"Okay, Bella, wiggle your toes for me if you can?" Didyme asked as she sat back on her heels, having just finished bandaging my foot. She'd ended up spending just over half an hour checking me over for injuries and concluded that I was 'pretty banged up' and would need to 'take it easy' for the next week or so until the bruising, cuts and general aching had cleared up.
According to her, I was lucky I didn't get more hurt in the struggle to get me in the van, but it was still 'shameful' that they'd treated a woman this way in the first place.
Yeah, like I'd fall for that one.
I wasn't stupid – I knew she was probably trying to get something out of me and potentially logging all my injuries so she could tell Aro and the rest of his little cronies exactly where I was weakest so they could use it to their advantage, but I also knew that I couldn't protest or resist too much for the sake of the cover. If she offered me any drugs, I'd have to take them. If she injected me with anything, I'd have to let her. It was a lose-lose situation.
Edward, where the fuck are you?
"Bella?" Didyme called, touching my knee to get my attention.
"I can't move them," I sighed, trying to look frustrated. "It hurts too much."
She nodded and smiled sadly, then stood up straight again and rummaged around in her bag for something. I watched her warily, then frowned when she pulled out a plastic bag and a bottle of pills
My mind began racing with possibilities of why she'd brought them out, and I felt myself start to panic slightly. I could imagine it now, her telling me she knew who I was and what I was here for, making me choose which way to die – poison or suffocation. Oh, fuck.
"Bella, are you okay? You look a little pale."
"I'm fine," I managed to choke out, giving her a weak smile. She frowned, looking me over worriedly, then held out the bag for me to take.
"I brought you some clothes," she explained when I raised my eyebrow at her.
"Oh, um… Thanks," I mumbled as I took the bag from her and glanced inside it. Sweatpants, underwear, a bra and a white tee. I could live with that.
"You're welcome," she replied, then moved to sit down beside me. "Now, I know you're probably going to be in a lot of pain pretty soon, so I'm going to give you a bottle of pain killers to keep in the bathroom."
"Edward already has some," I assured her, not wanting to accept anything from her. I still didn't trust her. She was too… nice.
"I know he does, but these are yours. Edward tends to only keep very mild pain killers in the cabinet since I won't give him anything stronger – he's pretty stubborn when it comes to hiding pain," she explained. "It's the only way I can make him come and see me when he's seriously hurt."
"Does he get hurt a lot, then?" I asked, frowning. Didyme laughed, shaking her head.
"I know he hasn't told you much about what he does – Aro's gag order's made sure of that – but getting hurt isn't exactly a rare occurrence in his line of work," she replied, then sighed before continuing, "He hates showing weakness, I think, and that often backfires on him when it comes to being injured. He seems to think he's infallible, and the things he's done… you'd think he simply didn't care anymore."
I sat there in a stunned silence, taking everything she'd said in. You'd think he simply didn't care anymore… What the hell was that supposed to mean?
"God, I've said too much," Didyme muttered. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad, Bella. For what it's worth, he looked more alive when I saw him this morning than he has in a long time."
I nodded, glancing down at my hands and the bottle of pills she'd given me. They were sealed tight, and the label looked legit, but could I trust it? Could I trust anything anymore?
"Excuse me a moment," Didyme said softly as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and stepped away from the bed. "Hello?"
Since she'd pretty much seen me naked already, I decided to change into the clothes I'd been brought, wanting to cover up as much as possible. It was difficult, trying to do it while being and looking in pain, and the constant glances Didyme kept shooting in my direction were more than a little disconcerting.
Stay calm, Bella. You can do this.
"No, of course," Didyme said softly as I finished pulling the sweatpants up. They were a little loose, so I had to tighten the waistband a few times to stop them from falling down, but everything else fit pretty comfortably. "Yeah, she's here with me now."
I looked up at Didyme, who was slowly walking towards me, and froze in panic, unsure of who she was talking to. She was blocking my way to the door now, and I knew she'd easily be able to outrun me if I tried to rush for the bathroom. I was screwed.
"Nope, let me pass you over to her now," Didyme continued, then held the phone out for me to take. I hesitated for a moment, unsure if this was just another diversion so she could take me out, but took the phone from her anyway and eyed her warily as I held it up to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Bella."
"Edward?" I asked, stunned.
"Yeah, it's me, sweetheart," he replied, laughing softly. "I just wanted to call in and ask how you were doing. Is Didyme treating you well?"
"She's very nice," I told him truthfully. "And I'm alright – just a bit bruised and stuff. Oh, and just so you know, I'm mad at you."
"You're mad at me?" He sounded surprised. "Why?"
"You broke my toes!" I whined, pouting. "And you're not even here to kiss them better."
"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry. I'd be there if I could, I swear – Aro's just called me away for a meeting and it's going on for longer than I thought it would. I don't know how long it'll be until I get back."
So Didyme was telling the truth.
"Oh, that's okay," I assured him. "I was just a bit worried when you disappeared."
"I know, baby, I know," he replied, then sighed softly before murmuring, "Didyme's a good person, Bella. I know you're still apprehensive about the people here, which is understandable, but you can trust her, okay? She'll take good care of you."
"No, I know," I sighed. Lie. "Like I said, she's been very nice to me." Too nice.
"Good, that's good," he muttered, sounding a little distracted. "Listen, uh, I gotta go now, but stick with Didyme today, alright?
"Yeah, I will," I assured him, but before I got the chance to say anything more, he started speaking again.
"Talk to you later, Bella. Bye."
"Bye," I replied, even though he'd already hung up on me. Gee. Thanks, Edward.
"Don't take it too personally," Didyme called softly, and I turned in her direction, confused.
"The hanging up thing," she clarified, smiling. "He does it to everyone."
"Oh, right," I mumbled, nodding my head.
"I know Gianna sent down for some more clothes for you earlier, and um…" Didyme packed her things in her back and zipped it up before continuing, "Vicky should have got them all for you by now, so if you wait here, I can go and get them for you if you'd like?"
"No, uh, I'll come with you," I replied, grimacing as I took a few steps forwards and handed her back the phone. She looked at me dubiously. "I don't want to be stuck up here on my own all day – it'll drive me mad."
Didyme nodded and smiled, then grabbed her bag from the bed and shoved her phone into it before stepping forwards and wrapping her arms around me.
"If we're going to make it down there, you have to let me take your weight, Bella," she explained when she noticed my quizzical look. I nodded in understanding, grateful she wasn't trying to make me stay put, then leaned some of my weight on her as we started to walk towards the door.
"It's a bit of a journey, so if you need a break, just let me know," Didyme murmured softly. I nodded, giving her a small smile. How far could it be?
Apparently, the answer to that was very.
It had taken us half an hour to travel down to the clothing warehouse in the end, and even longer to get back up again thanks to the bags upon bags full of designer clothes that I'd been given. Vicky, the red-haired woman who seemed to be in charge of the clothing warehouse, was scarily over-enthusiastic and nice when it came to helping me try on clothes, and if it wasn't for her snide comments about my figure and general 'plain' looks, I'd have thought she was yet another over-eager shop assistant. Evidently, she hadn't quite got the customer service part down yet.
The entire time we were down there (which ended up being several long hours), Vicky kept looking at me like she was waiting for something, and was constantly creeping up on me and making sudden movements, clearly trying (and failing) to subtly figure out if I'd had any defense training of some sort. Unfortunately for her, I'd met people who'd tried to pull the exact same thing on me way too many times to count while' on other undercover missions, and I knew how to quell my body's reactions to the point where they were barely noticeable anymore.
Eventually, once I'd tried on and picked all the clothing and make-up I could possibly ever need (Vicky had grown frustrated with me because she hadn't been able to figure me out and had insisted that I stay as long as possible so she could keep on trying), Didyme was quick to get me out of there again, having picked up on how uncomfortable Vicky was making me. She'd offered to take most of the bags up for me, but I'd assured her I could handle it, not wanting her to struggle too much. After Edward's phone call, I'd tried relaxing more around her, and once the tense atmosphere between us had dissipated, I'd come to realize that she was actually a genuinely nice person who seemed to care a lot about Edward, despite not really knowing him all that well.
It amazed me to think that monsters such as The Volturi would hire somebody like her to work for them, and the fact that Didyme had married one of them… that completely confused me. Obviously, I knew from experience that honey attracts more flies than vinegar, but Didyme simply didn't strike me as the kind of person who would deliberately try and worm information out of someone like that.
But then again, I also knew that in an organization as huge as this one, people would be trained to do that sort of thing. People would be trained to spot liars, to read body language and facial expression, to analyze speech and all that kind of stuff – they were in The Agency, too.
As Didyme and I were limping/walking back up to the suite, Didyme's phone started to ring, and we stopped for a moment so she could answer it.
"Hello?" she said softly as she helped me over to a wall so I could lean against it. My foot was really starting to hurt now, and I was beginning to regret having not taken the pills she had given me before we left.
"Oh, hi, Edward!" She grinned at me, and I couldn't help but smile back as she began speaking animatedly to Edward through the phone. "Yeah, yeah, she's here with me now… We're just on our way back to your suite, actually… Mmm, she sure did… No, I-… Edward, calm down, she's doing okay. I strapped her up real good and she's been distracted most of the day so-… What? No, she's-…" She glanced at me worriedly. "Edward, I-… Excuse me, but who out of the two of us worked as a doctor for five years before coming here?.... That's exactly what I thought. Now, please, would you stop lecturing me? I'm not an idiot………… No, I know, and I forgive you – I know you're worried about her."
I could hear Edward's voice through the phone now – he sounded stressed and angry yet again. What the hell is wrong with him?
"Of course… Of course… Yeah, I'll walk her up there, I promise… You'll probably be there at the same time as us anyway, so… Yep… Yep… Okay, Edward, I'll let her know. Talk to you soon… Bye."
"How is he?" I asked as she hung up the phone and slipped it into her pocket. She smiled weakly, then shrugged before picking up her bags again and wrapping her arm around my waist.
"He's worried about you," she replied softly as we began to walk, "and said to tell you that he wants you to take it easy from now on, and to 'take your damn pain pills'. I think he's freaked out over your toes, to be honest."
"He's not the only one," I mumbled, glancing down at them. I'd been walking around barefoot all day since my foot was too swollen to fit into any of the shoes Vicky had offered me, but luckily, all the floors were freakishly clean, and I hadn't stepped on anything as of yet.
"He's on his way to the suite now, by the way. Aro let him go, and he's pretty anxious to see you. He should be there by the time we arrive, which is handy since neither of us have the keys," she said light-heartedly, smiling. I nodded, giving her a small smile back despite the dread that was building up inside of me. The thought of facing a very pissed off Edward wasn't exactly something I was looking forwards to.
We made the rest of the journey up to the suite in a comfortable silence, only having to stop twice because of my foot in the process, which was quite an achievement considering how much it was starting to ache. Despite what he'd said, Edward still wasn't at or in the suite by the time we arrived, so Didyme and I hung around awkwardly for a few minutes waiting until Didyme's phone started to ring and she was called away on an emergency.
Before leaving, she embraced me quickly and kissed my cheek, telling me to be careful and to rest my foot the moment I got into the suite so I didn't make things worse before finally hurrying off in the direction we'd just come from and disappearing from view.
I let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against the suite door, feeling exhausted but somewhat… content? It was strange, that I could feel this way despite everything going on around me, but I tried not to think about it too much and just let myself enjoy the moment of peace. Against my better judgment, I closed my eyes and tilted my head back against the door, only to jerk upright again just seconds later.
"No! Royce, please! Please!"
I could hear a woman sobbing from somewhere nearby, and the way she had been begging made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I shot a quick glance down the hallway, checking to make sure nobody was coming, then slowly began limping towards the source of the cries. I knew I couldn't do anything, not without potentially breaking cover, but the way the woman was crying and the sound of drawers being opened and shut propelled me forwards with growing urgency. I had to do something, even if it just involved telling Edward when he got here.
As I moved further up the hallway, I saw a stream of light coming out from beneath one of the doors up ahead, and could tell from the way the light kept being disturbed by moving shadows that that room was the one. My heart started pounding a little in my chest, and I tried moving a little faster despite the pain it caused me. Just one look.
I held my breath as I finally reached the door, fearing that any sound, no matter how quiet, would somehow give me away, then braced my hands against the doorframe as I tried to peer through the slight gap that had been left when the door hadn't been shut properly. I could make out the shape of a woman with wavy blonde hair kneeling down on the floor, her entire body shaking with barely stifled sobs, and felt tears well up in my eyes when I realized that her wrists were tightly bound behind her back with rope. She didn't want to be here.
"Royce, please," she whimpered, turning her head in the direction of something I couldn't see. "Please, I promise I won't do it again. Please."
"Shut up!" A voice hissed, and my mouth fell open with horror as I saw a man step forwards and grab her by her hair before throwing her down to the floor, causing her to cry out in pain.
I took a step forwards, acting on instinct, then gasped as a hand clamped over my mouth and pulled me roughly away from the door and back into somebody's chest. I struggled wildly as I was yanked backwards down the hall, then groaned when I was pressed face-first against a wall.
"Shhhhh," a voice breathed into my ear as a hand ran down my side. I shuddered, trying my best to break free from their hold, but all that did was make them laugh. "Why so scared, ma petite putain?"
"I-I don't want any trouble," I stammered as a shiver ran down my spine. I knew that voice. James. "Please, I just heard-"
"You heard nothing," he spat angrily, digging his fingers into my ribs, right where my bruise was.
"James, pl-"
"You don't get to call me that," he growled as he shoved me even harder against the wall and pressed himself against me. "Didn't you ever get taught respect, ma petite putain?"
"I'm not your anything," I ground out, trying to twist out of his grasp. My French was very limited, but I knew he'd called me his little something, and the thought of me ever belonging to him made me feel sick.
"Not yet you're not," he whispered, and the hand that was on my ribs moved down my stomach, making me recoil. "But you will be."
"James!"
I whimpered at the sound of Edward's voice coming from down the hallway, practically sagging against the wall with relief as James moved away from me and held his hands up innocently.
"Bella, are you alright?" Edward asked, sounding a little out of breath as he rushed into my eye-line and gripped hold of my arms to steady me.
"Y-yeah," I breathed, blinking back tears as I glanced up into his eyes. Oh, shit, he was pissed.
"Come on, let's get you inside," he murmured, shooting James a sharp glare as he slowly helped me limp away from the wall and back down to the suite.
"You know," James called as we turned our backs on him, "you really ought to keep that girl on a leash. Letting her nose around in other people's business won't go down too well with anybody. You're just lucky I found her before she did anything stupid."
Edward cursed under his breath, gripping my arms a little tighter as he practically dragged me to the suite door and hurriedly unlocked it before grabbing the bags Didyme and I had left on the floor and shoving them inside.
"In," he growled, then practically pushed me through the door before slamming it shut behind us. I stumbled slightly in shock, then whimpered when I accidentally put too much weight on my bad foot. I heard Edward lock the door from behind me, then grimaced when he pushed past me on his way further into the room, his entire body tense with anger.
"Edward, I-"
"Don't," he spat, twisting around to face me. "How could you be so stupid?"
"I thought I heard-"
"I told you never to go anywhere without me, didn't I?" he continued, ignoring my attempt at interrupting him. "Are you trying to get yourself killed, Isabella? Is that what this is about? You're pissed at me for hurting your fucking toes so you decide to be all rebellious and go exploring? Jesus, are you completely out of your fucking mind?"
"I didn't mean to-"
"To what? To go nosing around like some fucking detective? I don't give a shit about what you did or didn't hear, Bella – it's not your place to go investigating a damn thing," he growled angrily, glaring at me. I swallowed hard, shocked by his outburst. For me, it was easy to tell when someone's anger was manufactured or real, and Edward's rage… That wasn't faked. I tried to take a few steps forward, feeling my eyes well up with tears, then flinched when Edward threw his hands up in the air, half expecting him to hit me.
"Why can't you just do what I tell you to for once?"
"I'm not a fucking dog that you can just order around, Edward," I said softly, looking him straight in the eyes despite the fear I was feeling. "I'm a human being."
"You don't think I know that?" he replied, his voice rising. "Jesus, Bella, I thought you had more sense than this."
"All I did was try and see if I could help someone!" I pointed out. Why the fuck was he so angry? "It's hardly a crime!"
"It wasn't your place!" he shouted, and I jerked back from him in shock as he took another step closer. "You can't do that shit, Isabella! It will get you killed!"
"I didn't know, okay?" I looked down at the floor, trying my best to stay in character despite knowing that what he was saying was aimed at me and not girlfriend Bella. "I'm sorry I made a mistake, but how was I meant to know that what I was doing was wrong when you don't tell me anything?"
"It's for your own good," he replied. "The less you know about this place, the better."
"Why? What's so bad that you have to constantly hide it from me?"
Edward glared at me, then turned on his heel and began to walk away from me. I stepped forwards and grabbed his arm to stop him, and he jerked away from me as if burnt.
"Edward?" I called softly. "Baby, please."
"Take your pills, Isabella," he replied blankly, not even looking at me now. "I'm going to go and shower."
With that, he walked off into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him, leaving me standing there in the middle of the room, completely stunned.
What the mother fuck?
I gaped at the bathroom door for a few moments, completely taken aback by what had just happened, then shook myself and hobbled over to the bed and grabbed for the bottle of pills Didyme had given me. I'd known Edward was angry with me all day, but him blowing up on me like that? That scared me more than I cared to admit. It wasn't about him playing everything up for the cameras anymore – it was about him being pissed off and making sure I knew it. I wasn't sure what I'd done wrong (other than going up to the door just minutes before), but whatever it was, it was big. Big enough to make him lose it like he just had and to physically hurt me this morning.
I unscrewed the cap off the bottle of pills, and glanced at the label to see how many tablets I was meant to take. Two? Are you fucking kidding me? I tipped out four of the pills and dry swallowed them, grimacing at the slightly bitter taste they left behind before screwing the cap back on and tossing the bottle from hand to hand nervously.
I could hear the shower running in the bathroom and eyed the door warily as I thought over my options. Barging in there now would be too obvious, but if I did nothing…… I groaned in frustration and ran my hands through my hair, pulling at it angrily. Edward had left me in a bit of a predicament now; The Volturi were bound to have found out about my little slip-up back in the hallway by now and would be watching my every movement even closer than before, and without him here to support me… Damn it, Edward, why did you break cover?
I bit down on my bottom lip and tried to make it look like I was forcing myself not to cry as I straightened up and tried to stand. I doubled over a little, hissing in pain, then sat back down on the bed and glared at my foot. Things were rapidly going downhill for me now, and unless Edward and I could somehow pull it together and act like a couple… I swallowed hard and pushed myself up until I was standing again, swaying slightly on the spot as I got used to the sudden change in position.
I took a few deep breaths to try and calm myself, then slowly started limping towards the bathroom door, taking care to grimace and pause every few steps to ensure my pain was picked up by the cameras. I knew there was a chance Edward would get out of the shower and shut it off before I was able to speak to him, but I couldn't risk moving too fast both for my health and the cover, so the moment I reached the door, I wasted no time in opening it and stepping inside the bathroom.
To my surprise, Edward was standing in front of the sink with a towel wrapped around his waist, staring into the mirror as he braced himself on the edge of the sink while the shower ran full-power in the background. As I pushed the bathroom door shut, his eyes flicked up to mine, the anger in them palpable. I swallowed nervously, then took a few steps forwards, buying myself some time before I'd have to speak.
"So, um…" I frowned, trying not to let my anger show as I continued, "What the hell was that about?"
"What was what about, Isabella?" Edward asked, his voice completely void of emotion.
"You broke cover," I told him, gesturing behind me. "Back there, you… That wasn't… You broke cover. Just like you did this morning."
Edward scoffed and rolled his eyes. "How exactly did I break cover, Isabella?"
"You..." I let out a harsh breath, trying to find the words. "Okay, you know what? I'm just gonna come right out and say this, 'cause you're obviously so wrapped up in your own angry little bubble right now that you can't see things clearly, but um, the whole pinching and grabbing me thing? That was totally uncalled for. And your little display back there? That's put both of us at risk because you broke character, Edward. I don't know what's up with you today, but this morning… This morning we were fine until you went off to the bathroom to do whatever, so… What's changed? What did I do that's pissed you off so much, huh?"
He glared at me through the mirror, then turned round to face me, leaning back against the counter as he spoke. "Isabella, do you know how much pain the average human body can stand before it simply gives out?" I frowned, unsure of where he was going with this. "I didn't think so. The Agency leaves out that kind of stuff, doesn't it? They focus so much on pain management and all that bullshit that you forget what it's like to be a real human being, somebody who actually experiences the full brunt of the pain they get dealt out on a day to day basis. You probably don't even notice you're doing it, but I do, and The Volturi will too. But I guess you've already realized that, huh?"
"What? Edward, that's not-"
"You think I'm the one who broke cover?" he continued, ignoring me once again. "Isabella, if you hadn't been foolish enough to forget to fucking act like you were in absolute agony, I wouldn't have had to have touched you this morning or caused you actual pain. If you hadn't have simply gone around acting like everything was hunky dory, I wouldn't have been called away to see Aro and have to lie to save our asses once again. If you hadn't have decided to play the hero and go 'check out' the weird sounds you heard, James would never have set his sights on you and we wouldn't be in this fucking mess right now."
"You're seriously blaming me for this?" I gaped at him in shock. "Edward, I didn't forget anything. The moment you left, I-"
"Why did Carlisle send you here?" he snapped, glaring at me yet again. "Did he just suddenly remember I was here, or has he simply lost faith in me and decided I need to be wiped out? Is that why you're trying to get us both killed? Are you that fucked up that you decided to come here on a suicide mission and take me down with you?"
"Edward, what-" I began, but he cut me off before I could continue.
"I can't believe I fucking trusted you," he hissed, shaking his head. "I should have just kept my mouth shut when they brought you in."
I gasped, feeling tears well up in my eyes at his words. "Edward, where's all this coming from?"
"Like you don't know," he spat, but the raging fire that seemed to have been consuming him before had all but disappeared and been replaced by… resignation? Something was very, very wrong.
"Edward, I know nothing about you," I replied softly, trying not to dwell on the accusations he'd thrown my way. "Carlisle told me nothing before I came here. It was my choice to come and extract you, and I have a life back home. I have a best friend waiting for me to come back to her, a wonderful home… Why would I throw that all away just to bring you down with me?"
He stared down at the floor, his expression blank.
"Oh, and I didn't forget anything. The moment you were gone, I played up the pain. The only reason I wasn't doing it while you were there was because, as your supposed girlfriend, I was hiding it from you. I'm sorry you didn't seem to grasp that, and I'm sorry for trying to do the decent thing in the hallway, but just because I made a mistake, you don't suddenly have the right to treat me like shit and throw accusations at me. I came here to save your life, and instead of being grateful or showing some appreciation for it, all you've done is give me grief I neither want nor deserve," I told him, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible. "I know this must be a stressful time for you and you have every right to not trust me, but could you at least pretend to have some faith in me?"
He scoffed and shook his head, a bitter smile appearing on his face.
"Edward…" I murmured softly, slowly moving forwards until we were just feet apart. He looked up and gazed into my eyes, his expression intense. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong?" he asked as he took a step forwards. I nodded, swallowing hard, then gasped as he suddenly reached for me and crushed his lips to mine, cradling my face in his hands. I let out a low groan and let my eyes fall shut as his kiss grew more forceful, then stumbled slightly as he turned us both around and started walking us backwards.
I grimaced when I accidentally put too much weight on my foot, but the pain was quickly replaced by something else - not quite pleasure but just as intense - the moment my back hit the bathroom wall and he pinned my wrists up above my head, pressing his body hard against mine.
His lips angrily parted mine as he pushed me harder against the wall, holding both my wrists with one hand as the other reached down and hitched my bad leg up around his hip, allowing him access to grind himself against me. I whimpered into his mouth, pushing my hips forward as his towel began to slip from his waist, then groaned when he pushed himself back from me and dropped my leg back down to the floor.
"That," he said harshly, his gaze fiercely intense. "That is what's wrong, Isabella."
I stood there, dumbstruck, then watched as he turned and walked straight out of the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. I stared at the door for a moment, trying to process everything that had just happened. It was too much to take in at once, so instead of letting myself dwell on the negativity of our encounter, I focused on that last kiss and the desperation and passion behind it. I tried to let that feeling drown out everything else, tried to burn it into my memory, just clinging to the hope that all was not lost, that we could do this.
I pressed my fingers to my still tingling lips and closed my eyes, trying my best to collect myself so I could think clearly again. When I opened my eyes again, I glanced around the room and cursed under my breath when I saw that the shower was still running. I knew the water would probably be stone-cold by now, but quickly stripped off my clothes and carefully limped over to the shower doors and pulled them open.
As predicted, when I stuck my hand under the spray, the water was on the cold side of warm, so I quickly stepped in, making sure my bandaged foot wasn't anywhere near the water, and turned my face into the spray. The shock of the temperature was a welcome one, and I used the moments of clarity it provided to try and bring myself back into the character and into the mindset I needed to be in if I was going to do this job properly. Because that's all this was… A job. Edward had pretty much said so himself – what happened this morning was just a fluke; he did it because he felt he had to. There was nothing more behind it, and that was fine with me – I'd told myself it was just like a one night stand the entire time, after all.
Then why did his words hurt so much? Why was my heart still racing from his kiss?
I slammed my hands against the shower wall in frustration, then quickly turned off the water and shoved open the doors. I couldn't afford to let myself think like that, not anymore. Careful not to trip or put more weight than necessary on my injured foot, I climbed out the shower and grabbed for a towel, quickly drying myself off before limping over to the sink unit and reaching into one of the drawers in search of something to tie my hair back since all the hairbands I'd been given were out in the bedroom.
As I felt around for a band, my fingers brushed against cold plastic, and I frowned before wrapping them around the object and pulling it out the drawer. It was an empty unmarked pill bottle with a post-it note stuck to it.
Edward,
Take two of these if and when you need them. They'll help you, I promise.
I shook the bottle to double check it was empty, then sighed before putting it back and closing the drawer. They'll help him? With what? It was none of my business, and I knew Edward would never tell me what they were even if I asked, so I tried to put them to the back of my mind as I slowly started to walk towards the bathroom door. I had no idea how long I'd been in the shower for, but knew it couldn't have been long, so I moved as slowly as possible, not quite ready to face Edward yet.
Once I reached the door, I hesitated. I'd wasted enough time by now – The Volturi would think I was up to no good if I stayed in here much longer, which left me with no choice. I reached out and grabbed the handle, then counted to three before pulling the door open and stepping into the main bedroom.
Edward was curled up on the bed, facing the wall with the duvet wrapped fully around him, and I could tell by the way his chest was rising and falling that he was asleep, but only barely. Not wanting to wake him up and risk another shouting match, I quietly made my way across to the bags he'd lined up on the floor near the walk-in wardrobe, and smiled when I realized he'd organized them into different categories – clothes, make-up, underwear. I reached into the make up bag and rummaged around for some hairbands, then swept my dampened hair into a loose bun and secured it before glancing over at Edward.
He was still asleep. Good.
I briefly thought about slipping some nightclothes on to cover myself when I got into bed, but quickly decided against it, knowing it would seem suspicious if I was acting all modest all of a sudden. I cringed at the thought of someone like James watching me bend over like this, so quickly straightened up and grimaced when a dull pain shot through my ribs and foot.
Ever since Edward had mentioned my so called inability to experience pain like 'a human being', I'd been growing more and more aware of just how bruised and battered my body truly was, and it was making it difficult to function the way I was used to. Didyme's pills had started to kick in by now, so I knew the pain was probably more psychological than anything, but it still made me feel uneasy. Evidently, Edward's words had hit me harder than I'd thought.
Groaning softly, I limped my way over to the bed and carefully pulled the duvet back from the mattress, pausing for a few moments to check Edward was still asleep before sliding into the bed and covering myself with the duvet. I laid there for a while, staring blankly up at the ceiling, then sighed before rolling onto my side and slipping my arm around Edward's waist as I spooned behind him.
I felt my eyes roll upwards slightly as I pressed myself against him; the warmth his body was radiating was spreading through me like wildfire, and just being this close to him after what had happened in the bathroom was enough to make me shiver. I pressed my cheek against his shoulder and closed my eyes. I rested there for a few moments, simply taking it all in, then opened my eyes again and gently kissed his shoulder blade.
"I'm sorry, Edward," I whispered, then pushed myself tighter against him one last time before slowly rolling over onto my other side and awkwardly shifting away from him, putting what I hoped was the right amount of distance between us.
It was clear to me now that Edward had his demons, just like I had mine, and as I started drifting to sleep under the influence of Didyme's pills, I couldn't help but wonder if it was being alone in here for so long that had brought those demons closer to the surface.
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