Chapter One: First Meeting

BPOV

I came out of the school hall, heaving a sign of relief that it was the last day of school before the summer holidays commenced. I was confident that her grading in AP Calculus would come up fine. I seldom paid so much effort in a subject; even Jasper was surprised when I declined a night out in Port Angeles a few days ago. But, life was all about give and take. I guessed it was what it took if I wanted to be in New Hampshire next year.

Feeling the warm, humid summer air on my skin made me long for the bright and scorched sunshine in Arizona. The humidity seemed to seep into every pore of my body, weighing me down and dampening the new found joyful spirit. My treachery mind ran on its familiar track on its own accord. I gave myself a mental shake. I refused to dwell into the painful memories that place held. It's been a year now and yet, everything was still as vivid as the time it happened. I could still remember each harsh word, each cruel smile darted and every unwelcome sympathetic stolen glance.

"Hey! Anybody home? Dreaming again?" Jasper's musical voice was the god sent saving bell, preventing me from falling further into the familiar darkness of pain. Looking up, I found Jasper's perceptive blue eyes intent on my face. I had promised myself that the past would not, in any way, interfere my new life at Forks. I therefore shredded off the coat of melancholy and stuffed it in the deepest corner of my heart.

"You know me so well, do you not? What's up?" My face brightened up and I smiled playfully at Jasper.

"Emmett wants to have a movie night tonight." Sensing my instinctive withdrawal from human interaction, he added, "No, you have to come or he would drag you out of your rabbit hole by force. He was heartbroken when you didn't show up the other day. Rosaline will be there too."

"OK, I get it. Meet me at the bookstore at 7 pm and I shall drive us to Port Angeles."

"No, you should drive your precious Chevy back to home now and I shall drive you to the bookstore to work; AND to Port Angeles tonight. I don't think the old lady could survive the long drive." Jasper was looking at my red Chevy with distaste.

"Do show some respect to the elderly. She is a show piece and don't you dare look down on her!" I scowled.

"You know what's on show now?" Jasper was looking at me with an innocent expression.

"What?" I was puzzled. He knew I wouldn't keep track on the latest films on show.

"Beauty…" Jasper, one hand pointing at his new navy blue Audi A4 – a birthday present from his parents last month. His other hand slowly raised and then pointed at my weatherworn Chevy "…. And the Beast" he proudly presented.

'I bet you find it funny when I tell Charlie about this?" There should be nothing more threatening to him than the gun in Charlie's pocket.

"You better be hurry up; or you will be late for work. I shall pick you up in half an hour at your house." Jasper simply ignored my harmless threat and walked back to worship his new toy.

After taking a shower and change of clothes, I was ready to go. The part-time job at Twilight Bookstore I found at the rear town shortly after I moved to Forks was another god-sent present. Charlie, my father, was the Chief of Police in Forks. While he was so proud of his work and contribution, the monetary reward for the job was definitely not on the generous side. When I left for Forks, Renee, my mother, had given me a huge sum of money which she wouldn't let me refuse. However, I was not going to spend a dime of it. Remembering the endless lonely nights I spent in my little room in Arizona with no company except my beloved classics, the extravagant gifts I was showered with and lastly, the broken whispers I had witnessed every time a man walked out of my mother's life, I had vowed never to touch any money left by my mother's so called boyfriends. It was lucky for me to have been granted a scholarship this year. Nonetheless, it would be nice to have a chance to earn myself some extra money to meet the daily expenses.

"What are you going to do this afternoon?" I asked Jasper when I hopped in his car. With my usual clumsiness, I was able to bang my head against the door.

"Be careful, this car is new. My dad would kill me if anything happens to it." Contrary to his heartless utters, his hand gently pushed back my bang to see if any damage was done. I was moved by his subtle kindness, more so by his understanding that I would not welcome any explicit sympathy thrown on my way.

"Consider lucky that there is no blood on the carpet." I rolled my eyes and started to play his iPod to find my favourite list of songs.

"Just kidding! Anyway, I bet you are immune to such minor level of pain already. After taking you to the bookstore, I think I might go swimming. It's been ages since I last stretched out myself. I have a hunch that I would stumble across the girl of my dream at the beach today."

"Well, good luck to you then!" I was just able to stop myself from bursting out that it was the seventh hunch he had this month. Let him dream on.

It only took about five minutes' drive to arrive at the carpark outside Twilight Bookstore. I waved goodbye to Jasper. My toe caught on a crack in the pavement and I barely managed to arrive at the bookstore without mishap.

"Hey, Bella. I see you managed to arrive in one piece today." I was greeted by a smiling James at the cashier, which was situated directly facing the entrance of the bookstore. He was horrified when he saw me falling flat on my face right in front of the bookstore on the first day I arrived for work. As time flied, he knew that what he could help was to always stock up his first-aid box.

"Hey yourself, James How's the day?"

"Some new stuff arrived this morning. We could start stocking the book cases together tomorrow. I need to go now. Don't stay too late." I gave him a small wave and watched him leave through the door, the little bell announcing his departure.

Twilight Bookstore was my most favourite place in Forks. The three-storey Victorian style cottage was built more than a hundred years ago and had been kept in an excellent condition. Its unique porch was created with cast-iron. Beautiful scroll work was further enhanced by corresponding roof of ornamentation. The interior was equally done in the grand manner. Giant antique coastal redwood bookcases (where all the classics were located) were lined up along the wall that was decorated with white wainscoting and pale green wallpaper. More contemporary literature was piled up on the bookshelves at the left of the entrance where stylish writing desks, also made of redwood, were scattered in a seemingly causal way. The only thing that gave the place a dash of gaiety was the weird-shaped computers and colourful books in the children corner at the right rear end of the bookstore. The atmosphere created was one surprisingly light, airy and pleasing.

I took out my dog-eared "Romeo and Juliet" and placed myself at the cashier where I could keep an eye on all corners of the bookstore, the entrance in particular. Customers slowly thinned out as the afternoon crawled away. Today was particularly quiet because except those bookworms like me, almost all students in Forks should have gone out to the town centre for some fun after the stressful examination weeks and the closure of the final semester.

With the last customer left, I briefly indulged myself in the tragic world of Romeo and Juliet.

"'Eyes, look your last!

Arms, take your last embrace!

And, lips, O, you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss,

a dateless bargain to engrossing death!'"

Despites reading this heart-wrenching scene countless times, my eyes still brimmed with tears every time Romeo uttered those famous lines. The sudden chiming of the little bell above the graceful doorframe woke me from the literary fantasy to the hazy reality. With a sigh, I looked around the quiet room.

"Hello, Bella. Are you ok?"

"Hi, Mr. Lucas. Just indulging myself with a spice of romance. Nice to see you again. How is Mrs. Lucas?" Mr. Lucas was white-haired bulky old gentleman who used to play music in Chicago. After retirement, his wife and he moved back to his home town, albeit the gloomy weather was in fact not quite good for their fragile physique. Mrs. Lucas was an ardent supporter for classic romance.

"Oh, she is fine. She is supposed to be cooking dinner at home but I don't think it would be ready when I am back. She has just finished reading "Little Women" and wanted to try something more contemporary and more romantic. Any recommendations?" Mr. Lucas spoke in his usual gentle and melodious tone.

"If she is a die-hard romantic, she must read the "Twilight" saga! But does she like vampire stuff?" Mrs. Lucas was an English teacher before retirement. If there's a woman of seventy years old that could fall in love with the Twilight saga, she would be Mrs. Lucas.

"I don't think there would be problem as she is one in real life. She sucks on my pension." I couldn't figure out why men always liked to say things contrary to their hearts. Whenever Mrs. Lucas was nearby, Mr. Lucas's eyes would be softened and followed around her. His whole stance would become all protective and gentle. They were the sweetest couple I had seen. They made me ponder on whether true love did indeed exist.

"Separately, I want a Dante's La Vita Nuova for myself." Mr. Lucas added and winked to me.

"So, you are a true romantic at heart after all. How about you sitting on the coach over there and let me find it for you. The book is somewhere at the back." I made my way through the giant mahogany cases till I found myself in the far end compartment of the store and looked up at the ten foot tall book case that reached the ceiling. I wheeled the ladder that was attached to this side of the bookcase wall to the place where I thought I saw something that might be the book. I got to the highest step but it still was not tall enough. Standing on my tiptoes and holding on to the ladder as a support, I reached out my arm and stretched my fingers for one of the many special editions of Dante's works we had.

"Oh come on…" My fingers plucked at the black and gold spine, nudging the book out of its place bit by bit. The little bell chimed again when I was able to peel the novel slightly out of the shelf and got my fingers tighter around the spine of the book.

"Welcome." I gave a brief glance at the door and could only work out that the newcomer was a man, his back facing me as he closed the door behind him.

"I'll be right with you," I told the customer and focused back my attention on my task again. I pulled the book again but it didn't budge. I pulled harder, fighting the urge to get a crowbar. My arm was beginning to sting and my face was heat up with annoyance. I yanked again with all my might. As if it was the last taunt of a naughty child, it shot loose, along with other books in the neighborhood. Having had balance issues on solid ground ever since I learnt to walk, I knew better what the outcome would be. As if on cue, the ladder started to wobble. I let out a scream; trying to save myself from the shower of dusty hard-covers raining down on me, whilst fighting to regain my balance on the ladder. Everything happened in only a matter of long seconds. I felt my body slowly floating away from the ladder. I clenched my eyes shut in anticipation of the hit, while my arms tightened around the Dante book that was to blame for my literal downfall.

The impact against my back was hard but not as hard as I had expected. My eyes shot open and I took in a gulp of the desperately needed air. The world barged in and I wasn't on its floor. I was hanging in the air, a good three feet above it. Gradually, it dawned on me that I was not having a weird out of the body experience, but that someone was holding me.

"Are you alright?" An enticing and slightly ragged voice, tinted with concern, spoke behind my ears.

"Yeah." I ran a hand through my hair to calm myself, trying to keep my heart inside my ribcage.

"I—I—oh my God. I-errr- fell." I lost my control of my vocal cord the moment I dared to look behind and met a pair of most dazzling emerald eyes.

"I know." His chuckle was soft but slightly strained, "Are you hurt?".

" I'm good. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ehm…crash on you. I—could you get me down?" I asked meekly.

"Oh, I am sorry." Embarrassed, he immediately set my feet on the ground and straightened up again before releasing my back.

In the minutes that had passed I must have forgotten how to use my legs. My hazy head could not order them to stand. My head spun around, be it through the fall or through the presence of this stranger. I closed my eyes and leant forward, my forehead coming to a rest against his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" His arm curled around me, his fingers trying to push my downcast hair behind my ears so that he could take a peek at my hidden face.

"Head rush," I managed to mumble. His shirt had gentle touches of vanilla, fine leather and something I couldn't place - something fragrant, golden and sweet. I made a sound that resembled too much like a moan. I cleared my throat, my cheeks glowing as I stepped back.

"Thank you for saving me from being a cripple for life." My eyes were glued to the floor and his pair of black Redwing boots.

"So it was an accident . And I thought it was premeditated." He smirked. I looked up, unable to take my eyes off of his perfectly sculpted face. That beautiful curl of his lips made my heart beat faster. He was causally clad in a black button-down shirt, untucked from his black jeans, the rolled-up sleeves showing off his toned lower arms, arms that had caught me.

"What are you looking for?" I tried to resume my role as the keeper of this century old cottage.

"Maybe you can tell me where Shakespeare is?"

"They are in the second last row from the end." It was a miracle that I could still remember the layout of the bookstore when my head was still filled with cotton.

"My name is Edward, by the way," he added, "Edward Cullen."

"Pleasure meeting you, I'm Bella Swan." I stuck out my hand for him to shake, and when our skin touched there was an almost electric current that passed between us. He held on to my hand and didn't let go, just stared into my eyes, and I stared back, completely mesmerized by him.

"You feel that? I think we have a connection." He was smiling beautifully at me.

Every warning bell was ringing in my body. "I need to get this book to Mr. Lucas. Feel free to tour around." I hit a table of books behind me with my back and stumbled away before I could see his reaction at my unbearable clumsiness.

"I've got you the book." I alerted Mr. Lucas on my way to the cashier.

Edward appeared after Mr. Lucas slowly walked out of the door. Putting a special edition of "Hamlet" on the desk, he looked at me intently and he said suddenly after moments of silence. "Go out with me sometime."

I froze and just looked at him.

"Excuse me?" I finally whispered. He grinned and just nodded.

"How about tomorrow night?" he asked, leaning over the counter to get closer to me.

"That's 11.99, please," I said, holding out my hand for his payment. The door jingled. A short, black haired girl danced in.

"Edward, hurry it up. Mom and Dad are waiting." she came right up to the counter and glared at him but smiled brightly at me.

"Say yes, please" he said to me, ignoring his sister, I assumed.

"Um, no?" I said nervously, taking the visa he offered me and swiping it.

"Come now,' he persisted. "I really think we are meant to be!"

"Did you pick the line from the classic section?" I asked, passing him the book.

Edward smiled. "You say no now, but I think it's a good idea. We'll be friends, first." His sister was watching us wide eyed.

"I don't even know him!" I looked at the black-haired beauty in desperation.

"Come on, Edward," his sister grabbed his arm and led him out. "I'm sorry," she said to me. "We just arrived to this town. He doesn't usually act like this." I nodded, a frown set on my lips.

"Bye Bella!" he called from the door. I waved meekly.

Edward didn't know what he was talking about. He'd just been in Forks for 5 minutes! When he saw the girls at school he'd surely change his mind. I'd never be good enough for someone like him.

I pulled out my "Romeo and Juliet" with a sinking feeling that history was going to repeat itself.

A/N: Do you like it? Want a EPOV on this for next Chapter? Drop me a word :)