In Bella’s haste to get away from me at practice, in true Bella fashion, she tripped on the pile of bats on the ground.
I leapt forward to try and catch her, but was beaten to it by a random pair of arms wrapping themselves around her waist and steadying her.
I looked up to see who it was that I should thank and saw the arms belonged to James.
I was abruptly furious; how dare he touch my Bella!
I closed the distance between us in two strides and ripped her out of his arms safely into mine.
Bella’s shocked expression suddenly turned to anger, as she pushed herself out of my embrace.
“Edward, don’t be so rude! He was helping me,” she snapped, glaring at me and then turned her attention to James. “James, thank you so much for catching me.”
Wait, she was thanking him for putting his dirty hands all over her?
James looked between us momentarily with an appraising look on his face.
“No thanks necessary, it was my pleasure,” he said.
“Well, thank you just the same. Those bats probably would have made a mess of my head if I had have landed on them.”
“Well, maybe I should become your shadow from now on in case you fall again. We can’t have you messing up that beautiful face of yours,” he replied as he took her hand in his and kissed it.
Bella looked to the ground, seemingly embarrassed.
Was she actually blushing for this creep?
What was he playing at?
“Well, I’d better head home. Thank you again,” she said when she had recovered.
I was about to ask if she needed a lift when I was againbeaten to the punch.
“Do you need a ride?”
“Oh, that’s nice of you to offer, but my dad would have a fit if he knew I rode on a motorcycle in the dark…”
“Some other time then?”
“Sure, I’d like that,” she said, blushing again.
“It’s a date then. Have a good night, beautiful Bella,” James said as he kissed her hand again.
He started to walk away, but not before sneering at me.
He mouthed something to me, which I’m positive looked like ‘game on Cullen’ before he turned and left.
Game on? What the hell was he talking about?
Bella was still standing in the same spot, running her fingers over the top of her hand.
“Bella, I’m so sorry, I…”
“Save it, Edward. I don’t want to hear what you have to say. Let’s just go home, okay?”
I sighed and nodded my head, following her to Emmett’s car.
She spoke to everyone except me during the car ride home, telling Emmett how she was thankful that there were still ‘gentleman’ left in the world, like James.
Emmett nodded to placate her, but was shooting death glares at me in the rear view mirror the whole time.
I could practically hear his mind screaming at me. See, I told you she was getting too close to the fucker! Why aren’t you doing anything?
What was I supposed to do?
After scaring her with our ‘almost kiss’ only a few months ago, there was no way I could tell her the truth about the depth of my feelings for her...
There was no way I was going to risk our friendship.
Surely, she would see through whatever act James was playing, right?
She wouldn’t really fall for that, would she?
God, I hope not…
~*~*~*~*~*~
As I knew they would, things changed between Bella and me after that game…
Yet again…
It wasn’t as bad as last time, but in its own way, it was worse.
Bella still hung out with us all, but it was as if she wasn’t really there…
She was so distant towards me.
She refused to make eye contact, and even refused to touch me anymore.
That was the hardest part.
I lived for those simple touches; when her hand would accidentally brush my side, or when I’d get the change to push a stray lock of hair behind her ear…
To be so close to her everyday and not at least be able to touch her as I used to.
It was the off-season, so we spent two nights a week training.
Bella usually came to watch with Alice and Rose, but instead of paying any attention to me, she would either read a book or, much to my distain, flirt with James.
And six months later, when the actual season started in March, things were no different.
Yet again, I was miserable…
First baseball game of the season, March, Junior Year:
I arrived at the field to see James and Bella talking through the baseball fence, and her blushing as per usual.
“Morning, Em,” I said as I walked into the dugout.
All I received in return was a grunt and another death glare.
It was scary sometimes how much like his father he actually was.
Emmett, like Bella, had barely spoken to me at all in the last six months, but for very different reasons.
He was pissed at me…
In his mind, he was sure that I was the only one who could stop Bella from getting closer to James, and I was doing nothing.
Even though I had explained my reasons to him, he still refused to talk to me.
I sighed out-loud as I stepped out onto the field to warm up.
~*~*~*~*~*~
By the eighth inning, we were up 8-1.
I was currently pitching to who we’d been informed was their best batter.
I could see the frustration evident on his face, as I had kept him scoreless this game so far.He was on a full count as I wound up.
As my arm was tired, the ball went slower than I would have liked and I heard the clunk as his bat made contact.
I saw it coming straight towards me, but didn’t have enough time to react.
I felt it hit me right on the forehead and cried out in pain, before I was enveloped in the darkness.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“BP’s one ten over seventy doctor.”
“Oh, thank god. At least it’s come back up. Did we get the results from the CT back yet?”
“Not yet, Doctor, but I’m chasing them up. I’ll let you know as soon as they arrive.”
“Thank you.”
I had no idea where I was.
All I knew was that it felt like my head was about to explode and I was incredibly uncomfortable.
I opened my eyes to see my father sitting on a chair next to me, flipping through some sort of chart.
“Dad?”
His head shot up and looked at me.
“Oh Edward, thank god you’re awake! I was really starting to get worried,” he said as he blew out a gust of air and rushed to my side.“Uh, where am I? And why can’t I move my neck?”
My dad stood up and walked over to me, looking over me with a trained critical eye.
“You’re at Forks General, son. And the reason you can’t move is because you have a neck brace on. Don’t worry; the brace is merely a precaution. Do you remember how you got here?”
What the hell?
I was in the hospital?
“No.”
“Edward, this is very important. What is the last thing you remember?”
What was the last thing I remembered?
I tried to think, but it only caused my head to hurt, and I involuntarily winced.
“I know it hurts, but I really need you to try and remember for me,” my dad said as he squeezed my hand.
“I remember arriving at the field… But there’s nothing after that... Why am I here, Dad?”
“I don’t remember getting hit, Dad,” I replied to him.
“I expected as much, but at least you seem to only have some short-term memory loss.”
My head was pounding trying to take everything in and I suddenly felt very ill.
“Dad… Sick,” was all I could manage to get out.
I obviously looked ill as he leapt forward with the tub beside my bed and placed it under my chin, as I was violently sick.
“Sorry,” I apologised as he wiped my mouth.
“Don’t be silly. Not only is it my job as a doctor, but it’s also my job as your father,” he said, smiling softly.
She appeared to be in her early twenties. She had fair skin that looked like porcelain, long blonde hair tied up in a bun, bright blue eyes the colour of the ocean and a friendly smile.
She was very attractive.
“Well, thank you, Mr. Cullen,” she said in my direction.
Wait, had I said that out loud? What the fuck? Had my brain-mouth filter been damaged?
I heard my father chuckling.
“A symptom of a TBI, or traumatic brain injury, is confusion, Edward. You probably thought you had said that in your head, but in fact you said it out loud.”
“I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t offend you,” I said to the nurse.
“Not at all. I’m flattered actually, thank you,” she said smiling at me.
Wow, I wasn’t used to women actually being nice to me…
They both chuckled again.
Fuck!
When will this thing fix itself? I can’t be around Bella without a fucking filter!
“Here are the CT results, Doctor Cullen,” the nurse said as she handed him the envelope.
“Ah, thank you, Kate,” he replied, as he propped them up to the light.
“Well, looks like there is only minimal swelling, which is incredibly lucky. Kate, we can up his I.V fluids now that we know that we can hydrate him.”
Kate nodded as she moved to my bedside and started fiddling with the I.V pump.
God, she even smelled good.
Kate looked up at me and giggled.
“It’s called Echo for women.”
I groaned audibly. This was getting ridiculous.
“Will there be anything else, Doctor?”
“No, thank you, Kate,” my father said, still distracted with the films in front of him.
“Well Edward, just use your buzzer if you need me,” she said with a wink as she turned and walked to the door.
Did a woman just wink at me?
Well, I certainly wasn’t used to that!
Maybe the makeover Alice gave me was beneficial after all…
As the door opened, I could hear murmuring outside.
“Well, can I see him now?”
“I’m sorry Miss, not until Dr. Cullen gives the clearance for visitors. I’m afraid you will just have to wait,” I heard Kate say.
“Wait? I’ve been waiting for over an hour! And you still won’t tell me anything! I need to get in to that room!”
I smiled to myself; I would know that voice anywhere…
“I’m sorry, Miss. There’s nothing I can do.”
“Okay Miss Prissy, you have exactly two minutes to let me in that room before I run home, grab my father’s gun and force my way in there, got it?!”
“Dad, can you please go and talk to Bella, before we all end up on CNN?” I said.
My father sighed.
“There’s no doubt that she’s a police chief’s daughter… That girl could bring a grown man to tears…” he replied.
He had no idea…
My father placed my chart at the end of the bed and walked out of my room, but I could hear every word that was going on outside.
“Oh thank god! Carlisle, I love you but will you please tell me what the fuck is going on? That prissy bitch won’t tell me anything!”
“Bella, Kate is bound by confidentiality laws. As you are not related, or Edward’s spouse, legally she isn’t allowed to tell you anything. That’s a doctor’s job.”
The heart monitor beside my bed began to race, as I imagined Bella being my future ‘spouse’…
“Okay, I’m sorry, Carlisle, but I’ve had enough dicking around!”
I heard the door fly open and saw Bella running full speed at me.“Edward! Oh god, you’re awake! I’ve been worried sick!” she said as she wrapped her arms around me.
The heart monitor went crazy again, and I abruptly felt sick again.
I was so ashamed and embarrassed that she had to witness that…
“Bella, thank you, but you really don’t need to do that,” I said, as she started wiping over my face with a damp cloth.
“You have no idea how scared I was, you didn’t see… I thought I had lost you,” she sobbed, as the tears started to fall down her cheeks.
I moved my hand to cup her cheek.
“Shh, it’s ok. I’m here, I’m not going anywhere.”
She nodded, as she continued to wash my face.
It was such a simple gesture, but seemed so intimate.
It was the kind of thing couples did for each other…
She reached out a shaky hand and pushed my hair out of my eyes, running her fingers through my hair in the process.
I involuntarily sighed in contentment.
She had no idea what that did to me.
“Bella, what did happen to me? I don’t remember anything.”
“Well, that fucker hit the ball straight at you and when it hit, you fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. I ran down the bleachers to the field, but when I got to you, you were shaking violently, like a seizure. I was petrified,” she whispered.
“So I called 911, and then called Carlisle to fill him in and told him to meet us here. Your mom’s outside too. She’s been amazing. I don’t know how I would have coped if she and Alice weren’t here.”
I loved hearing her talk about my family, as it sounded as though she was already a part of it.
”Oh, and your girlfriend’s here too,” she growled.
If I didn’t know any better, it sounded as if she were… Jealous?
I held her hand to my face and kissed her palm.
“Bella, you know I don’t have a girlfriend, so I have no idea who you are talking about. I don’t even find any of the girls at school remotely attractive…”
Bella recoiled as if I had slapped her.
Shit, that came out wrong!
“I mean, other than you, of course. You know I think you’re beautiful.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Nice attempt at a save, Edward. And the girl outside is Jessica. I swear, you better have better taste than her and her ‘skanks r’us’ posse. I know you like crab, but trust me; it won’t be the same type you’d ‘catch’ from her.”
“I promise, I’m not interested in any of those artificial girls.”
She smiled at me as the door opened again and the gang walked in.
Emmett, Jasper, Rose, Alice and my mom all took turns at hugging me, but the last visitor was unexpected.
“Edward, man, I’m so sorry about what happened. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask me.”
Although James’ voice was soft, his eyes were not.
I could tell he didn’t mean a word of what he just said.
I was confused as to why he was here, until he stepped forward and took Bella’s hand in his.
She gladly accepted it and squeezed his hand in return.
Bella looked up to smile at him, and he smirked at me.
Oh god, this can’t be happening!
Bella was with James?
My Bella? No!
I started to gag again, but this time no one was fast enough.
I vomited again, but as I was sitting up, it propelled forward, landing on James’ shirt.
“What the fuck!”
“James, he’s sick. It was an accident,” Bella said, as she handed him my box of tissues.
“Accident, my ass,” James muttered as he wiped at his shirt.
“Okay everyone, Edward needs his rest, so I have to ask you all to leave. I promise I’ll keep you updated throughout the night if anything changes,” my dad said as he re-entered the room.
Everyone took their turn to say goodbye.
“We need to talk, man,” Emmett whispered as he gave me an awkward ‘man hug’.
I nodded as he walked away.
James just glared at me as he left the room without a goodbye.
Bella was the last to leave.
She carefully leaned forward and enveloped me in a hug, and I inhaled as much of her scent as I could.
“I’ll see you soon, okay?” she said as she placed her hand on my cheek.
“Bella, please. I…”
I don’t know what I wanted to say to her, but the words got stuck in my throat as my eyes pleaded with hers.
Her eyes started to tear up as she leaned in and kissed my forehead.
“Get better, okay? I’ll be back tomorrow,” she said as she stood up and walked to the door. She gave me one last sad glance, before closing the door behind her.
This injury was a blessing and a curse.
A blessing as it seemed to have finally brought us together again.
And a curse, as apparently, my injury had pushed Bella in to James’ waiting arms…
I was devastated, but what could I do?
I had no choice but to just be her best friend.
Although he was scum, if James made her happy, then I would not interfere.
All I wanted was Bella’s happiness, even if it meant sacrificing my own…
April, Junior Year:
If I thought having a head injury was painful, the next month was torture.
I would gladly go through that everyday, rather than have to see Bella with James.
By mid-April, they had been ‘officially’ together for just over a month.
They were constantly holding hands, stealing kisses and laughing; and it was nauseating to watch.
Bella slowly but surely started spending less time with us and more time with James, and now she wasn’t even sitting at our lunch table anymore.
No, she sat with James and his goon squad.By the last week of April, I didn’t think I could get any more miserable.
I was wrong…
As I walked into the cafeteria, I saw Bella sitting at her new table; James’ lap…
I suddenly lost all of my appetite, and quickly made the way to my table, where Alice, Em, Rose and Jasper already sat.
I hated being the only one who was single.
The others were so wrapped up in each other, and I had never felt lonelier in my life.
I was greeted with three ‘hello’s’ and one grunt from Emmett as I slid in to my seat.
“Edward, where’s your lunch?” Alice asked.
“I’m not hungry,” I replied, chancing a glance at Bella to see her laughing hysterically.
“Edward, I can’t remember the last time I saw you eat. You’re losing weight and I’m worried about you,” she said as she covered my hand with her small one.
“I’m fine, Alice,” I said to her.
I heard a squeal come from the other side of the cafeteria, and was shocked to see Bella come bounding towards us.
“Oh my god, guess what! James just asked me to prom!” she squealed.
I had completely forgotten about the prom, and now it was only three weeks away.
“That’s great, Bella. I’m so happy for you,” Alice smiled at her, but I could tell it was one of her ‘fake’ smiles; which she didn’t use to often.
“Oh Alice, we have to go shopping to get dresses! I’m so excited!”
Alice perked up slightly at the mention of shopping.
“I would love that! Well, it’s Thursday today, so how about we go to Port Angeles on Saturday?”
“That would be great! Rose, you have to come too!” Bella exclaimed, as she slid in between Alice and Rose.
“Sure hun, I’d love too,” Rose replied, before shooting an apologetic glance in my direction.
I couldn’t handle it anymore, so I stood and walked out of the cafeteria.
I heard a faint ‘what did I say?’ come from Bella, but kept walking.
If she didn’t know what she was doing to me, I wasn’t going to inform her.
As I turned the corner, I saw James leaning up against the brick wall, looking as though he owned the place.
“Bella sure seems happy, doesn’t she, Eddie?”
“Don’t call me that,” I growled at him.
He laughed as he pushed himself away from the wall with his foot.
He walked up to me and leaned in.
“I told you I’d hit you where it hurts, Cullen!” he whispered in to my ear and slapped me on the back.
I stood there dumbfounded.
“Well, I better be getting back. My girlfriend and prom date’s inside waiting for me. Oh Edward, you know what’s supposed to happen after prom, don’t you? Bella’s putty in my hands, and come prom night, I guarantee you I’ll be popping that cherry. See you around, Cullen,” he said as he walked away laughing.
I was still trying to process what he had just said to me.
Did he mean that this was a sick type of revenge?
Was Bella just a game to him?
She had no idea the kind of dick she was dating, and I was positive that even if I tried to tell her, she wouldn’t listen…
~*~*~*~*~*~
I decided to walk home from school that day, instead of getting a lift with Emmett.
I was in no mood for his never-ending death glares and I just needed some time alone to think.
I had been taking driving lessons with my dad, and he had finally agreed to allow me to go for my license over the summer.
I couldn’t wait.
“What the fuck is going on?” I asked.
I was already in a bad mood, and all of them being here couldn’t be a good thing.
It was silent for a moment, as they all exchanged glances, until finally Alice stepped forward.
“Edward, we’re staging an intervention. We are all worried about you, and we are here to help.”
“I’m fine, I don’t need any help. Now I’d appreciate it if you all got the fuck out of my room,” I growled.
“Edward, watch your language.”
I turned to see my mother standing beside me and I stepped aside as she entered the room to join Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie.
“Honey, you’re not fine. You’re not eating, you’re not sleeping and you’re losing weight. That is not fine. We are all concerned,” she said sternly.
I looked around the room and was met with nods from all five present; even Emmett.
I let out a sigh of defeat and collapsed on to my bed.
“I just don’t know what to do… I can’t handle this anymore, seeing her with him! Every time I see them together, it’s like a huge knife is plunging into my chest. And then just today, James tells me in no uncertain terms that he is using Bella to get back at me for taking Tyler’s role on the team. And that he plans to ‘pop Bella’s cherry’ after the prom.”
I could Emmett’s teeth grinding from across the room, as he stood up and cracked his knuckles.
“That piece of shit is going to see cherry popping alright. When I break that fucking nose of his,” Emmett said, as he made a lunge for the door.
I stepped in front of him to block his path.
“Out of my way, Edward.”
“Em, can’t you see what will happen? If you run out of here, guns blazing and take care of James, he will just use it against us to take Bella further away. You’ll be pushing her even further in to his arms,” I said.
“Well, what do you propose we do? Just sit around and let him take advantage of my baby sister?”
I cringed at his words.
“I don’t know what to do,” I sighed, running my hands through my hair.
“I have an idea,” Alice said, as we both turned our attention to her.
“Edward, you can be so naïve at times,” she sighed shaking her head.
“What? This has nothing to do with me, Alice. Do you have an idea, or not?”
She glared at me, as she marched over to me and poked me in the chest.
“This has everything to do with you, Edward! If you’d have just manned up and told her how you felt, we could have avoided all of this!”
Emmett gave an ‘mmmhmm’ in agreement, as I glared at them both.
“She doesn’t feel the same way, Alice! We almost kissed a few months ago, but I scared her!” I yelled.
“How do you know she was scared off by it, Edward?”
“Her heart and breathing rate picked up, and she got this look on her face. I can’t describe it, but she looked hell confused!”
Alice slapped me hard on the shoulder.
“You dumbass! Did you ever stop to think that she was breathing a little harder because she was excited? That she wanted you to kiss her?” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrow.
“What? No! Alice, she doesn’t like me like that. I will always be nothing more than the best friend to her,” I said in a low voice, and even I could hear the sadness in it.
“No wait, I agree with Alice. There have been several times where Bella has just brought you up in conversation for no reason. She is constantly stealing glances at you, even when she’s with James. You didn’t see how upset she was the other day in the cafeteria, Edward,” Rose said.
“Really? Anyways, it doesn’t matter. She’s with James now, and there’s nothing I can do about it,” I replied.
I looked over at Alice, who suddenly had a mischievous gleam in her eyes and was practically buzzing with excitement.
“Oh, there is so something you can do about it, and we are all going to help you. Emmett, as big brother, I need your consent. Do you agree that Edward is a better choice for Bella?”
“I’ve been trying to tell him that from the beginning. I know that no one would treat my sister better than Edward would. He practically worships her now and they aren’t even together. If I could pick anyone to date my sister, it would be you, man,” he said as he pulled me in for a hug.
“Thank you, Emmett. You have no idea how much means to me,” I said, suddenly very emotional.
“Okay, now all you need is to get the girl! All who wish to be involved to help Edward, please put your hand in to the middle of the circle,” Alice said, as she held her arm out.
I watched in awe as Emmett, Rose, Jasper and even my mother put their hands on top of Alice’s.
“Come on Edward, you’re the star here, are you in?”
I choked back the tears threatening to fall as I looked around at my friends and family, all willing to go above and beyond for me…
I hesitantly placed my hand on top of my mother’s as she brought her free hand up to completely envelope mine.
“Operation ‘Seduce Bella’ is now in effect,” Alice squealed, as we all glanced at each other smiling.
This was going to be interesting…
The night of the Prom, May, Junior Year:
Our school, being the tight asses that they are, had the Junior and Senior Prom combined every year.Most student’s whined, but this made it perfect for me, as I would have all of my friends present; and tonight, I was going to need them.
Tonight was the night I was going to tell Bella how I felt.
Alice thought it might make Bella ‘jealous’ if I had a date and suggested that I take Jessica. I informed her that all that would accomplish would be to piss Bella off…So I had decided to take Angela Weber as my date.
Angela and I had been friends for ages, as we were both classified as ‘nerds’ all through school. But as Angela arrived at my house, she looked stunning.
She was wearing a strapless dress that fell to her mid thighs. It had a white satin underlay with black tulle over the top. She had her long black hair loosely curled to the side with her fringe framing her face and her brown eyes accentuated by smoky eye make-up.The reason I had agreed to accompany Angela was because, like me, she was also trying to make someone jealous; Ben Cheney.
She’d had a crush on him all year, and was hoping tonight she would impress him.
Judging by her appearance, she was going to knock him for a loop…
“Good evening, Angela,” I said to her as I kissed her on the cheek and handed her the corsage I had bought for her.
It was a simple arrangement of off-white roses to match the one I had in the lapel of my suit.
Opting to match Angela, I chose a simple black suit, with a crisp white shirt, and skinny black tie. I tried to tame my ‘mane’ but gave up after twenty minutes. Alice had also bought me some contacts so I could have a break from my glasses for the night.
Everyone had gathered at our house for photos and we were now only waiting on Bella and James to show up; with Emmett instructed to be on his best behaviour.
Alice and Rose looked gorgeous in their respective black dresses, while Emmett and Jasper decided to go a bit more casual.
But when Bella entered the room, I noticed no one else; she looked stunning and took my breath away…
She was wearing a strapless, floor length, A-line dress that fit her body beautifully. The dress was fawn and black, with a figure hugging bodice, and tulle that flared at the bottom. Her hair was curled and flowing down her shoulders and I just wanted to run my fingers through it.
“Bella, you made it! You look stunning,” Alice called as she ran over to Bella and hugged her.Alice caught my attention and winked, so I wrapped my arm around Angela’s waist and pulled her to me.
“Yeah, I do. You know Angela, right?”
“Of course. You look gorgeous, Angela.”
“Thank you Bella, you look amazing too,” Angela said smiling at me.
There was an uncomfortable silence as Bella and I stared at each other.
“Okay, time for photos! My goodness, you all look so beautiful!” my mom gushed, as she got us to huddle together for photos.
Bella kept glancing at my arm wrapped around Angela’s waist uncomfortably.
This plan might just work after all…
~*~*~*~*~*~
After an uncomfortable drive to the school, as no one was speaking to James, we finally arrived at the school gym, where the prom was being held.
There was arch at the front doors where an official photographer was positioned, snapping everyone as they entered the gym.
“Wow, I have to say, it isn’t as bad as I expected,” Angela said to me as we had our photo taken and entered the gym.
“I know, I was expecting paper streamers and balloons, but it actually looks quite decent.”
Twinkle lights illuminated the entire gym and white linens covered each table with candelabras and flowers in the center.
“Do you see Ben anywhere?” I asked Angela as we seated at our table.
“Oh, yes, there he is. He looks so handsome,” she said after a few moments of searching the crowd.
“Why don’t you go and say hi to him? I’m sure he’ll be speechless when he sees you.”
“Thank you, Edward. For inviting me tonight, it meant so much to me,” she said as she kissed me on the cheek.
“Thank you for coming with me, Angela,” I replied.
She gave me a warm smile and stood, setting off in the direction of Ben.
He would be a fool if he didn’t ask her out…
Not only was she pretty, but she was such a warm, friendly person, without a cruel bone in her body.
“Okay, you know what to do?” Alice said, as she came and sat down beside me.
I inhaled deeply and nodded.
“When James leaves her for a moment, that’s when you strike.”
“I will. Thank you so much for all of your help, Alice.”
“You can thank me after you’ve got the girl. Now, go get ‘em tiger,” she giggled as she walked away, leaving me to just sit, watch and wait.
~*~*~*~*~*~
There was only about an hour of the prom left, and James was still yet to leave Bella’s side…
I had sat the entire night and waited, but to no avail.
Just when I thought it was hopeless, Tyler walked over to James and beckoned him outside.
I practically ran over to Bella.
“Hey Bella.”
“Hi Edward, where’s Angela?”
“Ah, she actually got a better offer, I’m afraid. By the way, I forgot to tell you earlier, but you look breathtaking tonight.”
“Thank you, Edward. You don’t look too bad yourself,” she said as she blushed.
She blushed for me?
I saw Emmett out of the corner of my eye, nodding at me discreetly.
“Hey Bella, would you like to get some fresh air with me?”
“Uh, sure, I’d love to.”
I offered her my elbow, which she took and walked outside with me.
We were silent for a few minutes as we walked, until I spotted the old gazebo.
It had been also been done up with twinkle lights, and a few people were dancing.
I walked us up the steps and turned to face her.
“Edward, you know I can’t dance…”
“It’s all in the leading, and it just so happens that I am quite a good dancer,” I said as I pulled her to me and wrapped my arm around her waist.
“Well, aren’t you Mr. Modesty,” she snorted.
“No, I’m just Mr. Honesty,” I replied as I took her small hand in mine.
I began slowly, but before long, we were gliding around the gazebo like a ballroom dancing couple. I spun and dipped her and she laughed loudly.
It felt like years since I had felt this free with her, and I was going to enjoy every second of it.
After three songs, I bowed to her and took her arm as we walked out of the gazebo, and I headed to a seat not far from the parking lot.
“Bella, would you sit with me for a minute?”
“Sure,” she said as we both sat on the bench.
I noticed that her arms had goose bumps, so I removed my jacket and put it around her shoulders.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling up at me.
“You’re welcome.”
She pulled my jacket tightly around herself, and I lost all coherent train of thought.
All I could think of was how good she looked wearing something of mine…
I shook my head and reached in to my pocket.
“Bella, I know you weren’t my date, but I still wanted to give you something to commemorate tonight,” I said, as I handed her the small box in my hand.
She looked at me warily.
“Edward, you didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I wanted to. Please, just open it.”
She swallowed audibly before taking a deep breath and opening the box.
There was silence for a few moments as she looked at the item.
“Oh God, it’s beautiful!”“Please listen to what I have to say before you react, okay?” I asked.
She nodded her head in agreement, but confusion laced her features.
“I didn’t actually buy it. It belonged to your mother. I know how upsetting events like this are for you, and I wanted to do something special for you. So I spoke to Charlie and he suggested a piece of Renee’s jewelry. I remembered that you said you wouldn’t have the strength to go through it, so I did it for you. When I came across this, I knew it was perfect. It’s an angel blowing bubbles, and like wishes, there are three of them. I had to have the stones replaced, so they are new diamonds and I had it cleaned and a new chain put on it. I also found a photo of your mom and dad on their wedding day and put it inside the locket. So no matter what you do or where you go from now on, your mom will always be with you. I hope you aren’t mad, if you are, I’m sorry.”
I took a breath and looked up at Bella.
Her mascara had run from the tears running down her cheeks.
“Of course I’m not mad. Edward, that is the sweetest, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you so much!” she sobbed, as she threw herself at my chest.
I wrapped my arms around her as she cried in to my chest.
“You’re welcome, Bella. I would honestly do anything for you.”
She stopped sniffling and looked up to meet my eyes.
The intensity I found in hers stunned me.
But before I had a chance to think about it, her lips crashed into mine with a force I didn’t know she was capable of.
As our lips glided together, I finally felt home, as if this was exactly where I was supposed to be.
I felt her tongue flick my bottom lip and I opened my mouth greedily to welcome her.
I immediately whimpered at the loss of contact.
“Oh god, what have I done? I’m with James, what am I doing?” she gasped.
Bella glared at me.
“I don’t believe you, he’s changed…”
”No, Bella, he hasn’t. This is his way of hurting me.”
We were only an inch away from each other, as she crushed her lips to mine once again.I moaned in pleasure, when she abruptly pulled away from me again.
I watched her eyes widen in shock as she covered her mouth.
Oh god, that’s not a good sign...
“Please, Bella. Please say something,” I pleaded with her.
“I don’t… I mean I didn’t…”
She was cut off by James and his goon squad calling her name from the parking lot.
She turned to walk toward them but I grabbed her wrist, the familiar current flowing between our joined skin.
“Please, say something. I’m sorry, Bella. I don’t care what happened just now, just please don’t go with him,” I begged.
She looked down at my hand enveloping hers and then returned her eyes to me, her tears spilling over onto her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, Edward. I have to go…”
She let go of my hand and walked toward the parking lot where he was waiting, talking loudly to Tyler.
I watched him grab her waist and pull her into the car next to him.
As the car screeched away, she looked over her shoulder and met my eyes one last time before the car turned the corner and disappeared from my line of sight.
I dropped to my knees, my eyes filling with tears still staring at the spot where she left.
What have I done?
I had just made the biggest mistake of my life, and I could never take it back…
She was gone…
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Edward? Edward, what happened?” Alice asked, as she came running over to me.
I still had yet to move from the ground.
“She’s gone, I couldn’t stop her,” I said.
“Edward man, I’m so sorry. I really thought that tonight, along with your idea with the necklace would work… I swear to god, if he hurts her, I’ll fucking kill the prick!” Emmett said, as he looked down at me.
I saw the fucking pity evident on all of their faces; I didn’t need it.
I needed to wallow.
I stood from the ground and started to walk away.
“Edward, where are you going?” Alice called.
I honestly didn’t know, so I ran.
I ran to nowhere in particular, to escape.
~*~*~*~*~*~
To say where I ended up shocked me was an understatement.
My mind and body had subconsciously brought me back here to where it all started.
Bella’s tree house.
Still in my suit, I climbed the ladder and made my way inside.
It had been years since we had been up here.
As I looked around, I was flooded with memories from a better time.
Playing dungeons and dragons, having sleepovers and campouts, the blood oath…
This was our safe haven.
I looked to the corner and found an old blanket.
I hadn’t realised I was cold until I was wrapped firmly inside of it.
I felt like a huge hole had literally been punched through my chest, my heart was aching from a combination of loss and the memories in this tree house.
Why would she choose an ass like James over me?
She was number one for me; she always had been, and she always would be…
I didn’t care if men weren’t supposed to cry, I had just lost the love of my life.
I think I’m entitled a little fucking slack!
I lay down on the tree house floor and poured my heart out, trying to rid myself of the pain.
I begged for sleep to find me, as at least that way, I wouldn’t have to feel the excruciating pain of my heart breaking into a million pieces…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sleep must have found me, as I awoke to the sound of soft thumping.
I was shocked to see the flap of the tree house opening.
It was still dark, so I had no idea which of my friends had come up to check on me, but I wanted them to leave.
“Please, just go and leave me alone,” I growled.
“Oh okay. I’m sorry to disturb you.”
“Bella?” I asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, sorry. I thought you might be up here. I’ll go…”
“No! Please, stay. I thought you were Alice or Emmett coming up here to check on me…” I explained.
“Why would they be checking on you?” she asked, as she stepped closer, so I could just make out her features in the moonlight.
“Oh, no reason. Just checking on the lone bachelor I suppose,” I attempted to laugh, but it came out as a croak.
“Uh-huh. Mind if I sit?”
“Please, it’s your tree house. I’ll get out of your hair.”
I went to stand up, but Bella rushed over to stop me.
“Please, stay. We need to talk, Edward.”
I nodded and sat back down as she sat next to me.
I realised why I had been cold earlier; Bella was still wearing my suit jacket.
“So, why aren’t you with James?” I asked.
“Well, you were right about him. I’m sorry I doubted you,” she said, as she placed her hand on my forearm.
My skin tingled under her touch.
“Edward, why did you give me the locket?”
“I already told you. I knew tonight would be hard, so I wanted you to have something to make it easier,” I replied.
“As thoughtful as that sounds, I don’t believe you. I mean, you went above and beyond, Edward. You had the stones replaced, you had it cleaned, and you probably searched for hours for that photo…”
I looked in to her eyes, I had to lie; I wanted her to be happy.
“I was just trying to be as best of a friend I could, Bella.”
She reached her hand up and cupped my cheek, rubbing circles with her thumb.
“Please, Edward? I want you to tell me the truth. I want to hear you say it.”
There was a fire in her eyes that I couldn’t explain.
Did she really know and want the truth?
I took a deep breath; it’s now or never…
“The truth is… I’m in love with you, Bella. I’ve been in love with you since the first day I saw you with mud on your face when we were ten years old. I haven’t told you because I was scared you didn’t feel the same way, and I was petrified of losing you…”
I heard Bella gasp, but when I looked up, she had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.She moved her hands and grabbed my neck, pulling me to her, until our lips collided.
Like everything else with us, we were in sync.
If I sucked on her bottom lip, she would suck on my top and vice versa.
The kiss quickly became heated and this time, I was the one demanding entrance, and she willingly obliged, drawing my tongue into her mouth.
The feel of Bella’s tongue gliding against mine was indescribable, and her taste was divine.
As our tongues battled for dominance, my hands slid to her waist and pulled her flush against me, and she moaned as she felt my obvious arousal.
Her hands slid in to my hair and gently tugged, and this time it was my turn to moan.
God, I would never get enough of this woman.
The kiss began to slow, and after a very heated make-out session, we pulled apart.
Bella’s cheeks flushed and she looked up at me through her lashes, biting her bottom lip.
Fuck that was sexy.
“Edward?”
“Yes, Bella?”
“I love you, too. I have for just as long. I was just as scared as you were, but I don’t want to be scared anymore. We’ve wasted enough time. If it’s alright with you, I want to be us.”
She fucking loved me!
“Bella, love, I would be honored to have you as my girlfriend,” I said as I kissed her again.
“Oh, and Edward? Please don’t be embarrassed to wear your glasses. Together with the new hairstyle, you look hot,” she said as she wrapped her arms around my waist.
I smiled, as I kissed her on the top of the head.
Whoever said that nerds and nice guys finished last were sorely mistaken.
Because I’m a nerd, and I had just landed the girl of my fucking dreams.
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