Thank you to everyone that has given this story their attention, I really appreciate it! If you're reading this then I guess you're giving Edward a chance, he loves you for it!
I'm updating quickly, which means that I haven't replied to all the reviews yet, but I will! I thought you wouldn't mind!
So we actually get to meet Bella now!
Thanks again to my bb Mi, she is the best and has pre read this for me.
Please note that these chapters haven't been beta'd, I appreciate the anon review about splitting paragraphs! Thank you, hopefully I've managed to fix that a bit.
I might not own Twilight, but I want to own Edward!
"Bella!" Alice is thumping my arm and pointing at a guy across the bar.
We have a rule that if we see someone we like the look of, we stick together. I never do see anyone, but that's probably because I don't like the idea of hooking up with someone at a bar.
I really don't have a long dating history, at all. I always had my nose in a book through high school and college and didn't really have any interest in anything other than that or school work.
My first boyfriend was Jake Black, he's a family friend who I grew up with and everyone expected us to get together. So when we turned sixteen, we did. He was very sweet and when I felt ready to lose my virginity to him after two years of dating, he let me in on his little secret. He was gay. I'm not going to lie, it devastated me at the time and it took a long time for me to get over him. We do still talk and I'm really pleased that he's now happy with a guy named Seth.
I had a couple of dates after that, all arranged by other people. Who thought they were being helpful. I think they all felt sorry for me, which didn't mend anything but I appreciated the effort. They still treat me as though I'm made of glass, which can be incredibly annoying. I'm hoping that with this new start in Seattle, I can finally move on physically because in my head, I already have for a long time.
I must have the saddest dating history for a twenty one year old, ever.
I sigh and nod over to her in defeat. She grabs my arm and drags me across the bar, bumping people out of the way. I send out apologetic looks to them as we go. She stops abruptly and I bump into the back of her.
"What's wrong, Alice?" I look over to where she's staring. A tall blonde guy is sitting on a stool at a table with another guy, who's getting up and walking over to the bar. I watch as his dark brown hair lights up with bronze when he walks under the lights. His broad shoulders sway slightly with his confident walk; I notice some tattoos peeking out from under the sleeves of his shirt.
He's good looking from the back, I guess. I turn to Alice but she's still watching the blonde guy, who's now walking off in the opposite direction.
"Maybe he'll come back?" I shout into her ear over the music. I'm not sure which guy she likes the look of. Her eyes seem to be following the blonde though. She tugs on my arm and we are off again.
In pursuit of her happy ending, as she likes to call her predatory man hunting.
I giggle into my drink, which is surprisingly alcoholic. I'm sure I vetoed that earlier but I can't even remember.
We finished our finals about six weeks ago, but this is our late celebration of that and Rose did come out with us, but I'm not sure where she disappeared to. It's not long before we find our missing friend and the blonde guy, who turns out to be very cute. His wavy, dirty blonde hair falls into his eyes as he laughs with another guy, who Rose seems to be surgically attached too.
So much for sticking together.
He's big and muscly like a bodybuilder with short curly black hair and he's covered in tattoos. Alice drags me faster and I stumble after her clutching my drink. Rose sees us and waves us over.
"Hey girls! These are my girls! Alice and Bella, this is Emmett and Jasper!" Her drunk voice carries, even if it is loud in here. Everyone listens when Rose talks, even at her normal volume. This is probably why she was chosen to give the commencement speech at graduation and why she was always voted as student president. Rose is tall and has a body to die for; she looks like a swimsuit model.
I'm talking about traffic stopping stunning. I giggle at the thought of trying to say that out loud.
The guys are fun and although I'm technically a fifth wheel, they include me and I find myself enjoying the evening. Emmett has us falling about giggling, he's a tattoo artist with his own shop in Seattle and he spends most of the night trying to give out free tattoos to all three of us. In fact in his mind we all now have about twenty tattoos each.
Jasper has the sexiest deep south accent that I've ever heard. He's a trained psychologist and wants to go into functional medicine eventually. I enjoy hearing him drawl about some story he's telling us about their friend, who they refer to as a pussy hound. He sounds like a complete jerk, but Emmett starts to get protective when we all laugh, he raises a shaky finger and declares.
"He might think with his cock but he's the best fucking friend I've ever had, that dude is the most loyal guy that I've ever met. He has one of the kindest fucking hearts, shit. If I had to go through what he has in his life. Shit man."
He doesn't finish what he's saying but he doesn't need to. We all have stories. That sobers us slightly, before raises his glass.
"To the fucking Casanova, who's saved my ass far too many times to count. We love you man."
We all drink to that and the mood lightens again. Jasper and Alice seem to be hitting it off as much as Rose and Emmett, I watch as Jasper pushes a lock of Alice's hair back out of her face delicately as she giggles.
Jasper asks me if I like Seattle and when I shout an enthusiastic "Yes!" punctuated with a fist bump, They all agree with just as much vigour and we all clink our glasses together.
After a while they have to leave to meet with a friend, Alice and Rose swap numbers with the boys and they hug us goodbye when they leave.
All I hear from the girls on the way home is how they are going to wait to text them, and how long is appropriate. It seems like a hell of a lot of hard work as they weigh the positives of waiting or not.
We get back to Roses new apartment, courtesy of her Father who bought it for her as a graduation present. That is just how the Hale's roll, in fact her father probably does roll around in his money. The image pops into my head and I snort out a laugh as he laughs manically, throwing bills into the air. He's actually a really nice guy and Rose was always treated like a princess.
We slump in a heap on top of the cushions in the living room. They discuss boys while I drift off to sleep. The last thing I hear is them planning to set me up with someone. I'm too tired to argue.
The next morning I feel like someone has put my head into a really tight vice and hot lava is being poured into my eyeballs. I groan at my reflection, my normally quite sleek but wavy hair is stuck up all over the place like someone has backcombed it in my sleep and some is actually stuck to my face, I try to pick it off but give up and shower, letting the hot water soothe my painful body. I have no idea how much I did drink last night, but it must've been a fair amount judging by my appearance and the fact that it feels like something has crawled into mouth and died.
I get dressed for the day which consists of yoga pants and my favourite tee that says 'Mrs Dexter' on the front of it. I clamber over Alice and Rose, who are both asleep still and I get busy in the kitchen. I get a big skillet out of the cupboard and decide on eggs and bacon for breakfast.
When I'm almost done and there's enough to feed the whole apartment building the girls begin to stir, they both groan and squint out from under their blankets. I glance over at the normally pristine Rose and can't help but giggle at her appearance; she throws a cushion in my direction and crawls to the bathroom on her hands and knees. She looks like something out of a horror movie.
After we've all had some Tylenol, we eat breakfast and they both text Jasper and Emmett. So much for their careful plans of waiting a week. I'm happy for them, they both actually seem like decent guys.
They don't have great track records as far as their love lives are concerned, Rose's last boyfriend Royce, turned out to be a complete jerk bucket.
Alice sometimes just gets a random feeling that she's 'meant' to be with someone, it doesn't usually work out for long especially if that feeling disappears. She's broken a few hearts in her time. I giggle as they pick up their phones for the hundredth time to look at the screens, checking for a reply.
"Emmett has the cutest dimples, did you see them Bella? Every time he smiles, he is so hot. I wonder if he has them in his other cheeks." She has a dreamy, faraway look on her face as she talks about him and I nod my approval, whilst trying not to giggle.
"He is very hot, Rose."
Alice turns to me with a mouthful of eggs.
"What about Jasper? I mean that accent almost disintegrated my panties." Cue another dreamy look.
"Yes, Alice. He's a bonafide hottie too. That accent even had me drooling a little." Alice's head spins back round to stare at me.
"The unflappable was affected? Wow. I think that I got me a keeper!" We all giggle as the girls tell me what they liked most about the guys. Rose wants to lick Emmett's tattooed arms amongst other parts of his anatomy and Alice wants to tug on Jaspers wavy hair.
All too quickly it's all focused on me, it always happens. Every time.
It doesn't matter how many times I tell them that I'm happy being single. It's not like I'm completely against the idea of having a boyfriend, I just haven't met anyone that really appeals to me on that level yet. Most of the dates I go on, I end up staying friends with them but the thought of anything more just doesn't seem appealing.
"So, Bella. What about you? Did you see anything you liked last night? I saw you watching that other guy who was with Jasper. Should I ask Jasper who he is?" I vaguely remember the broad back and tattoos.
"No thanks Ali. I'm interested in meeting this pussy hound though, maybe Jasper can hook me up with a little lovin' action, as he called it?" I deadpan.
Alice's eyes widen and almost pop out of their sockets before she collapses into giggles. We laugh about the stories. One in particular when they were at a fair and this casanova friend of theirs was on the big wheel with Emmett but managed to climb out and down while it had stopped at the top, just to go and chat up a girl he had seen. Apparently he almost got arrested for that stunt.
"Now he sounds fucking delightful!" I laugh and swipe the tears from my eyes as the girls stare at me. Rose looks over at Alice.
"I think we have broken her."
Alice's eye twitches and she nods her agreement with Rose. She puts on her best Yoda impression.
"Hope is in her future, I see."
I laugh and stand to clear away the plates. We are all staying here for the summer, as we're all hoping to intern here for the next year and it makes sense to come and get used to the city life. I have an interview on Monday for a great internship at Masen's Advertising. They don't accept many applicants and even fewer get a place so I'm incredibly nervous.
I'm more than excited at the prospect of living in Seattle and working here, with my two best friends. Rose has already offered for me to stay here for the year and Alice will be staying in Seattle with her Aunt Esme after the summer, who's so excited at spending time with her niece.
Life couldn't be more perfect right now. I've left my Dad back in Forks and I know that I'll miss him but I've already marked some dates in our diaries for future visits back home. However much I like Forks, Seattle is so much more alive. It's been so much fun so far, the freedom is amazing and having my two best friends here is comforting.
I wander back to my room and curl up like a cat on the comfy chair in the corner. I doze off with the early fall sunlight falling across my legs.