Chapter 34

Chapter 34
BPOV
At this startling revelation. You'd think I would have learned by now to mind my own business but as everyone always told me (Even Renee) that I'd always been too perceptive. It had been a month since I saw Tanya kiss that female. I tried to ignore it; I mean why I was so obsessed with what Tanya did with her life was beyond me. You know that strange little voice in the back of your head that tells you something that you know is wrong. That little voice has been pounding in the back of my head for some time now.
Over the weeks prior, I noticed Edward was spending more and more time alone with Tanya. Even if I hadn't seen her do what she did, I was still suspicious about her behavior. I to put my worries aside and pay attention to Alice and Rose's countless gabber. We were currently back in the city sitting in a bridal shop looking for my MOH dress. Rose and Alice had found their gowns earlier that week so it was now my turn to be pricked and prodded.
"Alice, Rose!" I exclaimed. "Will you two just pick something already? My feet are starting to hurt!" I moaned.
"Well Bella, we need to find you the perfect dress." Alice beamed.
"Uh Alice, if you haven't noticed this isn't your wedding." I grimaced. I gazed to Rose who sat there comfortably in a chair with her feet propped up. She apparently enjoyed Bella Barbie time.
"Rose." I pleaded.
"Sorry Bells," she shrugged. "I just haven't seen the right dress yet. Moaning, I closed my eyes and prepared myself for the next 4 hours of endless torture.
After a while, I was just going through the motions, trying on whatever they gave me. We were on my 23rd dress, when I actually looked down and realized it was the one.
I stepped out and smiled. It was a beautiful dark champagne color with polka dots; it was strapless, clenched at the waist and ended at the knee. It looked amazing on me.
It's beautiful." Alice and Rose cried. My stomach also found that moment to growl loudly.
"See, you've been depriving me. Can we go now?" I asked, wincing as I stepped down.
"Fine, fine. It's time to feed the human." Rose joked.
I quickly changed into my clothes, careful not to wrinkle the beautiful dress. It still need to be tailored a bit so I walked to the counter to give it to the seamstress. I was to return later that week for final measurements. I looked around and saw that Alice and Rose were nowhere to be found. I tried to pay for my dress, but she quickly stopped me, telling me that the dress was already paid for. I let out a grumble of frustration. I hated people buying me things, especially when I had more than enough money to buy it myself. I asked the seamstress if she new where they were and she told me they went to the shoe store down the street. I thanked and headed out the door walking down the street. Bad Idea.
"Just down the street, my ass. I grumbled. I had been walking for the past 30 minutes and there was no shoe store in sight. The streets seemed liked they went on forever. I was lost. The streets were filled with people, and everyone I asked, just shrugged and looked at me as if I were crazy. I couldn't call because a certain blonde and black haired pixie decided to take my phone, claiming I was talking to Edward way too much.
Our friendship was slowly getting back to normal. It wasn't the same as before but it was progress. I could have tried a pay phone, but I had went to the bank earlier that day and all I had were hundred dollar bills, that could have been broken if they hadn't already paid for my dress. I tried finding the boys when I passed the tuxedo shop they were supposed to be at, but when I got there it was about to close and they were no where to be found.
Sighing, I sat down on a bench and closed my eyes. I was tired of looking. If they wanted to find me, they would eventually. Luckily, I had passed by Borders not to far back and decided to myself that I need a few more books to read. I quickly went inside and immediately became enamored with the words of Emily Bronte. I must have been in there for hours because when I checked out with my purchases of nearly twenty books, it was nearing twilight, and the buildings were lit up with the flickering lights of the night life. I was sipping on some hot chocolate as I headed towards the park when I crashed into a hard chest.
"Sorry." I mumbled, before I could bend to pick up my books, I was crushed unto a hard chest that smelled of musk and citrus. Edward.
"Oh thank God." Edward mumbled against my hair, as he held me to his chest. Wondering curiously, as to what was going on. I just let him hold me momentarily, relishing in the feel of his arms around me.
"Guys she's over here." He hollered. Less than a couple of seconds later, I was wrapped into a massive hug, with a plethora of voices screaming in my ears. I was only able to let out a squeak as I pleaded for them to release me. Everything was beginning to get a little woozy.
"Uh guys can't breathe." I muttered, as they quickly released me-well Edward held on a little longer than necessary before releasing me. I took in a deep breath, letting the air fill my deprived lungs. Before I could release my breath, I gazed into the eyes of a furious pixie and raging Barbie.
"Isabella Marie Swan!" Alice screeched, causing me to wince at the use of my full name.
"How could you do that to us? We thought something happened to you." Alice huffed hitting me on the arm."Ouch, Hey I need that." I winced, rubbing furiously over my now aching arm. Alice was stronger than she looked.
Do you know how worried we were?" Rosalie asked.
"Yeah, we all thought you were dead in some ditch or something." Alice huffed, on the brink of tears.
"Guys, its New York. So many people, so little time to do anything. I doubt anything could have happened to me." I laughed. Again bad idea as I received two death glares.
"Sorry?" It came out more as a question than a statement.
"Why didn't you call? You know better than that, to wander off without your cell phone." Edward asked. Shuffling on my feet from the boys' glares, I pointed to Alice and Rosalie.
"It's their fault, they took my phone." I blurted out. They gazes quickly shifted to the two of them.
"Well maybe, but Bella knew where we were." Rose added.
"Yeah down the street, my ass." You guys no better than to leave me by myself." I huffed.
"What do you mean down the street?" Alice asked. "We were just next door." she looked at me confusedly.
"Next door!" I screeched. "The sales lady told me down the street. Do you know how long these streets are? Extremely long." I huffed.
"That damned woman, I told her next door then we were going down the street." Rose mumbled.
"So now you tell me. This piece of information would have helped earlier." I groaned. I could practically feel the blisters on my feet pulsing with every move I made.
"So what have you been doing for the past 5 hours?" Jasper asked. I shrugged my shoulders and lifted my bag off the ground, and held it up in front of me. They all shook their heads.
"So we've been frantically searching for you for 5 hours, praying to ourselves that you haven't been kidnapped or even worse, you're out buying books." Alice blanched. I nodded my head as she rolled her eyes at me.
"Only you, only you Bella." Emmett laughed, shaking his head.
"Whatever, can we go? My feet hurt." I winced.
"Uh no, we spent so much time looking for a certain bookworm that we didn't manage to grab a bite to eat." Emmett moaned rubbing his stomach.
"Sorry Emmy Bear. If it makes you feel any better, I saw a Chili's not too far back.
"Well come on woman. Time's a wasting." Emmett grinned grabbing Rose's hand as he pulled her along, Jasper and Alice trailing behind. I picked my bag back off the ground to carry but Edward quickly took it out of my hands as he smiled crookedly at me. I timidly smiled back the two of us gazing at one another before Emmett's voice broke the soothing silence between the two of us.
"Come on! I'm getting skinny over here." he hollered breaking our little reverie. We both laughed as he put his hand on the swell of my back. As we both knew, a hungry Emmett wasn't a happy one.
A couple of weeks later…..
Once again, I found myself lost in the confines of the campus library. I always found solstice being in quiet captivity. I was alone. Alice and Rose were off in Florida for some fashion workshop, Jasper and Emmett tagging along since they had nothing better to do. So it was just Edward and I. Me and Edward, Usually I wouldn't be so nervous being around him, but ever since he started hanging with Tanya, I had been walking on eggshells. It's strange really, I never found someone who irked me, not even Renee. I didn't like the woman, but I didn't hate her either. There was just something about Tanya that made you dislike her. For some strange reason, I felt she had a secret agenda with Edward, a ploy if must be to get on Edward's good side. Maybe, I was just being paranoid jealous ex girlfriend. Nah…. I doubt that. I was sitting at a table in the far corner when someone approached my table. Looking up from my book, I gazed up into a pair of piercing blue eyes.
"Speak of the devil and she shall appear." mumbled under my breath.
"Tanya." I said my void of any emotion.
"Bella, can I talk to you?" she asked.
"Um sure?" I said closing my book, pushing it off to the side.
"So what do you want Tanya?" I asked curiously.
"I want to apologize." she said looking at her fingernails.
"Apologize?" I questioned.
"Yeah, I'm sorry." she repeated in a careless tone.
"Well...okay then?" it still came out more as a question.
"Look, I still don't like you, but for Edward's sake, we need to get along." she said.
"What does Edward have to do with this?" I asked.
"Not much really. We friends, and if it changes to something more, I don't want him on my case about you." she sneered.
"Something must be wrong with Edward's head then." I mumble under my breath, but apparently she heard me.
"Look, I'm only doing this for him, okay!" she glared, and I wanted nothing more than to punch her in her face.
Well it's an apology wasted. I needed to hear nothing form you. Honestly Tanya, I don't trust you as far as I can throw you, and trust you look a little pudgy. So that's definitely effort wasted." I pushed back.
"Why you little…" She struggled trying to find the right words. I took this as a perfect opportunity as I gathered my belongings and threw my book bag over my shoulder.
"Good day Tanya. I hope not to see you soon." I smiled, a big grin plastered across my face. I walked away proudly, knowing that Tanya was a sneaky bitch and that she had no control over me. I swear as I was walking away I heard her mutter to someone that someone was going to pay- again maybe I was just hearing things.
Grabbing two bottles of apple juice, I grabbed our sandwiches from Subway and headed home. I only had class today so Edward was at home. I had about 2 hours before my next class so I thought it would be nice to bring the two of us lunch. I arrived home, and went up the stairs to find Edward in his room strumming along on the guitar that I had purchased for him. His eyes were closed as he played. I silently sat down beside him as he continued strumming as he softly began singing.
She spoke with a voice that disrupted the sky
She said "walk over here to the bitter shade."
I will wrap you in my arms
And you will know that you have been saved
Let Me Sign
Let Me Sign
Can't fight the devil so just let me sign
I smiled at the rough velvety voice that consumed me. I closed my eyes, as he plucked out the last few strings. I became mesmerized in the strokes of his soft fingers as the last string's note trilled throughout the room. I opened my eyes only to see a pair of green ones staring right back, his glasses perched on top of his head.
"Sorry. I just like hearing you play. It's been awhile. I hope I didn't bother you." I said.
"No you didn't bother me. I was just messing around." he shrugged nonchalantly.
"So what brings you over here to the pale faces?" he smiled.
"Uh Edward, I'm paler than you, and you're almost translucent." I laughed. He chuckled as well he laugh sounding like a melody to my ears.I brought us some lunch., it's almost 1 and I figured you might be hungry." I said giving him his bag.
"Roasted chicken on Italian, romaine lettuce, no tomatoes, and pepper jack cheese, with just a dab of vinegar." I smiled. He looked on surprised.
I even brought you a bag of those nasty sun chips you like so much." I grinned, as he wrapped me into a hug.
"God I love you." he said and I momentarily froze. It was the first time he had said it since the incident. H didn't seem to notice how uncomfortable I was, so I quickly shook it off. We both engaged in easy conversation as we ate our sandwiches, and once we were finished eating, I decided to go into dangerous territory with what I was about to ask. I just had to know.
"Um Edward?" I said, fingering my leftover wrapper from my sandwich.
"Yeah Bella?" he said, looking up at him, as I became lost in his lovely green eyes. I was beginning to become incoherent so I looked back down at my hands.
"So Tanya…' I said, rubbing imaginary patterns along the floor tile.
"What about Tanya?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me, questioning me to go forward.
"Specifically, you and Tanya." I said.
"Okay we're friends." he shrugged, picking up his guitar strumming a few stray notes.
"May I ask why?" I asked looking up at him through my eyelashes.
"We talked." he said, and once again began strumming his guitar."About?" I asked.
"Nothing that concerns you." he said sternly. I was taken aback at how harsh he sounded. He never got that defensive towards me before.
"Well, sorry. I just wanted to know." I said in a quiet voice, willing myself not to cry in front of him.
"Why do you want to know?" he asked me in a more husky tone.
"I…don't think you should be friends with her." I said.
"Are you serious?" he boomed, and I flinched back at the loudness of his voice.
"Really Bella? You are seriously telling me who I should be friends with now, you're unbelievable." he growled.
"That's not what I meant and you know it.' I screeched, stray tears falling from my eyes.
"Than, tell me Isabella exactly what you are trying to say." He hollered in my face. I stumbled back. He knew I hated being called by my formal name.
"I'm just trying to be a good friend." I acknowledge.
"Out of everything we've been through, you suddenly want to be a good friend?" Edward retorted back. This hit me like a ton of bricks.
"Yeah, especially to asshole like you." I growled back.
"Well, people change." he answered.
"So you rather hang out with Tanya, than your best friend?" I asked.
"My best friend Jasper accepts whatever I do. You on the other hand make things complicated." he huffed.
"What is your problem?" I growled at him, my face an angry shade of crimson.
"I don't have one, but I know yours. You're just jealous." he said.
"Jealous. I'm jealous. Oh Please tell Edward." I huffed crossing my arms over my chest.
"You're jealous that I'm spending time with Tanya instead of you." he said. I laughed un-humorously.
"Oh, that's priceless. Yeah Edward, I'm so jealous of your relationship with Tanya." I said sarcastically.
"At least you finally admit to it." Edward breathed.
"For fucking sakes Edward, I was being sarcastic." I growled back at his standing form.
"She has nothing I want." I answered. "She's up to something and I don't think you should trust her." I said, rubbing my eyes.
"You see, right there, that is for me to decide not you." he said rolling his eyes at me. At that moment I wanted nothing more than to stop his chances of being able to procreate.
"You know what? Go screw yourself, because that's what Tanya's going to do to you, and you know it. I'm tired of explaining myself." I moaned, picking my bag off the floor.
"Whatever Bella." he rolled his eyes at me before turning away. I huffed and headed towards the door, but stopped momentarily to get one final look at him.
"You know what? If I am jealous of anything, it would be the fact that you rather hang around Tanya then me." I whispered so quietly, that I even don't know if he had heard me or not.
Grabbing my bag, I ran out the door and settled into my car. One in the confines of my safe haven I let the tears fall. I couldn't believe he called me jealous. Jealous of all things. I think that hurt more than anything. I was anything but, and I couldn't fight my intuition that something wasn't right. Of course I had no evidence to support that she had a hidden agenda, that doesn't mean I was wrong either. Sighing, I started my engine. I wiped my eyes and nose on my sleep and took in a deep breath. At this point, I didn't care what happened to Edward fucking Cullen. If he didn't want to listen to me, he wouldn't listen to no one else. It was his loss. Pulling out the driveway, I headed back to campus to finish my remaining classes.
Unknown POV (phone call)
"Babe, I think we may have some interference."
"What do you mean interference?"
"I think she may know that we're something."
"What do you mean she? Are you referring to HER?"
"Yeah her. She's been really inquisitive lately."
"Well, well. We just might have to do something about her then. I won't have anyone trying to take what's rightfully mine."
"I'm still yours right babe?"
"Yes you are, you both are."
"So what do we do?"
"Well ,if she's still probing around, we'll have to get her. I may even let you have a little fun with her."
"Really?"
"Yep. I see how lonely you get sometimes. Besides you have needs, that I cannot sometimes fulfill."
"So is our plan still in action?"
"Yep, Edward will never know what hit him."
"I love you."
"I love you too, and soon he will love us too.