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Say Hello Wave Goodbye = pretty song by David Gray. check it


Chapter 2: Say Hello Wave Goodbye

A searing pain throbbed in my head with every beat of my heart. I was vaguely aware of being in someone's arms and having them call my name, but I wasn't exactly coherent. I wondered how I got there but couldn't keep focus long enough to figure it out. After a little while, which felt like hours, the pain began to ease and I slightly opened my eyes, squinting to make out the face leaning over me. I couldn't recognize who the person holding me so comfortably was. "Hello?" asked the unfamiliar person, who now I knew was a guy, but still didn't know who. He certainly wasn't someone I knew.

I opened my eyes wider and saw that it was the guy that had yelled out of Emmett's window. God, he was so good-looking. But why was he here? Why was I there? "What happened?" I asked incredulously. I was shocked that my voice came out so raspy.

The stranger ran a hand through his shiny bronze-colored hair and frowned a little. "It seems that you fell off the lattice on my neighbors' house when you were climbing up it. Do you remember why you were doing it?"

Recognition flooded my brain as I remembered the afternoon. Looking around the room, I noted that I was sitting on his lap on what looked to be Emmett's couch in his living room. I came to the conclusion that we were in Emmett's house after a couple of minutes. Falling from big heights can do stuff to one's memory. I nodded to his question. "How long have I been out?" I asked, knowing, from past clumsy experiences, quite a lot about falling and even concussions, which I probably had.

"'Bout five minutes I'd say. But are you gonna tell me why you were breaking into my neighbors' house? Because I might have to call someone before I take you to go get checked out at the hospital." I snickered at that just because it was such a ridiculous thought. He frowned a little again and looked me in the eye. His bright green eyes made me pause before answering. It was like staring into a sea of emeralds, but I reminded myself to stay concentrated. Concussions really do mess with one's mind.

I sat up a little in his lap, a little self – conscious in our position, even with a probable brain injury. "I just forgot my keys and was going to go inside through the doors to my bedroom. I was climbing up the side of my house and was going to go into my house… But… my balance got the better of me." I concluded as my face burned a little with embarrassment. Stupid blushing. Stupid clumsiness.

"Whoa. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude but when someone is climbing up your neighbors' house, you assume the worse. Or at least I do." He murmured apologetically, almost looking a little embarrassed himself. "I guess we better get you off to get checked out at the hospital. You know in case …you have …a…uh…problem or something…" He trailed off and I could see he really was sorry for presuming that I was a criminal. It truly was comical though. I mean, it was me. Bella Swan. Forks's Chief's of Police daughter. The worst crime I've ever committed is throwing a glass of juice on a jock, Mike Newton's, head one time when he called Rosalie "easy."

"I really don't think that's necessary. I've fallen a lot. I'm a clumsy person. All they did last time I got a small concussion was sending me home and telling me to rest." I told him, really not wanting to have to go to the hospital when it wasn't needed and would just be a nuisance.

"You do realize that you just fell off a wall from about 6 meters right? I don't think you'd be in the right mind to judge if you had a concussion which you probably do. So, sorry, but I'm not going to take no for an answer." At that, he picked me up in his arms and started walking for the door, despite my protests.

I gave in when he was about to walk down the stairs with me in his arms. I didn't not take into account that his fairly pronounced biceps were holding me up. But I wanted to be independent. "Fine you can take me to the hospital, but I can walk by myself," I countered. He looked a little worried, or weary – I couldn't tell, but he set me down on my feet. I took one step and stumbled, nearly landing straight on my butt. Luckily, though, a strong pair of arms caught me before I hit the ground.

We stood there, silent, staring into each other's eyes. It was the most intense moment I had ever had with a complete stranger. His arms were so tight around me and our faces were so close that when I broke the silence with, "What's your name anyway?" I'm sure he could feel my breath on his face. It shocked him out of the sort of trance he had been caught in and he responded by pulling away but still having both his hands on my shoulders to keep me from collapsing again. He smirked and looked away. "Edward. I'm Edward Cullen."

"Do you mind if I call my friend quickly to tell her where I'm going?" I asked, pulling out my cell. He nodded quickly, but looked back up at me from where his gaze was on the floor. I dialed Alice's number quickly and told her what happened and that I didn't need her to come to the hospital, but she insured that everyone would be there as soon as they could. I put my phone away and looked hastily up at Edward.

To my surprise, he stepped toward me and scooped me up in his arms to walk towards his car, a silver Volvo sitting outside the house. I didn't complain, as I probably would have made a fool of myself again in front of the most beautiful guy I'd ever seen if I was allowed to walk on my own. He opened the door for me when we arrived at his car and helped me inside. He almost tried to help me put on my seat belt but stopped when I murmured, "I've got it, thanks," quietly. After we got on the road and started to one of the two hospitals in Victoria, I contemplated how such an amazing guy probably has a girlfriend and how he would never like me anyway, seeing as I was pretty much the most plain Jane in the history of the world. The silence in the car was a little uncomfortable as we started the 20 minute drive there. I realized then that Edward was probably the "Eddie" Emmett talked about. Gosh, concussion brains are slow.

"So you're Emmett and Jasper's roommate in Chicago right now then?" I asked, slightly confused as to why he was in Victoria and hoping he wasn't some weirdo named Edward, squatting in Emmett's house. At least concussion's give one vivid imaginations.

Edward ran his hand through his hair then flicked his eyes toward me with a little amusement. "Uh. Yeah. I was staying with my mom and she had to leave town to…travel for her work. So I left a couple days early." He turned his attention back to the road after that for a while. I was pretty happy that he had said as much as that. I was expecting a curt reply.

"How do you know Emmett?" he asked with a little furrow in his brow and looking slightly upset. A little surprised by his question, I paused.

"I grew up with him in Forks. His sister, Alice, and I are best friends. We moved next door to your place with our friend Rosalie." I told him, not thinking he really cared how the heck I knew Emmett. However, he nodded in understanding, looking a bit disappointed for some reason, and continued asking questions. "So why did you decide to live here?" I was guessing that he meant Victoria, not next door to him.

"We just liked the place. It's not like the three of us were into big cities or anything. Alice and Rose would probably thrive in a bigger city but they assure me that small towns don't hold them back. They truly make the best of any situation. I mean, they're my best friends and I like them a bunch." I rambled but it was like I couldn't stop. My cheeks began to burn. "Sorry. I ramble."

He turned a little towards me and smiled crookedly. It was by far the best expression I'd ever seen on a face. "Do I make you nervous?" he asked, still smiling. My face, I knew, had grown impossibly redder than it was before. "N-No of course not…I…it's probably just the concussion…" I trailed off, sinking into the seat, biting my lip. How could this guy who I'd only met in the last hour have such an effect on me? And was he flirting with me? Why would he flirt with me? I probably looked horrible. He wasn't flirting with me. It was the concussion talking.

"So," he began again, "do you have a job yet or something?" Did this amazing guy just have a thing about awkward silences? I mean, he didn't look particularly interested.

"Uhh…yeah actually I do. I work at Willowpark," I answered, really wondering if he cared. "You know the assisted living place?" A strange expression covered his face then. I couldn't quite make it out.

"Yeah I know it," he replied curtly. It was silent for a while after and I was generally confused by Edward's mood changes. When the silence began to drag on, he reached out to turn on the stereo in the car. The song that filled the car was familiar and surprisingly soothing to my headache. "Damien Rice is great," I said quietly, not particularly wanting or expecting an answer.

Edward turned slightly and looked me in the eye. "You like this stuff?" he asked, a little surprised I guess in my taste of music. I nodded and quirked my eyebrow a little, "Why are you so surprised?" I asked.

Edward ran a hand through his hair, a motion I noticed he did a lot, at least in the last hour I'd known him. He smirked at me and replied, "I don't know…you just didn't seem like the kind of girl…" He trailed off. I was slightly pissed off at his comment. Why should he care who I am? He's only known me for an hour and he was already making judgments.

"How do you know what kind of girl I am?" I asked, a bit irritated, but found myself blushing due to my rude outburst. He did help me and was perfect. I shouldn't have been so sensitive. I wasn't surprised when he apologized though, seeing as he was a gentleman. "Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed anything but I was…pleasantly surprised." My ears perked up at that moment and a small blush came to my cheeks. Stupid blushing. "What other kinds of stuff do you listen to?" he asked, genuinely seeming interested, or at least I thought so.

"Um…I don't know. I've got a pretty varied taste. Let me think…I like melodic stuff, like A Fine Frenzy and Imogen Heap, or stuff like Iron and Wine, or James Taylor. But I like upbeat stuff too, like the Kooks." I answered, a little embarrassed again for rambling. He'd been nodding when I was talking and I assumed he liked some of the stuff I had mentioned.

"Looks like we've got similar music tastes," he said, smiling crookedly, making me smile too. Unfortunately, though, when the conversation was getting relaxed, we pulled into the hospital parking lot.

It was a fairly light day at the Walk-In so it didn't take much time for my name to get called to go see a doctor. Edward helped me up from my seat in the waiting room and helped me walk towards the door where I was to wait for the doctor. Before he let the nurse help me get ready, he stared into my eyes and asked me what my name was. "It's Isabella Swan," I replied, "but call me Bella."

"Bella," he said, just trying out my name, I suppose. The last thing I saw of him before the nurse closed he door was his crooked smile.

The doctor blabbed on about how my headache might last, loss of balance, confusion, and how I shouldn't drink alcohol or do drugs...blah, blah, blah. I was allowed to go after ten minutes of questions and was told to rest. I kept thinking about Edward sitting outside in the waiting room, waiting for me, or at least I hoped he would be there. I walked out of the room and found Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper sitting where Edward had been. Alice ran up to me and hugged me. "Bella! I'm so glad you're okay! You're okay right?! What were you thinking?! Climbing up the house? With your clumsiness ? God, Bella." She looked genuinely worried and I felt bad, but she was talking fairly loud and we were in a waiting room.

"How about we talk about this on the way home?" I asked, wanting to stop disrupting the other patients. Rose came up beside me then and as we walked outside, said, "That reminds me, Bella, how did you get here?" Jasper and Emmett followed behind us. I looked out to where Edward had parked his Volvo, sad that he had left before I got out, just quick enough to see the car speed away, out of the lot.

"I took a taxi," I replied to Rose, "Weird driver though."


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