PROLOGUE.
I never could imagine what real love would be like.
The stuff of meeting someone else's eyes and being so swept away you just know you are meant to know them.
The irrational pull you get from another.
No, I had never experienced that.
The stuff they write about in fairy tales and try to explain to us in phrases like "soul mates" and "meant to be" just never seemed real to me, well maybe real for others, but wasn't something I thought I ever would feel.
I grew up between divorced parents and my only idealistic visions of "true love" came from my tattered copies of Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights.
My dad still longed for my mum after she left him but he wouldn't let me see that. He didn't think I saw that. He responded by burying himself in his work, but I knew, he was lonely.
My mother however, found someone else, and ended up moving on to a younger man, a baseball player, nonetheless. I am glad she found love after losing it, but, it just makes me wonder how her love was so transferable.
The only thing I learnt from their relationship was love doesn't always last. From this, I learnt love, in some cases it seemed, dissolves or changes leaving just broken hearts and broken families in its wake.
The notion of everlasting love was as real to me as the tooth fairy. As real as the ever-clichéd, "love at first sight". I figured that stuff, people may have thought they experienced were probably instead experiences of lust or need. I figured it was another manufactured emotion by the creative people who came up with things like "fate" and along with "never-ending love", weren't real and wouldn't happen to me. I figured like everyone else, hopefully one day I too would love, maybe not forever but enough. I figured this because deep down because I knew, believing in things I had seen so vehemently seen disproved would only lead to disappointment.
I still don't believe in "love at first sight" but looking up into his face, those green eyes and motley hair mixed in with light and sounds, something clicked inside me. Something I didn't know existed and I knew clearly everything I believed, everything I figured…I was wrong.
CHAPTER 1:
"ARGHHHHHH WHERE ARE MY BLACK HEELS!" I screamed as I ran around the apartment. I ran into my mess of a bedroom once again searching under the bed for the evil contraptions I was obligated to wear.
At this point, at 8am on a Saturday I was officially pissed off. My morning had started at 6 with a cold shower (thanks to our neighbours late night shower rituals)
Yes, I am sour because I'm not getting any followed by coffee being spilt on the only set of clothes I had planned to wear today, and that brings me to here, where I am running around waking my two best friends, cussing like a sailor after inanimate objects.
It definitely is going to be a swell day.
A dishevelled Rose appeared In my doorway as I assaulted by cupboard of clothes once again. As if things not there 30 minutes ago would suddenly appear.
" If I were a shoe where would I be?" I began the old faithful searching-for-something question. Either that or I was going insane.
Rose simply looked at me and sighed in exasperation.
"Bella"
I continued in the dark depths.
"Bella"
Is it possible for shoes to walk without feet in them?
"Bella!" A higher shrill voice yelled.
I looked to see now the petite Alice and aggravated Rosalie entering my room.
"You do the clothes, I'll fix the face. Stat!" She ordered.
Rose never was one for manners in the morning. But she was right. Somewhere under a jumble of fallen clothes, matted hair and crumbs was my face, and it did indeed need fixing.
Alice and Rosalie were both my best friends and now, roommates. I went to school with them back in a little town called Forks, before the prospect of university but mostly leaving Forks with my best friends brought us here.
Though growing up in Forks, we had our fun, there were always parties to go to when you are friends with an intimidating beautiful blonde and the bubbly and friendly Alice. But now, we were up for a bigger adventure, in one of the biggest citys. In the city that never sleeps.
We were going to break out and find our niches in a whole new game, along with a whole new playground.
Alice was here studying graphic design while Rose was doing engineering and I, being the all round mess I was, didn't know what I was studying, which is a commonly taken course here known as arts.
But they weren't our only plans, no, we ,well, I mostly, was going to challenge myself and find adventure through new experiences.
Which brings us back here…
So here we were in our 3 bedroom apartment only a couple of blocks from campus trying to save myself from another possible disaster.
As part of Rose and Alices encouragement to my adventure, their fondly named "Bella-out-of-the-box" plan was commencing today with my new job.
After weeks of procrastination whether I could in fact complete the job without making a fool of myself we were here, the judgement day.
And in true Bella fashion I am running around like a headless chook, freaking out from another opportunity.
Through some astonishing miracle I had managed to be accepted by "New York wedding photographers" to be an assistant photographer for their weddings.
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"So Bella, I think you have a good head on your shoulders so we'll give you a run through this week, Saturday sound alright?"
Steve, a grey haired photographer stuck with interviewing me said.
"Thank you so much, sounds great" I said as I shook his hand.
"Now, I cant ensure you a definite long-term job but, we will see how you cope Saturday. Don't underestimate bridezillas and their in-laws" he shuddered.
Yay. Crazy people…And weddings… Crazy people at weddings.
"Is there anything I need to bring?"
"Nope, we will supply everything, just dress appropriately a like to blend."
Blend I can do.
I said by goodbyes and left the small office walking along central parks walls to reach my truck.
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30 minutes later, I stand being forced out the door by my two saviors, and by saviors I mean torturers but saviours none the less. Rose and Alice had rescued me from my "special time with the closet" to fix my hair, straightening it then forcing me into a black dress I didn't think I owned. It was knee length with a low back and black silk. Quite frankly, I felt like a wedding attendee rather than the nube junior running around with a camera. And all considered, I think it's a good start.
Well, this is it. I closed the apartment door and headed to what would most probably be another embarrassing and/or horrible attempt at life.
As I turned the key in my truck I wondered what today would entail.
I turned on the cd player and picked the only song I felt truly encapsulated my morning.
…….I'm on a highway to hell…..on a highway to hell…