Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own the same car as Edward drives in New Moon & Eclipse. (The color of mine is what I call Edward Cullen Bronze) Oh, and I do own this story :)

On a serious note...a FF friend Mon Amour is having some personal health issues. I would appreciate it if you would keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks for doing it...it means a lot to both of us.

So with further delay...


Chapter 4- Beautiful Bella

EPOV –

Today was her birthday. I wondered what her friends had planned and if she was enjoying herself.

My mind had been continually racing with thoughts of her since I first laid eyes on her: immense brown doe-like eyes, long silky chestnut hair, exquisite plump cherry lips, and beautiful porcelain skin. Every time I saw her she was happy, exuding a zest for life with that unforgettable smile. I chose to spend much more time than necessary at Uncommon Grounds so that I could watch her and feed off the energy she radiated. Her energy did more for me than my daily jolt of caffeine, and the days when she wasn't working just seemed to drag on forever.

Her name is Bella. I have overheard other customers address her by that name. Once I heard it, all I could think of was how her name fit her perfectly. Bella…Beautiful.

Every day when I arrived, I was tempted to introduce myself to her but my insecurities kept me from doing so. I was sure she had a boyfriend. She probably was constantly being asked out by guys who were regularly coming in for their "coffee fix". I'm sure I was not the only guy who stopped by regularly for that "fix".

I looked at the clock and noticed that it was almost noon. I decided to take a run to try to get my mind off of her. I knew it wouldn't be fair for me to pursue her with my crazy travel schedule. I was only in town until Monday night and then off to London again for a month.

Even though the goal of my run was to clear my mind, it did the complete opposite. I found myself looking at every woman with brown hair hoping to see that it might be her. My mind constantly drifted back to wondering what she was doing and who she was with. Was she enjoying herself? Was the special someone in her life making it memorable? I wanted her to have a magnificent day as long as it wasn't with a special someone.

I looked up and noticed that I had made my way all the way to the Chicago Yacht Club from Lincoln Park while making my way along the lakefront path. Instead of helping, the run was actually frustrating me more. It was at that point I decided to do something special for Bella hoping that it would help my frustration level. My plan was to do it without her knowing, hoping that she would realize she had a secret admirer who was interested in her. After making that decision, I decided to turn around and head back to Emmett's place to get ready for the evening.

I spent eighty percent of my time somewhere other than Chicago, so it didn't make sense for me to own or rent a place here. I normally bunked up at my parent's house when I was in town, but this time I decided to stay with my brother. When I am in Chicago, I use the time to refuel myself. My life as a partner working for Cullen Masen Holdings, a venture capitalist firm with investments throughout the world, sounded exciting to most, but it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I had been working with my Uncle Ed since I graduated from the University of Chicago law school. Initially I found the travel to be exciting, but lately I kept feeling like I wanted to settle down and stay in one place.

Emmett had been the beneficiary of my work with Uncle Ed. His network of bars and clubs throughout the city were evidence of that. I was able to convince our uncle, that even though Emmett seemed like a big goof ball, he had a good head on his shoulders; with our backing, he would turn his love of the nightlife into something huge. This resulted in profits for us.

When it came to my brothers, I always seemed to be the odd man out amongst the three of us. Even though Jasper and I shared the love of music, I preferred to play for my own enjoyment, using my music as a way to escape or calm my nerves. He thrived on the adrenaline and excitement of performing live in front of others.

Just as I started stretching after my run, I received a text from Emmett.

Hey, Eddie…Big news…U2 doing set 2 nite Metro...make sure u stop by.

I was shocked, to say the least. Emmett had just recently started to book the acts. With our help he was able to recently buy out the partner he had at Metro. Bob was the one who had the connections in the industry, so I was pleasantly surprised. As much as I loved what I did, it was times like that that I really regretted not being around more so that I could see my little brother show the world his talent.

Emmett knew I had promised to have dinner with my parents in the evening. Our reservation was for seven o'clock and knew I could probably be out by nine. That would have left me time to get to Metro to catch the end of Jasper's set, and then I could stick around to see U2.

My Parents, Esme and Carlisle, and I arrived at the Metropolitan Club fifteen minutes early, so we decided to head into the bar to get a drink. Just after we received our drinks from the bartender, my father recognized that Aro and Jane Volturi had just arrived. My parents and the Volturi's go way back. They had all grown up together in Bridgeport. Aro and my father attended the local catholic boy's high school together.

The Volturi's were very influential residents of the city. Aro was a prominent and respected member of the Chicago city council. He represented the ward in which the hospital, Northwestern Memorial, was located where my father was Chief of Staff. Which was in the midst of a huge renovation. It was because of this that Carlisle always felt obligated to socialize with them, at least for a while.

Jane and Esme both served on numerous charitable boards; my mother actually participated and did things, while Jane just was on them for show.

As in typical Volturi fashion, Aro and Jane gushed about their son, James, whom I couldn't stand. James and I grew up together. James tried to turn everything between us into a competition; whether it was sports, school or girls, he always had to try to one up me. He was a little fucker who still to this day used daddy for everything he had. He's never worked an honest day in his life.

"So Edward, are you still working for your Uncle?" Jane asked with a condescending tone.

"Yes, I am working with my Uncle Ed. Actually, we are partners now," I responded with a smirk on my face "So, what actually is it that James is doing these days?" I was curious to see if he had actually found a real job.

"He's following in my footsteps. He decided he wants to go into politics." Aro's eyes were gleaming with pride. He continued. "So, he's working as my chief of staff. He needs a few more months and then he will be ready to take over my seat on the City Council." His confidence in James' future in politics was clearly evident.

"Maybe you haven't heard yet Edward," Carlisle started with some trepidation, "Aro announced his run for Mayor a few weeks ago while you were out of town."

"No, I hadn't heard that. Congratulations and good luck," I said, hoping that the look on my face didn't reflect what I was truly thinking. He being Mayor would make this city even more corrupt than it already was.

Once they finally left, my parents and I were escorted to our table to enjoy our dinner. By the time we were done eating, it was already past ten. I knew I had missed catching Jasper's set and if I was going to have any chance of catching U2, I needed to make a quick exit. I did just that, but before I left, I made sure I gave my mother a quick kiss on her check.

"Edward, don't be a stranger. Your mother and I miss you." Carlisle appealed lovingly with his eyes, while giving me a firm hand shake.

"I miss you too. I promise to find a way to come back to Chicago more often so that we can spend more time together. "

~o0o~

When the cab pulled up in front of Metro, I was not surprised to see the line of people trying to get in all the way down the block. I figured that between Twitter and Facebook, word had gotten around town. With the way technology is, it's almost impossible to keep anything low key or a secret anymore.

I quickly made my way to the front door and was greeted by Seth. He let me pass the rope and told me I would be able to find Emmett and Jasper backstage. He then added that the show would start in about fifteen minutes.

Once inside, it was hard to move. I had never seen the place so packed, but with U2 being there I was not surprised. I just hoped most of them came to see Jasper and the guys in his band. They were awesome; they just hadn't gotten their big break yet.

I finally made my way over to the bar. Bob, one of the bartenders I know, saw me and motioned to the taps to confirm I wanted my regular. I nodded, since I couldn't even hear myself with the shear excitement in the place.

Bob returned quickly with my Blue Moon. He gestured in the direction of the backstage hallway to tell me I would find Emmett and Jasper back there. I thanked him for the drink and for leading me to Emmett and Jasper. Before leaving I made sure to throw a twenty dollar bill on the bar as a tip. I know I didn't need to pay for my drinks, but I was more than thankful that he had taken care of me. He was working his ass off that night and I wanted to show my appreciation.

Just as I got inside the stage door, Emmett was stepping to the center of the stage to make the introduction of U2. I realized that I was going to have to stay where I was until the set was over. I would then catch up with Emmett and Jasper once the show was done.

Bono started the set thanking everyone for coming out to see them, and to also help celebrate a special someone's birthday. I thought to myself that there was no way it could be, but when he said Bella's name, I knew I had to find her. I frantically looked around the club to see if I could see her. I knew it was going to be hard because there were so many people there, and she was a rather petite thing. As I scanned back to Bono, I noticed him turn his head and he winked to the other side of the stage.

My eyes follow his, and I was captured almost immediately by her dazzling brown eyes. She looked more beautiful than I remembered. She was smiling and looked carefree; surely she was enjoying herself.

The more I looked at her, the more I felt my body reacting to the excitement of seeing her. I reluctantly found myself adjusting my pants. I slowly removed my eyes from her to see who else she was with. My heart almost stopped and my arousal subsided when I noticed someone beginning to weave their hands around her waist and lean down to kiss her on her cheek. I slowly let my eyes wander to see if I could see whose hands they were. When my eyes met his and I saw the smirk on his face, I could feel my eyes bug out of my head and my heart start to race.

What the hell was he doing here, and why the fuck did he have his hands and lips on her? He wasn't her boyfriend, was he?


So what do you think about what Edward had to say? Please leave a review and let me know...Also, all those that review will get a teaser if I am not posting that day.

A/N:A huge thanks go out to all of you that have reviewed so far... I hit 100 reviews today...Hearing your views about my story are very inspiring...I am completely humbled.

Thanks to mommakal for her awesome beta skills...trust me without her you would all be wondering if english was my first language. Thanks to basketgirl, tg10781 & NJNYTwigal-H for pre-reading... you guys mean the world to me :)

Thanks to all of you who are reading and have put me on alerts & favorites...I never thought my story would have so many followers... All of you have made this well worth the effort...