Bella Swan stood quietly in line at the large library. She was lost in her own world, one where she was the heroine in some foreign land who strived to save the poor wretched people that suffered under the law of an unjust ruler. The scorching mid day sun burned mercilessly through the dark sunglasses she was wearing, unable to block the intense sun light that blinded her. As she stepped out of the-
"Athemmm" coughed the older man behind her. Bella jerked her nose out of her book and blushed deeply as she moved forward to close the large gap that had formed in front of her in the line at the checkout counter.
"I'm sorry…" she said quietly to him. The man nodded absently as he tapped his book irritably against his palm. It did seem that it was taking a lot longer to check out today than normally. Not that she had much to do today… or any day for that matter.
Bella was what you would call quiet. She lived in a one bedroom apartment in Seattle Washington with her disagreeable cat Andy. She worked as a mediator for a website that hosted twenty four hour online auctions for rare artifacts, kind of a high end Ebay if you will. She worked the grave yard shift, the most boring time for the auctions. So she was paid well to do practically nothing. There were times when the live chat got a little out of hand but that's why she was there, because if Bella Swan didn't like what you where typing all she had to do was press a button and you were "dismissed" (as the site like to put it) and were unable to have access to the site for three days. That was enough to keep most parties from getting too rowdy because on this site, the artifacts could go at anytime and if you didn't have access for three days, it could cost you millions.
Once she made it to the checkout counter Bella was already on page 34 of the newest book that the library had in stock. Stella, the librarian, always held the new ones that she knew Bella would like because she would come in at 11:00 every Thursday morning and ask what came in. When young person made a habit out of coming to the library once a week like clockwork, Stella made a habit out of noticing.
"Thank you for holding this book for me." Bella said gently to the grey haired woman. "I've read wonderful reviews on it."
"It's no problem sweetie." Stella smiled brilliantly at the young girl as she took her library card and book. Once both where scanned into the new fangled computing system they had just implemented, she handed the book and card back to Bella along with a receipt. "As you know, it's due back in two weeks, but I'm sure that we'll see you next week, at about eleven?"
Bella smiled as she gathered her things up. "Yep."
When she pushed through the heavy glass doors of the library, she pulled the worn shades down from the top of her head to cover her chocolate brown eyes. For 11:30 in the morning on a Thursday it was sure crowed on the streets.
She made her way sluggishly with the crowd two blocks down to the local coffee shop. As she stood in line, nose in book of course, she was shoved harshly into the unsuspecting woman in front of her.
"Hey!" the woman yelled angrily at Bella as she tried to gather her book and spilled messenger bag off the floor.
Bella looked heatedly at the person behind her; fully intending on giving whomever it was a piece of her mind. How dare he come stampeding in to a quiet coffee shop and trample innocent patrons! There was a line and you had to wait- and then all words left her as she looked up at the two most gorgeous men she had ever seen.
They were like day and night standing next to each other; their looks were miles apart so that she wasn't sure she was seeing them correctly. They were both tall but that is where the similarities ended.
One was light, so light that she wasn't sure if she was actually looking at a ghost. His pale skin against unearthly green eyes and unruly coopered colored hair was almost eerie to look at. His smirk slashed a crossed his beautiful face as he look down at her scrambling for her things on the floor.
At least the other seemed to have a bit of compassion as the horror of their antics struck him. His bronzed skin glowed in the early afternoon sun as it shown through the windows. The light helped her see that his eyes weren't black as her first glimpse revealed to her, but a deep brown like her own. His short black hair only capped off her darkly impression of him.
"Oh crap!" Said the dark one as he crouched down to the floor to help Bella retrieve her belongings. "I'm so sorry!"
Bella floundered for words in response to his deep and booming voice. "Ummm, it's ok, I mean, it was an accident, right, so it's no problem because if you didn't mean too to it on purpose, then of course it was a accident right so…" she trailed clumsily off as he grabbed her hand and helped her rise. It seemed to her that this was like in the movies when everything goes slow motion and then the romantic music starts to play. They stood there still holding hands as his friend smirked on and the woman in front of Bella fumed without resolution.
He let go of her hand and turned to the angry woman. "I'm sorry."
"You better be because you and your friend just ruined my shirt!" The three looked down at the woman's coffee stained white blouse and Bella cringed.
"At least it was iced coffee so you weren't burned…" Bella added meekly.
This only seemed to infuriate her even further. "You probably don't understand, honey, but this is a hundred and fifty dollar shirt. It's not like I can run to Walmart and grab another one." She eyed Bella with unconcealed disgust.
If Bella could have melted into the floor she would have, to have this woman humiliate her in front of these two guys was almost too much. She glanced sideways at the two Gods and wanted to run. The darker one looked like he was two seconds from crushing her into the floor and the lighter one seemed to coincide with the others feelings.
"Look lady-"the darker one began.
"No YOU look you little-"
"Stop." The light one stated commandingly.
Bella froze. Did the world just stop for him because he said so? Obviously. If she could have had control over everything on the planet she would have beseeched on his behalf that it where so. The sun and stars would hold still, the animals and plants would freeze and the winds would cease to exist.
The woman stared with desire smoldering in her icy blue eyes. Even she was rendered speechless as she slowly folded her arms over her ruined shirt.
"It was an accident." He said slowly as he reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a hand full of bills. He handed her a fair amount of money and smiled crookedly. "Hopefully this will cover the bill."
She grinned brainlessly and almost started giggling. "You know what would make it better? How about you keep the money, but meet me here tomorrow instead?"
He shook his head and look passionately at Bella. He could see the distant hurt in her eyes. "No."
Once it made it though her thick skull that she was being turned down, the woman fumed once more and stormed out of the shop.
Bella stood against the counter looking petrified at the two men. The darker one turned to the lighter one and laughed heartily. "Man, do you have a way with the ladies!"
"Apparently." The lighter one grinned as the door to the shop slammed closed.
"So really, we are sorry. It wasn't meant to go down like that! I just wanted to get your attention and my friend over here doesn't know the meaning of subtly." The darker one almost blushed under his deep russet coloring. It was very cute. "I'm Jacob by the way." He stuck out his hand to her.
She took his hand once again. "Bella."
"It's nice to meet you Bella. And this is Edward." He said motioning to the lighter one.
"It's nice to meet you both."
Edward stood staring at her with his hands in his pockets, the epitome of calm, cool and collected. His green eyes roamed her delicate features as she stood cowering under his scrutiny. She felt inadequate as she tried to stand a little straighter, a little taller. After what seemed like eternity, Edward finally spoke. "Let me buy you some coffee to make up for Jacob's little stunt."
He walked to the counter beside her and ordered a cup of coffee, black with no cream or sugar. He turned expectantly to her. All she could so was stand and stare at him as his look grew amused. "What do you want Bella?" His question shook her out of her reverie, and she blinked in surprise when Jacob poked her in the ribs.
She turned and looked at him uncertainly as he stood leaning into her. "You do drink coffee, right?" Jacob asked.
"Coffee?"
"Yes Bella, coffee." Edward said as her pale skin reddened with embarrassment.
She laughed shakily. "Yes. A regular with two creams and two sugars please."
"And I want a large black with sugar." Jacob boomed behind her making her jump slightly.
The bored teenager poked lazily at the register. "That comes to a total of $11.94." Edward handed him a twenty and the kid's eyes brightened considerably when he added the change to the tip jar. "Thank you sir!"
Edward walked to a table in the corner with Jacob following behind him. Bella stood near the counter waiting for hers. She didn't want to assume incorrectly that she was invited to sit with them just because Edward felt it necessary to buy her coffee. Jacob walked back to the counter and tisked at her. "We buy your coffee and you don't even sit with us? Now now Bella, that is very rude!" He joked with her. Just at that time the kid called their number and he grabbed the coffees and motioned with his head to follow him.
"Thanks." She mumbled when she sat next to Edward. He looked at her quizzically and she picked up her cup and half saluted him. He smiled at her and took a sip of his own.
"No problem."
"So Bella," Jacob started. "What do you do?"
"Do?"
"Yes Bella, as in your profession" Edward clarified.
Bella blushed again as it occurred to her that she was being very dumb. Normal questions that she couldn't answer? She was making herself look like a fool. "I mediate online chat for a web based auction site." Short and simple would have to do for now.
"Cool! Is it that site… Man I can't think of it now!"
". Yeah, that's it." Bella smiled at Jacob as he winched when he took a large sip of the steaming coffee.
Jacob recovered quickly once he made the connection. "Hey Ed, isn't that where your dad bought all that stuff for your family's vacation house in San Francisco? "
"Don't call me that." Came Edward's cold reply.
Jacob leaned in co spiritually to Bella and 'whispered' to her. "You would think that since we've known each other since we were in third grade, I could call him anything short of ass hole, but nnnoooooo. Not our boy EDWARD. He has no nicknames. Not Ed, Eddy or anything! What a way to live your life, having to be so formal all the time…"
Bella looked deeply into Jacob chocolate brown eyes. "Do you have any nicknames?"
"Ass hole." Edward coughed unconvincingly into his closed fist.
"Ha ha, Ed."
"Don't call me that." Edward hissed at his chuckling friend. "I don't typically call him that in public, but it has been known to 'slip out'."
"I see!" She laughed as Jacob brought out his hundred watt smile and beamed at her.
Edward looked at Bella and smiled sweetly. She melted into the chair as she immediately noticed that he had a beautiful smile too with ruler straight teeth. Why was she acting like this? It seemed that these two brought her out of a shell that she never knew she was living in. One minute she only existed in a dream world vicariously though her books, and now she was having coffee with the two most mouth watering men she had ever seen here in the real world.
Noticing that they both had their attention on her, she struggled for something to say. "What do you two do?"
Jacob looked at Edward, for what seemed like permission, before he spoke. "College. I'm studying ancient cultures and Edward is studying business. This is the last year for both of us and I'll say that I'm soooo glad that it's almost over!"
"It's definitely been a long 4 years. " Edward added as he looked at Bella with hunger in his emerald eyes.
She got lost in his eyes again as he seemed to pin her to the chair she was sitting in. Wow those eyes were captivating! "Umm, I bet…" she mumbled.
"Do you live around here?" Jacob interrupted her dangerous thoughts.
Turning back to look at him, it seemed that he was so close, they both were, that they were intoxicating her. "Yes. Just a few blocks west of here."
"Alone?" Edward quizzed her.
"No." She blurted out. Something inside of her shook the clouds out of her head. Maybe telling two absolute strangers that she lived alone a few blocks away wasn't the best idea.
"Boyfriend?" Edward drilled her again, looming so close that it was probably illegal in 30 states to be so close in public.
"Not really…" Her reckless side grabbed hold of the reins and took over. "Just Andy, my cat…" She trailed off.
Edward grinned at her and the mood lighted considerably. "I had a dog named Andy when I was little." And just like that, the intense moment between them was over. Did she imagine that Edward was going to take her, right then and there? Wow, she was reading way too much in to this.
"What kind of cat do you have?" It was Jacob's turn to ask questions as Edward sat back and sipped his coffee.
She shifted in her seat to look at the dark God sitting next to her. "Siamese." Came her one word reply as he stared at her seriously.
"I bet he has an attitude, huh?"
She couldn't take her eyes off him. "Yes, too much for his own good sometimes." She jumped as he moved forward and his knee brushed hers. The heat almost burned her as electricity sparked up her leg and straight to her belly. Her other leg got the same treatment, just from the other occupant at the table. Edward had moved up to the table and rested his cool leg against her. God he was cold in contrast to the other very male leg beside her.
"He sounds like a pleasure." Jacob whispered to her, his warm breath flowing gently over her face. He was so close to her that his lips were mere inches from her own. He smelled so good…
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Edward pick up his coffee and take a long drink. When he set it down on the table his cool arm brushed up against hers and he left it there. Bella turned to look at him and he was as close to her as Jacob. From anywhere outside of their little huddle, someone would think that they were sharing secrets. Their contrastingly cold and warm legs rubbed against hers and each others, the contact injecting sparks of hunger in her eyes. Her senses where overwhelmed by them… she didn't know what to think or what to do.
"I have to go!" Bella jumped up almost spilling the coffees on the table. Both boys stared up at her innocently. She grabbed her messenger bag and stuffed the forgotten book quickly inside.
Jacob stood up and grabbed her hand gently. "Bella wait-"
"I have to go! I have an appointment, I forgot about it. I have to go."
"Can I have your phone number? I'd like to see you again." He asked as she started for the door. His tone stopped her before she rushed out of the coffee shop. She considered her options. No number, no super hot guy to see again. Number, and she could see him again, and hopefully soon. They were acting so weird; she hesitated on the obvious decision.
"Ok. " She sighed and scribbled her number down on a napkin. She handed it to him when he approached her.
"So I guess I'll call you?"
"Sure."
She turned and fled from the shop, sparing a glance behind her. Both Edward and Jacob were watching her. A chill ran through her despite the warm afternoon. What had she gotten herself into?