I'm putting this up quicker than I wanted to, but I though what the hell. Hope you enjoy it. Right now the story is really slow, but it will get more interesting as I get through the chapters. Hang in there for me.

Disclaimer: If it's familiar, I don't own it.

A New Friend

Bella exited her Chevy truck and walked into the Safeway fifteen minutes from her house. It was an especially nice day in her Washington suburb just outside of Seattle. Although Bella got used to Forks, she never liked the small town, everybody and their mom knows your business, lifestyle. Thankfully, neither did Tyler. His father had an office downtown and Tyler managed that branch of the family business right out of college. It allowed Bella to have a comfortable life. They were not struggling for money and she didn't have to get a job, though she could if she needed to. Bella didn't fit in with the other wives of suburbia, but she was fine with that. It allowed her to read and write, as well as improve her already impeccable cooking. Music was always playing in her home, and she was constantly looking for more of all genres and styles to listen to.

She took a shopping cart in the front of the store, fishing for the shopping list in her purse. She inspected the fruits and vegetables first, taking her time to find the most immaculate produce.

"You're my best friend, and I love you..."

Her cell-phone started to ring and she knew exactly who it was thanks to the Weezer ring tone.

"Hey Jake!" she practically squealed into the phone. She hadn't talked to Jacob Black in such a long time and was ecstatic to hear from him. They had been best friends since she moved to Forks in her junior year of high school, but she didn't get to see him as often as she liked. He had gotten married recently and she assumed his honeymoon had just come to an end.

"Bells!" Jacob's voice boomed through the receiver. She could tell he was just as excited to talk to her. "I haven't talked to you in so long."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. So how are you and Lizzie?"

"We're great, just got back from our honeymoon two days ago," Bella finished picking out her produce while Jake told her about the island and everything exciting he and his new wife had done. It wasn't until she got to the aisles that he stopped himself and asked about her.

"I'm talking too much, I need to know what's going on with you. How are things with Tyler?"

Bella hesitated. "They're great, Jake."

"That wasn't very convincing, Bella. You want to try that again or am I going to have to coax it out of you?"

Bella bit her lip while looking at the pasta. She hadn't told Jake about Tyler beating her. First of all, she knew he would come to Seattle so he could beat the hell out of Tyler. There was also, Charlie. If Jacob didn't tell Charlie himself, he would tell Billy, who would then call on her father. The police getting involved was the last thing she wanted, and the gossip that would come out of it in Forks would be dreadful. Even though she didn't live there anymore, she didn't want to be talked about. All in all, telling Jacob was not an option.

"Truly Jake, they are. I'm just as much in love with him as ever." That wasn't a lie. She couldn't make herself fall out of love with Tyler no matter how hard she tried.

Jake paused, waiting for the elaboration that wouldn't come. Looking down the aisle nervously, Bella reached for a box of thin spaghetti. Her hand touched another's and they knocked down boxes of pasta.

"Shit - Jake, I have to go. I'll call you later." She hung up the phone after Jake said goodbye and put it in her purse. She pushed up her sleeves and bent down to start picking up what had fell to the floor.

"I'm so sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention." Bella said, still without looking at the stranger. She placed the boxes in her hands on the shelf and made them aligned. She developed somewhat of an obsessive compulsive disorder while being a housewife.

"It's quite alright," the male voice said. It was a pleasant voice; soft and comforting with a trace of a British accent.

She turned to smile at him, to thank him for being understanding. Green eyes looked back at her, a mix of Forks moss and clover leaf, and the green shirt he was wearing made them stand out furthermore. His odd reddish-brown hair color was in a slight disarray on the top of his head. He was pale and even though he was kneeling on the ground, she could tell he was tall and lean. Attractive, but that didn't matter to her. She noticed she had been staring a moment too long and looked at her feet, blushing.

After a slightly awkward moment, the mystery man stood up, wiped his hands on his dark blue jeans and held out his left one. "I'm Edward."

Bella quickly pulled her arm sleeves back down, noticing her exposed bruises, and took his hand in her own. "Bella. It's nice to meet you. Are you new in town?" Although the town was large, she was pretty sure she had seen everybody's face at one point in time and she didn't recognize his. She was positive she would have remembered it if she had.

"Yes actually. My job required me to. I'm having trouble getting around though, everything looks so similar. Took me 30 minutes to find this place."

"Yep, the suburbs will do that to you. It gets easier though, trust me," she paused. "Do you need help finding anything else? I know this town inside and out, " Bella was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Edward.

"Could you tell me where the closest Starbucks is?" he asked with a little laugh at the end. "I can't make a good cup a coffee worth a damn, but I'm addicted."

That reminded Bella why she came to the Safeway in the first place. "Sure. From here you take Abbey Boulevard for about two miles and then turn left on to 140. Turn right on Old Hard Road..." She trailed off after seeing Edward's blank face. "Or I could just show you the way there. I have to finish up here though."

"That'd be great. I have to do the same. We'll meet each other in the parking lot?"

Bella nodded and smiled, grabbing herself the thin spaghetti and going on her way. She finished the rest of her shopping quickly, not wanting to make Edward wait. She paid, went out to her car, and started loading her groceries in the cab of her truck, placing the cold food items in the freezer bag. By the time she finished, she saw Edward at a silver car, a Volvo? She walked over to help him with his own purchases. They smiled at each other and swiftly got everything into his car.

"So do you want to just take my car and I drive you back here?" he asked, closing the trunk.

"Sure, that's fine," she said looking to the ground and hitting the lock button on her truck's remote. She looked at him questioningly as he walked to the passenger door and held it open for her. Tyler did that on special occasions, and she thought that was something. Did all men do this on a regular basis, or was this Edward just nice? His car was in pristine condition, both inside and out. Everything seemed so organized.

They drove in silence, other than Bella directing him where to go and the soft Michael Bublé on the stereo. Once inside, Edward ordered his drink while Bella looked for her favorite bean coffee. When they both sat down in the comfortable chairs they started to talk about themselves. Edward worked for the government and had to move around often. It was his first time living in somewhere outside of a big city. He had a close knit family that he only got to see on holidays and special occasions, though his brother and sister chided him about it. She told him how she spent her time. His expression dropped a little when she told him that she had a husband, but Bella didn't notice.

When they finished their coffee, he dropped her off at her car. "Edward," Bella said as she was opening her car door. "Would you like my phone number? I know how hard it is adjusting to this place, and I just want you to have a friend to help you out when you need one." She meant it too. The fact she hadn't made a close friend in the two and a half years she had lived in her house, she knew how hard it was to make friends with these people. She didn't know what type of person Edward was, but just in case he was like her, she gave him the option.

Edward's eyes lit up the slightest bit. "Yeah, that'd be nice." He went into his glove department and found a piece of paper and pen, giving it to her. After she wrote down her cell and home number and placed the utensils in his hand, he ripped off a piece and gave her his. She folded it and put it in her purse.

"Well, I hope to talk to you soon, Edward," she said halfway into her truck. "I'll see if Tyler and I can have you over for dinner sometime."

"Thank you, Bella. I'm grateful to the person to whom you were speaking to on the phone earlier."

Bella blushed, and turned away smiling. She powered up the truck's engine and drove away from the parking lot, happy to have finally made a friend in suburbia.

I'm going to answer a couple of questions I had from an anonymous reviewer, veca (thanks for reviewing by the way. You get an awesome smiley ={.)

Edward is human in the story, everybody is. No mythical creatures here. I will also try to update as much as possible, hopefully once a week, but don't hold me to it. I'm on break right now so you get two this week. I'm trying to get people interested, so spread the word! The more reviews and whatnot, the more motivation for writing. ;-)

So please, review, story alert, yada yada yada. I want to hear what you guys think!

Music: Vampire Weekend, Michael Bublé

Next Chapter...Plans