here is the long awaited chapter 17!!!
im so sorry it took so long, i have had sooo much work, but i didn't want to rush it. i really hope you enjoy it, please comment!
“Maybe,” she said after a second of thought. “If you tell me.”
I tried to decide the best way to describe what I was doing. I didn’t really want to give her too many details.
“I was...” I weighed the word before I spoke it. “Hunting.” The word seemed appropriate.
I hoped she would leave it at that, but at the same time I knew she wouldn’t.
“Is that the best you can do?” she demanded critically. “That definitely doesn’t prove I’m awake.”
She was so absurd.
I hesitated before speaking slowly, choosing each word with care. How to word it just right...
“I wasn’t hunting for food... I was actually trying my hand at...tracking.” I said, watching the reaction on her face. “I’m not very good at it.” I finished, still watching her expression as it changed quickly to fascination with a burning curiosity visible in her eyes. She was still the same, insatiably curious about anything she didn’t know, any unsolved mystery.
“What were you tracking?” she asked, intrigued.
I didn’t want to deny her the answer, but I would rather leave her ignorant about some things. Victoria was one of them.
“Nothing of consequence.” I tried to seem light and casual, but my mask slipped, she must have seen how uncomfortable I was.
“I don’t understand.” She said quietly, gazing up at me. Her chocolate brown eyes melted and my resolve melted with them. I hesitated, torn.
“I—” I took a deep, unnecessary breath to calm myself. I didn’t want to be having this conversation now, it would do nothing but shorten our time together. But I needed her to know.
“I owe you an apology.” I began but it wasn’t enough. “No, of course I owe you much, much more than that. But you have to know,” the words started moving faster with my agitation and I had to work to keep slow enough for her to understand. “that I had no idea. I didn’t realize the mess I was leaving behind. I thought it was safe for you here. So safe. I had no idea that Victoria-” the anger overflowed my carefully laid barrier and my lips curled back over my teeth. “would come back. I’ll admit, when I saw her that one time, I was paying much more attention to James’s thoughts. But I just didn’t see that she had this kind of response in her. That she even had such a tie to him. I think I realise why now—she was so sure of him, the thought of him failing never occurred to her. It was her overconfidence that clouded her feelings about him—that kept me from seeing the depth of them, the bond there.” I stopped for less than a second, unnoticeable to Bella. Even though I had thought this all through before she woke, exactly what I was going to say, it was still hard.
“Not that there’s any excuse for what I left you to face. When I heard what you told Alice—what she saw herself—when I realized that you had put your life in the hands of werewolves, immature, volatile, the worst thing out there besides Victoria herself-- ” I shuddered at this sentence. Werewolves. I was surprised she hadn’t been seriously hurt. “Please know that I had no idea of any of this. I feel sick, sick to my core, even now, when I can see and feel you safe in my arms.” Even when I could feel the heat from her body, and smell her luscious scent. “I am the most miserable excuse for--”
“Stop.” She interrupted me. She looked like she was struggling with some internal dilemma. Was this the part where she would tell me she had moved on?
I watched as her face became blank, the emotion wiped clean. She couldn’t disguise her eyes as well.
“Edward.” She started. I knew that as soon as she confirmed she had moved on, my chest would open up again, worse than before. Even though I was dreading her next words, hearing her say my name, still brought me pleasure. The way her lips moved when she spoke it...
“This has to stop now.” She said, seriously. Pain rippled through me, but I held onto my composure.
“You can’t think about things that way. You can’t let this... this guilt--” she paused again. My mind got stuck. That wasn’t what I had been expecting. She thought I was only guilty?
“-rule your life. You can’t take responsibility for things that happen to me here. None of it is your fault, it’s just how life is for me. So, If I trip in front of a bus or whatever next time, you have to realize that it’s not your job to take the blame. You can’t just go running off to Italy because you feel bad that you didn’t save me.” Her words became quicker in her agitation. “Even if I had jumped off that cliff to die, that would have been my choice, and not your fault. I know it’s your...” she struggled for a word. “... your nature to shoulder the blame for everything, but you really can’t let that make you go to such extremes.” Her was rising slowly, but she wasn’t finished. “It’s very irresponsible.” She added. “Think of Esme and Carlisle and—” she stopped to take a deep breath, and I managed to get my brain moving again. She hadn’t moved on. This thought filled me with relief and happiness. She still loved me. It was so hard to believe. But she still thought I didn’t love her. She thought I only felt guilty. She didn’t know, didn’t realize, that I could never not love her. It was impossible.
She didn’t think I loved her. How could she even think that?
“Isabella Marie Swan.” I whispered, unable to keep the anger off my face. “Do you believe that I asked the Volturi to kill me because I felt guilty?”
Incomprehension flittered across her face. “Didn’t you?” She asked in a small voice.
“Feel guilty?” What a silly question. “Intensely so. More than you can comprehend.”
“Then... What are you saying?” confusion crossed her features. “I don’t understand.” She admitted.
Of course she didn’t understand. If she didn’t know I loved her, how could she possibly comprehend what I was saying?
“Bella,” I spoke her name with adoration. “I went to the Volturi because I thought you were dead,” I spoke softly, but still burning with passion. “Even if I’d had no hand in your death--” I shuddered, unable to say the last word with same volume as before. “even if it wasn’t my fault, I would have gone to Italy. Obviously, I should have been more careful—I should have spoken to Alice directly, rather than accepting it second hand from Rosalie. But, really, what was I supposed to think when the boy said Charlie was at the funeral? What are the odds? The odds...” my voice trailed off. The odds. It was almost like the world was against us. “The odds are always stacked against us. Mistake after mistake. I’ll never criticise Romeo again.” I spoke quietly, unsure if I actually wanted her to hear me.
“But I still don’t understand,” she said whispering. “That’s my whole point. So what?”
Her words shocked me. Had I heard correctly?
“Excuse me?” I demanded.
“So what if I was dead?” she demanded back.
I stared at her, incredulous. How can she not realize I loved her?
“Don’t you remember anything I told you before?”
“I remember everything that you told me.” She claimed, completely confident.
i hope you like it :)
please comment!!
im so sorry it took so long, i have had sooo much work, but i didn't want to rush it. i really hope you enjoy it, please comment!
“Maybe,” she said after a second of thought. “If you tell me.”
I tried to decide the best way to describe what I was doing. I didn’t really want to give her too many details.
“I was...” I weighed the word before I spoke it. “Hunting.” The word seemed appropriate.
I hoped she would leave it at that, but at the same time I knew she wouldn’t.
“Is that the best you can do?” she demanded critically. “That definitely doesn’t prove I’m awake.”
She was so absurd.
I hesitated before speaking slowly, choosing each word with care. How to word it just right...
“I wasn’t hunting for food... I was actually trying my hand at...tracking.” I said, watching the reaction on her face. “I’m not very good at it.” I finished, still watching her expression as it changed quickly to fascination with a burning curiosity visible in her eyes. She was still the same, insatiably curious about anything she didn’t know, any unsolved mystery.
“What were you tracking?” she asked, intrigued.
I didn’t want to deny her the answer, but I would rather leave her ignorant about some things. Victoria was one of them.
“Nothing of consequence.” I tried to seem light and casual, but my mask slipped, she must have seen how uncomfortable I was.
“I don’t understand.” She said quietly, gazing up at me. Her chocolate brown eyes melted and my resolve melted with them. I hesitated, torn.
“I—” I took a deep, unnecessary breath to calm myself. I didn’t want to be having this conversation now, it would do nothing but shorten our time together. But I needed her to know.
“I owe you an apology.” I began but it wasn’t enough. “No, of course I owe you much, much more than that. But you have to know,” the words started moving faster with my agitation and I had to work to keep slow enough for her to understand. “that I had no idea. I didn’t realize the mess I was leaving behind. I thought it was safe for you here. So safe. I had no idea that Victoria-” the anger overflowed my carefully laid barrier and my lips curled back over my teeth. “would come back. I’ll admit, when I saw her that one time, I was paying much more attention to James’s thoughts. But I just didn’t see that she had this kind of response in her. That she even had such a tie to him. I think I realise why now—she was so sure of him, the thought of him failing never occurred to her. It was her overconfidence that clouded her feelings about him—that kept me from seeing the depth of them, the bond there.” I stopped for less than a second, unnoticeable to Bella. Even though I had thought this all through before she woke, exactly what I was going to say, it was still hard.
“Not that there’s any excuse for what I left you to face. When I heard what you told Alice—what she saw herself—when I realized that you had put your life in the hands of werewolves, immature, volatile, the worst thing out there besides Victoria herself-- ” I shuddered at this sentence. Werewolves. I was surprised she hadn’t been seriously hurt. “Please know that I had no idea of any of this. I feel sick, sick to my core, even now, when I can see and feel you safe in my arms.” Even when I could feel the heat from her body, and smell her luscious scent. “I am the most miserable excuse for--”
“Stop.” She interrupted me. She looked like she was struggling with some internal dilemma. Was this the part where she would tell me she had moved on?
I watched as her face became blank, the emotion wiped clean. She couldn’t disguise her eyes as well.
“Edward.” She started. I knew that as soon as she confirmed she had moved on, my chest would open up again, worse than before. Even though I was dreading her next words, hearing her say my name, still brought me pleasure. The way her lips moved when she spoke it...
“This has to stop now.” She said, seriously. Pain rippled through me, but I held onto my composure.
“You can’t think about things that way. You can’t let this... this guilt--” she paused again. My mind got stuck. That wasn’t what I had been expecting. She thought I was only guilty?
“-rule your life. You can’t take responsibility for things that happen to me here. None of it is your fault, it’s just how life is for me. So, If I trip in front of a bus or whatever next time, you have to realize that it’s not your job to take the blame. You can’t just go running off to Italy because you feel bad that you didn’t save me.” Her words became quicker in her agitation. “Even if I had jumped off that cliff to die, that would have been my choice, and not your fault. I know it’s your...” she struggled for a word. “... your nature to shoulder the blame for everything, but you really can’t let that make you go to such extremes.” Her was rising slowly, but she wasn’t finished. “It’s very irresponsible.” She added. “Think of Esme and Carlisle and—” she stopped to take a deep breath, and I managed to get my brain moving again. She hadn’t moved on. This thought filled me with relief and happiness. She still loved me. It was so hard to believe. But she still thought I didn’t love her. She thought I only felt guilty. She didn’t know, didn’t realize, that I could never not love her. It was impossible.
She didn’t think I loved her. How could she even think that?
“Isabella Marie Swan.” I whispered, unable to keep the anger off my face. “Do you believe that I asked the Volturi to kill me because I felt guilty?”
Incomprehension flittered across her face. “Didn’t you?” She asked in a small voice.
“Feel guilty?” What a silly question. “Intensely so. More than you can comprehend.”
“Then... What are you saying?” confusion crossed her features. “I don’t understand.” She admitted.
Of course she didn’t understand. If she didn’t know I loved her, how could she possibly comprehend what I was saying?
“Bella,” I spoke her name with adoration. “I went to the Volturi because I thought you were dead,” I spoke softly, but still burning with passion. “Even if I’d had no hand in your death--” I shuddered, unable to say the last word with same volume as before. “even if it wasn’t my fault, I would have gone to Italy. Obviously, I should have been more careful—I should have spoken to Alice directly, rather than accepting it second hand from Rosalie. But, really, what was I supposed to think when the boy said Charlie was at the funeral? What are the odds? The odds...” my voice trailed off. The odds. It was almost like the world was against us. “The odds are always stacked against us. Mistake after mistake. I’ll never criticise Romeo again.” I spoke quietly, unsure if I actually wanted her to hear me.
“But I still don’t understand,” she said whispering. “That’s my whole point. So what?”
Her words shocked me. Had I heard correctly?
“Excuse me?” I demanded.
“So what if I was dead?” she demanded back.
I stared at her, incredulous. How can she not realize I loved her?
“Don’t you remember anything I told you before?”
“I remember everything that you told me.” She claimed, completely confident.
i hope you like it :)
please comment!!