International Companion
Summary: Bella and Edward meet at a JFK terminal as they wait for a flight to Johannesburg. A series of unfortunate events leave Bella stranded without money or a passport and only a stranger's number. Bella reaches out to Edward and so it begins. Circumstances bring them together, their love of New Orleans and traveling keeps them together. A story about random connections, love, and travel.
Pairing: ExB
Rating: M
Beta: EMILY93
~IC~
Chapter 1
A decaying flower arrangement sat in the center of my dining room table. There were papers scattered haphazardly around my poor attempt at keeping something alive for more than a day. The dying plant was only evidence to the studying that had taken priority over providing its nutrition. I was never going to be an avid gardener, there was nothing more to it. I did feel slightly guilty for not making more effort to keep it alive but the livelihood of my education was more important to me than a vase of flowers that Jacob had bought me to 'brighten' the place up, or so I recalled him saying.
My studying had taken priority over everything in my life and most especially it stole away the majority of my time I would use to tidy my apartment hence my notes and exercise books sitting in a disarray. My life was the equivalent of Groundhog Day; I woke up, washed, went to school, came home, studied, perhaps ate when I could spare the time, more studying and then attempt to crawl to my bed in the early hours of the morning in desperate need of beauty sleep, but most of the time I barely made it to my bed...
Today wasn't any different. My body was slumped over the table, the faint buzz of a lawnmower could be heard in the distance. This morning scene had played out every Thursday for several weeks and finals were finally here.
My cellphone vibrated on the table, interrupting my sleep as my hand stretched out to retrieve it and answer it.
"Hello?" I groaned, my voice thick with sleep.
"Jesus Bella it's 7:30, were you still asleep?"
"Shit, yeah. I fell asleep at the table again. Christ, I won't have time for a shower now. Jacob, why didn't you call me earlier?" I was frustrated with Jacob for not waking me earlier. It wasn't particularly Jacob's fault nor was he my personal alarm clock but I wasn't prepared to blame myself at this point in time.
"Not my responsibility babe. Listen I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. With coffee. I'm guessing you'll be needing it."
He hung up before I could thank him. I finally peeled myself off the table before stretching and yawning simultaneously and making my way over to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth and washing my face I hurriedly dashed into my bedroom to throw on a pair of jeans and a plain teal shirt. I wasn't bothered whether I looked a mess. I simply didn't have the time to ponder over novel things such as which pair of pumps go better with my nail polish. I would never be that kind of girl. I rushed over to my mirror to quickly run a brush through my hair and tie it back in a high ponytail ensuring my hair would be completely out of my face.
Making my way down the stairs I collected the papers that littered the table and packed them into my book bag. A few moments later Jacob entered my apartment.
Jacob was my best friend and didn't need to worry about knocking and waiting for me to answer the door, nor did he ever worry about walking in on me when I wasn't decent, we knew from the onset that we were never in the least bit attracted or inclined to each other in that way.
"Good morning gorgeous!" He crooned as he handed me a large coffee. I looked at the cup holder and noticed the 'Starbucks' logo. I guessed Jacob thought I'd benefit from drinking a decent caffeine fix today. He glanced over at the flowers sitting on the table and grinned.
"Really? You can't even keep a bouquet of flowers alive? First it was the goldfish, now plants, too?" He laughed at me, shaking his head before he took a sip of his own coffee.
"Well..." I hesitated quickly trying to think up a valid enough excuse for the unfortunate death of the flowers. "I was busy?"
He laughed at me before nodding. "Sure. I understand, Bella." I knew he was cutting me some slack after seeing how stressed I've been over the past few weeks because of finals looming above my head.
"Oh! When do you leave for South Africa Bella? I keep forgetting."
"Next Friday, I fly to New York at 6am." I smiled brightly at the thought of getting away from the States, granted I loved my country but South Africa would always be home to me. I loved it there.
Jacob nodded in acknowledgment and headed towards the door, me following in pursuit of him.
~IC~
"Fuck! Where the hell is my passport?" I yelled in a state of complete panic.
"Calm down Bella, and quit with the dirty mouth. It's unbecoming." Jacob was sprawled out on my bed, his only contribution to my packing was staying out of my way and I appreciated him for this. He had made some useful suggestions but aside from his verbal aid he had left me to my own devices.
It was 3am and Jacob was going to drive me to the airport, a task that he volunteered himself for in exchange for my apartment for the next two weeks. I didn't think it a very fair deal but it meant I could enjoy my trip without any worries at the back of my mind plus I could take comfort in the fact that I had a home-sitter in the shape of my best friend taking care of things, not to mention my beloved dog, Nessie. So I agreed.
"Found it!" I yelled as I stuffed it into my satchel. I surveyed the contents of my suitcase, doing a mental calculation of outfits. I quickly zipped it closed, placed a padlock on the zipper and decided that whatever I had missed I could always buy once I had arrived in Namibia.
"Jake, I'm ready. Get your ass out of my bed and let's go!" I corralled him to the door.
He jumped up and picked up my suitcase. "You pack light for a girl Bells"
"My dad calls me that! Don't use nicknames you aren't authorized to use!" I laughed as I chastised him. This was the nature of our relationship, we joked and harassed each other playfully. To a lot of people we looked like a well matched couple, but we continuously reminded everyone that though we dearly loved each other, we would never be romantically interested in one another.
After loading up my luggage into the car we quickly made our way to Louis Armstrong International Airport. The early hour meant that traffic was light and about a half hour later Jacob was depositing me curbside. A quick hug, peck of the cheek and a wish for a pleasant and safe trip was all Jacob administered before hopping back in his car and driving off.
I checked in and made my way through security without incident. Airports were pretty generic places and this one was no different. I found a seat in the terminal and inspected the contents of my satchel. In my wallet, I had my ID, a couple hundred US dollars, some Rands and Namibian Dollars. My satchel also contained a black moleskin notebook, several pens, a Kindle, a laptop and of course my iPhone, along with chargers for all the gadgets. My passport and boarding passes were safely stowed in a zippered compartment.
I had been traveling my whole life and so I was well practiced in entertaining myself at airports. I loved to people watch and often laughed at passengers who were obviously too stupid to pack light and dress comfortably. I silently mocked them in my head while writing witty descriptions of my unsuspecting victims. These musings were interrupted by the ringing of my phone.
"Hi Charlie!" I chirped, I was always excited to be traveling and today was no different.
"Bells, are you at the airport already? Got your passport, passes and credit card? Did you bring the money I sent over?"
"Jeez dad, slow down. You just asked me several questions at once. I'm not a little kid, I have what I need. I can't believe I'll get to see you for two whole weeks!"
We spoke for a few more minutes before saying our goodbyes. As I put my phone away I thought about my dad. It had been about two years since I had seen him.
A long while later I found myself at JFK waiting for my flight to Johannesburg. I was sitting at the gate, along with several hundred other people. I looked around for a while before pulling out my journal. I really wanted to document the trip, it had been almost five years since I had been to Africa, I wondered how it would be different, if it had changed at all since my last visit, and how it would feel to be back. My thoughts were interrupted by a conversation in Afrikaans. I concentrated on the one side of the conversation I could hear. The man was sitting behind me and was obviously on the phone. I wondered if he was going home, his Afrikaans was pretty good but there was a hint of something that let me know it wasn't his first language.
"Hoe gaan dit met jou? "
"Goed, dankie!"
"Ek het jou soveel verlang."
"Praat stadiger asseblief."
Mystery Afrikaans speaker grew quiet and sighed before stating, "I will see you soon Tanya." He ended the call and, in perhaps a moment of frustration, threw his head back rather roughly and made contact with my head. I yelped from shock rather than pain and rubbed my head instinctively.
"I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed. He was now turned around facing the back of my head. I turned around to face him.
"It's okay, no worries. No permanent damage done." I couldn't help but laugh as I took in how uncomfortable he was.
"You speak Afrikaans," I stated.
"Yes, although not very well. But I'm learning," he replied as he zipped up his backpack.
"I'm Bella Swan." I offered my hand to him. He took it in his own and gave me a firm shake.
"Edward Cullen. I assume we are both on our way to Jo'burg. Is that your final destination?"
"Windhoek, well Okahandja but Windhoek is my final destination by plane." I explained, providing him with a polite smile.
"That's quite a trip, I'm just going to Jo'burg for a week. I've always wanted to go to Namibia. The Skeleton Coast is on my list of places to see."
"Well, it was lovely to meet you, Edward. I'm going to scope out some magazines at Hudson News. I'm sure I'll see you again at some point but if I don't, have a safe and enjoyable trip."
"A pleasure, Bella."
End notes:
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