As Edward Cullen settled into his work routine for the day, Isabella had been off hustling and burrowing round New York's subway, in search of the car dealership. Isabella marveled at the subway, at the sheer magnitude of the population squeezing on the underground transport system. She felt almost amazed, at seeing so many people at once. Clearly, New York was no Forks. Finally, after much trial and error, Isabella accurately got off at the stop for the car dealership. Letting out a breath, and silently giving herself a pat on her back for finding the place, she took off her coat, oblivious to the leering stares that brought her from the male mechanics, lusting after her. Her slender frame and slim legs caught the attention of a large dark dude, especially.
"Hey, I'm Jacob. Is this pretty lady looking for a car today? I can help you out, in whatever you need, baby."
BPOV
What? Help me out in whatever I need? I swerved around and found myself staring at the chest of a large dark mechanic. He had dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin – everything about him, including his tone of speech and looks no less, spelt out dark. I immediately put my guards up. No offence, dark sir, you just look really ominous to me.
"No thank you, I would like to look around myself, alone." I placed extra emphasis on the word, alone, hoping that this dark guy would catch the message.
"Sure, no problem, pretty lady. I'll be hanging around; do let me know if you need any help though!"
No, I certainly won't need any help, at least, not from you.
I nodded for politeness sake, and wondered off in search of a car. Something not too loud - I didn't want an obnoxious looking Ferrari or Jaguar like what my parents drove. Something safe, quiet, and decent would do.
As I walked about the large car warehouse, I suddenly heard loud, lumbering footsteps behind me. What is that? A monster?
I swerved around sharply, once again, and found myself face to face with another large figure. This one, though, was less dark.
"Hi there, Miss! I'm Mr. McCarty, the owner of this dealership chain. Can I help you make your purchase? Seen anything you like?"
The large form enquired cheerfully, and to my immense surprise, I found myself smiling up at him. Strange, I thought to myself. This guy is definitely larger than the other one, but I don't feel afraid of him.
"I'm looking for a quiet car. Something not eye catching." I informed him quietly.
"Ah, I see. A quiet car to suit a quiet young lady, I see. I've just the car for you, though, come along!"
He lumbered past me, his large 6 ft 2 feature eclipsing everything in front of me as I followed behind him, keeping a safe distance between us in case he decided to come after me for whatever reason. Bella, Bella, even if Mr. Large decides to go after you, you keeping a few feet away from him isn't going to help, a voice told me. It made me feel safer all the same, to keep a distance between us, or between myself and people, in general.
"There, Miss! Just the car for you! This quiet 2011 Ford Fusion, brand new! It runs smoothly, and quietly too!" The large Mr. McCarty winked at me, at that, as if he'd made a great joke.
Ha, Ha. I found myself chuckling politely at his joke, though. I ran a hand over the smooth hood of the car. It was a decent size, not too large for me, and was definitely not overly eye catching. A fair ride, all in all.
"Alright, Mr. McCarty, I'll take this."
He beamed at me. "Alright there! I knew you'd like it! Quiet and unobnoxious, yet quite a beauty, just like you. Here, come this way and we'll settle the payment."
I handed over my Nets Card, and paid for the car upfront. If Mr. McCarty was shocked, he didn't show it. Just as I was signing the papers, though, Mr. Dark had returned.
"Pretty girl, so bought your car already? I thought I said you could come to me for help?" Jacob said a twinge of jealousy in his voice.
Um, no, Jacob, I'm not going to look for you for help. You look like you'd rather eat me than help me. And I do not need help, in the first place.
I smiled politely. "Oh, I didn't need much help, so I didn't want to trouble you. I'm sure you're a very busy man, sir."
"Oh, no, not at all, babe. So which car did you buy? A hot sports car to match yourself?"
What? A hot sports car to suit myself? This guy is out of this world. Thankfully, Mr. McCarty came to my rescue.
"Black, Jacob Black, go back and do your work. You're supposed to repair cars, not terrorize my customers. Stop trying to get into this good lady's pants." Mr. McCarty boomed.
Yikes. Get into my pants? That was what Mr. Dark was trying to do? I shivered involuntarily, though somewhere inside of me I found it ludicrous. Why would anyone want you – even in that way, Bella? Even your parents didn't like you. Even your parents didn't want you. Neither did the guys in high school. Granted, I kept to myself then, but still, no one as much as gave me a second glance. Get into my pants? This guy must be nuts... or really desperate.
Mr. Dark – Jacob Black, apparently, scowled at his boss, and slinked off.
I audibly breathed a sigh of relief. I really didn't like that guy, for some reason unknown, whether he was really trying to get into my pants or not (which seemed highly improbable).
"Don't worry about him, Miss. He's always like that, chatting up the customers. I apologize for his hideous behavior, though." Mr. McCarty said.
"Oh, it's quite alright." I said, as I resumed my signing of papers.
Half an hour later, I was driving out of the dealership in my brand new car. I grinned to myself, uncharacteristically. The car was certainly smooth. And I was very proud of myself. See, Isabella Swan can manage in New York, just fine.
EPOV
"Hey, Jasper, have you heard of the last name Swan anywhere recently? It seems so familiar for such an unusual last name." I inquired, asking my trustworthy firm partner and best friend.
"Swan? As in Swan's wine, perhaps? Why?"
Swan's wine. Could Bella be related to the Winery Billionaire Charles Swan? I wondered idly. Charles Swan was America's top winery tycoon, owning numerous vineyards all over the world, but he was not known for having a daughter of any sort. Surely it would be known if he had a daughter and one as fine as Bella. No, Bella was probably not related to Charles.
"Perhaps? I don't think so, though. It's just that my new neighbor's an 18 year old girl by the last name of Swan. She's all alone in New York, so I was just wondering…"
Jasper smirked. "Hot?"
I opted not to reply my partner with his one-tracked mind. 'Hot' couldn't even cover what I felt Bella Swan was. She was beautiful, beyond 'hot', at that. Porcelain fine features, slim toned legs that went on for miles, shiny dark brown hair that appeared completely natural… not to mention that her boobs were probably the least synthetic ones around I'd seen in ages.
I shook that thought out of my head, and concentrated on the building plans at hand. Cullen's enterprises were asked to rebuild a cathedral, and we were currently all feverishly trying to work out the finer details it.
What was it with me and Bella, anyway? I needed to get her out of my head, and fast, or I'd probably be sketching her instead of the cathedral's floor plans.
After numerous meetings, I finally had a reprieve during lunch. Unable to resist the curiosity, I decided to google the last name Swan. At least I wasn't googling Bella Swan, I reasoned. Nothing wrong in wondering about a last name, I thought, making excuses for myself.
Immediately, the search engine spurned out numerous articles, many containing information regarding the Winery Tycoon, Charles Swan, as Jasper had told me earlier. Apparently this tycoon had a wife, Renee Dwyer, a housing estate tycoon too. I stared at the picture of Charles Swan and Renee Dwyer, and they looked eerily alike to Bella. She seemed to have Charles' brown eyes, and Renee's facial features, just muted and more demure like. But nowhere in the articles was a Bella Swan mentioned, nor was there any mention of the couple having a daughter.
Interesting, I thought. Seems like Bella isn't the daughter of Charles Swan, then. Perhaps its just an uncanny resemblance, and coincidence. But at any rate, what is my young neighbor doing in New York, all alone? And staying in such a high class apartment, at that. It was all very suspicious, and I vowed to learn more about her – the legit way. I would talk to her before googling her.
I shut down my laptop to prevent myself from succumbing to temptation and searching Bella Swan on the internet, and continued with my work once more, counting down the hours until I could return to my apartment and plot some ways to get to know Bella Swan better. One side of me reasoned that I was so infatuated with this girl only out of healthy concern – but another part of me knew it was more than that.
BPOV
I struggled to carry my purchases up to my apartment, precariously juggling bags of groceries and detergents. Suddenly, a smooth velvety voice trailed from behind.
"Bella! Let me help you with those. Just came back from shopping?"
I turned around, effectively colliding into Edward's hard chest. He put a hand on my hips to steady me, and I blushed as I drew away. What was it with me and colliding with this guy, anyway? And the word 'help' again – god knows how many times I've heard it since coming to New York. Why was it that everyone here seemed so willing to help me, but none back home?
Edward drew me out of my reverie by grabbing hold of several of the bags, pulling me along with him with his other free hand that was previously on my hips. The familiar warm electrical feeling ran up my hand again upon contact with his skin. Goodness, this guy must be a static machine. I jerked my hand away from his reflexively, but he held on in his grasp.
"So, Bella, how'd you find New York so far?"
Um, fine, I guess?
"New York's very nice, from what I've seen." I replied, politely.
"That's great, have you been out sightseeing yet? The empire state building?"
"No, I haven't had the time for that yet, unfortunately." I said.
"Oh, you must let me bring you there one day. It's a fantastic piece of architecture, if I may say so myself. Tell you what, I'll bring you around New York this weekend – Sunday, would that work for you? Consider it my neighborly duty."
What? This guy wants to bring me around New York? I would much rather explore the place myself, but he seems so… earnest in fulfilling his neighborly duties, that I didn't have the heart so say no. But I really wouldn't want to put this kind man out of the way, I didn't like troubling others.
"You don't have to, Edward. I'm sure I can tour New York on my own, just fine." I told him, giving him an out so he didn't feel obligated to me.
"No, Bella, I want to. Besides, I don't have anything better to do. So, will you grace me with your beautiful presence this Sunday?" Edward smirked at me, looking at me intently with his intense emerald eyes. God, how can anyone say no to that?
"Oh, okay, then. Thanks, then, for your..um, kind offer." I stammered, finding myself getting lost in his eyes and intense gaze. It was rather unnerving, having a guy look at me like that.
Unnerving, but not unpleasant, though.
"Great!" Edward grinned at me, happily.
He carried my purchases right up to my doorstep, where he deposited them while I fumbled with my key.
"Bella, do let me know if you need any help in New York, alright? I know what it's like living alone in a foreign city, and trust me, it can be tough sometimes, being alone, and there's nothing wrong in asking for help when you need to, it's simply being human. It can be really lonely alone in New York, without friends too. You can knock on my door anytime; I'm only 6 feet across your hallway."
Something in those simple words touched me. So this guy knew what it was like to be alone, too. The feeling of loneliness could sometimes get desperate; I was all too familiar with it. Asking for help when you need to – how long had I gone without asking for help? My parents were propagators of the idea "Do it Yourself, don't ask for help." For as long as I could remember, I didn't dare ask them for help, for fear of angering them. Even when I was sick with Pneumonia, I didn't dare ask them for help. When I had my first period, I didn't dare ask my mother for help. Whenever I needed help all my life, the internet was my savior, I never dared asking my parents. All I ever wanted was their acceptance and for them to like me, and I thought not asking for help would do the trick. Unfortunately, it obviously didn't, since my parents still saw me as a parasite they couldn't wait to get rid of at the first opportunity. The thought hurt, and I felt tears pricking my eyes at the memory of my parents, and their unhelpfulness. My parents wouldn't even help me, but this total stranger was offering his help so unconditionally.
"Bella? Are you alright?" Edward asked, gently. It tore me out of my thoughts of my parents. Unknowingly, his words had me frozen at the door as I remembered what my childhood was like. Help is for babies, my parents always said. And here, this grown man was telling me that it was alright to ask for help. How… contradictory. Yet, how very nice of him. Somehow, the idea that this guy was willing to offer me help touched my very core in a way nothing had. No one had offered to help me so sincerely before. Sure, there was that guy at the automobile store, but that was because it was his job to do so. There were no obligations for Edward to help me, none at all.
I smiled at this kind man. It certainly took a very kind and benevolent person to offer help, I thought.
"I'm alright, Edward, thanks for your offer. You're a very kind person." I managed to choke out, before stepping into my house, shutting the door behind me, willing my tears not to fall.
EPOV
I had just offered Bella help, and she seemed so sad, all of a sudden. Did I do anything wrong in offering my help? I sincerely wanted to help her settle into this new city, without any strings attached. Was it so hard to accept my help? And what is it with this girl and her obvious aversion to accepting help from others? Even when she obviously could not handle all the bags of purchases just now, she was so reluctant to relinquish her grasp on her purchases, so unwilling to let me help her carry them up to her apartment.
Her behavior baffled me, and had me worried for some reason. It seemed like her aversion to help ran deeper that mere feminine pride – almost like it was a foreign concept to her, so much so that it overwhelmed her when people offered to help. I shook my head at the degree of ridiculousness in that thought. Surely she had been helped before – surely her parents would have helped her with stuff, right?
I shook my head to clear the thoughts, as I set about my dinner. Something about the girl touched me – the look of sheer loneliness in her glassy eyes when she looked at me and told me that I was a kind person for helping her. It was that look, that told me what I had thought ludicrous, the idea that help was a foreign concept to her might not be so ridiculous after all. Her parents had dumped her in New York quite unceremoniously, how much help might they have offered her throughout her childhood?
A/N: Hey! Ok, I'm obviously very new to this Author's Note thing, but I just thought o let all you readers out there that while this story seems all very happy now, it will touch on emotional abuse sometime in the future (Yes, think of Bella's not so trushtowrthy parents). So yeah, just giving you guys the heads up that while it essentially will be a happily ever after Bella & Edward story, that part might take a while to get to. Obviously, I don't own Twilight, so yeah, just messing around with their characters:)
Do let me know if you like or hate where this story's heading:)
