The life where the man I loved had tried to convince me that he didn’t want me any more. The life where our relationship had been like a rollercoaster ride, up and down, incredibly happy and exciting moments, followed by disaster.
What a huge difference a week made. Not only had Edward apologized profusely for every stupid thing he’d said and done last Friday, but we’d come to an understanding. An understanding in which we both realized that we wanted a permanent commitment.
An understanding in which I was certain, that in the not too distant future, Edward was going to propose. Propose marriage. To me.
The young girl inside wanted to squee at finding her ‘prince charming’. The young woman took it a lot more seriously. I had been deathly afraid of so many things, marriage included.
Until I’d met Edward.
During the months since, I had become convinced that Edward was what had been missing in my life. He had helped me face so many of my fears, faced them, and defeated them. Something I’d been unable to do alone. I knew that he felt the same way about me. I was the part of his life that helped him make sense of it all.
I’d come to the conclusion that, somehow, whether through a quirk of fate or by Divine Providence, Edward and I had always been meant to be together.
The bond we shared now wouldn’t be easily damaged by outside forces. We were determined to weather the storms together.
After speaking with Gloria Powell, my last little nagging fear of marriage evaporated. I wanted to be with Edward and, faced with the fact that some day one of us would have to carry on without the other, I knew my fear of getting married was stupid. How many years or months would I waste not being with him because of my unfounded fears?
Whenever he decided to ask, I’d be ready.
My mind was brought back to the present when Edward spoke. “Bella, I’m just going to put our bags away.” He looked sad.
I realized why as I looked around my apartment. The evidence of my pity party, and then my rushed departure were everywhere.
Crap, I should have asked Rose to clean up while I was gone.
Although, even if I’d thought of it, I probably wouldn’t have asked her. She had an extremely busy week at work, partially because I wasn’t there to help, but also because she was cramming five days worth of work into four, in order to make the trip to L.A.
Edward stowed our bags in my closet while I fixed us a couple of sodas. We had both just collapsed onto the sofa and taken a sip of our drinks when my phone started ringing.
I’m bringing sexy back
Them other boys don’t know how to act
I think you're special, what's behind your back?
So turn around and I'll pick up the slack.
Edward gave me an alarmed look as I fished my phone out of my bag. I looked at the screen.
Emmett.
“Emmett, when the heck did you change my ringtone?” I barked into the phone.
His voice sang into the phone, “Dirty babe, you see the shackles baby I’m your slave, I’ll let you whip me if I misbehave.” He laughed “Rose likes that line especially.”
I rolled my eyes in disgust. “Once again Emmett, thanks for sharing.” I muttered.
“What? Me and Justin are bringing sexy back. He’s got the song, and I’ve got the body, in Calvin Klein underwear.” Then he continued to sing. “Get your sexy on, Go ahead, be gone with it. Get your sexy on.”
That boy has no shame. Probably forgot I’m even here.
“Get your sexy on.” He kept singing.
“Emmett! You have no idea how disturbing that is. Why did you call me?” I barked.
He laughed. “Sorry Bells, I got distracted for a minute. Damn Rose, your hands are cold.”
Ugh
“Emmett, I shouldn’t even be speaking to you after that stunt you pulled on the airplane.” I growled.
I could see Edward smiling and shaking his head.
Emmett sighed happily. “Bells, it’s just one of those things I had to do. Now I can cross airplane bathroom off the list.”
“You have a list?” I asked incredulously.
“Sure do. We still need to find a way to do it at Qwest field.” He said, mostly to himself.
“Ew Emmett. I really never needed to know that.” I was now anxious to disconnect the call and go wash out my ear.
Emmett laughed. “Anyway, the reason I called was that Rose and I are ordering pizza, why don’t you guys come over to eat with us?”
Knowing that I didn’t have anything in my fridge worth eating after being away for a week, this sounded like the perfect solution for dinner. I was sure Edward would agree.
“That actually sounds really good. I’m running on caffeine right now. Just give us a call when it gets there okay?”
“Will do.” He answered.
--V&V--
We were sitting in Rose and Emmett’s living room eating pizza when Rose’s phone started playing the Witch’s theme from The Wizard of Oz. As soon as Rose heard it, she started to chuckle.
“Hello Ms. Chance, thanks for returning my call.” Rose said in her most businesslike voice. “I just wanted to let you know that we’ve tentatively scheduled the taping of your segment for Tuesday, April 6th at three p.m. Will that time fit into your schedule?”
Rose listened.
“Wonderful. I’m looking forward to it also, more than you know.” Rose was smirking while she winked at me. “Alright then, goodbye now Ms. Chance. See you next Tuesday.” Rose said, putting special emphasis on those last four words, before disconnecting the call, looking very pleased with herself.
Only Rose.
I turned to her. “So, the interview is next week?” I asked.
Rose beamed. “Yes, I want you to be there Bells. We’ll find a place for you to watch where she won’t see you.”
I was a little nervous about it, but Rose knew what she was doing so, more than anything, I was looking forward to what she had planned.
Exhaustion finally overcame all of us, and we headed off to our beds.
In the morning, I got up and quietly got ready. Edward was sleeping when I left for class.
The body shop had fixed and delivered my car last week while I was in L.A. Edward panicked when he learned this, and insisted that Lou drive me to and from school. When I argued about it, he reminded me that they still hadn’t caught the person or persons responsible for vandalizing my car.
I let him have his way when I realized how upset, almost despondent, he became at the thought of me driving myself.
My stupid pride is not more important than Edward’s peace of mind.
Today was the first day of my final quarter of school. Less than three months until I would graduate. There were a few days left in which I was able to change classes without penalty, and that was my intention as I headed for the registrar’s office.
The pleasant treatment I’d received in California after Tanya’s confession continued once I was back home. Gone were the sneers and whispers. I saw no more angry stares. In their place were smiles or, as in most cases, uncaring blank looks.
I suppose that without the scandal, I’m not that interesting any more.
After taking care of what I needed to do in the office, I attended two hour-long seminars, and then I was free for the day.
It was noon when I sent a text to Edward.
E-
Whatcha doin?
-B
I waited for his response.
B-
Hey baby, I wanted to come have lunch with you, but got delayed. You go ahead and eat, I know you have class again soon.
-E
I decided to call him.
E-
I’m phoning you.
-B
I scrolled to his name and hit send.
He answered the phone chuckling. “When did you change my ringtone?“ He asked, still laughing.
While sneakily searching for his ipod so I could see the ‘Bella’ playlist, I had found his phone and couldn’t resist changing the ringtone for my number to ‘Like a Virgin’.
I never did find the ipod.
I giggled. “Early this morning, you were still asleep.“
“The memory of that night will torture me for the rest of the day now.” He was still chuckling. “Just remember that turn about is fair play.”
Uh oh.
I tried to change the subject. “So, you never answered my question.”
“What question was that?” I could hear the smile in his voice.
“Whatcha doin?” I asked playfully.
“At the moment, I’m in a car while Lou drives me toward downtown Seattle. I was hoping to see my girlfriend a little later.”
“Will she be jealous that you’re speaking with me Mr. Movie Star?” I teased.
“Well, she does have a bit of a temper. I’m hoping she’ll let me slide just this once.” He replied.
“Possibly, if you come and pick her up right now.” I said sweetly.
I should have known that he’d be instantly alarmed. “Why baby, what’s happened?”
“Nothing’s happened, nothing is wrong. I just don’t have class this afternoon.” I tried to calm him.
“Oh I see. In that case, I’m on my way. See you soon Bella.” His normal self again.
“I’ll meet you in front of the Hub.” I answered.
We were riding in the car, when I decided to explain my new schedule to Edward. “Okay, so I thought about it, and decided to switch the two classes that I have on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to online. I couldn’t do anything about the Tuesday-Thursday classes though.”
“Wait a minute, you just said that you went to class.” He looked a little confused.
“The online classes required attendance for the first session, which I did this morning.” I smiled.
He smiled broadly. “So this means you’re free this Wednesday, and Friday?”
“And next Monday.” I said quietly, knowing that was the day he was leaving for England. “I’m sure Rose still needs me to work, but I was hoping she’d let me work Tuesday and Thursday afternoon and all day Wednesday so I could be off today and Friday.”
He was still grinning. “You’ve got this all planned out don’t you?”
“Yes. I wasn’t sure I would be able to switch the classes easily, so I didn’t say anything before. I was also hoping that you’d want to go to Forks with me for Easter, Mr. Movie Star.”
His grin got even wider. “I would love to Miss Swan.”
--V&V--
After clearing everything with Rose, I suddenly had a free afternoon. Edward took me to lunch at a little bistro near my apartment.
There were times that I would forget Edward was a famous movie star, but this wasn‘t one of them. We had drawn the attention of a lot of people.
“How long did it take you to get used to the staring?” I asked him over lunch.
He smiled. “Well, in my case Bella, it happened gradually. My fame didn’t really happen over night, it took place over the course of several months to a year. It was well over a year before I was recognizable to Joe Blow on the street. As I got more famous though, people tended to get bolder. I’m still not used to that.”
“What do you mean?” I was curious.
“There have been ‘fans’, and I use the term lightly here, that have tried to physically accost me. They are usually trying to get something from me. Sometimes a piece of clothing, or a lock of hair.”
My mouth fell open in shock. “They tried to cut your hair?”
He grinned. “Yes, of course, obsession makes the seemingly rational person do irrational things I suppose.” He paused, thinking.
“Have you ever been stalked?” I asked.
He looked uncomfortable. “It depends on what you mean by stalked.”
I waited for him to continue.
He shrugged. “The worst incident for me was this one fan that wouldn’t leave me alone.” He said as his brow furrowed. “After following me for weeks, the police literally found her hiding in the bushes outside of my house.”
“Your house?”
“Not the one I live in now. It was the one I had before this one. She’s the main reason that I now live in a fortress. That whole episode was seriously creepy.” He shuddered a little.
“What did she want?” I asked, worried now.
“What do they all want?” His voice suddenly low and sexy as he held my hand. “To seduce me, to chain me to their bed, become the mother of my children.“
“Unfortunately for them, there’s only one woman I’m interested in doing those things with.” He said as he lifted my hand and brushed his lips lightly against the open palm.
Fuck me. Edward wants to be chained to my bed?
My mind went blank and my mouth fell open, as I felt his warm breath on my hand. I only hoped I wasn’t drooling.
He can even make hand-kissing sexy. Ugh.
Sexward is going to be the death of me. But what a sweet way to go. .
After I recovered slightly, I noticed that Edward was chuckling at my reaction. He was completely aware of what he was doing to me.
How to give him a taste of his own medicine?
I admit it, Katy Perry inspired me.
I leaned over as if to kiss him, but instead, I stuck out the tip of my tongue and in a slow, seductive move, licked him very lightly from his jaw line up to his ear, then lightly bit the lobe.
I sat back in my chair, enjoying his reaction. He sat there with a stunned look on his face, and had to blink several times before speaking.
“Bella, did you enjoy the caveman exhibition so much that you want an encore?“ He said in a low voice.
Oh crap.
“Not here” I answered in a squeaky voice I didn‘t recognize.
“Then you’d do well to never do that again.” He said seriously. “At least not in public.” He added with a cheeky grin.
--V&V--
We spent the evening with Carlisle and Esme. I’d had a guilt trip over how much time Edward was spending with me during these visits to Seattle.
“Bella, you really don’t understand.” He smiled when we were on our way home. “I never used to come home to Seattle. If my parents wanted to see me, they would have to wait a long time for my visits. Instead, they usually made the trip to L.A.“
“They’ve seen more of me in the last three months then they had for the previous two years, simply because I’ve been coming here to visit you.“
“Edward, why would you treat your parents that way?” I asked sadly.
He was remorseful. “I was pretty fucked up for a long time Bella. I didn’t want anyone too close, even my parents. I’ll always regret that. In my mind, I always viewed home as the place where everything in my life fell apart. I always felt more in control back in L.A.”
Then he smiled. “Since I’ve met you, everything is different. The prodigal son has returned home. You my dear Miss Swan seem to be the cure for all my hangups. If I‘ve never said it before, thank you for that.” He added quietly.
I understood exactly what he meant.
--V&V--
When I got home, I found a distraught Emmett sitting in my living room.
I immediately panicked. “Emmett, did something happen to Rose? Charlie?” I vaguely registered that Edward had wrapped his arm around me.
“No, sorry Bells. Shit, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Emmett blurted out. He stood there pouting for a minute.
“Rose is pissed at me.”
“Oh Emmett, Rose is always pissed at you. She’ll blow off steam, then she’ll get over it.” I said with a sigh of relief that everyone was okay.
“I don’t know about that.” He said skeptically.
“What happened this time?”
“You know I’m shooting my ads tomorrow and the next day right?“
“Of course Emmett, you’ve only told me about it fifty times already.“ I snarked.
“They called me today to go over the schedule. Tomorrow all my solo shots, video and interviews will be done. Wednesday I have to work with their female model. Nothing risqué, just more still shots and video. Rose found out and is pitching a bitch.”
“Why would Rose react like that, it’s just a job. It’s not like you’d be interested in the model or anything.” I was confused. Rose had never questioned Emmett’s faithfulness before.
“She didn’t lose it until she found out the model’s name, she‘s an actress. Edward knows her, he’s worked with her before. It’s Jonelle Everett, she was in that movie September Ends with him.”
Fuck my life. That’s the chick that got to rub all over my boyfriend. And she’s gorgeous.
I saw Edward’s eyes grow wide in surprise while his mouth frowned in disgust.
“Evidently, she’s got a reputation for going after every guy she works with.” Emmett continued. “I just don’t understand why Rose wouldn’t trust me.”
“Oh Emmett, I’m sure she does.” I reassured.
I’m so glad that skank won’t be anywhere near my Edward.
“Rose is insisting on being there on Wednesday. I really don’t care if she comes. That’s fine. I just wish she’d trust me. I won’t lie Bells, it hurts.” He said sadly.
Poor brother bear. Rose is being ridiculous. Emmett would never even look at another woman. Just like Edward, L.B.
But, I had to admit that if I were in Rose’s shoes, Bella’s little ass would be on site. Just to keep an eye on that filthy skank.
Emmett turned to Edward. “Edward, what do you say? You worked with that chick before.”
Edward paused, thinking then he looked Emmett straight in the eye. “It would be better if Rose went with you.”
Whoa.
Although I believed Edward when he said he’d never had sex with anyone else, part of me wondered what exactly happened with Jonelle.
A conversation for another day Bella.
--V&V--
Tuesday was uneventful.
I went to class, had lunch at the hub with my movie star boyfriend.
Same old, same old, L.B.
I went to work. Rose was in a much better mood knowing that she’d be at the photo shoot on Wednesday. I spent the evening with my boyfriend making out on the sofa, before one or the other of us came to our senses.
Sleep came easily with Edward’s arms around me, no nightmares reared their ugly heads to disturb my peace.
Wednesday turned out to be the polar opposite of Tuesday, and it all started with a phone call.
Rose was at the Four Seasons Hotel, the location of the photo shoot. She was working this story into her show, so it ended up being a working day for her. I didn’t have any classes, so I was supposed to spend half the day working at the office and half the day with Rose, if she needed me. That plan came to an abrupt end when I answered my phone at approximately 10am.
“Bella, you need to get your ass over here to the Four Seasons as soon as possible. I need moral support.” Rose whispered into the phone.
“Rose, what’s going on?” I asked, concerned.
“Just come okay?” She sounded like she’d been crying.
“I’m on my way Rose.” I answered.
I stared at my phone in quiet bewilderment. Rose never cries.
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