AN: Hello! :) Before you get started I would like say a few things... One of those being that this is a mafia/mob affiliated story, however I am not affiliated with that lifestyle so there probably will be some discrepancies; I apologize for those ahead of time. Another thing that I would like to point out is that this is my first story, so I'm not experience as much as other authors but hopefully i'll get there some day... And lastly the main focus of this story will be Edward and Bella's relationship, all other factors, though important, will most likely take a backseat.
Alright, i'll shut up now. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, unfortunately.
Chapter 1
People always say that everything gets better with time. Well, I guess they're not lying… technically. Bella thought as she laid on her uncomfortable mattress. Things have gotten better… Bella looked around at her one bedroom apartment as her eyes stung in protest.
Silly, Bella. They said things would get better, not that they would go back to normal…, she chastised.
She angrily threw her covers off her body and stepped of her mattress, her bones cracking as she stood. She made her way into her tiny kitchen and started the coffee maker. Normal? What do I even mean by that? There is no normal, there never was a normal… not for me… Either way, this is not the life I had imagined for myself. That's what was most hard for Bella; knowing that this wasn't the life she had hoped/planned for herself.
The coffee maker beeped, letting her know that her coffee was ready. She added her sugar and her cream, preparing it the way she liked it. She leaned against the counter as she took a sip, the nice hot liquid calming her almost instantly. She was really tired today, not just her regular type of tired. She glanced at the built-in clock on top of her stove, thirty minutes until 1pm. She had gone to bed, or rather laid in bed, at around 9:30am after coming home from overnight stocking shift at the grocery store, giving her four hours of "sleep". Bella smiled at herself, pleased with the amount of sleep she had gotten. And no nightmares, she thought. Which was a great relief to her since she had been getting those a lot more frequently lately. Can you blame me though?...
She went to grab a banana off her fruit bowl, which was placed in the center of her very small dining table, but noticed it was empty. How ironic, a grocery store stocker forgetting to stock their groceries. Welcome to the pathetic life of Isabella Swan! She thought as she flipped on her TV, sitting on her couch while finishing the remainder of lukewarm coffee. She couldn't help the yawn that escaped her lips as she pretend to pay attention to the TV screen. "God, why am I so tired today?…" She asked herself. It's gonna be a ridiculous long day today…
She walked back to the kitchen rinsing her mug in sink, before walking back to her bedroom. She grabbed her cellphone of the dresser and walked back into the living room, plopping down on the couch. She pressed on Charlie's contact and brought her phone up to her ear.
"Yello?" Charlie answered after a couple of rings.
"No Dad, it's actually blue." Bella smiled at her father's typical greeting.
"Bells." He responded, with a light chuckle of his own. "How've you been sweetie? Haven't heard from you in a couple of days."
"What? No, that's a lie. I just called you like two days ago."
"Yeah, two. That's a couple." Charlie reprimanded.
"Whatever, whatever…" Bella whispered back while rolling her eyes.
"So you haven't answered my question."
"I've been okay; same as always." She gave her father her typical response. "How about you?"
"Lonely. When are you coming to visit?"
"Um, I don't know. I have to ask for days off from work and-and just because they give me the days of at the grocery store doesn't mean they'll give days off at the restaurant. I don't know… it's just complicated." Bella stammered.
"You managed to 'uncomplicated' for Christmas…" Charlie muttered.
"Yeah, but that was Christmas. People tend to be a lot nicer around that time…"
"Bells… I miss you." Charlie admitted quietly. Charlie wasn't the type to voice his emotions, it was one thing for him to say that he was lonely but a completely different thing for him to admit that he misses her. Bella was much like her father when in it came to PDA or affection in general. Whether that was due to her being raised by a single father or it being genetics, was unknown to her. Either way, she knew how much strength it took Charlie to admit that to her and she truly appreciated it. "Just… just promise me you'll try. Please. For your old man."
"Dad, of course I will. I'll speak to my manager at the grocery store and talk Eleazar about getting some days off at the restaurant…" Past me, could have told him I miss him too. Because I do… I miss you, Dad. I just… I can't… I can't say it. Bella's eyes began to pool as she spoke to him. "I promise you I'll try."
"Good…" Charlie breathed. "Thanks."
Bella smiled, knowing her dad couldn't see her. Even if she couldn't tell him that she missed him and that she loved him, he knew. She knew that he knew, and that made her feel somewhat better.
Though her inability to express her emotions had always been present, it hadn't been a problem until five years ago. Her plans for the future, her dreams, her behavior, everything changed dramatically after her kidnapping five years ago. Bella had never been the same after that, not even five years later… Better, though. I'm getting better. And that's what they said would happen…, she thought to herself.
"Alright dad, well I have to get going…" Bella continued. "Hey, but, um… have you… have you gotten anything… in the mail or… wherever?" She whispered the last part.
"Um, no." Charlie grunted. "Have you?"
"Uh, no." She lied.
"Have you been notifying the police?" He questioned seeing past her lie, causing her to roll her eyes.
"For what, what are they gonna do?" She muttered.
"Hey, I-"
"I know, I know." Bella cut him off. "I forget I'm speaking to ex-chief of police here. But honestly dad, what are they gonna do about it? It's not like he's threatening me, and even if he was they don't know where he's at. They can't do anything. If I go to them with this they're going to say the same thing they've been telling me for the past five years…"
"No offense Dad," Bella continued as Charlie sighed. "But the police are pretty much useless when I comes to him."
"I know… I just… maybe I should go visit you instead." Charlie mused.
"Ha. Yeah, and where you gonna sleep? The couch or the mattress?" She challenged.
"The couch. Anything is more comfortable than that mattress of yours. Why haven't you bought an actual bed, like normal person? You know, something more alluring than a mattress thrown in the corner of your bedroom…"
"Why would I buy a bed? I don't need a bed."
"You need sleep."
"Sleep and beds are not the same thing, dear father. Why are you hating on my mattress, anyways?" Bella tried to divert Charlie's attention. "What did it ever do to you?"
"Ha. Ha. Funny." Charlie deadpanned.
Bella giggled. "Alright Dad, I have to go. I have work in a few hours and I need to clean up the apartment before I leave."
"Clean up? Ha… please, we both know you're place is never dirty. But okay, I'll let you go. But please, Bella, please remember to call me more often… I worry about you."
"Of course, Dad. I'm sorry; I will."
"Bye, Bells."
"Bye, Dad." Bella said as she ended the call.
She got up from the couch, noting the time and began cleaning her apartment. Thirty minutes later, Bella had cleaned everything that she could think off. How is he always right?, she thought. Her house was never not clean. Cleaning helped her, it kept her busy; it kept her from falling asleep.
She walked into her kitchen and noticed her trash bin was mid-way full. "Aha." She exclaimed. "See, I told you…" She pulled the trash bag out tying it closed, before replacing it with a new one. She put on her slippers as she made her way outside her apartment to throw the trash out into the larger apartment trash bin. She opened her door quickly, almost stepping on a bouquet of roses placed on her mat. Her heart started beating faster as she glanced down both ends of the hall checking for someone. The hallway was completely empty, who knows how long ago those flowers were placed there, the only thing Bella knew was that they weren't there when she arrived home earlier that day.
She didn't need to know who they were from, but she picked them up anyways looking for a card. Right in the middle of the bouquet was a small white card, with a note written in red ink. Bella's hands trembled as she read the note: "I miss you. But don't worry, we'll be together soon. I promise. –James"
AN: And that is the end of Chapter 1! :) This chapter was mostly to set the foundation of the story, and hopefully jump start us into the right direction. If there's any confusion about anything, please let me know. This is my first story, so I apologize for any mistakes and/or misunderstandings. Any from of criticism is welcome, but please be gentle... :)