Welcome!

First fanfic, so be gentle.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or any of it's characters.

...Enjoy!


EPOV

I sighed as I walked in to the coffee shop. There was a line, as usual, and it was raining inside, but these facts didn't really register in my mind. There was nothing except her in my mind these days.

Her. Tanya.

She was the love of my life. I was sure, that this was it. That thing they all talk about. The one, the soul mate, the missing piece. That's what she was to me. We were meant to get married and have children and grow old together. I had planned my whole life around her, ready to follow her anywhere she wanted to go. I was like a puppet, and she was the puppeteer.

And then she said 'no strings attached'. Down fell the puppet.

I was stupid, and I should have none better. Tanya didn't date, and she didn't get emotional involved. I knew this, but I was still stupid enough to fall for her. Still stupid enough to think that maybe she might have fallen for me, that she might have changed for me. I was so, so stupid.

The line moved forward a few inches. It was full of cranky people impatiently waiting for their morning caffeine jolt, so no one really noticed me or my mopping. My eyes scanned the people. The girl at the front of the line had the same strawberry blonde hair as Tanya, although I doubt it was natural as hers. The girl two people in front of me was wearing a pair of shoes that Tanya had. The person behind me had the same colour eyes.

Stop. I told myself. I had to stop doing this. Comparing every woman I see to her. Seeking out similarities with every girl I found mildly attractive. I had to stop, before I drove myself crazy. Despite how similar they were, they never, ever matched up.

The queue ambled forward again, and now I was only a few people away. The man behind the counter, Mike, looked almost as tired as I felt. I wonder if he had had his heart broken, but then I shook it off.

"Hi Mike," I mumbled as I reached the front of the line.

"Edward," he greeted. "The usual?"

"Yes, please," I answered. I stepped to the side to allow the girl with Tanya's eyes order while I waited for my drink.

Once she had placed her order, she turned to me, a slightly timid smile on her face. I suppose she was pretty, with blonde curly hair that framed her face. She was shorter than me, reaching only to my shoulder. But then I looked in to her eyes, and all I could see was Tanya. Tanya looking at me as she asked if I wanted to come inside. Tanya looking at me as her face got closer to mine. Tanya. Tanya. Tanya.

"Hello," the girl said, oblivious to my inner turmoil. She had a bright, cheery voice. The kind that you associate with cheerleaders or people trying to persuade you to join a cult. I nodded in acknowledgement of her.

"Horrible weather today, isn't it?" she continued.

I glanced out of the window, seeing the rain was still pounding down, hitting the pavement with a fury that suggested it had done it some wrong.

"Yeah, awful."

"I hope this clears up soon. I'm meant to be doing a sponsored run tomorrow!" She smiled up at me, batting her eyelids. I just nodded.

"It's with my yoga class," she continued, with a cheery fake laugh. She was probably trying to ease the awkwardness of the conversation.

"Here's your drink, Edward," Mike interrupted, handing my latte across the counter.

"Thanks," I said, taking it. "It was nice to meet you..." I trailed off.

"Mandy," she supplied. "It was nice to meet you too, Edward. Perhaps we-"

I didn't hear what it was that we could possible do though, as I turned away from her and the counter, searching the little cafe for an empty table. I found one in the far corner of the room and quickly headed towards it. I slid in to the slightly too oversized chair, and took a gulp of my slightly too hot coffee. It burnt my throat, but I took another gulp anyway. There was a newspaper on the table. I picked it up, flicking through the pages without taking much in. I turned to the jobs section.

"Hello," a voice said above me. "Is this seat taken?"

At first I thought it was Mandy, come back to attempt conversation, but the voice was all wrong. This was a quiet voice, warm but not annoyingly preppy. I looked up to this stranger. She was young, around twenty. My eyes immediately searched for pieces of Tanya in her face, but they came up blank. She had dark brown curls, framing a heart shaped face. Her skin was pale, unlike Tanya's constant tan that so many other women envied, but the paleness suited her. She had big brown eyes that were slightly apprehensive. When I met her gaze, she looked away.

"It's just that, well, there's not many seats left, but if, um, you don't want me to..." She blushed, her hands tightening around the cup that she held in both hands in front of her. I realised I hadn't answered her.

"Sure," I heard myself say. "Sit down." I didn't want company. I wanted to keep to myself and wallow in misery, but it would have been rude to turn her away. She looked so childlike and vulnerable, I felt compelled to let her sit down.

"Thank you," she said, settling clumsily in to the chair opposite. "I'm Bella, by the way."

"Edward," I answered. She blushed again when our eyes met. It looked like petals on snow.

She took a sip of her coffee, and I looked back down at my newspaper, unsure what to do. Assistant buyer needed. She smelled like strawberries. Manager at La Bella Italia Restaurant position available. I wonder if it was her shampoo? Part time work available at Family Foods. Maybe that was just her natural smell?

This was pointless. I couldn't concentrate on the job listings while she was sitting there. It was rude to ignore her. I put the newspaper down and picked up my coffee mug. She was sitting in the chair, her legs curled up underneath her, and her hands still wrapped around her coffee mug. Her eyes were unfocused, staring through the window, but I had a feeling she wasn't seeing the rain, or the hurrying people.

"I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?" I asked, although I knew perfectly well it was Bella. Bella. I just wanted her to talk to me.

"Bella," she said softly, so it sounded like a sigh from her lips. She turned her eyes to mine again, a suggestion of a smile on her face. "My name's Bella."

"Hi, Bella," I said. "So..." I was such an idiot. Why start a conversation when I had no topic in mind? I was severely lacking in social skills.

"So..." she echoed, her smile becoming more pronounced.

I searched for a conversation topic, but was coming up blank. "Horrible weather today isn't it?" I cringed internally. I was talking about the weather. I was as bad as Mandy.

"I guess," she answered, looking amused. "I don't mind the rain, actually."

"Oh," I answered. How do you answer that? I chose to change the topic. "Do you have any plans for today?"

"Just going out with a few friends. They're dragging me shopping." She gave a kind of grimace. Apparently, she didn't like shopping. "How about you?"

Her head was tilted slightly to the side, regarding me with those large brown eyes. She took another sip of coffee as she waited for my answer. "I've got an appointment to go and see an apartment."

"You're moving? How cool!" She smiled warmly. "Moving in with the girlfriend?"

I felt my heart sink, and it obviously showed, because those large brown eyes showed concern. I took a deep breath as a series of images flipped through my mind: Tanya and I, hand in hand as we walked around empty rooms; helping each other carry boxes to our new apartment; cuddling on the sofa surrounded by our stuff. They were so clear in my mind, so real. It was like a kind of homesickness for a place I'd never been.

"Are you ok? Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Bella was biting her lip, leaning towards me with one hand hovering, as if wanting to place it on my arm, but unsure if she should.

"It's o-ok," I stuttered. "I'm just – It's fine."

"I'm sorry," she repeated. She looked close to tears.

"Its fine," I said more forcefully.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, moving to hold her cup in both hands again.

"I – Not really." It was too raw, too painful to talk about yet. "But no, I'm not moving in with a girlfriend."

"Where about are you looking at?" she asked. She looked apprehensive again, like when she first asked to sit down. Probably scared I would freak out again. But no, I could keep my cool.

"Today, I've got an appointment at Kingston's. Over by the park."

"It's nice over there," she commented. "I looked around, but they were a bit out of my price range." She blushed again, strawberries and cream. "I'm staying with one of my friends at the moment."

"Are you looking for a place?" I asked.

"I've been told I can stay as long as I like," she informed me. "But I think pretty soon there's going to be another someone moving in." She rolled her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Alice and her boyfriend are getting pretty serious."

I nodded, and took a sip of my now cold coffee. She noticed.

"Do you want a refill?" she asked. Then she blushed. "I'm sorry - you probably want to go. Don't feel the need to stay for me." She bit her lip again, chewing on it nervously.

"I'd love a refill, thanks." I dug out some change from my pocket. "Here."

"My treat," she said, waving me off. "What will it be?"

"Latte, please."

"Sure." She stood up with the cups. "Be back in a few."

BPOV

I collected the cups from the table and walked back to the queue. It was less crowded now. Most people seemed to have left after their morning coffee fix. Usually I would be gone by this time but there was something about Edward that intrigued me.

I must admit, it was his looks that got my interest first. He was gorgeous, chiselled, with a strong jaw line. His hair was wild disarray but the most beautiful colour I had ever seen, a shiny copper mane. And when I got closer, his emerald eyes took my breath away. I'd always been a sucker for green eyes.

But then he looked so lost when I spotted him across the cafe. I was sure he was going to turn me away but he surprised me. Maybe he was just being polite. It was hardly polite to turn someone away from one of the only chairs left. And after all, he had started the conversation.

I felt a twist of guilt as I remember his face when I mentioned his girlfriend. If anyone knew what it was like to not want to talk about ex-romances, it was me. I'd felt that pain better than anyone. He had looked so broken; his eyes became empty as if he was somewhere else. I didn't want to see that on his face. I didn't want to see that on anyone's face.

"Hello, Bella, honey," Mike said as I came to the front of the short queue. "What can I get for you today, darling?"

Mike was such a creep. He had been trying to get a date with since he started, and didn't get the hint that I wasn't interested. He was persistent, to say the least.

"Can I get my usual and a latte, please?" I asked, cutting to the chase.

"Would you like my phone number with that?" he asked with a wink. I ignored him, surveying the customers as opposed to answering him. He sidled off to fill up the cups. Edward was looking my way curiously, his brow slightly furrowed. I gave him a small nervous wave, which he returned with an inclination of his head. God, that man was confusing. He didn't seem to show much emotion at all. Unless I counted despairing pain as an emotion, which I chose not to.

"Here you go, beautiful," Mike said. He held out his hand with the change, grazing mine for longer than was necessary. It made my skin crawl.

"Thanks," I said, quickly picking up the cups and turning around. Edward had turned away now and continued to look out the window until I sat down again.

"Back," I said, unnecessarily. He nodded, continuing to gaze out of the window. "So what time is your appointment?"

"Eleven," he said shortly. I glanced at the watch that was on his wrist. It was already twenty past ten.

"So you've got to go soon?" I asked, trying not to make it sound like I wanted him to stay. Even though you do, a small voice in my head said.

"Yes," he responded.

"Is this the first apartment you've seen?"

"Third." Why was he being so short with me? Had something changed while I'd gotten the drinks? Clearly, if the lack of information I was now receiving was anything to go buy.

"Do you think this might be the one, then?" I prompted.

He started silently out of the window for a beat or two, before turning to me. His eyes were hard and I struggled to keep my gaze on those green, green eyes.

"I need to get going," he stated. He took a last gulp of his coffee and replaced it on the table. "Thank you for the coffee." Without another word he stood up and pulled a scarf around his neck. And then, with a nod in my direction, he walked towards the exit of the cafe and out in to the rain.

I sat for a few minutes, watching his figure retreat down the street until I lost sight of his copper hair in the crowd. I felt stupid sitting on my own. I drank down the last dregs of my coffee and left the cup on the table, along with the half drank latte, as I left the cafe.

And there we have the first chapter.

What did you think?

Question: If you saw Edward in a coffee shop, what would you say to him first?