DISCLAIMER: I am not Stephenie Meyer nor did I write Twilight.
Three weeks had passed since the attack at the club. Three weeks since I'd had a breakdown at that guy's house. I hadn't even gotten to thank him. Ever since my mother had left, I'd never trusted men. But I felt a strange yearning, a huge need to be with this guy. As if I couldn't live without him.
"Are you alright Bella?" Angela asked. I looked up at her. I was keeping her company as she waited for her husband, to come home. Her five year old son, Ryan, was running around, giggling, a learning-to-read book clutched in his small fists.
Angela smiled at me happily. She had been my best friend since we were twelve. It was her I'd told about my father abusing me, and it was her that had encouraged me to tell the police. When I did, I'd gotten taken into care and been shifted from care home to care home. It had been an extremely bitter and hard time, but it was finally over. I was the first person Angela had turned to when she discovered that she was pregnant at seventeen. Her parents would have murdered her if they hadn't died of embarrassment; they were strong Christians and didn't want a child to be born out of wedlock. I had been the maid of honour at her wedding. She was my closest friend.
"I'm fine, Ang," I lied. I was far from fine. I couldn't get that man out of my head. 'You don't even know his name. As if he'd look at you twice anyways, you fat ugly whore,' I thought bitterly to myself.
"Mommy!" Ryan cried. He raced over to where we were sitting, his fists still clenched around the book. The book was looking a little out of shape.
"Yes Ryan?" Angela said.
"I love you." He ran off again, to the other end of the room where he sat down and began to finish his dinner: fish fingers and beans. I felt my stomach lurch in disgust at the thought of eating something like that; but young Ryan ate it all down greedily.
The sound of a car pulling up in the driveway was heard, and a few moments later the sound of a door opening and shutting.
"Honey, I'm home!" a deep voice seemed to vibrate all around the house. Angela turned pink as her husband walked through the doorway. Jacob Black. His long black hair was tied back in a ponytail and a cheesy grin was plastered onto his face.
Angela jumped up and ran towards him. He laughed before grabbing her face gently and bending down; planting a gentle, but meaningful, kiss on her lips.
"Daddy!" Ryan cried. He ran over to Jacob, his small feet making pitter patter sounds on the floor. Jacob's deep laugh ran throughout the room again as Ryan attached him Jacob's leg. Jacob bent down and scooped his son up, giving him a hug. I almost smiled at this happy family scene.
"Bella! Good to see you again!" Jacob grinned as he spotted me. He put Ryan down and came over; squashing me in a hug so tight I couldn't breathe.
"Jake! Can't! Breath!" I gasped. He chuckled and put my feet back on the ground. Jacob was one of the few males that I trusted. Every since Charlie...I was always suspicious of males. It seemed paranoid and stupid, I knew that, but I couldn't help it. Every time you go through a bad experience, you tend to be wary of it cropping up again in the future.
"Nice to see you again! You gonna stay for dinner, let us get caught up?" Jake asked. My stomach lurched again at the thought of eating. 'Do you want to get even fatter, you cow?' the voice inside my head hissed. I shook my head vigorously, trying to shake the voice away.
"I'm fine thanks, Jacob. I should probably be heading back. Thanks," I mumbled. He stared at me, worriedly. Irritated, I pushed past him, towards the door. I could hear whispers behind me, Jacob's and Angela's, as I grabbed my coat hanging up from a hook on the wall. Just as I had my hand on the doorknob, Angela came out of the living room.
"Bella? Is something wrong?"
I looked up at her. I felt tired; physically and emotionally. I was fed up of people pitying me, worry about me. But when I looked up at Angela, I saw something. I saw my best friend, twelve years old again, not a young woman who seemed almost foreign to me. This was Angela. We told each other everything. We'd looked out for one another since we both started school together. I suddenly realised how much I'd been over-reacting for years. I was twenty years old and still didn't have a place of my own because I'd been too scared to apply for an apartment in case if it was a guy showing me around!
"Yes, Ang. There is something wrong," I almost whispered. I knew Angela could hear me. I opened the door, and left.
"Here's your coffee, miss," a woman's voice interrupted me. I looked up from my book, Wuthering Heights, to see a slightly obese woman with many laugh lines around her eyes holding a cup of coffee. I smiled and took it from her. She smiled back and walked off behind the counter to serve another customer. I was soon lost again in my book, occasionally stopping to sip coffee.
"Mind if I join you?," a familiar voice asked. Frowning, I looked up. My eyes widened when I realised I was looking at the guy who had saved me, that night three weeks ago.
"N-not at a-all," I stuttered. My heart was all fluttery. 'What's going on?' I wondered. This had never happened to me before. The man smiled at me.
"How are you doing? Bella, isn't it?" the man spoke again. His voice was even softer than I'd last remembered.
"Y-yes, it's Bella. I'm doing fine, I sup-pose. How are you doing? Who are you?" I stuttered. What was wrong with me? The man chuckled lightly. I immediately loved the sound, and wished he could do it again.
"Of course, how rude of me. I'm Edward Cullen. Nice to meet you properly this time," he extended his hand to shake. Shyly, I stuck my hand out and placed it in his. I suddenly felt warm from head to toe, holding his hand. I never wanted to let go.
"Hello? Earth to Bella?" Edward said. I snapped out of my daydreams and realised I was still holding his hand.
"Sorry!" I blushed deep red and Edward chuckled again; louder and for longer this time. His emerald eyes were twinkling with amusement. I let go of his hand, instantly missing the warmth of it. 'What is with you today Bella? Snap out of this!' I thought.
"No problem," he smiled, putting his hand under the table. The silence between us was awkward.
"So. What are you up to?" I asked.
"I'm just waiting for a friend," Edward replied, smiling. He leaned over the table to read the title of my book. "Wuthering Heights? Really?" he said sceptically.
"Yes," I replied defensively, hiding my book as if trying to shield it from him. "What's wrong with it?
"Oh, nothing, but, what are you doing reading an old novel like that for?" Edward looked like he was trying not to laugh at my book. For some odd reason that made me furious.
"It's a classic. Although I doubt you even know what that is. The longest thing you've ever read is probably a Playboy magazine," I retorted tartly. Angrily, I threw down some money, grabbed my stuff and left, leaving Edward Cullen looking gobsmacked.
EPOV
I was passing by the coffee house as normal, ready to get a coffee-to-go, when I noticed someone familiar sitting in a booth. I stared at her for a few moments before I realised that it was Bella.
'I wonder what she's doing here,' I thought. Butterflies were fluttering around in my stomach at the sight of her; her feet discreetly put up on the seat opposite her, her nose buried down in a book, coffee sitting beside her. I noticed that she'd gained a bit more weight than when I'd last seen her.
The last time we'd met, I'd almost been able to see the bones sticking out of her ribcages through her t-shirt. Now, she was looking better. She had slight curves over her hips, and her t-shirt wasn't as baggy on her. Gathering my courage, I walked inside the coffee shop and casually went over to join her. Not that she even noticed my approach.
"Mind if I join you?" I asked smoothly. She looked up, startled.
"N-not at a-all," she stuttered. I had to bite my tongue from sniggering. Had she never talked to a man before or something? Such a beautiful creature like her; that thought seemed impossible. Yet, she seemed to pure, so innocent.
"How are you doing? Bella, isn't it?" I asked casually, making it seem as if I wasn't some crazy stalker dude who knew her name even though she'd never told me it before.
"Y-yes, it's Bella. I'm doing fine, I sup-pose. How are you doing? Who are you?" Again with the stuttering. I chuckled at the cuteness of it. 'You idiot Edward, she doesn't know your name. You've never introduced yourself!' I realised. I mentally hit myself on the forehead.
"Of course, how rude of me. I'm Edward Cullen. Nice to meet you properly this time," I introduced myself, extending my hand for her to shake. When her small hand slipped into mine, I felt strangely happy. I wanted to hold onto her hand and never let go. Apparently, I wasn't the only one. Bella was looking like she was away with the fairies, still holding my hand.
"Hello? Earth to Bella?" I said jokily, trying to get her attention. She snapped back to reality, her face turning a dark red. I laughed again, louder this time. She let go of my hand and I felt disappointed.
"No problem." I hid my hand under the table and fell silent. It was awkward and was about to break it with some friendly chatter, but Bella beat me to it.
"So. What are you up to?"
"I'm just waiting for a friend," I replied with a smile. I leaned over the table to read the title of the book which Bella was reading. "Wuthering Heights? Really?" I asked sceptically.
"Yes. What's wrong with it?" Bella asked, sounding defensive. She moved her book into the crook of her arm as if trying to shield her book from me.
"Oh, nothing, but, what are you doing reading an old novel like that for?" I asked. I couldn't see why she'd want to read something as boring as a book like that. It was long and went on for pages about what seemed like nothing.
"It's a classic. Although I doubt you even know what that is. The longest thing you've ever read is probably a Playboy magazine," Bella retorted. I stared at her, gobsmacked, as she packed up and left. What had I said?
"Drama queen," I muttered under my breath.
"Hope you ain't callin me a drama queen," a voice boomed behind me. I turned in my seat to see my best mate, Emmett, standing behind me, looking extremely out of place. His hair was cut to a short buzz, and his muscles were sticking out thickly. I grinned as I stood up.
"Emmett! It's been too long!" I cried. Emmett grinned and punched my shoulder, making me stumble backwards a few inches.
"Ooops, sorry mate. Forgot how weak you are," he continued to grin as I glared at him.
"I'm not weak."
"Sure you're not! Now, who's a drama queen?" Emmett asked. I breathed out and sat back down and told him about Bella and how she'd stormed out of here in a huge strop.
"I wonder why," I finished, my mind starting to float elsewhere.
"Heh, who cares me? She's a chick. They always do things like this. Now, where's the nearest bar?" I rolled my eyes. This was going to be an eventful day.
AN: OK, so, I know this chapter is probably really confusing, but I'm writing it after 1 am for me so my brain isn't working too well.
I'm gonna try and speed the story up a bit.
Please review guys. The more reviews I get the more I wanna write.
Enjoy.