"The Sound of Silence" by Besotted

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Edward Cullen had his future perfectly planned out: he was double majoring in pre-medicine and music and straight on his way to become a successful doctor. Yet due to the huge amount of studying he had to do, Edward never had a steady girlfriend. So one might call it accident or fate when he unexpectedly encounters a beautiful young woman in a grocery store. Captivated by her, Edward offers to carry her bags for her but the young lady does not respond. And the reason behind that, Edward should learn soon, is not that she vehemently tries to ignore him but simply that she didn't hear him. Because Bella, the beautiful stranger, is deaf.

And luck keep being on his side when Edward figures out that Bella is enrolled at the same university he is at. But Bella is not a student, she's teaching sign language! The two make it a habit to meet everyday, 20 minutes before her class starts, and get to know each other by conversing through iPads and the little sign language Edward has already been able to pick up. He decides to learn the language well enough to be able to really talk to Bella and spends hours studying. Meanwhile, he and Bella develop close feelings for each other and though she is hesitant at first, she eventually decides to give their relationship a chance. But how will Edward's friends and family react to Bella's disability?

Hats off to Besotted for creating such a beautiful story - completely told from Edward's perspective! She realistically depicts the conflicts that a disabled person encounters while also pointing out that being deaf is not the end of the world. The author has portrayed the characters extremely well: Bella, though deaf, is a mature and strong female, who ignores those who try to exclude her from the norm. Our lovely Edward is exactly that: lovely. He is immensely patient and lets Bella set the pace of their relationship. What makes The Sound of Silence so special, however, is that Besotted shows her (hearing) readers how utterly unaware we are of so many fascinating aspects of life. Like the sound of the waves you hear when you put your ear down in the soft sand. Or the fastened rhythm of your lover's heartbeat when you are near him. Soon, one comes to the conclusion that, indeed, silence does have a sound and if you read this heartfelt story, you will know exactly what I mean. Experience love at first sight that will have you hooked till the end! A must-read!

The Sound of Silence consists of 30 chapters and 164,251 words. The story is rated M for language and hot sexual activities.

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