Chapter 9

"Um…yeah, this is Kimberly. Who is this?" The voice asked. There was a muffled shuffling on the other end of the line.

"Okay, well, my name is Garrett. I'm with a TV show called Catfish, have you ever heard of it?" Garrett inquired gently.

"Uh…yeah. Yeah, I've heard about it." Kimberly answered hesitantly.

"Do you have any idea what this might be about?" Garrett asked.

"Um…I may have an idea. Is it about Emmett?" Kimberly asked, guessing.

"No. Is Emmett someone else you've catfished? We're in L.A. with Edward." Garrett asked.

The person on the other end scrambled around for a few seconds. She didn't respond to Garrett's question.

"Listen, Kimberly. I think the best way for us to deal with this is for us to just come out to you." Garrett urged,

"Who is us?" the voice responded immediately. Through the phone, the voice was crackled with tension.

"Well, myself, Benjamin, my crew…Edward, of course, and Bella."

The voice stayed silent.

"Bella...Bella Swan?" it asked.

"Yeah, Bella Swan. The girl whose photos you're using. She's here with us too." Garrett confirmed.

"…Oh."

"So, do you want to tell us where you are? We will come to you. We can get on the first flight tomorrow so we can sort this out." Garrett offered.

"I'm in Tampa…but I don't know about this. I'm…not sure I want to meet him."

"Well, I get that. But don't you think you owe them an explanation…something? Maybe an apology? Those are usually done best in person. And Bella?" Garret continued.

"I guess. I'm just afraid." Kimberly said.

"I get that too. Why don't we fly into Tampa, and we will contact you tomorrow? We can meet up at a park or something?" Garrett said, speaking softly again to calm her.

Silence.

"Okay," Kimberly confirmed.

It didn't take much for Garrett to convince the girl to meet up with them the next day. His words were soft and comforting, urging the her to make her wrongdoing right. He really did have a knack for talking to people. It was one thing to see it on the show, but in person was a different story.

Especially when that story concerned the lives of Bella and Edward.

Before they knew it, their airline tickets to Florida were booked for the following morning. Alice ended up pulling out, staying in Los Angeles for a last-minute set design event. To everyone's surprise but Alice's, Jasper also opted to stay with her in the city.

Knowing Alice, it probably didn't take much for them to be attached at the hip. With one taste of her Texas cooking and a glance at her butt, Jasper was putty. They excused themselves to check out the city lights before the camera crew had even left Bella's house for the evening.

Garrett and Benjamin bid them goodbye, offering Edward a ride back to his rental.

"Actually, Bella, would you mind if I stayed and waited for Jasper and Alice to get back? Jasper's only been here for a few days, and I'm not sure he knows his way back to the house." Edward said, scratching the back of his head.

"Sure, that would be fine. Yeah, the neighborhoods around here can sometimes be confusing." Bella responded a little too quickly.

"It's 2020, just use Google Maps?" Garrett said blankly.

Benjamin threw an elbow to his ribs.

"That's fine. Smart. Watch out for your friends!" Benjamin said. He looked between Bella and Edward.

"We will come to get you both around 4:00am for our flight, okay? Take it easy for the night, pack a bag, and we'll see you in the morning." Garrett said, rubbing his ribs and giving Ben a dirty look from the side.

"Sounds good," Bella answered keenly.

As soon as the door shut, Bella turned to the man in her house. She had a feeling he was fibbing about being concerned for his friend's wellbeing. It was 2020, and she didn't think Jasper was an idiot.

"What was that?" She asked, jokingly, "I think you are concerned for your friend's wellbeing, but not enough to stay and wait for him in a neighborhood ten minutes away from the house you're renting."

Edward's face blushed red

She made her way to clean up the plates scattered around the living room table. She stacked them in a neat pile before carting them to the kitchen sink. Should she be worried about letting him stay in the house with her without Alice? She felt like she could trust him—she didn't think he was a maniac. The thought crossed her mind as she started the water. Bella considered herself relatively extroverted, albeit awkward, so she could muster through this if she had to.

"I—uh, didn't think you would want to be alone after all that. I mean, it's bad for me because I'm getting swindled, I guess, but for you…it's something else completely. Sorry, it was a dumb idea." Edward said honestly, "I'll just grab an Uber or something."

He started to retreat from the kitchen, but Bella was quicker.

She tossed a dishtowel at him, "I'll wash, you dry?"

Bella quickly realized she was grateful for what he did. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right. She didn't want to be alone. She must still be processing this information. She would never have said that out loud, though—she wouldn't have asked Alice to stay with her.

A small smile appeared in the corner of his mouth, and he caught the towel with ease.

She started scrubbing the dishes, looking glumly out the window in front of her facing the small back patio.

"As much as I don't want to admit it, you're right. It's weird, bizarre. I'm tempted to just delete all my social media right now. But, unfortunately, it's not that easy." Bella said lightly.

"Really? I don't have too much social media. Facebook, but that's just because my mom would have had an aneurysm if I didn't make one to appease her when I went to college." Edward said, taking a plate from her. He laughed at the image of his mom in his head, "she was super into social media."

"No, with my studio and stuff like that, exposure is pretty important, especially now with the show. But, my mom was the same way. She used to be taking pictures of everything. I swear that woman had more photos than anyone I met."

"Used to? Did she take a break from technology?" Edward asked, curious.

"Ha, I wish." Bella said softly, adding a light laugh, "I don't think she could ever have done that. She loved technology. But, no…my mom died when I was in high school…car accident. Which is why I think I'm so freaked out about what was going on. Like, what if this girl stole old photos or something? That'd just be sick." She shook her head and scrubbed the dish a little harder.

She didn't need to be a detective to know that Edward was staring at her. Probably a blunt confession, but it felt easy to talk to him, so she did. The sound of the dish being set in the rack tore her from her window view.

"Yeah. I have to agree with you. It would be. I'm sorry to hear about your mom, though." Edward said, raising his eyes to meet hers before jumping back to the next dish. He flashed a small smile in her direction.

"Usually, people freak out when I tell them that," Bella admitted, confused.

"Yeah, but I might be able to understand a little better than just anyone. I lost my mom a few years ago…cancer. I know the reactions you're talking about, and that really puts this type of thing into perspective—because if it were me, I'd feel the same way." Edward spoke softly and focused his eyes directly on the dish he was drying.

Bella desperately wanted to look at him, but she couldn't pick up what exactly spilled into his voice. She nodded at him in acceptance.

"Where did you go to college?" She asked simply. Better to put that conversation to rest. That's what she always wanted when someone asked.

"Stanford, Computer Science." He said meekly, smiling. He knew what she was trying to do, "and you?"

"Uh oh, and we were becoming such good friends. This might throw a wrench in it." Bella laughed aloud.

"Oh, no." Edward said, laughing along, "if you tell me you're a Cal Bear…"

"I'm sorry. I doubled in Art History and Film. Berkeley has one of the best programs in the country."

Edward dramatically dropped his head into his towel, groaning.

"I know we're supposed to be sworn enemies, but I'm sure we could come to some kind of mutual understanding." She laughed.

His eyes were playful as she passed him another dish.

"Just wait till Jasper hears."

"Is that where you met? College?"

"Yeah, freshman roommates. It couldn't have turned out better because we've been best friends ever since. Was that how you met Alice?"

"It was, except we each had terrible roommates and devised a plan to swap them out a week into the semester," Bella replied, turning off the water.

The conversation drifted from stepping on eggshells to a comfortable pace. She made him laugh, and he returned it, decorating her face with a tomato-colored blush every time he said something slightly awkward.

He asked about her television show, claiming he was never much of an HGTV guy, but now that he knew she was hosting, he'd have no choice but to watch it. He asked about her pets and her favorite color. She found out he played baseball in college and wasn't allergic to dogs. Miscellaneous trivia helped her forget what she endured today and what she would have to endure in the coming days.

They didn't know how much time had passed till Jasper and Alice came through the front door. By the way her hips were latched around his waist, it was clear they hadn't expected Edward to stay around waiting for his friend.

"Hey, guys..." Bella deadpanned.

Jasper jumped as if he'd been shocked. Alice's tiny legs didn't stand a chance, and his sudden motion sent her crashing to the floor.

"Oh, my God, I'm sorry!" Jasper cried, rushing to help her up.

Bella let a crack of laughter loose, tossing a glance at Edward, who was rolling his eyes.

"Uh, hey, Bella." Jasper said awkwardly once Alice was again on her feet, "did you have a good night?"

"Yep, just watching some TV … with Edward," Bella said.

At the mention of his friend, Jasper turned.

"Shit."