AN: Thank you all so much for your reviews! They really inspired me to keep going with this story. I hope you enjoy chapter 2! As a heads up, I wanted to give you BPOV on their first meeting, so I rewrote the last chapter from Bella's perspective. From here on out the story will progress either in Edward or Bella's POV. I will not write each chapter in both POVs. This should help the story move along faster.
Once again, thank you to my amazing beta Limona. She continues to work her magic on my story, thank you!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, I'm only enjoying borrowing its characters.
BPOV
Today is such a gorgeous day. I would love nothing more than to spend the day outside; maybe go to the park and read one of my favorite novels. It's so rare that we have such a beautiful day in Seattle, especially lately, that I am very tempted to take a personal day to bask in the sunlight. But, it would be horrible for me to call in last minute. The airline would probably have to delay the flight, and heaven knows I would not want to cause that. All of the airlines these days are delayed so regularly that many passengers could arrive at their destination faster by driving. Unfortunately, once they realize this, they get angry and take it out on us flight attendants. Like we were the reason the flight was delayed! I swear, some of them really think that we flight attendants sit around rearranging flights and pissing off customers for kicks and giggles. I will never understand it.
But when the flights are going smoothly, I love my job. I've learned to come out of my shell since becoming a flight attendant. The flights go by faster and are more enjoyable when chatting with strangers about an assortment of diverse topics. My favorite passengers are those who board with new novels that I haven't had an opportunity to read yet or my favorite novels; we can have a quick discussion about them.
What time is it? I looked at my watch and noticed that it was 12:50 pm. Damn!
I needed to hurry up and pack my carry-on luggage for my overnight stay in Atlanta, GA. I had to fly from Seattle to Atlanta, then from Atlanta to Orlando, and back up to Atlanta again. It will be a long day, but I am looking forward to staying overnight in Atlanta. It is one of my favorite cities to layover in within the states. There are just so many trendy areas to go visit and hang out. I love this one particular area called Atlantic Station. There are tons of restaurants, bars, and activities all grouped together for a few blocks and this amazing fountain / park in the center of it all. I'm going there tonight with the rest of the crew.
As I went through my mental checklist to ensure that I packed everything I would need, I heard my cell phone ringing in the next room. As I started to run over to the living room to catch the call before my voicemail picked up, I stubbed my toe against the coffee table in true Bella fashion.
Ouch! I inwardly cursed the coffee table and my clumsy ways as I picked the phone up off the table and hopped on one foot.
"Hello?" I said somewhat breathlessly as I pushed the send button on my cell phone.
"Bella? Why are you out of breath? Do you have a guy over there that you've been hiding?" Angela, my best friend, teased me.
"Come on Ange, if I was hiding a guy over here and doing everything your nasty little mind is thinking of, do you really think I would have answered the phone?" I couldn't help but laugh at my friend.
"Ok, well if you aren't hiding a secret boyfriend, what are you doing that has you all out of breath?"
"I'm hopping on one foot because I stubbed my toe trying to get to the phone before YOU hung up! Had I known it was you, I would have just let it go to voice mail." I knew she could hear the smile in my voice.
"Yeah, yeah. You know you love me."
"Of course I do! So what's up Ange?" I was curious about why she was calling when she knew I had to be at the airport in less than an hour.
"I just called to see if you knew whether or not our favorite pilot is flying as a part of your crew today or not?"
I knew who she was talking about. "Yes, in fact he is." I smiled thinking about my other best friend Jacob.
Jacob, Angela and I met when we were in high school. We've always been a trio and I absolutely love both of them to pieces. Jacob always had a passion for flying, and when he was 18 he started taking aviation lessons and working towards earning his license. I was so proud of him when he became a pilot for Sky Jet Air Lines. At that time, I was still uncertain about what I wanted to do with my life. A degree in literature did not seem like it would take me too many places, so I decided to try my hand at becoming a flight attendant at Sky Jet. Sometimes I got lucky and Jacob and I would be on the same flight together. Today was one of those days.
"Do you want me to tell him hi for you?" I asked her.
"No, I want you to give him a kiss for me. Right on the lips!" Angela, for some reason, has been trying to hook me and Jacob up for the past two years. Although I can admit that he is extremely attractive, and I often look at him as my personal sun because he can always cheer me up, I just don't feel like we were meant to be. I'm fairly certain he feels the same way about me.
"Does Ben know that you want to kiss Jacob?" I asked in mock seriousness.
"Ben knows he's the only one for me! Plus I asked for you, Isabella Marie Swan, to kiss Jacob."
"Ange, when are you going to give it a rest? You know Jacob and I are only friends, just like the both of you are only friends."
"You can't blame a girl for trying to match up two of her favorite people, can you?"
"When said girl is you, I suppose not." I replied. "But I really have to go. I have got to walk out this door within the next 5 minutes or I will be late and the angry passengers will pelt me with their airport food for causing their flight to be delayed."
We both laughed at that mental image.
"Ok, I will let you go. Are we still on for tomorrow night?" Tomorrow was Friday. Every Friday I was in town, Angela and I would go to our favorite Italian restaurant, canzone dell' Italia, and order our favorite pasta and discuss the week's events over a glass of our favorite merlot. If Ben or Jacob were available, they would sometimes join us. But in general it was just us girls.
"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you!" I hurriedly responded before ending the call to rush out the door.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
I just finished going through the security line, and as I bent over to slip my shoes back on my feet, I heard a low chuckle come from behind me. I whirled around ready to give a piece of my mind to whoever thought the sight of me bent over was so funny, only to see Jake leaning against the wall with a grin on his face.
I rolled my eyes. "You are lucky we're friends Captain, otherwise I would have had to 'accidentally' drop my luggage on your foot."
"Come on small stuff, we have a plane to fly." Jake grinned at me. I couldn't help myself, I grinned back. His smiles are contagious.
"I'm not small. I can't help it if you're a giant. It's a wonder you can even fit in the cockpit." I joked back.
He chuckled. We started rolling our luggage toward gate B5. We were catching up on what had been going on the past couple of days as we approached the gate attendant.
"Hello Captain Black." She said in a sultry tone. I seriously had to resist rolling my eyes. Jake on the other hand gave the woman an appraising look and replied hello. Upon closer inspection, she was quite pretty. She had straight brunette hair cut into a shoulder length bob, with a couple of reddish tint highlights. She had almond shaped blue eyes and a pretty smile. She was just a little too straight forward in flirting with Jacob – and men in general I would guess – for my taste.
"We have a crew aboard the craft now cleaning up from the previous flight. You are more than welcome to board whenever you would like, but you might want to wait out here for a moment until they are finished. I can keep you company."
Okay, now I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
"Captain, I will be on board helping to prep for the next flight. I will see you on board." I told Jake. Although we were best friends, there was no need to publicize that to everyone. So I generally referred to him as 'Captain' or 'Captain Black' when others were around.
I started to turn to enter the gateway to enter the jet, when Jake surprised me and said he needed to set up the cockpit and would be going with me.
The gate attendant looked disappointed. "Well Captain, I hope you have a good flight. I am planning to start the boarding process in about 20 minutes."
"Thank you Sarah, I plan to have a very smooth flight." Jake smiled and winked at her before turning to enter the gateway with me.
I gave him a bemused look. "Sarah?" I whispered questioningly.
Jake gave me a sheepish look, "What? She was cute. I looked at her name badge."
Laughing, I asked him why he didn't just stay and talk to her for a bit.
"For starters, I have a plane to fly. Also, she's not my type." He stated so matter-of-factly.
"Jake, I have known you for 10 years and I still don't know what your type is." I asked exasperatedly.
"Bella, it's not my fault you're extremely unobservant!"
"Whatever, Jake. I'll believe you have a type the day you bring home a girlfriend that lasts longer than four months." I teased.
"Sure, sure." He said before giving me a hug. "Be safe out there. Try not to spill anything on one of our passengers this time."
I gave him the evil eye, "I can't help but spill a drink if someone bumps into me!"
I knew he was just joking with me, so we both laughed before heading our separate directions.
Once I made it back to the coach seating area, I saw Cindy stocking the cooler with the new bags of ice for the cabin refreshments.
"Hey Cindy! Long time, no see. How have you been?" I asked her, genuinely happy to have her in coach with me instead of Jessica Stanley.
"Bella! Three months is far too long." She smiled. "I have been good. Just trying to keep up with little Andrew. He is such a handful these days."
"How old is he now? Two?"
"Yes, the terrible twos! Whoever came up with that phrase was telling the truth." She shook her head as if thinking about all the terrible things her son had been up to.
I shuddered, thinking up all the possibilities. "Well, they can't stay two forever."
"Very true!"
"So do you need any help back here? I think we have about 10 minutes before the passengers begin to board."
"Yes, can you go rewind the safety video and make sure all of the overhead lighting is turned off?"
"No problem." We only had a few minutes before the plane would begin to fill up, so I left her to go check the overhead lights.
Shortly after I finished up, passengers began to board. I stepped out of the way to allow passengers to pass in the narrow aisles. Since I was closer to the front of the plane, I went towards the cockpit. I saw Jessica hanging up one of the first class passenger's coat.
"Hey Bella, have you heard?"
This is why I was wary of Jessica. She constantly gossiped. I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear whatever 'it' was. I looked at her a little apprehensively.
"No, I haven't heard anything." I said, trying to keep it short.
She leaned in close to me as if about to tell me a secret. I was about to back away and tell her that I really didn't want to know what she planned to tell me when I saw the light blinking on the aircraft phone indicating someone from the cockpit needed to speak with one of us flight attendants.
"Oh! Look, a call is coming in." I rushed to pick up the phone to avoid the gossip Jessica was about to unload on me.
"Yes?" I answered the phone.
"Bella?" It was first assistant Mike Newton. Jacob's co-pilot.
"Yes Mike, it's Bella. Do you need something before we take off?" I asked him.
"No, Jake asked me to make sure you all were aware that there is an armed US Air Marshal on board this flight."
"Are we expecting a potential problem to arise?"I asked a bit concerned. I knew some flights were randomly picked, but I also knew they mostly flew flights that government intelligence picked up on as potential threats for terrorist attacks.
"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I believe this was a randomly assigned flight and he is on only as a precaution."
This made me feel more at ease. "Thank you Mike, I will be sure to inform the others." I assured him.
"Thanks. By the way, his seat assignment is 38 C. Just as an FYI."
"Got it. Thanks again, Mike."
"No problem, Bella."
I hung up the phone and made my way to Jessica. I better do this fast and get out of here.
"Hey Jessica, Mike just informed me that we have extra protection on board today." I said lowly so none of the first class passengers would be able to hear.
"I know, that's what I was planning to tell you before you bolted for the phone," she said, a little irritation in her voice. I presume the irritation was from her not being able to tell me first. "I peeked in coach and to look at him. He's hot!"
Just as I was beginning to feel bad for misjudging her, she goes and starts to gossip on his looks. I gave her a small smile and began to make my way back toward coach.
Most of the passengers were on board and seated, so I began to go down the aisle closing the overhead bin compartments storing carry-on luggage.
I got about halfway back when I saw this adorable little girl bouncing next to her mother. She had to be around the age of 5 or 6, with long black hair and a big smile on her face, showcasing her two front missing teeth.
"Well hello sweetheart, what's your name?" I asked her.
"Samantha! And this is my very first flight!" She replied rather animatedly, putting an extra emphasis on the word 'first'.
"It is? Well that is just so exciting!" I spoke to her just as animatedly.
I briefly glanced away from Samantha when I noticed the most captivating pair of green eyes staring right at me. As if his eyes weren't spectacular in themselves, the face of the man accompanying them was even more marvelous. He has the most chiseled jaw line, flawless pale skin – that actually reminded me of my complexion – sexy disheveled auburn colored hair, and an absolutely beautiful mouth that wore a slightly lopsided grin.
My goodness, this man is absolutely beautiful. And, I don't go around calling many men beautiful!
I began to feel a little heat rise to my face at the realization that I was staring at him longer than was necessary or appropriate.
Turning my attention back to the little girl in front of me, I said, "Well Samantha, to celebrate the fact that this is your first ever flight, I promise to bring you an extra special drink later. OK?"
"Okay!" She happily accepted my offer.
I couldn't help but smile at her, she really was adorable. I checked her seatbelt to make sure he was tightly strapped in the seat before getting back to my original tasks of closing the overhead bins.
As I slowly made my way closer to the beautiful man, I could feel his eyes on me. I tried to keep my eyes trained on the bins I was closing, but I had a hard time concentrating.
Stay calm, keep walking. I encouraged myself as I came up to the bin above his seat. 38 C.
Oh… so this is our Air Marshal. He can protect me any day of the week! I then automatically scolded myself for having such thoughts. I was no better than Jessica!
As I looked down at him, I saw him eyeing my chest. Is he checking me out? I should have been upset, I know, but I was thrilled that this Adonis of a man seemingly found me, Bella, attractive. It was amusing, really.
He looked up with a somewhat shocked expression on his face. What? Did I accidentally touch him or something? Why is he so surprised?
His expression brought me back to reality and I remembered that this was a crowded plane and that I had a job to do. "Sir, I'll have to request that you buckle your seat belt since we will be taking off shortly."
But he just sat there; his eyes probing deeply into mine. It felt he was trying to see into my soul.
I felt my face get hot once again, and I nervously looked around to see if anyone else noticed this wordless exchange between me and this beautiful protector. Amazingly, no one seemed to be looking at us. I turned my attention back to him as he finally spoke.
I really didn't think that he could become any more attractive to me, but then his voice washed over me. It was perfect; a combination of velvety smoothness, huskiness, and distinction. I didn't even know a man could sound like that.
The smile that spread across my lips was completely involuntary. I am in serious trouble!
Before I even knew what took over me, I found myself leaning in towards him. He went stock still. I leaned in closer to whisper into his ear, "I hope we have a safe flight."
Damn it, he even smells completely delectable! If I didn't get away from him now I might be fired for inappropriate behavior. Because, at this moment all I wanted to do was jump him to find out if he tasted nearly as good as he looked, smelled and sounded.
I bet he does. I thought a little disgruntled. What I would give to have him be interested in me. With my luck he's probably engaged to some gorgeous woman somewhere.
I winked at him as I stood back up.
Did I just do that?! I turned to make my way swiftly to the back of the plane before I could do anything else embarrassing. I really didn't know what was going on with me and why I could not seem to act rationally when near him.
I finally made it back to where Cindy was standing. She was giving me a very curious look, with one of her eyebrows raised.
"Umm, Bella? What was that about?"
I gave her a partly sheepish and partly guilty look. I was completely ashamed of myself.
"I have absolutely no idea. I have never acted like that before. Every part of me seemed to be drawn to him. It was uncalled for and I will not let it happen again." I firmly stated.
Much to my surprise she only laughed at me. Huh?
"Girl, I was drawn to that man, and all I saw was the back of his head!" She continued to laugh at me. "I don't care that you flirted with him. Hell, if I weren't married, I would have too. I'm just surprised that you did. I didn't think you had it in you, honey!"
Now it was my turn to look at her curiously. "So, you don't think that I was out of line?"
"A little wink never hurt anyone, Bella." She smiled encouragingly at me.
I smiled back weakly. "I'm going to go ahead and take the announcements for this flight. You'll take the Orlando flight?"
"Sure thing, honey."
I picked up the phone and pressed the intercom button.
"Good afternoon and welcome aboard flight 972 from Seattle to Atlanta. We are happy to have you on board. The flight time to Atlanta will be approximately 4 hours and 27 minutes. Please direct your attention to the one of the monitors located throughout this 767 for a safety presentation. Should you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask one of your flight attendants. My name is Bella, Cindy is working with me in the coach cabin and Jessica is in the first class cabin. We hope you enjoy your flight."
As I returned the phone to its original location, I couldn't help but think about the man in 38 C. I would have to try to keep my interactions with him to a minimum. I doubted that he could seriously be interested in someone like me. If he was, he probably only wanted one thing, like so many other men.
Yes, I will keep my distance from him during this flight. Besides, he has a job to do like I do. We both need to be focused on our tasks without distractions.
Sighing, I had one last thought. This should be a very interesting flight…
AN: I really appreciate reviews and I take anon. reviews too, so please let me know what you think of the story so far. Constructive criticisms are welcomed.