Design For Life

Ink to paper is thoughtful Ink to flesh, hard-core. If Shakespeare were a tattooist We'd appreciate body art more. ~Carrie Latet

BPOV

I'd had the day from fucking hell. My day had started off fine. There was nothing better than seeing a gorgeous man asleep on your couch, unless of course, said gorgeous man was asleep in your bed. He'd been so sweet and funny last night, but I'd been sure he was going to have one hell of a hangover when he woke up. I made him coffee, asked him to dinner, and sent him on his way. After that, everything went to hell in a hand-basket.

I was on my way to work when I got held up by an accident, making me twenty minutes late. I finally got to work, and Jake was PMSing like there was no tomorrow. He and Seth had a huge fight, so they weren't speaking to each other. That is why you don't date someone you work with. It makes it uncomfortable for the innocent bystanders who work there. After sending them off to work in separate corners, all while they were glaring at each other, I got a devil of a customer. Dude was a fucking prick. He kept ogling my tits and ass, making comments, and "accidentally" brushing up against me. What the fuck ever! I put dude in his place and threatened to cut off his dick if he kept it up.

Finally, lunch rolled around. I headed out, wanting to leave behind the angst and drama, only to find it in the sandwich shop I frequented. I was next in line to order a sub, when the stupid little teenage girl behind the counter decided to test out her flirting skills on the guy in front of me, who was so far out of her league, it wasn't funny. I was getting really fed up with her, as were the people in line behind me. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey, kid. Do you think you could try out your flirting skills at some other time? You've got a line of people waiting here," I told her, somewhat rudely.

She shot me a glare, which I returned, and then proceeded to ignore me. Oh, hell no. She did not just fucking ignore me! I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt, so my tats were on display, leaned over the counter, and gave her my most menacing look.

"Look, little girl. I don't have all day to stand here, so take my freaking order before I get your manager out here."

Her eyes flashed to the tats on my arms, and her eyes widened at my threat to get her manager. Stupid kid. Reluctantly, she took my order. Once I had my sub in hand, I asked to speak to her manager. Needless to say, the stupid girl wasn't too happy with me. I had a little chat with her manager, and got a free sub coupon out of it. I ate my lunch quickly, then headed back to the shop. I was greeted with yelling as I opened the door.

"I'm so fucking tired of this shit, Jake!" Seth hollered, arms crossed over chest, face slightly red.

"Then why don't you just fucking leave!" Jake roared back.

I let out a groan. I didn't want to get in the middle of whatever their problem was, but I couldn't let them continue to duke it out in their place of business.

"Guys! This isn't the time or place for this fight! If a customer walks in and sees this, they're going to head somewhere else. Get your shit together or leave. I'll manage on my own," I told them.

"Stay the fuck out of this, Bella!" Jake growled at me.

Excuse me. I raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm sorry. Did you just tell me to stay the fuck out of whatever is going on here?"

"Yes."

I walked over and got in his face. This shit was going to end now. "Leave. Get the fuck out of here. You too, Seth. I don't want to see either of your mugs 'til you have this issue resolved. You've made it very uncomfortable to work today, and I don't need to deal with your shit.

Neither man moved. "Go!" I yelled, pointing toward the door. Both guys moved toward the door, keeping a bit of distance between them. I let out a sigh of relief once they were out the door. The rest of the day was quiet, until closing time. It was five to five, and I had finished doing inventory and putting things away. I was busy deciding what to make for dinner, when the bell above the door rang. I looked up and saw Alice heading my way. Fuck! I wasn't in the mood to deal with her.

"What do you want, Alice?" I asked in a hard voice.

Her lower lip trembled as she spoke. "I'm so sorry!" she cried.

I crossed my arms over my chest. I wasn't forgiving her that easily. I waited for her to expand on her apology. She shifted her weight back and forth, fidgeting with her hands.

"I'm sorry that I believed what Rose said. I didn't really think that you'd say those things about Edward."

"Really?" I scoffed. "You sure jumped on the Rosalie bandwagon rather quickly. Look. I know you don't know me from Adam, and we're not friends, but it fucking pisses me off that you were quick to believe that I'm this horrible person. That I would say those things about Edward."

"I don't believe you're a horrible person. It's just—I've known Rose forever, and I know that she can be a bit bitchy, but I've never had reason to question her word before."

I barked out a laugh at that. "How the hell you can believe a word that comes out of that bitch's mouth is beyond me." I glanced at the clock on the wall, grabbed my coat, and put it on.

"I need to get home," I told her, waiting for her to get the hint and leave. Giving me one last pathetic look, and another apology, she finally left. The drive home went by quickly, giving me ample time to stop at the store and pick up some groceries for tonight's dinner. I picked up some steaks to broil and some potatoes to bake. I figured it was a simple enough meal, and I was sure Edward would enjoy it.

Once home, I started the broiler and ran upstairs to shower real quick. I threw on a brown knit dress that I found in the closet, and pulled my hair back in a clip. I headed downstairs, threw the steaks in the broiler, and got out a bottle of wine. It was fairly cheap, but it tasted good. Although, I wasn't sure Edward would be wanting any after his adventure with alcohol yesterday. A heard a knock on the door and called out for him to come in. He walked into the kitchen, holding a bouquet of purple roses. He was so sweet.

"Oh, Edward. You didn't have to get me flowers."

"I wanted to," he told me, a blush dusting his cheeks.

"Well, thank you," I told him, leaning up to place a kiss on his cheek. He was what I needed after the crappy day that I'd had, and that thought scared me a bit. It scared me how quickly I was becoming enamored with him. I realized that I now looked forward to seeing him, and became sad when he left. I was pathetic. Letting out a little sigh, I grabbed a vase for the flowers and put them in the center of the table.

"I hope you don't mind having broiled steaks and baked potatoes for dinner."

A smile lit his face. "Not at all. Thank you, again, for inviting me."

"Of course. We're friends. Friends have dinner together. Besides, I have it on good authority that you think I'm pretty."

There went that blush of his again. It rose up, tinging his cheeks. "I really am sorry about last night."

I let out a laugh and reached over to cup his cheek. "Edward, I told you. It's fine. You were adorable. Drunk, but adorable. Now, I was thinking we could have a glass of wine with dinner, if that was alright with you. If you'd prefer something else, that's fine."

He pressed his cheek into my hand, then startled me by pulling away and pressing a kiss to my palm. "I think one glass would be okay. I sure don't want to make a habit of it, though. This morning was rough."

My poor adorkable Edward. He offered to set the table, while I got the food out of the oven. Soon we sat down to eat our meal, and I must admit, it was fucking fantastic. I was one hell of a cook. Edward let out a throaty moan after his first bite, and it sent tingles throughout my body. I wanted to make him moan like that all the time.

"Does it taste okay?"

"It's amazing! You should cook for me all the time," he joked.

I pointed my fork at him. "Hey, now! I'm not gonna be you're personal chef, but I wouldn't mind cooking for you once or twice a week."

His eyes lit up. "But," I began, "I want something in return."

He looked a bit nervous. "Um ... what do you want?"

I let out a laugh at his look. "Nothing nefarious. How about this? I cook for you a couple of times a week, and you cook for me a couple of times a week."

"I'm not a very good cook," he said quietly.

I reached across the table and touched the back of his hand. "Edward. I don't care if it's frozen pizza. I enjoy spending time with you. I hope you feel the same."

He turned his hand over and laced his fingers with mine. "Of course, I do. You're a great fr—friend to have," he said, seeming to choke on the word friend a bit.

I wanted to be more than his friend, quite badly, but figured I had to ease him into it. After learning that he'd only ever had one real serious relationship, and that it was in high school, I knew I'd have to take things slow with him. Not to mention, that I was unsure of how a relationship with a normal guy would be. I'd always dated tattooed, motorcycle riding, in-your-face kind of guys. Edward was a gentlemen, and I was unsure how to proceed.

We finished the rest of our meal, while making small talk. After dinner, Edward insisted on washing the dishes, and who was I to argue? Once he was done, we sat down on the couch to watch some TV, but ended up talking the whole time. Edward had come quite a ways, and didn't stutter or trip over his words as much as he used to. I kind of missed it.

The next morning, I woke up to a ton of snow outside. Cautiously, I stepped out onto my porch and noticed we had several inches of snow on the ground. I hated driving in snow. I called Seth and let him know that I'd be running a bit late. He told me to take my time and be careful. I finally got to the shop, and noticed that Seth's car was the only one in the lot. I was grateful that I wouldn't have to deal with the drama that he and Jake had going on. Walking in, I stomped the snow off my feet, and said hey to Seth.

"Hey, Bella," he said, sounding downhearted and broken.

Walking over to him, I wrapped and arm around his waist and give him a light squeeze. "Still fighting with Jake?"

"Yeah."

I hopped up on the counter, feet dangling, and took a good look at him. It was obvious he hadn't slept, and his eyes were rimmed red.

"I don't know what to do, Bella," he said in quiet voice, tinged with pain. "I love him so much, but lately, it's like he's a different person. He's been acting strange, aloof. I'm terrified that he's found someone else."

There was nothing I could say that would have made things better, so I leaned over and gave him a hug. "I think that you two really need to sit down and talk things through. Unless that happens, nothing is going to change."

A few minutes later, the door chimed, and I looked over to see Leah walk in. Leah, was Seth's sister, and a regular client. I was working on a tattoo of a large wolf on her back, and it would take a few more sittings until it was done. All the time we spent together made us realize that we had a lot in common, and she was slowly becoming a very good friend of mine.

"Hey, gang!"

"Hey, Leah," we replied.

I went over to my station and set things up, while Leah took off her shirt and straddled the chair. I began to work on the wolf, adding some shading to it, while we talked.

"So rumor has it that you had a date last night," she said, over the noise of the tattoo gun.

"By rumor, you mean Seth?"

She laughed. "Yeah. He spent the night at my place," she said, her voice becoming serious.

"I told him that he and Jake need to talk things through. I don't believe for one minute that Jake would cheat on him, but I will admit he's been acting strange."

"I've told him that, too. If it comes down to it, I'll lock them in a room together until they either make up and fuck, or break up."

I snorted out a laugh. She would.

"Anyway, tell me about this date you had."

I let out a sigh. Leah wouldn't let it go. "It wasn't a date. Just dinner with a friend."

She was the one who snorted this time. "Puh-lease. We all know you're crushing on Cullen. That's who I'm assuming you had dinner with."

"Yeah. He brought me flowers. Purple roses. He's really sweet. Not my type at all," I told her.

"Yeah, well, look at how well your type has worked out for you. First, it was that James guy, then it was Laurent. Perhaps you should try Edward on for size."

"I'm pretty sure I scare him. He's so innocent. He's a lamb, and I'm the lion. I'm afraid I'll eat him alive."

She cracked up. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind being eaten by a beautiful woman."

"Ha, ha. Speaking of beautiful women, how is Sam?"

"She's great. Bitching because she's hungry and horny all the time. Crazy pregnancy hormones. So glad that I'm not the one popping out a kid."

Leah and Sam had been together for five years and were expecting their first child. A good friend of theirs had donated the sperm so they could have a baby. From what I understood, some of the people on the reservation weren't too thrilled to have a lesbian couple in their midst. I hated people like that. People were people. Get the fuck over it.

"Anyway, back to the date. And it was a date. He brought you flowers. That makes it a date."

"Fine. It was a date. I had a date with Edward, and he doesn't even know it," I said with a laugh. "I made steak and baked potatoes, and when he was eating, he let out this throaty moan, and oh my God, Leah, I wanted to pounce on him. Just leap over the table and have my wicked way with him right then and there."

"Damn, woman. You've got it bad," Seth snickered from behind us. I'd totally forgotten that he was there.

"Shut up," I told him, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Just be careful with him. I like him. He's a good kid, but completely naive about women," he cautioned.

"And you're so all knowing about women?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"More than he is."

"Anyway, he mentioned how much he likes my cooking, so I offered to cook for him twice a week. In return, he has to cook for me as well."

"Nice," Leah said. "Very smooth, Bells. You'll have him eating out of the palm of your hand before you know it."

I frowned at that. "I don't want him eating out of the palm of my hand. I just want to establish a solid friendship, before attempting to progress things further," I stressed, stopping what I was doing and looking at my work. Damn. I was good.

"Honestly, I don't even know if he wants a relationship with me. Although," I said laughing, "he did call me his tattooed angel when he was drunk the other night."

Both Seth and Leah looked shocked. "Drunk? Eward?"

I explained that he had shown up drunk off his ass and what he'd said. They thought it was hilarious. I finished working on Leah's back, put some ointment on it, then started cleaning up.

"Bells?" Leah said, putting a hand on my arm.

"Yeah?"

"I'm pretty sure Edward likes you. I think he's good for you and you're good for him. But, don't take things too slow. Let him know that you're interested in pursuing a relationship with him. Talk to him. Communication is key."

She looked over at Seth as she said the last part. We said goodbye to Leah, and were kept busy with clients coming in and out for most of the day. At around five, Seth told me to head home. I pulled into my drive, headed inside, and tried to figure out what to have for dinner. Edward and I had never figured out when we would be cooking dinner for one another. I figured the easiest way to decide was to call him, and then I realized that I didn't have his number. We'd have to rectify that asap. A knock on my door startled me out of my thoughts. I peered through the window and saw that it was Edward. And just like that, my pulse raced a little faster and my breathing sped up.

I opened the door and greeted Edward.

"Hi, Bella. I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner tonight?" he asked, slightly nervous.

"I'd love to. I was just trying to figure out what to do for dinner, so I'm glad you came over."

Locking my door, I followed Edward over to his house. Once again, I was amazed at it's cleanliness. He took my coat and hung it up, while I took off my shoes by the door. The table was set, and I smelled chili cooking.

"Is chili okay? I wasn't sure what you'd like."

I was quick to reassure him that it was fine. We ladled the chili into bowls and we sat down at the table to eat.

"This is delicious!" I exclaimed.

"Thanks. It's my mom's recipe. One of the few things that I'm good at cooking."

"You know," I began between spoonfuls, "we never decided who was doing what, when."

"Oh, um. I don't care. We could alternate days. Like I cook Tuesdays and Thursdays and you cook Mondays and Wednesdays. Or not."

"Works for me."

We talked for a bit more, discussing what foods we liked, what foods we hated. Before long, dinner was over, and I helped him clean up. We chatted about work and some of the stories he told me had me cracking up. I told him about the loser who came in and tried to get fresh with me. Edward was furious.

"What a jerk! The guy had no right to try and put his hands on you! Didn't anyone teach him any manners?" he ranted.

It was quite funny to see Edward all worked up. I walked over to him and gave his hand a light squeeze. "It's fine, Edward. I told him to back off, and he did. Besides, he would've been really stupid to try anything with Seth and Jake around."

He squeezed my hand back before saying, "I just don't want you to get hurt. I—I care for you. A lot."

"I care for you a lot as well, so please be careful when you're walking to work. No more falling into streets. Okay?"

"Promise."

Like it always did when I hung out with Edward, time flew by. He walked me home, where I thanked him for a wonderful dinner.

"I always have a good time with you, Edward."

"I enjoy spending time with you as well, Bella."

I gave him a hug, which I was pleased to note that he returned without hesitation. Leaning up, I placed a gentle kiss on the side of his mouth.

"Good night, Edward," I told him, leaving him slightly flustered on my front porch.

Edward and I had settled into a weekly routine. Four nights a week were spent with one another. The more I learned about him, the more I realized that I was falling for him. It wasn't a crush anymore. No, I was falling in love with him, and it scared the shit out of me. We hadn't progressed past the friendship faze yet, but I was working on it. He'd gotten more comfortable around me, hugging me, and giving me the occasional kiss on the cheek. Those kisses left my knees weak, and I couldn't wait to find out what a real kiss from him would do to me.

Later that week, Jasper stopped by my house. I opened the door and let him in.

"Hey, Bella," he said sheepishly.

"Jasper," I told him in a curt voice.

I shut the door behind him and gestured him into the living room. He went in and sat down on the couch, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior at brunch. I know that Rose can be a real bitch and that she doesn't always tell the truth. For the record, I'm truly sorry."

He looked sincere. Hell, he looked miserable, and I did understand where he was coming from. Sort of. She was his sister, and it made sense that he would believe her.

I sat down next to him, resting my hand on his shoulder. "It might take a while for me to trust you as a friend, but for what it's worth, I forgive you. Now, I hear that you're going to be popping the question to someone soon."

His smile lit up his face. "Yeah! I'm terrified, yet super excited. I need your help if you're willing to give it. I have no idea what kind of ring to buy her."

"Why not ask Rose to help you?"

He barked out a laugh. "Are you kidding me? You've seen as she is. She'd be critical the whole time. I'd much prefer your company."

We made plans to go ring shopping the following Saturday, when Alice was working. I still hadn't truly forgiven him or Alice, but what was done was done, and Edward and I survived it. Although, I told Jasper, that if Rosalie and I came face to face, I couldn't promise not to beat the shit out of the bitch. Then I asked him how Emmett was holding up with things. He told me that Emmett had been furious with Rosalie once he found out the truth. Good. She deserved to have her husband pissed off at her.

Monday rolled around, and I headed into work. Jake and Seth had finally worked things out and were back to being their usual nauseating selves. I never did find out what the problem was, and I was okay with not knowing. I had just finished tattooing a girl's name on this young guy's arm, when Rosalie walked in the door. Fuck. I really didn't want to deal with the bitch. I was having a good day for a Monday. Although, I was tempted to tell the poor idiot that I'd just worked on, that getting a chick's name tattooed on your arm was incredibly stupid, because he'd be stuck with it forever. Look what happened to Johnny Depp and Winona. Just sayin'. After giving the kid the usual after care speech, I put my stuff away and walked to the back. Rosalie could wait.

I took a fifteen minute break, spending it texting with Edward. We'd finally exchanged cell numbers and did our best to coordinate our breaks so we could talk together. It was a bit pathetic, but I couldn't get enough of him. Jake, Seth, and Leah teased me constantly, wanting to know when I was going to finally make a move and ask Edward out on a real date. I'd decided to ask him on Friday, to see if he wanted to see a movie together.

Gotta go. Rosalie is here

I'm sorry. Have fun dealing with her.

Thnx. c u tonight

Can't wait. Bye.

He was so damned grammatically correct, even in text. It was another cute thing about him. Locking my phone, I headed toward the front of the shop, where I could see Rosalie sitting restlessly. Completely ignoring her, I headed to the counter to check the appointment books.

"I need to speak with you," Rosalie barked out from her chair.

I was tempted to tell her that she needed to make an appointment first. "So speak."

"In private," she growled out.

"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes and leading her to the back. I showed her to the break room, but left the door open while I stood near it. I could have Jake or Seth in here in a flash if I needed too.

"Come to apologize?" I asked.

"Excuse me? I'm not the one that needs to apologize. You are. You've turned my family against me!"

Someone was delusional. "Wow. You really are a crazy bitch. I didn't turn anyone against you. You did that all on your own. Ever hear the saying what goes around comes around? Well, there you go. You started all this shit with your lie at brunch, and now you're pissed because it's come back to bite you on the ass."

She leaned in close to me and got up in my face. "You don't want to fucking mess with me. Got that? I can destroy you," she threatened.

I rolled my eyes. "You might scare other people, but you don't scare me. I've dealt with far meaner people than you. Now, unless you're here to offer me an apology, I'd suggest you leave. Oh, and Rosalie. Don't fuck with Edward again. I will kick your ass."

"I'm not apologizing to you, and I'll do what I want, when I want."

Stupid bitch. I stepped up closer to her, until we were practically nose to nose. "Leave. Edward. Alone. I won't tell you again. Fuck with him, I will rearrange your face. Understood?"

She gave me a curt nod accompanied by an eye roll, then scurried off. I was seething.

"You okay, Bells?" Jake asked, putting an arm around me.

"I'm fine, but that bitch better fucking watch herself. I will take her out."

Thankfully, I was kept busy the rest of the day. Around four, the radio that we had on alerted us that a snow storm was heading our way, so we decided to close up early. Looking out the window, I could see the snow starting to fall. Both Jake and Seth offered to drive me home, but I waved them off. I would just drive slow.

I pulled out of the lot and headed toward the 101. Thankfully, there was very little traffic. I drove even slower when I approached Lake Crescent. The snow was falling harder, and the road was a bit slicker. The only thing preventing me from plunging to my death, was a flimsy guardrail. I knew that I was driving like an old lady, but better safe than sorry. I breathed a bit easier, once I passed the lake and was closer to Forks. I was about fifteen miles outside of Forks, when I hit a patch of black ice. I didn't even have time to breath, before the truck fishtailed. I did my best to correct it, but it was like the whole road had turned to ice. The truck turned in a circle, with me holding onto the steering wheel for dear life. I watched in horror as the truck swerved toward a tree. There was nothing I could do. All I could think, was that I was going to die, and my frozen body would be eaten by wolves.

The truck slammed into the tree, causing my head to smash against the window and steering wheel. Blood poured into my eyes before darkness took over. I had no idea how much time had passed, but when I came to, it was pitch black outside, and I was freezing. My whole body hurt, but my head and left arm hurt the most. I vaguely remembered loosing control of the truck. Crap. Edward was going to think that I stood him up for dinner. Edward! I needed to call him. Where the fuck was my phone? I moved my right hand around, searching for it, when I realized that I'd kept it in my pocket. It took some painful maneuvering, but I was able to get my phone out of my pocket. I slid the lock off and saw that I had ten missed calls. Most of them from Edward, but a few from Seth and Jake as well.

I called Edward back right away, hoping that he would answer.

"Bella! Where are you? Are you okay?" he blurted out upon answering.

"I hit a tree," I managed to say. My chest hurt and breathing was becoming difficult.

"Where are you?"

"On the 101, about fifteen miles outside of Forks, I think. I hit a patch of ice. I hurt," I whimpered out.

"Hang on, Bella. I'll call the police and ambulance. Dad and I will be there in a few. Just stay on the line with me, okay?"

His voice was starting to fade, and I heard him hollering my name. I tried to tell him that I was okay, but nothing came out. I just hoped that he got here soon. I needed to see him.

a/n: So there you go. A bit of drama. Next chapter is finished, just waiting to hear back from my beta. I appreciate any and all reviews. Even if it's just a smiley face. Thanks for reading!