Broken Coda - Chapter One
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The pre-dawn light filtering through my window with deceitful cheer pulled me from my slumber, and immediately I knew this day was going to be a long one. I felt something cold touch the back of my hair and I snuggled deeper into Edward’s embrace, mumbling incoherently to myself.
A beautiful laugh stopped my mumbling and painted a deep blush across my cheeks. “Morning, love,” a velvet voice whispered near my ear. I could smell his breath, and it alone was enough to leave my head spinning.
“Good morning,” I told him, content enough to just stay in his embrace all day long. “How was your night?” I asked, trying to be pleasant. I turned on my back to face him, and wrapped my arms around his neck, smiling up at him eagerly.
He chuckled again, at my expanse no doubt, and I could feel it rumble in his chest. “Someone’s happy,” he surmised, topaz eyes twinkling in amusement.
“Of course,” I answered, placing a quick kiss on his jaw. “You’re here.” I told him simply. Edward’s answering smile was my favorite crooked one and it was a few moments before I could regulate my breathing. His melodic laugh once again filled the air.
“I still dazzle you?” he asked with curious amusement dancing behind his eyes. I blushed, but answered him honestly.
“Always,” I murmured, stroking his cheek with gentle fondness. His eyes softened as his grin widened. He leaned down to touch his marble forehead to my own and offered me a warm smile before dipping his head and closing the remaining inches between us as I wanted.
I lifted my head slightly to get closer to him, but before I could thread my fingers through his bronze hair and pull him closer, he pulled back, smiling. I stifled a noise of protest and a disappointed pout, but he just chuckled. Edward’s marble lips were at my ear, murmuring swiftly and quietly, “Charlie’s coming,” he explained.
Reluctantly I let him go and he slipped from my bed and over to my closet door in a matter of seconds - I would have missed it if I wasn’t so attuned to him. He flashed a dazzling smile before disappearing into the abyss of my closet, the door of which shut just as my bedroom door opened.
Charlie peered hesitantly at me through the crack in the door, and I quickly snapped my gaze away from the closet, hoping I didn’t arouse any suspicions he might have had.
“Bella, honey,” he called quietly, as to not wake me, had I been sleeping. “- Oh! You’re awake,” he seemed surprised, and my eyes drifted towards my alarm clock for the first time that morning. It was only six thirty. I yawned and stretched out my arms convincingly, but in truth I was more wide awake then Charlie knew.
“I just came to wake you,” he informed me, giving me a guilty smile; I assumed he was hungry.
“Oh, no problem dad, I’m up!” I told him, pulling myself from bed and onto my feet. I stumbled slightly once my feet hit the ground, but I managed to regain my balance in time to save myself from an intimate meeting with my floor. I felt my face heat up and I offered Charlie a self-conscious smile.
“Do you want breakfast?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
I could tell he tried to not look too eager at the prospect of an edible morning meal, but his eyes lit up, giving him away. I pretended not to notice. “That’d be great, Bells.” He nodded and turned away, heading down to the kitchen.
I whipped around quickly, but Edward’s arms were already around me before I had the chance to blink.
“Nice catch,” he commented, referring to my earlier stumble. I glared at him half-heartedly, but it was impossible to glare at him seriously when he was looking at me like that. I relented quickly, and chose to wrap my arms around his neck instead. He bent down and I turned my face up to meet him; but I felt his cool, smooth cheek brush mine and his lips stopped by my ear.
“Charlie,” he reminded me. “You shouldn’t keep him waiting.”
I pouted at him for a moment, but Charlie’s voice interrupted before I could voice a protest.
“Bells?” he called from the kitchen, his voice traveling up the stairs and in through my open door. “You coming?”
“Yeah, dad!” I called down to him, lingering in Edward’s embrace for a moment longer. He felt my hesitance and reassured me quickly.
“Go on,” he released me, but not before placing a quick kiss on my waiting lips. “I’ll meet you later.” And then he was gone, and the only sign of his being there was my open window. I stared after him for a long moment before turning away and heading downstairs.
When I entered the kitchen Charlie was sitting at the table with a paper in his lap; half a glass of orange juice sat on the table in front of him. He closed the paper and made to put it down and stand when he noticed me pass by.
“Oh,” he said, sitting down again. “I was just going to go check on you.”
I gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry,” I told him briefly before turning to one of the yellow cabinets and pulling out a skillet. “Eggs sound good?” I asked, already heading to the fridge. Charlie was engrossed in the paper again, but he nodded his assent and I snatched three eggs from the fridge before heading to the stove.
We ate in relative silence, besides the occasional comment on the weather or news, and it was pleasant. I knew Charlie preferred the silence to having to force conversation, and I didn’t blame him - I was the same myself. So the silence was comfortable and breakfast was a quick affair. I grabbed my empty plate and glass from the table and brought it to the sink, before heading back to take Charlie’s as well.
He gave me a small smile of satisfaction as I grabbed his plate. “That was great, Bells, th- ”
I paused, glancing at my father in confusion. He was staring blankly and openly at my left hand, which was gripping his plate and halfway off the table. His hand shot out, grabbing the plate and pulling it back towards him, his face looked angry and I couldn’t fathom a reason why.
I glanced down.
An ultimately wished I hadn’t. No. No, no, no. I thought, appalled. I knew exactly what it was Charlie was gaping at. I glared offensively down at my left hand, as I realized with a jolt that I had not taken Edward’s ring off of my finger - though I hadn’t taken it off since I’d accepted his proposal, I’d never left it in plain sight for Charlie to see, and this wasn’t exactly how I was planning on telling him.
“I, uh, dad -” I began, hoping to placate him.
“Isabella Marie Swan!” Too late, I cringed.
“Yes?” I asked weakly, strictly avoiding his gaze.
He seemed at a loss for words when I looked up at him, so he gestured angrily to the ring sitting innocently enough on my ring finger. “What is the meaning of this?!” he bit out, face red with oncoming rage. I had a sure feeling he knew exactly what it meant.
“It’s uh, it’s a …ring, dad.” I stumbled over the words, trying to avoid his eyes.
“Absolutely not!” He ordered when he could find his voice again. “I forbid it!”
I just gaped at him stupidly for a while before coming to my senses. “You can’t do that!” I spit back, my face mirroring his. “I’m eighteen, dad!” I told him, grasping at straws. “You can’t order me around anymore!” I felt a sense of triumph when he faltered in his come back; he wasn’t sure how to respond to that one.
“You’re making a mistake!” he mumbled, still angry but coming to realize there was nothing he could do about whatever decision I decided to make. He couldn’t rule my life anymore. His face fell slightly once the meaning finally sunk it, but his tone was firm, trying to persuade me to consider my options. “He’s no good for you, Bella!”
My jaw tightened then, my eyes narrowing into a fierce glare. “How would you know, Charlie?!” I snapped. “You never liked Edward! You never even gave him a chance!” My eyes accused him, daring him to say otherwise. He opened his mouth, intent to speak, but hesitated, obviously considering his words before speaking.
“He left you once, Bella.” He whispered, not looking at me. “He could do it again.”
I could hear he instant regret in his tone as he brought it up; it was a painful memory for us both. Charlie had lost his daughter during that time; I wasn’t myself when Edward was gone.
I stared at him resolutely now. My voice was unwavering and confident as I spoke. “You might not believe it, dad,” I lapsed back into daughter-mode, hoping to sway him. “But he left to protect me.” My eyes held his for a long moment, clearing away the skeptical scowl on his face.
“Bells - just think about it,” he argued, dodging my last statement. He stopped and shook his head, reconsidering. “If he does-” my glare had him backtracking, “-did leave you again,” his eyes were full of nothing but genuine concern and I ached to turn away though my body refused to. “How would you cope with that? I don’t think I could bare to see my daughter go through that again.” He shook his head sadly. “I just have this feeling that you wouldn’t survive it; you barely made it last time, we lost you for months!” Charlie continued to ramble to himself, his voice tinged with pain and I felt miserable for being the cause of it.
“Dad,” I began softly, finally bringing my gaze up to meet his “Edward won’t leave again,” I willed him to believe me, he had no idea how impeccably sure of was of this fact. “So, you don’t have to worry.” I sighed heavily, hoping he could find the sense in my words.
“Bella…” His voice trailed off, unsure of where to go from here. His face hardened then. “I’m calling your mother.”
I jumped up then, grabbing his wrist and effectively halting him from reaching the phone. “No!” I cried, eyes wide. “I’ll tell her when I’m ready, dad! I wasn’t planning on this.” I shook my head to show my frustration. “Can’t this wait?”
Seeing my obvious anxiety, he let his arm drop, showing me he wasn’t going to go after the phone the moment I released him. I thanked him silently with my eyes, too overwhelmed with too many emotions to say it aloud at the moment.
“Bella,” he said. I looked up at him; his tone had adopted a stern, fatherly edge now. “I’m not sure I approve of this.” His eyes were pleading with me to understand him. I turned away petulantly, refusing to listen. “I still don’t think he’s as sound as you say he is. I can’t trust that he won’t just get up and leave again.” I opened my mouth to protest, eyes flashing, but he continued before I had the chance. “Think of it from my prospective, Bells,” he told me quietly, knowing his opinion alone would not be enough to sway me. “How do you think I felt, seeing you like that?” he didn’t have to specify, we both knew what he was talking about.
“I don’t approve of it, but I can see that you will do what you want to, no matter what my thoughts might be.” Once he was sure he got his point across, Charlie turned away and walked stiffly into the living room - to watch the game, I assumed. He turned his head to cast me a warning look, “Don’t think you’re off the hook just yet, young lady,” My eyes didn’t miss they way his hand reached out and snatched the phone from its hook before he left, though, and I made to call after him. “I’m calling Billy.” He told me tiredly over his shoulder before disappearing, “We’ll talk about this later.”
I felt my stomach drop at his words, thinking of Jacob - before I realized that Jake already knew about our engagement. My jaw clenched as his howl of anguish when he had learned the truth filled my head again, and I quickly thought of something else, hoping to distract my thoughts from his pain. I remembered Edward had told me he would see me later, and decided now was as good a time as any. I had a lot to discuss with him.
I decided to just meet him at his house, since being nice out as it was, it would be a hassle to have him meet me here, and it would no doubt only worsen things here if Edward to show up. Charlie was never very warm towards my boyfriend to begin with, and I doubted he was feeling very accepting right now.
My decision made, I ran upstairs to get my keys and left a note for Charlie on the table, just in case. I felt a little less anxious once I was safely inside my truck, the defending roar of its engine cutting through my sullen thoughts. I breathed a heavy sigh and pulled out of the driveway, heading down a road I knew only too well.
I pulled into the hidden drive at the Cullens’ house and Edward was at my side and had opened my door before I could even turn the key to shut off the ignition. He just offered me my favorite crooked smile before pulling me from the truck, turning the key and taking it with us. He put me down once we were at the door, and I clung to his side, finally at ease.
“How are you, love?” he asked me warmly.
I turned my head to look up at him. “I could be better.” I answered truthfully, fighting to keep the negative emotions from my voice. He picked up on the tone in my voice nonetheless, however.
“Did something happen with Charlie?” he asked, a touch of concern in his velvet voice.
I considered dodging his question with one of my own; I wanted to go to our meadow, but after a moment of consideration, I realized I’d rather not taint the beautiful memories there with my bitter mood. I nodded slowly.
“Do you want to talk about it?” his voice was light, the question almost hesitant.
Again I nodded, and before I could blink Edward was placing me back on the ground on the bank of the river behind the house; I hadn’t even registered that he had picked me up again. I just smiled at him and settled comfortably in the grass, my eyes trained on the river for a few moments, before I turned back to Edward. He pulled me against his side, and I tucked my head in between his shoulder and his neck, inhaling his familiar scent with a content sigh.
We sat in companionable silence for a while, reveling in each other’s company. Minutes, hours, days; I was content to stay here with him like this for eternity. My eyes were glued to the body beside me, marveling in the way the rare sunlight reflected off his skin, throwing a prism of light into the still, relatively warm air. I had only seen Edward in the sunlight once before, and the shimmer of his alabaster skin in the sunlight still perplexed me and I found myself studying his face intently, looking for diamonds set in his skin or some other clue that would offer an explanation.
I found nothing, and by the time I was done marveling the impossibly flawless marble plane of his face, he was looking down at me in interest; topaz eyes alight with curiosity.
“What are you thinking?” he murmured; stroking my cheek with one icy hand. His touch was gentle and affectionate and I found myself leaning into it unconsciously. I grinned up at him impishly.
“I’m still looking for the hidden diamonds in your skin.” I told him. One of my own hands reached out to him, mirroring his touch on my face with the same gentle fondness. His lips lifted into an amused smile at my words, but his eyes remained soft under my touch. My fingers absent mindedly traced his lips and he kissed them tenderly. I felt my face redden but I refused to duck my head into the crevice of his shoulder.
“What happened between you and Charlie?” he asked after a long moment. His sweet breath fanned across my cheeks as he spoke, and I simply sat there staring dumbly for a moment before gathering my wits and responding.
“Oh,” I answered, shyly ducking my head. I had forgotten about that. Edward was exceptionally good at distractions. I told him as much; his answering laugh was melodic.
“Go on,” he encouraged softly.
I brought my left hand up to his face, leaving his ring in plain view; his ocher eyes flashed with realization but he patiently waited for me to answer.
“Charlie saw the ring when I was clearing away his plate.” I explained. “We got into an argument,” my eyes hardened, expressing my obvious annoyance at my father’s opinions on my fiancé.
Edward picked up on the tone of voice. “He doesn’t approve.” He said simply, velvet voice unmarred by any of the negative emotions I was feeling. It was amazing how courteous Edward was towards my father.
“He doesn’t deserve it,” I mumbled aloud.
Edward blinked, perplexed. “Who?”
“Charlie,” I clarified “you’re so courteous to him, he doesn’t deserve it.”
He chuckled lightly, brushing the back of his hand along my cheek. “Perhaps not,” he mused. He shook his head after a moment. “So he’s seen the ring?” the question seemed to be a rhetorical one, so I didn’t answer him. He looked at me and his ocher eyes were sparkling in the sunlight, as glorious as the rest of him. “At least he knows now, though.” He paused and a frown dominated the expression on his face.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized suddenly. I gave him a confused glance, and he quickly amended “I should have reminded you the ring was on your finger before I left, I didn’t think it would cause a rift; and that certainly wasn’t my intention.” I just placed a finger against his lips to still them, already shaking my head before he had finished speaking.
“It’s alright,” I told him earnestly. “As you said: at least it’s over and done with now.” I grimaced though, remembering my father’s parting words this morning: “We’ll talk about this later.” A heavy sigh escaped my lips before I had the chance to stifle it and Edward, observant as ever, gave me a curious look.
I faltered for a moment. “It’s just that - ” I stumbled over the words. “He seemed angry.” My voice was muffled by his granite shoulder and I felt Edward take a breath - an unnecessary but habitual trait.
“You are welcome to stay here for a few days,” he told me, his protective arms wrapping around me and holding me to him tightly. “The family would love that. And perhaps it will give Charlie a chance to calm down and warm up to the idea. I can have Alice pick up your stuff, if you’d like. Maybe she could talk to him?” I found myself nodding. Perhaps Alice would get through to Charlie; he always did have a soft spot for her.
“That would be perfect.” I told him happily.
Edward just smiled - I could feel the muscles in his neck tighten with the motion, and pressed a kiss into my hair. “Would you like to go back, now?” he asked calmly.
I removed myself from his embrace enough to get to my feet, and realized with a shock that it was starting to get dark. How long had we been here? Time seemed to pass unnaturally quickly with Edward beside me, but the moments were never wasted if he was there. I stretched my cramped leg muscles by walking stiffly around the clearing for a few moments, before walking back to Edward’s side. I could hear the gentle, calming babble of the brook a few feet away us. It was a soothing, constant sound that had, for the past couple of hours faded neatly into the background, and was now just resurfacing.
I turned back to Edward, who held his arms out patiently. I fell into them without a protest, and let him carry me swiftly, and effectively, back to the house.
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