EPOV
There is someone pounding on my skull... from the inside. What the hell is going on? I roll over and inhale a nose full of Bella. I crack one eye open and confirm that I am still alone. It wasn’t a dream, she really is gone. My phone is ringing somewhere in my room, and I decide that I better get up before my sister comes barging in again. My head would explode if she started pounding on my door now. As I make my way to the bathroom, I pass by the pile of clothes that Bella left on my floor, and it makes me smile. The shorts and panties are proof that she was actually here. Like the drinking binge and massive hangover wasn’t enough proof. There is definitely no denying that she was here.
The warm spray of the shower is welcomed and necessary this morning. I feel the dirt and sweat from the day before roll off of me, and I grimace as I realize that the Bella is washing away as well. Pull it together, Cullen. I know that I have to hold myself together, because when I spoke to Bella last, she was falling apart. I remember the sound of her teary voice and I wish that I could have gone to her right then. I know that she needs to do her thing, so that she can figure out that she what ever it is she is trying to figure out, but it sucks big time to be here without her.
I had resolved to living my life alone after I lost Ben and Tanya, but then Bella showed up, and I knew that I’d never be alone again. She is all that I need to come out of the fog that had fallen over my life. She brought life back into my cold, dead heart. I see the way that my sister and Emmett look at her, like she is an angel. Rosalie has been so good about staying back and letting me grieve the way I want to grieve, but I hate seeing the fear in her eyes as she watched me shut down. I don’t want her to feel like she has to take care of me like she would a child. I want her to see that I’m still me. I think she sees it now, and I think she knows Bella changed everything.
I get out of the shower and sure enough there is pounding at my door. I grab a pair of shorts and make my way through my apartment, taking in the mess on my coffee table. When I swing open the door, I am surprised by who I find there.
“Bro! Why aren’t you answering your phone? You have customers in the shop, they’ve been waiting out there for like twenty minutes.” Emmett taps his finger on the face of his watch and looks at me with blood shot eyes that I’m sure match mine.
“Sorry, Em. I slept late and then grabbed a shower. I didn’t hear the phone. What’s up? Do you know what the problem is ?” I ask and move to grab a shirt and my shoes.
“It’s the weirdest thing, man. The guy says he’s a mechanic and that he knows what the problem is, just doesn’t have the tools to fix it himself.” He shrugs as we walk out the door together.
We make our way to the shop, and I see an old red Volkswagon Rabbit parked at the entrance. It’s in really good shape, considering it’s age. Then I watch as a really big dude sort of rolls himself out of the driver’s seat. He is tall and super muscular with dark skin and long black hair. I chuckle trying to figure out what in the world he is doing driving such a small car.
I approach him and stick my hand out in greeting. “Hey, I’m Edward, the mechanic on duty here. What seems to be the problem?”
“Hey, Edward. I’m Jacob, sorry to get you out of bed for this, man, but I need a fan belt.”
Jacob goes on to explain what’s going on with his car and how he knows he needs a fan belt. He tells me how he built the car from the ground up and how he is on his way home to Washington after spending some time in Vegas. I’m not sure why, but his story sounds familiar to me. We talk as I gather the tools I’ll need to change out his fan belt, and I tell him that I have all the parts I need so I can probably have him out of here in about an hour. He seems pleased and makes his way to the diner to get something to eat while I work.
About forty five minutes later I am finished with the fan belt and I call Emmett over at the diner to let Jacob know that his car is ready when ever he is. I get in the car to move it to the parking lot while I wait for Jacob to return for it. That’s when I see it. He has a picture taped to his dashboard. There smirking at me, is Jacob with his big arm around the shoulders of a smiling Bella. My Bella. Why the fuck does this dude have a picture of my Bella in his car? I look closer at the picture and I see that she is holding up her left hand to the camera, and there is a shiny diamond engagement ring on it. Everything clicks into place in my head like a fucking jigsaw puzzle. I reach for the picture and rip it off of the dashboard just as Jacob and Emmett walk up to the car.
“Are we all set here, Edward? How much do I owe you?” Jacob asks as he pulls his wallet from his back pocket.
“Yeah, man the car is done. I’ll have a bill made up for you in a second, then you’ll know how much you owe me. I just have one question for you. What do you think you owe Bella?” I continue to stare at him and see the confusion pass over his face. Emmett is the one that breaks the silence.
“What? Why would he owe Bella anything, bro?”
“Well, I’ll tell you why. It seems that our new pal Jacob here is actually Jake, Bella’s douchebag ex-fiance. You know the one, Em. The idiot that slept with some skank the night before his wedding and broke Bella’s heart.” The color has drains from Jake’s face, and I can tell that he is trying to figure out how we know what we know. It’s a shame it takes him so long to figure out the situation that has presented itself, because it only takes Emmett about about ten seconds to step backwards and then throw his weight into a punch that connects with Jake’s jaw. He stumbles, but his size aids in helping him staying upright. He’s smart enough to hold his hands up in surrender, and Emmett doesn’t swing again.
“How the fuck do you guys know Bella? Why the fuck did you hit me, man?” he shouts, rubbing his hand across his mouth. Then, I see when realization dawns on him. “You fixed her car, didn’t you? She was here for those days when she was supposed to be in Vegas with me?”
“Yes, I fixed her car. And yes, she was here. In fact she just left here yesterday.” I chuckle as his jaw seems to hit the ground. “I guess I should thank you. If you weren’t such a fucking idiot, I would have never had Bella here for as long as I did. We would have never fallen in love, and I wouldn’t be driving out to see her in a few days. So, thanks for sticking your dick where it didn’t belong and for letting the most amazing woman in the world walk out of your life and into mine. In fact, I owe you so much that I’m not going to charge you for fixing your car. But I am going to beat the shit out of you if you ever try to contact Bella again... Ever. Now, get the hell out of here before I let Emmett loose on you again.”
Jacob’s eyes look back and forth between Emmett and I a few times before he finally jumps in his car and takes off as fast as it will carry him. Hopefully I’ll never hear about him again.
xoxo~ xoxo~xoxo~xoxo~xoxo~xoxo~xoxo
After Jacob leaves, my day is slow and steady. I have a few tire replacements and install a hose or two. Finally I call it a day and make my way to the diner for dinner. I haven’t seen my sister since Bella left yesterday, and when I walk in, her eyes light up. I decide to just sit at the counter, and Rosalie comes over and sets a Dr. Pepper in front of me.
“Hey, baby brother! I hear you had an interesting day over there at the station.” She smirks, an eyebrow lifted, and I can tell she is on the verge of laughter.
“Why, whatever do you mean, Sis? Are you talking about the unusual amount of tire replacements?” I ask, returning her smirk.
“No, Edward! I’m talking about the reason I had to ice my husband’s hand earlier. You know the douchey ex of our beautiful little Bella, stopping in for a visit.” This time she laughs out loud until tears stream down her face.
“Yeah, laugh now Rose, but your husband almost went to jail for murder today. He wanted to kill that asshole. You should have seen his face when he figured it out. Even I was a little scared, and he wasn’t even swinging at me!” We are both laughing loudly now.
Rosalie composes herself and then leans across the counter and whispers to me. “What did Bella say when you told her that Jake had been here?”
“Oh, shit! I haven’t told her yet, Rose. In fact I haven’t heard from her all day.” I’m all of a sudden scared. I pull my phone out of my pocket. I have six missed calls. Fuck. Four are from Bella last night and two are from Emmett this morning. I grab my drink off the counter and walk out of the diner towards my apartment. I dial Bella’s number and wait for her to pick up. Instead I get her voicemail. Double fuck.
“Hey, this is Bella, leave me a message and I’ll call you back!” She sounds happy.
“Bella! Baby, I’m so sorry for not calling you back sooner. I had a hard night last night. Emmett came over to cheer me up and that ended with empty vodka bottles and me face down in my bed. Then today was pretty busy in the shop. I miss you baby girl, call me back.” I barely finish my sentence before the allotted message time ends. Damn, she’s probably pissed.
I know I need a shower, but I don’t want to miss Bella’s call, so I turn the volume on my phone up as high as it will go, and decide to shower as fast as I can. I make it out in record time and throw on a pair of boxers. I look at the clock and see that about twenty minutes have passed since I called her. That’s not bad, right? I realize I’m starving, and make my way into the kitchen for some food. I make my self some mac and cheese and grab a beer from the fridge. I take it into the living room to eat in front of the t.v. Once the food is gone, and Sports Center is over, I call Bella again.
“Bella, please. I’m sorry I didn’t answer last night, but I need to hear your voice. Call me back, love.” I sigh and flop back on the couch.
I start to wonder if she is mad, or if something has happened to her. Maybe she’s just as busy as I was earlier. Maybe you’re just a fucking prick and she realized it last night when you were too drunk to answer your phone. I change the channel and settle for watching what ever lame show is on MTV at the moment. Bella loves watching this shit, and it reminds me of laying on this couch watching it with her.
I must have fallen asleep, because I am woken up by my phone ringing really loudly. I try to pick up as fast as I can, but it falls out of my hand before I finally connect the call.
“Bella?” My voice is thick with sleep, and I check the clock for the hundredth time today. I see that I was asleep for three hours.
“Edward?” It’s my girl, and it’s the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard, and I know I am in deep shit.
I always needed time on my own
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry
And the days feel like years when I'm alone
And the bed where you lie is made up on your side
When you walk away I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now?
When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through
The day and make it ok
I miss you
I've never felt this way before
Everything that I do reminds me of you
And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor
And they smell just like you, I love the things that you do
When you walk away I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now?
When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
And when you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
And when you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through
The day and make it ok
I miss you
When You’re Gone ~ Avril Lavigne
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