The first time we met was in a circus not like the one he was entering now. Full of grinding bodies, the smell of cigarette smoke and the taste of liquor poignant in the air. I sees the long tan smooth legs I was searching for sitting at the bar drinking a blue angel martini. She smiles her Cheshire cat smile and leans against the expensive silk.
"Hello Edward you're..." she checks her pink gold Rolex "early."
I remember when she was five innocent but still just as beautiful.
I was sitting in the chair waiting for the show to start again while Emmett was laughing at nothing particular. Then I saw a little girl with a black and red ribbon in her hair riding the elephants. She saw me smiled and waved. I than noticed her whispering to the older man next to her and him nodding. She is with 4 of her friend's three guys and one girl. The guys all glare up at me and the girl just hugs her like she was afraid something would happen. Then I notice her climbing up the stairs and sitting next to me.
"Hi I'm Bella. Do you want to ride the elephant?" She says smiling at me.
"I'm Edward and yes" I say with a big smile.
We've been friends ever since.
Even though she was so different now. It all changed with her tenth birthday. She leans back and I sit in a chair. Her long mahogany brown hair running down her back and her eyes a greenish brown staring back at me. Today she's wearing a green dress that shows off her legs and back which would explain why most of the males in the bar were staring at her.
"Sorry just couldn't wait to see you Bell" I say in a sarcastic manner but the look on her face tells me she can almost guess the truth.
That I couldn't actually wait to see her. She licks her luscious pink lips as the bartender comes up to her asks if she would like bourbon. This always happens and I still don't understand why. She replies unusually tonight.
"No and tell anyone wanting to offer me a drink that I am satisfied and content with my martini tonight" she say sensually.
The Bartender understands and walks off.
"What does bourbon mean?" I ask curiously.
"Oh each drink is a guy. If I take bourbon it means I'll see Tom tonight. If I take a Jack Daniel's it means Demetri and if I take a beer it means Derek" she says finishing her elaborate explanation.
"What about Martini's?" I ask afraid to see who she was going to leave me for the night.
"Depends the one I'm having means no one scores tonight some are just wild cards" she says not realizing the effect of her words on my body.
"That's nice. Bella why do you do this? I mean even your stepbrother Demetri? I thought you two hated each other" I blurt out. I. Really. Hate. Word. Vomit.
"We don't hate each other and I guess we both know what we're going through. You know parents and such" She says disregarding my question.
"Is something wrong?" I ask with concern.
"Nothing beyond the usual problems and you know me Edward if something was wrong I would be screwing someone right now in some place no fuckin person would be able to find me" she says cynically.
"Why do you this?" I asked desperately. Bella's posture is becoming tense so she takes my hand and leads me up to the roof of the club.
"Because Edward I'm so broken I can't be fixed. Not even by you. Anyways it's fun" She says discerning everything that happens. She tries to go back down but I stop her.
"But we'll still always be you and me right Bells" I say like I used to as kids when I thought she was going to ditch me.
"Always just Edward and Bella. I'll always be yours Edward first and foremost till you don't want me anymore. Until you don't want to deal anymore" she says in the most earnest voice "Let's leave this damned club, you know vodka and Kevin Smith movies like we used to but without the vodka" she laughs and walks back down to the limo.
Bella was my beautiful disaster and I wouldn't stop trying to fix her because maybe we could end up normal because I knew I was just as messed up as her.