Our First Kiss –Billy Gillman
I have had a busy year. I finally got my book accepted by a publisher. I had an interview with my editor today. She said that my book was fine and like all books small edits were needed to get it ready for print and there was something that she thought my novel might need but she wanted to talk to me about it in person.
I hoped that it wouldn't take long because I had a plane to catch to Florida before I hopped another one in two days for La Push and Forks so I could be a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding. His fiancée wanted three bridesmaids and only had two she called me up freaking out and saying that Jake was being of no help to her.
My phone rang bringing me out of my thoughts.
"What has Jake done now?" I asked without a hello.
"Surprisingly nothing. I was just wondering when you were coming into town? I just have to know to make sure all my brides maids are here."
"I will be in by Wednesday at nine fifteen pm. I will be staying in Seattle so I won't be late to the final dress fitting on Thursday." I told her.
"Thanks, I was just—"
"Spazing out; I know. I'm sorry to seem so stand offish right now but I have a meeting about my book that I need to get to." I said reluctantly because I really did like talking to her.
"Bye and you better let me know about your book."
I smiled as I put my phone back into my pocket.
"This is your stop; miss." The cab driver said.
I gave him his tip and slipped out of the car. The building my publisher and editor were in was impressive. It was tall but not by New York means for someone who grew up in Forks they are impressive; more so than the buildings in Phoenix that Renee my mother had tried to get me to like. The only thing about Phoenix that I like more than Forks is the weather. I prefer a warmer climate.
I walked up to the door and was about to open it myself with the man standing by it stopped me.
"Let me get that for you miss." He said pulling the door open.
"Thank you." I said walking into the building.
I walked up to the reception desk and waited for the woman who was manning it to get off the phone.
"—I know so I broke up with the guy."
"Excuse me." I say standing right in front of her.
"Hello I'm on the phone." she snipped at me.
"I know that but you are the receptionist for this building. I have a meeting on the thirteenth floor but I need a pass to get up there."
"You need to sign in first." The girl said. Lauren her name tag says.
I took the clipboard from her and quickly signed my name.
"The name tag?" I asked.
She threw it on to the top of the desk and continued talking to the person on the other end of her phone call. I could have sworn that I heard her call me a female dog but I ignored her and headed to the thirteenth floor.
The only receptionist for the publisher was much nicer to me even though I had to wait a few minutes for her to speak to me and that was only because she was taking care of someone else who didn't have a clue about what they were doing.
"Sorry about that how can I help you?" she asked.
"I have a meeting with Karen she didn't tell me her last name and I stupidly forgot to look it up."
"That's alright there is only one Karen with us and you must be Isabella. Karen has been raving about your book for days. I can't wait for it to be published."
"Thanks. So where do I go."
"You go down the hall way and to your left there is a bath room door and a normal door. Go through the normal door and you will be in her office.
I did as the receptionist told me. I sat in Karen's office and waited for her. Looking around her office I noticed that she had two boys around the age of three. I also noticed that she leaned toward contemporary and modern furniture.
"Isabella Swan."
"Yes. I am." I said standing up.
"I'm Karen. I just wanted to tell you how much I loved your book and that I noticed you didn't have a dedication."
"I wasn't sure what to put or if I really even needed one."
"It would be a good idea to have one. Your book is slated to be printed until next year but I would like to have it within the next few weeks so we can put it in with the book and start piecing together the book."
"I'll have it too you next week." I told her. "Is there anything else?"
"We would like you to sit down for a photograph so we can have one for the back flap of your book cover."
"Sure." I said. "Just call me to let me know when it's set up but couldn't do it for the next two weeks. I'm visiting family and a friend is getting married."
"Oh congratulations to your friend and the photograph sitting won't happen for about six months."
"I'll send the dedication to you in an e-mail."
"Thank you for coming in."
"You are welcome." I said after shaking her hand.
I walked out of the office waved goodbye to the receptionist who's named turned out to be Angela. I was glad to know her name now. I dropped off my visitor's badge to the main desk in the lobby –thankfully to a nicer receptionist—before I signed out of the building.
I went to my hotel and packed up the rest of my bag and headed for the airport. While waiting to board the plane I sent an e-mail to Jasper asking him if I should use one or both of the dedications I wrote.
I wouldn't realize until later that night when I was almost asleep that he had sent an e-mail back; saying that he was sorry for being so late. I had told him that it was okay and that it wasn't like we were dating or anything He had quickly sent one back.
Bella,
I wouldn't know about dress fittings but my mother did rope me into being some one's date to a wedding. I don't really want to do it but I can't let my mom down. Good luck with the dress fitting.
Hope to see you again soon.
J Whitlock
After that I powered down my laptop to get some sleep before my lunch with Renee and my flight to Seattle and the dress fitting I had the next day. I couldn't take a nap like I wanted to because I would sleep through the lunch and departure time. When I saw that I had an hour to meet Renee I grabbed my purse and headed out the door but only after I took a shower and changed into clothes Renee would think was appropriate.
While waiting for Renee in the restaurant bar I turned my attention to one of the TV's affixed to the wall above the bar, I quickly turned my attention away from it when I saw that it was just some stupid news show about what some pop start named their latest child and Lindsey Lohan and her latest flame; I wasn't sure if it was a guy or girl since their name was Jo and that could be a guy or girl. I didn't care either way it was seem like a publicity stunt to me.
Renee waked in ten minutes later wearing a Channel suit. I got up and hugged her.
"It's good to see you mom." I tell her.
"Thanks it is good to see you too." She said.
"What's with the outfit?" I asked. "It doesn't seem like what you normally wear."
"It was a gift from Phil's mother. I figured I should wear it to a fancy place like this."
"I'm sorry it's just that I can't go to far from the hotel and the airport."
"Why is that?" she asked.
"My flight leaves at three. I would spend more time with you but little Jake Black is getting married and I'm in the wedding."
"The little boy you made mud pies with? I thought he was too young to get married."
"He's only a year younger than me." I tell her.
"He just always seemed so much younger."
It was after that comment that we ordered our food and talked the mindless chit chat about everything –including Lindsey's new flame. I was surprised that we actually got along. Usually we end up in screaming matches that only ended when I slammed my car door and drove away. This time she waited while I grabbed my bags and took me to the airport and watched me leave on my plane.
I took the nap I wasn't able to take earlier on the plane ride since I had nothing better to do. I knew I would dream about Jasper though we had only talked faced to face once and that was over a year ago. I would always dream of meeting Jasper on another plane ride only this time we were the only two on the plane and the dream would always end just before he kissed me because I would wake up sweating.
I ignored my fears of having an 'intense' dream while on a plane full of people but I didn't think it would go that far. I was the only person in my section of three seats so that was good.
~!~
I was happy when I finally arrived in town for the wedding. I had rushed to the room I booked so I could shower and get back to sleep. I would keep the room until Friday because everything from the dress and tuxedo fitting's and the dress rehearsal was being held in Seattle while the actual wedding and reception would be held in La Push on Saturday.
It was because my flight was late at night I wouldn't get to spend as much time with Charlie as would have liked but he had Sue Clearwater now and she was the one to make the first move after her kids Seth and Leah told her to –I know it surprised me to after all their dad did pass away just last year.
I went directly to bed after I took my shower. I had slept straight through the night which is something I hadn't done in years. I looked at the clock reluctantly and saw that I only had twenty minutes to get to the dress fitting.
I threw myself out of bed and changed into some easy going clothes because of the dress fitting. I ate a granola bar from the vending machine a few doors down from my room for my breakfast. I looked at the clock again. I only had ten minutes this time.
I reluctantly left the warmth of my room locking the door to make sure that no one could get in. After getting into my rental car I drove the ten blocks to the fitting. Renesmee was already there with her mother.
"Bella." She greeted. "You are the first one here. Do you want to wait or try the dress on now or later when everyone is here?"
"I could try it on now. After all I haven't been here for the other fittings so my would need the most work."
"Carol. We have the first bridesmaid here." Renesmee said dragging me over to an older looking woman by a rack of blue dresses.
"Name?" Carol asked.
"It would be Bella or Isabella." I told her.
"Okay." She said looking through the rack of dresses. "Here" She said pushing the dress into my hands. "Go change."
I did as I was told and slipped into the blue dress. It was pretty and fit me pretty well but I could tell it was loose in places. I pulled the zipper close and walked back out.
"Oohh. You look good Bella." Renesmee said.
"Thanks," I mumble as Carol starts to flutter around me making the dress tighter in the appropriate places. She did that for all of ten minutes.
"Your dress is perfect. It's a little loose but will fit better with the proper under garment." Carol said when she was finished. "You can take it home now
I sat there because Renesmee was going to have her bachelorette; hen party whatever you want to call it was taking place just after it. I watched as the two other bridesmaids tried on their dresses. They could take them home their dresses also. All of us girls waited while Renesmee tried on her dress. It took us all five (Renesmee's mom had a dress also) four hours to get through trying them on adjusting them and paying for them.
After I paid for my dress I took it and put it in the back of my rental car before heading to the hotel across town where they were holding the party. It was only a small get together of Renesmee's friends and family; the female ones anyway.
I spent the next five hours playing games and watching Renesmee open gifts. Most of it was lingerie that was 'strictly' for the wedding night and the honeymoon they would take afterward. She received a variety of other things.
By the time the party was done I was hungry and Renesmee and her other friends and bridesmaids had to book rooms because they were too far gone to drive, I however wasn't to buzzed to drive because I didn't have a single drink.
After I left the party and because I was hungry I drove to McDonalds. The drive wasn't long but the wait in the line was. It seemed like almost everybody in Seattle wanted McDonalds at nine o'clock on a Thursday night. I was the second to last in the line of five.
I already knew what I wanted and looked at the sign to make sure that what I wanted was a value meal. I saw it was a number three and kept that in my mind so I would be ready when they asked.
I finally pulled up to the speaker and gave my order. I waited a few minutes and pulled up to the window.
"Here you go." The drive thru person says.
I parked in the closest spot and made sure I had all my food. I found that they gave me a chicken sandwich instead of the hamburger I ordered. I take it and the back to the counter.
"Can I help you?" the employee at the register asks.
"I ordered a hamburger and I was given the chicken. I would like to get the burger I ordered and paid for." I said. There was unneeded anger in my voice but I was slightly annoyed by the events.
"Do you have a recite?" they asked.
"Here" I said.
"It says you ordered the number three and that's the chicken."
"No it's not look at you screen out side there was a hamburger and fries." I said. "Even the board up there shows a hamburger. Now give it to me."
"I'm sorry the recite said it was chicken."
"Get your manager." I said.
The teeny bopper did as I asked and came back with an older looking man that I felt really creepd out about.
"How can I help you?" the man asked.
"I want the hamburger I thought I was ordering. The sign outside and the one up behind you both say the number three is a hamburger. I want the hamburger but your employee here won't give it to me because the recite says chicken."
"Just give her the hamburger James. You do this again and I will fire you." I heard the manager mumble.
They guy gave me the hamburger and I suspected he would have spit in it had he had the chance to do so. I took my now semi cold fires back to my car and over to my hotel. I grabbed my purse, suitcase (that had my dress for the wedding), food and headed inside. I was walking back to my room when I ran into someone.
"I'm sorry it's just late and I wasn't looking." I said.
"That's okay." The man asked looking up at me. "Bella?"
I looked up at the man and gasped in shock. "Jasper." I said. "This is so weird."
"I guess we meet again. I see you got McDonalds to want to join me in my room." He asked me.
"Sure. I just need to take my bags to my room." I told him holding up the bag that contained my dress.
"What's the number?"
"A thirty four." I responded.
"Right next to mine." Jasper said. Really weird.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yep now let's go." He said after picking up his change.
"Don't you want to get whatever you wanted out of that machine?" I asked.
"Sure." I watched as Jasper punched some numbers in and added the coins he grabbed the soda before turning back to me. "Ready now."
I nodded and led Jasper to my room I put my food on the table and my dress on the close rack by the door. I grabbed my food again and headed for the door.
"Are you going to un-pack?" Jasper asked.
"I'll do it later." I replied. "Right now I have my mind on my food."
He just nodded and walked out of the room. I followed and locked the door because we had to use actual keys not those magnetic key cards that the big hotel chains use. He waited while I made sure the lock was secure.
"Paranoid?" he asks me after I check the third time.
"Dad's a cop." I told him. "Police chief actually."
"That would explain it. I check it twice." He replied.
"Why is that?" I asked.
"My grandfather was a cop for six years before he died and I was a cop for three years before my accident." He told me. "No I work as a privet investigator or cheater catcher since that's the only type of case I get now."
"And that makes you miss being a cop and getting the real bad guys off the streets."
"I guess you could say that and it kind of loses its luster once it's your business partner that screws you over." He explained after unlocking his door.
"But you are better couldn't you go back to being a cop?" I asked him.
"I've been looking into it actually." He said sitting down in one of the two chairs in the room.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah. I've got interviews all over to ask what they need in an officer and see if I can even get back into the field."
"I guess good luck is in order."
"It would be welcomed. I just hope I can keep it quiet until after I get a job." He replied.
"Why keep it quiet if it's so important to you?" I asked him.
"My mother wouldn't like it but she would have to deal with the job if I already have it. I'm her baby so she's always worrying about me even when it's not needed."
"Sound like the opposite of my mom." I said. "I'm more like my dad any way."
"You said your dad was a police chief maybe I'll talk to him."
"I am not going to tell you who my dad is. You will have to go through the interview all on your own." I said. I already had one guy try and use me to get a job with my dad I wasn't going to go through that again.
"Dang. Guess I'll have to resort to using my charm." He said.
"So what happen with you and Lauren? You told me that you broke up but you didn't say why."
"I caught her in bed with my business partner."
"Seriously and the guy is killing your business. What an ass." The last part slipped out before I could shut my mouth but it was the truth so I wasn't completely bothered.
"Bella!" He said sounding shocked.
"What?" I asked.
"You cussing was a shock. You don't strike me as the type to do so." I said to her pushing the last of my fries into his mouth while I did the same.
"Glad I can shock you." I responded.
I had started to laugh but he stopped me by kissing me.
"Sorry I shouldn't have done that." Jasper said after pulling back.
"Don't be." I said leaning closer to him. "I liked it." I added before kissing his like he had me just moments before.
He pulled back from me again and stood up pulling me up with him. When I was fully standing he kissed me again this time putting his arm around my waist and pulling me closer to him. I felt safe in his arms. I slipped my arms around his neck and my hands in his hair. I started to pull at it to make the kiss deeper.
We must have been kissing a while because we found ourselves over by the bed –like we had been slow dancing or something. I only noticed when he fell on to the bed taking his lips and hands with him. I couldn't help but giggled –which is out of character for me.
"I'm sorry." I said when he looked at me.
"Don't be." He said before adding. "I fell on the bed not the floor and the view is nice."
"You're incorrigible." She said.
"You weren't saying that a few moments ago." He replied with a grin.
"True but I was also distracted." I said. "But then again it was a good distraction."
"Then join me and I can distract you again." He said.
He must have been embarrassed by what he sad because he had turned bright red. I couldn't help but blush to because I wasn't used to making guys blush. I was never really good at talking to them in the first place.
I sat on the bed trying to pluck up the courage and tell him that I like him. He sat up on his one arm and whispered to me "I really like you."
"And I like you." I replied kissing him again before I lost the courage I had mustered up.
He moved his free hand to the back of my neck to deepen the kiss. I pushed the button up shirt he had been wearing over a t-shirt on to the floor because I wanted to feel closer to him. I then pushed him on to his back before kissing him again. With a little nudge from him I pulled back and he pulled my shirt over my head so it could join his on the floor.
I woke up the next morning with Jasper's arm slug around my waist and completely naked. I picked up the clothes I could find and put them back on; I would change into some fresh one once I got back to my room.
I unlocked my room and walked in I immediately grabbed fresh clothes and headed for the shower. I repacked my suit case and stuffed my dirty clothes in there. I could wash them when I got to Charlie's. I wasn't sure why but I didn't think I could stay in the hotel any more. I felt like I had used Jasper because I was feeling a little bit lonely because all my friends had someone. I may not have seemed that way to him or even earlier but I was a bit lonely.
After I made sure my suitcase and carry on were packed and ready to go. I put it in my car before going back inside to do a double check of the room and check out.
"You had your room booked for another day are you sure you don't want to stay?" the woman at the front desk asked.
"No my dad's finally home so I'm going to stay with him for a little bit before heading home." I lied.
"Well I do hope you decide to stay here again the next time you are in the area." The woman said.
I gave her a nodded and walked out to my car. I sat there a while and called Charlie.
"Is something wrong Bella?" he asked.
"No dad. I was just wondering if my old room was free?"
"Is something wrong with the hotel?" he asked.
"No just some really creepy guy that was in the elevator last night and this morning." I lied.
"Oh and yes your room is free. Everyone else that's in for the wedding is down in La Push or up in hotel in PA." he said. "When should I expect you?"
"I guess around eight. I plan on taking my time." I replied.
"The wedding is at noon so be here on time."
"Dad I will be there and you are worse than the bride." I replied.
"I'm your father I am aloud to be if time keeps my daughter away." He countered.
I ended up not taking my time because I started to get paranoid about the time. I had kept on checking the clock on my phone or the dash every two minutes. I was ticking myself off for doing that; and when I wasn't thinking about the time I was thinking about Jasper and how I left him there at the hotel alone. Both of those trains of thought had me to blow up with frustration when I pulled up to Charlie's house.
My brother and his wife were there and I was glad to see them. All but one of their kids had left. Sam their youngest daughter hadn't left home yet but college was calling and she would be gone come fall.
I parked my car next to my brothers and grabbed the dress out of the back so it wouldn't get ruined during the night.
Charlie opened the door before I even got to the porch.
"I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow?" he asked grabbing the dress from me.
"There was a creepy guy in the hotel and I wanted to spend more time with you." I lied.
"He didn't try anything did he?" Charlie asked in cop mode.
"No because I left before he could try anything." I said. "I guess being your daughter has its benefits."
Hope you liked Bella's POV.
Maye