As always, SM owns all thing twilight, I just like to play with them.
I hope you enjoy reading as much as I did writing.
Hugs and Love go to UK Alice, La Lita
And Beta Extraordinaire Lamomo
Chapter 5
Edward's mind sparked as he watched his sister with her dogs. She was lazily petting them as she drifted off to sleep. Seth had snuck up and curled himself into her chest and Leah walked in circles to find a comfortable position by her feet.
His minded churned with the ridiculous possibility that if he had a dog, then he would have something in common with the girl by the bridge, thus deflecting his nervous tendencies around her. Yes, they could become friends by default thanks to the dogs. Edward laughed quietly at himself, knowing that this was by far the most extreme measure he was ever going to undertake, just so he could talk to a girl.
He must be going mad.
Edward grinned and knew that there was the distinct possibility that the plan could backfire, but at least he would have something to call his own, something that belonged to him that was living and breathing. Something to chat to during the endless nights. He wondered why he had not thought of that before.
Alice fell into a deep sleep and looked so peaceful, curled up with her dogs on the couch. Edward slipped out of the room to get his laptop, returning with it to the living room.
"Right, where do I start?" he murmured, trying not to wake his sister. He knew he should do this somewhere else but it was so nice to have someone here, he mused, quietly tapping away.
"What kind of dog would I want?" he asked himself, going through a mental list of what he wanted and what he did not.
"Fur… well, no… but a dog that does not shed." He looked at his nice leather lounges.
"Hmm, something medium in height." He did not want anything too big nor too small, nothing that would look like a rat anyway.
"Smart. I want a smart dog, but friendly. Something that might guard my truck, too." Edward kept tapping away and realised that there were so many breeds that he had no idea where to start.
He thought about the dogs he knew. Well, there were Seth and Leah, but they shed, Alice was always complaining of having to brush fur off the couch. Nope. Then there were Emmett's dogs. Now, they were smart but he could not stand the way Rose did their fur, too puffy. Riley from work had a Kelpie, he was great but Riley had a house with a yard for it to run around in.
Edward scrolled though the pages, getting more confused as he went. Frustrated, he shut down the laptop. He got up and watched the city and the now slow flow of traffic from his windows and he wondered what all those people were doing. Were they aimlessly driving because they could not sleep? Were they heading home to people that loved them? Were they just running away?
Edward sighed and decided that his quest for the girl by the bridge was fruitless. He started feeling like all those people below, aimlessly drifting to a place to go. She was probably curled up in the arms of another man at this moment. She deserved it. He didn't.
Edward put on another movie, choosing something a little left of field - American Beauty. He watched vaguely, musing over the impetus toward the American middle class and the notions of beauty, desire, personal satisfaction and materialism. He fell asleep thinking that he needed more meaning in his life. He dreamt of the girl by the bridge surrounded only by rose petals.
He woke that morning before his alarm, still a little uncomfortable from last night's dream. He quietly got changed, not wanting to wake Alice and, especially, not wanting her to see his 'morning glory'. With determination, he decided that he wouldn't even try to talk to the girl by the bridge. He was in no mood to contend with his mind nor with the confusion that she instilled within him .
However, as he jogged, all he could think of was her. As he got closer to the park, his body forced him towards her. He needed to know if she was there today.
As he rounded that bend near the bridge, his body felt lighter. He could feel every muscle burning in and that was how he knew she was there. Edward tried to maintain his pace as he jogged, willing himself not to stop, but it seemed that he had no control over it. He slowed as he crossed the bridge, watching out for her. It was if he was being drawn to her with every pulse of his heart. He struggled to maintain his will, but could not stop the smile that spread across his face as he saw her acknowledge him. He nodded and amazingly said, "Good morning" before continuing.
"I'm getting that dog." Edward stated to himself as he made his way home. It was the only way to defuse the pull this girl has on him. It was the only way he could see to engage her without losing his control. He needed a medium, something that would cool down his incessant nervousness.
As soon as Bella and Jake got to the park, their routine began and Jake had to re-mark everything. Bella sleepily greeted the passers-by and started recognising their dogs. There was Daisy the Labrador, George the Alsatian and Frank the Beagle. She had no idea what the owners' names were, because she simply hadn't asked. A little further down the path were Dolly and Doogal. They were so cute, with their little silky crosses and their owner looked like she was at least 90.
Bella waited by the bridge, hoping that she would catch at least a glimpse of the Jogging Man. She was aware of the time and could feel the minutes tick by. Jake grew agitated by her lack of concentration on their game.
She could hear his footfalls upon the bridge first, and told herself that he was just another person, just like any client or friend, but her heart raced as she heard him come closer, his steps slowing. She silently hoped that he would stop and talk, but knew that if he did, she would be stuck in that moment of awkwardness that she could not get out of.
Her heart raced as she quite definitely heard him say, "Good Morning." He smiled that heartbreaking smile of his and jogged on.
Bella wanted to kick something, anything as she realised she had blown the chance to talk to him. Again. 'God I could have at least said Good morning!' She picked up a large rock and threw it with all her might into the creek, sending waves over the embankment and over herself. She cursed as she realized that her chance to speak with him was over.
This was how her week went. Every morning the Jogger went by, he would smile and say "Good morning" as he jogged past. Bella managed to reply with a "Good morning", too, but she desperately wished he would stop and talk to her. Even if she did not know what she would say if he did, she really wanted to hear his voice. He was the highlight of her day. She knew it was crazy to be so obsessed. She could not even understand why it meant so much that he would talk to her.
'Nope, just seeing him is enough.' She told herself. 'He is probably jogging home to his girlfriend.'
However, she still dreamt of the Jogging Man and wondered where he lived, what he did for a living, what he did on his weekends.
"I can have that," She told Jake, "I'm a free woman that can think and do whatever she wants." She tried to convince herself. Bella sighed and thought that, if she could be happy just watching the Jogging Man and dream of what she really wanted, then all was good. However, at the back of her mind, she thought of him with someone else and that just made her want to cringe.
"Jake, I really got to get out more!" Bella stated to herself, and Jake barked as if to agree with her statement. Bella ruffled his fur as they rounded the bend. 'He can just be my mystery Jogging Man.' Bella laughed at herself, thinking that this newfound freedom of being on her own was sending her on a little mind trip.
Siobhan and Liam asked Bella if she would mind doing some treatment at the local animal and wildlife shelter. They explained that they often were called out to do routine surgery on injured animals, or immunise the mistreated animals that were brought in before the got adopted out. Bella was more than happy to go.
It was quite a drive to the outskirts of the city and Bella got frustrated with the traffic, but as the houses started to dwindle and the forest started to creep in, she felt peace wash over her, the air seemed fresher and she could even hear the birds sing. Everything was green, with so many different shades of green and brown.
Driving down a gravel lane lined with pines, she pulled up to two large buildings. They were both timber log structures with high roofs, both had verandas out front and, peeking behind the second building, was a huge gable barn.
The first building had a hand painted sign. Y.A.P.S - Young Animal Protection Society. The second building was signed Wildlife Rescue.
'Right, well that's where I'd better go,' Bella told herself as she stepped out of her car. The air hit her first - it was brisk and smelled of fresh pine and earth. Bella took in a big breath and held it there, not wanting the sense of being with nature escape her. She could hear some young puppies barking and a horse baying nearby. She assumed the dogs would be in the building while the horse would be in the barn. Bella opened the back of the car and pulled out her vet bag, which held everything she would need.
As she made her way to the second building, a voice called her from behind and Bella swung around, a little startled.
"I'm sorry, I'm Kate. You must be Bella?" The woman said. Bella nodded. The woman had honey-coloured hair and was smiling, her skin tanned from spending time out in the sun. She wore jeans and a simple top.
"Yes I'm Bella, I'm the new…" Bella went to explain who she was but Kate cut her off.
"Yes, Liam and Siobhan told me all about you. Please, follow me. I was hoping you could give some immunisations to a litter of pups and their mom. We have just rescued them. The mother is in pretty bad shape. Poor thing, we found her in a cage, she could not even move. Goddamn puppy farms, some people need a bullet to their heads." Kate said passionately.
"How many dogs did you rescue?" Bella asked, as she knew these puppy farms would have more than one breeding adult. Mothers were often locked in cages, to be let out only when they mated.
"12. 5 are pregnant, just 1 with pups, thank God. The owners are being charged with animal cruelty as we speak." Kate shook her head and led Bella through the building.
"Oh Jesus!" Bella exclaimed as Kate brought her into the clinic. The room was full of makeshift pens and large cages, each containing dirty dreadlocked, malnourished dogs, most hiding in the corners of their enclosures, whimpering.
"We are treating all of these guys. It might take us a while to get them ready to be adopted out, but thank God we got them out of that hellhole. Come with me."
Bella fought her desire to check up on each and every one of those dogs. It made her physically ill to see any animal in that kind of distress, it reminded her of how she'd first seen Jake. She followed Kate to the next room. Bella took a deep breath, readying herself.
Inside a pen, there were five fluffy puppies all rolling around each other and their mother was in the corner. She was Cocker spaniel, and she was skin and bones, but had all her fur trimmed. Bella entered the enclosure and slowly, quietly approached the mother. It shied away instantly and Bella murmured words of encouragement, so it would let her examine her.
"We are treating all the adults with antibiotics, trimming their fur, and slowly introducing solid meals to their diet." Kate informed her.
"I'll have to give them all booster shots. Any show signs of Kennel cough?" Bella asked as she examined the mother, "I'll give you some cream to put on her nipples, It looks like one may have a growth, hopefully not a malignant tumour, but she needs to put on some more weight before we can operate."
"No kennel cough that we have noticed, which is quite amazing."
"That's good. How was the mother when you trimmed her?"
"Scared, but she was too weak to struggle."
"I'll give you some low dose sedatives so you can do the others." Bella said as she moved to check the puppies.
"They must be doing designer dogs, these guys look half poodle." She said as she picked up the first pup. It was sandy in colour and wriggling like a little pig. Bella hushed it as she felt its stomach, checked its ears and teeth, then went on to the next one. "These guys are surprisingly healthy; I suspect they are coming onto 7-8 weeks old. Are they eating solids?" Bella asked.
"Yeah, they sure are. They just need their shots and they should be ready to be adopted out."
Bella laughed lightly as she looked over the puppies. They were so fluffy, rolling around the floor. She gave them each their immunisations and made her way to the other dogs, trying not to get too emotional at the state they were in. Each got a shot and a full check-up.
Finishing up, she could tell that the dogs were in the best possible place as she saw that Kate's assistants were trimming the dogs, feeding and medicating them.
Bella shook Kate's hand as she made her way to her car, "Please, if you need anything, call me. I don't care if it's the middle of the night." Bella handed Kate her card, which also had her cell number on it.
"Will do, Bella. Thanks for coming out. I'll call when the mother is fit enough to get that growth removed." Kate smiled and thanked her again.
That night, Bella would not let Jake from her side and she hugged him hard, glad that he had been rescued.
When Edward arrived home from his jog, he asked Alice where she had bought Seth and Leah. Puzzled, she replied that she'd got them from Y.A.P.S.
"Why are you asking me that, Edward?"
"Well, you are always telling me that I NEED SOMEONE, I thought I might as well get a dog. At least it can fetch my slippers or guard my truck." Edward replied tartly, not ever wanting Alice to know the real reason he wanted a dog. She would never let him live that down.
"Oh, really? Seth and Leah will have a play buddy!" Alice said excitedly. Edward breathed a sigh of relief, 'Phew, no twenty million questions.'
"Can I help you choose? What kind of dog do you want?" She asked again, her enthusiasm growing.
"Um, sure you can Alice. I was thinking this Saturday," Edward smiled, thinking that his plan was working well so far.
"Oooh, goody. So, do you want to get one from Y.A.P.S or a pet store? Or you can even buy them online, nowadays." Alice was practically jumping out of her skin.
"I'm not buying a dog online! Geez, what don't they sell on there! Hey - what is YAPS, anyway?"
"It's a rescue centre for animals, I'm so glad I got Seth and Leah from there, I'd hate to think where they would have ended up otherwise." Alice reached down and patted her dogs as they sat there, intently lavishing up all her attention.
"But aren't they dogs that no one wants?" Edward asked, provoking his sister. She covered Leah's ears.
"Edward, how could you say that!" then turned to the dogs. "Don't you guys listen to him, he doesn't know what he's talking about." They wagged their tails and Leah looked at Edward as if in disgust.
Edward shook his head; it was almost as if Leah understood what Alice was saying.
He held his hands up, "Ok, ok. You're the Queen of all things doggy, so Saturday you can take me shopping, how does that sound?" Edward stepped back awaiting Alice's reaction, it was not every day Edward would ask her to take him shopping.
She threw herself at him, wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a big kiss on his cheek.
"Can we go clothes shopping for you after that?" She asked.
"No, just dog shopping, no human shopping…baby steps, Alice." He warned her, Alice just laughed.
Each morning as he jogged past the girl by the bridge, it got easier and easier to say "good morning."
She was the highlight of his day; he could see the way her eyes would light up as he ran past her. Her dog did not even mind him so much now, but Edward attributed that to his willpower not to think of her naked as he jogged past.
Edward could not wait for Saturday. Maybe then they could walk their dogs together. That was harmless enough. He found himself praying that she did not have a boyfriend, and then wondered about his obsession with the girl by the bridge - his journal was now filled with images of her. 'Surely this will all end in disaster. Forever the masochist,' he scolded himself.
It was finally Saturday morning and Edward was pumped up, waiting for Alice to arrive.
'Come on, Alice! where the hell are you?' She was never late and he thought about rapping on her door. He grabbed his keys and wallet and, as he opened the door, there was a squeal of surprise.
"Shit, Edward! You scared me!" Alice laughed, as she stood there, with her hand extended ready to open the door.
"You should have known I was coming, don't you have me on extended radar or something?" Edward ruffled her hair.
"Not the hair, Edward!" Alice chided, threading her arm through his and dragging him to the lift, "We're going shopping."
Edward usually hated shopping, but this time he was eager to get his plan into action. Unfortunately, that entailed shopping.
They pulled up in front of Y.A.P.S and Alice directed him up the few stairs to the front door. Edward breathed in the fresh pine-scented air and admired how well built the log buildings were.
A woman called Kate greeted them, she smiled encouragingly at Edward and reached out to shake his hand, which he did. She did not seem to want to let go of his hand, though. Edward smiled politely as he managed to get his hand away.
Alice was talking a million miles an hour and Edward was relieved that she seemed to have everything under control. She'd already filled out his forms, as well as put a holding deposit on one of the puppies. Edward wanted to ask her when shed' done all that but then decided against it.
Kate brought them into the viewing room, which looked to Edward like a pre-school for dogs. There were pillows and dog toys everywhere. In the middle of this all, there were five fluffy puppies wrestling on the pillows. One was black, one was black and white, one was brown and the last two were caramel-coloured.
Alice was down on her knees in a heartbeat. "Aren't they the cutest, Edward?"
Edward was suddenly struck with the realisation that he was about to become responsible for a real living creature, and it rather freaked him out. Alice pulled him down to the floor with her.
"What kind of dogs are they?" Edward asked to no one in particular. Kate answered.
"We think they are Cockapoos or Spoodles."
"Cocka-what?" Edward turned to her in disbelief.
"Cocker Spaniels crossed with Poodles. They are a good-natured breed, smart, very family-oriented, they love a swim, but the best thing is… they don't shed." Kate replied.
Edward turned to his sister and whispered, "You want me to get a Cockapoo? What kind of name is that, Alice!"
"A cute one. You can still call it a Spoodle if you have issues. It's just a dog, Edward!" Alice whispered back. Edward rolled his eyes, wanting to strangle his sister. He looked at the puppies - one was making its way to him. It was a caramel ball of fluff and he couldn't help but reach out and pat it.
It gently bit his finger and then licked it. Edward moved his hand away but the puppy followed his movement, chasing Edward's hand. It tried to swipe at it but tripped over itself, rolling onto its back with its legs in the air. Edward rubbed its tummy and smiled, it was even softer than it looked.
The puppy managed to get back upright and bounded toward Edward's lap, it dived and burrowed between his legs until all you could see was its tail.
"I think you have a new friend, Edward." Alice laughed as she picked up a black one.
"Is this one a boy or a girl?" Edward asked Kate.
"Oh, she's a girl. Both caramels are girls, the rest are boys."
Edward had not even though about the sex of the dog, but his mind flickered back, remembering the name of the girl by the bridge's dog, and she had called him Jake.
"I'll take a girl, this one." He said as he gently picked up the puppy from between his legs, holding her out to look into her eyes. They were as black as night, staring right back at him. Her tail wagged happily. "Yep, I'll take this one."
Alice hugged the puppy in her hands, "I think I want to take one home too, but Jasper would kill me, and so would Leah!" She laughed. Alice placed the black puppy back with its siblings and stood up to leave.
"Come on then, Edward. We need to get a few more things before we go home."
Edward cradled the puppy in his arms and signed what was left of the paperwork. Kate gave him a few sheets of information on how to care for the puppy and its immunisation schedule, as well as the phone numbers and addresses of the local Vets.
Alice held the puppy in her arms while Edward drove, while throwing sidelong glances to this new life he was going to take care of. He wondered for a second what the hell he thought he was doing. It felt like he barely had hold of his own life.
"So, what are you going to call her? Oooh, I know! Fluff! She's so fluffy I just want to snuggle her all day." Alice giggled as the puppy licked her face.
"I have no idea, Fluffy is not a proper name for a dog that will come to work with me." Edward said and then groaned, as he thought of the looks he would get when he went jogging or to work with a fluff ball that was a Cockapoo!
"What? Fluff is cute and she is adorable. Aren't you, little missy?" Alice crooned at the puppy. "Hey, Edward, we have to take the next right!" Alice exclaimed as she looked up from the dog.
"Why, where are we going now?"
"We have to get stuff for the dog, Edward. Food, a bed, toys…you know, dog stuff. Yes, we have to get Fluff some toys to play with. I bet you'd like a teddy bear, wouldn't you?" Alice said, cooing at the dog again.
"She's a dog, Alice, not a child," Edward laughed at his sister, who was already smitten with the puppy.
"Turn here, Edward," Alice said excitedly as she pointed to a large building, painted with dog and cat paws. The sign above read 'Pet Café'.
"Pet Café?" Edward asked, thinking that was a weird name for a shop.
"Yeah, it has the best stuff. Come on, let's go!" Alice was excited and jumped out of the truck as soon as he pulled up. As Edward caught up to her, she handed the puppy back to Edward and grabbed a shopping trolley. He was about to ask why they would need a trolley when a basket would do, but as they entered the shop he realised just why Alice would want a trolley.
This was no shop - this was a warehouse-sized, pet-store heaven. Edward had never seen so much animal food, toys bedding, clothes, treats, shampoos all in one place. "Oh, my god," Edward breathed as he watched Alice scoot to the bedding section. This was like Wal-Mart for Dogs.
By the time Alice had finished, they ended up with two trolleys. Edward had almost no veto power over his sister, so her let her go crazy. "You, my girl, are one spoiled pooch," He said to the dog who was now fast asleep in his arms. Edward did veto the diamanté leash and collar, stating that it would be pointless because no one would see the diamanté's under the puppy's fur anyway. Alice agreed, and of course, the lead had to match the collar, so she went for the purple soft leather one instead.
By the end of the trip home and three trips back down to the truck to bring all the 'shopping' up, Edward was glad to take stock of what he had gotten himself into. In front of him was one very small puppy and one huge pile of dog things.
"Alice, I really think we went a little overboard," He said as he unwrapped a chewy thing that was meant to contain dog treats. "I mean… really Alice, does she need this?" Edward picked up what looked like a woollen jacket, "She has kind of got her own woolly coat!" Edward laughed.
"But it is so cute, and she won't get cold!" Alice pouted, then laughed, "Yeah, I suppose I didn't have to buy that….Hey I'm going to get Seth and Leah, see how they get along."
"Do you think that's a good idea? She's little, really little," Edward reply and picked up the puppy. She felt so soft in his hands that he couldn't help but rub her against his cheek.
"Awww you know Edward, there's a bit of a softy in you, yet," Alice grinned and left to get her dogs.
"What are you doing to me, you little monster?" He almost cooed to the puppy, he couldn't help but think that she was adorable, so little, so fluffy. "I think I'll call you Nessie," he mused as he really thought that she was some strange being he'd have to look after.
Alice returned and Seth immediately took to Nessie, Leah however had other ideas and took to guarding Alice from the intruding dog. Alice sighed in defeat, as Leah would not move from her side.
"I think Leah is a little put out that another female is in the house, I was hoping to leave them at mine while we go out to the Bar." Alice said sadly.
"Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen. Maybe Nessie will be OK on her own." Edward said thoughtfully, realising his sister's disappointment.
"Nessie, did you just call her Nessie?" Alice asked surprised.
"Yeah, like she's a fluffy monster from the deep, come to turn my life upside-down," Edward laughed and Alice rolled her eyes.
"I still think you should call her Fluffy." Alice pouted.
"Alice, there is no way I am going to work and telling everyone I have a dog called Fluffy. It's Nessie, my monster pup from the deep."
"Yeah, she's such a monster!" Alice laughed sarcastically as she watched Seth and Nessie play. "Anyway, Edward I'm getting ready to go out. I'll be back in an hour, we have to beat Emmett and Rose at pool!"
"Sure thing Alice, I'll just…I don't know…What am I meant to do now?" Edward asked, not quite sure what to do with the dog.
"Play with her, feed her, make her feel like she is at home. Pretend you are a dog!" Alice laughed hard as she left.
Edward was left alone for the first time with Nessie.
Edward shuffled around with Nessie at his feet. He unpacked her bed, her food, her toys, her stuff, half of which he had no idea what to do with. He thought the first thing was that she might need to go to the toilet, so he made his way to the elevator. Edward found himself chatting to Nessie.
"Now, little girl, we are going outside for you to do your…err... business," Edward said to the dog but felt a little strange, as if he was talking to himself. She wagged her tail in reply, making him smile.
"You are quite cute, young lady. Now, you have a job I need you to do. Tomorrow we are going to the park, there's a really nice girl I want you to meet." Edward chuckled to himself, thinking that, if Alice's reaction was any indication, this puppy might just be the thing he needed.
She did 'her business' outside and Edward was pleased that he might have got something right. Returning, Edward got ready to go out. Nessie was playing with the toilet paper roll as he showered.
She managed to unroll the whole thing and it was now covering the bathroom floor. Stepping out of the steamy shower, he was shocked to see so much mess. Nessie licked the water off his leg and waited to be picked up.
He picked up the paper mess on the floor and scooped Ness up, placing her beside the bed as he found some clothes. Just like that, Nessie found a clean sock and decided to wrestle that.
Alice opened the door and shouted to Edward that she was ready to go, just as Edward was putting some food in Nessie's dish. As he made it to the door to leave, she started whining so he went back in and moved her bed closer to the front door and settled her back down. She seemed to like that but, as he closed the door, she whined again and scratched on the door. Edward decided to ignore her and made his way to the elevator when a piercing cry came out of the apartment. Edward looked at his sister and shrugged uneasily.
"Maybe you should stay." Alice said sadly, as the cries grew louder and more frantic.
"I can't leave her alone on her first night without her brothers and sisters." Edward sighed. Nessie's cries were heart-wrenching, he thought as he reluctantly made his way back to the apartment. When he opened the door, he was greeted with licks and excited tail wags. "Sorry" he mouthed to Alice.
Alice smiled, happy to see Edward's blooming affection for his new dog, 'Yes, there is hope for Edward yet,' she thought.
"No worries Edward, I'll forgive you tonight. You go stay with Nessie." Alice laughed a little as she made her way to the elevator. "I'm on my mobile if you need me."
"Yeah, thanks Alice. Tell Emmett I'll kick his arse next time, I'm already 1 up." Edward replied sarcastically and then laughed as the puppy licked his face. "Yep, just tell him I've got a woman up here, he'll understand!"
"Men!" Alice stated as she entered the elevator.
As Alice made her way downstairs and sent a text to Bella with the address of the bar. Alice felt a little lonely without having Edward or Jasper with her. It felt like she was missing something, that she was leaving something behind. She almost turned around and headed back to the apartment to spend the night with Edward and Nessie.
She wandered slowly down the street and thought about the turnaround in Edward over the past week. Usually she could read him like a book, she knew his thoughts, his feelings, but for him to want to bring something like a dog in his life was completely out of character. Usually, he was a solitary soul, shunning people who wanted to become close to him. There were only a certain few who had managed to breach the shell he had created around himself.
She had been much like him until Jasper came into her life, and Alice thought about how both Edward and she had been defensive and aloof when it came to letting anyone into their inner circle. They never needed anyone one else, they never wanted anyone else. They had each other.
When she had been attacked at school, it had only intensified their bond, and her unwillingness to let anyone get close. Sure, they had friends and as popularity went at school, they had an incessant pool of people who wanted to be around them, but they still seemed to be the elusive untouchable twins, and people were drawn to that. However, it just brought them closer.
So, for Edward to let something to live with him, even if It was a dog, was an amazing event in Alice's eyes.
Alice entered the bar and was immediately embraced by Rose and Emmett.
Rose was one of the few that had managed to infiltrate Edward and Alice's sanctum at school - one of the few they'd allowed into their lives in a personal way. Much like them, she had been sent to boarding school in an attempt to get her out of the way of her parents' lives. Even though they were light-years apart in personality, they had shared the lack of parental affection, which had instilled a flippant disregard of people and emotions.
Rose was stunning. She looked like her socialite mother with her blonde hair, legs that went on forever, stunningly beautiful blue eyes, but she had her father's brains, who ran the country's most prestigious law firm, 'Hale & Associates'. Her way of thwarting her parents' wishes after leaving university had been to start dating Emmett. Her parents had officially cut her off, seeing as she would not date the more affluent young men desired in her parents' circles.
"Hey, Alice, where's your bro?" Emmett asked.
"Oh, he's with another woman tonight, Em." Alice laughed as she ordered a drink.
"What, you're kidding!" Rose quipped, incredulous.
"Yeah, her name is Nessie, and she's about this big." Alice held her hands out to the size of a small plate.
"WHAT?" Emmett exclaimed.
"He bought a dog, can you believe it?" Alice laughed.
"NO SHIT!" Rose and Emmett replied together. They laughed together and it made Alice miss Jasper more. It was one of those random moments when you thought the same thing and just blurted it out.
"Yep, just today. She is gorgeous. So… Edward is out for the count tonight, but I have invited someone new, so we'll still be able to duel over the pool table."
At that moment, as if on cue, Bella walked into the bar and Alice gave her a hug.
"Hey Bella, so glad you could come."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, I really need a drink…" Bella turned to the bar and ordered a Vodka and Cranberry.
"Bella!" Emmett exclaimed, "Rose, this is Bella from the park."
Bella turned and indeed, it was Emmett, he was the last person she had expected to see. Emmett pulled a beautiful woman forward, she was stunning, and Bella felt a little drab standing beside her.
"You Know Bella?" Alice asked surprised.
"Sure do, Emily stole Jake's Frisbee," Emmett laughed, "Bella this is my Rose, Rose this is Bella."
"Hi Bella nice to meet you, I hope Emmett's been behaving himself, not giving you too much grief," Rose poked Emmett in the ribs.
"Hey, I'm always on my best behaviour, let me buy you a drink Bella. I hope you can play pool," he smirked at Rose and mouthed 'See.'
The next morning, Bella woke with a little headache, she thought that maybe it was from the drinks she had had the night before.
Jake was wagging beside her on the bed, waiting for his morning walk. Bella groaned and rolled over hiding her head under the pillow.
She had had so much fun with Alice last night. She was really surprised to see Emmett with his fiancée Rose. They had hit it off immediately and Bella could see the incredible bond that Emmett and Rose shared. Between Emmett's smart-arse witty remarks, with Rose retorting, putting him in place. The main thing Bella had noticed was that they could not look away from each other – they shared countless stolen glances, their hands caressing. It was almost as though they moved as one.
They had played countless games of pool, and Bella was glad she knew how to sink a ball. She did wonder where Alice's brother was but made no mention of him, she was glad to feel so at ease and made feel welcome.
Jake insistently nudged her pillow, making Bella move and push herself up from the warmth of her bed.
"OK, alright already!" Bella moaned as she reluctantly changed out of her pyjamas. "Damn it, Jake! It's Sunday, you know, God's day of rest," Bella said as she found the keys and locked up the house. Walking down the road, she thought that the only reason to get out of bed this early on a Sunday could be if the Jogging Man was going to be there.
Bella wished that the Jogging Mancould have been at the bar last night, as Bella had been a little put off by the advances of Mike the barman. He was nice enough and slipped her quite a few free drinks, but all night she just wished he were her Jogger. She realised that she was setting herself up for disaster if she kept thinking of him, especially seeing as she had not been brave enough to actually talk to the man.
The park was empty, the only sounds were her wet footsteps on the dewy ground and a few early morning bird calls filling the air. It was peaceful, but it was chilly this morning as Bella hugged her arms around her body, steam rising from her breaths. The quiet stillness was quite beautiful and in the silence, the babbling of the creek seamed louder than it had on any other morning. It seemed to call out to Jake and Bella found it a struggle to keep up with him.
He was waiting patiently on the bank, and Bella looked down at her watch and sighed to herself.
"Five minutes Jake, if he's coming we have five minutes," Bella leaned down and picked up a stone. It was perfectly round, smooth, grey with a line of quartz running through it. Bella wondered how old this stone was, how long it had sat there before she picked it up and threw it, giving it a new home.
Bella heard his footfalls on the bridge and her heart started to race. He was walking and, as he came closer, Bella sneaked a glance in his direction, curious as to why he was only walking this morning. Her breath caught as he reached the end of the bridge, her heart melting. He had a lead in his hand and attached to it, she saw a fluffy caramel-coloured puppy, much like the puppies she'd immunised at Y.A.P.S. Her body moved of its own accord as she stepped closer to the Jogger, bent down and patted the puppy. Without even realising it, the words just tumbled out of her mouth.
"She's gorgeous, what's its name?" The puppy's fur was soft to the touch, much like down.
"This is Nessie," He replied. His voice threw her for a loop and Bella's heart raced as she realised she was about to have a conversation with the Jogging Man. Jogging Man bent down to the puppy's level and Bella thought her heart was about to stop beating altogether.
"Um…What is she?" Bella asked, even though she had a pretty good idea, because she did not want this to end, not yet anyway.
Jogging Man laughed lightly, "Um…Err a Cockapoo…Spoodle; I got her from a shelter. They said she looks like she might have some Cocker Spaniel and Poodle..." He said and Bella caught a hint of nerves in his voice. She looked up at him and took a breath, his eyes looked a little nervous too. Bella tried not to stare at his beautiful face, stopping her desire to pull off his hoodie.
Jake was by her side and he too was taken with this little dog. He was so gentle with her as he smelled her and gave her a lick. His tail started wagging and the little dog wanted to play.
"She'll be ok if I take her off her lead?" Jogging Man asked, unsure.
"Jake seems to like her, it's always good to let your dog socialise early in life," Bella replied, strangely turning into her vet persona. It seemed easier for her to separate her desire to touch the Jogger this way.
"Oh, ok, she's my first dog," he said as a smile formed on his lips, making his eyes crinkle at the corners. It made Bella smile, and the butterflies were back.
"Oh well, you are going to have a friend for life," Bella laughed. He went to unhitch Nessie's lead and she jumped up, licking his face and dislodging his hoodie.
Bella almost gasped. She was not sure what she was expecting. His hair was all messed up and shaggy, brown with hints of bronze reflected in the light. She fully took in his face and noticed that he had defined cheekbones and a perfectly chiselled jaw. He ran his hand through his hair to push it back from falling into his eyes.
'My god, he is beautiful,' thought Bella.
Bella found herself wondering what the rest of him looked like out of his running sweats, and she tried to focus back on the little fluffy dog.
"Well, she is cute. I couldn't resist her when I went to the shelter," he laughed as he picked her up to give her a cuddle, rubbing his face into her fur.
'Oh, he is gorgeous.' Bella could have melted, watching him have this tender moment with his dog.
Jake went to jump up so he could smell the puppy and Bella was brought out of her musings. She grabbed onto his collar before he could knock Jogging Manover.
"Jake, stop it." Bella said as she pulled him away.
"Oh, it's ok," he said as he put Nessie down. She was excited and ran in circles around Jake. Jake was enthralled and played gently with her.
He ran his hand through his hair again as he stood up and all Bella could think of was that she really wanted to do that as well.
At that moment, Bella thought she might be in lust with Jogger and she giggled at the thought. Jogging Man looked strangely at her as he wondered what she was laughing at, and hoped she was not laughing at him.
"Um…I was just heading back, do you want to walk with us?" Bella asked.
"Yeah sure," he smiled and stuffed his hands into his pockets, along with the lead.
Edward could have high-fived Nessie, but he kept his emotions to himself as he watched the two dogs play in front of them. This couldn't have gone any better. Just being close to this girl made his body tingle, he had to put his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching out and touching her hair. Her giggle was delightful and he wanted to hear it again, her laugh reached her eyes and lit them up. He wondered what she was laughing about.
They moved away from the bridge. Jake and Nessie were bounding around each other, Nessie doing her best to trip Jake up by running underneath him. There were gentle nips and bites going on between them, as they seemed to roll along the pathway.
Edward thought about what to say next, and he was kicking himself that his brain cells were not cooperating. There seemed to be a bit of an awkward silence for a moment, when they both spoke at once. They laughed and told the other "You go first", making them both laugh awkwardly again.
Bella decided to just go with it and briefly wondered where this bravery had come from, as her hands were shaking a little and her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest.
"Hey, if you need her micro-chipped, bring her into work. I'm the new vet at Paws, Claws and Feathers." She offered.
"A microchip, what's that?" He asked, a little confused.
"Oh, it's an identity chip, so if you dog or cat or whatever runs away they can locate the owner. It just has the owner's name, address and phone number."
"Oh, Ok, well I'd better do that. Don't want little missy to get lost," he laughed.
"So, how long have you had her?" Bella asked, knowing that it must have been in the last day or so as he definitely did not have a dog yesterday.
"I picked her up yesterday," he smiled again. Bella figured she could look at him smiling forever. She loved the way his eyes shone and crinkled at the corners when he did, just showing the white of his teeth between his lips. Bella laughed gently at herself for her musings.
"Well, you're in for some fun," She said, covering up her laugh, as she really could not see him enjoy picking up the little doggy doo's throughout his house until she was trained.
Edward hesitated a little, realising that they had reached the path that he usually took to go home. He tossed up whether to keep walking with her, but then decided that this was a really good start and that he should not push his luck.
"Um...Well, this is my exit. Might see you soon for the microchip thingy and she is due for some booster shots too. or so says the schedule the shelter gave me." He said, as he scooped up Nessie. "See you later." He smiled, or rather, grinned as he waved goodbye, thinking that tomorrow he would be making an appointment for a microchip for Nessie.
"Cool, that would be great," Bella smiled as she waved and watched him walk away with the little dog cradled in his arms.
She went to call Jake but realised that he was waiting beside her, looking quite content. She bent down and ruffled is fur.
"Well, that went ok." She said, then realised that she did not ask him what his name was, and cursed herself for not asking. 'God, he is going to be Jogging Man until I ask him. Well, there is always next time,' and she smiled as she realised that she might see him at work, too.
Bella floated home, thinking about him and his cute puppy. The rest of the day floated by too. She was still happy that she had gotten to speak with him and see him with his hoodie down.
She could not wait for spring to see him running in shorts.
~O~O~O~
Love to know your thoughts.
So Edward is still Jogging Man to Bella. And Bella is still the Girl by the bridge! LOL
Let's see if we can remedy that in the next chapter. *Rubs hands together*
Thanks for reading.
Aston Martin Vanquish