Chapter II: Ruby

When I woke up, Edward was still lying on my bed next to me. After five or ten minutes, I had to get to ready to go out - I was going shopping in Seattle for something to wear tonight during my date with Edward. He was taking me out to dinner - "Nothing fancy," I'd told him, but, of course, he had to choose the most expensive restaurant I would allow. I was so excited about tonight and I wanted to get a new outfit for the occasion. Usually we just hung out at one of our houses or went out to a movie, but it was our 2 year anniversary - 3 year, if you didn't count the months he'd been away for - and he wanted to make it special, as he usually did. Last year he bought me countless flowers and took me to a concert. This year, he promised me, would be unforgettable.

The drive to Seattle seemed surprisingly short, but that was probably because I'd been daydreaming about Edward the whole way.

I pulled up to my favourite clothing store, and, to my disappointment, it was closed for renovation. I roamed around until I found a nice looking shop. It was nothing professional, just a home business that seemed like a good place to check out; it was cheery and inviting. I parked my truck and walked in, not surprised by the ding! of the bell above the door as I entered. A tall, pale woman, who couldn't have been older than eighteen, emerged from the back room. She had chocolate-brown hair, like me, dark brown eyes, black almost, and she was wearing a name tag that read Ruby.

"Good morning," she said as she approached. "I'm Ruby; can I help you?"

"Yes, please. I'm going on a date tonight," I smiled again at the thought. "I'm trying to find something special to wear."

"Anniversary or first date?" Ruby guessed.

"Anniversary," I told her. "Our third." I gave her a friendly smile.

She looked me over for a second, with a very concentrated look on her face. After a minute, she spoke. "Follow me." She led me into a room with mannequins, both male and female designs, and racks and racks of clothing. The mannequins were dressed in anything from jeans and T-shirts to tuxes and wedding gowns. But all the clothes had one thing in common - they were all beautifully designed. "Here it is!" Ruby said triumphantly to no one in particular. She held up two hangers - one held a tight V-neck sweater with a tank top underneath; the other held a skirt that was about knee-length. The sweater was navy blue, while the tank top and skirt were black. "So what do you think?"

"It's just what I was looking for!"

"Well," she held out the hangers. "Try it on! Change rooms are right over there." She pointed across the empty store to three small booths. She handed me the outfit and I went to try it on. It was a perfect fit - just my size - and it looked great. On top of this, the whole outfit was less than 30!

I walked out of the change room to show Ruby, who was waiting just outside.

"It's perfect," she stated simply. "He'll love it!"

"Thanks. I'll take it." I smiled at her again.

As I was paying for my new outfit, and thanking her for her help, she asked, "So, what's the lucky guy's name?"

"Edward." I sighed, still smiling.

"Hmm." She looked thoughtful. "Where's he taking you?"

"The most expensive restaurant I'll let him take me to, naturally." I rolled my eyes.

"Sounds like someone I used to know." She was staring off into space as she handed me the clothes. "I never did catch your name." She said suddenly.

"Bella. Bella Swan." I smiled. "Well, I'd better get going. Nice meeting you, Ruby."

"Nice meeting you too, Bella. We should meet up again soon!"

"Yeah," I agreed, walking out. "I'll come back soon!" I promised.

A/N: Sorry it's so short! The next chapter will be longer, I promise!

Let me know what you think about Ruby, or the story in general. Feel free to point out any mistakes, I don't mind! In fact, I'd appreciate it if you did!

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