Chapter 16: Dissent
Dessent: A form of misconduct consisting of protesting a call by any of the officials, punishable by a yellow card.
Last time on Evening the Score:
“Don’t I know you?” He finally questions.
“Um, I don’t think so...” I lie, keeping my head down. He’s not buying it. The rest of the players are already inside the locker room, but he guides me out the door, until they’re no longer in earshot. This is going to suck.
“Bella, is that you?” He asks in a whisper, confused.
I guess I better get this over with. I slowly lift my eyes to meet his. I figure I can cover my tracks if I play this right. Who knows, he might end up coming in handy.
“Hi, Emmett.”
~*~*~*~EtS~*~*~*~
“What the hell are you doing here...dressed like that?” Emmett asks in what I like to call a whisper-yell. He doesn’t look angry...yet. Just slightly baffled at my presence and physical appearance.
“Shhhh! Would you lower your voice? I’m trying to work here!” I respond, whisper-yelling back.
“What do you mean you’re trying to work here? I doubt you’re on the RB’s payroll, so what, you’re undercover now? Does Edward know about this?”
“Settle down! And for the last time, lower your friggin’ voice! I’ll explain everything to you but I can’t do that right now. I’m supposed to meet the PT staff in the lunchroom and I don’t want people getting suspicious. And no, Edward doesn’t know about this, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tattle on me.”
“Tattle? What are we, five? Bella, I don’t feel comfortable keeping this from Edward. He’s my buddy, you know? We’ve been through a lot together, and I know you don’t want to screw up a good thing with him. He’s really a changed guy ever since he met you...do you really wanna fuck that up?” He pleads. I didn’t know Emmett was so sensitive.
“I know I know, trust me. But I’m doing this for him...Emmett I’m like this close to finding out who sabotaged him...if I could only...”
“Wait. You’re not trying to get a story out of this, are you?” He asks, shocked at the possibility.
“NO NO! Of course not. This stopped being about a story a long time ago, Emmett. Trust me.” I sigh, exasperated.
“Look, I will tell Edward...”
“When?” He asks pointedly.
I stare blankly at Emmett, realizing he really does care about his friend, and any doubts or suspicions that he might be the one responsible for this flies out the window at this very moment. So I respond truthfully, resigned to laying it all out there.
“I’ll tell him tonight. OH! You and Rosie should come too...I’ll make it a nice dinner date at my place. I was already planning on having Edward over, and it will make everything much more pleasant.”
“You mean Edward will be less likely to kill you in front of witnesses?” He asks with a knowing grin.
“Ha ha. Ok, fine. Yes, he’ll be less likely to blow up if you guys are there as buffers. So how about it?” I ask. As Emmett’s about to respond, we hear players approach the doors, talking loudly, and I do the first thing that comes to mind to keep my cover.
“Oh, I see what you mean, Mr. McCarty. There seems to be just a slight bit of swelling on your right knee,” I explain as I bend down and assess the ‘ailing’ knee. “Nothing a little Icy-Hot and exercises won’t cure. Come see me after lunch, I’ll get you started.” The players take short glances and see nothing out of the ordinary as they walk away down the hall. Emmett has that confused look again, but quickly recovers.
“Um, yeah, ok. That was weird. How do you plan on faking the PT thing? You don’t have any experience doing this shit.”
“I’ll have you know I paid attention during all those summer soccer clinics Phil put me through. I saw the PT’s work all the time, I know more than you think.” I give him a sly grin, retreating towards the lunchroom. Before I exit I remember my plan. “Don’t forget, bring Rosie tonight around seven. I’ll text her now and speak with Edward, so he’s not surprised to see you two.”
“Yeah yeah yeah...do what you gotta do...I won’t be held responsible for the repercussions.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence Emmett. Oh, and by the way...You’re a good friend to worry so much about him. We’re on the same team, you know.”
He smiles in silent confirmation, waving me off and heading back into the locker room.
After a very uneventful lunch, where I’m introduced to probably every single person on the medical staff, I am ushered back to the therapy room to get acclimated to all the equipment. The day continues on, and I manage to get Rosie on board with dinner tonight, and send Edward a quick text as well.
Dinner tonite at my place? We’re having company, I hope u don’t mind. -B
Sure, but do we have to? I was hoping to have you all to myself. There’s something I wanted to discuss. -E
Discuss? Hmm...What could he possibly want to talk about? Oh no. He can’t know already. Did he recognize me earlier with the whole bottled-water incident? Shit!
Oh? Well, We’ll have the rest of the evening. You’re not planning on going anywhere after they leave right? -B
Who’s they? -E
Just Rosie & Emmett. Pretty casual. Would Jasper and Alice want in? -B
Nah. They’ve got plans, spoke to him earlier...they won’t come up for air for a while, I bet. -E
You’re telling me. Anyone who gives Alice free reign to play dress-up is a catch for her. -B
Well, let me finish up here. Drills are killing me today...I may need some TLC later ;) -E
Oh, really? I’ll keep that in mind. 7pm...don’t be late ;) -B
ok...Love you. -E
I smile. I never get tired of it. I just hope he doesn’t kill me tonight.
I love you too. So much. -B
~*~*~*~EtS~*~*~*~
After making a pit stop at the grocery store for some last minute stuff for tonight, I head home and quickly prepare a basic dinner: a simple salad with some chicken and brown rice for an entree. I open a bottle of white wine that’s been chilling in the fridge all day and pour myself a glass. Tonight will require quite a bit of liquid courage, so I might as well get a head start.
Two hours later, I hear the familiar clank of keys and a very disheveled Edward appears, complete with dirty soccer shorts and tee shirt. He’s never looked sexier.
“Hey, baby.” He murmurs, clearly exhausted from the day’s practice.
“Hey. You look tired. I’m sorry, you should’ve just called me and gone home to rest, I would’ve understood.” My tone is forgiving, masking the tiny hope that he might take me up on that and just head home, therefore relieving me of my confession tonight. But no dice.
“Nah, I’d be useless home alone, and I’d miss you too much. But if you don’t mind I’m just going to slip in the shower real quick before Em and Rose show up. You need anything before I go?”
“Just a kiss,” I say as he smiles and leans forward, kissing me briefly but with a surge of heat: promises of what’s to come later, perhaps? I certainly hope so. Especially if he gets mad and I’m able to talk him down for some more make-up sex. Yes. That would be fantastic.
I’m yanked out of my reverie when Edward lightly spanks my ass, earning him a high-pitched yelp. His chuckles travel down the hall as he goes for that shower and I’m left contemplating how the rest of the evening is going to go.
Before I can talk myself out of the big reveal, there’s a knock at the door. I almost skip towards the door, relieved to find Rosie and Emmett, my saviors and human shields.
“Oh, I’m so glad you’re here!” I say as I lunge forward and give Rosie a huge hug. She leans back to look at me as if I’ve grown another head. I dismiss her actions and give Emmett a hug as well, when he murmurs in my ear, “I told Rosie. Did you tell Edward already?”
I look at both of them, Rosie looks a bit pissed. With good reason. I really didn’t tell her what I was doing.
“Hell no! I’m not telling him without backup. That’s why you’re here. And Rose, I know you’re pissed, and I’m sorry. I’m sure you understand why I’m doing this? I just...look, I have no other choice. I don’t want Edward working there with this stupid shit hanging over his head like a rain cloud. I don’t want him to feel like he has to watch his back and wonder if his teammates or someone high on the food chain wants to ruin him, for whatever reason. I have a lot of new information just from my first day there and from my talk with Garrett...”
Just then Rose chimes in. “Wait, what? Who? You spoke to Garrett? That’s your techie guy, right? What did he do for you? What did he find out? And by the way, yeah I’m a little pissed you didn’t confide in me and tell me what was going on. I would’ve done what I can. But what’s done is done, and now we have to do some damage control. What do you know?”
As I lead them into the kitchen and retrieve their drinks, I’m content to know that Rosie doesn’t hate me, and that I have their support. I’m so going to need it.
“I’ll get into it a little more when we finally get Edward in the loop, but I did find out there’s someone on the roster who’s related to Alec. And that just plain doesn’t sit well with me.”
“Hawkins? That fucker! Are you serious? I always knew that douche had it out for Edward, but do you think he’d go to all this trouble?” Emmett asks, bewildered.
Just as I open my mouth to respond, Edward saunters out into the kitchen, freshly showered and oh, so hot. He’s wearing a black button-down shirt, untucked, with sleeves folded up to his forearms. His jeans are dark and frayed on the bottom, his black Adidas shoes finishing the look. Actually, no. What finishes the look is his still half wet hair, causing it to look darker than normal. He’s sex on legs, and he’s mine. Hopefully will still be mine after tonight. I hope.
After the boys exchange the regular manly half-hug-slash-loud-pat-on-the-back, we convene at the dinner table where everything’s already set up. Rose and Em continue to give me knowing, questioning glances. There’s no way I’m bringing it up while we’re eating. This is conversation for after dinner. So, we talk small talk. The boys talk shop and Rose and I chat about work as well. It’s awkward, and I can see that Edward senses the tension in the air because he gives me confused glances, narrowing his eyes as if trying to figure out a really difficult puzzle. I play it off and smile, giving him the occasional kiss to ease his insecurities.
The moment of truth comes way too quickly as coffee is served and all of us move to the living room. Edward’s had enough.
“So, do you guys want to tell me why you’re all acting so weird?”
Em’s the first to respond. “It’s nothing, dude. It’s just that there are some things we need to discuss about your whole testing re-testing thing. Actually, Bella would be the one who has something to discuss. Bella?”
I want to kill Emmett. I’m sure I can make it look like an accident. Garrett can help me. I’m sure.
Edward looks to me with a confused expression, and I guess now is a good a time as any to present myself to the firing squad.
“Um. Yeah. Okay, I guess I have a couple of things I want to say. Um...Baby, do you remember anything strange happening today at practice? Did you see anyone who was new, or looked kind of out of place at all?”
“Yeah, I saw a couple of teenage rookies that had no business playing on a pro team. Did you see them today, Em? What the hell are the coaches thinking bringing them on?” Edward turns toward Em, engaging him in more shop talk. That’s fine...Engage away, Edward...We’ll just talk about this some other time...
“No, dude. I mean, yeah I saw them...total shit. But no, that’s not what Bella’s talking about,” says Emmett.
Edward once again turns towards me, wondering where we’re going with this, I’m sure.
“Sweetie, besides the players, did you notice someone in the locker room? A woman?” I ask, my voice going up in range.
Edward takes a moment to think; I can almost see the wheels and gears moving in his head as he puts two and two together. For a moment, I think he has. Then suddenly...
“There was a woman...I guess she was a new PT or something...I couldn’t reach the fridge...I asked for water...but she acted strangely, sounded funny...wait...”
Here it comes.
“Wait...it was you...SHIT...it was you, wasn’t it?” He’s figured it out and now I can see that little vein on his forehead popping out and pulsating. This is not good.
DIFUSE! DIFUSE! I look over to Em and Rose...Um, guys, do you mind coming to my rescue now? Thanks.
“Edward, yeah, ok...it was her, but just let her explain, alright? She’s got a perfectly good explanation. Don’t you, Bella?” Emmett tries to calm his friend, and then looks at me apologetically.
“Bella, what the hell! I told you to stay away from this! I don’t want you involved! What the hell were you doing there?”
OK, Swan, think fast.
“I know, and I’m sorry. Really, I am. And I knew you’d be upset with me, but listen to me, baby...” I try to turn towards him on the couch, reaching to take his hands in mine, but he quickly jerks them away from me. I’m heartbroken. This is not going well.
“Okay, no touching. I get it. You’re pissed. But listen to me. I had to. I did a little snooping on my own and what I found couldn’t go unnoticed. There are several new employees on the roster...one of them by the last name Hawkins. Ring any bells?”
For a moment, Edward’s anger ebbs, and it suddenly dawns on him. “Alec? He’s here?” He’s in shock.
“No. Someone by the name of James Hawkins. His next-of-kin, according to the paperwork. I think he’s a cousin or something. I couldn’t let it go, Edward. Something is very wrong here, and I have to find out what it is.”
Edward finally calms down and just stares first at me, then at Em. “Shit. Dude, do you think he’s capable of something like this?”
Emmett shrugs his shoulders. “You know, thinking about it now, he’s got enough motive. You took two things he wanted badly: a spot on the team, and Bella. And we all know he has a short fuse. What I don’t get is why he’d go to all the trouble. This guy’s a bit mental, if you ask me.”
Rose finally opens her mouth to say something. “After meeting him, I agree he’s got some major issues with rejection. I can totally see him paying someone off to fuck around with you, Edward. We just have to figure out how to expose him without making it seem like Bella has some kind of vendetta...you know...trying to restore her love’s reputation and all that.” She rolls her eyes and I want to punch her, and I want to hug her all at the same time.
“No, absolutely not. I can’t have Bella expose this herself. It will ruin any chance she has at advancing her career, or be taken seriously. I can’t let that happen. Bella, why didn’t you just tell me what you were going to do before doing it?” He asks exasperatedly.
“I couldn’t. Everything happened so fast, I had to act on it. I wanted to tell you, but I knew how you’d react, too. You’d want me to stay out of it, and you’d have that looming over you for the rest of your career, and I just couldn’t let that happen. Something, call it journalist’s instinct, told me something was not right. I need you to trust me on this, Edward. I’ll find away to keep myself clean and out of the way when it’s all over...”
“And I’ll help.” Rose interjected. I smiled appreciatively at her. “I’m sure Bella and I can come up with some solution that will make everyone happy. In the meantime, best to help Bella out and let her do this. If you see her tomorrow, just go along with it and do your thing. We need evidence if we’re going to expose this shithead.”
I love my friends.
Edward finally sinks into the couch, and I risk another go at taking his hand in mine. This time he doesn’t flinch and pulls me toward him into a deep hug. I let out a huge sigh of relief before he leans back to look into my eyes. What he says next nearly turns me into a puddle of goo.
“I don’t ever want you to think you can’t come and talk to me about anything. We’ve always been open and honest with each other, and I need to know without a shadow of a doubt that my girlfriend won’t keep anything from me. You have to trust me, baby. And I thank you... so so much for doing this for me. No one’s ever put themselves out there for me. Ever. And to know that you did it so willingly, without considering how damaging this could be for you...I just...I don’t have words.” Oh my God, he’s emotional. Like I can see the tears pooling in his eyes.
I love him. I love him. I love him.
“Baby, I would do it over and over again if it meant clearing your name and letting you do the thing you love the most.” I say, tracing my fingers along his jawline, finally reaching to grab the hair at the nape of his neck. He kisses me soundly, and I forget where I am.
Someone clears their throat, breaking us out of our bubble. Our friends are awkwardly looking away as we make out, so we put them out of their misery and separate. It’s too late, though, because Rosie and Em decide to head home a little early.
We walk them out and exchange heartfelt hugs and promises to work together on the plan to expose Edward’s nemesis. I’m thinking the evening turned out better than I’d hoped until Edward reminds me of another reason i was fearing this evening.
“So, I wanted to talk to you about something. Something important.” He says, guiding us hand-in-hand to the couch. He sits me on his lap and nuzzles my neck. Ok, so far so good.
“Sure. What did you want to talk about?”
“Are you happy?” He asks, suddenly.
I’m taken aback. I don’t really know where he’s going with this, but I answer truthfully.
“Yes, of course I’m happy. Why shouldn’t I be?”
“No, no reason. I was just thinking how happy both of us have been since I arrived in the city. And while I’m perfectly ok with doing what we’re doing...you know, the sleeping over each other’s houses and what not...”
Oh, God.
Is he suggesting...
“I was just thinking how much better it would be just for both of us to live in one place...you know...together.” He eyes me nervously, waiting for my reaction.
He just asked me to move in together.
“Um...”
“I mean, I know this is kind of fast, and we haven’t been serious for that long, but...I can’t be away from you anymore. I want to come home to you. I want you in my bed every night, I want your clothes in my closet, I want your knick knacks and books and shit on my shelves...Our shelves, our closet, our bed, our home. I want that. I want that with you. I’ve never wanted that with anyone, but I want it with you...badly.” He finishes his speech, looking triumphant that he was able to get it all out of his system.
I don’t realize that it’s my turn to talk until I see Edward frown and start to lift me away from him to sit me next to him on the sofa. He must think I’m rejecting him. Oh no.
“No...Edward, just stop,” I say, halting his movements. I hang on to him for dear life. His eyes are deep and intense, with a hint of sadness that I can’t stand to see...to know I’ve put it there.
“Just, give me a minute. You’ve kind of sprung this on me out of nowhere. You must’ve been thinking about this for a while, knowing you.” He nods slowly, but says nothing.
“I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you want me to move in with you, and I’d like nothing more than to fast forward the next few months so we can just move on to the next obvious step, because believe me...I want that too. But you’re right, it’s a little too fast for me.” I sigh. I can already see the rejection play on his face and I immediately try to quell the anxiety he’s probably feeling. I grab both sides of his face so that he can look at me when I tell him how I feel.
“It’s not a ‘no,’ it’s more like a ‘not yet.’ Please, believe me. That picture that you painted a few minutes ago, I can see it, I can feel it, and I love the idea. But, baby, there’s still so much we don’t know about each other. You just arrived the other day, practically. We’re just now starting to get into a groove we can handle.” I can see he’s starting to understand, his expression softening. “Believe me, it’s going in that direction. I love you more than anything. And I’ve never been so sure of something in my entire life. Just...trust us.”
He’s silent for a moment, the words seeping in slowly. Finally, he speaks with a faint smile playing on his mouth. “Okay. I get it. I’ll accept a ‘not yet.’ But can you do something for me?” I raise my eyebrows, urging him to continue.
“Can we maybe set up some kind of schedule, where maybe you stay with me half the time, and vice versa? It would make it a lot easier for the both of us. I’m a routine kind of guy, as you know. I just want to know that you’ll be home with me, and there’s no question as to when. As much as I want the rest of our lives to start right now, I know it’s too soon for you. But I know what I want. And I think this is a decent compromise for both of us. You get to keep your place, and we get to be with each other every night, without fail.”
Oh, this boy. His logic only works for him. But I appease him. I actually like the idea of splitting time at our places. It makes it seem as if we’re closer to a more solid relationship. It’s nice to know we’re both in it for the long haul.
“Okay. I can work with that. Now, can we move onto the make-up sex now?” I ask with a hopeful inflection in my voice. He gives me The Smirk...haven’t seen it in a while, and I know it’s going to be a good night.
“Make-up sex, huh?” He grins widely. “As you wish,” he says, and before I know what hits me, he’s up and hoisting me over his shoulder. My giggles carry on through the house as he growls in caveman fashion and takes me to my bedroom. I grab his ass and squeeze, earning a very un-manly yelp from Edward.
“Oh, you’re going to pay for that, Swan!” He growls again.
“Oh, I certainly hope so, Masen!” I shout as I squeeze again.
Yeah. It’s going to be a very good night.
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