⎯ EDWARD
JOAN STOOD OUTSIDE BELLA'S HOUSE, HER ARMS CROSSED TIGHTLY AGAINST HER CHEST, HER FINGERS TAPPING NERVOUSLY ON HER JACKET SLEEVE. She had been avoiding Paul for days now, not because she didn't want to talk to him, but because she wasn't sure what to say. Her head was still spinning from the conversation they'd had. Everything had gotten so complicated, and Bella's return with Edward only added more confusion to the mix.
She could hear Bella's voice inside, laughing softly, and for a moment, Joan hesitated. She wasn't sure if she was ready to walk back into this world where everything had shifted, where the lines between normal and... well, everything else... had been blurred beyond recognition.
Taking a deep breath, she finally stepped forward and rang the doorbell.
It was Bella who answered the door, her face lighting up when she saw Joan. "Hey," she said warmly, stepping aside to let her in. "Come on in. Edward's here too. You've met him before, right?"
Joan forced a smile, though she felt a little apprehensive at the thought of meeting the man who had haunted Bella's thoughts for months. "Not really," she replied, her voice quieter than she intended. "Not officially, anyway."
Bella tilted her head, a small frown appearing on her face. "It'll be fine, Joan. He's... well, he's different. But he's not like you probably think."
Joan just nodded, walking inside, but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her chest. It was strange being back here again, standing in the place where so many of Bella's complicated emotions had taken root.
The moment she stepped into the living room, she saw him.
Edward Cullen.
He was sitting on the couch, his eyes glinting in the soft light coming from the window. His face was chiseled, almost too perfect to be real, and yet there was something about him that made Joan's skin crawl. Maybe it was the unsettling stillness of his presence. He didn't move a muscle, didn't shift his gaze away from her as she entered the room. And when he finally spoke, his voice was smooth, almost too smooth.
"Joan," Edward said, standing up slowly. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you from Bella."
Joan didn't trust herself to speak at first. His voice was too soft, too controlled, like he was trying too hard to be polite. There was something almost predatory about the way he looked at her, but not in the way she expected. It wasn't the hunger she'd heard about from Bella's stories. It was the strange, unsettling calm of someone who was far too accustomed to hiding something.
"I suppose it's nice to meet you too," Joan replied, her tone flat, the sarcasm sneaking into her words. "I'm sure Bella was thrilled to have you back." She couldn't help the bitterness that crept into her voice.
Edward didn't seem bothered by her response. In fact, he seemed oddly pleased, as if he expected it. "I appreciate you looking after her while I was gone," he said, his expression still strangely calm. "Bella is... important to me. And I'm grateful that you've been there for her when I couldn't."
Joan's eyes narrowed slightly, her jaw tightening. The way he spoke about Bella felt so detached, so careful. It rubbed her the wrong way, and she had a hard time keeping her cool. "You're welcome," she said, her voice now colder, sharper. "Though I'm not sure what you think you're thanking me for. It was Bella's choice to dive back into your world. Not mine."
The words slipped out before she could stop them. The tension in the room instantly thickened, and Bella's face fell.
"Joan," she said softly, her eyes pleading with Joan to ease up. "Please, just... be nice."
Joan let out a long breath, her frustration fading just enough for her to soften. Bella was right. She didn't want to make things harder for her, especially now that Edward was back. But the thought of everything Bella had gone through—everything she'd put herself through for someone who hadn't been there when she needed him most—still stung.
"I'm sorry," Joan muttered, the words coming out more reluctantly than she intended. "I just... I don't get it. Why did you leave her, Edward? Why would you just... disappear like that and leave her to deal with everything on her own?"
Edward's gaze shifted, his eyes momentarily turning cold. For a second, Joan wondered if he was going to snap, if he was going to lash out. But instead, he just sighed softly, his expression unreadable. "It wasn't that simple, Joan," he said quietly. "It was... complicated. I had to leave. For her safety. For both of our sakes. It wasn't a decision I made lightly."
Joan bit her lip, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. The explanations always sounded so rehearsed, like they were meant to make everything seem okay, as if his reasons for leaving Bella were enough to justify the pain he had caused her. Joan didn't buy it, not for a second.
There was a long silence, the tension palpable between them. Joan shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of the conversation hanging in the air. She could tell Bella was trying to be the peacekeeper, but there was a limit to how much Joan was willing to let slide.
Edward, sensing the stillness in the room, cleared his throat. "Look, I know things are... difficult. But I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want Bella to be happy."
Joan didn't say anything at first. Instead, she crossed her arms tightly over her chest, leaning back slightly against the wall. She had no idea what was going on in Bella's head—she had no clue what it felt like to be in her shoes, torn between two worlds like this. But it hurt her to watch Bella be so consumed by this man, by someone who had caused her so much pain.
"You're not here to cause trouble, huh?" Joan muttered sarcastically, casting a quick glance at him. "Because that's exactly what it feels like. I've seen the way Bella looks at you. She's still the same girl she was before you left. Still chasing after you, still putting her life on hold for you. And I don't get it, Edward. I just don't get it."
Bella's eyes flashed with a mix of hurt and frustration, but she didn't say anything. Joan could see the silent plea in her eyes, urging her to stop, to just accept this and move on. It wasn't fair, but Joan knew she had to let it go—for Bella's sake, if not for her own.
"I'm sorry," Joan said, her tone softer now. "I just don't understand. But... I guess I'll have to try, won't I?"
Edward gave her a faint smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "We'll all try, Joan. It's what we do."
The words hung in the air between them, and for a brief moment, Joan wondered if she could ever truly understand Bella's world. If she could ever come to terms with the complexities of their lives—of Bella's life with Edward.
But then she remembered something else. She had her own life, her own feelings, and she wasn't going to just fade into the background. Not for anyone.
"I guess we'll see," Joan said quietly, turning away from Edward and looking at Bella. "But for now... I think I need some air."
With that, Joan stepped toward the door, needing space, needing to breathe. Bella didn't stop her this time. Instead, she just watched her leave, her gaze a mixture of regret and understanding.
Joan walked outside, taking a deep breath of the cool air. She didn't know what was going to happen next, but she did know one thing: she wasn't going to let this strange, unsettling world consume her. Not without a fight.
Paul sat on the couch, his fingers drumming nervously against the armrest. He kept glancing at his phone, his mind running in circles, each thought more frantic than the last. The silence was starting to suffocate him. He hadn't heard from Joan in weeks. Since their conversation—that conversation—the one where she'd asked him about imprinting. He'd given her the truth, as best he could. He hadn't known what else to do, but now, now he was second-guessing himself.
"Man, you're gonna wear a hole in that couch if you keep fidgeting like that," Sam's voice broke through the haze of Paul's mind. Paul looked up to see his friend standing in the doorway of the living room, a bemused expression on his face.
Paul sighed heavily, rubbing his face with both hands. "I can't stop thinking about it, Sam. I don't know what to do. She asked me about imprinting. I told her everything, she freaked out and i got angry. What if I messed things up?"
Sam walked into the room and flopped onto the couch beside him, crossing his arms and looking at Paul with a mixture of concern and amusement. "You told her the truth, right? That's all you can do."
"I know," Paul muttered, glancing down at his phone again, then back at the ceiling, as though the answer might appear there. "I just... I've never been this unsure about anything before."
Sam raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the arm of the couch. "You're bound together Paul. She'll come back to you.
"I hate this waiting. I hate the uncertainty. I don't even know what she's thinking right now."
Just as Sam was about to respond, the front door opened with a creak, and Jared and Embry strolled in, laughing about something Paul didn't quite catch. They paused when they saw him, his hunched shoulders and the tightness in his expression clearly marking his anxiety. Jared's eyes flickered with mischievousness, the grin on his face widening.
"Still obsessing over Joan, huh?" Jared asked, his tone light but with an undercurrent of teasing. He threw himself into an armchair, kicking his feet up and stretching out.
Paul frowned. "What do you mean?" He could feel his pulse quicken at the mention of her name, even if Jared was just messing around.
"Dude, you've barely looked at anything other than that phone for weeks. She still hasn't texted you back?" Embry asked, his voice light, but the knowing look in his eyes wasn't lost on Paul.
Paul let out an exaggerated sigh, slumping deeper into the couch. "Nothing."
Jared raised an eyebrow. "Maybe she just thinks you're ugly, dude."
Embry burst out laughing, while Paul shot him a glare. "Seriously? That's your advice?"
"I'm just saying, maybe she saw you up close and realized... you're not her type," Jared said with a smirk, nudging Embry who was still laughing.
Paul rolled his eyes, but the joke didn't land the way it should've. Instead, the worry gnawing at him just deepened. "Real funny, guys. Thanks for the support," he muttered, sinking further into the couch, his hand instinctively reaching for his phone again.
Sam gave Jared and Embry an exasperated look. "Can you be serious for once? The guy's actually going through something here."
"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you're worried too," Jared said, shooting Sam a playful look. But when he glanced at Paul, his expression softened a bit. "Look, man, if she's your mate, she'll come around. Give her some space."
"But what if she doesn't " Paul asked, his voice low.
Sam leaned forward, resting a hand on Paul's shoulder. "I know it's tough, man. But you did the right thing. You told her the truth. If she's the one for you, she'll understand. Just give her some time."
"But what if it's not meant to be?" Paul asked, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
Jared and Embry exchanged a glance, but before they could joke again, Sam put a hand up. "Don't think like that, Paul."
Paul nodded slowly, but the ache in his chest didn't ease. The silence from Joan still felt too loud. "I guess you're right," he muttered, glancing down at his phone again. Still nothing.
"You're gonna drive yourself crazy," Sam warned, shaking his head. "Let her figure it out."
But Paul just sighed again, his eyes never leaving his phone. "I hope you're right."
The next few hours passed in a haze. Paul kept his phone within arm's reach, checking it every few minutes, but there was no new message from Joan. The anxiety in his chest grew tighter with each passing minute. He wanted to give her space, but every second without hearing from her felt like a lifetime.
It was a few hours later, just as the sun dipped below the horizon, that he finally got the message. Joan had texted him.
I've been thinking a lot. Can we talk?
Paul's breath caught in his throat. His fingers shook as he typed out a response.
Of course. I'm here.
He hit send, and as he waited, he realized that for the first time in what felt like forever, the uncertainty was easing just a little.