Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Chapter 2

Edward never slept in late. He thought time was of the essence and every moment sleeping was a waste. He was always doing something important and didn't have time to relax. This is exactly why his body was aching for more than six or seven hours of sleep each night.

Edward woke up on his stomach and peered over at his bedside table. The alarm clock stated that it was eleven o'clock. He cursed as he shot up from the bed, thinking that he was late for work. It was only Saturday, but Edward didn't know that. He was good at keeping track of dates, but apparently his mind was somewhere else today.

He was pulling pants on and about to grab a shirt from his closet when his eyes slid past the calendar next to his dresser. He slapped his forehead and grumbled in annoyance as he put the clothing back in his closet. He flopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

What was he going to do this weekend? He got lots of deals done and e-mails answered at work. Jane assured him that he could 'relax' this weekend.

He couldn't relax.

What could he do? He kind of wanted to venture out to a bar and have a drink and chat with some pretty ladies, but didn't want to go alone. This was another downside to his luxurious life. He had no guy friends. His closest guy companion was his cousin, Emmett, who lived in California with his wife Rosalie. They were kind of close.

Edward faintly remembered his sister, Alice, saying she had a boyfriend, or was it fiancé, but Edward didn't remember whether or not he had met him.

Alice had been distant because her brother never liked coming home to Chicago. She missed him terribly, but Edward didn't relent and stayed put in New York. Soon, she stopped sending him Christmas greeting cards. Only Esme, their mother, kept sending them every Christmas to remind Edward that he still had a family if he ever wanted to come home.

When they were children, Edward and Alice were incredibly close, but as middle school began, they drifted. Edward was the quiet but smart one, while Alice was popular and liked by classmates. Edward envied the way Alice got along with everyone from different social groups.

He couldn't seem to fit in, no matter how hard he tried. After a while, he stopped trying and focused on his schoolwork, and excelled greatly.

Additionally, Edward had always been a selfish and temperamental child. He got jealous easily and threw tantrums when things didn't go the way he wanted. Alice was the complete opposite. She was easy going and simply went with the flow. She didn't make things difficult for their parents.

Edward got out of bed and went into the living room in search of a phone book – his personal phone book. It contained phone numbers of people close to him.

The leather bound book was dusty from not being opened in so long.

Finally, he found the number he had been looking for and punched in the buttons on the phone.

It started dialing and Edward sat on his couch, staring out the window.

It didn't seem like anyone was home. The answering machine picked up a minute later.

"You've reached the Cullens, we're not home right now; we're on VACATION in Anguilla. Leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can!" Edward sighed after hearing his father and mother's cheery voices.

He decided to leave a short message. "Hey, it's uh, Edward. I was just leaving a message to say that I'm fine and everything. Hope you have fun in Anguilla. Bye."

Once again, he was left out of the loop. Nobody wanted to inform him that the family was going on vacation. He would have liked some notice. They just left without telling him. What if he had a heart attack and was rushed into the hospital? They would have been out of the country and so far away.

Edward wasn't happy and paced around his apartment like a caged animal. Inside his heart, he knew the exact reason why his family hadn't bothered to call him. He always told Jane to ignore their calls unless someone's life was on the line or if it was a family emergency. Therefore, Jane never forwarded the calls to Edward. She simply wrote down messages that would be handed over to him at the end of each week or month, depending on his mood.

Edward wanted to go out to drink. Yes, that's exactly what he wanted to do at that very moment. The only flaw in the plan was that he had nobody to accompany him. Edward wasn't going to venture out to a bar alone. He was well-known and recognized in the city. Women would throw themselves at him the first chance they got. People would try to mug him. No, he decided not to go.

Besides, it was early in the morning. Nobody got drunk this early. And Edward really didn't want to be intoxicated alone. Maybe if he had a friend to venture into a bar with him, he would have allowed himself to let loose, but he had none.

Edward decided that it was time for him to take in some fresh air and head for a walk in the park. It was a fairly nice day and the sun was out. This surely meant that lots of other people would be going out for a walk as well – or a jog, whichever.

He put on casual clothes – jeans, long sleeved shirt and a jacket.

Hungry for food, he went straight to the kitchen for cereal and other breakfast selections.

Hmm, perhaps if he allowed his housekeeper to live in the penthouse with him, she would be able to cook breakfast when he wanted her to. He couldn't make eggs if his life depended on it. They always ended up burnt or overcooked and tasted gross. Edward was deathly afraid of oil being popped on his skin. He stayed away from the stove when it was frying things.

He took out a bowl and poured some whole grain cereal in it. Then, he got milk out of the fridge and poured it onto the cereal. He ate quickly and finished in four minutes.

Feeling much more confident, Edward headed out the door and down the hallway to the elevator.