Twilight

[LuvAden]

Sorry no update guys. I've been sick and haven't had the energy to write anymore. I'll get on it over the next fews days though promise!

[xknomex]

aww

hope you get better soon

[LuvAden]

I'm finally back to full health and have started writing again. I know what I want its just a matter of getting back on track and finding the words. Hope to update real soon!

[LuvAden]

Chapter 8

It’s morning at the beach house and Irene is pottering about the kitchen, still grumbling about the plumber. Annie is getting some breakfast and offering sympathetic looks to Irene when required. Belle appears from her room, her hair is tossed and her eyes are red. Irene takes one look at her and stops mid-rant.

“Are you alright?” she asks Belle worriedly.

Belle nods and tries to force a smile. She hadn’t slept at all. She just kept thinking about Aden and how she had been so stupid. She hears Geoff emerging from his room. It was his fault. He made her question her relationship with Aden, made her judge Aden by his standards.

Geoff hadn’t slept much either, thinking about Melody all night. He was really worried about her, she hadn’t said much after they saw her mother leaving the Jeffries’ and wouldn’t let him walk her home. He is so consumed with thoughts of Melody that he forgets to greet the others and absentmindedly walks into the kitchen and grabs a bowl for cereal.

“Good morning to you too sunshine!” Irene says pointedly.

“Hmm?” Geoff looks at her vaguely. “Oh sorry, good morning.” He smiles.

Belle stands glaring at him and it doesn’t go unnoticed by Irene, even though Geoff is oblivious.

“Ok, whats going on?” Irene asks Belle quietly.

“Nothing.” Belle goes to sit at the table and Irene follows, taking a seat next to her.

“Don’t give me that. Why are you throwing daggers at Geoff? And you look like you’ve been crying.”

“I’m fine. And Geoff…” Belle doesn’t want to go into details and she knows Irene will just agree with what Geoff said about Aden anyway. “Geoff needs to mind his own business more that’s all.” She says.

Irene debates whether to press Belle on the matter, there is obvious more going on but just as she is about to Annie shouts.

“Irene! The sink is leaking again!”

“What?” Irene jumps up and rushes to the kitchen.

Belle looks at her phone. She wants to call him but is afraid. What if he wants nothing more to do with her? She couldn’t bare hearing him tell her to get lost.

Geoff sits at the table with his cereal. Belle glares at him frostily and Geoff finally picks up on the atmosphere.

“Belle?” he looks puzzled by her expression at first then remembers they had words last night.

Belle sees the look of realization on his face and feels even angrier. What he had said had turned everything upside down for her and he had actually forgotten all about it.

“Look Belle, what I said last night,” Geoff looks apologetic, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? That makes it ok does it? You know Geoff maybe instead of always apologizing afterward you should think before you go shooting your mouth off in the first place.” Belle snaps.

“Hang on!” Geoff is offended. “I didn’t mean to upset you last night and maybe I could have gone about it better but I stand by what I said about Aden. You deserve better than him.”

“You don’t know anything about him!” Belle shouts, standing up from the table. “You always think you know best don’t you? But the truth is Geoff, you don’t know anything about life or people.”

Irene steps in when she hears the shouting.

“What is going on?” she demands.

“Reverend Geoff getting on the pulpit again!” Belle replies.

“I’m just trying to..” Geoff begins.

“Judge everyone by your stitched up…” Belle cuts him off.

“Whoa! Whoa!” Irene cuts Belle off. “That is enough!”

Irene looks from one to the other. What on earth had started this?

“Yes, it is.” Belle nods and storms off to her room.

Irene looks wearily at Geoff.

“Ok, I guess that means you’re going to tell me what that was all about.” She says.

Geoff isn’t even entirely sure but he knows he doesn’t have time for this, he wanted to contact Melody as soon as possible.

“It’s nothing.” He tells Irene. “Just a silly spat.”

Irene looks at him with a skeptically raised eyebrow.

“Pull the other one Geoff.”

_________________________________________________________________________

Aden and Larry walk towards the Diner. Larry had insisted they treat themselves to breakfast. Aden is thinking about Belle. What if he has really blown it this time?

“Once you get a good breakfast inside you, you’ll be able to call Belle and sort things out.” Larry says, as if reading Aden’s mind.

“That’s if she wants to sort things out.” Aden isn’t so sure.

“Of course she will. I’ve seen you two together. Something like that doesn’t break so easily.” Larry tells him.

“Do you really think…” Aden struggles to finish the question.

“I really do.” Larry confirms.

Aden smiles, grateful for his father’s positive attitude. It felt good to have him on his side for a change instead of having to worry about him or, as often was the case before, being angry at him. They arrive at the Diner and take a seat. Roman nods hello and looks pleased to see Aden and Larry getting on so well. After Colleen takes their order, Aden notices Larry checking his phone.

“Was she supposed to call?” Aden asks casually but a hint of a smirk slides onto his face.

“Who?” Larry asks.

“Mrs. Jones!”

Larry looks embarrassed. He had been thinking about Christine all night and had resisted the urge to call her first thing this morning. In fact, part of the reason he had insisted he and Aden go for breakfast, as well as giving Aden a chance to clear his head before approaching Belle, was to give himself a distraction. He didn’t want to crowd her by calling her too soon but he wondered if she was ok. Opening up as she had done last night was a very difficult thing to have done.

“So?” Aden prompts. “What’s going on with you two?”

“Nothing.” Larry shakes his head.

“Nothing? Cozy family dinners…”

“Cozy?” Larry scoffs, “It was a nightmare!”

Aden laughs.

“Didn’t scare her off though did it?” he points out. “And I was a little distracted last night but I did notice you two seemed quite intense when I walked in.”

“Barged in!” Larry says.

“Barged in!” Aden grins. “Did I interrupt things?”

“Nothing to interrupt. Nothing you’re thinking of anyway!”

Aden watches his father for a moment.

“Ok.” He nods acceptingly. “But uh…if something like that does happen – leave some kind of sign because that is NOT something I want to walk in on!” he scrunches his face up then gives his dad a sly look.

Larry slaps him jokingly with the menu and they both laugh.

___________________________________________________________________

Christine is making breakfast for her and Melody but she is finding it difficult to concentrate. She cannot believe she told Larry everything last night. She is torn between feeling as though a weight has been lifted and feeling full of dread. It doesn’t sit easily with her that another person knows so much about her. Her whole life has been about keeping up appearances, never letting anyone get too close. She had kept Edward at a distance for most of their marriage, in fact if she was honest she had never truly allowed herself to be completely open with him. Even when they first got together she had always worried constantly about what he thought about her. For a long time she held back her true feelings because she feared he would not reciprocate. For a little while after they married she felt more confidant, less insecure but then after…She was back on edge again. Back to worrying that he would find out the truth and leave her.

Friends were not something she ever had. She had plenty of acquaintances, like the women in her book club but no one who really cared. The only person in the world she allowed herself to love fully was Melody. She loved her little girl more than anything and showered her with hugs and kisses as she grew up, perhaps she had been a little selfish because as she and Edward grew increasingly distant Melody had become her only source of affection. The only person in the world she didn’t fear rejection from. But that had changed and now, just like she had been on edge with Edward, she lived in anxiety that Melody would turn away from her too. Whatever else happened, she could not lose Melody.

At that moment, Melody enters the kitchen. Christine smiles cheerfully but there is something about Mel’s appearance…

“Good morning darling.” Christine greets her. The look on Melody’s face worries her. “Mel? Are you ok?”

Melody takes a deep breath.

[xknomex]

Yay an update!!!!

Love Larry and Aden's relationship. Hope Adelle sort things out.

Update soon!

xx

[Taniya_K]

Ooooh what's going to happen with Melody?!

Lovely chapter! I love how both Aden and Belle want the same thing yet are scared of the same thing too.

Great update. Hope we don't have to wait just as long for another one!

xoxo

[maccaz]

Good update - well worth the wait. But I hope you don't keep us waiting too long.

[zzazzb]

good to hear your all beter

and Great update, good to see Aden and Larry being all friendly

update soon

[Frogg]

Great update. Looking forward to more.

[wrongturntaken]

That was great! I loved it! What's going on with Melody though!

Please update soon!!!