Disclaimer

Summary - Sequel to Frozen Night. 5 years later and not really having talked to her friends since high school, Bella finds herself living in NYC and has her dream job. One days she goes into a coffee shop and who does she find? Alice and Rosalie, of course. The whole gang is now living in NYC and they are as close as ever. It's clear that Edward and Bella still have feelings for each other, but the only problem is Tanya, Edward's girlfriend. Can Bella and Edward do the right thing and put their feelings aside and stay just friends? BxE

I sat in my dorm at USC my freshman year, listening to music and trying to focus on a boring assignment when I heard a knock on my door. I scrambled up, setting the books that occupied my lap on my bed, and flung open then door "Edward!" I squealed, throwing my arms around his neck.

Edward was off at Dartmouth. All the way across the country. Both of us had decided back in senior year of high school that we couldn't hold the other back and we should attend the schools of our dreams. It just so happened that the schools of our dreams where over 3,000 miles apart. We'd rarely seen each other in the last months, and it's been really hard on both of us.

That's why when I saw him at the door I'd kind of flipped. "Oh my god, what are you doing here?"

I heard him chuckle in my ear. "Well, would you like me to leave then?" he teased.

"No! No, I'm just surprised is all! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too," he said pulling back to kiss me. I kissed him back eagerly, missing everything about him.

It was so hard when he wasn't here. I'd only been out to him one since the beginning of the semester and it was only for a couple of days. We talked all the time but even that was hard with all the work we had.

We'd spent a blissful weekend together and I never wanted it to end. It had to though, it always had to end. That's why on that Sunday morning I had an eerie feeling. Almost a calm before the storm type of feeling.

"Bella," he said a few minutes before he had to leave. "We should probably talk."

This was it. This was the talk. The one I had been dreading all weekend but knew it has been coming. The sad part was, I'd felt it too. I knew how hard it was for us to stay together and what a strain it was putting on both of us. It was just too hard.

I gave him a weak smile. "I know, I've kind of been fearing this all weekend."

"So have I," he agreed. "It's just," he continued, searching for the right words, "I don't even know what to say. We were so indestructible, us against the world."

I let out a small laugh. "But then we had to face the real world, not the world we lived in, all nice and securely tucked behind the gates of Rigby Academy. "

He let out a small chuckle too, seeing as I was right. "I really don't want to end this, Bella, you know how much I love you. But things lately…"

"Edward, I know. It's just too hard. We thought we could do it, prove everyone wrong that long distance relationships really can work." I sighed before continuing. "I guess this is good-bye then."

I rolled my lips under and sucked in a breath, not realizing how hard this truly was. He was the love of my life, the only man I could ever love. I felt that ache in my chest that I had felt the last time I lost Edward, when my dad had forbade us from being together. It was really as if part of me was being ripped out.

"Yeah," he said in a shaky breath, his voice cracking at the end. "I guess this is really it." Outside we heard a horn beep and after peeking out the window we saw it was the taxi that would be taking him away. Away from me.

I gulped and glanced around the room, not really sure where to go from here."

Before I could make it anymore awkward I was in his arms. "I love you, Bella," he whispered in my ear.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered back.

All to soon he released me and walked out to his cab. I watched him the whole way out of the window. Before stepping in the yellow car he turned around and faced me. He gave me a forced smile a mouthed 'I love you' once more before sliding into the seat.

The cab pulled away from the curb and I could feel my heart being taken away with it. But no matter how much I hurt, it continued on down the road until I couldn't see it anymore.

As soon as it was out of sight I broke down and cried. And cried. And cried. And cried.

. . .

I was reminded of that every day I woke up and looked in the mirror. Every time I would see the sapphire ring Edward had once given me on a chain around my neck and the memories of the horrible day would come rushing back to me. Ever since that day I'd never taken the ring on a necklace off.

Now, even 5 years later, he still meant so much to me. Sure I'd dated throughout college, but nothing ever was quite like what Edward and I had had.

I groaned at the early hour that my alarm clock flashed mockingly at me. I dragged myself away from my mirror and into the bathroom to take a shower. My bathroom was tiny, but fit in well with my equally tiny apartment. I couldn't be angry though, I had gotten it for a great price and it really felt like home to me.

When you first walked into apartment 207 it was one medium sized empty room that was split into a kitchen and living room.

The kitchen had standard wooden cabinets and a light cream-colored tiled floor. There was an island in the middle, which I cooked on most of the time. The countertops ran in an L-shape along the wall with more cabinets overhead. The stove and sink lay within the countertop and ended with the refrigerator.

Where the kitchen tile ended stopped the wood floor of he living room started. A love seat was placed in the middle of the floor facing a TV that hung on the wall. A glass coffee table stood atop a blue throw rug and two armchairs stood opposite and facing each other on each end of the couch.

Down the hall was my room. I had a simple full-sized bed with a deep red comforter that was extremely soft. A 6-drawer wooden dresser with a mirror on top sat across from my bed and closet was next the dresser. On the left wall were the windows that looked out onto the street and on the right was the door that lead to my only bathroom.

Charlie was kind enough to buy me all of my furniture for my apartment because, and I quote, he was 'so proud of his little girl for getting a journalism job in a big city like New York.' I could tell it was hard for him to have me so far away from home though, so I made sure to call him as much as I could.

I stepped out of the warm shower and quickly wrapped a towel around myself before I dripped all over the place. I quickly ran a towel through my hair and went to pick out clothes to wear to work that day. I lay them on my bed after ironing them and went to brush my teeth and blow-dry my hair.

I'd cut my hair through about the middle of college. It was about shoulder length now and cut into choppy layers. I kept my bags, however, cause I felt that I looked awkward without them. After my hair was finished I flipped my head over and ran my fingers through it, messing it up a bit. I always felt much better when I wasn't perfectly styled.

I quickly applied some black eyeliner and mascara and a light gloss to my lips and headed back into the bedroom to get dressed. I simply pulled on dark wash skinny jeans, a crisp white t-shirt and a tight fitting black vest over it. I added a turquoise scarf and some very low black heals and I was good to go.

Something I love about my job, you could dress down on Fridays and it never mattered. You could honestly dress down everyday and our boss wouldn't care, but we didn't out of respect for him and the amazing company he created. Ryan was actually a great guy and became a very close friend over the past month.

I worked for a small but also well-known music magazine, called Lyric, as a journalist. I absolutely adored my job to no end. It was basically me wrapped into a magazine. Writing and music were basically the only things I cared about.

I strolled out of the apartment grabbing my black bag and ignoring a jacket in the sweltering July heat. Summer in the city is never all that fun. It feels as if you are being cramped into tiny places in the busy streets and you could practically feel other peoples sweat on your body.

I began my short walk to the office and decided that I had time to stop for a quick ice coffee. I was desperately in need of a pick-me-up and caffeine was definitely the answer.

I came upon my favorite coffee place and ducked inside into the cool air conditioning and out of the sweltering heat. I immediately went to the counter thanks to the zero people in line.

Randy didn't even need me to say what I wanted. He was so used to me by now that he knew my order to the exact amount of sugar and milk I liked. He handed me the coffee and I took a sip. Perfect. I immediately felt woken up even after one sip. Bless this man.

I turned around and leaned against the counter, looking out at the few other occupied tables. Some people I had seen before and then others who were complete strangers to me. My eyes drifted to the back table in the corner of the restaurant and I recognized the very familiar blonde hair of one girl and spiky jet black of the other.

"Alice? Rose?" I called across the coffee shop. What the hell?

I hadn't really talked to my any of my friends from back at Rigby since the end of freshman year of college. We'd all just lost touch with each other, and thinking about it always made me really sad. Those people were my family and we'd all just gotten lost.

Their heads whipped around at the sound of their names and confused expressions were plastered on both of their faces. Once they spotted me, immediately their eyes lit up and grew huge. Even bigger were their smiles.

"Bella!" they shrieked in unison.

I ran across the coffee shop and maneuvered my way around the tables and fell into their arms. We all squealed and hugged. It was as if no time had gone between graduation day so many years ago and now. I hadn't felt this happy in years.

"Oh my god! What are you guys doing here?" I asked intrigued.

"Well after college, we all moved here. I'm living with Jasper in an apartment a few blocks away and so is Rose with Emmett. Even Edward's here," Alice answered for me. "What about you?"

All six of us had spread out across the US when we headed off for college, but remarkably Alice and Jasper's and Emmett and Rosalie's love for each other went unaltered and they were apparently still together.

"Well, after graduation in May I'd heard about this music magazine that was based out of New York and I emailed the boss and called him trying and trying to get the job and then finally he gave it to me. So right after I moved out here and now I'm a journalist there."

"A music magazine," Rose commented. "That's so…you." I chuckled at her.

"So what do you guys do? What about everyone else? Tell me everything!" I'd really missed my best friends.

Alice was working at a fashion line for some famous designer and trying really hard to get some of her designs noticed by her boss. Rosalie was trying the whole modeling thing, no surprise there. Emmett and Jasper both did something in banking, which I could never see Emmett doing, but he had always been good in math. And Edward, ah Edward, his name made my heart swell every time it rolled off of someone's lips. He had majored in marketing and was working at some big firm apparently making very decent money for such a young guy.

I glanced at my watch and realized that I was so caught up in reconnecting with my friends that I was already late for work. "Shit," I swore under my breath. "Gimme a sec guys, I have to call my boss, I'm late." I whipped out my cell and dialed Ryan's number.

"You're late," answered the amused voice of Ryan after a few rings.

"Yes, yes I know, sorry. But would you believe me if I said I was just being the best employee ever and picking up my lovely boss coffee and the line was just excruciatingly long?" I said with heavy sarcasm.

"Not for a second, but if you get here within the next half hour with the coffee then I really won't care."

"Yes sir," I mocked and shut the phone.

"So I have a half hour to get to work," I said, giving them an apologetic smile.

"Well stay for a few more minutes, Bella," Alice pleaded.

"Alright, alright. Hey Randy," I called to him while he was behind the counter. "Can you get me a large coffee with milk and two sugars? It's for my boss."

"No prob," he yelled back.

"So, Bella, tell us. Who was that on the phone?" She gave me that look like she knew I was hiding something. Even when I wasn't that look made question whether or not I really was hiding something.

I laughed her off though, I mean really, it was my boss. "Just my boss," I told them. They both eyed my suspiciously. "What?" I asked confused.

"Oh you were so flirting with him," added Alice.

"You guys are crazy," I said with a laugh. "Ryan's just a really awesome boss, that's all."

"Uh huh, sure he is. Just a boss, whatever you say missy."

I checked my watch again and groaned. "Sorry guys I really have to go, but we have to meet up again. I really missed you guys."

"Actually," Rose added, "we're all going out to dinner later at La Vienna at 7:00. Come along, please?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there." After exchanging our new numbers and giving each of them a quick kiss on the cheek I headed out back into the heat and down the street towards my office.

It was really good to have my friends back again.