I always liked Seth, just not for Bella. He seems to be a great guy, though.

In spite of myself I am drawn into your story.  If my daughter came and told me she met someone and he was recently recovering from drug and alcohol abuse, and he originally lied to her about where he was from, I would tell her to RUN in the other direction.  That being said, I was smiling (literally) while reading this chapter.  Great work.

Wow, he's come a long, long way....

Oh, no!  Way too sad...crying big crocodile tears!  I don't like this!  And he's gonna fuck up, and do something stupid while she's gone, eh?

 

They are really a cute couple.  But I am a little concerned about what might happen when she leaves for Seattle.  unless he ends up going, too!

Wy was she so put off by his "I love you's"???  I thought she was there with him...guess we'll see!

 

xoSus

Oh, my!  things are certainly progressing now.  Edward is being so sweet with her....and they are really hot together.  Now what?

She's already so deep into him.  I don't know too much about AA, so what's with the no dating and no sex?  Are they afraid it will be too much emotional stimuli, and make the person want to use again?  I don't totally get it....especially if it's in the confines of a relationship, and especially if it's consensual.....

Just wondering, and digging this story a lot!

xoSus

Author's Response:

The AA program suggests that people in recovery don't start a new relationship within the first year of their sobriety. It's not a "rule," exactly. More like a strongly suggested guideline...? The thinking behind it is that the person in recovery needs to focus first and foremost on staying sober; and, that people who struggle with alcoholism often have addictive personalities, and the new relationship might simply "fill in" for the alcohol and allow the person to avoid dealing with things that need to be dealth with.

Glad you're enjoying the story so far. Thanks for your comments. =)

Ok...this is making me depressed!  I'm sure it will get better, but it's really sad and depressing.....what Edward's life was, and what it has become.  Well, at least he's sober!

Holy shit...this is Edward, our Edward???? Wow, what a sad mess he is!

What a wonderful and real story. It's beautifully written and deals with such an important issue. The descriptions of drug abuse, getting high and trying to stay clean seem so real, like you've experienced it yourself, or have close ones who have. I'm glad that they had do work for it, to suffer and grow on their own. So often writers choose to make everything okay once Bella and Edward get together, but in real life that doesn't happen. You have to mend yourself before you can have a healthy relationship. Thank you for a lovely story.

What an utterly amazing, heartbreakingly beautiful story.  I was mesmerized from start to finish.  Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Thank you so much for this really lovely story. I started it last night, and kept reading until I just finished it now.

You truly created a great Bella and Edward!

I loved you shared it with all of us.

 

A serious take on a flawed Edward meeting a true-to-the-book Bella. Their mutual physical attraction is the initial draw, then the relationship morphs into: friendly book-lovers, flirtatious teasers, abuser- savior, abuser-victim, no relationship, and finally, the self-reformer and the forgiver. Every transition is described with extraordinary realism. There are choices in settings that have echoed my favorite spots: e.g.: diners, movies, bookstores, college life, running paths. The genius in the writing is that the inner narrative is spookily true- true to feelings I've had and if I haven't, I can remember people in my life having them.

 

This story was just as addictive in terms of will-they-or won't-they as any on the “most favorite” list. I'm amazed that I like Edward despite his being the most seriously f-ed up Edward I've ever read about. I want him to be happy and it doesn't even matter if it's with Bella- quite the accomplishment for a shipper like me. The use of the Cullen family and LaPush characters are incorporated with satisfying originality. I think Jacob lets go a little too easily, but Bella's explanation of why they broke up takes care of that issue. I wanted to see Edward and Bella completely consummate their new relationship, but was surprisingly satisfied with the promise that it would happen. One question I still have is- what does the story's title mean?

 

On a personal note, what has made this story actually amazing to me is that Talula Blue's description of the inner thoughts of an addict prompted my sub-conscious to piece together a resolution to a mystery in my own life. The answer to why an ex-boyfriend was so disappointing (and with full self-knowledge that he was so) is here in her narrative. Just like Bella, I hadn't given serious weight to the few shocking snippets my ex would share about his life before me. Just like her, I chose to make them un-shocking and filed them away, never really acknowledging that he was fighting addiction. So here I am, a married Mom, eight years later, having a surprising “a-ha” moment.

 

Thank you for the monumental care and work it took to write this.

 

-Tanya L.