Only by Moonlight

Chapter 9

With heartfelt thanks to my talented pre-reader, ladylibre on FanFiction.net, whose insights and commentary help me to shape this story, chapter by chapter. If you aren’t reading her incredible “A Love Worth Defending,” (also on FanFiction.net) go read it!! You heard me…go!! :) 

Chapter 9 

            I was not surprised to be met at the front door by an incensed pixie. Despite my attempts to ignore her as I dragged myself upstairs to put my bookbag away, Alice remained a mere step behind me, following me into my room.

            “Okay, let’s hear it,” I said wearily as I set down my bookbag, took off my jacket, and plopped onto my bed to remove my boots.

            “Why didn’t you listen?” Alice wailed. “I told you—and Peter told you—not to have anything to do with James!” Her angry expression melted suddenly, a profound sadness taking its place. “Bella, you need to listen to me on this one. Please.”

            Surprised by her sudden mood swing, I looked up at her as I pulled on my comfy sheepskin slippers. “What are you ‘seeing,’ Alice?” I asked, puzzled.

            Plopping down on the bed beside me, she sighed. “I’m not ‘seeing’ anything specific; I just get this strong feeling of dread whenever I think of you working with him.” She frowned in concentration before continuing. “But the problem is…now that you’ve met with him, I also get an almost equally strong feeling of dread if you turn down his offer.”

            “Wow,” I breathed. “Talk about a no-win situation.”

            “Yeah,” she sighed again. “Your meeting with him this afternoon really messed up the situation. I’m not sure that there’s a way out of it now. It’s kind of a ‘damned if you do; damned if you don’t’ thing now.”

            I laughed, but it sounded forced and awkward even to me. “I hope you don’t mean ‘damned’ literally, Alice.”

            She narrowed her eyes, obviously not amused. “I’m not joking, Bella. You’ve really complicated the situation here. If only you had walked away….”

            I snorted. “It’s kind of difficult to walk away when the guy was leaning up against my car, waiting for me in the parking lot.”

            Alice’s eyes grew huge. “No way!”

            “Yes, way…unfortunately. I guess you didn’t ‘see’ that part.” She shook her head, and I continued. “He wanted me to go back to his office, but I made him stick with our agreed-on meeting place, Starbucks. In public.”

            “Good girl.”

            Exhausted after the events of the afternoon, I leaned my head on my hand. “Alice, the thing is, it’s a really amazing opportunity, especially if I want to go to graduate school. To be published in such a major journal—it’s a really tempting offer. And I have a feeling that I could ask for a stipend, too. Some money would really help, you know.”

            “I know, Bella. And it sounds like a wonderful chance for you. But it’s weird, too. Before you and James met, I was getting only negative feelings—extremely negative feelings—about you working with him. And now after the meeting—and the longer it’s been since the meeting—I’m getting more mixed feelings. Kind of like something positive could come out of it, but it’s also going to be a difficult and challenging time for you—and for him as well.” She paused, looking at me with a confused expression. “It’s almost like you somehow caused a major shift in his mind.”