A/N: This is my first one shot that I've written back in april 2012. I've noticed a lot of errors so I decided to fix some of it but the story has not changed.
So thank you still to those who have helped me before, k8ln713 and J.S.O.P.. :)
ENJOY!
Seven Eleven
"Good morning Phil." I said with a cheery voice as I walked towards the homeless guy that was sitting in front of the 7-11 that was close to the hospital where I worked.
Phil and I met around three years ago when I just started at the hospital, he was always in front of the store begging for some money from the customers. I took pity on him and started giving him a sandwich and bottled water from the hospital canteen everyday because he didn't like food from 7-11, choosy homeless dude.
"I think the correct term is 'happy near morning', nurse Bella." He said with a smile and a quick gruff nod of the head. His face was scratchy from not shaving and his hair lay matted under a woolen cap.
I handed him the sandwich and water, "Then 'happy near morning' Phil."
"Thank you nurse Bella." He told me softly, a faint smile on his scruffy face, before he started eating. I sent him a smile of my own then proceeded to head inside the store.
I always go to 7-11 at the end of my shift, it sort of became a ritual for me because I don't like eating at the hospital canteen. The food there almost tastes like cardboard, and has a rubbery feel in your mouth making it hard to swallow with cheap water bought in bulk to help knock it back, but still leaving an earthy taste behind. They also use healthy ingredients like tofu and low calorie sugar. Blah!
As I walked up to the door, Emmett, the guard that looks like a linebacker, opened the door for me. He smiled brightly then said, "Morning Bella." Oh yeah, me and the employees here are on first name basis now since my best friend, Alice, also works here and I sometimes chat with the other employees if the place was empty or with few people. It's a good way to kill a few minutes, if you have them to kill or not.
"Hey Bella." A chorus of several shouts sounded from somewhere in the aisles of the store, I guess they were busy restocking supplies.
"Hi," I shouted back, its a good thing no one was inside the store. That would be quite embarrassing.
I walked ahead, a piece of stray plastic from the floor sticking then unsticking to my shoe as I moved on to the self service foods. I wasn't in need of much so I grabbed a hotdog and a slurpee, a common purchase of mine around here, and called Alice to ring up my food so I could start eating it. I'm starving, not having eaten since a few hours ago. Even then one oreo doesn't quite fill the void.
When that was done I went to sit down at my favorite spot, the one by the windows in front of the store. I love looking out through it while eating, I love watching the cars and people go by, it relaxes my mind. Helps me forget about everything and just spend a few minutes being someone else, someone who doesn't work the overnight shift at the hospital preferably.
I let out a deep sigh, this was my daily routine. Going to work, buying the sandwich and water at the canteen, seeing Phil, eating at 7-11, going home and getting some sleep, then the cycle starts again. Going over and over until I eventually burn out from exhaustion or just lack of change. It's so monotonous and boring. I keep wishing that something else would happen in my life, even my weekends are full of boring stuff, it's just me catching up on sleep and resting or watching movies with Alice and Rose.
I have no social life and a non-existent lovelife... its official, I'm a fucking Hermit!
I just sighed again and started eating, food still hot but not as hot as it may have been before the internal monologue took it's turn.
I guess Emmett noticed my distress because he asked me, "Rough night?"
"No, just tired and the patients are a big pain tonight. Guess that's what I get for choosing this career though." I answered him, he just nodded and went on reading his newspaper by the door. Maybe I should have warmed the idea of company for a second, a conversation or two could have done some good but then again, why bother?
I guess being a nurse does have its downsides, I'm always tired and busy, no wonder nothing special happens to me. I don't have the time or energy for special, and besides if I'm not home or at the hospital, I'm at 7-11 and nothing special happens at 7-11, it's just another overpriced store with food that a homeless guy doesn't have the taste for. No, there's nothing special about the place.
But fate has different ideas because a few days later, I was proven wrong…
…..
I was leaning against the counter, cool plastic I could feel through the rough material of the scrubs, (white ones today) at the nurse station when I heard a voice beside me.
"Bella, do you have the chart for Ms. Simmons?" I looked up from the chart of patients I was assigned to check on and saw that it was Dr. Cullen talking to me.
"Yes Dr. Cullen." I answered him while I went around the nurse's station to grab the chart he was asking for, "Here you go."
"Thanks Bella" He answered me and walked off. I went to do my rounds and tried to focus. Various patients that I've seen possibly a hundred times before offered greetings and friendly smiles. Some newer smiled and shied away but I was used to seeing the uncertainness of someone new.
Eight hours later, I was in the locker room with Rose and was putting the sandwich and water in my bag. I didn't even bother changing out of my white scrubs. You wear the same thing enough times then you get used to the uncomfortable feel and can just about ignore the awkwardness.
"Hey Rose, wanna go to 7-11 with me?" I asked Rose, who was busy putting her blonde hair back into a scruffy ponytail.
"You and your obsession with that place. It doesn't even appeal to me, they're overpriced and full of foods that are full of fats and carbs. Even Alice, who works there, hates the place." She answered snappily. "I guess that proves you haven't got a normal addiction."
"I'll take that as a no then, no need to be snappy at me." I answered her softly picking up my shoulder bag.
She sighed and said, "Sorry, I'm just in a very bad mood, I didn't mean to take it out on you."
"That's fine, let's go." I said as I put my bag on my shoulder.
We went outside the hospital and I waved at her goodbye since we're going on different directions. "See you at home!" I heard Rose shout from across the street..
When I was walking towards 7-11, I noticed a guy in a green shirt looking down at his phone. He was standing on Phil's usual place, that's odd. Where's Phil? Did he finally leave his spot to look for a new one? Was he okay? I kept asking myself these questions and before my thoughts take a turn into worst case scenarios, I heard a laugh. Ruff, scratchy and worn out kind of laugh.
Phil's laugh.
When I looked ahead, I saw Phil happily twirling in the lamp post right in front of 7-11. I let out a sigh of relief and approached him. "I think you're a little too old to be a pole dancer, phil." I told him when I was finally standing in front of him.
"I would make a mighty fine dancer, if I do say so myself, nurse Bella." He answered before he did sexy poses, like girls do on magazines, before twirling again. I just laughed at him, he looks ridiculous.
I took out the sandwich and water from my bag then handing it to him. He smiled widely then took them, "Ooh chicken, my favorite. Thank you, Bella."
He then stuffed the sandwich into his mouth and the bottled water on his pocket then he kept twirling. I just looked at him amusedly, when I heard a giggle from behind me.
When I looked at my back, I saw a white van parked there with the windows down and a teenage girl inside it, she had earphones in her ears but I doubt she was listening to it intently because she was watching Phil happily. I caught her eye then waved at her, she just smiled back shyly at me.
I headed inside 7-11 then, Emmett opening the door for me as usual but he was distracted by the newspaper he was reading. I just said a soft hello to him before heading towards the noodles. I also noticed that the counter was unoccupied, "Alice?" I called out.
"In here, Bella!" she shouted back and I saw two thin arms waving in the air at the back aisle. I didn't answer back and just proceeded to take what I wanted to eat, sometimes self service sucks.
When I was done I saw two people at the counter with Angela manning it, a thin guy holding 6 hotdogs and 4 donuts and a plump rounded lady holding two bottles of coke. I went behind them and waited for them to finish. When I was done and my food already paid for, I went to my usual spot by the window and waited for the noodles to be ready. I let out a tired sigh, gosh I was exhausted.
I noticed that from where I was sitting, Phil was twirling just right in front of me. I decided to watch him, but he abruptly stopped when he saw me and he looked at his side. I followed the direction of his stare and saw that he was looking at green-shirt guy.
And green-shirt guy was looking at me.
When I met his eye, he quickly turned away, he was blushing! You can totally see the red on his cheeks. How cute…
I stared at him and I instantly noticed his unusual hair, it was reddish brown and wild. He had a handsome face but I couldn't determine the color of his eyes. Dang. That was what I wanted to see. I looked back at my noodles and saw that they were still not ready, wasn't it 5 minutes yet?
I stared back out the window, the streetlamp was empty. I looked for Phil and I saw that he was talking to green-shirt guy, abd whatever he was saying to him was making green-shirt guy blush deeply.
It was so cute to see him blushing. He looked adorable.
I turned back to my noodles and saw it was done… finally! I was starving.
I hated the long noodles because once you eat them, it looks like you a have waterfall of noodles coming out of your mouth. As I tried to take them all in, a tap on my window caused me to look up.
It was Phil. And he was smiling widely.
Through the window he said to me, "That guy over there thinks you're very beautiful." Before he pointed at his right. His voice sounded muffled and far away from me through the thick glass but I could still understand. When I looked, he was pointing at green-shirt guy, who was looking at me shyly but with a small smile on his lips. We were staring at each other but Emmett's booming laugh made me look away.
"He said he thinks you're beautiful, Bella. Why don't you go for it?" he smiled at me.
Why don't I go for it? I was wishing for something spontaneous to happen to me anyway. And green-shirt guy looks nice and not creepy. Maybe I shouldn't just wish for something special to happen to me. Maybe I should be the one making the move for it, take a leap, take a chance…
I smiled at Emmett then stood up. I was taking my chance. Not gonna blow off this one this time.
I went out the door and head towards green-shirt guy, he looked a little panicked. I took a deep breath and gathered my courage. When I was standing in front of him, I raised my hand to shake his.
"Hi, I'm Bella."
He looked at my face, and I finally saw his eyes. They were, "green." Sorta like his shirt just more... deep.
He smiled and said, "No, my name is Edward. Edward Cullen." Then he took my hand. I accidentally squeezed harder because I felt a tingle on my hand, like I put my hand on fire.
"Sorry." I shook my head to clear it a little. "So a little pole dancing birdie told me that you think I'm beautiful. Is that true?" I asked him, I couldn't stop staring at his eyes though. They were so pretty.
"That little birdie is almost correct. I said that when I saw you from afar, but now that you're in front of me, I can honestly say that you are more than beautiful." He said to me and also squeezed my hand. It was just then that I noticed that we were still holding hands and he had twined our fingers together. Smooth fucker, that he is.
This time, I blushed. But I recovered quickly.
I smiled. "Wanna join me?"
"I would love to."
Then, hand in hand, we walked inside seven eleven with a beaming Emmett opening the door for us, a shocked Alice coming out of the aisle and saw our hands laced together and a victoriously laughing Phil outside.
I guess 7-11 is magical after all…
But still overpriced.