“I can’t believe it,” I murmured, overlooking the sunrise. “The day is finally here. My wedding day.”
“The day before your wedding day,” Jasper quipped from his perch on the ladder as we wrapped twinkle lights around the altar. “You still have the rehearsal to get through. Not to mention the separation from your future wife.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” I grumbled. It was the morning of our rehearsal and I was too anxious to sleep. My tossing and turning was keeping Bella awake. We had spent the night making love and Bella was exhausted from our between-the-sheets Olympics. She kicked me out after an hour of my restless movements, telling me to make sure that the beach site was set up properly. I got dressed and listened to my future wife’s bidding since Alice was on a rampage. “My sister is honestly scaring me with her control freak tendencies and insistence at keeping us separate before our wedding night.”
“She’s scaring all of us,” Jasper sighed, his smile falling. “Alice needs help, Edward. Only you can convince her to get it. She won’t get the help she needs because you are going on your honeymoon for six weeks. She won’t leave the island. Alice has to go to Eleazar and Carmen to get over this thing she’s battling with seeing James again.”
“I’ll see if I can convince her,” I replied. “She must be battling some form of PTSD or something. Seeing James, reliving all of those moments of terror he imparted on her while they were dating, and watching my villa burn to the ground. I understand why she’s a mess. I do. But it’s so eerie to watch her fall apart."
“I miss her, Edward. I love Alice so much and it kills me that she won’t turn to me for help,” Jasper grumbled. “I want to crush her in my arms and make all of her pain go away.”
“She can’t love anybody else if she can’t love herself, Jasper,” I muttered, wrinkling my nose. That was a feeling I was all too familiar with. I lived in it for ten years. “Everything that has happened, it took her back to a place where she was small and weak.”
“You sound like you know,” Jasper replied, sitting down on one of the chairs set up on the beach.
“I do. I hated myself for the longest time, Jas, and see so much of my behaviors in Alice’s.” Jasper gave me a confused look. “I hated that I let Lauren walk all over me and break me. Hence, Edward, the man whore, was born. I covered my self-loathing and self-hatred by fucking anything with tits. It wasn’t until my world was sent into a tailspin when I ran into Bella that I realized that I was screwing everything up. With my actions, I was distancing myself from my family. With my overtly sexual behavior, I was objectifying women and doing what Lauren did to me. It was a lonely, bitter life and I didn’t want it anymore. I wanted something special and permanent. I wanted someone to love and be able to love in return. I wanted the happily ever after with the love of my life. When Bella was stuck in my villa during the storm last summer, my heart lurched and I wanted nothing more than to protect her, love her and prove to her that I wasn’t some male slut. That could only come from within me. Yes, Bella helped and her encouragement and love guided me, but most of it was all on me.”
“Do you think that Alice will ever get over this?” Jasper asked. His eyes were shimmering with hope, but there was trepidation written all over his face.
“She did before,” I answered. “With time and help, she will get over it again.”
He sighed harshly, thrusting his hands into his long, sun-bleached locks. “I just miss her. My bubbly Alice.” He closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair.
“Don’t give up on her, Jas. Not yet,” I murmured, squeezing his shoulder.
“I’m trying,” he whispered, his eyes fluttering closed. With another sigh, he got up. “I’m going to check on the activities planned for today. I want to make sure that Julio knows about the Gundersen’s needs.” He stalked away. Jasper’s shoulders were hunched and he looked dejected. I knew that Alice was pushing everyone away, but the person who wanted to provide her comfort the most was being treated the worst.
Turning to the work crew, I prattled off the instructions in Portuguese and handed them a photo of how the altar was supposed to look. They assured me that everything would be done to my specifications. With a wave, I darted toward Alice’s villa. Something had to give. Letting myself into her villa, I found my sister curled up on the couch and clutching a stuffed horse, a present from Jasper, sleeping fitfully. Sitting down on her cocktail table, I gently shook my sister. “Ali! Wake up,” I hissed.
She blinked at me sleepily, waving at me. “Go away, Eddurrrrd,” she slurred. Twisting her body to face the couch, she huffed and began groaning lowly.
“Alice, are you drunk?” I asked, shocked at her behavior.
“Maybe,” she giggled over her shoulder, then hiccupped. “Shoo. You’re ruining my buzz.”
I pursed my lips. This wasn’t my sister. This was me. A year ago. The reflection of my former self shocked me to the core and I refused to let my sister fall down the same path as me. Tearing the blanket from her body, I scooped my sibling into my arms and carried her toward her bathroom. She started pounding on my back, screaming like a yeti. Unceremoniously, I dumped her in the shower and turned the water on. “EDWARD! WHAT THE FUCK?!”
“You shower and sober up,” I growled. “When you’re done, I’m talking and you’re listening. This…whatever this is…needs to stop!” Alice glowered at me balefully.
No comments:
Post a Comment