Chapter 3

Bella

I had managed to avoid Alice's inquiries for a week. She had been called out to LA to assist with styling a few celebrities for some major event I couldn't remember the name of. I had gotten lucky, but knew my luck was out, as Alice had come home late last night.

All that time, Edward's face never left my mind. Every time I closed my eyes, he was there. Every thought was wrapped around him. I had barely even spoken to him, yet I couldn't keep him out of my mind. I found myself doing something very strange--I was looking forward to going back to the hospital to get my stitches removed.

I walked into the library looking forward to my day. I saw one of the volunteers, pushing a cart full of books to the children's section.

"Hi, Bella! How's the hand?" She was always so sweet, unlike her son, Mike-I'm-never-going-to-stop-asking-you-out Newton.

I smiled at her and waved my hand up. "It's much better, Mrs. Newton, thanks. Only two more days until the stitches come out." If only she knew how ridiculously excited this made me, and why.

I reached my desk and logged in the computer. As I was getting situated, my cell phone buzzed. I looked at the caller ID and winced. I suppose I should just get it over with now.

"Hey, Alice! How was your trip?"

"Bella! It was great! I missed you, though! Could we get together tonight after you get off work?" Of course she would want to ask me about Edward face to face.

"Sure, Alice. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd come to the gym with me." What? Tiny Alice working out?

"You never work out! What's going on?"

"Nothing. Will you go?"

"Sure. I'll be over right after work." Something was up.

"Thanks, Bella. See you later."

I hate working out, but given my state of mind for the last week, I figured maybe I could use some time on the treadmill to clear my mind. I snapped my phone shut and started to get to work. But my mind wouldn't focus. I was too worried about what Alice was up to and preoccupied with my thoughts of Edward to get anything done.

I got to the gym at a little past six. Alice was already waiting for me at the entrance when I arrived. As I walked over to her, I noticed she was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. Again, I couldn't help but think something was up.

"Hey, Alice. Before we go in there, you have to tell me what this is about." I wasn't going to be able to take much of her bouncing around without knowing the reason why.

"It's not about anything specific. I just want to get in shape." She shrugged her shoulders and looked away. I knew that gesture too well.

"Alice, you're lying. What's going on?" I was beginning to get nervous.

"Nothing's going on!" I glared at her. "Oh, all right, I heard your cute doctor friend works out here.

"Edward works out here?" She nodded her head. "Alice! I can't believe you! I told you that nothing happened!" Stupid matchmaking pixie.

"Oh, Bella, chill. He's probably not here anyways. Let's just go in." I didn't move. "Bella!" she said, laughing. "Come on!"

"No," I said, crossing my arms across my chest.

"If you don't come in, I'll play Bella Barbie everyday for the next month." Shit.

"Fine," I grumbled, dragging my feet as we walked inside.

I found an empty treadmill and got my iPod ready and set up a program on the treadmill. I decided to put in only one of my ear buds in case Alice came over. I started the program and immediately zoned out, my thoughts swirling between Alice and her matchmaking and Edward.

Even after fifteen minutes of pushing myself, he was still in my mind. I couldn't understand it. Why do I keep replaying the same short conversation with him over and over again in my mind, obsessing on every detail; every word, every facial expression? I'll see him again on Wednesday, and then that's it. Probably never again. Unless of course I try to kill myself by falling.

I began trying to convince myself of that when I felt a tap on my arm, effectively breaking my thoughts. I looked over to see who it was and found myself eye to eye with those beautiful, piercing green eyes.

"Holy shit!" I yelled, tripping over myself and falling while the treadmill was still in motion.

I banged my head on the console on the way down, sending a searing pain starting from my forehead and vibrating its way throughout my entire head. When I landed, the belt threw me to the back of the treadmill, catching my shoelace in the process.

"Bella! Shit! Are you alright?" Edward was rushing to turn off the treadmill and help untangle me. "You weren't lying when you said you were clumsy, were you?"

My face was hot with embarrassment as I looked up at him. "No," I said meekly. "Why didn't you just call my name?"

His brows knit in confusion. "I did. I said your name three times but you must not have heard me. I'm sorry to have scared you," he said fumbling with my shoelace.

"Oh. I must've been lost in thought." Lame. He chuckled softly.

He finally unraveled my shoelace and moved closer to me. "I'll help you up," he said, reaching out to me. He gently grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet. I did not miss the heat his touch sent straight through my body as he helped me up. "Let me see you," he murmured as he began examining my head and my palm, leaving my body on fire from his touch. "Is your ankle alright?"

"Yes, it's fine. Thank you." His hands were still in mine as I said this. I breathed in his scent and my head spun and mouth watered. He smelled unlike anything I had ever smelled before. Sweet, light, yet still masculine. I had the sudden urge to find out if his mouth tasted as good as he smelled.

He looked down at our interlaced fingers and immediately stepped back, running his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I just wanted to see how your hand was healing up."

I cleared my head and took a deep breath so that I didn't stumble over my words. "It's okay. The hand's healing up well, thank you." Oh, that's even better.

"Good. Well...um...Bella, I was wondering..."

"Bella!" Alice was making her way over to me from where her yoga class was held. "Are you all right? I saw you fall..." Her sentence trailed off when she spotted Edward next to me. "Dr. Cullen, right?" She smirked. Make that stupid, psychic, matchmaking pixie.

Edward's eyes flashed to my face and he turned with an amused expression on his face. "Yeah, Edward, please."

"Hi, Edward. I'm Alice, Bella's friend. It's nice to meet you." She said eyeing the two of us. "Bella, I'm going to take a shower and go. I'll talk to you later." She gave me a suggestive look as she walked away.

I laughed once nervously and blew out a breath before turning back to Edward. "So, come here often?"

He laughed at my terrible joke and nodded. "But I've never seen you here before," he said eyeing me curiously.

"No, I don't work out much. Too dangerous. Obviously," I said, motioning to the treadmill. "Alice wanted to get in shape and asked me to help keep her motivated. But I think I'll stick with something safer from now on."

"And what will you do instead?"

"Oh, I don't know. Yoga maybe. I mean, yes, I can still fall, but at least it will be on a mat. I've always liked yoga." I shrugged. I couldn't understand the sudden interest in my life he seemed to have again.

He smiled at my response. "Well, you could have done yoga with your friend, but instead chose the treadmill. Is there a particular reason?" I couldn't help but notice he was so proper and polite when he spoke, unlike most of the kids I grew up with. He must not be from around here.

"I had some things to work out in my head. I thought maybe running until my lungs burned would clear them out." I was treading on thin ice, on the verge of telling him that he was the reason I needed to clear my head. I looked down, blushing. "I don't know, it was probably stupid."

His long fingers gently grabbed my chin and pulled my face up towards his. "No, not stupid. I know exactly what you mean." Our eyes held for a moment, causing my heart to skip a beat

Abruptly, he dropped his hand and looked away. "Well, I guess I'll see you Wednesday."

"Yeah, okay, Wednesday." I knew the disappointment was clear in my voice.

"Bye, Bella," he said smiling his crooked smile before he turned to walk away.

Edward

It had been seven days since I'd met Bella at the hospital. I thought about her endlessly. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face. Every night, I dreamed of her. I was almost at my wits end. I needed to see her. I'd even pulled her chart from last week and got her address and phone number. Well, phone numbers, plural. I couldn't resist. I was seriously considering looking up how to get to her apartment on Mapquest. I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold off. It was getting into creepy stalker territory. Two more days, two more days, I chanted to myself.

Thankfully, it was Monday, one of my usual work out days of the week. I pulled my silver Volvo into a parking space and got out, thankful to be here. I would use my time on the treadmill to work out my frustration with myself over Bella.

I walked into the gym and went straight to the men's locker room. I changed out of my scrubs and into a pair of mesh shorts and one of my Harvard t-shirts. I pulled out my iPod, slipping it into my pocket, before I locked my duffel bag up in the locker. I went out to the floor and looked around for a free treadmill. I immediately found one and began walking over toward it.

As I got closer, a figure with long mahogany hair pulled back into a ponytail caught my eye. I froze, turning to my right to see Bella running on one of the treadmills. My heart jumped in my chest. She was running at a decent pace, a fierce expression on her face. God, she's pretty. I sighed. Get a grip, idiot!

I stood there for a moment, debating on whether or not to interrupt her. I knew I should just leave her alone but I couldn't. I couldn't understand why this girl was so hard to stay away from. She wasn't anything unusual, just another patient that came in the ER I worked in. But I knew I was just lying to myself. There was a reason I'd dreamed about her. A reason I couldn't seem to stay away from her. A reason why her touch sent sparks flying through my body and why I couldn't stop thinking about her.

After standing there for God knows how long, looking like a total idiot, I finally decided to walk over to her and talk to her.

I can just ask her how her hand is, I reasoned.

"Bella?" I asked. No response. She must not have heard me.

"Bella?" I called again a little louder. Okay...

"Bella?" I said even more loudly. Maybe her iPod is turned all the way up. There were a couple of people eying me now.

I decided to try tapping her lightly on the arm. She turned her head to me and I found myself face to face with her. Her chocolate eyes bore into mine for a split second before recognizing me.

"Holy shit!" she yelled, tripping over her shoe and falling while the treadmill was still in motion.

She banged her head on the console on the way down, collapsing onto the belt. The treadmill shot her backwards, catching her shoelace as she landed on the floor with a thud. I could do nothing but stare.

"Bella! Shit! Are you all right?" I said without thinking, as I reached over to turn off the treadmill. I bent down to help untangle her shoelace. "You weren't lying when you said you were clumsy, were you?"

Her face, already flushed with exertion, turned beet red. "No. Why didn't you just call my name?"

Are you kidding me? "I did. I said your name three times but you must not have heard me. I'm sorry to have scared you," I said feeling like a total moron, unable to get the shoelace untangled.

"Oh. I must've been lost in thought," she said in wonder. Uh, you think? I laughed.

I finally unraveled the shoelace and decided to help her up. "I'll help you up," I said, holding my hands out toward her.

I gently grabbed her arms, feeling the heat surge through them again. Fuck, what is that? I was close enough to her I could smell her. It was intoxicating.

"Let me see you," I murmured as I began meticulously examining her head and injured hand, my fingers tingling from the contact with her skin. "Is your ankle alright?"

"Yes, it's fine. Thank you." My gaze swept over her face.

I seemed to be frozen, watching her eyes darken with emotion, sending a flash of heat through my body. I realized I was holding her hands, our fingers intertwined. My hands were hot, sparks flying up my arms from touching her.

She's still a patient, Edward, I thought ruefully and abruptly dropped her hands. They felt cold and dead without hers.

"I'm sorry," I said again. "I just wanted to see how your hand was healing up."

"It's okay. The hand's healing up well, thank you." I wonder if she'd go out with me this weekend.

"Good. Well...um...Bella, I was wondering..."

"Bella!" The little pixie from the hospital was making her way over to us, a yoga mat under her arm. "Are you all right? I saw you fall..." She trailed off as she recognized me. "Dr. Cullen, right?" She was looking pleased with herself for some reason.

Has she been talking about me? I snuck a glance at Bella before answering. She seemed extremely uncomfortable. "Yeah, Edward, please."

"Hi, Edward. I'm Alice, Bella's friend. It's nice to meet you." She said eyeing the two of us. "Bella, I'm going to take a shower and go. I'll talk to you later." She looked at Bella pointedly before walking away.

Bella watched Alice leave and laughed once before turning back to me. "So, come here often?"

I laughed. Who says that? I decided to play along. "But I've never seen you here before."

"No, I don't work out much. Too dangerous. Obviously," she said, motioning to the treadmill. "Alice wanted to get in shape and asked me to help keep her motivated. But I think I'll stick with something safer from now on."

"And what will you do instead?" What could possibly be a safe option for someone like you?

"Oh, I don't know. Yoga maybe." My eyebrows shot up.

I could imagine Bella's beautiful body twisting around itself. My stomach trembled with the thought and I smiled. It could be something we could try some day. You're getting ahead of yourself, Edward. She was still speaking.

"I mean, yes, I can still fall, but at least it will be on a mat. I've always liked yoga." she shrugged, seemingly confused again.

"Well, you could have done yoga with your friend, but instead chose the treadmill. Is there a particular reason?" I mean, I know why I was going to run myself ragged.

"I had some things to work out in my head. I thought maybe running until my lungs burned would clear them out." God, I hope the reason is me. "I don't know, it was probably stupid." She looked down again.

I didn't resist the urge this time to pull her face back up so I could see her clearly. "No, not stupid. I know exactly what you mean." Our eyes held for a moment, passing something between us.

Damn it, Edward. Still a patient. I dropped my hand and looked at an empty treadmill. I was going to have to run like hell tonight. "Well, I guess I'll see you Wednesday."

"Yeah, okay. Wednesday." She seemed as disappointed as I was.

"Bye, Bella," I said smiling crookedly again before I walked to the treadmill.

I left the gym still just as confused as before. I was going to have to get a grip on my feelings for Bella soon before they consumed me. But would that be such a bad thing?

"Damn," I sighed. I raced down my street and pulled into the driveway. I sat for a moment and stared at the house I had found a few months ago. The moment I saw it, I felt that same feeling I had felt when I arrived in Seattle the first time. I was home.

I took a quick shower and decided I needed to talk to someone about Bella. I started to dial Carlisle, then changed my mind. I didn't want Esme to know of anything yet. If she knew I had feelings for someone she'd be planning my wedding before I even got a chance to ask Bella out. I decided to call Emmett instead. He and Rosalie had been together since they were sixteen. They had an extremely passionate relationship. If anyone could help me sort out my feelings for Bella, it was him.

I pushed the button for their house on my speed dial and listened to the phone ring.

"Hello?" a cool voice answered the phone.

"Hey, Rose! How's my favorite sister-in-law?" Okay, she's my only sister-in-law.

"Edward! How's Seattle? We miss you!" Rose had the reputation of being a bitch until you got to know her.

"Good. Great actually. I miss you guys, too. How are things?" I couldn't wait to see my family again. Hopefully, they would be here for Thanksgiving.

"Good. Busy. You want to talk to Emmett?" She knew I didn't call unless I needed Emmett for something specific.

"Yeah. Thanks." I waited as the phone was shuffled between the two of them.

"Hey, big bro! How's it going on the west coast?" he boomed over the phone. Emmett could never be quiet.

"It's good. Listen, I need to talk to you about something." No use wasting time.

"Sure, man. What's up?"

I drew in a deep breath. Here goes. "Okay. Em, I had this dream last week."

"Ooh, what kind of dream? Sex dream?"

I laughed. "No." I told him about the dream, leaving nothing out.

"Okay, so you had a weird dream. I don't get the problem, man."

"Well, that night I was at work and ." I said it so fast, my words ran together.

Emmett was laughing on the other end. "I'm sorry, it sounded like you said the girl from your dream came in the hospital and you stitched her up."

I was silent.

"Oh, shit! You're not kidding!" His voice was full of surprise.

"Nope."

"So, let me get this straight. You dream up this gorgeous girl only to wake up feeling like your heart's been ripped out of your chest. You freak out, decide to go on with life, only to find her sitting in your ER fourteen hours later?"

"Pretty much, yeah." I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Dude, that is some seriously freaky shit," he said laughing loudly.

"Tell me about it," I muttered. "Here's the thing, Em. I saw her again tonight at the gym and I think I screwed up any chance I have with her."

"What do you mean?" he asked seriously.

"I kind of...well, I knocked her off the treadmill." I cringed, waiting for his response.

"Are you fucking kidding me, dude?" He burst out laughing. I was left on the line for a full five minutes before he recovered. "Damn, you're slick."

I ignored this. "She's coming back to the hospital on Wednesday so I can remove her stitches."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know." I exhaled. "See, here's the thing, Em. I think I really, really like this girl. I can't get her off my mind. And when I touch her, it's like this electric shock shoots through me and makes a beeline for my heart."

"You think she feels that, too?"

"Yeah." At least I was pretty sure she did.

"Then what are you waiting for? Ask her out, you idiot!"

"I really want to, but she's still technically a patient." I could get in big trouble with that one.

He seemed to be thinking about this. "It's just some stitches, right? So when they come out, she'll no longer be needing your services, right?"

Damn, he's right. I was putting way more thought in this than necessary. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Emmett. I owe you."

"No, prob. Hey, while I've got you on the phone there's something I want to tell you."

"Oh, yeah? What is it?"

"Rose and I are trying to have a baby," he said seriously.

Holy shit! Uncle Edward. I grinned widely. "That's awesome, Emmett!" It really was.

"Thanks, bro. You'll be the first to know when it happens."

"Okay. Well, I'll talk to you soon. Tell Rose 'Good luck' for me and that I love her." I couldn't believe it. My wild and crazy little brother wanted to be someone's dad.

"Will do. Love you, man"

"Love you, Em." I snapped the phone shut and grinned. Now, if I could just get Bella to go out with me life would be damn near perfect.