Author's notes:
Everyone's off playing with Easter toys and eating chocolate, so I had a bit more time. Here ya go!
“Quit smoking,” she said. “Right now.”
Chapter 54
Bella started putting together her puzzle on the little table in the kitchen while I took a quick shower. The warm spray relaxed the muscles in the backs of my legs, which hadn’t had near enough use lately and were aching after the long trek up the hill to Neuschwanstein.
In the small house, even with the water on I could hear Bella in the kitchen. I heard the refrigerator door open and I thought about when she might be pulling out to eat or drink. Maybe she was thinking about making diner or something. Thoughts of Bella floated around inside of me as I washed, and I felt the constant urge to jerk off.
I resisted the desire, which wasn’t difficult. I never liked doing it on my own in the first place, and now it just seemed…well…even worse. Every time I even considered taking it in my hand, I couldn’t only see images of Bella in my head. As soon as I saw those, thoughts of the basement when she had been kept and what they did with her to train her to my liking pretty much killed the mood.
When I tried to think of other women – either ones I had dated before or even some freaking model or movie star – well…nothing happened. If I wasn’t thinking about Bella, apparently my body wasn’t interested.
I kind of wondered if I’d ever want to fuck anyone again.
Wrapping a towel around my waist, I made the quick jaunt between the bathroom and the bedroom. I could smell something really scrumptious coming from the kitchen, and didn’t want to waste any time figuring out what it was. I pulled some lounge pants on, but didn’t bother with a shirt or anything. It was still pretty warm and humid, though the nights had cooled off a lot. I grabbed a hand towel to rub over my hair, but the rest of me was still pretty wet as I walked back out and into the kitchen.
Bella was stirring something around in a big skillet, and kept adding bits of vegetables and sauce to it. It would crackle and hiss, and she would stir it around some more.
“What are you making?” I asked.
Bella turned slightly and her mouth opened just a bit, but she didn’t say anything. Her eyes widened a bit, and I wondered what could be so shocking about my question. My hair fell all over my forehead – it was really getting way too long – as I stopped trying to dry it and wiped a few drops from my chest instead.
“Pad Thai,” Bella finally said. Her tongue ran over her lips quickly as her eyes dropped, and then she looked back to the pan.
“Cool,” I said. I honestly never considered that you could make something like that outside of an actual Thai restaurant, but she seemed to know what she was doing. Everything she made was fucking awesome. Going back to delivered pizza and Chinese carry out was going to suck.
“This is fucking awesome,” I told her when I slurped up the last of what was on my plate. “Is there more?”
“Well, there are the ingredients for more,” Bella said. “I didn’t cool any more though.”
“Would you?” I asked, trying to give her something like puppy dogs eyes. She laughed at me, which was almost as awesome as the Asian noodle dish.
“I have to pretty much start all over again!” she complained, but she really didn’t seem to be upset.
“Please?” I asked. I leaned closer to her and looked up into her eyes. “Purdy please?”
Bella pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at me. She seemed to be thinking it over. Finally, she spoke.
“All right, but only on one condition.”
“Anything.” Okay – I knew that was a stupid thing to say, but I was going to have to go with it at that point.
“No more cigarettes.”
“What?”
“Quit smoking,” she said. “Right now.”
“No fucking way,” I said. I wasn’t sure if she was being serious or not, but just the very mention of quitting had me jonesing for one.
“No fucking Pad Thai,” she said. She raised her brows at me in challenge.
“None?”
“Nope.”
“Not even a little?” I asked. I pointed over to the stovetop in the kitchen, and when Bella glanced that way I grabbed one of the noodles off her plate. She looked back, catching me as I shoved it into my mouth. She glared at me.
“Not even any more of mine.” She pulled her plate in closer and wrapped her forearms around it protectively.
I sat back and thought about my options. The Pad Thai was freaking awesome, and I did want more. I also knew there was no way I was going to quit smoking – not today at least. Maybe a compromise would work
“What could I get for no more smokes today?” I asked.
“Hmm,” Bella hummed and tapped her finger on her chin. “A small portion, I guess.”
“Deal,” I said with a smirk. At least I was getting something out of this. I still wanted a smoke, though.
I ate my second, smaller helping and watched the sun go down out the patio door. Usually I’d be sitting out there having a cigarette while Bella was doing the dishes or something. I sighed, and decided to help her wash up to keep my mind off of it. She looked a little surprised when I offered to dry. I guess I really hadn’t helped before.
“Sorry,” I said as I took one of the plates and wiped it with a towel. “I haven’t been much help, have I?”
“It’s okay,” she responded.
I wondered if I should say more, but figured that was a mistake, so I kept quiet.
“Did you have chores to do as a kid?” Bella asked.
“No.”
“Did your mom do everything for you?”
I laughed a bit.
“Um…not really,” I said. I shrugged and placed the last plate back in the cabinet and started drying a glass.
“But your dad wasn’t home much, right?”
“Right.”
“Who did it then?”
“Did what?” I asked.
“Things like this.” Bella held up a soap suds covered bowl. “Who washed the dished and vacuumed and cleaned the sinks and stuff?”
I tried to remember my mom doing any of those things, and couldn’t really remember much. I remembered using the same plate lots of times in a row, and I think sometimes she would wash it. I didn’t remember ever seeing a vacuum cleaner. I remembered the trashcan in the kitchen, and how the brown bottles would fall out of it onto the floor and make everything sticky. I looked at Bella and shrugged again.
“I guess my mom did,” I finally said. “Sometimes.”
Bella’s eyes locked with mine, and for the longest time she just stood there with the soapy bowl in her hands and looked at me. She did that sometimes, and I never understood why. I would have questioned her on it, but…well…I tried not to say much. It seemed to be working out pretty well.
Eventually she looked back to her hands and we finished the dishes without any other words. It was weird – but I kind of liked helping her wash them. I’d never really done that before. I had some dishes at my place, but usually used paper. Cups and forks and everything else went in the dishwasher.
That night, I was sitting up in bed with my back against eh headboard and reading a couple emails from Angela. She was asking if my “extended vacation” was going to conclude in time for the meeting with New Moon Technical Resources, or should she have someone else take care of it. I answered that one and a few others as Bella settled into the spot beside me. She propped her pillow up so she was sitting as well.
I looked over to her and gave her a half smile, which she didn’t quite return.
“Edward, can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” I said. I laced the phone down on the nightstand.
“Do you understand what you did to me?”
My chest and throat tightened up, and I couldn’t really breathe correctly. This was not a conversation I wanted to have. There was no way I could possibly say anything that wouldn’t make it all worse, but she had asked, and I felt like I had to answer her.
Honestly was the best policy, right?
Oh, Doofus - what are you going to say to her now?
I love Pad Thai.
