Author: August Shaffer

Rating: M

Nobody

Chapter One

The smell of fresh brew coffee with a hint of vanilla found its way into Bella's nostrils as she forced her sleepy eyes to fully open. Sitting up in bed, she let out a long yawn, her arms stretched over her head. Twisting her neck from side to side she took in a deep breath and stared into the darkness of her bedroom. Every morning was the same. She would get up, make a quick breakfast, jump into the shower and put on workplace attire, making sure she appeared professional but without any luster as not to stand out in the crowd.

Once she steps into the office, which of course she would be the first to arrive, she would start her day with another cup of coffee and start the process of going through emails and paperwork that was delivered the night before. Her next step would be to look over the day's calendar, wanting to make sure she was prepared for any meetings or other daily tasks. The final step in her routine would be to go to her boss's office and make sure everything he would need was neatly put in place. It was after the third step that the elevator would begin it's morning ringing, letting her know that the other employees were arriving to start their day along with hers.

From eight in the morning till five she would be in constant busy mode. Trying to keep her wits together and intensely keen to everything going on around her regardless if it followed under her job responsibilities or not. She liked to be prepared for anything and everything. She didn't care for surprises. It was in her experience that surprises or unexpected changes often brought difficulty in her life. She knew that if most people got a glimpse into her life they would call it pretty boring and maybe even dreadfully dull but she prefers it this way. Once upon a time, she tried living life from moment to moment and although she did gain some good memories from that childish time in her life, she also kept some painful life lessons.

"Morning Bella." A squeaky voice that belonged to the new intern interrupted her melancholy thoughts.

Bella took a sip of her coffee and glanced over the brim of her cup and gave the twenty-year-old brunette a polite nod of her head.

"Don't forget that Mr. Cullen will be in this morning and under no circumstance what's so ever transfer any calls to his office unless I tell you otherwise." Bella directed.

"Oh. Okay. Sure."

Bella noted the fear in the young girl's eyes when she mentions the company's CEO would be in his office. Most of the employees in the office grew tense at the mention of his name. It wasn't like Mr. Cullen was some hot-headed tyrant. In fact, he was just the opposite. He rarely spoke and yet when he did it was laced with a cold, heartless tone. Mr. Cullen came off extremely scary because he wasn't often in the office but when he was it meant that something directly needed his attention and he expected to get it fixed immediately and at any cost. He didn't like to remain in the office longer than necessary.

In the two years since Bella took the position at the company, she could count on both hands the times she saw and spoke directly with Mr. Cullen. It was her job to make sure the office ran smoothly without his presence occupying the building. He preferred telephone calls and on rare occasions, skype calls. Bella found it extremely offsetting at the beginning but as time went by, she grew accustomed to it and if she was honest with herself relieved. Just like her peers, she found the man intimidating as hell. She couldn't put her finger on it but he gave off a strange vibe. It was hard to explain. She really had no proof to back up her unexplained fears other than just gut instinct that scream out to keep as much distance between them as humanly possible.

She loved her work. It was all she had. She made a lucrative paycheck that helped her keep a decent lifestyle. She wasn't rolling in the dough but she was able to pay off her college debt and still live in a decent neighborhood in Seattle, Washington. She had considered moving to Florida after college to be close to her mother and stepfather but the thought of being so far away from Charlie kept her from that adventure. She knew her mother was happy and well-taken care but her father, well, until recently he was a bachelor who didn't take care of himself the way he needed to.

Six months ago, however all of that change. Charlie came for his monthly visit and he brought a friend, something he had never done in the six years that she had left Forks, Washington behind her. Now what made this even more unique was that the friend was a female. A very beautiful middle age female who Bella just happened to know by name. Sue Clearwater. She was the widow of Charlie's hunting buddy, Harry Clearwater. Harry passed away seven years ago from a sudden heart attack. It was a sad time for Charlie. He didn't have many friends. Being the town's Sheriff he didn't have much time to socialize. If he wasn't working then he spent his times enjoying a game or hunting. Bella totally connected with him. Unlike her mother, who was a born natural social butterfly. Her mother was in constant "move" mode. She thrived on changes and an active lifestyle. While Bella and her father shared their common characteristic of being okay with the quiet life.

Bella made her way to her quaint office next to the massive one that Mr. Cullen occupied a handful of times a year. The office was filled with warm colors, burgundy, and teal. She had minimum decorations. She, however, did keep a potted plant next to the window, it had been a gift from Charlie for her birthday last year. He knew she didn't care much for roses so he sent her something she could enjoy all year long. It was also an inside joke between them. When Bella first arrived in Forks she brought a cactus from her childhood home in Arizona. Charlie thought it odd that a teenage girl would prefer cactus over flowers. She explained it was one of the few kinds she could manage to keep alive. She would get enthralled in her books and cooking that she would often forget the simple task of watering a plant.

Bella sat down at her desk, glancing at her computer screen when Liza, the intern, and temporary secretary buzz her phone. Bella sighed. She knew today was going to be one of those rare difficult days.

"Hello." Bella picks up the phone, placing it up against her ear.

"Bel...I mean Ms. Swan there is a gentleman here to speak to you." Liz stated, her voice shook nervously. Bella couldn't tell if the young woman was curious by the uninvited man or scared by him.

Bella looks over at her calendar and saw no reason for a visitor today. In fact, she often tried to not have anything on her calendar on the days that Mr. Cullen came to work.

"What is his name?" Bella asks with a frustrated tone.

"He said ...well..he…" Liz couldn't seem to muster more than two words together.

"What Liz? Who is he? Look, if he won't give a name then have him leave a business card and I will get back with him when I have the time." Bella growled.

Normally she wasn't so rude but today was not a normal day. Today, she was going to have to sit with Mr. Cullen and answer any questions he might have pertaining to their clientele and expenses since his last visit six months ago. She knew she was doing a great job but she still always feared he might not like something she did and could easily replace her with someone with more experience.

"Yes, ma'am." Liz gulped before hanging up the line.

Bella shook her head and let out a loud sigh.

"Keep it together Bella." She told herself out loud.

Picking up her notebook and pen she tried to mentally prepare for the meeting that should start within the hour.

A knock on the door startled her. Mr. Cullen never came to her office.

Standing up, she forced her legs to walk to the door and very gently open it up while putting on her best fake smile. However, once the door was completely opened the man she looks at wasn't the face of her employer Mr. Cullen. No, in fact, it was the face of the last man she ever expected to see, if ever.

Jacob Black.

Why the hell was he here? No more importantly why was he here today? This was a bad sign. A terribly bad fucking sign.

"Bella." Jacob's voice was thick, raw and almost hoarse as he stood before her wearing a jet black leather jacket. She could see a hint of a black t-shirt underneath it. He wore a pair of dark slacks as well with dark boots. There was so much black that she feared he might have come straight from a funeral.

Bella remained quiet. She was honest to god speechless. The last time the two of them had spoken to one another he had made it abundantly clear he wouldn't be seeking her out in the future and that the two of them could never be just friends again. At first, that's what they shared a friendship. A very close and mutual friendship. Months went by and they found that there was a spark of possible attraction between them and with caution they allowed themselves to explore the relationship a little deeper. Both agreed they would never want to do anything to cause them to become enemies. Their fathers were, after all, very close friends.

Things started out well, they shared a lot of firsts together. First kiss, first love and eventually first lover. Bella felt as if she couldn't breathe if he wasn't near her. They became so close that they could finish each other's sentences. Although they weren't perfect, as no couple ever is, they were pretty damn close. They had their differences but that only made things more exciting. Bella was two years older however, so she graduated first and went off to college, with Jacob insisting she go. They made the time to see one another on breaks and on special occasions Jacob would even drive up and spend the weekend with her. She loved him, unconditionally and she never felt more alive and safer than she did with him by her side. They would joke he was her "ying" to her "yang". She totally saw them getting married and having children one day, an old fashioned notion that she used to make fun of. She swore to her mother that she would never become some man's old lady or have a pack of heathens to raise. No, she was going to travel somewhere and write books and live life on her own terms with perhaps a few love affairs along the way but never anything so permanent as marriage. Of course, she didn't know Jacob when she made that vow.

Then Jacob came along, and life was never the same again. As quick and hard as she fell in love with him, she found herself one day standing in the rain as Jacob explained to her that he needed to do something, no he was something that she could never love again and that their paths were no longer the same. Her heart shattered in a million pieces. She had been utterly confused and scared because he looked like her Jacob but he didn't sound like the love of her life. Yet, he didn't stop there, no he continues his speech about how she should go on with her life and be happy and do all the things they once plan to do together but just not with him. Bella begged him to make sense of his madness but he continued to keep them at arms distance and told her at the end that he was leaving town and that if she was smart she wouldn't come looking for him because he couldn't be what she needed and deserved.

She ran after him when he jumps on the back of his motorcycle and raced away into the stormy night. She must have run three blocks before collapsing. She laid on the cold sidewalk, curled up in a fetal position while the rain pounded unmercifully on her cold skin. She wasn't sure how long she remained like that but eventually, she got up and forced her legs to move and found her way back to her dorm room where she laid in her bed for a straight week without moving. Her roommate, Kelly called her father and he came to her aid. He was scared half to death when he saw how bad she look. He took her to a hospital and once they did all they could he brought her home where she stayed on the couch for another week before Charlie brought a local shrink to their house. He warns her she was not going to give up school, not when she was only months away from graduating and he wasn't going to sit back and watch her kill herself over some boy who got a wild hair up his ass and decided he wanted to explore the world without her. Jacob's abandonment of her created a huge rift in Charlie's and Billy Black's friendship.

Four years. That's how long it had been since she saw him last. Four years and three months, if she were counting. Why was he here now and even more importantly why was he at her workplace? If he was wanting to make amends after all these years it would seem more appropriate for him to meet her somewhere more private.

"No." Bella heard the word roll off of her tongue just as her hand shoved the door into his face.

Her reaction to seeing him after all this time surprised her. She used to daydream of bumping into him and asking him all the questions that she carried around since that tragic night but instead seeing him here and on today of all days, she found herself experiencing rage instead of hope and joy.

How dare him just show up at my workplace! He has no right to invade my life. Not here, not anywhere. He left. Not me. No….I can't handle this drama when I'm only minutes away from my meeting. Why did he come today? Yesterday or tomorrow would have made life less difficult not that it would have hurt any less but at least I didn't have to worry about Mr. Cullen coming in and questioning why I was visiting with personal friends on his business hours.

Bella pressed her back up against the door, hoping he would just go away. She knew he was capable of leaving. She just prayed he left today and stayed gone. After several minutes passed and she heard nothing on the other side of the door, she exhaled and allowed her body to relax. Tears instantly filled her eyes as her heart pounded loudly in her chest. Looking down at her hands she watched as they shook with fear and anger. She took several deep long breaths, trying to regain her strength and posture before Mr. Cullen requested her in his office.

Her phone rang at her desk. She hoped like hell Liz was informing her that Mr. Cullen was ready to see her. If she dared mention Jacob's name or informed her he was still waiting outside her office she might lose control and let out one loud ass scream.

Swallowing the lump in her throat she put the phone up to her ear.

"Hello." Her voice was low but cold.

"Mr. Cullen just arrived. He said to see him in ten minutes." Liz stated.

Bella held her breath waiting for Liz to say something more pertaining to the matter of Jacob. When she didn't Bella finally felt the butterflies disappear in the pit of her stomach.

"Okay. Thanks, Liz." Bella hung up the phone and put her fingers on the sides of her temple. She pressed hard into the flesh, hoping to prevent herself from throwing up.

Grabbing her notebook and pen once again she prepared herself for the meeting and pushed all thoughts and feelings for Jacob to the back of her mind. Once the business day came to an end, she could call up her best friend, Alice for a quick drink and then she could divulge her dirty secret about her past relationship with Jacob. Although she only knew the young woman for a year now, she found her very open and full of life experiences that Bella could only dream of having. If anyone, could explain why Jacob showed up today of all days, it would be Alice. She was not only smart but she was also almost intuitive. Yes, that was what she would do. She would put all these crazy thoughts and emotions away until later.

Opening the door to her office she held her head high and march across the hall to where Mr. Cullen awaited her arrival. Knocking on the door she waited patiently for his invitation to enter. Once she did, she put on her fake smile as she had earlier and step into the cold office and prayed today would not get worse. She really needed one thing she could count on to stay the same and working at Cullen Industries was not only good for her finances but for her mental health as well.

She smiled at her boss as she made her way across the room until she saw a dark shadow step out from behind the door. Jacob. It was Jacob. Why in the hell was Jacob in Mr. Cullen's office and more importantly why was the damn room spinning out of control?

"I...I…" Bella look between the two men and it dawn on her that they seem to be comfortable with one another. Why wasn't Mr. Cullen yelling at Jacob to leave? Did he know Jacob? Was this some sort of sick joke?

Bella gasped. She was going to faint. And that's exactly what she did. Fainted.

Authors Note: Okay, so I've really missed writing fanfiction. Since I can't seem to get in the groove of finishing the few unfinished stories I've posted. I have hope that maybe starting this new story will inspire me to continue them. So if you want more let me know. Sorry for the long lapse in time. Been busy with life.