I'm very sorry for the delay in between the updates, but I was away on a trip to NY and SF... I promise that chapter 3 will be up soon. I would like to thank Kristine Bishop for the incredible beta'ing she did and the great suggestions she had. I would also like to thank everyone who reviewed or added my fic to their favorites or installed an alert, I appreciate that a lot. I made some changes to the first chapter (basically no OD for Bella -I made it fit in the Twilight universe some more), so check out the first chapter again please. I hope you enjoy the second chapter as well. There you go!

Chapter 2: Pulling a Bella Swan (part 2)

Annoying and overbearing Top 40 music blasted in Jacob's car when he drove Edward back to his apartment. Edward glanced around him at the old Toyota Corolla, fugly red and probably not cleaned in ten years. The car looked like an apparent survivor of several hurricanes judging by the collection of papers, crushed cigarette packets, and empty beer cans littering the back seat as well as the ripped up cushions in the front. The ashtray was screaming to be emptied. Smelling the musty, smoky odor of cigarette butts and spilled beer, Edward didn't feel at ease at all.

Jacob mimicked a race-car driver, taking turns too fast, driving with one hand while dangling a cigarette from the other. While driving, he was trying to sing the new hit from Justin Timberlake, shaking his head from left to right, crooning like he was the new Queen, raised from the dead. He tended to wait to hit the brakes until the last second, which made Edward close his eyes a few times, afraid that when he opened them again he would see crashed vehicles and brown-haired women laying on the ground motionless. It was like Jacob was mocking Edward; the more his passenger looked nervous, the louder Jacob sang, and the more closely he tailed the car in front of him.

Why on earth did I agree to step in the car in the first place? Edward wondered, rolling his eyes disgustedly while he stared out the passenger-side window.

-Flashback-

Back in the hospital room, Edward had been observing the glances Bella and her boyfriend exchanged. He could feel the tension that had filled the darkened room; it had infected the room the second Jacob entered it.

The fading smile on Bella's face didn't go unnoticed by Edward, and he wondered what was wrong. Shouldn't she feel happy when her boyfriend entered the room? Shouldn't her boyfriend feel relieved when he discovered that his girlfriend was all right?

'I would,' he said to himself, imagining that his girlfriend was in the hospital.

The moment that image entered his mind, he could feel how nerves and uneasiness took control over his body once again, and he tried to shake the image out of his head.

'You don't have a girlfriend Edward, remember', he critically chided himself. However if he did have a girlfriend and something happened to her, he would definitely worry his ass off, make it to the hospital as fast as possible, hug and kiss her, take her in his arms and cry tears of happiness.

But there were no worries, hugs, or tears of relief. On the contrary, Edward had the feeling her boyfriend was making fun of her, in front of him, and the joy faded out of her eyes the moment he spoke.

"See? You didn't make it on time after all. You pulled a Bella Swan Carter again…"

The moment he'd spoken those words, Jacob regretted them immediately. He didn't really uynderstand why he was still acting like this, but he was and he didn't seem to be able to do antyhing about it.

His words hung in the air like a thick itchy blanket that chafed and irritated the skin. Nobody wanted to speak or make any noise at all. It was at that moment, when the joy and luster left Bella's beautiful eyes, that Edward knew he didn't like her boyfriend at all. Not because he was her boyfriend, but because he didn't act like a boyfriend. He behaved like a first class ass.

Edward's mother Esme had always instructed him to keep the ones you love very close to your heart, as if they were treasures; to defend them with your life if necessary and give your love to them as you would like to get back from him or her.

To love is to give; loving is a verb… his mother's words played through his head while Bella and her boyfriend exchanged annoying and mocking glances.

Edward wasn't sure, but he thought he registered how Bella's formerly dry eyes were almost glistening with thick tears. However, she forced herself to be strong and not cry in front of them… in front of him. Edward thought the him was himself, but for Bella the him was her mocking boyfriend. Bella didn't want to cry in front of Jacob; she didn't want to give him the pleasure of showing her vulnerability in his presence.

I'm a strong woman, she reminded herself and her cheeks remained dry. Edward could not know all of her underlying thoughts and fears, though, and he told himself it was time to go… now.

"Um, excuse me; I think I should leave you two alone. I think I caused enough harm for one day," he said to no one in particular, but when he spoke his next words, he turned his face to Bella and their gazing depths found each other and softened the second they met.

"Bella, once again, I am very sorry that I rammed into you today." Edward tried to excuse himself but the derisive laughter that filled the room made him stop abruptly. He wondered what was so funny about what he had said, but Jacob immediately filled him in, telling him not to worry, that it was only his dirty mind. Edward gave a confused glance and then suddenly realized how Jacob was interpreting the word "rammed". His face reddened with embarrassment; he wanted to get the hell out of there but did not want to look rude by leaving suddenly. He searched for Bella's friendly pools again and moved a bit closer so he could shake her left hand.

"This is my card Bella, can you please text me your number so I can contact you and make sure all the costs are compensated?" And although Bella tried to talk him out of this kind gesture (after all she was the one that had crossed the street without looking and had caused the accident), Edward insisted.

Eventually Bella gave in because a flaming headache had begun to set up camp in her brain and she didn't want to argue anymore, not today. Not with this beautiful stranger who had the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen before. It was as if someone had mixed gold under brown and it resulted in a beautiful color that was impossible to describe. No word would do any justice to its astonishing unique color. His crooked smile was breathtaking and erased her ability to speak, so she nodded her head in return and shook his hand. Her eyes involuntarily fluttered shut when the smooth skin of their hands collided and joined. She thought she could feel pure electricity the moment their skin touched and when she reopened her eyes, and gazed into Edward's warm gold pools, she just knew he had felt it too. The color of his eyes seemed to change to a darker shade of gold, friendlier and warmer than before. She saw a bit of shock in his eyes too, when they both realized that the other had felt the same thing.

And from that moment, Edward Cullen had nestled himself in her brain, wedging right next to the headache, stubborn and determined to never leave her system again. She was reminded of a line from an Indigo Girls song; 'You set up your place in my thoughts, moved in and made my thinking crowded'. And Bella would know that pretty soon too, there wasn't any way to get him out of there; no medicine or good night rest could make Edward Cullen leave. And to be honest, she probably didn't want him to leave...

Jacob interrupted their moment abruptly, "Oh wait man, if you want, I can give you a ride home. You joined her in the ambulance right? I didn't plan to stay long anyway, 'cause Bella probably needs to rest and I need to get back to bed. I work at night, in case you wondered if I was a lazy man that mooched off his girl's income!" He laughed out loud, like he had told the best joke on earth, but besides him, nobody in the room was laughing.

He didn't wait for Edward's answer; he had already made up his mind: he would drive this dude home and go back to sleep afterwards. Jacob patted Bella softly on the head, a gesture meant to be loving but instead causing pain because of her concussion. Receiving a curse from his girlfriend, he hastily left the room, rolling his eyes, exasperatedly telling the doctor who passed by, "Women--everything you do is always wrong!"

Edward was stunned for a second; stunned that Jacob didn't kiss his girlfriend goodbye or apologize for patting her injured head; no, he did nothing. He just left without looking back and the antipathy Edward had felt the first moment Jacob had entered the room was increasing with every minute that ticked away.

"Bye Bella, and once again I'm sorry for hurting you. See you soon, and take care of yourself." He whispered into the darkened room towards the direction of Bella, who was lying in her bed with closed eyes.

She whispered back, "Thanks Edward, and really, don't feel guilty, it was an accident. I'll text you with my number. Bye." And when she heard the sound of the closing door, she let the tears she had desperately been holding back to start tumbling down her cheeks.

-In the parking lot-

"I am Edward Cullen by the way," he informed Jacob.

"Oh yeah man, sorry, it was stupid of me not to introduce myself. I'm Jacob Black, Bella's boyfriend. Nice to meet you man." And he patted Edward's shoulder in an attempt to be friendly.

"So you rammed my girl this morning huh?" he asked with a little smirk on his face.

"Yeah, poor choice of words," Edward winced. "I am very sorry for that. I was riding to the academy, and I was running late and I didn't see her crossing the street. It all happened so fast and before I knew it she…" but before Edward could say anything more, he was interrupted by Jacob's angry voice.

"So what are you trying to tell me man? That it was Bella's fault?"

"Um… no… I didn't… no it wasn't her fault…" Edward stuttered, the sudden change in Jacob's intonation making him feel uneasy. He cursed himself already for not calling a cab or taking the bus.

"Relax man, I was just joking." Jacob slammed Edward on the shoulder again, telling him that it was all good, that he was just teasing him. Edward exhaled with relief when he registered the huge smile that plastered Jacob's features. Jacob was only joking, although there was nothing funny about the situation.

"It was probably her fault, she is very clumsy and she is always late. I told her she wouldn't make it on time this morning and she didn't. She never does. She pulled a Swan again man, she always does," was Jacob's last sentence before he opened his car door and took a seat behind the wheel. Edward followed a second later, taking a deep breath because he knew a long ride awaited them.

"You said she 'pulled a Swan' again, what do you mean by that? Did she have an accident like this before?" Edward asked, trying not to sound too curious when Jacob started the car and left the parking space.

"Oh man, things like this always happen to Bella. She is a shit magnet. Whether it's an accident, diving from a cliff or a cut in her finger, she's always in that damn hospital." His scornful tone was hard to miss.

"Yes, but doesn't she work there?" Edward inquired, confused.

"Do I need to draw a picture for you, man?" and when Jacob saw that Edward still didn't get it, he added, "she spends half her time there as a patient and the other half as a doctor. I'm always getting calls saying that she's been hurt for some reason or another; I think the hospital has my cell on speed dial. So that's what I mean when I said she pulled a Swan… again."

Why am I discussing this with this dude? Jacob wondered, but shrugged mentally. It wasn't like this was a secret or anything, right? Right.

Edward nodded his head in return, drinking in the information he just received and he couldn't help but notice that Bella wasn't the type for doing reckless things, on the contrary; she was a doctor, a pediatrician for god's sake. But this Jacob-man made is seem like being in a hospital bed was normal for Bella Swan.

He wondered what Bella would do if she knew her boyfriend sounded so annoyed because she was accident prone. Complaining about a loved one's biggest weakness was not something to do with a stranger. And although Edward was a very warm and loving individual who got along well with just about everybody, he realized that Jacob would never be a man he would hang out with. He simply did not like Bella's boyfriend one bit.

-End flashback-

They spent the rest of the ride in complete silence; at least, no words were spoken. The only sounds came from the lyrics Jacob warbled in his nasally off-key voice and the loud inhalations from his cigarette. Listening to Jacob sing was more horrible than the torture of hearing his absolute worst student attempt to carry a tune. At least Edward was getting paid to teach the student; there were absolutely no benefits of suffering through the painful musical stylings of this idiot.

It was the longest drive from the hospital to his place and Edward was relieved when he finally closed the door of his apartment behind him and sank into his comfy sofa, closed his eyes and shut every sound out for awhile. He let the events of that day play in behind his eyelids and wondered how on earth all this had happened.

Why was it that he didn't see Bella Swan cross the street? Was it because he was mesmerized her warm brown hair and how her loose curls danced around her shoulders, with every step she took? Was it because her long elegant legs seemed to float over the sidewalk? Edward shook those thoughts out of his head and decided it was time to take a shower and afterward relax at his piano.

He longed to let his fingers caress the black and white keys, hear how his fingers produced a beautiful song and just feel the music like it was part of him, the notes wrapping themselves around his spinal cord and his whole body vibrating to the synchronous chords. Music was always his medicine when his head was full and needed to be emptied.

***

It was already 9 pm when Edward searched for his phone. He was one of the last people he knew to buy a mobile, and he was somewhat careless with it. There could be days that he might not even find his mobile, and other days that he did not want to find it. It bothered him that others might expect him be available all the time, and today wasn't an exception. He hadn't checked his phone the entire day and hadn't missed it one bit. He wasn't controlled by his mobile, like some of his friends were.

Edward had forgotten that he had given out his number at the hospital, so when he saw the blue flickering light of his mobile, he wondered who on earth had tried to contact him. What Edward didn't know was that when he would read that message, everything would change for good. He would check his mobile every hour for messages or missed calls; he would curse himself when he forgot his phone at home. He would keep his phone close by his heart, never to miss a message from the brown haired woman that lived in his head and wandered through his daily thoughts. And although Edward would do his best to block out these feelings and thoughts, he came to know that once Bella Swan lived in your head, she didn't plan to leave it soon.

Edward unlocked his mobile, went to his inbox, and saw a number he did not recognize. He pressed the green button and read the message that popped onto his screen:

Hi Edward it's me, Bella. I hope you reached your house safely and that you stopped feeling guilty. I am sorry for Jacob's behavior, normally he isn't like that. The lack of sleep is probably to blame. Anyway, now you have my number, have a good night. ~Bella.

Edward indeed felt guilty; for hurting her, for breaking her wrist, for the concussion he caused. He hated that he had hurt another human being, even though it was an accident. She probably wouldn't be able to do her job for a few weeks because of him, and that thought made him sad. If she enjoyed her job as much as he did, he knew she would miss the daily contact with the kids. He hated that he couldn't avoid her that morning when she crossed the street suddenly, and that guilt for colliding into her would linger for quite some time. There is no cure for guilt; only time can make it fade away.

Edward read the message again, and realized that Bella had excused herself for Jacob's behavior.

Strange, he thought. An individual in a happy relationship did not tend to apologize for her partner's rude behavior, and Edward wondered about the strength of the relationship between Bella and Jacob. While he wished the best for Bella, he guiltily realized that part of him was slightly pleased by the tension that seemed to be there between her and Jacob. Maybe that very tension might propel her into someone else's arms; someone who knew how to treat her right. Like himself, for example.

Edward wondered if he should text her back right away, or if he should wait 'til tomorrow.

"Should I text her back right away?" he asked his old border collie, sleeping in front of the open fire. The old dog, named Jona, wearily opened just one eye when Edward asked him what to do, but soon closed it again, continuing to snore away and ignore his master.

"Thanks Jona, you really are a great help to me," Edward commented sarcastically, while he petted his loyal dog. He stroked the smooth fur and soused the collie's floppy ears. Jona groaned with pleasure and Edward took that response as a yes, nodding his head while he informed his dog, "Ok, I will text her," and his fingers typed quickly on the small phone.

Hello Bella, Edward here. I am home safely, so no need to worry and please don't apologize for Jacob's behavior. If you like, I can come over tomorrow again, before you go home, and bring lunch. What do you think? And try to sleep a bit! ~Edward

He switched on the television, flipping through the channels mindlessly. Of course he could not find one interesting program broadcasted on any of the over one hundred channels, so he switched it off. He took one of his guitars from the stand and let the music relax him again, while his eye never left his mobile. He couldn't help but hope that Bella would agree to lunch together; he would love to see her again, if only for a few minutes. Maybe he could ask her out or something, buy her a drink; go to a concert with her.

She has a boyfriend, lover boy, his mind scolded.

"Yeah I know, and I am not a lover boy. I just think she could be a nice friend," he said out loud, like he was hoping that he would believe it himself if he could hear the timbre of his own voice repeat the words in his head. Jona opened both his eyes this time and Edward didn't know if it was his imagination, but it seemed like Jona just shook his head.

See, even Jona knows better.

Edward's cell phone beeped, and the smile that was plastered on his face communicated his excitement better than words ever could.

I would love to eat lunch with you again tomorrow Edward. I am a vegetarian; I just hope that isn't a problem. See you tomorrow, good night.

Edward typed away:

Not a problem at all. I'll think of something. I have class till noon, but around 12.30 your lunch will be served, ma'am.

His teasing tone at the end of the message brought a grin to his face. He pressed the send button and closed his phone contentedly.

See, definitely a lover boy, his mind said again.

Edward shook his head, turned of the lights, brushed his teeth and stripped off his clothes. He went to bed, dressed in only his wife beater and boxers, and entered a dreamland where only brown haired women with eyes of deep chocolate pools lived. Visions of that luscious auburn hair brought a huge grin to his face…

Tbc

Chapter notes:

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