Bella's POV

It's been a month…and I haven't seen him since. I wish I could say it doesn't hurt as much anymore, that I have healed but I didn't. I haven't. It still hurts, but I think it's bearable; I have grown used to it now—that big gaping hole in my chest where his love for me was once held.

I managed somehow to get back into the flow of things before I had left, when I realized my life seemed hollow to me now. I didn't see much of a purpose of it anymore, like I would be so much easier to just give up. It's not like I was suicidal or anything but I felt like I was sinking into some kind of depression, a life without energy. I woke up every day and as soon as I opened my eyes I would have to try not to start crying because I knew my dreams would never become reality again.

After sitting in the house for way too long I decided to drive over to a small coffee shop in the corner where I went every day. I walked in and was instantly greeted with warm air rushing over me. Recently it had been raining harder as we got deeper into the spring. But of course with my awful immune system I've been getting sick left and right. I breathed in deeply for once and waited in line for my coffee. When I finally arrived at the front I smiled at Jason the barista.

"The regular?" He asked, referring to my addiction to their pumpkin spice latte.

"Of course." I handed over the cash but he just pushed it back, he looked behind my shoulder for a second and nodded. I raised an eyebrow.

"On the house." He said.

"Are you sure?" I asked, glancing back where he had looked a second earlier.

"Yeah."

"Oh, okay thanks!" I tucked the money back in my wallet and grabbed my coffee. I wandered over to usual spot and sat down. I stared out the window watching the raindrops making music against the sidewalk as they fell. I was just about to take another sip of my drink when a stranger slipped into the seat across from me.

"Um…Hello?" I stared incredulously at him. For some reason he looked familiar but I couldn't remember seeing him anywhere. He had silky ink black hair and golden brown skin—the kind you could only see on models on the covers of magazines—coupled with sky blue eyes. I admit… he was gorgeous.

"Hello Bella." He smiled a crooked smiled. I internally gasped and clutched at my stomach under the table, he reminded me way to much of Edward even though he looked nothing like him. After a second of regaining my breath I spoke.

"Do I know you?"

"No, but I've seen you around sitting by yourself. And since I have been sitting alone too I thought we could sit together." He grinned as if it was the best idea in the world. I stared at him blankly still a little breathless.

"And you have no one else to talk to?" I asked.

"I do, it's just you seem interesting." I set my cup down on the table.

"Stalker…" I teased. Making him laugh, he had a deep voice almost unnaturally so, but I suspected he would be very good at singing.

"I swear I'm not, I've just seen you around a lot." He explained, I smiled. It seemed reasonable.

"So you know my name but I do not know yours." I said; for a moment he hesitated and ran a hand through his hair before speaking.

"My name is Aaron. Aaron Mason." He told me, I made another subtle grab at my stomach. Mason. You've got to be fucking kidding me! Seriously? Did God hate me that much? Aaron Mason, Anthony Mason, Edward Anthony Mason?

"Oh." I was becoming delusional…oh no.

"Are you okay?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied. Let's take a poll, how many people have said they're 'fine' and actually meant it? If you have please do say so. Nobody? Nothing? Yeah, I thought so. But what I didn't expect was when he leaned forward on the table, looked me deep into my eyes and said,

"Tell the truth." Aaron's blue eyes were dead serious. I started biting my pinkie nail, awful habit but impossible to get rid of.

"It's just; you remind me a lot of someone I knew." I said, my hand muffling my words. Hopefully he didn't hear them but he did.

"Knew?"

"Yeah." I said bluntly hoping he'd drop the subject. After a second, almost a look of disappointment crossed his face, but somehow it seemed he had read my mind and did drop the subject.

"So, uh, you just move here?" I asked changing the subject,

"Yes, this is my first time. Very cloudy, it's like the sun decided shining on Forks was only its part time job."

"That's exactly what I think too!" And somehow after that it became my routine to come here every day at 4:00 and spend an hour just sitting and talking to Aaron day after day. But guilt would wash over me when I started feeling that maybe Aaron could just possibly fill up the whole in my chest. Of course though it wasn't true, I arrived home to see James's drunken face furious at me for a reason I'll never know and I'd endure another beating. Fighting back was useless, I had no muscle. If I couldn't even walk across a flat surface without tripping I had no hope of even leaving a mark on him. Call the police? That was not an option; only Edward knew the full story and look where that got us.

"Hey!" I waved to Aaron who was already sitting in our usual spot. Unbelievably I had been able to keep my meetings with him a secret from James and I was planning on it staying that way.

"Hey darling!" He used our nicknames we somehow made in one of our conversations as I wiped my hand across my face to get some of the rain water off. He's eyes zeroed in on my arm.

"What happened there!?" He exclaimed reaching across the table to examine it. It was James's hand imprinted into my arm and had formed a bruise from the night before.

"Nothing!" I snapped my hand back away from his eyes and tugged my sleeve over it.

"That doesn't look like nothing." He argued.

"But it is, just leave it alone." I glared. Most of the time when we got worked up, I ended up caving in

"Bella…is James beating you?" He knew I had a boyfriend named James but nothing else about him, he didn't know about Edward either.

"No, of course not! I love him and he loves me; if you think otherwise I should just leave!" I stood up abruptly and grabbed my purse.

"You're a horrible liar." He stood up too, equally angry, his eyes flashing.

"Well it's a good thing I'm not lying then!" I screamed in his face. By now we had the whole shop's attention. I glanced around seeing their shocked faces; my own face flushed bright red before I stalked out. I pushed open the store door with vigorous energy and ran over to my car.

"Bella, wait! I'm sorry; I should have assumed that, it was rude of me to do so!" He apologized running after me. I fumbled with my car keys trying to get away from him…. and dropped them.

"Shit!" I exclaimed, reaching for them where they had sunk to the bottom of a puddle.

"Bella." He had finally caught up, his voice suddenly husky. "Would you stop running?" And then Aaron's strong hands slowly snaked their way around my waist and drew me up against him. I didn't push him away, I didn't slap him and run; because when he kissed me I completely loved it.

Ha, I don't think anyone expected that! I think that might've been a little fast but really there was nothing to put that would have made it longer so I hope you like it. Well Merry (late) Christmas and Happy (early) New Year! See you all in 2010! Review please 3

XOXO,

Grace