A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my wonderful reviewers, Grassy Leaves and xmidnightlullaby. If you want your name up here, leave me a review!

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Edward's POV

I parked my car in the lot outside my new apartment building. I allowed myself to take in a deep breath of cool, refreshing air. Even though by body had no need for oxygen, it was definitely a plus to have my sense of smell back again. We relied mostly on our sense of smell to find our way around, especially when we had just moved somewhere and needed to look like we fit in.

I climbed into the elevator and stood, impatiently waiting for it to rise to the fourth floor, where there was a phone I could use to call Carlisle. He would know what was going on, why the human girl's blood appealed more to me than any other creature's. There was another human in the elevator with me, a female who watched me appraisingly. I listened to her thoughts for a few moments, but they were boring, nothing original. Ooh, a new hottie, she thought. It wasn't an uncommon response to seeing a vampire. We were all more beautiful than humans. It helped to lure our prey, as did our scents and our musical voices. He's going up to the same floor as me… Maybe Bella has seen him before. She could introduce us.

Bella? Wasn't that the name of the girl from the office? Isabella Swan? How could I control myself if I had to see her not only at work, but at home too? But she couldn't be here. Impossible. Manhattan was too large a city. It must be a different Bella.

I tried to distract myself from the unnerving idea that she was here, living in the same building as me. I studied my neighbor's features carefully. She was of average height, maybe five foot four, with light brown hair and green eyes, almost the same color mine had been before I was changed. Oh. My. God! He's looking at me! Oops. The girl had obviously interpreted my stares the wrong way.

Thankfully, the elevator doors opened then, relieving me from having to say anything to her. My relief was short-lived, though, for as soon as I stepped out into the hall, a terrifyingly familiar scent filled my nostrils. Oh no, oh no, oh no, I thought in a panic.

Though I had stopped breathing the second I smelled it, the scent of her blood brought back all the impulses from a few hours ago. Nothing I had told myself in the car mattered anymore. I would have to follow the girl to Bella's apartment – she must have meant the same Bella, under the circumstances. I would ask Bella to come out into the hallway. She would follow me outside when I asked her to go for a walk.

No. I had to control myself. I would go to my apartment, call Carlisle, and get a new apartment. And a new job. I watched the girl walk to the door next to mine and fumble with her purse. "Oh, shoot," she muttered. Then the knocked on the door, pretty loudly, even for someone without my supersonic hearing. "Bella? Bella, can you hear me? I forgot my keys! Can you let me in, Bella?" She tapped her foot impatiently while she waited. I tried to unlock my door as quickly as I could while still appearing human, but it wasn't fast enough.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," said a tired voice from inside. I was going to rush inside without seeing her, but I couldn't help myself. I heard her footsteps approaching, and a second later the lock clicked and the door swung open. Her face appeared, framed by the door. "Well, come on in, Jess, what are you waiting for?" Then she saw what Jessica was staring at. Her eyes followed the path of the other girl's and when she saw me, she jumped a little, and motioned for Jessica to follow her inside.

"What?" said her friend, not comprehending. "Hey, Bella, do you know this guy or something?" Bella's face flushed again, and I looked away. My expression must have looked disgusted. I was – with myself, with the creature I had tried so hard not to be.

"Come on, Jess," she hissed, and yanked her friend's arm to get her moving. Her friend followed her, but not without first shooting a curious glance in my direction. I stood there for a minute, motionless, and then I rushed into my own apartment, shut the door, and leaned against it. I was breathing heavily, and my heart should have been beating wildly. Of course, it wasn't beating at all. It was cold and still, the way it had been since Carlisle changed me, when I was twenty-two. So many years ago now, but I could still remember the way it felt when my heart beat faster and my face got warm.

But why should I feel that way now? It was just a silly human girl. So her blood happened to smell nice. Okay, very nice. But that didn't mean I had to get all worked up over it. No human was going to chase me away. And I wasn't going to go crying to Carlisle, either. I was going to face up to the challenge. She couldn't possibly smell as inviting as I imagined. My memory was just playing tricks on me. Mean tricks.

Just then, I heard someone's voice in the background. "No. Way." It was that girl, Jessica, and she was talking loudly, even by human standards. "He works with you?" The words could have been poisonous daggers, the way they sounded. I grinned at that image, the girl standing there with knives flying out of her mouth. Her thoughts weren't much kinder, although she and Bella were obviously close friends. Great. The one guy I could have a shot with, and Bella's going to ruin it. At least I have Mike…I found myself wishing I knew who Mike was. Since when did I care about the petty affairs of humans, if not only to stay inconspicuous?

"Geez, Jess, could you be any more supportive?" I guess I wasn't the only one to notice Jessica's unfriendly attitude when it came to competition. I felt kind of guilty for eavesdropping on them – they obviously meant it to be a private conversation – but I reasoned with myself that I had to listen in, had to hear just how much this strange girl had noticed, since I couldn't simply listen to her thoughts as I did with most everyone else.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, its just…" Jessica's voice trailed off. She obviously didn't really want to finish the sentence – out loud, at least. It's just you're supposed to like geeks, not hot guys! This is supposed to be MY territory!

"I don't seem the type to go for a guy just because he's hot?" Bella sounded amused. "I didn't think so either. But Edward… he's just… well, you know…" Now Bella was the one leaving sentences unfinished. I ran over the last few seconds of the conversation in my mind. Did Bella think I was hot? For some reason, I hoped so. "Well, you can have him," continued Bella, a bit wistfully. "I don't think he likes me much. Did you see the way he was glaring at me in the hall?" My heart fell. Why, why, why was I reacting like this? She was just a girl! No reason to get worked up, I told myself. No reason to get worked up.

"Oh. That's too bad," said Jessica. Yes! This is all working out perfectly. For me, that is. "Well, good night, Bella." Her thoughts were going wild, and I chose this moment to stop listening in. Mostly.

"Good night, Jess," said Bella. How happy I was just to hear three little words! But that couldn't be right. I couldn't even smell her from here. Why was I happy to have any form of contact? Though I didn't want to admit it to myself, partly because it was embarassing and partly because I knew it was true, I knew why I was so happy.

I knew she was a human, but it didn't matter anymore. Her scent was only part – a very, very important part – of the problem. Did Carlisle and Esme feel this way? Did Alice and Jasper? Somehow, I doubted they did. It must be a different feeling entirely for them.

Because this feeling was so rough, so strong, it threatened to overcome every feeling I had. I barely remembered the look of the other girl's face or the sound of her voice. I had forgotten why it mattered to me that I could not hear Bella's thoughts. I couldn't recall why I had thought it so important to call Carlisle

I was in love with her. I loved her, and nothing else mattered anymore.

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A/N: Ooh, things are starting to get interesting! I'll try to get the next chapter posted by tomorrow. Reviews, anyone? If you didn't like it, tell me why and I'll try to make it better! People who review get their names at the top of the next chapter! :)