I am SO SO SO SO SO SORRY I haven't updated in over a month. That was never my intentions! Life just got in the way...I am SO SORRY!! I hope no one dropped this story because of it. Several times I tried to sit down and write, but something came up, I'm SORRY!! So here is the next chapter. Thank you tp am anonymous reviewer (maraudergurl2010) for the idea! It was magnificent so I decided to use it. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and i PROMISE to update soon. You have my word!! (And if I break it you can all virtually beat me with a broom! Sounds fun right?)
A Reason to Love the Rain
It had been one week since I had last talked to Edward, I was beginning to think that Alice had scared him off and he was never going to talk to me again. My head was screaming at me that I was being silly and he most likely just busy, but my gut was telling me I had been a fool to even think of the possibility.
With a cumbersome sigh, I scanned the pantry for something to make for breakfast. There wasn't much in the pantry, so I settled on a bowl of cereal. I chewed slowly as I thought about the day ahead of me: nothing. I was in for a day of sheer boredom, looking for something to do while Rose and Alice go out shopping. I am proud to say that I talked myself out of this particular shopping trip.
"Morning Bella!" Alice sang cheerfully as she danced into the kitchen. She's been extra chipper since last week.
"Good morning, Alice," I replied taking another bite of my cereal.
"Lucky Charms again?" She asked eying my breakfast. I took a big, dramatic bite of my cereal and chewed it slowly, pretending to savor it. Alice's eyes twinkled.
"What are you thinking about Alice?" I wondered out loud. Alice flashed a dazzling smile and motioned for me to lean in. I leaned forward and waited for her to talk.
"You know how Rosalie's birthday is two weeks from next Saturday?" she whispered softly. I nodded my head slowly. Alice smiled, "Well, I was thinking maybe would could have a big blow out masquerade surprise party!" Alice was bouncing up and down excitedly at the thought of a party.
"You can plan that in less than three weeks?" I asked. Alice gave me an incredulous look and I immediately felt stupid for thinking otherwise. Alice would be planning the party. Alice could plan the entire New Years Eve party in Times Square in three weeks. "Well?" Alice asked when I wasn't answering because I was lost in thought.
"It sounds great!" I smiled. "Rose will totally love it! Well….when she arrives. She'll be in a bad mood until then though, you know how she gets if you forget her birthday…."
Alice laughed. "I pity the person who dares to forget Rose's birthday…" Alice trailed off when she heard footsteps coming down the hall. I smiled at Alice and scooped another spoonful of cereal into my mouth.
"Good morning Rose!" Alice greeted Rosalie in the same sing-song voice as she had greeted me. Rosalie smiled at Alice and rolled her eyes.
"Good morning Alice, how much caffeine have you had already?" Rosalie raised her perfectly groomed eyebrows at Alice.
Alice's smile was unfaltering as she answered, "I've had four cups of coffee," she said with a small bounce. I laughed at Alice's answer and shook my head.
"Oh dear lord!" Rosalie exclaimed exaggeratedly. Rosalie's outburst made me pause, my fork hanging in the air en route to my mouth. As I started to laugh again, I dropped my fork and it crashed into my bowl, sending milk and Lucky Charms cascading over the edge of the bowl.
Alice looked over at me and shook her head, making tsking noises. "Alice, you better not be extra hyper while we shop," Rosalie continued. Alice rolled her eyes and I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. "Because the last time you were extremely hyper at the mall, you got us kicked out." Rosalie narrowed her eyes at Alice, who started laughing.
"I remember that!" Alice squealed. "Those security guards didn't like me pretending to be the mannequins. They said I was disturbing other shoppers….." Alice shook her head.
I laughed, "You did what?" I asked, in disbelief, neither of them had told me about this.
Alice turned her wide smiled on me and Rosalie answered the question. "Alice, here, was really hyper because we had gone to Starbucks after lunch. We were shopping at Charlotte Rousse when Alice decided that the mannequins weren't modeling the clothes correctly. Alice stood by the mannequins and posed, showing them how to do it. I swear, she acted like she was drunk….but she was only sugar high." I was laughing so hard I had to hold sides because they hurt with all the laughter.
"And they wouldn't listen either," Alice put in with a sarcastic huff. Rosalie shook her head at Alice and walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. She came back with her purse in hand. She set the purse on the table and sifted through it and pulled out her camera. She turned it on and scanned through the photos.
"That's one picture of Alice posing with the mannequins." Rosalie turned the camera so I could see the picture. I laughed when I saw tiny Alice standing between two tall mannequins. She had her hands on the back of her hips and one leg was out in front of the other and she had a serious-model look on her face. She was standing so anyone could see the entire outfit. The mannequin to the right of her had her arm across her body and the one on her left had both arms leisurely placed in front of her stomach.
"Alice, what made you do that anyway?" I wondered.
"Like Rosalie said, we had Starbucks after lunch and I was really hyper. Well, the way the mannequins were standing, you couldn't see the clothes! So I decided to show them how a real model shows off their clothes." Alice's eyes twinkled with laughter as she talked.
Rosalie rolled her eyes and started walking toward the door. "Come on Alice, we need to go now if we want to get to the mall before it opens." Alice nodded her head and walked followed Rosalie.
"Bye Bella!" Alice chirped. "Have fun today!"
"Bye Bella," Rosalie waved as she walked out the door. I waved after them and watched as the door shut behind them. I quickly finished off the last bite of cereal in my bowl and stood up to take it into the kitchen when the front door opened again.
"I forgot my purse," Alice announced, reaching for her purse on the chair by the door.
"You seem to be doing that a lot lately," I smirked. Alice beamed at me in response.
"Hey, about Rose's party, I think we should have it at Premier in Seattle. It's a nightclub." I nodded my head slowly.
"Alice how long have you been thinking about this?" I asked with curiosity.
Alice shrugged, "About a week, I was waiting for the right time to bring it up." I nodded my head.
"I thin it's a great idea Alice, Rose will definitely love it. But how are we going to pull of the masquerade part without her knowing? Are we just gonna say, 'Here Rose, put this mask on, but don't ask why, it's a secret.'?"
Alice rolled her eyes. "No Bella, just trust me. I have a plan." Of course, I thought, Alice always has a plan. "I got to go," she said, turning toward the door. "If I were you Bella, I would take the advantage of me and Rosalie being gone to shop for Rosalie's birthday present, because I know you haven't bought one yet."
I opened my mouth to protest, and then closed it, because she was right. Alice smiled knowingly at me.
"Bye Bella!" she sang as she walked out the door.
I rinsed out my cereal bowl and put in the dishwasher. I took a long, hot shower and dressed quickly for the day.
Stepping into kitchen, I gathered my keys and purse off of the counter and headed for the door. I was taking Alice's advice and going shopping for Rose's birthday present. I had to find the perfect gift, whatever that might be.
As I walked toward my old '53 Chevy, I glanced up at the sky and noticed that it was cloudy. I hadn't seen the weather report for today, nor had I asked Alice, so I wasn't sure if it was supposed to rain. I hoped that wouldn't.
I climbed clumsily into the cab of my old truck and sighed. My truck was old; it had been a present from my father on my sixteenth birthday. Before it fell into my possession, it had belonged to one of my father's friends. I had never expected it to last four years, but much to my surprise, it was running well. I just hoped it would last until after I finished college.
My many shopping trips with Alice had taught me that Forks had virtually nothing to offer when you were looking for a gift. I didn't feel like going too far, so I decided to take a trip to Port Angeles.
My heart thumped in my chest as I thought about the last time I had been in Port Angeles. I shook my head quickly from side to side. I shouldn't let myself keep thinking about that. It wasn't good.
The drive went fairly quickly, despite the fact that my truck couldn't reach speeds over fifty-five miles an hour. I had kept myself occupied with trying to come up with the perfect gift for Rose.
I pulled my truck into a parking spot near the back of the parking lot, away from the other cars. I quickly cut off the thundering engine, before I could draw unnecessary attention to myself, and climbed out of my truck.
My first stop was a small antique shop. A small bell dinged as I opened the door and it echoed throughout the small store.
"Good morning," a short, elderly woman with long white hair greeted me.
"Hello," I replied with a smile.
"My name is Carol, is there anyway I can help you?" I nodded my head.
"Yes, please. I'm looking for a small fountain miniature." I described to Carol that I wanted a small fountain that would look like a fountain that can be found in a mall.
"Hm," Carol said when I finished telling her what I was looking for her. "I can't say that I've ever had anyone come in her looking for that." My face fell as I saw the window of opportunity close. Carol must have seen it. "Which is why I might have one."
"Really?" I asked in surprise. Carol shrugged and walked toward the back of the store, motioning for me to follow.
"Sure," Carol answered. "I have all kinds of bizarre kick knacks. If you're looking for it, I most likely have it. But if you don't mind my asking, why are you looking for a miniature replica fountain?"
"It's a gift," I informed her. "Well, part of a gift. The miniature is a joke between me and a friend of mine." Carol turned to me and smiled.
"Sounds lovely." She scanned the shelf and I noticed when her smile grew wider. Her long, wrinkled hand reached up to grab something off the top shelf. Her hand shook slightly under the weight of the antique, but she seemed to have a strong hold on the object.
"Is this close to what you are looking for?" She showed me the fountain and I smiled. It was almost identical to the fountain at the mall. It had three layers, the top layer spilled into the second, and the second spilled into the bottom. It appeared to be made out of dark stone, it was perfect.
"Yes, it's perfect," I said. "Thank you." I was amazed at how lucky I had been. I had anticipated searching all over the state of Washington to find this particular gift.
"Is that all you need?" Carol asked. I nodded my head. "Then come to the register and I'll ring you up." I followed Carol to the front of the store where she rang up the fountain and wrapped it in newspaper to keep it from breaking.
"I hope your friend likes her gift," Carol said as she handed me the bag.
"She will. Thank you for all your help," I answered as I took the bag. I said my goodbyes to Carol and walked out of the store. As I stepped out of the shelter of the warm antique shop, rain slapped me in the face, causing me to groan.
"Great," I muttered, "Just what I wanted." I ran quickly to my truck, take pains not to fall. I didn't want to break Rose's gift.
I scrambled quickly into the cab of my truck and slammed the door behind me. I jammed the keys into the ignition and cranked the engine. It fired to life with a thunderous roar.
The rain pelted the windshield, mercilessly as I drove to my next destination. I wasn't sure exactly what else I was going to get Rosalie, so I figured the Port Angeles mall would be a good place to look.
For an hour and a half, I walked around the mall looking for the perfect gift. I went into every store that looked promising, and came up empty.
Frustrated and annoyed, I stalked out of the mall and into the cold rain. I walked quickly to my truck and climbed in.
I sped down the road, letting the needle inch higher and higher on the speedometer. The needle was climbing slowly past sixty, while my truck was groaning in protest. The groaning turned into a high pitched whine and the truck started slowing down. The speed dropped quickly.
I pressed my foot down on the accelerator, but the speed continued to decrease. I angled the wheel of my truck, so that I would be on the side of the road. My truck rolled to a stop, and with one final groan, it died.
"Perfect, just perfect!" I muttered to myself in disbelief. Of all places for my truck to die, it had to be when I was an hour away from home, and Alice and Rosalie were out.
I snatched my purse off of the passenger's seat and dug around for my phone. I flipped it open and hit speed dial number two. I listened as the phone began ringing.
"Hi Bella!" Alice answered.
"Hey Alice. Listen, I'm in Port Angeles and my truck just died…." I cut straight to the chase; I wasn't in the mood to put up with chit chat.
"What? How did it die?" Alice asked, alarmed.
"I don't know, Alice, I'm not a car expert," I replied. "And I can't exactly ask Rose, because she'll want to know why I'm in Port Angeles, and I can't tell her the reason why."
"Right," Alice agreed. "And I'm assuming she can't come to get you…"
"Alice!" I interrupted her before she could say anything that might alert Rose.
"Chill Bella, she's in the dressing room. Anyway, as I was saying, Rose can't come to get you because I'm assuming you've already bought a gift for her."
"Exactly. So what do I do?" I asked.
"I can come get you, but I would have to drop Rose off first. Or you can try and get a taxi…." Alice trailed off.
"I'll figure it out. Have fun shopping Alice. Call me when you get home, if I'm not there already." I didn't want Alice to have to go through all that trouble. Besides, it would take Alice three hours to get here; she was two hours away from home and then another hour away from where I was. It would be quicker for me to just find a taxi or bus or….something.
"Are….are you sure Bella?" Alice asked, unsure.
"Yeah Alice, you're three hours away from here and you'd still have to take Rose home….It will be quicker if I just find a cab. And if worse comes to worse, I'll hitch a ride home."
"Bella! That's not funny!" Alice scolded me.
"Alice, relax, I'm just kidding. I would never do that. Not in today's world. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay Bella. Call me if you need anything, I'm serious."
"I know Alice. Bye."
"Bye, Bella," Alice's voice was cheery and held no trace of worry. I assumed that Rosalie was returning from the dressing room. I snapped my phone shut and threw it back in my purse.
I zipped my jacket up and tucked my hair into the hood and gathered Rosalie's birthday present. I did a quick search of my truck for an umbrella and cursed when I couldn't find one. With a frustrated sigh, I threw myself out of the truck on the passenger's side and started walking.
The miserably cold rain pummeled my face until it went numb. I walked with my body hunched over the bag that held Rose's present, hoping to protect it from the rain. The rain soaked through my clothes and chilled me to the bone. I was miserable.
My feet continued to carry me forward. I could no longer see my truck, but I couldn't see anyplace helpful either. Against my better judgment, I had walked in the opposite direction of the mall. Not a very bright idea.
Roughly an hour later, I stumbled into a more populated area of town. My legs were screaming in protest with every step I took, and my entire body was soaked and numb. I felt like a drowned, homeless cat walking into New York City with its busy streets and wonderful smells. It was almost like heaven.
Three blocks down I could just make out a sign that read "Bus Station". My heart raced when I read the sign. Finally, I thought.
I was standing on the first corner waiting for the signal for me to cross when I heard a car pull up beside me.
"Bella?" A familiar voice called. "Bella is that you?" I turned my head to see Mike's Suburban pulled up on the curb beside me.
"Uh, hey Mike," I greeted him, stepping toward the car.
"Do you need a ride somewhere?" He asked, his eyes sweeping over my wet body. I bit my lip and glanced up at the "Bus Station" sign. I really didn't want to ride with Mike, especially not after leaving with Edward on our date a week ago. But I also didn't want to ride the bus. Not to mention the fact that I wasn't sure if there would even be a bus that ran near where I live.
"Um…." I scrambled to find a better option. Anything better than the bus. I looked around me, but I couldn't see any taxis.
I was about to tell Mike 'Okay' when the assailing rain suddenly disappeared and a familiar velvet voice filled my ears. "Actually Mike, Bella's with me," Edward informed him.
I turned my face to see Edward standing next to me, holding an umbrella over my head.
"Edward…Where did you come from?" Mike asked, dumbfounded.
"I was purchasing an umbrella, neither of us had expected it to rain today," Edward lied perfectly.
"Oh," Mike responded. "Are….are you two on…like a date?" I could hear the hurt in Mike's voice, but my heart fluttered at his words.
"If you call two people enjoying a day out on the town together, then yes, you could say that," Edward replied smoothly. Edward placed his hand lightly on the small of my back and my heart slammed harder in my chest in response.
"Oh. Sorry, bye." Mike sped off down the road and out of sight quickly. I turned my attention to Edward. His hair was wet and it hung in front of his beautiful green eyes and his clothes were wet and clung to his perfectly sculpted body. I had to mentally shake myself to keep from ogling him.
"Why are you wet?" I asked, unable to stop the words from coming out of my mouth. It just didn't make sense, he an umbrella.
"That's an odd way to greet someone," Edward laughed, causing me to blush.
"Sorry," I apologized.
"You don't need to be sorry, I was just teasing you," Edward smiled. "I wasn't lying when I said I was purchasing an umbrella. I bought this when I saw you standing on the corner. You see that stand right there?" Edward pointed to a wooden stand on the sidewalk about twenty feet away. I nodded my head. "They sell a bunch of little things like this, so I bought an umbrella."
I was shocked. "Just for me?" I asked in surprise. Edward shrugged.
"You looked like you really needed one," he said, his smile never wavering.
"Yeah, I did. Thank you." I let my eyes fall to the ground. Edward placed his hand on my chin and tilted my face up.
"What are you doing out here in the rain anyway?" Curiosity and worry burned in his eyes.
"Um…I was shopping for a birthday present for my friend but my truck broke down about an hour ago and I had to walk to find a way to get home." Edward's eyebrows knit together above his sparkling green eyes.
"You've been out in this rain for over an hour!?" He whispered urgently. I nodded my head. "Bella, you're going to get sick!" I shrugged, remembering how he hadn't answered or returned any of my phone calls in the past week.
"Edward, how come you never answered your phone this past week?" I asked, changing the subject. Edward's jaw clenched when he saw the hurt in my eyes.
"Bella, I am so sorry," he apologized. "I promise you it wasn't intentional. "My idiot roommate kind of threw it out the window of our apartment and it broke. In fact, I was just coming back from buying my new phone when I saw you."
I didn't know what to say. I felt terrible because I had automatically assumed the worse. "Oh," I managed to choke out. A shiver ran up my spine as a gust of wind blew.
"Come on," Edward said, pulling me closer to him under the umbrella. "Let's get you out of the cold, rainy weather." Edward led me over to his shiny Volvo and helped me inside.
The window's of the Volvo were fogged with condensation, but the inside of the Volvo felt warm compared to outside. I took a deep breath and inhaled the crisp smell of leather mixed with Edward's scent. It was a wonderful smell.
Edward climbed into the driver's side beside me, turned the car on, and cranked the heat up. "You'll start to warm up soon," Edward said quietly.
"Thank you, for saving me…again," I said.
Edward smiled crookedly at me before responding. "You're welcome. Anytime you need me to save you, just let me know." I tuned my head to hide the blush that was spreading across my face.
Edward placed his hand on my chin and turned my head to face him again. He smiled at me and dropped his hand. "Don't be embarrassed Bella. I really don't mind saving you."
"Why would you want to save me though?" the words escaped from my mouth before I realized what I had said.
Edward chuckled, "Because you intrigue me Bella." Edward leaned in closer to me, causing my heart to slam in my chest in anticipation.
I really hope this makes up for my not updating in a while. Please review and let me know what you thought! I love reviews and feedback! Also I have a poll up CONCERNING THIS FANFIC!! Very important, it concerns whether or not i should include Jacob. So if you love this story, I suggest you vote. You decide! Thank you for reading and putting up with the wait! Show some love and review!! I'll update soon!! (Or you can virtually beat me with a broom!)