A/N: Hope you enjoy this story!

Summary: Edward has never noticed Bella, not during the four years in high school. By some chance of fate, they are reunited after college. Will Edward notice Bella now, or will she remain invisible to him? What happens when other obstacles present themselves?

Chapter 1: A Fresh Start

EPOV

It was ridiculous. I had never liked Tanya in that way, I only ever saw her as a friend. I couldn't fathom the thought of dating Tanya, because I knew I would be settling and that just wasn't fair. I had constantly used the excuse that I just wanted friendship, not a relationship, and I knew that excuse wouldn't hold out for much longer. My mother, was supportive of the possibility of Tanya and I finally getting together, but I think it was more out of concern that I would never find the one. Alice was concerned, but had always assured me that Tanya wasn't the right girl for me, but somehow my mother still disagreed. My mother Esme had now resorted to calling every other week to ask if I was going to be visiting Tanya, who after graduation had moved to my hometown, Forks. I wasn't egotistical, but I had always wondered if Tanya had moved there in an attempt to get closer to me. After all, Forks really was in the middle of nowhere.

Tanya was certainly attractive. She didn't annoy me as much as those girls that would throw themselves at me during high school. I remember how annoying it had been trying to dodge Jessica and Lauren's attempts to flirt. It made high school a living hell. Carlisle had made sure all of us had top notch educations, so our studying was way more advanced than the courses offered in school, so I didn't really have homework as a distraction. Instead I would bury myself in my music, composing pieces on the piano to bide my time.

Luckily, I didn't have to deal much with Tanya, except during our vacations when we would visit her family in Denali. I would shy away from any suggestions that Tanya and I become more of a permanent item, but it became harder after we ended up attending the same college. She had remained a true friend throughout college and still had her relationships and flings, but I knew she always hoped for more with me. God, just thinking about this mess was giving me a bad headache.

It wasn't that I didn't want to be in tied down or anything. After all, it was never easy being the fifth wheel. Alice, my little sister, had found her love in the form of Jasper Whitlock. Jasper was my college roommate, and he and Alice hit it off the first time they looked into each other's eyes. Rosalie Hale, who had be one of mother's failed attempts at setting me up, ended up catching the eye of my cousin, Emmet McCarthy. Their relationship had been very physical from the start, but you could see the love between them despite the constant bickering. Sometimes I would feel the loneliness when I watched the two happy couples and saw the adoration in their eyes for their significant others.

Still, the thought of hooking up with Tanya was never pleasing. I knew that Rosalie disapproved of Tanya, and that she gained some satisfaction in the fact that I was not only disinterested in Rosalie herself, but in the general female population. Despite loving Rosalie for the happiness she brought Emmett, I knew that my lack of any romantic relationships served the purpose of keeping Rosalie's vain self-image intact by the fact that I wasn't technically picking another girl over her.

Now, finally a college graduate, I had moved to settle permanently in New York and had scored a job working at an established newspaper company. I never really discussed my plans with my family, so it was a bit of a shock to my mother. Alice and Emmett didn't mind so much, as Alice had decided to pursue her fashion aspirations in the Big Apple, and Emmett was more than willing for follow Rosalie to New York as she pursued her modeling dreams. Jasper had also applied to Grad school in New York, so that he could be near Alice, so the five of us would still be able to stay close together. I think that's the only reason Esme allowed me to move to New York. It was at least a consolation for her to know that we weren't breaking off totally independent.

I wasn't much of a writer, but I had extensive knowledge from my pre-med and music degrees to contribute. I couldn't decide which I wanted to pursue, so I double majored in both and left the option of pursuing my medical degree in the future open. Till then, at least to pay the bills, I would work as a correspondent at the newspaper, writing reviews on new releases and upcoming musicians, while reporting on the odd article in the Health section. As I did not have the literary background, I was assigned a junior editor of sorts, someone who could review my writings to make sure it was fit for publishing in the paper. I didn't really mind, as long as whoever it was wouldn't try to correct my writings and end up changing the points I was making. Overall, I was just happy that at least for now, I could support myself independently.

A/N: This chapter turned out pretty long, but it pretty much sets up the reader with an indication of where things stand. Next part is Bella's POV.