These characters belong to Stephanie Meyer, major plot points belong to Becca Fitzpatrick, the rest? All me :)
I felt felt a breeze go by my face just before the large carry-on bag slapped me in the face.
"Stop day dreaming, Swan. You're going to the cabin in 2 days! And you haven't even started packing yet," Alice screeched in my ear.
I pushed her away from me and huffed.
"Fucking hell, Alice! If I have a bruise next week I'm going to kill you." I growled while shoving some underwear into the bag.
I could practically hear her roll her eyes. "No one will even see you so it's fine."
"Exactly. So I could go naked if I wanted and no one would see."
I reasoned.
Alice swiped the bag out of my hands dumping out what I had shoved in there. She went into my closet and I suspected I wouldn't see her for a while.
"I've change my mind," she yells from inside. "You do need to look your best because anything could happen! I mean think about it, a hot horny stranger could decide to knock on your door and you want to have hot stranger sex? You couldn't do that in your baggy jeans and sweatshirts." Alice reasoned.
I sat down on my bed chuckling. "So every time I answer the door, I should be in skimpy clothes? What happens if I order pizza?"
Alice peaked her head out from the closet. "Remember that time I accidentally walked in on you and Jake having sex?"
"Yeah. 'Accidentally." I said using my fingers as quotation marks.
"Well," she said slowly, "Let's just say that I'm positive his little cream stick wasn't getting the job done."
I sputtered, "His cream stick Where the fuck do you get these names, Alice?"
She puts her hands on her hips, lifting a defiant eyebrow, "Not the point. I'm just saying that you should expirence what sex is like...with a real Cocktapus." She said winking.
"So you're saying...that you want me to find that with a random pizza delivery man in a cabin in the middle of nowhere?" I deadpanned.
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
I rolled my eyes and started making a checklist of all the things I needed to bring with me. I was going to be gone for a week and a half. All by myself, in the middle of the woods. Most would say that's a crazy idea, but I seriously need a break where I don't have to speak to or hear anyone.
"Bella I think this trip will be good for you," Alice said quietly. It was as if she was reading my mind. She sat down next to me making the bed shake. "You've been...very stagnant lately. And by lately, I mean the last two years." She squeezed my hand, "I feel like such a shitty friend you know?"
I looked at her incredulously. "What the hell are you talking about? I brought this onto myself." I said shaking my head. "I stayed with Jacob for way too long and I was eventually going through the motions. Between him and my awful job, I was just drained and...I just really need a break." I sighed.
Alice's lip trembled and I knew the water works were on the way.
"But Bella!" She cried, "I'm your best friend! I'm supposed to have intuition about bad boyfriends!"
I rolled my eyes, "Maybe, but it's my job to leave said boyfriend after the initial discovery of his indiscretions."
She rested her head on my shoulder. "I still feel partly to blame. Giving you the cabin is about 75% an 'I'm sorry' gift."
"What's the other 25%?" I ask.
"We need to get you laid."
(...)
"You have your pepper spray?"
"Yup."
"Extra food on TOP of the extra food you already have?"
"Yep."
"Fire wood?"
"Charlie, I'm going to be surrounded by trees." I sighed, while grabbing my shoes out of the closet and getting dressed for a run around the park.
"Okay, do you have an axe then?"
"No Dad, Alice said I shouldn't be trusted with that kind of tool." I said exasperatedly. I had argued her down for a whole 10 minutes before I realized she was probably right and killing myself or someone else wouldn't really help with the whole 'relaxation' thing.
Charlie chuckled, "Yeah that's probably for the best."
"Besides," I said, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge and grabbing my keys, "The cabin has a heater and if that fails then there's a coal burning fireplace and if that fails then there are some portable space heaters, and if that fails...well obviously the universe wants me to freeze to death and there's no point in stopping it." I chuckle.
"Isabella you have the worst sense of humor I've ever heard." He grumbled.
"Yes well, that's my way of trying to get you off the phone. I have to do my weekly jog."
The weekly jog was enacted when I single handily ate the entire Chick Fil-A catering that Alice ordered for my birthday party two years ago. I gained 3 lbs that week and Alice demanded that I work out at least once to week to balance my crappy diet. So I do the bare minimum.
"Oh okay. Well be safe, carry your pepper spray, and don't get kidnapped by any weirdos." He warned.
"Gotcha," I said walking across the street to the park. "I'll call you the day that I leave for Forks, Dad. Until then, be good."
"Ummhmm. Love you, Bells."
I smiled, Dad could be such a softie sometimes. "Love you too, Dad."
I hung up and begun my stretches in the grass. Once I was done, I got onto the walking trail and got lost in my music and the burn of my lungs.
Until I ended up on the ground.
I was disoriented for a few seconds, but finally was able to pull my ear phones out of my ears.
"-didn't see you there! I'm so sorry, I've never run into anyone before and now I've hurt you." A velvety frantic voice said from somewhere in front of me.
"You didn't hurt me," I drawled, "I'm pretty clumsy so really all you have to do to make me fall is ruffle the wind." I chuckled.
A pale hand came out in front of me. "I'm sorry all the same. And you are hurt, you skinned your knees."
I grabbed the man's hand amd stood up trying to ignore the lightning in my hand that followed it.
I looked up at my attacker and tried, and failed to hold in my gasp.
Have you ever seen a beautiful guy? Like, not feminine at all, but just a wonderful specimen of deliciousness? No? Well I just have.
I also took pride that the beautiful guy seemed to be looking at me in a similar fashion.
"Um hi." I mumbled.
"Hi," he said with a crooked grin. "I'm really sorry about that." He said sheepishly.
"It's fine I promise. I'm lucky all I got out of it were some skinned knees."
"Yeah..." He trailed off, staring intensely into my eyes.
I put my hand out, "I'm Bella," I said hoping to ease some of the tension.
His large hand grasped mine and my mind went straight into the gutter.
I wonder if he knows how to use those hands?
"Bella. Beautiful," Que blush. "I'm Edward."
Old fashioned, I like it.
I told him that.
He shrugged self consciously, "I've never really liked it. I was kind of stuck with it."
"Well I think it's perfect."
Really Bella? Perfect? You've just met this man and you're already telling him he's perfect.
A light shade of pink dusted his cheeks. "Thank you. I could say the same about you."
He took a deep breath.
"I know this is incredibly forward considering we've just met...but I would really like to see you after we leave today. Do you think you would maybe like to get some coffee sometime?"
"I-," I started.
"No pressure! I know this is kind of weird, I just think you're really beautiful and it would be dumb to never talk to you again." He prattled.
I smiled softly, "I was just going to say that I'm going to be out of town for the next couple of weeks. I'm leaving leaving in a few days. Anytime after that would be perfect."
He looked embarrassed at his rant, but he smiled anyway. "That's great. I'm actually going out of town too, a work trip. We should...um...exchange numbers. You know...so we can make plans."
He said sheepishly. I just chuckled and grabbed his phone out of his hand to put my number in it.
"I've got to go, I have a lot of stuff to pack," I said handing him his phone back, "But text me so we can have that coffee."
Edward's crooked grin spread far and wide.
As I walk away I turned back and caled his name.
"Edward?"
"Yeah?"
"I think you're beautiful too," I winked.
His startled laugh was worth the bright shade of fuschia I turned.
(...)
"Call me if you need anything," Alice said, her voice muffled by my thick jacket as she hugged me tightly. She pulled her head away. "Actually don't, there's no cell service over there so just find the nearest payphone."
I squeezed her back, "I won't need anything, Ali."
"You never know when you might get laid. And when you do, I want to be the first to know."
I pulled away laughing.
"I'm not getting laid in the middle of the woods!"
She rolled her eyes as I climbed into my truck, "Whatever. Drive safe. Arrive alive. Don't forget to start the furnace. Get some dick...and get some sleep too, you look like you could use it."
I drove away with a salut.
With my middle finger.
...
The drive to Forks was long and boring. It probably would have been a lot better had I not been driving, because then I could have at least enjoyed the scenery.
My sigh of relief when I made the turn onto the driveway of the cabin, was loud.
I turned off my truck and grabbed my bags from the bed.
I looked up and sighed, I really hoped this 'vacation' could be what I needed to get my life back on track.
