Disclaimer: The Twilight character all belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do not make any money…I simply play with them

Special thanks to ObsessingOverEdward for all her inspiration. She's the one who keeps me writing even when I hit writer's block. She talks out ideas with me and is not afraid to tell me when something sucks.

I would also like to thank Project Team Beta. Without their input this story would not be what it is. To my permanent betas, Jmeyer and TRDancer thank you for making this story readable, and to phoenixjedi for her work on this chapter.

Chapter 2: New Neighbor

Isabella Swan

I bit my lip nervously as I surveyed my now empty Upper East Side apartment. It had been two months since the fiasco in Italy, and it was finally time for me to really move on. I had moved to New York weeks after my second novel had become a New York Times Best Seller. I had always dreamed of living the fabulous New York lifestyle, and I had for the past five years.

I loved every minute I had spent in New York, but I couldn't stay any longer. Everything about the city reminded me of Jake. The apartment, the coffee shop, the market, and even the bookstore made me think of Jake. I couldn't go anywhere without thinking of him. I didn't regret my decision; I knew I wasn't ready to commit myself to him or anyone. I still wasn't sure whether I really understood what love was.

Therefore, I had decided to leave. I had hired a real estate agent to find me a new place. I didn't care where it was as long as it was the complete opposite of New York. It hadn't taken long. I didn't even have to visit the house to know it was the one. The beach house in South Carolina was perfect. It was the perfect place for me to think about my life and work on my new novel.

"I guess you're really going then," Jake said as he walked into my apartment.

"I told you I was," I answered, keeping my distance from him. Jacob had been nothing but understanding. He had been hurt by my actions, but he refused to give up on us. He wanted me to take the time for myself, in the hopes I would return to him.

"It just seems weird," he sighed approaching me. "I'm really am going to miss you."

"Jake, please," I began, trying to move away from him. I hated the feelings he stirred up in me. The pain in his eyes was too much for me. I knew I deserved to feel the guilt, but it was overwhelming when he was around. I had never meant to hurt him; I just had to do what was best for me.

"Bella," he whispered, his hands touching my arms. "Nothing is ever going to change how I feel. I'm prepared to wait."

"You shouldn't have to, Jake." I didn't know how to make him understand the way I felt. I wanted him to find the happiness he deserved. I considered him my best friend, and I deeply loved him. But I didn't know if I could ever really love him in the romantic, all-encompassing way I wrote about.

"But I will, Bella. I love you." The sincerity in Jacob's eyes made my heart ache. Why couldn't I love him? Why did I have to cause him so much pain?

"I know," I whispered after a few moments of awkward silence.

I allowed Jake to pull me into a hug. His strong arms wrapped around me, encompassing me in the familiar warmth that was Jacob. He was safe and warm. He almost felt like my own personal sun. But that wasn't the kind of love that I craved. I wanted to feel the butterflies, the spark, that feeling of euphoria when that other person was near.

I had to leave New York, not only for myself, but for Jacob. I wanted our distance to help him realize what I already had. Jacob and I weren't meant to be. There had to be something better for both of us out there. We just needed the chance to find it, that is, if it existed.

Jacob pulled away from me slowly, gently tracing my face with his fingers. "Please be careful," he added softly.

"Take care of yourself." There was nothing more for me to say. We had both said all that could be said over the last two months. It was a painful goodbye, but it was something I had to do. I owed it to myself.

I leaned in slightly, pressing my lips against his cheek before walking past him. I didn't look back as I crossed what used to be my living room. I was ready. I was determined to start over.

I wasn't sure what awaited me in South Carolina. I wasn't even sure if love was really out there for me. But I needed to take the chance; I needed to make sense of my life.

As soon as I stepped out of my rental car, I knew I had found my new home. Masenville, South Carolina was a small town on the coast. The population never ballooned past five hundred, and even tourist traffic was practically nonexistent. It was exactly what I wanted. It was quiet, beautiful, and remote enough to give me anonymity.

I breathed in the warm, salty, beach air as I stood in front of my new house. I could't believe I had actually made it here. My agent had advised me against leaving New York, but I was certain I had made the right decision. I could feel it in the air. I felt calm and inspired. For the first time in months, I felt happy.

I grabbed my purse and my suitcase before heading inside. The movers had already delivered all of my stuff, and the only thing I had left to do was unpack. The lower floor of my new house was completely covered in boxes, but it was the view that really drew in my attention.

I walked past all the clutter, heading straight past the expansive living room to the lower wooden deck. I could feel the stress leave my body as I stepped outside. The view was incomparable. The deck was right on the sand, with the ocean mere feet away. I could feel the warmth of the sun as I tried to take everything in.

I hadn't realized just how stressful the last few months had really been. I had been living under the constant scrutiny of Jake and my family. They didn't seem to accept my decision. They had tried effortlessly to make me reconsider. None of them understood why I needed to move away: to make sense of my life, and to inspire myself again.

I didn't even want to think about my lack of writing. I hadn't written one word in the past four months. I had first attributed my lack of inspiration to wedding day nerves, but even after I had returned from Italy, I had been unable to sit down and write. It was very much unlike me and extremely worrisome.

My thoughts were brought to an end as I heard the doorbell ring. I wasn't expecting anyone and didn't even know of anyone who knew where I was staying. I had intentionally kept my location a secret. I wanted to have at least a few days to settle in.

I made it through the maze of boxes to the front door. "May I help you?" I asked as I opened the door, finding a petite woman with short black hair holding a covered pan in her hands.

"Hi, I'm Alice Whitlock," she introduced herself happily. "I'm your new neighbor. I just wanted to come by and welcome you to the neighborhood."

"Hello, please come on in," I said moving to the side to allow her to enter. "I'm Bella. I'm sorry about the mess. I just arrived."

"Not a problem. I baked you a cake," she offered, holding the pan out for me.

"You really shouldn't have." I was feeling slightly uncomfortable. I wasn't used to this type of overt friendliness. In New York, many people didn't even know their neighbors.

"I'm just glad you're here," she continued as we moved into the kitchen. "You would think some sort of celebrity was moving here."

"Why do you say that?" I questioned with a slight blush. I wasn't exactly comfortable with all the attention my career afforded me. I tended to stay away from the national media, preferring to do small events in bookstores.

"Nobody knows anything about you. I mean it's not everyday we get a new person moving in. We're a pretty close knit town, and we usually have some idea of who's moving in. Even Jasper, my husband, couldn't tell me anything other than your name, and he was the agent that sold the house."

I bit my lip nervously as I tried to figure out how to handle the situation. Part of the reason I had insisted on being anonymous was simply because of my writing genre. My books could be found in the Romance section of bookstores, but many considered them porn; I tended to label them erotic romance. I wasn't quite sure how a small town like Masenville would react if they knew who I was before I had moved in.

"I just didn't want to cause any trouble," I replied with a shrug as I put away the cake in my empty refrigerator. I had to remember to stop by the supermarket.

"I must say I'm glad you're here, Bella. Tell me a little about yourself. What brings you to our small town?" Alice had taken a seat on one of the barstools the movers had unloaded as I stood on the other side of the kitchen island.

"I just needed a change of pace. I have lived in big cities throughout my whole life. I just wanted a quiet place," I explained. "It was pretty easy to choose Masenville, and I think I made the right choice. I already feel inspired, and I've only been here an hour."

"Inspired?" she probed, causing me to bite my tongue. I definitely had to learn to keep my mouth shut. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a writer," I admitted.

"Wait," Alice exclaimed suddenly, cutting me off. "I didn't want to get my hopes up when Jasper told me your name. I can't believe this. I can't believe you're you. You're I. M. Swan, Isabella Swan."

I felt the heat rush into my cheeks as I stood in my kitchen. I wasn't recognized too often, and most people only knew me by my pen name, I. M. Swan. I really didn't know how to handle my borderline celebrity status. I was a writer simply because I enjoyed it. I didn't enjoy the spotlight.

"That's me," I shrugged.

"I can't believe this." Alice's face lit up as she hopped off the barstool. "I'm usually not like this, but I love your books. I can't believe you're living right next door."

"Thank you," I said softly as I stood there in shock. I really had no idea what else to say to her.

"Would you autograph my books?" she asked. "There's so much I want to ask you. You really are my hero."

"Alice, you really don't have to get your books now." I laughed nervously. "I'd be happy to sign them anytime."

"I understand if you don't want to sign them." Alice paused. "I'm usually not this crazy. It's just you're you. I mean your books have been almost a blessing."

"Really, Alice, I don't mind signing them. I just don't want you to think it has to be right now. I would hope your visit would be more than a one time thing." Alice almost seemed to radiate energy as I spoke.

I had never had many real girlfriends. I tended to keep my female friends at arms length, because they always seemed artificial to me. Yet, Alice seemed different. Even though she was a bit too energetic, she seemed to be a genuine person.

"Of course," she answered with a huge smile. "Why don't you come over for coffee or tea?"

"Coffee sounds good," I replied before Alice grabbed my arm in a vic- like grip, pulling me toward the living room.

The world suddenly seemed to move too quickly for me to process. One minute I was standing in my kitchen, and the next I was being dragged across my living room by an overeager mad woman. I tried to maneuver past the mountain of boxes, as she weaved effortlessly through them, but it was no use. The next thing I knew, I clipped the corner of a box and fell toward onto the coffee table. With a loud crunch, it splintered underneath my weight as I found myself sprawled across the broken mess.

"Bella!" Alice shrieked in horror as my hand was yanked out of her grasp. She knelt down next to me and extended her hand to help me up. "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I answered as I tried to take her hand, grimacing in pain. It was entirely too painful to move it. It literally felt as if the inside of my arm was being torn apart.

I somehow managed to stand up, keeping my right arm close to my body. I tried to force a smile to make Alice feel better, but there was no way to hide the shooting pain in my arm. I had no idea who this crazy woman was, but it seemed like she wanted to kill me.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. You should definitely go see a doctor," she rambled as her eyes began to water. "I'm usually not like this. It' just I can't believe you're really you."

"I'll just go get some ice," I said, trying to avoid another trip to the emergency room. The last thing I wanted to do was get stuck in some ER waiting room.

"We can go see my brother or my father," Alice suggested.

"Why would I need to see them?" I started to head toward the kitchen in the hopes of finding some ice in the refrigerator.

"They're the town doctors," she explained.

"It's alright, Alice. I'll just find some ice." I inwardly cursed myself when I opened the freezer, finding absolutely no ice.

"Bella, I insist. I won't be able to live with myself if one of them doesn't check you out." Alice was almost pouting as she spoke, making me feel even worse. Plus, I could already tell that the pain was much worse than anything I had ever experienced.

"I guess," I sighed, before grabbing my purse and following Alice outside.

"Let me just get my purse and my keys," she said once we were outside. "I'll only be a minute."

The ride to the hospital took less than five minutes. It was so close I could've probably walked there in twenty minutes. I didn't know what to expect from Masenville, but it was nothing like I was used to. Masenville Urgent Care Center was a small two story building in what appeared to be the center of town.

"Is this it?" I inquired, causing Alice to laugh.

"We don't have much of a real hospital here; this is only a small town. The hospital is about a two hour drive from here in Charleston."

I followed Alice inside, my nerves steadily increasing with each step. What kind of town had no hospital? Would these doctors even be qualified enough? Was I really that far from normal civilization?

"Hi, Alice," an older woman with white hair greeted us. "Who's your friend?"

"Hi, Mrs. Cope. This is Bella, my new neighbor," Alice introduced me as I smiled kindly, trying to focus on anything but the pain in my arm.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, dear," she stated, looking me over carefully. "What can we do for you?"

"Is my father or brother around? We kind of had an accident, and I wanted one of them to look Bella's arm over," Alice answered for me.

"Why didn't you say so?" Mrs. Cope replied as she pulled together some forms and handed them to me.

I was prepared to sit down in the empty waiting room, figuring it would take at least an hour before someone came to see me. It wasn't unusual to wait hours for an ER doctor to see you in New York.

"Take her to Exam Room one for me, Alice. I'll get Dr. Cullen for you," Mrs. Cope directed.

"Is this place always like this?" I questioned as I sat down on the uncomfortable exam table.

"Like what?" Alice asked in confusion.

"Empty. Is there always no wait?" I didn't really understand how an ER could be completely empty. It didn't make any sense.

"It usually gets busier once school lets out. Kids have a tendency to get into trouble when they're out of school. But, there's usually no wait around here," Alice explained as the door opened.

"Hi, Edward," Alice greeted, causing my mouth to drop open in shock.

Dr. Cullen, Edward, Alice's brother was the guy from Italy. He was the infuriating man that drove me insane and made my blood boil, the same man that had invaded my dreams every night since I had met him.

The phrase "it's a small world" didn't even begin to cover it.

A/N: I am literally floored by the amount of reviews this story got. You are all spoiling me with all your kinds words.

I really wish I can reply to my reviewers, but I just don't have the time. I use the time I have to get chapters done, and even that is running thin at the moment. I'm trying my best to keep up the weekly updates, but I can not guarantee them. I will try my hardest though.

A lot of you wanted to know how old Edward was, and he is 32 almost 33. I hope that clears that question up.

Please remember to review and let me know what you think. What do you think of Alice? Of Jake?

Next Chapter: Annoyance

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