Deep Ocean Outtake - Edward POV

Well, my lovelies, considering that you've been so good to me, here's the first part of the Outtake, posted permanently. Hope you like it. Mwahh!

Edward POV

I entered Eva’s, and went directly to the counter. Jim was arranging cups and stuff in the showcase with his back to me, so he didn’t see me right away.

Eva came from the back of the shop carrying a bar stool. She place it in front of the counter, gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, patted the stool twice, and winked at me with a knowing smile before leaving to take the orders from a few morning patrons.

“Oh! Look what the cat dragged in!” Jim said chuckling. “You look like crap, kiddo! What happened?”

I sat down in the stool, and ran my hand through my hair. I didn’t have any idea where to start.

“Long story, man”

He grabbed a mug, filled it with coffee, and put it in front of me.

“Well, I have time…it’s not like I can go anywhere anyway,” he paused for a moment and then added “and I have the feeling you came here looking for an ear.”

He was right. I always went to Eva’s whenever I couldn’t stand being alone, when I couldn’t talk to anybody around me in the casino. I knew many of them considered me a friend, but honestly, I couldn’t talk freely about certain things with them.

Certain things like my uncle getting in trouble again in Vegas and lashing out at Rosalie.

Things like a tall, exotic woman that was driving me crazy.

I decided to start with Uncle Aro. It was the easier one out of the two.

“Uncle Aro got involved in some clandestine wagers and pissed in King’s territory. Apparently now Royce and his gang are out for blood.”

Jim whistled under his breath.

“Did he call you?”

“Nah! He knows what I think about his deals. But he was pissy enough to have the wonderful idea to slap Rosalie, and now she’s living at the Twilight. She was the one who told me.”

“How’s your cousin?”

“She’s ok. She was pretty shaken when she arrived, but she’s calmed down now. She refuses to go back to Vegas, though. She said she’s scared of Royce, and considering Rosalie could probably scare half of my security guards; it doesn’t look good, man.”

“But I thought that Royce guy was a family friend!”

“Yeah, the operative word being ‘was’. His father retired about a year ago and left him in charge of their casino. He made some interesting friends in the last year…Rosalie says he’s into some scary shit.”

“I’m sorry, kid…”

Yeah, well, not sorrier than me, my man.

Eva went to the other side of the counter, murmured something to Jim, and then came back and put a hand on my shoulder.

“Come here, cielo. Let’s sit and talk. Is that lady of yours giving you grief?”

I shook my head grinning. There was no way to delude Eva. She always knew what I wasn’t telling. I followed her to the table.

“That’s the whole problem, Eva…she’s not mine…”

“Holy shit! What did you do to the girl, Edward? I could have sworn that you…Hold on! Don’t tell me you…”

I knew where Eva was going, she was about to kick my ass for supposedly hurting Bella, so I had to interrupt her.

“I didn’t do anything to Bella, Eva…she’s not mine, and she never was in the first place, she’s just a friend. She’s in a relationship with another guy…”

I must have sounded pitiful because she was speechless.

And Eva’s never speechless…

“Holy shit,” she said again, this time in disbelief. “And you’re sitting here without doing anything about it, boy?”

“What am I supposed to do? Kidnap her? Beg her to dump the loser, and have me instead?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, and closed my eyes in a desperate attempt to breathe and calm down.

“It’s not so easy, Eva. I met her by accident; I wasn’t even supposed to be there that night. I couldn’t control myself, and even knowing she was there with her boyfriend, I went and flirt with her. All night, Eva. And not satisfied with that, I dragged her to a private place and kissed the hell out of her too.”

I was looking at the table while ranting, too ashamed to even look at her in the eye, but I needed to know what she was thinking, so I risked a quick glance.

She was grinning again, and I knew that face, that was Eva’s expression when she knew something nobody else did. The question was...did I want to know? Could I take the blow when she told me I was an idiot, that I should forget Bella and find some other girl?

“Oh, my, my…So I take it as you brought her here against her will yesterday, then? How could I miss the handcuffs? I'm getting old.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, lady,” I said, snickering. The idea of me handcuffing Bella to take her for breakfast was ludicrous.

Still, if I ever got a chance to handcuff her, I wasn’t about to bring her for coffee. There were lots of places I could picture her handcuffed, and preferably naked, and…

Eva snapped her fingers to get my attention. Apparently I had spaced out.

I hung my head down in shame while she laughed.

“You really got it bad, tesoro!”

“You have no idea, Eva,” I groaned. “You know what’s the funniest part? Usually, I’m the one trying to get rid of some dense girl, and now, that I really like one, she doesn’t want me. God! Can I get anymore pathetic?”

Unfortunately, once I started spilling my guts, I couldn’t stop, so I kept on telling Eva all the shameful things I had done in the last few days.

“I tried to forget about her, I really did. But I spent the day after the party thinking of her, no matter what I was doing, flashes of her showed in my mind. I hardly got any sleep so the following morning I went to the accounting group that hosted the party, and lied my ass off. I pretended to be interested in the staff, and chatted with random people till I found her boyfriend. How low is that Eva? I’ve owned that company for almost a month now, and I’ve never been interested in meeting anybody. I couldn’t give a flying fuck about the company; I’ve just bought it and left the former manager as a figurehead ‘cos it was the wise move to do in that moment…But I went there to measure up the guy! To see what he had that I didn’t!” I slapped my hand on the table.

“He’s an ok guy, the only obvious thing he had that I didn’t was Bella. He made the mistake of talking casually about her, and the little control I had left went out the window. I used the little piece of information he had let slip to stalk her at her job! Yes, Eva, it seems that now I’m not only a pathetic idiot, but also a creep!”

I slapped my forehead at the last affirmation, disgusted with myself, and mortified to be confessing that to her.

Eva’s guffaw echoed in the room.

“Oh, honey, I don’t know why I bother with soap operas, you’re way more entertaining!”

I stared at her blankly.

“Glad I’m amusing you, but I can’t really find the humour in it, Eva.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not really trying to make fun of you, but…Have you ever not got a girl, Edward?”

“Not really, I guess…I just don’t want to keep then once I start knowing them.” I paused, and thought about Bella, and couldn’t help a smile.

“She’s different, Eva. Bella doesn’t expect anything, she didn’t even know who I was the first time we met…she almost cussed at me! She was like an angry kitten, with her hair standing on end, cute, and mad as hell…”

I must have had the silliest grin in my face, because Eva took some pity of me.

“Are you really that clueless, my boy? That girl was looking at you as if she had been floating adrift for days and you were safe land. Are you going to let her slip away?”

“But she has a boyf…”

“Is she married?”

“No, but…”

“Is she engaged?”

“No…”

“Not yet, right? So she’s free as a bird, you dumbass! Sometimes I don’t even know what’s inside men’s heads! If anything at all! For being the supposed ‘strong sex’, sometimes you’re all dense as bricks! What would you do if that boy feels threatened and proposes to her? Would you just go to the wedding and wish her a happy life? Knowing that you didn’t fight for the first thing in your life that you actually wanted? Do you do business like that Edward? You told me ten minutes ago that you secretly bought an accounting firm cos it was good for your business, and now you’re trying to tell me that you’re not willingly to fight a little dirty? A wise man once said ‘The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war.’ Think about it, tesoro. I’ll get you some breakfast”

Eva certainly had a point. Nobody said that I had to play fair. That Newton guy could be a nice person, but I’d bet my ass that he wasn’t making Bella happy. She has already confessed that. How did she put it? He was a safe guy who didn’t expect much, and was comfortable because he didn’t have to worry about anybody trying to snatch her girlfriend from him…

Something like that.

Well, watch your back, Mikey-boy! You won’t know what hit you!



The Playlist for this chappie is:

Tom Waits ~ I hope I don't fall in love with you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCScGlX-ajg

Eva Cassidy ~ True Colors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh4gUjdYl9M

Frank Sinatra ~ Soon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6TaEpOKuNg