Hi! This is my first attempt at writting a Twilight fic so I hope you guys like it! And before you start reading, I would just love to thanks Darkylromantic for being my beta! Ok now, on with the reading!
One Call Away
Chapter 1: A meeting
I haven't ever really found a place that I call home
I never stick around quite long enough to make it
I apologize that once again I'm not in love
But it's not as if I mind
that your heart ain't exactly breaking
Dido
She was walking through the dark streets, headed towards a bar where she was going to meet her best friend, Alice. They had moved to New Hampshire when they entered Dartmouth College,. They had rented an apartment together at first, but then Alice moved to her boyfriend's apartment and left Bella alone in hers.
She had no problem with it, she could pay the rent, it was the being alone part she hated. So to make up for that she usually spent most of her time outside. She would spend most of her time on campus, studying or going to classes; she would also spend a lot of time in the library. Since she was an English major she had no problem with spending lots of time in the library.
Some time ago she only had one more option, other than campus and the library. She would spend her time with Alice, but since Alice now had a boyfriend Bella had to find a new friend. That's when she met James. He was just the thing she was looking for, a hot guy who had no interest in building a serious relationship. It had worked out marvelously for a while, but then it got serious.
At first she liked it, she liked having a guy around, she liked having a man to call her own. But after almost a year she realized James wasn't the guy for her. He was the guy you had one night stands with; he was most definitely not boyfriend material.
The problem was that she was in too deep now, she cared for him, and he cared for her; but she didn't know how to end things up with him. She knew he would never cheat on her, so she really had no reason to hate him. The guy just bothered her… sometimes.
It was a love/hate relationship. After 6 months she started seeing his flaws. He was too self-absorbed, and he would never be able to love her the way she would be able to love him. She wasn't in love with him, but she wanted to be in love, with someone, someone who could love her back. And James just wasn't that guy.
He spent most of his time in her apartment; he even had a key Bella gave him. But she now thought it was a really stupid thing to do. He would lie in her bed all day long, he wouldn't bathe, he used her computer all day and he ate all her food.
Alice always said that she was too nice to him; she had even given her advice on how to tell him to behave himself in her apartment. But it was as if he didn't get it. He would try to be nice to her, he would make her bed and wash the dishes he used, but after a week things would go back to normal.
Bella knew this had to end, but she just didn't know how to end it with him. Deep down she was afraid to be alone, she had gotten too used to his company; he made her laugh, and he would go with her wherever she wanted to go.
The guy wasn't a complete mess, he didn't do those things on purpose, it was just his personality, and Bella understood that about him, so she felt she had no right to ask him to change.
Of course whenever Bella told this argument to Alice, Alice would start saying that if she didn't want to change James, and she didn't like him 100 then she should just break up with him. But then Bella found herself in that place again.
If she broke up with him she knew she would spend a lot of time by herself, and she dreaded that thought. James wasn't all that bad, he was good company.
Bella entered the bar and headed to their usual table. Alice was already there waiting for her, she had ordered drinks for them.
"I'm sorry I'm late," Bella said as she sat on the chair in front of Alice and placed her tote bag on the table.
"Don't worry," Alice began, "I just got here myself."
Bella loved Alice so much; she was the perfect friend, always there for her. One of the great things about Alice was that she never judged her. Bella knew when Alice didn't agree with something she did, but Alice would always try to support her.
"My car broke down!" Bella began, taking a sip from the cocktail in front of her, and was happy to find it was a Cosmopolitan, Alice knew her so well.
"What?!" Alice said in-between laughs. "Well that was bound to happen, you should sell that old truck and buy a new car, you could buy a small girly car! They are so cute!"
Bella laughed at her friend's reaction. Alice got so exited when it came to buying things, anything. She would get all worked up and start making plans to see when they could go shopping.
"Yeah, this morning when I was on my way to the English building it wouldn't start," Bella said sighing. "I had to call the mechanic and he said he would go pick it up during the morning, he said he would call me tomorrow to tell me if they were able to find what was wrong with the car."
"Bella, honestly, you have to sell that thing, you're spending more money trying to keep it alive than you would spend on a new car!" Alice said still laughing.
"Yeah, yeah I know, the mechanic said they had a new guy who was great with old cars, he told me that maybe this guy would be able to fix it," Bella said hopeful.
She loved that old truck, she knew it was very expensive to try to maintain it but she had created a bond with the car, and she just couldn't see how she would be able to get rid of it.
"Well, promise me that if this guy can't fix it you'll sell it and buy a new one."
Bella rolled her eyes at her friend, but agreed to her plea.
"So is Jasper coming tonight?" Bella asked, trying to change the subject.
"Yeah, he said he would be late because he had to pick up a friend, I told you about him, it's one of Jasper's childhood friends, he's moved her ´cause they offered him a job." Alice paused for a second to have a drink from her cocktail. "You'll love him, they guy is extremely hot, and he is such a gentleman, it would surprise you."
"I hope you are not trying to hook me up with him Alice, you know I have a boyfriend," Bella told her friend, trying to sound serious, but she knew Alice didn't consider James a real boyfriend.
"Well, you might like to call James your boyfriend, but when you meet Edward I'm sure you'll realize that there are real men out there who are actually good for you."
"James is good to me," Bella retorted, a little hurt. James could be many things, but he had always been good to her.
"Yeah, but you deserve a real man Bella, you should date a guy who could at least pay his half when you guys go out," Alice pointed out, narrowing her eyes, trying to make sure Bella was getting the message.
"You know he's had a hard time finding a job! If I don't pay for stuff then we would never go out!" Bella retorted to Alice.
"EXACTLY MY POINT!" Alice said, a little annoyed. "Bella, James is a nice guy, he's funny and all, but you can't possibly expect to have a future with him, the guy can't take you out to the movies for God's sake! and I really don't see what you guys have in common, she said bluntly at last.
"Oh c'mon Alice, you know I don't want to marry the guy, we are just…. having fun" Bella said, trying to hide the uncertainty she felt.
She really had no idea what she was doing with him. Yes, he was funny, the sex was great, and he was good company, but they had absolutely nothing in common.
Starting of by their personalities, he was too cynic, too negative, he made fun of other people's misery, and he was always complaining. Of course not everything about him was bad, a good thing was that he had no need to hide who he was, he would always say what was on his mind, and so people could either like him or hate him.
At first she had found him attractive because of his 'bad guy' image. He had around 11 tattoos, long hair and he dressed in a messy but sexy way. And then had those weird traits like that fact that he didn't smoke, and he drank every now and then. He was a box full of surprises and she liked that about him.
Alice had hated him at first, and then she started to find him rather amusing. But after a couple of months she decided she didn't like the guy, and she was more than sure that he didn't like her either. That's why Bella would never go out with both of them at the same time.
"Well," Alice began again, trying to sound as nice as possible, "I just hope you snap out of it soon and find someone better to have fun with."
Bella decided the James conversation was over, so she started talking about her classes and how much homework she had. She was about to graduate, so she had lots of essays to write and lots of books to read, but she enjoyed that.
"Hey, there's Jasper," Alice said all of a sudden, looking at the door. "And he's with Edward."
Bella turned around to see Jasper, she recognized his figure walking their way, and he was walking next to a guy Bella had never seen before.
She turned around to see Alice, who had an 'I told you so' smile on her face.
"I told you he was hot," Alice said with a smug face.
Bella's eyes were wide as she turned again to take a better look at the guy walking next to Jasper.
He was taller than Jasper, and his body seemed to be stronger. He definitely had more muscles than Jasper. He had bronze hair, and it looked as if he paid little attention to it because it was really messy. He had piercing green eyes, his skin was very pale, and his features were almost perfect.
Jasper and the guy walked up to their table. Alice stood up and greeted Jasper with a sweet peck on the lips, then she headed to Edward and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Bella had a chance to study his body better from this perspective; he was wearing what seemed like a very old pair of jeans, because they were almost white and they where ripped in several places. He had a black t-shirt on and a grey jacket over it.
"Hey Bella," Jasper said to her.
She greeted him, giving him a kiss on the cheek, and then she looked at the guy with wondering eyes.
"Edward, this is Bella, Alice's best friend," Jasper introduced him.
Edward looked at her and smiled at the sight of her. He leaned over and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek, leaving Bella a little astounded.
She tried to hide her thrill; she had no idea why her body was reacting this way. Her heart started beating faster, and she could have sworn everyone in the room was able to hear it.
Jasper sat on one of the chairs in-between Bella and Alice, so Edward sat on the other chair in between them.
"I'm sorry we're late, we just finished moving all the boxes into Edward's new apartment, I had no idea a man could have so much stuff," Jasper said mocking his friend.
Edward smiled a crocked smile, which completely amazed Bella, and he brushed his hand through his hair. That explained why it was so messy, he was constantly messing it up.
"I don't have that much stuff, it's just that I couldn't find bigger boxes so I had to pack everything in small boxes. Unpacking that stuff is going to be a nightmare!" he said taking a deep breath.
Bella took a sip from her cocktail, but she ended up drinking everything that was left of it. She had to slow her heart rate somehow, and maybe alcohol would help her do that.
"We can help you," Alice offered suddenly. "Jasper and I have nothing to do tomorrow, and I'm sure Bella has nothing to do either."
"Oh no, I wouldn't trouble you guys like that! Besides I'm just meeting Bella here, so I think it would be a very bad impression if I make her help me unpack just a day after meeting her." Edward looked at Bella and gave her a sweet smile that made hear heart accelerate once again.
"Oh don't worry," Alice began before Bella could say anything, "Bella's used to this, and I think it would be great for her to be out of her apartment every now and then,"
"Hey!" Bella cut in, "I go out!" She pouted, making everyone laugh.
"Bella, I love you, but you have to be honest, ever since you started dating James you never go out! You always stay in with him!" Jasper added, giving her a comforting smile.
"Yeah, but I like to stay in." Then she suddenly looked at Edward and blushed a little. "Oh, I'm sorry, it's not you, I'd actually love to help you unpack, it's just that Alice and Jasper like to bother me just a little too much."
Edward looked at Alice and Jasper, who were just laughing, and then he looked at Bella, who looked completely annoyed at them.
"Well I wouldn't want to bother you… Alice and Jasper can help me, they really have nothing better to do," he said glaring them with evil eyes, an action that only made them laugh harder.
"No, no, it's no problem! I actually have nothing to do tomorrow, I just have to see if my car is alive and then I can go help you guys out."
"Wow, you are actually going to leave James alone on a Saturday?" Alice said in a mocking voice, which Edward didn't understand.
"I have a life besides him!" Bella retorted, a little annoyed.
Edward looked at Jasper a little confused, he had no idea what they were talking about, and he suddenly felt he was prying into something private.
"James is Bella's… boyfriend?" Jasper told Edward, hesitating a little with the word boyfriend.
Edward looked at Bella with an amused smile.
"It's just that ever since Bella started dating this guy she stopped going out, she spends most of her time in her apartment with him. It's a little annoying, I would have gotten tired of him a long time ago," Alice interrupted, trying to illustrate the situation to Edward.
"Oh," he said, finally understanding.
"It's just like you and Jasper" Bella said trying to defend herself, "when you guys started dating I would never see you! You would spend most of your time with him and I never complained! I didn't even complain when you left me to go live with him!" Bella said trying to act hurt, but she burst into laughter.
"Bella, honey," Alice began in between laughs, "it's different. Jasper and I are meant for each other, you and James… you guys…" Alice took her time to think of the precise word to explain their relationship. "Well, I think you guys are just having fun… like you said."
Bella flushed a little when she noticed Edward looking at her with questioning eyes. It was obvious he wanted to know what Alice meant by 'having fun', but she wasn't willing to explain it to him. She actually wanted to avoid the whole James subject.
She didn't know why, but suddenly she wanted to bury James deep in her memory and just concentrate on Edward. This man was too good looking to be true.
"So," she said suddenly, trying to change the subject. She looked at Edward to get his attention, "Why did you move here?"
"To make a long story short, I found a job at a design studio. I'm a graphic designer, and Jasper got me in touch with a guy in a studio here, so I applied for the job, they gave it me, and here I am!"
He smiled at her, his eyes locked with hers.
"Oh that's great, and you found an apartment real quick?" She asked, trying to keep the conversation.
She was actually afraid that if she gave them the chance, Alice and Jasper would start again with the whole James subject.
"Jasper helped me with that, I found a great place just like 15 minutes away from Dartmouth actually." Bella looked at Jasper with questioning eyes but he just smiled at her.
She rolled her eyes and went back to the conversation with Edward.
"That's a coincidence, I live 15 minutes away from Dartmouth as well, I'm studying there."
"Great, so we might be neighbors." He smiled that crooked smile and she felt her heart melt.
Bella looked to Jasper again, she was about to ask him if by any chance Edward's apartment was near hers.
"Oh, his apartment is like two blocks away from yours. It's that orange building just next to the bagel shop you go to have breakfast at," Jasper said, cutting in the conversation.
Bella shot him a menacing look, but Jasper just smirked more.
"They have great bagels," Bella said when she realized it wouldn't be so polite to say the words on her mind.
She was more than sure that Alice and Jasper had picked him that apartment on purpose. She was sure they hoped she and Edward would hook up and she would end that thing she had going on with James.
She wanted to prove them wrong, but she didn't want to force it. If fate wanted her to brake up with James, then there really wasn't much she could do.
"I think I need another drink," Bella said as she started to get up from her seat.
"I'll get it for you." Edward stood up.
"Oh, no no, don't worry, I'll get it myself," she said, a little uncomfortable. She couldn't remember the last time a guy had offered to go buy her something.
"Ok, at least let me go with you, I'll get something to drink as well." She hesitated for a second and then nodded.
Both of them headed towards the bar. It was just at the back of the room, next to the bathrooms. The place wasn't so big. It was a small bar they liked to go to whenever they were in the mood for drinking and talking.
Bella rested her elbows on the bar and waited for the bartender to take her order. Edward stood next to her, placing just one hand on the bar.
A bartender walked up to them.
"What can I get you?" he asked Bella.
"I'll have a cosmopolitan," she said to the man behind the bar. She looked over at Edward questioningly, to see what he wanted.
"I'll have a beer," he told the bartender.
The guy started walking behind the bar, making the Cosmopolitan for Bella, then he went to the freezer and grabbed a cold beer for Edward.
"So I guess it's a good thing we are almost neighbors; now I have someone to bother in the afternoons when I don't have work," Edward told her, leaning a little so she could hear him better. "Well, that's if your boyfriend doesn't mind me going over for a visit".
His comment shocked her for a second. Had he just told her he wanted to visit her?
"Um… he doesn't live with me, he's just there when he has nothing else to do. And I'd love it if you came over to visit me, I hate to be alone there," she told him, trying to make conversation.
"Ok then, so it's settled. I can keep you company whenever you feel lonely. Although we have to be careful because someday you might realize you don't want your boyfriend to visit you anymore." He smiled a crooked smile.
Was he making a move on her? She really doubted it, maybe that was just his way of being friendly, she was more than sure that a guy like Edward would never be interested in her. But he had just told her that she would probably get tired of James. She smiled to herself; she wouldn't mind breaking up with James if that meant that she was going to be with Edward.
The bar tender walked back to the bar and placed both drinks on it so they could get it. Bella opened her wallet to grab the, but the she noticed Edward handed the man a 20 bill.
"I'll pay for both of them."
Bella looked at him a little too embarrassed.
"No!" she said suddenly. "You don't have to buy me the drink."
"I know I don't have to," he said with his soft velvety voice, making her body shiver. He leaned over her a little so he could whisper to her ear, "I just want to."
He backed off and smiled at her. It took her a second to recover herself. His breath made her dizzy, and she was sure her legs were refusing to respond. She blushed more than she thought she would be able too, and grabbed the drink from the bar.
"Thanks," she said as they headed back to the table where Alice and Jasper where waiting for them.
Ok so how was it? I really hope you guys liked it, cause it's a story I've grwon veyr fond of! So please please leave a review! Just tell me if you thought it was any good!
