Chapter Four: Thunderstruck
A/N Special thanks to my beta HEAR and all the great people at PTB. And just like the rest of us in ficdom, I don't own Twilight.
EPOV
I walked in the door and was stared down by the huge bouncer. It was an odd feeling having to look up at someone, since I was used to being one of the tallest in any given room. He did manage to try to sound polite as he asked, "How ya doin'?" as I passed him. As much as I wasn't ready to talk to people yet, ignoring him would have been rude, so I quietly said hi.
Midnight Sun was a typical bar with round tables scattered around the main part of the floor and booths against the walls. Most of the booths were full and there were people scattered at various tables. The bar itself was pretty standard with bar stools down the length of it and a mirrored back wall where the liquor was kept. The good stuff, I thought to myself. A cash register sat to one side and a small television was tucked into the corner. The bar also had draft taps and refrigeration units for the beer and wine coolers. A small stage was in the back of the room for live music. Tonight it was empty. Near the stage was a jukebox that was providing the entertainment for the evening and a small open area for dancing.
As I approached the bar, I was surprised to see there was no bartender around. No one was currently sitting at the bar either. Suddenly a petite, brown haired woman popped up from a cabinet under the bar with a case of beer clutched in her hands. She set the case on the workspace in front of her and grabbed two from the case. In the process of putting them in the cooler, she looked up to greet me.
She only got as far as "Hi there. Welcome to Mid-" before our eyes locked.
I was overcome by a pair of the deepest, molten brown eyes I had ever seen. It was like an electric shock to my soul. Around her pale, heart-shaped face hung glorious, shiny brown hair. Her small mouth froze in shock. I had to resist the urge to hop over the bar and kiss her right then and there.
A millisecond later, the two bottles of beer that she had been holding shattered across the floor. She looked down at the mess, looked back up at me, and blushed. The woman began to carefully step around the mess so that she wouldn't slip in the newly spilled beer. The crowd in the bar berated her for the spill.
I felt like I should help her, since I startled her, causing her to drop the beer bottles. The dustpan and broom were at the end of the bar near my seat, so I walked over to grab them. Just as I did, her hand reached out for them. She was watching the floor so carefully that she had no idea I was already there. As her hand touched mine, a powerful shock ran through me. Her hand instinctively pulled back and her head turned to investigate the source of the shock.
Those molten brown eyes held me mesmerized again.
This had to be the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her hand looked delicate there, hanging between us, as did the rest of her body. She was petite, as I had first thought. Standing straight, she would only come to my shoulder. She was also slender but not athletic. Her skin was very fair, similar to mine, and flawless without any visible make-up. She had a natural beauty that was rare to find anywhere.
Her lower lip was fuller than her upper lip, but it looked perfect to me. That very imperfection was what made her unique. Her pale skin stood out even more against the dark t-shirt she wore with the name of the bar across the front. The bottom of her black pants and her shoes were both soaked from the beer. There was a serious, down to earth sense about her that drew me in. I suddenly felt very protective over her, this woman I had just barely met. I didn't even know her name! Somehow, something within her drew me in, more than just her hair or her eyes or her skin.
I noticed she was staring at me, as I was her. This was all going on in a matter of microseconds; and as she continued to stare at me, my stomach dropped to the floor.
I hope she doesn't recognize me! That would end it. My chance at being normal, at least for a little while, would be shot. I was looking forward to having some interactions with people who just saw me as an average guy, not the Edward Cullen. To have a normal conversation with a woman, like this beautiful woman before me, to get to know her like an ordinary person could, would be incredible. But if she knew who I was, she wouldn't have a thing to do with me, some flighty, drunk musician.
She finally realized that she was staring at me. "Uh, hi," she blurted out and blushed again. I thought she was adorable, this fascinating, shy woman who blushed so easily. Realizing that I was holding the broom, she stammered out, "Um, I can take that. Thanks."
I loved the sound of her voice and she had only spoken barely a dozen words to me. She wasn't loud or boisterous. It seemed like she had a quiet strength about her, something I had rarely seen even before I moved to LA. She reached her hand out for the broom, and I smiled down at her.
"Let me help you. It will make up for me startling you like that." She looked at me, puzzled, but shrugged her shoulders, grabbed the dust pan and walked over to the mess on the floor.
As I swept the broken beer bottles into the dustpan that she was holding, I continued to stare at her. I was recording every line, every shape of her, to memory. The electric shock that ran through me when our hands touched continued to crackle whenever she got close to my body. I wanted to take her into my arms and never let go. The physical attraction I had towards this woman was incredible. I had never felt anything like it.
What is going on in your mind, Edward? You aren't thinking with the right head tonight. I tried to clear my thoughts with a quick shake of my head. It didn't help. The fire still burned. This feeling I had seemed more than just a physical connection. When my eyes locked with hers, something within me shifted. I could not describe it nor did I have a name for what happened.
When the mess was cleaned up, I had no more excuses to be that close to her or to be behind the bar, so I returned to my stool. Feeling awkward but not knowing why, I stared at my hands and tried to figure out what to do next -- not just here, but next in general. Do I even have another show to do at this point? Maybe I'll go back to Forks. I haven't seen the folks in awhile. I have some time before I have to report to the set.
I was deep in thought about my future when she spoke to me again.
"Thank you for your help cleaning up the mess. I really appreciate it. As I was trying to say when you walked in, welcome to the Midnight Sun. What would you like to drink?"
Her voice mesmerized me. It took me a second to answer.
"You're welcome. It was the least I could do for startling you." Then I realized she asked me what I wanted to drink. After a quick check of the selection behind the bar, I continued, "I'll have a Corona with a lime, please." I couldn't help but smile at her.
I watched her smoothly grab the beer, open it, and grab the lime. She's either graceful or she's done this a lot.
"Thank you. My name is…"
Crap...I can't tell her my real name! I want her to like me for me! Wait. What?! I WANT her to like me? Why would her opinion of me matter when I'll never see her again?
For some reason, that thought saddened me. "Anthony,"I murmured.
"I'm Bella." Her name was just as beautiful as she was. Bella...
I smiled at her, and she blushed again. Absolutely adorable.
"Pleased to meet you, Bella."
"Likewise."
If it was possible, she blushed again. Embarrassed, she turned away from me. I could still see her face in the mirror's reflection. While she was occupied with something on the bar, I studied her again.
I couldn't figure out what power this creature had over me. With all the women I had met over the years in movies and on tours, not one of them ever had this kind of effect on me. I didn't date much; I was of the opinion that my work made just about any kind of romantic relationship impossible. I learned that the hard way because of her. None of the women that had crossed my path since then made me want to try to see if the previously impossible was possible.
Rosalie would kill for her skin, I thought. Rosalie was a classic beauty by most standards. Just about any hot-blooded man (and some women) would find Rosalie incredibly beautiful. She was, but her type of beauty just wasn't it for me. She always had to be made up with her face and hair done. I don't think I had ever seen Rosalie without a face full of make-up on. Hollywood women weren't much better. Over the years in Hollywood, I had seen all kinds of beautiful women with their perfect bodies. But it was all fake. You would be hard pressed to find a natural woman in Hollywood. But Bella, Bella seemed genuine. I didn't know anything about this woman yet, but what I did see struck me as incredibly down to earth. She didn't need to put on a bunch of make-up or alter her body. Bella was comfortable in her own skin. She was a breath of fresh air.
I drank some of my beer and looked around the bar while not being obvious and not making eye contact with anyone. The fear I had over being recognized kept a cold clutch around my heart. I was taking another sip when I heard my name mentioned on the television and I almost choked. Bella looked at me out of the corner of her eye, puzzled at my reaction. With only limited success, I calmed myself and tried not to appear as freaked out as I did right at that moment. I listened with morbid curiosity to the news story about my disappearance from the Odeon.
With that puzzled look still plastered to her face, Bella looked over at me again.
Please don't recognize me. Please don't recognize me. I tried to mask the panicked look in my eyes. It was not easy to do.
She laughed and said "Man, Jess is going to be so pissed." That caught me off guard.
"Why?" I asked.
"She was there tonight. I gave her the day off so she could go."
A part of me instantly felt guilty, the part that still loved to sing and to perform. The other, darker part of me that led me to where I was tonight was happy that other people were inconvenienced from my sudden departure. It felt like I was getting even for all the pain and suffering I had gone through. Thankfully, for the moment, the better part of me won out. I was still glad I left the show when I did, but I still felt guilty for doing so. However, no amount of guilt would ever make me wish I had changed my mind and stayed at the Odeon. My departure was necessary for me and my sanity, no matter how many fans got upset.
"Oh, wow, that sucks. Wait, you gave her the day off? You own this place?" I wanted to get the conversation away from anything dealing with the real me. It was a pleasant surprise that this was her place.
"Yep. I bought it a few years ago after my mom passed away." The pride she held for her establishment was quite evident as she gazed about the room. Her eyes seemed somewhat watery despite the pride burning through them.
I admired her strength. I was lucky because my mother was still alive and well. Just thinking about her being gone was rather painful.
"This is a nice place. My sympathies about your mom." I genuinely felt bad for her. I couldn't imagine not having Esme around. She was the heart of my family.
"Thanks. It was awhile ago. I've dealt with it. I still miss her, always will, but what else can I do?" She looked uncomfortable and fidgeted nervously.
"Not much, that is for sure," I replied lamely. What kind of stupid thing to say is that?
She thankfully changed the subject. "So what brings you out this way?"
I thought about that for a moment. I had no idea where I was going until I got here. "I'm not sure, to be perfectly honest. I was driving along, not really paying attention to where I was going, and I ended up here."
She smiled at me warmly. "Well I'm glad you're here."
I don't know why, but that sent a thrill though my body. All of a sudden, I felt overwhelmingly shy. "Me too." I smiled up at her, causing her to blush again.
Bella excused herself to tend to the other tables. Some of the wait staff had gone home already. I couldn't help but watch her. Bella's slender body wove between the tables carefully. She wasn't graceful, but she managed not to trip over her feet. It seemed sheer determination and familiarity with the environment was what kept her upright.
I watched as she did her circuit about the room and stopped to talk to the huge bouncer. He glared at me as he spoke.
Is this guy her boyfriend or something? She laughed as she walked back to the bar. It was a beautiful sound. I wanted to be able to make her laugh too. She walked behind me and spoke to someone.
"Another beer, Anthony?"
Bella continued to walk around behind the bar and looked at me expectantly.
"Anthony? Yoo hoo! Anthony!"
Then I realized why - she was speaking to me.
Get a grip Edward. You DID tell her your name was Anthony. I looked up at her apologetically.
"Sorry, I didn't realize you were talking to me. Yes, I'll have another." She shook her head as she got another Corona from the cooler. I longed to know what she was thinking.
The music from the jukebox cut through a lull in the conversations in the bar. I suddenly had a great idea.
"Do you want to dance?" I asked her, smiling and hopeful.
Her eyes widened, like she wasn't used to being asked to dance.
"I'm not a very good dancer."
Damn. I looked down at my beer and tried not to show my disappointment. I heard her chuckle nervously.
"But, hey, practice makes perfect right?"
My face snapped up, ecstatic, smiling ear to ear.
"Yes, yes it does!"
As if on cue, another song started to play. One I was vaguely familiar with, but it didn't matter. It was a nice slow song. Perfect. I took her hand and guided her over to the small dance floor area by the jukebox. The moment our hands touched, the fire raged again. I looked at her, wondering if she felt it too. Her startled face answered for her, but she didn't let go.
When I stopped at the dance floor, it looked like she was going to fall. She caught herself before I could even reach out to help steady her. Bella's skin bloomed into a beautiful delicate blush and she kept her eyes downcast to the floor. I leaned down a little and asked if she was okay. I tried not to smile, so she wouldn't think I was laughing at her. It was bad enough that she felt embarrassed.
"Um… yeah. Just uncoordinated."
As I considering my next move, I looked at Bella. I wanted to hold Bella close as we danced but I didn't want to overstep my bounds. The urge to touch her was overwhelming, but I wanted to be respectful of her at the same time. Taking a deep breathe, I decided to take a chance. Now or never.
I reached for her waist with my unoccupied hand and pulled her to me. Electricity crackled in between us as my hand rested on her waist. An unfamiliar heat from where we touched spread throughout my whole body. These sensations were not unpleasant by far, but were completely unexpected.
The first time we touched, it could have been chocked up to static electricity. Possibly even the second time when she took my hand as I led her to the dance floor. But now? This burning I felt was most definitely not static electricity. Nothing in my experience could have prepared me for this. At our most passionate, I had only felt the slightest tingle from my previous girlfriend.
I could get used to this.
She rested her other hand on my arm, amplifying the electrical charge I was feeling. At this point I felt like my body could power the whole town.
Taking into consideration her uncoordinated nature, I merely swayed to the music. This was absolute bliss. I had a goddess on my arm. Without realizing it, I started humming along to the music. As soon as she noticed, I stopped. She looked disappointed.
"No, don't stop," she said. "It sounded nice. It's cool that you like music."
I smiled at the irony of her comment.
If only I could. I would sing for you anytime you asked me.
"Another time perhaps." This saddened me. I wanted to share this with her, but I couldn't.
We continued dancing, not talking, just enjoying each other's company. It was nice she wasn't one of those nervous types that had to fill the silence with inane chatter. The song ended but I didn't want to let go yet. The next song started to play. I recognized it instantly.
Oh my God. Is this really happening?!
The irony would be funny if I wasn't petrified she would now figure out who I was.
Only when I'm trying to hide who I am would one of my songs play on a jukebox. What are the odds?
I had stopped swaying when "Don't Think" started. Bella looked up at me, surprised.
Please, for the love of God and all that is holy, PLEASE don't recognize me!
Her eyes widened and my stomach dropped. My blood pressure, however, skyrocketed.
A/N Will she? Won't she? Hope to have next update up soon... just has to go through the magic that is PTB! :) Please review and let me know what you think!