Chapter One… The Perfect Outfits
"Bella, stop being a pain in the ass!"
"Alice, I am begging you, can we please be done for the day?" I was thinking more like the month but having a roommate like Alice, shopping for clothes was as common as shopping for groceries. I hated shopping but if you live with Alice and are friends with Rosalie you are forced, against your will, to go to the mall at least twice a week.
She (yet again) had me shoved in a dressing room while her and her sister Rosalie, flung outfit after outfit into my tiny room covered in mirrors.
"Oh…this is so cute Bella; you definitely need to try it on!"
"Thanks Rose," I mumbled incoherently. My two best friends talked while I struggled with the extremely little black dress Rose picked out for me.
"What time are we meeting tomorrow night anyway," Rose asked Alice.
"Um, I was thinking we could all meet at the club around 9:30 or 10ish."
"Who else is going to be there," I asked a little weary, finally in the dress and stepping out to show my two best friends.
"Just the usual….you, me, Rose and Emmett, Angela and Ben, Jessica and Tyler and then Tyler is bringing his new flat mate Eric and some other people," I shot a glance at Alice when she mentioned that Tyler was bringing his flat mate, and before I could protest to the forced meeting Alice was sure to instigate Rose spoke up.
"You look fantastic Bella, you have to get it!" Rose was beaming and clapping her hands.
"Rose I cannot possibly get this dress, if I bend over or dance for that matter everyone will see my butt!"
Alice held up her hand to stop me, "don't be ridiculous it looks amazing on you, and I am getting it for you for your birthday, so now you have to wear it." She can be such a pushy and stubborn little pixie.
The dress really was beautiful. It was short, black and strapless, with a sweetheart neckline. Rosalie decided on a simple white tube dress that barely looked beyond gorgeous on her. Of course Alice had her dress chosen the moment we walked into the store. Hers was a short black and white dress with flowers printed on the skirt. It had a high waist and it look fabulous on her. We were out shopping for a black and white party one of our favorite clubs in town, Hypnotic was having the following night. Since my 21st birthday was coming up on Sunday, Alice thought it was appropriate for us to celebrate a little early. We were meeting all our friends and parting Saturday into Sunday when I turned 21…finally. I have always been the youngest. Alice was almost eight months older than me and Rosalie was two whole years older than me.
"Let's go girls," Alice yelled pulling me out of my thoughts, "we still have to go get us some shoes to go with these fabulous dresses!" I can't believe how much this girl loves to shop. It was overwhelming!
We were on our way to Macy's sipping our Starbucks when it happened. I literally ran into him. The most gorgeous guy I have ever seen. He had untidy bronze hair that fell across his pale forehead and his piercing green eyes were so unique. I have never seen such beautiful colored eyes. I couldn't help but to stare, he was just so….gorgeous! While I was struck dumb by this stranger he looked down to see me staring at him. I must have looked like a mentally ill person to be staring at him the way I was.
"Are you alright?"
His voice was just as beautiful as his face. I could sit in his arms and listen to him talk for hours. That thought snapped me back to reality. I was still in my beautiful strangers arms. I jumped away from him shocked at how much I missed his embrace and struggled to pull a sentence together, "uh….I…..yeah, I am sorry."
"No harm no foul, you're sure you're alright?"
"Yes, I just wasn't paying attention to where I was walking…," I stammered. I was really distracted by his bright green eyes. They were full of curiosity and concern.
"Bella where have you been? One second I am taking to you and the next you are gone…who is this?" Alice looked from my stranger to me and gave me the look like she caught me doing something I shouldn't be.
"Hi, I'm Edward. Edward Masen, I just ran into your friend…."
"Bella…Swan," I finished sticking out my hand to shake his.
"Bella," He said and I loved the way my name sounded when he said it. What? What was I thinking; I don't even know this guy and I am having insane thoughts like that running through my head. I mentally shook myself, dropped his hand and looked at Alice.
"I ran into him…"
"Literally," he said with the cutest crooked half smile I have ever seen and a twinkle in his eyes that made me blush of course.
Alice just looked between me and Edward with a smirk on her face then said, "Well Rose is waiting for us by Macy's."
"Okay…um I am sorry again for running into you, Edward," I couldn't even apologize without my face reddening.
"Really it is fine. I should let you get back to your shopping. Maybe I will see you around?" he smiled his crooked smile again making my heart beat franticly.
"Yea, see you," then we turned and went our separate ways. I was heading into Macy's thinking about Edward when I caught up with the girls. "Let's get us some sexy shoes ladies!"
"Someone is in a good mood all of a sudden," Rose pointed out, looking at a pair of outrageous red pumps.
"That is because our dear Bella had a run in with a hot stranger!" Alice was dancing around the shoe department with a sing song voice.
"Oooooo….Bella do tell!" Rose exclaimed. I think she was just as excited as Alice about my stranger.
"It was nothing, I literally ran into this really hot guy named Edward, talked for like two seconds before Alice showed up." I rolled my eyes for dramatic effect.
"And you two were just staring at each other like you have never seen a person of the opposite sex before," Alice was giggling and dancing around me.
"It really doesn't matter I will probably never see him again anyway," I said with a twinge of disappointment. Even though this guy was out of my league, he was fun to think about and wonder if I ever would see him again. Thinking about it I knew it was a no, Seattle was huge. There was no way I would see my beautiful stranger again. With a sigh I got off my chair to pick another pair of shoes to try on.
We were finally on our way out of the mall with all our bags a few hours later. We found our shoes and made a few more stops before we were finished. I ended up with a cute pair of black closed toe pumps with the smallest heel Alice would let me get away with. (I didn't want to die before I turned 21!) Alice got a really cute pair of tall black pumps and Rose got an adorable pair of white peek-toe pumps. For the most part it was an okay day of shopping and that is saying something coming from me.
When we go back to our loft apartment I crashed on the couch with my bags, all I wanted was a nap. Alice danced to her room to put her bags away while Rosalie hit play on our answering machine. (Technically Rose lived with Emmett but she had her tiny room here, just in case). The first on the machine was a client for Alice. She was a personal shopper and a famous one at that. All the major stores in the greater Seattle area knew who Alice was by her reputation. She was the best personal shopper a person could get. The next was Conner "Hey, Isabella its Conner. I had a wonderful time on our date last weekend, I thought we had a connection and I thought you were great; I liked the chemistry between us and was wondering if you wanted to do it again sometime. I am free this Saturday and I remember you said BEEP" I laughed when the machine cut him off. The next message was from him too. "Sorry your machine cut me off, what I was going to say is that I remember that you said it was your birthday and I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner. Talk to you soon, goodbye."
I rolled over and groaned. I heard Rose and Alice snickering in the kitchen. I got off the couch to make something to eat. I walked in the kitchen and they both stopped their snickering. Rose was the first to say anything, "Bella, when are you going to stop dating all these losers and find a guy that is actually worth your time?"
"What do you mean?" I asked getting stuff out of the fridge to make sauce for my pasta.
"Conner is a loser."
"And he is boring and you can get someone better," Alice added.
I just rolled my eyes and continued to make my food. Conner was a nice guy but there wasn't anything there for me. He was boring and he couldn't keep my attention when we were on our date. I would find myself staring off into space without him even realizing that I wasn't listening to him. I needed someone who is exciting and holds my interest. I guess Conner the accountant didn't have that for me. I chuckled to myself. I took my food and the book I was currently reading out onto the garden terrace to think and eat my meal in peace. It was a beautiful fall day, not too hot and not too chilly. I was sitting in my comfy lounge chair eating my pasta when my thoughts wandered to Him; Edward…my stranger with the beautiful green eyes.
