Unexpected love

Chapter 25

"We will be in touch later to discuss the next step until then gentlemen. "I say stepping away from the table, ending my lunch meeting and make my way out of the restaurant. Just as I am about to exit the gate a body collides with mine, making my guards ready for action but I wave them away as soon as I see that it is a female. I extend my hand to help her up and when she lifts her head presumably to thank me we both get startle. Because looking at me is none other than Tanya and she seem at a loss of words. The hat had kept her hair hidden but her eye colour was one that I could never forget.

"HI" she breathes snatching her hand away and I wait and wait for that feeling of seeing her again to rush but it doesn't. "HI" I reply. "I didn't knew that you were in New York? "I ask after a beat. But before she can reply a man in grey suit rushes up to her and kisses her cheeks,"Hey baby." he says. Only after that he notices me.Tanya introduces us, "Richard this is Edward Cullen. We went to school together and Edward this is Richard my husband."

"Nice meeting you. I need to go." I say and after saying quick goodbyes leave them and enter the car. The whole day I think about the meeting the whole day and when its time to go home I don't instead I ask my driver to leave and go to the bridge. I text Bella and for an hour just wait for her.

"Bella meet me at the Brooklyn bridge. With something to get me drunk" Bella reads my message as soon as she arrives. Dressed in navy blue suit. "Didn't want to drink alone here."I reply without looking at her. After sometime she touches my elbow, "Did something happen?" she asks. "I saw Tanya today." I look at her to see her reaction but she gives no reaction at all and instead says, "That must have been awkward."

"It was I met her husband. "she doesn't say anything instead just squeezes my hand and leads me to her car. As soon as the door closes she grabs two bottles and passes one to me and opens one herself. "Cheers to seeing our exes today." she says and gulps down. "Wait you also saw your ex?"I ask . She groans."ugh don't remind me.I saw him making out with his wife who was both of our common wife.Turns out 26 is the official age to be married by."

"We are married." I remind her with a laugh. The alcohol working."Yeah you are right. You are a good arm candy, I guess." I stare at her as I ask, "Was that supposed to be a compliment?" she shrugs and we both drink about 2 bottles each before we reach the apartment. We make our way to the apartment where Sue was cleaning the kitchen. "You guys are late. Its almost 8" she says."Yeah we got caught up.Whats for dinner? "I ask. "Mac and cheese "she replies before bidding us goodnight.

"More drinks? "Bella ask bringing glasses and tequila. I nod and as we do shots she asks, "So what was it like meeting your first love and her husband." I take a breath and reply, "It wasn't anything like I expected it to be. Nothing happened it was like meeting a stranger. No sudden rush of warmth, no electricity and definitely no tears. Its like there was no love lost between us." I look at her and see that she is trying really hard to keep her emotions of her face, "You must think what a pathetic loser I am."

"I wouldn't ever call you a pathetic loser. Maybe an idealist but never pathetic. "She replies and I can see the sincerity in her eyes and then she carries on, "You have no idea how much I admire and envy you,Cullen.You are not afraid of your feelings. Not afraid to show your true feelings to the world and even though you know there is a possibility of getting hurt you still want to find love. People claim me as fearless but they forget that no one is free of fear we all have demons no matter how small or big but they are there. My fear is not dying but finding that the one person I care about doesn't feel the same about me. So, I don't even look for it.No matter what everyone wishes for. I am not that strong." she gulps a shot down as I sit there stunned. I never thought that Bella doesn't want to love someone because she was a true narcissist but now I think maybe she has been too emotionally hurt by her family to even try.

"You know I keep thinking about what you said that day at Stef's place and I think you are right. I was lonely watching my brothers falling in love and being the fifth wheel in the group and I decided that the attraction I felt towards Tanya was love instead of just love and maybe curiosity. I deluded myself into thinking that maybe my first love can be my last too just like others. "She laughs, "I think you are really drunk cause you just admitted that I was right."

"Now that I think about it I realise how ridiculous I have been acting. Not everyone's first is their last and not everyone's last is their first. Its all about timing and reality and maybe this is the way of God knocking me on my ass and telling me to focus on other things. "I hear myself say. "You know when I was a child I used to believe in unicorns and I always thought that my soulmate would gift me a unicorn as a sign of his true love. SO if you think you are being ridiculous think about this."

I nearly split out my drink, "Who knew Bella Swan believed in True love? And unicorn seriously? No wonder you didn't find anyone." Bella glares at me making me laugh harder, "Oh hush! Don't tell me you didn't associate your love with anything fictional. "She says throwing her pillow at me.I grab it and say, "I used to believe that the my soulmate will be like a bright star who will shine just for me.Lightning up the dark sky." As I recall her earlier words I ask, "You said when you were child. What happened?"

"What else? My Grandpa burst my bubble told me that unicorns are nothing but myth and soulmate is nothing else but a concept and excuse for people who can't do what they were born for to do because according to him every creature on this planet has a big purpose in life. He told me that love is nothing but pathetic because my bigger purpose in life is something else. "She sighs and lean her head on he couch. "You know every time you tell me about him, I can't help but hate that guy." She laughs, "You are not the only one. But if I didn't have them I would had no one an that alternate sucks."

"Its been an eventful day for both of us, right?" She laughs. "Only for you. My day was banging as usual got the deal I was working on also reports came back business has never been better. The city is safe and my sperm donor and carrier have been a no show." I throw back her pillow and say, "Go ahead and rub it in."

"I prefer to gloat internally." she laughs and I laugh with her because her smile is the best that I had ever seen and her laugh might just be the favourite sound. So we spend the rest of the night drinking in silence and finally when we get hungry eat and then just sprawl on the couch together and sleep.