~Bella pov~
"Ahhh flippin fleckin, ficken, feckityy, feck feck feck….!" I trailed off muttering, as I stared down at my work documents and folders that were now in an untidy pile at my feet.
I had a serious urge to stamp my foot like a child as I looked back over my shoulder. Excellent, barely two steps out of the doors, (also known as the gates to hell). Must be some kind of record. Angela had probably seen everything and would be laughing her ass off.
Looking around sheepishly after my outburst I caught a few disapproving glares but nothing that I hadn't been on the receiving end of before.
Sighing I reached down and scooped papers and files off the cold, busy, and definitely unclean New York pavement. Once done I straightened quickly, perhaps too quickly and staggered sightly to the side resulting in a loud "hey!' and yet another disgruntled look.
Well merry Christmas to you too. I snarked to myself.
Not all of us can be gifted with perfect co-ordination! Sheesh.
Still moody, I gave an abrupt nod of apology to the 'victim' before scurrying off to the safety of my apartment.
"Honey I'm home!" I sang as I navigated around the door clutching my handbag, a large stack of paperwork, a cup of coffee and my keys. "Oh that's right I'm single" I told my empty entryway, before doing some weird twisty manoeuvre that probably could have doubled for one of Angela's complicated yoga poses, and somehow managing to kick the door shut behind me.
I sighed, taking in the small, modern and slightly cluttered (I prefer the words 'lived in') apartment I had managed to buy at a relatively cheap price. Probably due to the fact that it was run down and old.
It was beginning to get dark and the city lights were creating a hazy glow through the window, illuminating the room.
Somewhere in the city a siren started wailing and I shook myself out of my daze and headed to the kitchen. I had been working double shifts as a PA for the last few weeks at a fairly large law-firm and the long hours were beginning to get to me.
Thank the lord for Christmas break.
I made myself an extra strong cup of coffee from my new coffee machine that was well worth the $300 I had paid for it, and then grabbed a bag of some random fizzy lollies I couldn't remember buying from the cupboard to prepare myself for my six-and-a-bit hour flight.
My bags had already been packed and I double-checked I had locked the door before scooting into an elevator and back into the dangerous (if you are lacking dexterity and grace in physical movement like yours truly) chaos that is NYC.
The ensuing taxi ride, airport check-in and security clearance proved to be uneventful and I soon found myself on a plane bound for Seattle, Washington, squashed between a sweaty, overweight, balding, middle-aged guy and someone's talkative Grandmother.
Just when I though things couldn't get worse a small child in the row behind decided it would be a fun game to see how hard they could kick the back of my seat.
The oblivious parents couldn't care less about what their little brat was up to no matter how many subtle glares I gave them on frequent pretend trips to the bathroom. The nosey old lady next to me eventually assumed I had some sort of bladder problem and proceeded to tell me all about her interesting bowel movements she had been having lately.
I think she thought we could bond over our shared organ problems or something, and while she seemed harmless enough I was tired and cranky from having to work double shifts and in the end I pretended to fell asleep and managed to have relative peace and quiet for the rest of the flight.
"Wake up dearie"
"Eurghh w-what?" I mumbled, opening my eyes to see the nice old lady's face alarmingly close to mine.
"We're here sweetie! We've just landed!"
"Oh. Wow. Um…thanks…" I mumbled leaning away slightly and rubbing my eyes.
I was shocked I had slept considering the amount of sugar and caffeine I had consumed, let alone the fact I had slept on the plane. It was practically a miracle. I looked around through bleary eyes and saw that the rest of the passengers were beginning to move around, opening up the overhead lockers and filling the aisle.
Quiet hubbub filled the plane and I got a few amused glances but thought nothing of them. It wasn't until I had exited the plane and found a bathroom that I realised my long, usually wavy chestnut hair had gone into nesting mode and had plastered itself flat on one side of my face while the on the other side it was sticking up like some sort of demented feather duster.
Just great.
Embarrassed, I smoothed it down and then continued to the baggage claim, checking my phone for any messages from the one person I had come here to see. Nope it seemed the old man still hadn't figured out the use of the modern day gadget commonly known as a mobile phone.
I chuckled quietly to myself. Some things would never change. My dad, Charlie, detested 'new fangled gadgets' with a passion and would avoid using one whenever possible, however I think the real reason is that he doesn't like admitting he struggles using it.
It isn't like he's that old or anything, but whatever. I had tried many, many times to teach him the beauty of technology and believe me when I say he is a lost cause.
I successfully collected both my bags from the carousel, walked to the exit and stepped out into the chilly Seattle air. Dusk was falling and I made my way out to the parking lot where I spotted Jake's car sitting in the shadows.
Jake was currently away on a some sort of landscaping and gardening conference and had said that I could use his Jeep in order to drive to Forks as long as I paid for gas and came and picked him up when he returned.
The drive was around 3 and a half hours so I wasn't fussed. It also helped that Jake was one of my oldest friends and that I would do almost anything for him. I found the correct key and opened the trunk where I managed to squeeze my bags in alongside Jacobs dirty gym clothes. I wrinkled my nose as the smell hit me.
Correction. It was going to be a long drive.
I managed to make it to forks in one piece, the recognizable landmarks bringing back many childhood memories. Once I had shoved all of Jake's junk in the back and found a good radio station the drive had been almost pleasant.
The weather of course didn't match my mood. It was drizzling (surprise, surprise) and a murky black. It's not hard to figure out why this place isn't a common tourist destination.
Turning onto a familiar street I cruised to a stop pulling into a narrow driveway. Stepping out I grabbed my bags out of the trunk before locking the car and making my way up onto the dimly lit porch. I knocked twice and then waited in giddy excitement.
"Bells!"
"Daddy!"
I flew at Charlie and he swept me up into a great bear hug. He smelled like he always did, a comforting combination of pine, the washing powder he used and a hint of tobacco.
I squeezed him tight and felt him vibrate as a laugh shuddered through him, "Whoa, someone missed their poor old man did they?" I nodded against his chest not saying anything before reluctantly pulling away and exaggeratedly looking him up and down.
"Well well well, someone's been on a diet. Who's the lucky lady?" I asked raising my eyebrows and crossing my arms. Charlie laughed again mussing my hair as he grabbed one of my bags and ushered me inside. " Can't an old man want to look good for when his daughter comes home?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.
"That's never going to happen and you know it." I harrumphed. I mock scowled before adding, "this is purely a visit for vacation purposes only and you know it!" Charlie sighed his whole demeanour turning serious. "I know Bells, I just wished you were closer you know? I miss my little girl."
My heart cracked seeing him like this because of me and a wave of guilt rushed through me. "Daddy…I'm sorry you know that it's not practical for me to live here, I mean with my job, my friends, the big city… I can't just leave them all behind."
"You used to have good friends here." Charlie reminded me. "That Hale girl and Jennifer."
"Jessica." I corrected immediately.
"And as for a job, there's plenty of businesses in town looking for secretaries". He barrelled on, ignoring my interruption.
"Dad you know I want to be a family lawyer, this place just isn't big enough." I sighed, "however I will think about it" I continued wanting desperately for this conversation to be over.
When my mother left us my dad was heart broken and the months afterward were filled with sadness for him and anger for me.
Why did she leave me? I had thought. Did I really mean so little to her that as soon as a pretty man came along she would leave without a backward glance?
As the years went on both Charlie and I learnt to accept the fact that Renée wasn't coming back and as a result our bond grew stronger. Charlie was the only parental figure I ever needed and we coped by ourselves just fine.
"You hungry kiddo?" My dad's grumbly voice broke me out of my flashback and I grinned at him. Glad of the change of subject. "Dad I'm twenty three! I think it's high time you stopped calling me that!" I laughed to show him I was kidding. "Plus we both know that you could never cook and I doubt that has changed since the last time I saw you".
Charlie grabbed at his chest and mocked staggering back crying "oh! You wound me! Were my mac and cheese never enough for you? Oh the shame! The shame!" I burst into a fit of giggles and pushed past him into the kitchen.
The mess that greeted me didn't surprise me in the least, I could have smelt the burnt mac and cheese a mile away. "Da-aaaad! Why can't you just accept the fact that you can't cook?" I grumbled starting to clean up the pots and pans that had burnt pasta ingrained onto the bottom.
It would be in everyone's best interests to get Charlie as far away from the kitchen as possible. "Why don't you take my bags up to my room and I'll start on dinner?" I offered already rifling through the abysmally stocked pantry.
I wasn't the world best cook but growing up with a singe father who couldn't cook to save himself would inspire anyone to learn and at least my food was edible.
Twenty minutes later Charlie and I were sitting at the kitchen table eating a vegetable lasagne I had managed to scrounge up using Charlie's limited supply of ingredients. We ate in companionable silence until he let out a great yawn as he stood to clean off his plate. I rose as well and we rinsed our cutlery before Charlie yawned again.
"I think it's past someone's bedtime." I teased giving him I slight push in the direction of the stairs. "Go on up to bed it won't take me long to finish up in here." I smiled encouragingly and while Charlie feebly tried to argue I won out and sent him off to bed before finishing tidying up.
Giving a last satisfied look around the room I then quietly made my way up the stairs to my bedroom careful not to wake Charlie, who I knew would already be snoring his head off. I stood in front of the familiar door for a few seconds taking a deep breath and then slowly pushing it open already knowing what would be on the other side.
I stepped into my bedroom and took in the childhood memories as a wave of nostalgia washed through me. My dresser was the same one I had had as a kid and the curtains were still lavender purple with tiny daisies sewn onto them.
The moonlight filtered through my window and illuminated the small room, reflecting off the worn, polished floorboards. I opened one of my bags and rifled through it until I found my toothbrush and some tooth paste. I then quickly brushed my teeth, put on a pair of my old PJs, splashed some water on my face, put my hair into a messy bun and then jumped into bed.
Staring up at the ceiling that I had looked at each night for years, I found myself surprisingly excited for the next few weeks. Yes it was going to be a bit awkward seeing all the familiar faces again but I was back in my hometown and nothing could take away the sense of belonging and comfort. I sighed happily before turning over and switching off the light, jittery about the next day.
Bring it on.