CHAPTER 12
London, England - 2004
I thought I knew what love and happiness were before I met Edward. It turns out, I didn’t have a clue. I knew what complacency and settling were with Jake. I knew before I came to London that Jake and I were finished because I needed to figure out who I was and what made me happy. I had learned more about myself in the few months I had been in London than I had in a lifetime in Phoenix. The feeling I got when I was around Edward was unlike anything else. He made me happy, he made me smile, he made me comfortable, he made me feel good, he made me feel loved. I guess, in retrospect, Jake did all of those things too, but it didn’t feel the same. I get so much satisfaction from seeing Edward smiling and laughing. His happiness is my own.
The last few weeks had been fairly uneventful as Edward and I went about our daily lives. I never heard from, or saw, Jake again, and I was okay with that for now. One thing never changed though, and that was the way Edward and I felt about each other. Every day was new and exciting. Every day I learned something else about him that I loved. We practically lived together, alternating time between his place and mine. I appreciated that he never complained about staying in my tiny flat when we could be in his more luxurious and roomy place. He said he liked it at my place because it had so much of me in it. I liked his place because it was such a reflection of him. We were not to the point of rushing into living together officially, so we alternated time between the two places. I liked staying at Edward’s better because his piano is there and he always plays something for me and sings me to sleep and its the most beautiful thing to hear him sing. He is so incredibly talented. One gloomy Sunday afternoon it rained most of the day and Edward glued himself in front of the piano playing very emotional and riveting pieces. I laid nearby on his couch with a cup of tea and a warm blanket listening and watching. It was such a simple day, but so perfect in it’s own way.
Unfortunately, things cannot always remain ideal. Christmas was quickly approaching and I would be returning to Phoenix for nearly two weeks to be with my family. As sad as it may sound, I would rather stay in London with Edward and his family. I didn’t want to go home, but my mother and father insisted. I did miss them, but two weeks without Edward was a very long time.
There were less than 48 hours to go before Edward would be dropping me at the airport and things seemed sort of tense between us. I’m not sure if it was me or him causing the tension, or both of us. Going home for Christmas unfortunately reminded me that my time in London was limited. What would happen between us when my student visa expired at the end of the school year and I had to return to the states? It was a question neither of us ever spoke of and it worried me.
The evening before I went to the airport eventually arrived and Edward was brooding. He seemed so unhappy and unsure. He wasn’t confident anymore and I didn’t understand why. I mean, I would miss him terribly, but it wasn’t the end of the world.
I was packing the last of my things before bed when I felt him come up from behind me and hug me. His chin rested atop my head.
He sighed. “I’m going to miss you so much. I wish you would’ve just let me come with you.”
I turned around. “Edward, you need to spend Christmas with your family. We talked about this, it just isn’t a good idea right now. I’m going to miss you, but I’ll call you every day. Two weeks will be over before you know it,” I said, giving him a quick kiss. The truth was, I really didn’t want Edward to see how dysfunctional my family was, not to mention my dad probably wouldn’t be too pleased about the whole situation.
“I know, I just hate the idea of you being in the same city as him.”
Oh. “Is that what all this brooding is about?”
Edward laughed. “I’m not brooding.”
“Yes, you are, and you have been for a few days.”
“I just wish you weren’t going. I just don’t have a good feeling about it.”
“Edward, I’m coming back. Nothing is going to happen in Phoenix. I hopefully won’t even see Jake. It’s not a big deal. Trust me, there is nothing in this world that he could do or say to me to change the way I feel about you.” I sighed, “I wish you were more confident about us.”
Edward looked defeated. “I’m sorry. I am confident about us. I trust you. I just really don’t like that guy.”
“There’s nothing to worry about,” I said, as I wrapped my arms around him and reached up for a kiss. “I promise. It’s getting late, why don’t you take me to bed and give me something good to think about for the next two weeks.”
“Mmmm....that sounds like a great idea,” he said as he began to kiss down my neck. I smiled in return and vowed to myself to remember every detail of that night so I’d have something to look forward to when I returned.
~
We were up before the sun the following morning. We hadn’t said two words to each other. We silently made coffee, showered, and grabbed something quick to eat. I shuffled my suitcase to the door and waited for him to follow me.
He eventually met me at the door and sighed as he took my suitcase from my hand. I grabbed my keys and took the key to my flat off the ring. I handed it to Edward. “Will you come by occasionally and water my plants?” I had brought a little cactus with me from home and I had a few other little house plants that I didn’t want to die while I was gone.
“Of course,” Edward said, taking the key and putting it in his pocket.
I thank him and turned off the light before we left. The ride to the airport was in silence. He dropped me off at the international gate and unloaded my suitcase for me. We were standing on the curb, and I was running late.
“Come here...” I said, with my arms open.
He walked into my embrace and we hugged each other so tight it felt hard to breathe. I kissed his cheek. “I’ll miss you.”
He sighed into my shoulder and kissed my neck. “I love you. Call me as soon as you arrive, okay? I don’t care what time it is.”
I nodded my head and kissed his lips, savoring his taste, hoping it would get me through the next two weeks. “I love you. I’ll see you soon, and we’ll do Christmas when I get back.”
Edward nodded his head and we separated, but our hands lingered a moment longer. I headed into the terminal and turned around just before entering. Edward was still watching me. He blew me a kiss and smiled. I couldn’t wait get this over with and be back here, with him. I smiled back at him and went inside.
I was one of the last ones to board and I was exhausted. I had only gotten two hours of sleep, at best, the night before. I made myself comfortable, hoping I’d sleep a good portion of the flight.
I switched planes in Los Angeles and was only an hour away from home. Once in Phoenix, I caught a cab to my parents house. My dad was working, and my mother couldn’t be bothered. I text messaged Edward.
I made it. I miss you already - Bella
His response was immediate.
I’m glad you made it safely. I miss you, too. I’m spending the evening with my parents, trying to forget you’re not here. - Edward
I love you. I’ll call you before I go to bed if it isn’t too late. - Bella
I don’t care what time it is. I’ll want to hear your voice. - Edward.
I smiled and tucked my phone back into my purse as the cab pulled into my driveway. It was kind of nice to be back. I had missed seeing the sun so much. I paid the driver after he unloaded my suitcase. My mother came running out the front door and nearly knocked me over with a hug. That was a bit unusual, she wasn’t normally a hugger.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Oh, Bella! It’s so good to see you. You look really good.”
“Thanks, so do you.”
We made our way inside and I got my things settled. I didn’t really know what to talk about with my mother. I wished my dad was home with us, but he didn’t get off work until late.
Eventually the topic of Jacob came up.
“I just can’t believe you did that to him, Bella. You should’ve seen him. It was so pitiful.”
I shook my head. “Mom, I really don’t want to talk about this. He’s not as innocent as he looks.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did he tell you what he did to me?”
My mother shook her head.
“He destroyed my flat. He ruined all of my belongings, my bedding, everything. If it weren’t for Edward and his mom, I’d have nothing left.”
Renee sighed. “Well maybe you deserved it. Imagine how he must have felt walking in on what he walked in on.”
I was fuming. I wanted to hit her. How could she say that to me? I knew damn good and well she was cheating on Charlie.
“Seriously, Mom? We were not together. I had no obligation to him! He had no right to do what he did to me. How can you say that to me? I know you are not perfect. At least I broke up with Jake before I started sleeping with someone else. It’s more than I can say about you,” I said as I stood up and walked up to my old room. My mom stayed put on the couch, speechless.
She made me so mad I couldn’t see straight. Angry hot tears fell over my cheeks. I knew it was very early morning in London, but I had to talk to Edward. I selfishly dialed his phone.
“Bella,” he answered, groggily.
“Hey, did I wake you?”
“Yes, but it’s okay. I was waiting for your call.”
I sighed. “I wish I hadn’t of come here,” I said, as my tears betrayed me again. I could hear Edward shuffling around on the line.
“What’s wrong, Bella? Are you crying?”
“Yeah, but I’m okay. My mom just makes me so angry. She said some stuff that upset me. She said I deserved what Jake did to me.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Yeah, she’s just like that. She’s mean, and then I accused her of cheating on my dad,” I sighed. “These are going to be the worst two weeks of my life.”
“Bella, I’m sorry. Don’t let her talk to you like that. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I know, it just hurts to hear your own mother stick up for your ex, instead of her own daughter.”
Edward sighed. “I don’t want you to be upset and crying.”
“I’ll get over it.”
“Well, if you change your mind about being there for two weeks, just say the words. I’ll pay to have your flight transfered, you can come back to London whenever you want.”
That was a really enticing offer, but I couldn’t give up so easily. “Thank you, Edward. I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll let you get back to sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay, cheer up. I love you.”
“I love you, too. I miss you.”
I cried myself to sleep that night. I hated my mother. I hated what she did. I hated that she had been betraying my dad for so many years. I hated myself for not calling her out on it sooner and pretending like it wasn’t happening. I hated Charlie for loving her unconditionally and turning his head when he saw signs of her infidelity. I hated being home. None of these problems and feelings plagued me when I was with Edward in London. He was my escape, my peace and comfort. He made me feel normal and beautiful and better than I really am. I missed him. I desperately missed my life in London, and I had only been gone less than 24 hours.
***Author’s Note: Hi! Hope you all enjoyed. The next several chapters will be rocky at best, and we will eventually switch over to much more of Edward’s point of view, but hang in there. Next update is next weekend. Thanks for the reviews! <3
Twitter: AllOrNothingKR
Facebook: AllOrNothingKR at gmail (dot) com
***CHAPTER 13 - CLICK HERE***
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