying
out loud. That shit doesn't exactly tickle, ya know?
If she pokes my dick, I'm slapping the fuck out of her.
Alice shook her head at me and rolled her eyes. She was fitting me for my tux
while Tanya rattled off a bunch of shit I had to do and meetings I had to attend
for the day before we left for the dinner later.
I was wondering when I'd be getting to the writing part of my job in between all
of the meetings and budgets and people part of this job when I was stabbed
again.
"Shit!"
Okay that one was definitely on purpose. I could tell by the way Alice's lip
curled up when I glared at her.
"I'll uh…get you the details on today's meetings and you can review the
agendas in my office, Edward, see me when you're done."
"Will do, Tan."
It was silent for a few minutes while I checked out my reflection in one of the
many mirrors in Alice's room.
I didn't look half bad.
"Jesus, Alice! What the fuck?"
Seriously, that shit hurt!
"You're a jerk, you know that, right?"
"What?"
She didn't look at me as she explained herself. "Bella was upset all night,
wondering if you were okay, until I texted her to tell her Rose told me that
Emmett texted her to advise that you were passed out on his couch when he
got home last night."
Did you catch any of that?
I narrowed my eyes at her to try and make sense of what she'd just babbled,
then she set her pins and needles down, thank god…stood up, crossed her
arms at me, then said it again.
When I still didn't follow, she informed me, "You. Stood. Her. Up. Edward."
Oh.
Shit.
"I left her flowers."
HA!
I advised the smarty pants clothing abuser about my genius as I fixed the
collar on the white shirt Alice had put me in before slipping the tux jacket onto
me earlier.
She groaned, disgusted with me, though, which kinda took the proverbial wind
out of my sails as she waved a hand at me, walked over to her table and
picked something up from off of the edge of it.
"You mean the dozen completely typical red roses you left on
her dressing table this morning?"
She shook her head.
"I thought women liked flowers."
So confused.
"You didn't even leave a NOTE with it…"
Seriously.
I stood there, staring blankly.
'Cause…I wasn't following, again.
"Idiot," she said, opening my hand up to place cuff links into my palm.
"Do not lose these."
Okay, maaaaaaaybe I should have put a note with the roses.
"Why am I the idiot, exactly?" I asked, putting the stupid trinkets into my pants
pocket. I mean, was I not the guy who'd just been promoted from nobody to
somebody?
And why was that damn song from Hercules playing in my head now? You
know, Zero to Hero? UGH!
"It's not like I ditched her on purpose, I had shit to do…I…just, forgot."
"Bella…hates…roses, dipwad…and everything they stand for…if you
cared…REALLY cared, you would have found out that her favorites are SUN
flowers and gotten THOSE!"
Huh.
"How do you even know that? You just met her."
She didn't oblige me with bothering to answer that question.
Yeah, I guess it didn't really matter, did it?
"Well, I'll…get her sunflowers later…" I fucked with the collar on the jacket
now and Alice swatted my hand away. "Leave it alone, it's supposed to fit like
that."
Really?
I looked at it sideways and it still didn't seem right to me.
She shook her head and pulled at my pants. "It's too late anyway, you're
already an idiot."
I sighed and took the jacket off.
"Fuck," I said, sitting down. "I don't know what happened, I just…I mean
Tanya was…" I waved at the door. "And then those meetings…and James…"
I snorted.
"You're gonna need to work harder at the whole, balancing your work and
personal life, Edward."
It was obvious she was right.
"With great power, comes great responsibility, yeah yeah, I know."
"What?"
"Nothing."
She stopped fiddling with shit and asked, "You really like her, Edward? I
mean, you're not just…another James are you?"
Ouch, now that hurt.
"God I hope not," I said quietly.
Her facial expression softened some more. "Really?"
She looked me in the eyes and I answered in a highly lame Shred voice,
"Realleh, realleh."
"Bad timing on the whole, getting a stroke of genius and being promoted
then."
"No shit."
She finally stopped being a bitch all together and put an arm on my shoulder.
"You'll think of something, Edward, you're a smart guy…and even better than
that, you're resourceful."
She winked at me and then shooed me out of her work room, telling me she'd
get me the tux before dinner.
"Thanks, Alice."
"Don't thank me, Edward, just make it right."
If I was hoping for a slower day on the old set-o-rama, I was sorely mistaken,
as Tanya walked me around…a little slower that day, I gave her my take on
the writer's ideas.
"Good morning, Mr. Cullen," someone said and I looked around for Carlisle. I
hadn't really seen him since the budget meeting and even then, we hadn't
spoken.
"I don't see him," I said, stretching me neck to check down a hallway.
"They were talking to you, idiot," Tanya told me snidely, shaking her head at
me again and I made a mental eye roll at that being the second time someone
had called me an idiot in one day.
I was starting to feel like Mike Newton.
"Hello, Mr. Cullen," another someone said and I was still a little miffed at
hearing that name in reference to me.
He was immediately followed by yet another employee. "How are you today,
Mr. Cullen?"
"Uh…" I waved, but it was too late to be noticed, the girl was already entering
another room.
By the time the tenth someone said it, though, I was getting pretty good at
nodding back in the proper, Show Runner style.
Hell, I even smiled at some of them.
"I need your signature on this, if you don't mind, Mr. Cullen," I cute little blonde
number said to me, smiling at one point and I thought, see? Now THAT's how
you should greet someone, not by calling them an idiot.
Then I saw what she wanted my signature on...A one-hundred-thousand
dollar check for…
"A studio car?"
I looked at the girl, who now looked…guilty, then I eyed Tanya who was busy
reading something from her clip board.
"That's a little steep, don't you think?" I asked, smiling down at the blonde.
She didn't answer, she just shrugged and smiled, so I took the check from her
and said, "I think we could probably find something more interesting to spend
money on then cars in NYC, don't you suppose, Tanya?"
"If you say so, Mr. Cullen," she answered, still looking down at her clip board.
I gave the blonde a playful scowl and shook my head at her.
She giggled and left us alone and I handed the check to Tanya.
"Nicely done," she said to me.
"That was a test?"
She nodded.
"Why? I don't get it."
She finally looked at me and said, "Because, Edward, Carlisle might have a
sixth sense about you, but I like to make sure that the Show Runner is here to
watch out for the station and not just for his own career boost."
She shredded the check.
"No offense."
"None taken."
I guess.
She looked at her watch and then she told me, "Time for lunch," then had me
follow her back to her office.
"Bella," I said, finally catching up with her that day. I hadn't had the chance to
talk to her like, at all, since Alice had reamed me that morning and I got the
distinct impression that it was because she was avoiding me.
Bella stopped, but didn't exactly look at me. "I'll be right there, Mike."
I smiled. She looked great in the tight Periwinkle colored sweater she was
wearing that day.
Yes, I know what Periwinkle is, okay?
"That sweater is…"
Wow.
"What can I do for you, Edward?" she asked, impatiently.
Ouch.
I scowled a little. "I just…I wanted to say I was sorry for…"
She made this noise that sounded a little too much like something James
would make and then told me, "No big deal."
She started to walk away and asked, "Was that it?"
"No…wait," I stopped her and she seemed like I was annoying her now.
"I…Bella, I'm sorry."
The look on her face told a much different answer than what she gave me but
she wasn't opening up on a verbal level for me.
I didn't deserve it, anyway.
"I get it, Edward, really, but right now, I have a lot of script reviewing to do if I
want to deliver the new lines you gave us for next week."
And with that, she left me.
And man, did I feel like an ass.
Sulky McSulkster didn't have time to stay long though, because that was when
I ran smack into James, who was wearing his stupid man purse over his
shoulder, along with a newly dry cleaned tux to wear later.
Jerk.
"How's that pay raise and boyish charm workin' for ya, Eddie?" he asked but
it's not like he was really asking me because he didn't stay long enough for
me to tell him to fuck off or anything…
I watched Bella as she disappeared and heard Alice again, in my head this
time, telling me to make it right.
How the hell was I gonna do that?
…
Later I looked for her again, after I got dressed and looked all spiffified and
what not, thinking maybe she'd be blown away and all would be forgotten, you
know, kinda like the way I feel whenever I see her?
But, yeah...negatory.
Nothing.
I had no idea that she was even going until I arrived at the dinner with Tanya
and Bella was already seated, talking with Mike again.
Insert heavy sigh here.
There was certainly something to be said for being a clueless idiot at that
point.
She looked flawless, wearing a deep red silky number of a dress that showed
just enough cleavage to make my dick slap me in the face for being such an
ass...I mean really, would a text have killed me? It would have taken me,
what? About ten seconds?
It was assigned seating and I just happened to be directly across from her,
thank god. I was figuring on making some small talk or something throughout
the night, warm her up to me again maybe.
Tanya took her seat next to Bella on the other side of her and next to Tanya,
was James.
Hellooooo...nemesis.
I looked around me as I sat down next to Laurent, who was next to Carlisle,
who either didn't see me, or didn't have anything to say to me as I tried getting
his attention once or twice in the few moments that I was in his direct line of
vision.
I felt very much like Harry when Dumbledoore was ignoring him in that fifth
book…like he was avoiding him for his own good, only Harry didn't know that
so he was starting to feel like maybe he was doing something wrong, or that,
Dumbledoore was pissed at him or something.
I tried to distract myself by taking in our environment for the evening. It was an
overwhelmingly nice place, posh chairs, plush carpeting, I couldn't tell you the
name of the place, though, I don't speak Italian.
People in black and white outfits came out and immediately started pouring
wine into our glasses for us.
Liquid courage certainly never hurt anyone, especially me...so...down the
hatch!
Then Carlisle spoke.
Without looking at me, again.
"I know we're all here as a congratulations to Edward, but really, this dinner is
for all of you, you've done a great job and I'm proud to call you my family."
That was also about when a soft, shoeless foot found its way between my
legs.
I jerked, sitting up a little straighter and banging my knee on the table, looking
around to see if anyone had noticed, which, I am happy to report, they didn't.
My eyes immediately caught an eye full of Bella, across the table and she was
still talking to Mike, but she was smiling.
Her toes did a little wriggling and my thighs reacted in accordance.
Maybe she wasn't all that mad after all, I thought as her toes continued to do
things to my dick that made it stand at perfect attention.
She had to notice it, but she didn't give anything away.
It was a good thing the table cloth covered me from the waist down, too,
because that wasn't exactly something I wanted to share with the entire table.
"Thank you, thank you all," Carlilse finished saying and with that toast, I
downed my entire glass of…red...zin...something or other that the waiter had
poured me.
I had to close my eyes as Bella's toes made their way under my balls, lightly
tickling them, making me squirm a little to get just…a
little….bit….more….friction.
"Mmmmmm."
"Are you okay?" Rose asked me from a few people down and my eyes
snapped open to Bella.
Still playing it off, ey?
"Fine, Rose, I just…have a head ache."
She arched an eyebrow, but went back to chatting with Emmett and I couldn't
help but have a serious up, "what would Emmett do" moment, which told me
to just...wing it.
so I did.
I slipped my hands under the table and started massaging her foot a little,
letting my hand slide up her calf just a tad and she responded.
Her foot twitched and I watched Bella's face for any sign of enjoyment but she
was good.
She was really good.
I smirked at Alice, who was watching me carefully because it appeared folks,
that she didn't know Bella so well after all.
My freaky foot pulled away a little and then readjusted itself back into my dick
and I grunted a little at the absolute wonderful feeling she was generating and
suddenly really wanted to leave…like, badly with her and go pay a visit to the
apartment she owned that really wasn't so far away from where we were.
Rose's whispered voice was in my ear then. "If you're doing what I think you're
doing under that table, Edward, I'm getting my seat moved….immediately."
If she only knew.
I cleared my throat a little and pulled a hand out to accept a menu from
the men in black and then suddenly, had a bit of a panic attack.
I had absolutely no idea what half of the stuff was listed on the thing. Not to
mention there wasn't a huge selection.
Shit.
The wine glasses were refilled and I downed that sucker again.
Bella's foot…or, toes that is, were doing wonders under the table and I did my
best not to lose all control whatsoever and just rub up against her like a
maniac for some epic relief.
I just wished she would give me a hint as to what in the hell to order above the
table.
All the while she ordered, her foot never left my groin area and I gently
scraped my fingers along the top of it to try and convey I really was very sorry
for being an ass the night before as I desperately looked over that damn menu
for SOMETHING I could recognize as edible.
God, it felt so good…her foot was…truly talented.
AH!
Just in time for the waiter to get to me, I ordered the one thing that looked
safe.
As the wine at my plate was refilled and I took another huge swig and then
looked at the glass after I finished it off.
"This is…REALLY good," I said and Emmett leaned forward a little, giving me
his Emmett McCarty warning look and told me, "Pace yourself, Edward…it's
gonna be a long night."
No shit.
I toasted my empty glass to him and it was refilled, yet again.
I noticed an odd look that I was getting from Bella and realized I'd stopped
tickling her foot, so I began again as she asked, "You like sweetbreads?"
It was the first time she'd spoken to me all night and she seemed surprised at
my order but I figured maybe she was just trying to open the doors of
communication again, so I smiled and answered the woman.
"Oh, yeah, love em…they're my favorite."
"Nice choice, Cullen," James piped in, smiling, which was weird.
Bella made a kind of a happy yet, confused look and went back to chatting up
Newton and I went back to enjoying the hell out of my foot job, looking forward
to the end of the evening when it could possibly be turned into something
much more.
Then Bella got up and excused herself to go use the ladies room and I was
confused for a second or two, wondering how in the world her foot could still
be on my dick when she was standing…
Up.
My eyes darted to Tanya, inadvertently, who was smiling like the Cheshire cat
at me and all of a sudden, things clicked.
Bella still wasn't talking to me.
And Tanya wanted to grope my dick.
"Shit," I choked as her foot pushed forward just a little more, as though she
was measuring the length of my shaft or something.
Glass number four of wine was downed.
"What is wrong with you?" Alice chirped but I didn't have time to mess with her
accusations, I had to figure out a way to get Tanya's foot off of my dick before
Bella saw what was going on and REALLY hated me.
Bathroom, kill two birds with one stone…got it!
I stood up and Tanya's face became questioning.
"I'll um…I have to…" I pointed and just walked away.
Or rather, bumbled my way passed the black and whites bringing out our food,
chasing after Bella.
"Bella," I called out, following her through the restaurant, but she either didn't
hear me, or was ignoring me.
She probably just didn't hear me.
Right?
"Bella!" I screamed, a little louder then I really planned on doing, but she was
already into the ladies room and the door was closing.
I debated going in there, cornering her, making her listen, but…I was a little
tipsy, and didn't really wanna embarrass her or me.
Yet.
I turned to head back to the table and was met by…yep, you guessed it.
Tanya.
"Oh, hey…there…Tanya…" I said, hesitantly as she backed me up against
the corner wall.
"Edward," she said, licking her lips. "I have to say, I'm quite…" she looked
down. "Impressed with you tonight."
"Tanya, look, I'm really sorry...I didn't know that was your foot…" I laughed,
edging her away from me. "See, I thought you were…"
Then Bella walked out of the bathroom, luckily not when Tanya was practically
grinding me in the corner of the hallway. She didn't say anything, she just
passed us and made her way back to the group.
"Shit."
"Well," Tanya said, tickling me under the chin with one hand, while the other
one was busy feeling me up.
I'm not gonna lie, folks, the woman scared me just a little bit.
Was she drunk or something? Because this was not the Tanya I worked with
at the station.
"If you change your mind, Cullen…" she said, then winked at me as she
entered the ladies room.
I let out a long…heavy sigh and then figured…I was pretty much fucked, then
went back to the table as well. People were eating and Carlisle finally made
some much over due eye contact with me, silently questioning if I was in my
right mind.
I don't know why he needed to know that, but I nodded politely and took my
seat again anyway.
"Mmmm, mmm! I'm hungry," I said as I looked at the food on my plate.
Sweet! Another glass of wine!
I downed that one and had put a fork full of dinner into my mouth before I was
even seated and started to say something to Bella as I enjoyed the chewey
goodness of my…
Wait.
Chewey…?
Really chewey…
This isn't bread.
I wasn't really sure what to do, I mean spitting that shit out into my napkin
would be gross….but fuck it was awful.
James covered his mouth a little with his own fork and watched me from
under his eye brow.
He was really starting to piss me off.
Something told me, he knew that shit wasn't bread, too.
"Anything wrong, Edward?" Carlisle asked and I told him, "I fink vere's
fomefing wong wif my food."
Like maybe they undercooked it or something.
"Idiot," I heard James say and I scowled at him.
I swallowed.
Oh…god It was…so gross.
"Excuse me?" I asked, taking another long drag of my wine to wash it down
with.
He put his fork down, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and then said, "It's just
that I love how Uncle Warbucks promotes you, puts you in a position of power
and you try to live up to that status, not even understanding…an INKLING of
what it's all about, then order sweetbreads like it's…nachos or something, only
to be surprised when it fills your mouth with the delectable goodness that it
truly is."
I lowered my fork.
Was he insinuating he wanted some of my meal?
'Cause I could arrange that.
"It's pancreas, monkey."
Bella stopped talking to Mike when she heard the word. She looked over at
James and confirmed he was talking to me, then looked to me.
I was about to look like a fucking idiot.
Again.
"Sometimes it's the thymus, too…usually from lambs."
Oh fuck I think I'm gonna puke.
I dry heaved a little and he laughed again.
"James," Bella said, but let's face it, we all knew at that table that it wasn't
about to actually STOP him from being a dick.
So I took a nice deep breath of fresh non-panceatic air and said, "You know
what you are, James?"
I put just a smidgen of calf intestines onto my spoon.
I mean, hell, I didn't wanna waste that shit, right?
He looked at my pancreas filled spoon, and then me. "You wouldn't in a
million years, monkey."
"Edward…" I heard Carlisle say under his breath, but screw that. James had
me at monkey.
I didn't even bother answering except to say, "You're a lewd, crude, rude, bag
of pre-chewed food dude."
"What?" he asked and I snorted because who in the hell doesn't know a quote
from Steven Spielberg's genius rendition of Peter Pan?
Seriously.
I flicked it and it hit him right in the nose.
Bulls eye!
I couldn't help it.
I smiled at the fucker.
There were a few gasps but I definitely heard Emmett's chuckle and Carlisle's
second warning.
"Edward."
"Edward, I don't think…" Rose started nonchalantly from beside me, but it was
too late anyway. I was buzzed and this guy needed some stone cold notch
knockin'.
"That's very mature, Cullen, I'm sure Bella's going to be banging your door
down, now."
It wasn't so much what he said, as the way he said it that torqued me.
"Oh oym sorray, would you loik anuthah?" I asked him in my best orphan
Oliver voice as I re-ammo'd mah fork and flicked it again.
Right in the forehead!
I was in the middle of debating another shot at him when mashed potatoes
hit me in the eye.
"Fuck."
I thought it was James fighting back until I saw him wiping his head off with his
pristine napkin, that's when I realized...It was Bella.
I looked over at her and she wasn't smiling.
She was glaring.
I was under the distinct impression that she was having a true to life bagel
throwing moment.
And I was the Newton.
Hey, I deserved it, I'm not denying that, but I didn't think Bella was in the mood
for another lame ass apology. So...I did what she'd asked Mike to do the
morning that she was having that particular bagel breakdown.
I fought back.
I scooped up the green mushy shit that was next to my calf intestines,
eyeballed her for just a short moment before tossing them at her.
It covered her face and I just about choked in reaction to just how hilarious
she looked as she gasped, surprised I actually did it maybe?
Then laughter started erupting from all around the table.
"Okay, I think that's…" Carlisle started to say, but it fell on deaf ears.
All the way around.
Next thing I knew, shit was flying everywhere. I grabbed what was left of my
wine and downed it, then yelled, "BANGARANNNNNNNNG!" as I raised my
empty glass up into the air.
I don't know how everything got so out of control but at some point, people
were jumping over the table and falling all over each other. The black and
whites that had previously been serving us had run for cover and it was every
man...or woman, for themselves.
Rose caught Emmett in the ear with snap peas coated in butter and he let out
his own battle cry just before he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder,
making a mad dash for the exit.
Alice screamed and hid under the table, but that didn't stop Mike from joining
in the fun and smashing some of the finely whipped cream for our deserts into
her hair.
I laughed my ass off and fist bumped Newton but oh man, he was gonnna pay
for that later.
Bella, who had started out walking on top of the table to try and make her way
to the onion loaf sitting in the middle of it, laughing her ass off as she threw
some black eyed peas at Newton, tripped over a center piece and fell.
Right on top of yours truly.
We were on the floor and everyone else was running around like mad people.
"Ow," I said, having a de ja vu moment of when I'd fallen on top of her at her
place that night…the one when I told her who I was, and she wanted me
anyway.
The night I realized, she didn't give a shit if I was penniless or had a shit load
of money, or Carlisle's nephew or a homeless dude from St. Nowhere.
She just wanted….me.
I smiled at her as my hands found her waist.
They liked it there and I liked her right where she was.
With me.
"There you are," she said, wiping tomato sauce off of my face, looking at me
like she'd just found her favorite pair of earrings or something.
I pulled the matted hair away from her face and found the smiling brown eyes
I'd come to appreciate, shining back down at me and I suddenly just, couldn't
help myself.
I kissed her.
And for a minute or two, it seemed like nothing had happened, like she wasn't
mad, and I wasn't an asshole, and we didn't have James undermining our
every move.
Her tongue found mine and all was right with the world of Edward Cullen
again.
Including how hot she felt under that dress that she had on.
But then, she pulled away a little abruptly and I tried to follow her lips, but they
were too far away and that was when she started to get up.
"Wait, Bella…" I said, standing up right after her.
"Don't' go."
"I really should, I…" she stuttered out and I thought, something was off about
her.
Something I wasn't catching onto.
"Listen," I stopped her.
Everyone was running out of food and I probably didn't have all that long to
think, which is why I blurted out the first thing I thought of.
"I'm throwing a party this weekend, new place, new job," trying to sound
humble but seriously, even I had a hard time seeing the humble in what I'd
said.
"Come, please?"
I lifted my eyebrows and attempted to look as pitiful as possible.
Hey, don't underestimate the power of the pity card.
And anyway, it kinda worked.
She smiled at least.
"I'll try," she said and I told her I'd get her the address the next day. She got
her purse and left and I felt hopeful that I could actually make my mistake
right.
Until I realized…I didn't have a new place…
That wouldn't stop me though, I knew Alice would help, as much as she
thought I was an idiot, she was still on my side…and Emmett, and Rose too.
So I started to make a plan in my head as I caught Carlisle winging a handful
of crab dip at someone's head and he stopped short as he caught my eyes
staring at him, amused to the hilt at his complete and utter childishness.
Then he just shrugged and I laughed at him, because he was definitely my
role model.
In every sense of the word.