Chapter One: One day til Valentine's Day

Disclaimer: I do not, and will not own Twilight.

A/N: Yes, another story. This story will only be short. I estimate around fifteen chapters? But that is subject to change (: I got inspiration for this idea from the movie 'I hate Valentine's Day'. Have fun reading. Oh future ANs will be posted after each chapter from now on.

ANOTHER DISCLAIMER: I do not own the aforementioned movie but this story will be based STRONGLY around its plot. I mean no harm by Twilightising it. I am not receiving any monetary benefits from writing this. This story is just for funzies.

BPOV

Nothing could possibly get me down today. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day; one of the many reasons why I decided to own my own flower shop 'Roses for Romance". I adore romance.

Romance ignites a relationship, but I believe romance can die, thus... the spark of a relationship dies out. It's how I was brought up. Courtship is my business – but falling in love is against my rules.

Five dates. That's all that it takes before the romance flees. Which is why I follow a strict format. No more than five dates with the one guy. I want to be moving on before the romance is gone.

That's my theory anyway.

I noticed the time and decided that it would be best to leave to open up my shop. I would be getting in a rush of customers hurriedly buying Valentine's gifts for their chosen one.

Grabbing my keys, I locked up the front door to my apartment, opting to walk to work. Walking down the street I passed a few of my regulars and people I pass by nearly every day.

The first was Henry, the sweet old guy who owns the best bakery in this town. His citrus tarts and strawberry finger buns are to die for.

"Hey, I like your short skirt," Henry told me as I high-heeled past him and his load of freshly baked buns.

I laughed and replied "I like your buns." This was our game.

Next was Phil, owner of a small, quant cafe. As I strutted past him, he called out to me.

"Ooh, Bella! I'm on date four and I'm out of ideas." I had once told Phil (who was fifteen years older than me) about my five-date rule. He decided to do something similar.

I called back over my shoulder, "Water taxi tour of the bridges."

"Thank you!" I hear him yell.

I continued to walk down the next few streets, politely saying hello to a few people that I knew until I reached "Roses for Romance Flower Shop."

Turning the key, I opened the front door and came back out again a few seconds later with my blackboard stand that I used as a countdown to Valentine's Day. Rubbing out the '2' with my palm, I replaced it with a '1'. One day 'til Valentine's Day.

I straightened my back as a man who looked to be a couple years older than me walked past, stopping to look down at my blackboard.

"You know what? Valentine's Day is just a dumb, made-up holiday." I gave him a surprised look and smiled, "I love Valentine's Day."

He, in return, gave me dirty look and replied, "Yeah? Well, I don't know one guy who does." With that he looked at me once more as he stalked off. He then proceeded to yell "It sucks!"

I watched him storm away, noticing as he passed two of my best friends, and assistants; Tyler and Eric. Both of whom are gay.

"Hi Eric and Tyler," I said cheerfully to them as we walked into the shop.

"How are we doing?" I ask them as we file in the door. Eric replies with an oops as he bumps into me while I turn on the light.

"Good morning," I sigh. Tyler rushes by me, "not with these eyebrows." He says.

"Let's see," I said. Tyler was forever worrying about his eyebrows. They are never perfect for him. Though, today he had a point. "Oh, they've gone G.I Joe."

"Help me," he pleaded. I looked around me and noticed one of those spraying water bottles. I took it and sprayed his eyebrows, then used my thumbs to shape the eyebrows straight.

Eric hummed his approval, 'Very Madonna."

Tyler looked at Eric, "Swear?"

I laughed, "Her 80s phase. The second time, in 2007." With that settled, I took off my blue scarf and my coat as Eric did the same. Tyler followed us while lightly touching his eyebrows.

We walked into the back store room. Tyler was still hung up on his eyebrows, "Yes, well, Madonna post-tour, for sure."

Such a perfectionist. "Oh, yeah. Long tour. Eyebrows grow back," I replied as I dumped my purse on the table.

"Hey, my eyebrows grow back thicker," Tyler complained. At least, combining him with Eric and I, the shop is always perfect, every flower arrangement in place.

There was a knock on the back door and then it opened. In popped Billy holding a box full of flowers.

"Good morning. How are my ladies?" he asked.

"Billy! Billy, Bill-Bill delivers," Eric called out excitedly, rushing over to Billy. "Hi. Ooh, well Billy, that shirt looks a lot less wrinkled than normal. Is it... oh, I dare say, ironed?" Eric picks up on every little detail about clothing. Eric gasps and then continues talking again, "You're trying to impress someone?"

Billy Black is our supplier and has been since I opened up the store two years ago. All four of us get along great.

Billy smirked, "Yeah, you. Come one, give me a dirty kiss. Let's see if you can turn me."

Did I mention he has a sarcastic sense of humour for a forty odd year old man?

All three of us look at him. Eric's face grows serious and then he said, "I can't" with a huge smile on his face. Eric and Tyler both laugh as they took the delivery and take it out into the shop.

Billy comes up to me, "What would you do without them? I looked at him, "Oops and uh-oh?"

Those were my nicknames for Eric and Tyler. They were forever crashing into each other. As if on cue I could hear a small bump and then Eric, "oops" and Tyler, "uh-oh."

I smiled as I filled out the delivery form, "lose my mind. How's it going for you?"

Billy sighed, "Oh, Lexie and Dominique have that flu. Now that Sarah's getting it and she's crabby."

"Cause she's sick?"

"No, cause she's Sarah. I've got to do something for Valentine's Day. I'm freakin' out."

"I'll wrap up a dozen roses with some chocolate hearts," I suggested.

"Is that enough?" Billy asked.

'Yeah. All women want to know is that you put some thought into it."

Eric and Tyler walk back in and Eric butts into the conversation, "How many men will wake up in a cold sweat tomorrow. They wait till the last moment and they're on their way home, everything's closed and they're panicking in a 7-Eleven, saying 'Do you have any chocolates in a heart-shaped box?'"

"Yeah. My wife's going to love my gut cause I'm more romantic?" Billy asked sarcastically.

"Yes!" Eric and Tyler reply in unison.

"Are my eyebrows holding up?" Tyler piped in.

"Uh-huh," I replied. "Hey, will you do mine? I have date number one tomorrow with a cute new guy." Date one was always about first impressions.

I always tell Eric and Tyler about my dates, and they always listen and offer their unique opinions. Both of them replied again in unison to me, "Ooh, new guy?"

I avoided their question by telling Billy that I would go get him those roses. And with that I bounced into the shop.

Though I could still hear everything that was being said about me in the other room.

"What happened to that other guy?" Billy asked Eric and Tyler.

"Five dates," Tyler said.

"So it's over." Eric finished.

"She ends it before the guy can. The safety's set on her heart," Tyler explained to Billy.

I busied myself by wrapping up the bundle of roses in pink and white paper. Finishing with that I walked back into the store room, interrupting Eric and Tyler, "Hi! Guess what. I can hear you."

I needed to make my point across to Billy, handing him the flowers so I could use my hands for gestures I stated, "It is not wrong that I want every day to be Valentine's Day."

With that Billy bid us goodbye and we told him good luck for tomorrow with Sarah.

"Have a nice day," I said to my customers as they walked out of the shop door. It was time to organise the fridge of flowers.

"Just move hat over there. Put this over here. It's going to be crazy in here tomorrow. I ordered to Eric and Tyler. Valentine's Day was always our busiest so it was best to organise the flowers before the end of today in time for the rush early tomorrow morning.

The three of us heard the chime of the door, signally a customer. We turned and noticed a man had walked into the shop. We watched him as he explored the flowers nearest the door first, and turned out heads away from him as he accidently knocked over two flowers, saving him from embarrassment as he picked them up again.

This man had bronze, untamed hair, wearing casual clothes and had a jaw that I wanted to lick.

We turned back to see that he was still having trouble with the flowers. Eric and Tyler inch forward to go and help him but I held them back, "Uh-uh. I call shotgun... Hi."

The gorgeous man looked at me and walked towards the counter. "I'm Bella. May I help you?"

"Hi," he replied. His voice was like the audio version of what honey and velvet would sound like, combined together.

Tyler came up behind me, "I saw you at that old pizza place."

Eric came up behind me on my left side, "What? You're not thinking of buying it, are you? It's been a ribs place and a chicken place and everybody goes bankrupt."

"That place is cursed," Tyler said. I smiled one of those 'please ignore these two behind me' smiles.

The man opened his mouth, "I just bought it." Oooh... awkward.

"Congratulations!" I blurt out, followed by Eric, "Oh that's amazing. Awesome."

The man smiled, 'Yeah, I'm reopening it as a tapas bar."

Tyler looked interested, "Oh what's it called?"

"Get on Tapas".

The three of us looked confused and he must have noticed that as he tried to explain the name, "Get on Tapas. Get... get it? It's a tapas bar."

"Are you Spanish?" Tyler asked.

"No."

"Why are you opening a tapas place?" Eric asked. Oh my god, you cannot take these two anywhere, the nosy pair.

"Well, I saw this graph of recent graduates from my law school and statistically, I was right where it said I should be. Felt a little cookie-cuttered. Had a one-third life crisis, quit the firm."

"That's nuts!" Tyler exclaimed.

"Anyway, I'm here to get some flowers for my girlfriend."

"Your girlfriend. Excellent. Very romantic," I said as I laughed. I tried to act polite but god knows I hate relationships.

He smiled a fabulous smile, "Good, good. Because I'll be honest. I'm kinda on shaky ground with this one. I grew up in Atlanta, and down there, if a date turned into the morning after, that's your girlfriend now. But I don't know if this is my girlfriend or if it's just someone I'm dating."

I smiled politely, "How long has it been?"

"Two months," he replied. Eric piped up again from the background as he and Tyler were arranging flowers, "Sounds like a girlfriend to me."

"Okay, I'll take these," he said pointing to some pink flowers near the counter.

"These," I said pointing to them, "are for friendship. Now for Valentine's Day," I proceeded to open the fridge door behind me, "are for girlfriends. So do you know if she's home right now?"

"Uh, no. Tanya is a flight attendant and out of town. She travels a lot."

I began to wrap up his flowers and typing up the bundle, "You know what would be romantic? You get the landlord to let you in and then you leave these beside her bedside."

The man looked at me as if he were studying me, "That's a great idea. Thank you."

"No problem."

"Edward. That's my name," the man, Edward, said as he took the flowers from me after he handed me the money.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said as he walked towards the door.

I smiled brightly. I loved when people got into the holiday spirit, "happy Valentine's Day," I returned.

I noticed Eric and Tyler behind me again. Those two!

"Why did you do say that Bella?" Tyler asked.

"What?" I replied. What did I do?

"That poor guy." Tyler said pointing towards the door where he exited not thirty seconds ago.

"that old line. She's not travelling," Eric said gravely, "She's got three boyfriends."

"Ooh, guys like that never see it coming. Oh boy. He's the type of guy who doesn't know he's good-looking and goes and gives a woman his heart to get stomped on over and over... and over again." Tyler said.

This is why I do not enter into relationships. Romance leaves, and then to make up for that, more men or women get involved.

Five dates is enough.