After a long day at Newton's—there were a lot more hikers and campers than you'd expect—Bella wanted nothing more than to go home to Charlie's house and draw a bath and relax, Wuthering Heights as her bath time book of choice, but lately she'd been getting instant messages from an anonymous person who claimed to know her better than she knew herself. Being the cynical person she'd grown to be after Edward's departure—though she really couldn't blame him, seeing as his stepmother Esme's mother had died, the family had needed to go back to Maine and help Esme's father readjust to life without his beloved wife—she'd wondered if that was really possible to let herself experience love again. Well, as close as you can get to love when you're only seventeen. Besides, Edward had been a good boyfriend, but she'd never really felt anything beyond strong affection. This person claimed that he could make her love again.

And she wasn't disappointed when she looked on her computer screen and saw a message in her inbox.

From: HowlAtTheMoon16

Hey Beautiful.

Hey, Mystery Man. Ugh, you would not believe what a day I've had.

Oh, run out of tents again, did you?

Ha ha, very funny. No, funny guy, Mike Newton made another pass at me again.

Really? So you're sure I'm not Mike Newton? I mean, damn, I loved that blouse you were wearing today.

It's an orange smock. Technically not a blouse.

Whatever you say, Bella.

I still find it odd that you know my name, but I don't know yours. Can't you tell me? I mean, you live in town, right? Obviously you do, seeing as you know my name and also because I don't have a Facebook account.

Well, I guess you can say I live close by. And believe you me; I've known you a long time. Longer than I knew that there really wasn't a man on the moon.

So a long time, huh?

Oh, yes, and I've been watching you for a long time. Not in a stalker-way, of course, but I've just been close by, is all I'm saying.

Close by? Well, I haven't really been in Forks for a long time. Only a few months.

I know that. I just told you that I've been close by. And I even know that I wouldn't be your first boyfriend. Oh, shoot, I didn't mean to bring him up. Sorry. Sometimes I don't know when to close my big mouth.

No, no, it's okay. I'm over him. I mean, it's not like I'm some crazy girl who goes all zombie-fied for months at a time, right?

Yeah, that'd be weird if you were.

So it's a good thing I'm not.

Yes, that is a very good thing. I'm a good mechanic, but not that good.

OH, so you're a mechanic are you?

*insert cursing here* I didn't mean to let that slip out. It was an accident.

Well…I know quite a few mechanics. Mostly the Quileute boys down at La Push. Do you live there, mystery man?

If I did, I wouldn't tell you. I want you to see me for the first time somewhere nice.

But if I've seen you before, why would it be the first time?

What I mean is I want to see you for the first time as this girl who actually talks to me and likes me as my own man, not just the person she knows. I guess I'm just afraid that you'll reject me because of who I really am.

Oh, I wouldn't reject me.

I kind of think you would, no offense. I don't measure up to that guy. He's so much richer than I am, he could've provided you with a good life.

Whoa, since when was I going to stay with him forever? I date guys because I'm interested in them at the time. No way would I invest my whole life in a guy or be all or nothing right away. I'm not that dependent. What I look for is a guy who I can trust and love, and after a while, I start to picture my future with that guy in it. Edward left before I could do that, but looking back on it now, I can't see him there.

Oh…well, I don't know.

Besides, I'm not in a relationship for the money. It's the man's heart that makes it worth it.

What are you, Calcifer?

What? Who's that? Oh, never mind.

He's a magical fire demon. I do have a big heart; that I'm not ashamed to admit. I would do anything for the girl I loved, and maybe someday, you could be that girl.

Really? But I don't even know the real you.

Ouch, that hurts. You do know me, and if you stopped to think about it, maybe you could realize who I really am.

I do feel like I know you, but then again, I could be wrong. All I know about you is: you live in or around Forks, and you're a mechanic. There are probably a dozen guys like that.

Hmm, you really are oblivious.

Hey! That's not nice!

Sorry, sorry, but I think I'm going to have to do this the hard way. Meet me at Olive Garden on the Seventh of February at 7:30 pm. I'll be waiting at the corner table.

Whoa, this is specific.

I kind of made a reservation just in case you agreed. Otherwise I would've just given it to a friend and his fiancée.

Who said I was agreeing to anything?

Um, well, I'm hoping that you do agree. Will you, Bella?

Yeah, of course I will. I'm excited to see you for the first time as the real you.

Me, too, Bella. See you soon.

HowlAtTheMoon16 signed off.

Bella sat back in her chair and sighed; it was amazing at how fast she'd fallen for this mysterious person who'd first started messaging her after Edward's family had left. His messages were kind, simple and full of life, something that Edward really hadn't done for her. Sure, he was a gentleman in all senses of the word, but he'd kept her at arm's length, never giving too much of himself to her, despite Bella's every attempts to weasel some love out of him.

Now, though, she found herself looking at all of the eligible young men around her, and wondering if one of them were her mystery man. There was Quil Ateara, a sweet and kind boy whose heart was given so fully and openly to everyone he met; Jared Cameron, who seemed to be a little distant from everyone, not quite letting himself be open; Embry Call, a funny and mischievous boy who seemed to not take seriously life's problems, often teasing those around him; Paul Lahote, an angry, yet loyal man-boy who fought to protect what he thought needed to be protected, and Jacob Black, a boy not much younger than her with a heart of gold and a grin as warm as the sun. It could also be Eric from her first day, but Bella highly doubted it. Eric wasn't as eloquent a speaker as her mystery man was, though M.M. often slipped into the teenager lingo spoken nowadays.

DEFINITELY not Mike Newton. Silly perverted boy.

Now, though, she had an opportunity to meet the man who'd captured her heart so swiftly and tenderly. And as much as it scared her to attempt to give her heart away again, she knew that to have a happy and fulfilling life that some risks were worth it.

XXXXX

"Bella, that dress looks amazing on you, especially with that eyeshadow," Angela Weber, one of Bella's closest friends, said as she stood back and nodded her approval of Bella's outfit. She'd chosen a burnt orange dress that hung to her knees and was made of a light, fluttering material that had bell-cap sleeves and a modest neckline. Her hair was swept back in a loose bun, with tendrils of hair hanging around her face. Angela had applied a smoky eyeshadow, and it made Bella look almost unreal, like a model. "Whoever he is, he's a lucky guy."

"Thanks, but I'm not sure he'll like it."

Angela scoffed as if the very idea was a lie. "If he doesn't, then he's crazy. I'd give you my boyfriend, but then I'd be a very sad, lonely girl. Well…I'd survive, anyway."

"Thanks, but I'm not really interested in Ben, anyway."

"Good, otherwise I'd have to kill you."

"Noted. Anyway, he seems like he really does know me, but what if I don't care about him the way he does about me?" That was one thing that terrified Bella the most: the feeling of letting down her mystery man simply because she didn't like him the way he liked her.

"Oh, Bella, that's what every girl thinks when she goes on a blind date. Personally, I've never experienced it, but from the way you talk about this guy, it's pretty obvious you like him."

"But what if—when I realize who he really is—I figure out that I don't like him because of who he is?"

Angela sighed as she put away her make-up kit; she'd come over to Charlie's in order to give Bella a complete make-over. She knew that Bella was weary of men, not because of Edward, but from the lingering perception that her father hadn't wanted her. A complete lie, of course, but one told by a woman who didn't want her daughter to go looking for her father. It hadn't worked, but the feeling that all men wouldn't want her still festered in Bella Swan.

"Bella, you have to take risks in order to find happiness."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just worry a lot."

"I'll say you do," Angela laughed. "I've never seen a person more prone to worrying than you."

"Oh, very funny."

XXXX

This was it, the moment she—and M.M.—had been waiting for the past two days, and now it was finally here. Bella toyed with the notion that she really didn't have to go inside and meet M.M. face-to-face for the first time. But no, that was a coward's way out, and if there was anything Bella Swan wasn't, it was a coward. No, she had to go inside and face her future head-on. As she made her way into the small lobby, the greeter came up to her with a smile on his face.

"Are you Isabella Swan?"

"Yes…"

"I was told by someone that when you came in, that I escort you to the table. He left a picture so I'd know. And he was right, you are very beautiful."

Bella blushed at the compliment, but followed the greeter gratefully; she was absolutely petrified about wandering the restaurant without the slightest clue as to where to go. When they reached the corner farthest from the lobby, the greeter stopped and swept his arm out toward the table lodged in between the two walls.

Her heart stopped, and her jaw dropped open.

There, sitting in a plain white button-up shirt with ebony black jacket and slacks; heart-stopping grin spreading over his features was Jacob Black. He looked gorgeous, and definitely not the gangly teenager she remembered. He'd filled out the shirt and slacks well, and Bella wondered briefly if his muscles looked as well-defined out of the shirt as they did inside. The love and adoration in his eyes made her heart skip a beat.

"Jacob? Jacob Black? You're the guy I've been talking to?"

His grin faltered for a moment, unsure if her reaction was a good one or not. "Uh, yeah, Bells, it's really me."

"Wow, I wasn't expecting you." Truthfully, she hadn't. Mostly because she thought he'd been interested in another girl.

She hadn't meant it in a harsh way, but to him, it was like she'd tore out his heart and stomped on it; Bella sat down across from the now sobered Jacob, who was staring glumly at his plate. They had the same dish—Chicken Parmesan with stuffed shells—and he was only picking at his.

"I knew you liked this, so I ordered it for you. I hope you don't mind."

"Jake, what's wrong?" She couldn't understand the sudden change of attitude.

"I knew it; I just knew that you wouldn't act the same when you saw it was me. God, I should've expected it. Poor, not-even-legal, rez boy Jacob Black doesn't measure up to perfect, rich, pretty-boy Edward Cullen."

Something inside of Bella Swan snapped; she threw her fork onto her plate and stood, ignoring the stares of other patrons. "Damn it, Jake, I thought I told you that money doesn't mean anything to me! It's the heart that matters! I told you that. Why won't you believe me? Sure, I wasn't expecting you to be the one sitting here, but so what? I thought you liked another girl—Ness, or something like that—but obviously you like me, and you know what? I like you, too, so shut up about Edward Freaking Cullen and kiss me already!"

Jacob's jaw was wide-open, but he didn't hesitate to rise to his feet and draw Bella close to him; their lips met in a frenzy of heat and want, her hands sliding under his jacket to feel his muscles under the shirt, and his hands caressed her face. Bella didn't want to stop the kiss, but the patrons had started to applause, and being the center of attention was more than she could take. He drew back, but kept his face close to hers.

"So, you like what you see behind the curtain?"

"Oh, yes, Jacob, I most certainly do."