Built To Last
A/N: Okay so I revised this chapter because when I read it again, I realised I made A LOT of grammar mistakes and sorts. Yikes. Oh and the reason why Bella doesn't blush now is because she's not that shy anymore and has more self-esteem. I don't even know why I'm writing this chapter anyways. It's rather pointless. But then again, if I do not write a first chapter... Sigh. This chapter sucks.
Chapter One
BPOV
I stepped off the air plane, holding my carry-on ─ a laptop bag along with my handbag which I slung over my shoulder. I entered the arrival station of the William R. Fairchild International Airport and made my way to the rows of seats provided. I plopped down on the navy blue seat and set my bag on the next one beside me.
I took a good look around me and breathed in the crisp air conditioned air of the airport. It has been seven years since I last been in Washington, much less Forks. I had my own reasons, of course, of my sudden leaving. The same very reason that haunted my dreams for so long, causing me many sleepless nights. Only lately these few years have I been able to forget the details and manage to sleep without taking pills.
I shook my head to end that train of thought. It wasn't the right time to start breaking down.
I turned to look out the glass window facing the car park. It was drizzling lightly and I frowned. Charlie was supposed to pick me up. After all, he was the only one I informed about my return. The others did not know yet, not now at least. I reached in my large bag and pulled out my mobile phone only to drop it back in when I realized that the battery was dead. I groaned. Just my luck.
I waited for another ten more minutes before deciding that he must have forgotten to pick me up, being busy with his family and all that. I gathered my bags and joined the queue at the cab service counter.
Charlie actually remarried two years after I left, roughly five years ago to a widow named Vanessa. She had moved to Forks at that time to a house at the next block. Renée and I received his invitation, of course, but we didn't go. Partly because I was busy with university and also forgetting. I sighed as the line finally moved a bit.
However, before I could even get to my turn, someone came hurtling out of nowhere at me and nearly knocking me to the ground. The particular person threw her arms around my neck and buried her face in the nape of my neck. I blinked, surprised.
"Bella!!" I took in a sharp intake of air before looking up to see the best sight ever. Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle and Esme were heading towards me; Rose being in the lead as she was running towards me. If they were here, it would mean Alice was hugging me now! I realized a little late.
"Rose! Alice!" I cried as Rose threw her long arms around Alice and me.
"Bella!! We missed you so much!" Alice cried as she looked up, tears glistening in her sapphire eyes. I felt tears welling up in my own and I threw my own arms around the two of them.
"I missed you too!" The person behind me hissed angrily as I was holding up the line but I couldn't care less. This was my reunion with my long lost family and I didn't want it ruined. The person huffed and maneuvered around the three of us.
"Bella─" Alice started, pulling out of the hug before getting interrupted by Rose.
"Why did you leave us and Forks, Bella? Did you know how much that hurt us; when we went to your house the next day only to find out from Charlie that you left earlier that morning to God-knows-where? Did you know how much that hurt all of us, especially Esme?" Rosalie's hurt and anguished yet angry tone made me flinch. She held me away at an arm's length and stared at me; eye to eye, her violet eyes angry against my guilty brown ones.
"Stop it Rose. You know she didn't mean to leave us like that. You were the one that said that to me when we found out. I quote, 'Bella wouldn't leave us, not like that. She's going to come back soon'." Alice said softly and tugged on Rose's arm.
Rosalie sighed. She hugged me again before pulling back.
"I'm sorry Bells. It's just that you suddenly left without telling us and we missed you so so much." Rose sniffled and I pulled her back in my arms. Alice hugged us again and sighed.
"Don't ever do that to us again, Bella."
"Never again." I murmured.
What a happy little reunion! Come Jasper, let's join!" Emmett boomed loudly, shocking the three of us. He dragged Jasper along with him as he made his way towards us. He wrapped his thick muscled arms around the three of us and pulled us into a hug, with poor Jasper sandwiched awkwardly in between. As big as he was, he still couldn't get his arms tight enough all four of us though, leaving enough space for Alice to squirm out.
"Emmett!" I laughed.
"Yo, Bella! What's up? Missed me?" He grinned widely and released all of us before pulling me back into his arms. He spun me around and then crushed me into a tight bear hug, my legs a few inches off the ground. I laughed, exhilarated before gasping for air.
"Emmy...Too tight..." I wheezed out, air getting cut off from my lungs.
"Whoops! Sorry! Forgot how soft you are!" Emmett laughed and dropped me to my feet.
I took in a few exaggerated breaths and smiled brightly. The others laughed and I turned to face them. They didn't change at all. Carlisle and Esme still looked very young, though they were much older and the others as bear-like, model-like, pixie-like and leonine as ever. Emmett nudged me towards my extended family and I immediately turned to Esme whose eyes were gleaming with unshed tears.
"Hey mum." I said, grinning sheepishly and hugged her.
"Bella, darling, I'm so glad you're home." She said and kissed my forehead.
"I'm sorry Esme." I said, remembering what Rose said about Esme hurting the most at my departure. "It's just there're things I needed to be done and I had to leave immediately." I continued, saddened that I had to be secretive. But they needed to understand that I couldn't tell them. No, I definitely couldn't because if I did, they would never look at me the same way again.
"It's okay, honey. You don't have to tell me anything. We're all just glad you're home." She assured me, sensing my inner turmoil. I smiled back weakly and she kissed me again before releasing me. I turned to Carlisle who was smiling warmly at me and extending his arms. I hugged him back and he rubbed my back soothingly. He released me and ruffled my hair affectionately and said that Charlie couldn't come as he was at the general hospital, visiting his mother-in-law.
I nodded understandingly. His mother-in-law was very ill and he had to constantly visit her. Alice and Rose wrapped their arms around my shoulders and began talking to me but before Alice did that, she gave me the once over as we sat back down in the arrival station to wait for the luggage.
She eyed me like a hawk before grinning.
"Well, I can't say I'm proud of your fashion skills just yet but it definitely is better." She nodded her approval at my outfit of a long sleeved white collared black striped shirt and a simple black flared short skirt.
I laughed. "Technically, I came straight from my office. I had a last minute meeting." I explained.
Rose snickered before gasping in astonishment.
"Bella," she gasped once more, "are those heels?
"Um, I guess so. They're just pumps actually." I muttered, staring down at my black peep-toe pumps that were barely three inches high.
"Then how come you aren't falling yet?" Emmett asked, grinning widely. They laughed at Emmett's crudeness and I pretended to take offence at what he'd said before cracking at their funny looks.
"I kind of took up ballroom dancing classes in Uni because we had to pick at least a club and I was curious so I took it up." I didn't want to join the club actually...But I always liked dancing and my roommate, Maeve, said it was easy and persuaded me to join with her. During the first few weeks, I was totally horrible but then our tutor, a Spaniard said I could actually dance and lose my klutziness if I wanted to.
His exact words were, "Hmm... You have potential. You can do it if you stop thinking so negatively. It's all in the mind. If you truly believe and think that you do not have balance problems then it will become true." Truly words of a guru alright. Andre even made me meditate with him so I would think positively and he succeeded in changing me from a total klutz who can't even balance on flat ground to a person who can tango in four-inched heels.
"So now your balance problems are over?" Jasper asked and I nodded. Alice squealed loudly.
"Yes!! Now I can finally get you to wear heels without you constantly tripping!!"
They laughed as I groaned.
"No way, Alice. My balance problems may be over but I still trip sometimes."
"That's cause you don't watch where you're going. Anyways, our clumsy Bella is now a ballroom dancer! Show me some moves, honey!" Alice said, placing her hand my shoulder and I laughed along with the others. I placed our hands in the correct position and waltzed her around. The thing was, she didn't move in sync with me so all we did was twirl and swing all around, making a fool of ourselves and the others laugh hysterically. Alice and I collapsed onto the chairs and laughed ourselves silly.
Rose and Alice told me anything and everything that happened while I was gone. I found out a lot about their kids; Rose with her twins, Alexa and Chase and Alice with her daughter, Alyssa. They asked about my job as Chief Editor and how I liked it and I asked about theirs. Alice was now a successful fashion designer; Rose her company manager, Jasper a lawyer and Emmett a CEO in a separate company.
I smiled and laughed at the funny stories about their children and sighed internally. I wonder how Catie was doing... I took out my phone and then remembered it was dead.
"Alice, can I borrow your mobile phone? I need to make a call." I said. She beamed and passed me her neon pink phone. I smiled gratefully before dialing the familiar number and waited for the call to be picked up. The ringing lasted three times before someone picked up.
"Hello?" A sweet soft voice said.
I smiled. "Caitlyn, honey, it's me."
"Oh! Hi mummy! Have you reached yet?"
"Yes darling. I'm in the airport now. Where's Renée?" I asked.
"Oh, grandma just went to her book reading club." She replied.
"Are you home alone now?" I asked.
"No mummy, granddad is home too." She said and I could practically hear her eyes rolling. I sighed in relief.
"Pass the phone over then, honey."
"Okay, bye mum. Love you."
"Love you too." I said before she passed the phone over to Phil. I talked to Phil a little as he fussed over me and asked him to pass some messages to Renée for me. I hung up ten minutes later and looked up to see the Cullens and Whitlocks were all staring at me.
"You never told us you had a daughter." Alice pointed out, accepting her phone from me. Shock was evident in all their eyes.
"Um..." I mumbled, trying to come up with some excuse.
"Well, Caitlyn's not exactly my daughter. She's more of a cousin. Renée's niece's actually. Catie's parents died in a car crash and I adopted her." I made up, hoping they would buy it. They all broke into grins and smiles.
"Do you have a picture we could see?" Rose asked. I nodded before pulling out my slim wallet and showing them a picture of four year old Caitlyn and I; taken three years ago.
"Wow! She looks so much like you! Well, except for the fact that her hair is lighter and streaked with blonde. But other than that, she has all your features!" Emmett said as he hunched over the slim photo. I forced out a sheepish laugh.
"I guess she does." I mumbled, not knowing what to say. They looked at me again before I heard the overhead speaker announcing that the luggage for my flight had arrived.
"Oh! Bags are here!" I said and hastily made my way to the luggage collecting area. I spotted my bag easily and grabbed it off the conveyor belt once it reached me and stumbled slightly under the weight. I steadied myself and began pulling the strap before it was taken from me. I looked up to see Emmett grinning widely. I let him take the bag and he thrust my picture forward. I took it from him and slid it back where it belonged before following him to where the others were waiting.
"Let's get you home so you can unpack." Esme said and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. Alice and Rose walked on the other side of me while the men slowly strolled behind us. I submitted to my thoughts as I let the others lead me and listened to Alice and Rose's chatter. Now that I was going to be living back here, I definitely needed a place to stay. Knowing them, Alice, Rose and all the others probably already arranged for me to stay at either one of their houses. I sighed. It surely would be an inconvenience to them.
"Hey Esme, do you know of any nice place I can get?"
Alice arched an eyebrow and opened her mouth but Esme cut her off.
"Well, yes I do know some places that might suit your taste. You'll have to tell me where you'd like your house to be−"
"But mum...Isn't Bella living with us?" Alice protested.
"Alice, honey, Bella would most probably like to get her own house because she has her own family and you'd want her to be comfortable, don't you?" Jasper said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Alice pouted but sighed. I flashed a grateful smile at Jasper.
"But, in the meantime while you get your house furnished and renovated or whatever, you have to stay with us." Alice beamed, cheekily. "And that's an order." She added.
I grinned. "Sure Major Alice, whatever you say sir." Right now, I was just glad to be back home and surely living with Alice for a few days wouldn't kill...Right?
"Good! Now come on, let's get you to the car before the rain starts again." Alice said and proceeded to drag me to her car; a silver PontiacG6. I let out a low appreciative whistle. This car was really nice, and fast from the looks of it. Since I've been hanging with all of them since young, I developed a taste for nice and fast cars. Back in New York, I actually drove an awesome black Audi R8. Sadly, I had to sell that since I was moving here, across the country.
I made a mental note to get Rose to bring me to some showrooms for a new car.
"Sweet car." I said.
"Definitely sweet alright! Alice got it for Jasper last Christmas." Emmett said, stroking the hood of the car.
"Get your paws off my car and stand back where I can see you. Don't make any sudden moves." Jasper said, teasingly as he held out his hands as if he was holding a rifle. Emmett held his hands up in an 'I surrender' movement and slowly inched away from the car.
"Move, move." Jasper commanded in a faux deep voice much like a Sergeant. We all laughed at their Counter Strike antics. Once Emmett was a safe distance from the car, Jasper lowered his 'rifle' and unlocked the car. Emmett suddenly charged back to Jasper and tackled him in a way that would make Jonah Lomu proud. (A/N: In case you guys didn't know, Jonah Lomu is the most intimidating rugby player in the New Zealand All Blacks team)
Emmett threw Jasper over his shoulder as if Jasper was a rag doll and began running around like he scored a touchdown.
"And Emmett Cullen scores again! It's 10 against 1 for team Emmett against team Jasper!" He said in a commentator voice. Jasper, all the while, pounded Emmett's rock hard shoulders with his fists. We watched the whole spectacle unfold and balanced ourselves against each other as we laughed.
"Now, now, children. It's drizzling already. We wouldn't want Bella to fall sick on her first day back, would we?" Esme chastised in her motherly tone. Emmett grinned at her and gave her the thumbs up sign before dropping Jasper not so courteously on his ass on the cement ground.
"Ooof. Dude, not so hard man. You might just bust my jewels. I still need those, you know." Jasper said flipping Emmett the bird while getting up, one hand rubbing his sore behind. Alice skipped over to him and asked whether he was fine along with the 'little' dude. Emmett snickered before making his way towards us.
Jasper made his way back to his car with Alice faithfully latched onto his arm and opened the car boot for Emmett to dump my bags in before ushering Alice and I into the car. The others left in separate cars and headed back home, with a promise to meet back at Alice and Jasper's in a few hours' time.
Alice snuggled up to my side and began begging for any juicy details of my life in New York. Whether the boys were cute or not, whether the fashion there was as great as hers and whether I had any relationships. Thankfully, Jasper cut her off there when he saw the withdrawn look on my face and my sudden sharp intake of air.
"Be a little easier on her, Ali. She's had a long flight and looks tired. Let Bells get some sleep now cause I doubt with all the things you're planning to do at home later, she'd be getting any." Jasper said, smiling at me. I smiled back.
"Oops. Sorry Bella! We'll just talk later." Alice chirped and laid her head onto my shoulder. I lay my own onto hers and closed my eyes.
In terms of emotions, I have always connected the best with Jasper. He could always tell how I was feeling and not even Alice or Rose could detect much when I put on façades but Jasper would be like, "Spill Bella. I know something is wrong." He pretty much was my confidante in terms of feelings. To be honest, sometimes I feel like Rose and Alice were on one page of a book and I was in another. Our minds were different and yet from the moment we met, we never parted. I smiled and drifted off for a light nap.
I sat down silently at Mike's island kitchen table. He was over at the other side of the room tearing open his fifth birthday presents. I sighed. I was missing my piano lesson today and Miss Lisa actually promised to teach me a new song. I fiddled around with my fingers and traced little imaginary patterns onto the mahogany wood table.
"Hello Bella!!" I heard my name being called out and looked up. Petite Alice and Rose were heading my way. I smiled back wanly and gave a small wave. Alice and Rose pulled themselves up onto the barstools and turned to face me eagerly. Both sat on either side of me.
"What are you doing here all alone?" Rose asked.
"Um..I got bored so I decided to sit here." I blushed and ducked my head. The two most popular girls in my kindergarten class were actually talking to me, a geek.
"Well Alice and I are bored too. Wanna go play with my mum's make-up set?" Rose smiled, flashing off her dazzling white teeth.
"Yeah. It's really cool cause her mum has tons of eye shadow in the prettiest pink ever. And I know how to put it on too! I see my mummy do it every morning!" Alice chirped.
Somehow with the two of them looking at me so expectantly, I couldn't say no. Besides, anything to get out of Mike's lame party.
"Okay." I said shyly. If it was possible, their grins got wider and they both grab my hand and did a little countdown before we hopped off the stools simultaneously.
"Come on Bella. I'll introduce you to my cool brother. You're so going to like him." Alice said and soon the three of us were crossing the road and walking the next few blocks to Rose's house. I knew then that it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
"Bella! We're home!" Alice said in a sing-song voice and nudged me awake. I snapped out of my half reminiscing-half dreaming state and smiled at Alice, who was standing at my side of the door.
"Now lets go in for some awesome touring! Jasper already has your bags up in your room!" Alice bounced on her heel and pulled me out of the car. I looked around us and gasped. Alice's house was beautiful. The front of the house was painted a deep shade of white, nearly light grey and the extended roof over the porch was draped with vines and beautiful flowers entwined with them. The house looked like it just came out of an old movie. Alice looked at me, her smile widening by the second.
"It's gorgeous isn't it? Esme helped us with the deco. Now wait till you see the insides." Alice said and tugged on my hand to enter the house. My jaw dropped when I was in there. The interior was elegantly done and was perfect. It practically looked like a show house. The living room walls were cream-coloured and matching rugs covered the floor. A large glass pane separated the living room from the rest of the house and from what I could see, the kitchen was just as elegantly done.
"So...Do you like it?" Alice bounced with excitement.
"Like it? I'd say love! It's absolutely gorgeous, Alice!!" I said and hugged her. Alice squealed and hugged me back.
"Come on, I'll show you your room." Alice said and proceeded to drag me to my new room. Along with the rest of the house, it was tastefully done too. Cream walls, cream rug and a beautiful mahogany wood four poster bed in the middle of the room. If this was the guest room, I wonder how the master bedroom looks like. As if she heard my thoughts, Alice proceeded to show me hers and Jasper's room. I was gob smacked once more. By the end of the touring, Alice brought me downstairs to where Jasper was making lunch in their pristine kitchen.
We ate lunch ─Jasper made his famous stew─ while chatting about random things like Jasper's new case and Alice's new creations for the coming fall which was only a week from now. After that, Alice helped me unpack my clothes, occasionally clicking her tongue at how much shopping we needed to do but was content otherwise. But when she found out I brought only four pairs of shoes; a pair of silver slingback espadrilles, a pair of dark grey peep toe heels that was encrusted with rhinestones, a pair of red ballet flats, and a pair of sneakers, she freaked.
"Bella!!I can't believe you only brought four pairs of shoes!!" Alice said, pacing a hole in the floor.
"Five, actually, including the pair of pumps I'm wore just now." I pointed out.
"Grr...You know what? Screw the unpacking. We have to go to the mall now!" Alice said, flipping her mobile phone open and rang up Rose.
"Rose? We have an emergency. Bella only brought four pairs─"
"Five." I chimed in, grinning cheekily. Alice shot me a look of irritation and flipped a not so flattering finger at me. I merely grinned wider.
"Fine," she directed that to me, "five pairs of shoes."
I could hear Rose gasping exaggeratedly over the phone before she laughed.
"Oh give her a break, Ali. You know how she is with her clothes." Rose said.
"Yeah, but none of her foot wear suits where we are going to...You know!" Alice whined. I narrowed my eyes.
"Where are we going, Alice?" I asked. She winked at me, her humour returning, and left the room to hers. She grinned wickedly at me once more before shutting the door and I heard the click of the lock. Why so secretive? Hopefully it wasn't going to be anywhere sleazy. I leaned my head against the edge of my bed as I was sitting on the floor and closed my eyes, waiting for Alice to be done. I soon heard the door opening and opened my eyes. Alice beamed and bounced to me.
"Guess what? We're going shopping!" She said and I rolled my eyes.
"Yes Captain Obvious, but do we really have to go now? I'm really tired...And besides, I have other shoes and such, they're just still back in New York. Five pairs ought to be enough..." I whined.
"Nah-uh. You are so coming. Come on Bella, please? For me? We haven't shopped together for sooooo long, after all...Please?" Alice pulled out her puppy dog face. She knew how much I couldn't refuse when she did that and smiled triumphantly when I groaned.
"Fine. But we have to make sure to get everything in this trip. And when I say everything I really mean it, Alice. No more shopping until I want to, ok?" She pouted but nodded anyways.
"I'll just change for a moment." I said. Alice nodded and left the room, shutting the door softly behind her. I grabbed a simple black tank top that had my initials; BS in curvaceous writing across the front and a pair of leopard print skinny jeans before changing into them. The tank top was actually given to me by my roommate and one of my best friends, Maeve Avis.
I swapped my slender watch for a few plastic bangles, slid them up my wrist before grabbing my phone of the charger and sliding them into a small leather pouch and dropped in my wallet along with my debit card. I swabbed my lips with a light layer of gloss, switched my earring studs for gold hoops then picked up my pair of Christian Louboutin grey peep toes but knowing Alice, we'd probably be shopping till the end of the day. I sighed and wore the pair of espadrilles instead. Just as I was about to leave the room, I heard Alice calling out to me from the bottom of the stairs. I rolled my eyes and hastily left my new room, with the bags still on the floor and my clothes spilling out.
"Impatient much?" I teased as I stepped off the last stair.
"Of course! It's shopping! By the way, Bella, now I can say your fashion taste definitely improved A LOT. I like the skinny jeans. It's really cute!" Alice squealed. I laughed and patted her head.
"Why thank you, Alice. That's really a first. You look great too and I like the necklace." I complimented. Alice was clad in a cute knee-length strapless black dress and the straps of the reddish-pink tank top she wore underneath could be seen.
"Oh, this?" she pointed at the pink striped heart charm that was dangling underneath clusters of beads and flowers on her necklace, "I got it at Omg! Lia? last year online. They were having a clearance sale and this was one of the items. I also got the earrings and bracelet from there too." Alice said, beaming and pointing at her cute purple candydrop earrings and violet charm bracelet that was a medley of beads, flowers and a heart in the middle.
"Now let's go fetch Rose!" Alice grinned and dragged me to the garage where she parked her yellow Porsche 911 Turbo. She unlocked it and I pushed the passenger seat forward to sit in the back so Rose wouldn't have to go through all that trouble. We soon reached Rose's house and once again, I was gobsmacked. Her house was as nice as Alice's, if not more majestic. Rose was already waiting for us outside the garden with Emmett ─who waved when he saw us─ and kissed him goodbye. Alice and I faked gagging as their 'goodbye' kiss turned into a full blown make-out session.
We finally had enough and Alice honked the horn, causing Rose to jump and pull away from Emmett. She grinned sheepishly at us and quickly slid in Alice's car.
"About time Rose! I swear every single time you guys go PDA, it's like you have never seen each other at all." Alice said and I laughed along with Rose.
"Well...He kisses really well. Why do you think I married that big oaf?" Rose smirked and we laughed.
"You know, Rose, you can practically stop all traffic just by wearing that." I said. Alice and Rose laughed.
"Well, her motto is If you got it, flaunt it, after all." Alice chirped. We burst into laughter.
"Shopping here we come!" Alice said joyfully as the mall came to view. Rose and I shared a look and rolled our eyes.
Yes, shopping here we come indeed.