The first meeting between Bella and Edward, now told from Bella's point of view.

Bella, Chapter 2

I arrived at the garage with about ten minutes to spare. While walking to the hospital, I saw Janice, whom I'd met on my second trip to Forks Hospital. I waved to her and she greeted me with what I thought was a distinct lack of enthusiasm. I hoped I was wrong about that, but I was determined to get off on the right foot.

"Good morning – Janice, right?" I smiled at her.

"Yes, that's right. Good morning, Bella. Welcome to your first day." I told her how glad I was that Forks Hospital had a garage; my previous jobs had surface parking lots which exposed everyone to the weather. I figured this was a safe enough topic.

She was holding a travel mug containing what I assumed was coffee. Everyone here drank a lot of it; I'm sure the rain drove them to it. I asked her whether she typically brought her own coffee to work, and indicated that I needed to learn more about office policies.

"Do most people bring in their own? Can you go to the cafeteria for a coffee break?" The hospital in New Jersey where I'd previously worked was flexible on that point; you could grab something to eat or drink as long as the workflow permitted. I looked at Janice expectantly, only to see her staring back at me with an expression of disbelief. Too late, I realized I'd asked too soon about breaks – it gave her the impression that was among my first interests.

"I just forgot to bring some in with me today," I added hastily. Janice said she would show me the cafeteria if Larry Twogood didn't have the chance to take me around this morning. We walked through the hall past the dropoff counter and then entered the pharmacy.

I hesitated when I saw the desks. I assumed one had been assigned to me, but I didn't want to wander around like a lost child looking for my name. I glanced to my right and noticed one young man about my age who was sitting at one of the desks. He met my gaze and I quickly looked away, suddenly embarrassed. I could feel the heated blush spread through my cheeks.

I didn't want to be rude, but he had to be the handsomest man I'd ever seen. Even with my quick glance, I could see his features were flawless: an exquisite straight nose, a strong jawline, and lovely full lips. He had a slender but muscular build, and beautiful bronze hair that was perfectly tousled. His skin was a very pale white, and appeared to have an unusual chalky consistency. The overall effect was ethereal and unforgettable. I glanced at him again to get a better look at his eyes, and immediately regretted it.

He was now glaring at me with a hatred as intense as any I've seen. The eyes that I wanted to look at were hard and narrowed, and almost completely black. His eyebrows were drawn together in a scowl; his lips were pressed firmly together in an expression that was beyond disapproving. Before I dropped my gaze again, I noticed his hands were contracted into tight fists, the skin and tendons drawn straight around his knuckles. He quickly moved them underneath his desk, and I realized he didn't appear to be breathing. It seemed as if he was suffering from some form of tortured insanity.

Larry came out of his office to greet me, and I turned to him, grateful for the interruption. He welcomed me into his office and talked quickly about what was on schedule so far. He explained that Edward – pointing unnecessarily to the guy who had nearly eviscerated me with his glowering; he was the only other male in the room – had already filled most of the orders needed by the operating room. "The doctors start making their rounds later in the morning and early afternoon," he added. "More orders will come in around that time." Larry opened his door and motioned to the desk next to Burning Man, saying I could start to settle in.

Sensing Edward's hatred without understanding anything about it – or him – I walked to the desk self-consciously, tripping over my own feet. What was going on here? I showered this morning. I didn't apply an inordinate amount of perfume, actually thinking that a cloud of fragrance wouldn't make a great impression. I noticed his nameplate: Edward Cullen. I kept my eyes down and moved to the desk next to him, which was clearly meant for me as it had no identification.

I hadn't hung up my coat yet, but I didn't dare move again to the front of the room, where a series of coat hooks were near the door. Some previously unknown instinct told me to stay exactly where I was. I set my coat aside on my desk and placed my purse carefully under it.

As a comical contrast to my own stumbling, Edward sprang up gracefully and took his jacket off the hook, stopping only to say goodbye to Larry. He moved with speed and agility, and in another impossibly quick couple of seconds, he was out the pharmacy door and gone.

How could I have made an enemy of someone before we'd even exchanged greetings? It really did seem that he hated me, and there was no mistaking that he was looking straight at me. Frustration and hurt knotted in my gut, and I could feel the tears beginning to well. What could I have done? Already I was blaming myself. This was the exact pattern I hoped to break with this huge change I'd made. I'd gone through the trouble of moving to a new state, and I wanted – well, if not improved habits, then at least new bad habits to fret over.

Janice hadn't turned around to look at me again. It didn't seem as if she'd noticed how Edward behaved toward me. Something about the set of her shoulders told me our relationship might already be determined. I felt cold now – not so much my skin, but on the inside. Suddenly, I could no longer push back the loneliness that had threatened to engulf me since I arrived in Washington. I was rejected out of hand in less than an hour by two of my coworkers. Familiar feelings of inadequacy overwhelmed me, wiping away the temporary bravery I'd felt since taking control of my life. Maybe I had done the wrong thing, a dumb thing, in coming here. I chided myself: less than ideal interactions with two people, and already you want to hop a plane back to Jersey? Give it a chance. At least Larry was very nice, and he didn't seem offended by me.

At that moment, the pharmacy technician arrived, apologizing for being late. "I got stuck at a traffic light behind a car that died out in the rain," he grumbled to no one in particular. Larry came out and introduced us. "Rick, this is Bella. She's our new pharmacist."

Rick stuck his hand out apologetically to shake mine. "Sorry – I'm not normally this grumpy. Really." He had a huge grin, and I immediately felt better. Here was another person who apparently didn't mind smiling, and also didn't seem to mind me.

"Larry, I don't mean to sound like I'm already mentally checking out here, but I didn't bring any coffee with me. Would you mind if I went to the cafeteria quickly? I'll be right back," I said.

"Of course not. Do you know your way there?" Larry replied.

"Not really," I said nervously, eyeing Janice's back. She still didn't turn around, either forgetting or ignoring her offer to get me to the cafeteria this morning.

"I'll go with you. I can use some coffee, too," Rick said.

"Thanks." I flashed a grin at him in spite of myself. He seemed so friendly and good natured. I hoped we would get along.

As we walked down the hall, I thanked him again. "Janice offered to show me around a little bit, but it looks like she's caught up in something," I said.

Rick laughed. "Caught up in herself, I'm sure. Is she already giving you the cold shoulder?"

I just looked at him quickly, wishing to affirm what I'd felt from her but not wanting to start off as a gossip with a new coworker. "She's pretty moody. Don't let it get to you. She's a hard worker, but she can be difficult," he added.

"I know I keep thanking you, but I have to say it again...thanks. I thought there was something wrong with me," I said, although I didn't mention that I'd gotten an even stronger impression of that from Edward. Something also told me not to bring him up. I decided then to forget the whole episode, and to perhaps start over again when Edward returned to the office.

Rick and I made some pleasant small talk heading back to the pharmacy. Blond and very tall, he was a few years older than me and attending night school for his pharmacist's degree. He told me his fiancee lived on the nearby Quileute Indian reservation, in a town called La Push. "She's a teacher at the elementary school there. She also does a lot of work with the kids at the recreation center on the reservation, and helps run the literacy program," he said proudly.

"Really? Do they need tutors?" I asked.

"They always need tutors. Are you interested?" he replied.

"Sure. I tutored through Literacy Volunteers of America back in New Jersey. I'd love to help with a program here, too," I said.

"I can have her call you if you give me your phone number," he offered before veering off into a series of questions about why I came to little Forks, Washington. I didn't want to go into the gory details with someone I just met, so I told him I needed to make a change but didn't quite want to move to a big city like Seattle. I made a mental note to perfect the story so I could give the same version to everyone, realizing that I'd be faced with these inquiries very often in the near future.