I had heard a lot about Edward Cullen.

I had heard about his charm, his disarmingly good looks and his sense of humour. I had also heard about his arrogance, his infuriating smugness, his penchant for casual sex with various girls at Forks High and about the messy trail of broken hearts he leaves behind him. From his sister Alice, my new next door neighbour since moving to Forks to live with Charlie, I had heard about his temper, his arrogance and his infuriating smugness.

Yeah, I'd heard a lot about Edward. But when I finally met the notorious womaniser, the temperamental, beautiful brother of my new friend, I was by no means prepared.

I'd moved to Forks in July to give my mother Renee and her new husband some space as newlyweds, and while I had braced myself for something hellish it wasn't too bad. Despite the rain- which having moved from Phoenix, felt incessant- it was the hottest time of the year and there were a few enjoyable days where I could sit in Charlie's leafy garden with a book, or lie on a rug with Alice and listen to her talk about boys.

I'd met Alice Cullen as I was moving in, and practically within five minutes she was in my room rifling through my newly filled closet and demanding that I surrender and let her cut my hair. Now it was August and she was a crucial part of my new life in Forks, and I felt a whole lot better about starting a new school if she was going to be there too.

And this night was my chance to meet new people. It was one of those warm, clear evenings and Alice was throwing a party- to celebrate the end of summer, and the return of her brother Edward from his extended summer road trip. And for me, it was an opportunity to meet the people my age in Forks- the people I'd been nervously avoiding , because, well, it's scary meeting new people in a town full of strangers.

Alice appeared in the doorway to my room as I was saying goodbye to Renee on our weekly phone call. "Bella. You can't wear that. I won't let you" Alice stated authoritatively, and I rolled my eyes and hung up the phone.

"I wasn't even going to. These are my pajamas, Alice. I might not be glamorous but I'm not going to wear sweats to your party."

"Good. But I wouldn't be surprised, I don't think I've seen you wear a dress, like, ever. And why haven't you dried your hair yet? Do you want me to curl it? Or are you having it straight tonight?" She descended on my hair and I batted her off, laughing, as she tugged and combed it with her fingers.

"Leave me alone you witch. The hair is mine tonight. You can style me if you must though, and you're right, I don't think I own a dress. I think I have a tunic somewhere if that counts."

"Tunics never count. Don't worry, I brought over something for you to wear that isn't too tragic. You get ready, I'll go call Edward again- he's still not back and if he misses my party there'll be blood. Blood!" She swept out of the room. For a tiny person she can do very dramatic exits.

The Cullen's house was right next door to Charlie's, and as I walked there I felt nervous. The night was warm- probably the warmest I'd experienced in Forks yet- but I felt a bit shaky, and was relieved when Alice answered the door with approving exclamations about my appearance and a glass of wine ready for me in her hand which I took gratefully.

I'd been worried that Alice's dress would be one of the ornamental showpieces she loved, but it was actually perfect, an understated, cream coloured, ruffled affair. I'd teamed it with some ballet pumps and messy curls and, despite my nerves, I felt like I was presentable for the debut of my new social life.

I was going to need a cigarette, that much was certain. I was happy but stressed and a little drunk, and after listening Alice's friend Jessica talk for half an hour about the pros and cons of Edward Cullen, followed by some drunk guy called Mike trying to launch himself at my lips, I sneaked out round the back and ran into my house to grab some tobacco from my hidden stash. I walked slowly back through my garden as I rolled a cigarette, carefully hitching myself over the fence in into the Cullens' garden. Calmness washed over me as I guiltily lit up. I'd been quitting on and off for a year, and hadn't smoked since I came to Forks, but always kept some supplies in case of stressful situations.

The Cullens' garden was big, and it was beautiful, especially now when the sun was just setting. Alice's mum, Esme, was a landscape designer and had created a work of art, full of trees, flowers, paths and various nooks and crannies. Settling on a bench under the shelter of a large apple tree, I smoked and pondered the evening as darkness slowly descended. Sure, it had been going well enough. Jessica seemed sweet and she didn't seem to think I was a total drag, and if Mike hadn't taken me by surprise with his advances he could be quite cute.

"You're an asshole, you know that?"

My thoughts were interrupted by a girl's voice, angry and high, coming from the other side of the apple tree. My inquisitive side kicked in as I automatically leaned forward to hear better.

"I waited for you for months and you come back and don't even call, and Jessica said that Emmett said that you slept with loads of girls on your trip. And now you're clearly drunk and.."

"Oh come on, Lauren, cut me some slack, I just got back now, yeah? Didn't you miss me? Haven't you even got a kiss for me?"

The voice was low and smooth, but rasped a little.

"Edward you can't just kiss me and think that everything will be fine-"

So this was Alice's brother, Edward, living up to his reputation presumably. I was about to sneak back to the house- it was a bit weird listening to my best friend's brother with some girl in his garden- but the voices got nearer, blocking off my path to the house.

"Jesus Lauren, let's just leave it, I'm barely unpacked. Besides, we're not alone anymore."

Yeah, I should definitely go back inside now.

"What do you mean..?" squeaked Lauren.

"That's smoke, right? There's a smoker out here. Probably eavesdropping."

And round the corner came Edward Cullen, staring at me accusatively.

My first impression was just of angles. His lean body, dishevelled hair, straight nose and the planes of his jaw and cheekbones resulted in a feeling of hardness, not to mention the cold look he was giving me. But he was absolutely stunning. I could see why the girls in Forks went crazy for him, and why I'd been hearing about him all summer. The darkness of his eyes, his long fingers, the glint of bronze in his hair; my stomach clenched. Images entered my brain before I could stop them- my hands in his hair, him on top of me, moaning my name...

"Who are you?" he said coldly.