A/N: The first few chapters were beta'd by some wonderful ladies at Project Team Beta. This is my first venture into writing and it's a story that's kind of played out in my mind for a while and thought it would be interesting to try writing. Hope you enjoy!

"They sat together in the park
As the evening sky grew dark
She looked at him and he felt a spark tingle to his bones
It was then he felt alone and wished that he'd gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate."
-"Simple Twist of Fate" by Bob Dylan

Sunlight poured through the plastic vertical blinds onto my bed, waking me up. Blocking the excess light from my eyes, I rolled over to see what time it was, since my alarm had yet to buzz. What I saw shocked any remnant of sleep left in me.

The room was a blur as I sped around, gathering everything I would need for the day.

The only thing I was able to think was "Fuck" repeatedly as I ran around looking for a shirt to throw on. Water was running in the background, which meant Jasper had the audacity to let me sleep in late.

Of all the days to oversleep, I had to pick the day my sister, Rosalie, was getting married. There was no time to shower if I wanted to make it on time. I ran a brush through the tangled nest referred to as my hair. Mentally I thanked God that Rosalie decided to hire a makeup artist to do the entire bridal party's makeup, saving me time I didn't have.

Jasper came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. Nonchalantly he walked around to where I was, and then began getting dressed at a pace that would make a turtle look like Speedy fucking Gonzales.

"Would you hurry up?" At that point, I had my garment bag slung over my shoulder and was ready to leave.

At that point he was half dressed, wearing only his black tuxedo pants and undershirt. He walked over to where I was frantically waiting and kissed my forehead.

"Your mom called and said everyone is running an hour behind, so I let you sleep in a little bit, Bella. Calm down." That sweet smile that could get him out of any situation spread across his face and just like that, I was not mad at him any more.

Immediately my mind slowed down to an acceptable pace and my heart stopped palpitating. I was not going to be late to Rose's wedding. Everything was going to be just fine. As I looked into his pale blue eyes, I remembered all the times I'd spent looking into them in the past.

Jasper Whitlock and I, Bella Swan, had no cute story to tell when people asked how we met. We knew each other for years in school, bonding over our love for classic movies and the fact that we were the only Floridians who were unable to tan. In 11th grade, he finally asked me on an official date. That was six years ago. At 23 years old, we had graduated high school, gone to college together in Miami, and moved back to West Palm to start our life together as adults.

I kissed him on the lips chastely and walked the few steps to the bathroom in our cramped apartment. After only 15 minutes of showering and minor primping, I was ready to leave.

When we arrived at my mother's house, it was truly wedding central. Caterers took the kitchen hostage, while decorators were putting flowers on every surface of the backyard for the reception. Jazz stayed downstairs with the other groomsmen and I went upstairs to Rosalie's old room.

Walking up the stairs, I noticed all the work mom had put into the house since I'd last been there. She had redecorated specifically with the wedding in mind. After my father, Charlie died when I was only one year old and Rose was five, mom met Phil, an up-and-coming baseball player. Phil was really the only father Rose and I'd ever known.

Chaos was hiding behind Rose's door, because when I opened it there were 10 women in various stages of dressing. Rose was at the center of it all, curlers still in her hair, not a stitch of makeup on her face and her dress only half way laced up in the back.

Frantically, everyone zipped up their dresses, had their makeup done, pinned up their hair and was ready within an hour. We all squeezed ourselves into the limo. It smelled like hairspray and orchids the whole ride to the church.

At noon, the pews in the church were filled with the many guests invited. In the dressing room, I watched Rose as she analyzed herself in the mirror.

"Well, I guess it's time to head out there." She took a deep breath and turned to me. "How do I look?" I wasn't sure how to answer her question. So I told her the truth.

"Rose, I don't think there is a word for how amazing you look right now." I never thought I would have been so emotional, but a lump was definitely forming in my throat.

As I made my way down the aisle, I focused on my feet so I would not trip in the 5-inch high heeled monstrosities the bridesmaids had to wear.

"One, two, three, step. One, two, three, step." I said repeatedly in my mind.

I carefully stepped up to the altar to my position exactly two feet from where Rosalie would stand. Emmett, Rose's soon to be husband, looked nervous, yet excited at the same time. Jasper stood next to him as his best man. He looked so handsome in his tuxedo.

With every bridesmaid in place, the organist began filling the church with the sounds of the bridal march. Everyone turned to watch as the beautiful bride made her way down the aisle. Rosalie's long, blonde hair was up in an elegant bun that perfectly framed her face. Her dress billowed gracefully behind her as she walked arm in arm with Dad.

Throughout the entire ceremony, I wondered how long it would be before Jasper and I would stand in this very church and exchange our own vows.

When Rose and Emmett finally said their "I do's" the tears of joy began to spill over.

With the ceremony over, it was time for the reception at the house. The backyard of my childhood was transformed into a dream reception area. It looked like a scene from a movie it was so perfect.

Since I was the maid of honor, Rose expected me to give a toast. Usually I would be sweating bullets if I had to speak in front of such a large crowd, but the atmosphere was far too joyous to be even the slightest bit nervous.

With my glass of champagne in one hand and a butter knife in the other, I clinked my glass to get everyone's attention. The DJ passed me the microphone and I began.

"In case any of you didn't know, I'm Rose's little sister. We've been through everything together. Rose, you have always been there for me no matter what. Every problem, you diligently had the solution. Every tear, every laugh, I've shared with you. I look up to you in whatever you do. Your beauty, strength, and intelligence are something I have always envied and admired. I can't tell you how happy I am that you have Emmett. He truly is your perfect match. I love you so much, Rose. Congratulations, both of you."

With that, I raised my glass and leaned down to give my stunning sister a kiss on the cheek. It wasn't an amazing or lengthy toast, but at least it came from the heart.

After dinner, it was time for the bride and groom's first dance. Everyone watched as they sashayed gracefully across the dance floor. Once their first song was over everyone else joined them. There were over 200 people laughing, dancing, and having a great time all around.

Towards the end of the night, Jasper and I were worn out from dancing so we went back to our table. We watched the other couples, discussed how beautiful the wedding was, and counted how many people had asked when our wedding was.

"I'm going to the bar before it closes for the night, want anything?" I shook my head and he went to stand in the line forming at the bar across the way.

While I waited for him, I looked around at all the people who came for my sister and new brother-in-law. Many had left at that point, but there were still a few familiar faces lingering and a few unfamiliar. However, there was one face in particular that I'd never seen before.

Our eyes met. He smiled a dazzling crooked smile and my heart did some crazy fluttering thing I'd never experienced before. Even then, I knew I would never forget the intensity of his gaze.

Quickly I looked away, but his stare burned into me and I could tell he was walking towards me.

This gorgeous man with the squarest jaw I'd ever seen, piercing emerald green eyes, broad shoulders, and tousled bronze hair now occupied the seat Jasper was sitting in moments ago. There was a tingling through my body as he looked into my eyes with a crooked smirk.

"I'm Edward Cullen. That was a beautiful speech earlier." He held his hand out for me to shake. Taken aback by his forwardness, I reluctantly took his hand in mine. What I felt as our skin touched was a completely new feeling. Electricity flowed from his body to mine. For an immeasurable amount of time, we both looked at where our hands were intertwined and then looked back to each other's eyes.

Finally, I managed to pull my hand from his, fearing spontaneous combustion. I muttered something resembling my name and then the conversation between us began to awkwardly flow.

"Bride or groom?" I blurted out.

"Excuse me?" he asked as he began running his long fingers through his heap of hair. I completely lost focus on what I was saying. He looked at me waiting for my answer and I looked away from his wonderful fingers. My imagination floated away, as I thought of the talents those fingers may have.

"I mean who do you know, bride or groom?" I gulped, embarrassed by how inarticulate I must have appeared.

"Emmett and I went to college together." After he spoke, a silence fell upon us.

"So what do you do for a living, Bella?" He was the first to interrupt the quiet.

"I just graduated with a degree in Art History and I'm transitioning from student to working girl." Again, I was mortified. What was it about this man that made my brain turn to mush?

"What a coincidence. My family owns an art gallery. Ever hear of Twilight?" He leaned back in his chair arrogantly and my heart sped up. Twilight was one of the top privately owned galleries on the upscale Worth Avenue. It had been my dream since I was 17 to one day work there.

"Of course I've heard of it. I would love to work at an upscale gallery like that someday." Immediately I regretted saying it. The champagne must have really been getting to me, because here I was asking this dazzling man for a job.

"Actually, I'm in need of a new assistant curator. I just fired my last one. She couldn't even tell me the difference between a Van Gogh and a Monet." He began to take out a business card and I tried to stop him.

"No. Oh gosh, I didn't mean I was asking for a job. I'm so embarrassed," I explained just as Jasper was coming back with no drink in sight.

"Edward Cullen, this is my boyfriend, Jasper Whitlock." Quickly I stood up, offering Jasper my seat. Instead of sitting as I had intended he just snaked an arm around my waist and shook Edward's hand.

"Mr. Cullen's family owns the Twilight Art Gallery on Worth." I began to worry what Jasper might say in response to my statement.

"Mr. Cullen, I've heard nothing but amazing things from Bella about your gallery since we started dating. She's a huge fan." Of course, he said just the thing I didn't want him to say.

"Well, I'm trying to offer Bella a job at the gallery, but she doesn't seem to want it." Just as he said it, a tall, leggy woman with bleached hair and fake breasts hung all over him. A spark of jealousy flickered in my mind. I had no reason to be jealous; I just met him, and I had Jasper. Still, beyond my control, that jealousy burnt brighter as he kissed the bimbo on the lips.

"Take my card and think about it, Bella." He handed me the card and the electricity still flowed from his body to mine through the subtle contact.

"Bar closed after I already stood in line for 10 minutes. You'd think the fact I'm practically the bride's brother-in-law would get me at least a bottle of water or something," Jasper said with a smile, turning to me.

Without paying close attention to Jasper's explanation, I watched Edward walk away. Foreign emotions surged through my body. Trying to shake myself from the trance I was left in, I looked up into Jasper's eyes, but instead of feeling content with the baby blue's staring back, I longed for the emerald green that had been imprinted in my mind.