A/N: So I realized that when I heard the song: Soulmate by Natasha Bedingfield that it applied well to my own life. I saw that Bella and Edward would be prime characters to use to make a one-shot song-fiction. I've never been a huge song-fiction reader, but I liked the idea for this one. Please review!
Soulmate
I stared at my reflection with slight disgust. Why must they inflict so much pain on me? Did I really look so bad that my best girlfriends, Alice and Rosalie, felt the need to torture me?
Okay, I admit it I've looked like crap lately. I jut got out of a nasty relationship. Jacob had cheated on me with some tramp named Emily. So, I was a little depressed to have no one as Alice and Rose scampered off with their boyfriends Jasper and Emmett. I didn't even try in the mornings, usually settling for an old t-shirt and too-big jeans held up with a ratty brown belt. Alice had threatened to "burn the damn thing" but I stopped her by simply holding scissors to her massive wardrobe.
That same argument had led to me being shoved onto this stool at the vanity in Alice's suite-sized bedroom. Those damn Cullen's and their damn money.
Rosalie was plucking, waxing, curling, and doing God knows what else to my body. Meanwhile, Alice was finishing up my "smoky" make-up. I'll admit it was nice to have the bruise-like shadows beneath my eyes from sleepless nights covered with the magic of concealer.
I had to be the only twenty-three year old who almost never wore make-up. This was simply because I didn't care.
"Done!" Alice an Rose exclaimed at the same time. They did it often and crept me out.
"Thanks," I mumbled, standing up. I honestly didn't see the point in this "Bella Barbie" charade if I was going to just watch movies with my best friends.
"Bella," they whined, exasperated.
See what I mean? Totally in sync. It just wasn't normal.
"What?" I snapped a bit harshly.
"Damn it, Bella!" Rosalie burst. I jumped. "Would you stop with the emo, pessimistic view of life?"
"Yeah," Alice interjected. "What happened to our fun-loving Bella?"
"She got a grip on reality!" I spat the answer in third person.
"When are you going to wake-up, Bells? You are my best friend and I can't stand seeing you like this," Alice stated, nearly shouting.
"My life sucks. What do you want from me?" I said desperately, throwing my hands in the air.
"We want our best friend back. Our Bells with her tinkling laugh and lovely smile." Rosalie's statement brought tears to my eyes.
I missed that part of me, too.
"Come with us to a bar tonight, Bella." Alice's eyes pleaded with me.
I nodded weakly. I owed it to them.
So with all of us ready (oh so conveniently), we headed over to Em and Jazz's apartment. I hadn't seen them in a while. Perhaps it would be good for me. Jasper had this demeanor about him. He was just so charismatic. I always felt calmer around him. Not to mention Emmett's insane sense of humor.
As I sat in the back of Emmett's jeep, I fell into deep thought.
Ever since high school, Alice, Rose, and I had been the best of friends. With our friendship came their brothers. Rose and Jazz were twins. Both were twenty-four. Emmett and Alice were twenty-four and twenty-three. So, I was just barely the baby. (Alice's birthday was in July and mine was in September.)
But once Jazz and Ali started going out, followed very shortly by Rose and Em, I began feeling like not just a "third wheel" but a spare tire shoved in the trunk of a four-wheeled car.
Not dating much in high school had been kind of hand. But when I met Jacob at the age of twenty-one, I thought that none of that mattered because he was the one for me. I loved him. Or…at least I thought I did. Until he started sleeping around. After a year of fighting and his cheating, I fled. I gave up. There wasn't hope and love with him anymore just hurt and anger.
And now because of his selfishness, here I sit. The spare tire once more.
I sighed deeply as we pulled in front of a bar called ___. It looked promising. The idea of drowning myself in alcohol was becoming more appealing.
Emmett clapped a hand on my shoulder, making me wince in pain. "It's good to have you back, Belly!" He exclaimed happily. "After all, you're my only challenge for pool. Well, except Edward of course." He chuckled, shaking his head.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rose shoot him a murderous glare. Even I shivered.
"Edward?" I asked, truly perplexed.
"A friend of mine from college. It's been over a year, and he was in town so I invited him to tag along."
That was nice of Emmett, I thought. Maybe I'd have someone to talk to after all, I thought. I could feel the familiarity of optimism seeping through me. It felt good.
We entered the bar which had a pretty good sized crowd. Tables all around were placed so the occupants could see the stage where a karaoke night seemed to be in full swing.
As we made our way into the pit area in front of the stage, I saw Emmett waving. I followed the direction of his gaze and found myself staring, without the possibility of looking away, at a Greek god.
The man that stood before me was tall and quite muscular. His long-sleeved black shirt clung to his body showing each and every detail of his chiseled torso.
I felt faint. Is this what it feels like to swoon? I asked myself. Certainly, nothing of this sort had ever happened with Jacob.
The next thing my eyes zeroed in on was his face. The pale skin like mine, the piercing emerald green eyes; a shade I had never before seen.
Bronze colored hair fell into his eyes as his body shook with laughter at Emmett's excitement. And that smile. Oh God, that glorious smile. Crooked to perfection and dazzling beyond belief.
I heard Alice giggle and she poked my side. It was then that I realized my mouth had been slightly agape. I silently thanked the Heavens above that I wasn't drooling.
Flushing red, I walked forward and sat at the table, staring at my hands. Rose and Alice were whispering fiercely to each other as they took their seats on either side of me.
"--created a monster! Look at his face!" Rose said in awe.
"He won't look away," Alice added. Their heads were behind my back. I rolled my eyes. Surely they knew I could hear them. Not that I knew what they were talking about anyway.
"Alright," Emmett began clapping his hands together once, loudly. "This is Edward."
I glanced up and what did I find?
Two emerald eyes seeing through me as if I was transparent. I felt bare; as if all my emotions and secrets were laid out before me.
I averted my eyes to my lap, blushing for eighty-fourth time already.
"Edward," Emmett continued, "This is my sister, Alice and my beautiful girlfriend, Rosalie."
"I'm delighted to meet you both," came a very polite, velvety smooth and perfect voice. The sound made my heart want to either melt or combust. "And who is this?" He asked softly.
With one blush running into the next, I peered shyly out from under my eyelashes.
A breathtakingly sweet grin broke out on his face.
I brought my head up to smile at him tentatively. "Bella," I responded quietly.
He reached forward to shake my hand. But instead, he took my hand and kissed the back of it so softly it felt like feathers.
We all sat back down. All the men directly across from the ladies. Both Alice and Rose sat across from their boyfriends which left both Edward and me in between everyone and directly across from each other. Not that I minded.
I suddenly thanked the Lord above that Ali and Rose had dressed me up and done my make-up and hair.
I settled into everyone's conversations nicely, and easier than I expected. It almost felt like old times. I had half a beer and was done with the alcohol. Jacob had often gotten drunk and the substance didn't appeal to me much. As the night went on, I had a couple of casual conversations with Edward. I swear at one point I felt his foot brush against my leg, sending tingles or electric waves all the way up to my head.
A couple hours later, I desperately had to pee. I asked Alice and Rosalie to go with me. You never know. Bar + alcohol + men can equal trouble.
As soon as the bathroom door swung shut behind us, they nearly pounced on me.
"What?" I inquired, holding up my hands defensively.
"Oh you know what!" Rose answered, turning giggly.
"No, I don't." I snapped slightly, feeling confused and overwhelmed by the intensity in their eyes.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Bella," she said, "We're not blind! Edward totally hasn't taken his eyes off of you all night!"
"He hasn't?" I asked dumbly. I honestly hadn't noticed.
"Oh, Bella! Snap out of your little world. Wake up and smell the roses. No pun intended…" She trailed off.
I grinned. The unintended joke actually was a little bit ironic and therefore funny.
"Edward's crazy about you! Can't you see it? Heck, I talked to him directly for five minutes and didn't even get a pity glance!"
I blushed furiously. "You guys are crazy." I just shook my head and went on with what I came in here to do.
As I came out of the stall, Alice and Rosalie were grinning evilly.
I stopped dead in my tracks. "Uh-oh. I know those faces! What do you want?" I asked warily.
Rose stepped in. "We want to bet you Bella."
"I beg your pardon? Bet me?" I asked with a laugh.
"Yes," Alice replied. "We bet you and Edward will kiss by the end of the night."
"What?" I questioned their sanity. "We just met! Why would we kiss? I don't even know him."
"That's why you get to know him," Rosalie said as if it were the most obvious thing in the whole world.
"We'll bet you a shopping trip. If you win, you get one whole moth without shopping with me or Rose. If we win, we take you on a shopping spree weekend."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're on." This was just way too easy.
So we headed back to our table. After another thirty minutes of talking and getting to know Edward better, an announcer called from the stage, my name? I froze. What? Why were they calling my name to do karaoke? I was a good singer, but I definitely didn't do crowds.
That's when I noticed my friends cracking up. I had gone deathly pale. And they were laughing?
"What the hell, guys?" I snarled. I quickly noticed that Edward was the only one with a straight face. He was staring at me, concern coloring his face.
Huffing and puffing, I scraped my chair against the wood flooring as I got up to go endure the hell my so-called "friends" had inflicted upon me.
Before I could take more than a step, however, Edward had gotten up as well and placed a firm hand around my elbow.
"What?" I meant it to come out sarcastic, but it felt as though the wind was knocked out of me and it sounded like an exasperated sigh.
"I'm sorry, Bella. I tried to stop them, but you know Emmett…" he trailed off.
"Yes," I said nodding. "I do."
"You don't have to do this Bella." And suddenly he was just inches from my face, eyes smoldering. I could feel his warm breath graze my face, the smell becoming dominant and causing me to slowly lose my grasp on what was going on.
Before I could be dazzled any further, I pulled away and walked over to a man who said his name was Keith. I had to do this. I had something to prove. Not only to my friends, but to myself as well.
I picked the song I wanted. It was a personal song that went straight to my heart. Tears brimmed my eyes, but I quickly suppressed them. Save it for the stage, Swan.
I took the steps painfully slow, mentally preparing and chastising myself for what I was about to do.
When I sat on the stool and grabbed the mike, I heard my friends--my family--cheer for me.
I attempted to smile but it came out as more of a grimace.
As the guitar came in, I looked away from the prompter. I knew this song all too well. I didn't need to read the highlighted words.
Incompatible, It don't matter though.
Cause someone's bound to hear me cry.
Speak out if you do.
You're not easy to find.
Is it possible Mr. Loveable
Is already in my life.
Right in front of me.
Or maybe you're in disguise.
I smirked slightly as I sang the last few lines of the verse. I took a steadying breath for the chorus.
Who doesn't long for someone to hold,
Who knows how to love you, without being told.
Somebody tell me why I'm on my own
If there's a Soulmate for everyone.
A lone tear made its way down my cheek as I sang the all too true words.
Here we are again, circles never end.
How do I find the perfect fit?
There's enough for everyone.
But I'm still waiting in line.
I continued to sing full out, giving it my all. I conveyed every emotion through this song. As the next chorus came, I began to put my own spin on it, adding notes and miniature riffs. I made sure not to overdo it.
Who doesn't long for someone to hold,
Who knows how to love you, without being told.
Somebody tell me why I'm on my own
If there's a Soulmate for everyone.
If there's a Soulmate for everyone.
Tears flowed freely now, but they surprisingly didn't affect my ability to keep singing. I looked right into Edward's eyes as I kept on singing.
Most relationships seem so transitory.
There all good but not the permanent one.
Who doesn't long for someone to hold,
Who knows how to love you, without being told.
Somebody tell me why I'm on my own
If there's a Soulmate for everyone.
Who doesn't long for someone to hold,
Who knows how to love you, without being told.
Somebody tell me why I'm on my own
If there's a Soulmate for everyone.
Placing the microphone on the stand, I hopped down off the stage. When I hit the ground, my clumsiness got the better of me. I tripped, unsteady on my feet, and braced myself for the impact of hardwood flooring and skin. It never came.
Instead, I feel into the strong arms of Edward Masen. Rather than just releasing me once I was upright, he held me. I embraced the comfort of his chest and curled into him.
He hugged me to him and rubbed soft, soothing circles across my back.
"I…" I sobbed. "I need to l-leave…" I made to walk away and stop embarrassing myself, but Edward surprised me yet again.
Holding me tighter, I heard as Edward whispered something to Emmett and Alice. Both of whom had worried expressions on their faces.
Before I could say a word, Edward scooped me up bridal style and headed out the door. I didn't protest, but rather I reveled in the close proximity.
I didn't know why I felt so intensely attracted to Edward. Sure, he was the most gorgeous man Alice, but what I felt was much more. Before the disaster on stage, I had been thoroughly enjoying his company. He had a sense of humor like Emmett, only much more sarcastic. He was very down-to-earth and was exactly the kind of man you'd "take home to mom and dad". He was perfection in every single way.
The effect he had on me was astounding. I knew that if he ever needed or wanted anything, I would oblige. It was like he was sent to me. And I would do anything to keep from losing him.
I suddenly noticed that we had arrived at his car. It was silver, shiny, and a Volvo. Setting me down on the passenger seat, he proceeded to walk around to the other side and back out of the parking lot.
"Where are we going?" I asked, genuinely curious. Normally it wouldn't be desired for a guy to take a girl he just met to an unknown destination, but I trusted Edward.
"Your house," he replied simply. Rose, Ali, and I shared a three bedroom house we had found for relatively cheap. Alice had fixed it up to look homey and we loved it a lot. Something told me Alice and Rosalie would be staying with Emmett and Jasper tonight.
"Why?" I asked.
Edward frowned a little bit before replying. "Because we really need to talk."
We pulled up in front of my house just moments later. As we walked inside I took Edward's hand. I didn't feel quite emotionally stable yet and I needed that contact with him.
We sat on the couch together and I waited for him to speak.
He shifted uncomfortably before he spoke. "Bella, I don't know you. We've only just met, yet I feel like I've known you all my life. I feel drawn to you."
The tension and awkwardness suddenly became too much. I laughed.
"A - at least I'm n-n-not the only one!" I was on my back in a fit of giggles.
After staring at me dumbstruck, Edward chuckled lightly. "What exactly are you laughing at?" he asked, poking me playfully in the ribs.
I calmed down a bit. Still smiling, I responded, "I guess the stress and tense atmosphere got to me. It was like a momentary release, I suppose."
"You said you felt that way, too." It wasn't a question, but a statement.
Suddenly I turned shy and nodded, blushing slightly.
Edward's fingers came up to brush my heated cheeks. Every time he touched me It was like an electric shock I felt all the way through me down to my toes. It was an amazingly pleasant feeling.
"What happened to you?" I asked, pleading with his eyes. I could tell that he wanted to know so he could help me.
"I want to heal you," he said, confirming my thoughts. "I want to be with you. To be yours." The desperation in his voice was almost to much for my heart to bear.
I nodded frantically. I knew exactly what he meant. I wanted to be his, too.
"To put it simply," I began, "I just got out of a bad relationship."
"What happened?" He asked again. "You looked so sad up there. I wanted nothing more than to wipe your tears away. I wanted to just kiss you and hold you until whatever horrible things he did to you were gone from you."
Tears sprang to my eyes once more. I let them fall as I told my story.
"His name was Jacob. Jacob Black. We met in college two years ago. I was having lunch in the commons alone when he asked to join me. I hadn't dated much in high school. It seemed rather frivolous to me. Not to mention no one was interested." I mumbled the last sentence.
Edward's eyebrows furrowed as a frown crossed his face. "I find that hard to believe."
I laughed without humor. "Oh yeah, that's what you think. Anyway, we talked and I really liked him. He had this warmth and friendship around him. I loved the feeling. So we went out on some dates and it turned serious."
"I was with him non-stop. I hardly saw Alice and Rose anymore. I felt guilty for not hanging out with them much. Especially in retrospect. But I was just so happy. A year went by in a flash. We did everything together."
"But…then things changed. At the beginning of my second senior year, he…I don't know. We just weren't together as much. He always had places to go, people to see. And here I sat, waiting for him like some love-sick puppy," I spat. "How could I have been so naïve?"
"You weren't naïve," Edward said. "You were in love."
"Well, at least I thought I was. So life went on and I saw him less and less. He became emotionally cold and distant. Cruel almost. He became verbally abusive, but I couldn't force myself to leave. I guess I was in denial. I'd never had such a serious relationship before. I didn't know what to expect."
"Eventually, I noticed little clues. Receipts for gifts I had never received, calls he wouldn't take when he was with me…Then I saw her. I went to Seattle to do some shopping. He was gone for the day and I had nothing to do. I went into a bookstore I had always loved. I went to the back where they had used college books. And there she was, pinned to the bookshelf, half-naked with Jacob--my boyfriend-- all over her."
I was sobbing again. Edward held me once more as I curled into him. He didn't press me for more. He waited patiently for me to continue.
Soon, I spoke. "I backed away slowly and ran to my car. It was the only time I ever sped. I spent the day and night in bed. Luckily Alice and Rosalie weren't home. I couldn't bare to have them see me in such a condition."
"Three months went by. I told Alice and Rose what had happened. They encouraged me to confront him and dump him as soon as possible. I was being a stubborn, blind-sighted child."
"You were scared. Losing your first love is always hard," Edward explained.
"But that's just it. I didn't love him. I despised him. I wanted out! But I was too cowardly." I buried my face in his chest.
"Then, one day, I'd had enough. I cornered him when I met him at his house. I screamed and hollered till my throat burned in agony. I cried till there was nothing left. And all he did was stare at me. I'll never forget his expression out of my mind."
"Like he didn't car?" Edward supplied dryly. It was as if he knew exactly how I felt and understood to a 't' what I was talking about.
"Yes," I replied dumbfounded. "How do you know?"
"Let's just say I've been there." I nodded, slightly confused. "Her name was Emily," Edward added. "I don't know anything about the guy and I don't want to. I resent her for what she did to me. It was hard to get through."
I stared at him. I couldn't believe what had just come out of his mouth. Emily? Surely it wasn't…nah. Just a coincidence, Swan. Stop freaking out.
Still curled into Edward's chest, I raised my head to look at his flawless face. I couldn't look away. I felt something then. A new chapter had begun for me. I could start over. And after what seemed like an eternity, I decided to speak.
"Are you Mr. Lovable?" I asked, smiling sweetly.
Edward surprised me by lowering his head till it was mere inches from my face. He grinned crookedly. "Maybe," he responded. "I'm speaking out," he whispered.
Screw the bet, I thought. And I kissed him.
A/N: FYI, Rose and Alice's conversation at the table behind Bella's back is definitely about Bella and Edward. Just incase you didn't catch that;) Also, Edward's ex-girlfriend, Emily, is the same Emily that Jacob cheated on with Bella. I didn't want Bella to be too phased or upset by it, so I had her brush it off rather easily. So tell me what you think. I hope I established enough personality and background to your liking. I hope you enjoyed it. I had toooons of fun writing it!
Review! I know you just LOVE that green button! Come on! Push it! I know you want to!!!! LOL!;)