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~WHAT IT TAKES TO STAND~

Chapter 3: Reality Kicking the Ass

By Saturday morning, the thought of the handsome stranger waving at me from outside the office has been pushed to the back of my mind. My focus was now on what the day has installed for me. I dreaded it with venom but was looking forward to it all the same.

I arrived at the usual time on my appointment with Dr. Brandon. Her assistant exchanged few pleasantries with me before she ushered me to see my doctor, who had just finished her lunch.

"How do you do, Bella?" Dr. Brandon asked the moment I situated myself in front of her table. At late twenties, she still looked like a fresh graduate. She isn't one of those typical doctors wearing their friendly smiles, but has on watchful eyes and is formal in composure. On the contrary, she is bubbly, energetic and overly-friendly. And small.

"I'm good."

She moved to sit at one of her couches. I adjusted my sit to face her.

"Tell me about your whole month," she says as she threw me a bar of snickers. I chuckled. She is always like this.

In between eating the chocolate she gave me, I relayed to her my boring month. All the while, she was eyeing me with keen observation. However, when I mentioned my very brief encounter with the "stranger man" – as I settled to call him – her eyes sparked interest and a small smile kept playing on her lips.

"So, this stranger guy – did you have a chance to talk to him yet?"

I laughed without humor. "Dr. Brandon –"

She rolled her eyes. "Come on Bella, just call me Alice. What am I – a stranger?"

I smiled. "Alice, you know my situation. I can't just strike up a conversation with him and say, 'hi there handsome. Want to go out with a crippled girl like me?'"

"Why not? Bella, it's just your lack of self-confidence that's in the way here. He seemed interested enough to wave at you. Initiate a talk."

She and I both know that it isn't just my self-esteem which is the issue. "He never visited since Tuesday. And he was just a passer-by." I shrugged.

She gave me one of her irritated, pouty look. I chuckled.

"All right then. Let's proceed to the basic Q and A. You know how these works."

She launched to her usual routine of questions where I answer the first thing that comes into my mind. This time, she took notes.

Even though Alice is probably the person I'm most open about, I can't still confide to her, even until now. But she never gives up, which is why I liked her and stick to her as my doctor. Pathetic, yes, that the only person I could call closest to me happens to be my shrink.

On Monday, the buzz of the new addition to our department was making every employee on alert. By now, news of him as the CEO's son has been a wildfire gossip. My co-workers seemed to be dreading to have a spoiled, rich fresh graduate to work with them. I can't say I blame them.

"Gather round guys." Mike said to all of us. I was glad he was near my cubicle so I wouldn't have to exert myself to join my co-workers.

"Mr. Cullen will be here in a short while. I hope you could welcome him warmly and teach him all that he needs to know. You all know by now that he is the CEO's son. Don't make him feel as an outsider just because he is. Act normal."

By then, the much talked about CEO's son finally arrived. My co-workers adjusted their eyes to him the same moment that I did. But none could compete to the shock I felt at that moment.

"Guys, meet Mr. Edward Anthony Cullen," Mike introduced him and blabbered things probably about him. I should have been paying attention but couldn't.

No. This can't be true. No. No. NO. He can't be the same handsome stranger that I just met the last week? No way! I kept shouting at my head.

Words. Edward was saying words. I couldn't comprehend them. He was smiling kindly as he says words, trying to charm the pants off my co-workers. I couldn't hear a word he says. I was panicking. And sweating.

He looked towards me and I snapped out of it. When his emerald eyes met mine, I hurriedly looked down. My eyes remained casted down the entire time introductions were made.

Mike was mid-sentence when his assistant called for him and says he has an important meeting. Groaning, he nodded and told her that he'll be there shortly.

"Seems like I can't give you the tour to this department myself. But I'm sure my other staff can handle it." He paused briefly. I was still looking down.

"How about Miss Swan?"

What?! I jerked my head up to shoot Mike daggers. He flinched.

"Err, probably not her. Jessica, why don't you assist him then?"

Jessica was only too willing to do as she was bid. I should be happy that Mike changed his mind but the confusing thing is that this turn of events made me feel like I was tasting rust.

Edward was being given the tour to our cubicles by Jessica, saying who's who and their functions. By this time, he was already briefed onto the department's main function. With half the staff on the Multimedia Team, and the other half on us, the Press Relations Team, he was made to choose which team he would spend the first of his week. Of course, the fool has to choose my team.

"And this is Isabella Swan. She's mostly doing the writings in PRD while I go to Press Conferences and such. Angela and Eric pretty much does both field and print but Swan stays on print."

Edward's eyes landed on mine. My immediate panic attack kicked in. His eyes had on that pretty little sparks that makes me squirm in my sit. God, he's hot, especially up-close.

"I'm glad to finally meet you Miss Swan." He smiled his panty-melting smile. I internally fanned myself.

"How do you do?" I managed and timidly smiled.

Jessica was perplexed. "You know each other?"

"Yes. We were greeting buddies, right, Miss Swan?" Edward smiled knowingly. I couldn't help but mine to grow at the knowledge that he does remember me.

Heard that Bitch? Now back off.

"Oh. Alright then, Mr. Cullen, let me introduce you to the other people here."

I knew it was preposterous of me, and shallow, and senseless, but watching Jessica easily interacting with Edward was making me fifty shades of jealous and envious. I know Jessica wasn't even trying to catch his attention or anything. Given, he's hot, and she finds him exactly that, but she wasn't even trying to be flirty yet. However, whenever her hands would go towards his arm, I wanted to find a woodchopper and disentangle it from the rest of her body; especially when said hands almost touched his ass, it took all my self-restraint not to throw all my staplers in my drawer at the back of her head.

This growing frustration only dissipated when lunch came. Of course, now that the new guy is a hottie, everyone would want to join him for lunch. My self-pity took on a higher notch.

As everyone was getting ready for lunch, I started digging my brown bag for my ever dependable Turkey sandwich. And he chose that moment to appear in front of my cubicle.

"Hello there," he says in his cool suave voice. I hated what it does to my senses.

"Hi," I greeted timidly.

"Why don't you join us for lunch, Miss Swan?"

Those words crushed me. It's time he learns the truth. All my hopes at normality with this handsome not-so-stranger needs to be thrown away. Reality needs to finally kick me at the butt.

"I can't join you," I answered vaguely.

He smiled that panty-melting smile, not having a clue on what will be thrown at his plate. "Come on, we're greeting buddies right?"

"I already have my lunch." I held my bag brown. He briefly eyed it.

"I'm willing to bet we can find a better lunch than that."

"Mr. Cullen, I can't." My voice sounded regretful.

Angela and Jessica chose that moment to join us.

"Oh, Mr. Cullen, aren't you having lunch with us? Let's go." Angela innocently asked.

"Yes. I was just extending the same invitation to Miss Swan here."

Angela looked more puzzled. "Bella never comes to lunch with us."

"Why not?" Edward asked.

Even more puzzled, Angela uttered the words that unmasked my pretentions. "Don't you know?"

Edward furrowed his brows.

"She can't walk."