Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine...no matter how much I pray.


Bella's Point of View

"Bella." I turned away from him as I said my name. I shouldn't have even gave him that much information. He was a stranger for crying out loud! So why did I feel such a connection to this stranger?

"Wait!" He called from behind me. "Where are you going?" He said as me met me at the front door of the shop.

"Um...to meet up with my friends?" Why did he care where I was headed? With a girlfriend like his, I was sure I held no interest for him.

"Can I walk you?" He asked. Well that was a shocker.

"Sure, I suppose. Although, I think I can manage not getting lost. What's your name?"

"Edward." He said in a small voice. Edward was a good name. Noble, truth worthy.

I remembered the blond headed girl, who I assumed was his girlfriend, and wondered where she went.

"Where did your girlfriend head off too?" I questioned.

Edward didn't look to happy to be talking about this subject, but he answered me. "She's not my girlfriend." He stated. "She went off into another store I think."

"You're not going to check on her? I mean, it is cold."

"She'll be ok. She's Tanya...she has her ways." And from the sound of his voice, I knew the topic of Tanya, was over.

As we started walking around the crowded streets of Port Angeles, I noticed for the first time since I'd arrived in Washington, that people weren't stairing. It was nice.

"What brings you to Port Angeles?" Edward asked as we passed a clothing boutique.

"A girl from school invited me, so I tagged along. You?" I found that it was comfortable talking to Edward in a way I wasn't sure I could explain.

"I love Port Angeles!" His eyes look cheerful. "The people here don't care for football," he paused, "it gets pretty stressful in Forks."

"You're from Forks?" I asked. Why hadn't I seen him in school?

"Yeah, have you heard of it?"

"I just moved there. From Phoenix." I clarified.

"That's great! So wait....which school do you go to?" He lost the cheer in his eyes with his last question.

"West Forks, why?"

He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Edward?" I asked. "Edward?" I asked again. Still no response. "EDWARD!" I screamed. That seemed to wake him up.

"What? Oh, yeah...sorry. I got lost in thought." Her explained in a small voice.

"Are you over it now?" I giggled. That seemed to make him happy.

"Yes, I over it." Edward smiled down at me. I'm not sure what happened, but when he was smiling at me, and I was returning that same smile, I felt this strange connection between the two of us. Like, no matter how little I knew about him, I felt deep in my soul that he could be trusted. I felt so alive and free, yet protected and secure. I knew from the depths of my soul, that Edward wouldn't hurt me. In a matter of a few minutes, he had become my friend. Easy to talk to. Funny. Charming. I really liked this guy.

We just stood there, in the cold, with the wind gushing all around us. Although, I felt warm. Warm from the inside out.

"Bella! There you are!" I heard Angela call. I whipped my head around to see her fast approaching me.

"Hey Angela." I said to her once she was standing right next to me. "This is Edward." I gestured toward him with my right hand.

"Hello Angela." Edward was very polite.

"Um...hi." I could tell Angela knew him, or I should say, knew about him.

"So Bella...Lauren and Jessica are waiting for us."

"Oh right." I looked up at Edward. "So, it was nice meeting you Edward." I gave a small smile.

"You too Bella." He looked to Angela, then back at me. "Have fun at your new school." He smiled and turned to walk in the opposite direction.

"That was weird. He didn't even say goodbye." I felt sad that Edward left the way he did.

"OMG! Do you know who that is!" Angela all but took out my left ear. "That's Edward Cullen! OMG!"

"Yeah, I met him at the shop you pointed out. Thanks for that by the way." I raised my bag to show off the books I had just purchased but she wouldn't let me start. "Bella, what did he say to you?"

"Nothing much. We just talked a little why?"

"Well, and I telling you this for your own good. Edward is from East Forks you see,"

"He already told me that." I stated.

"Yes, well you don't seem to grasp the concept. If it gets around school that you were hanging out with him, this could get ugly." Angela was whispering now.

"Angela," I began, trying not to sound like I was talking to a five year old, "I don't care about football. And I sure don't care about what people think of me. Besides, you won't tell anyone will you?"

"No, I wouldn't. You have my word." She pretended to zip tie her lips shut. "We have to hurry to the coffee shop, Lauren and Jessica are waiting for us."