Do You Believe In Fate?

Disclaimer: None of these characters etc. belong to me. They all belong to the wonderful and amazing Stephanie Meyer. I don't think I could ever be that creative. Lol. Stephanie rules!

Author's Note: Hey peeps. Here is the second chapter. This is where Bella and Edward meet. Sparks will fly…Yay! Lol.

A Chance Meeting

BPOV

The Saturday morning was… interesting. Well, if you call war over clothing interesting. Rose and Alice laid the clothing they'd stolen out on the living room floor, and then we faced off. Alice and Rose on one side of the heap, me on the other. Damn their tag teaming ways! But, I held my own. I could be just as stubborn as them when I wanted to be. As a result of my wonderful hardheadedness, I won back two pairs of sweatpants, two pairs of jeans, a comfy sweater, and a pair of sneakers. I think it went rather well.

After our small and relatively peaceful war, it was time to head to mall, as promised. I went willingly, because I got to pick out half of the stuff we'd be getting. Alice and Rose of course dragged me to pretty much every store, and insisted I try on everything they shoved at me. Thankfully they didn't pick out anything too drastic. Last time they tried to get me to by a sequined, red strapless top, and a leather mini skirt. I just wasn't the leather mini skirt type. This time they kept it down to a pair of tight low riser jeans, and black mini skirt, a pair of high heels, and a deep blue v-neck blouse that I actually really liked. I picked out a black tee that proclaimed 'Bite Me', a Snow Patrol band tee, and two pair of slacks for work or school.

With my items bought and paid for, Alice and Rose wandered around for some things for themselves. Why was beyond me; they could hardly fight their clothing into their closet and dresser as it was. When we came upon Victoria's Secret, Alice and Rose pounced. I stayed behind on a bench; that store scared me sometimes. That, and Alice and Rose would make me try on the most ridiculous items they could find. So I settled myself onto the bench, my purchases next to me, and finally let my poor feet rest.

I was just about to go drag Alice and Rosalie out when I spotted a store I'd never been in before. It was a small book/music store, and it was kind of tucked into the back. It looked cozy, welcoming, and privet. How could I resist taking a peek?

I picked up my bags, and walked inside. Soft music played in the background, and the smell of paper, ink, and leather surrounded me and pulled me in. I sighed; I loved books like Alice and Rose loved shoes – and that was saying something. I wandered in and out of the aisles, only seeing a couple people. I found the aisle that held plays, and selected my favorite by Shakespeare; Romeo and Juliet.

I sat my bags down, and flipped through the pages, rereading all my favorite scenes. As usual, the words, the characters, and the story drew me in, and soon I was lost in it. Which I suppose is why I didn't see or hear him coming until he was right next to me. I think I caught a whiff of his scent just before he spoke. It slipped into my consciousness through the story; sweet, and thick, but very distinctly male.

"May I help you find something?" a velvet voice asked. My head jerked up, and I think I gasped. First in surprise, then in complete and utter awe. He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. The first thing I noticed was his eyes; they were a startlingly beautiful shade of green. Then his hair, which was wonderfully untidy, causing it to fall slightly into his eyes, and was an unusual but sexy shade of bronze. His face was perfect, with sharp angles, and a full sensuous mouth. There was something almost… familiar about that face. I shook the feeling off. I then noticed suddenly he was tall, over six feet tall, with a strong, lean build. My thoughts instantly flew apart in a million different directions.

When I continued to not say anything, his brilliant green eyes turned amused. "Are you lost, then?" he asked, smiling. I had to yet again try to gather my thoughts. He had a wonderful smile. I shook my head, irritated with myself. Getting all worked up over a guy was so unlike me. I tried a smile.

"No, I'm not lost. Just wandering." I said. He smiled, and nodded.

"Wandering is good in a bookstore. You can find make new favorites, and get reacquainted with old ones." He said, gesturing to the book in my hands. I nodded shyly.

"I suppose I was a bit lost then; in the story that is." I said. He smiled. He held out a long, narrow hand.

"I'm Edward, what's your name?" he asked.

EPOV

Wow. I noticed her the minute she walked in the door. She was petite, just a little bit short, and slim, and beautiful. She had thick brown hair, which fell in long, loose curls around a heart shaped face. She had big brown eyes, and a full pouting mouth. She was weighted down with several bags, and she kept looking down at them and sighing as if they were offending her in some way.

I was so distracted with looking at her that Jasper had to slap me upside my head to get my attention. "Ouch! What the hell was that for?" I demanded, rubbing my head. Jasper rolled his eyes while smirking.

"If you weren't so busy looking at pretty girls, then you'd have heard me practically shouting at you." He said. I grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry. What were you saying?" I asked. Jasper laughed.

"I was saying that you should go talk to her." He said. I hesitated. Jasper raised his eyebrows. "The ever charming and flawless Edward hesitating? What is this?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"I never claimed to be flawless. Charming I'll take credit for, though." I said.

"So why then?" Jasper asked.

"It's nothing." I murmured. I walked out from around the counter, and began to look through the aisles.

The truth was I didn't know why I hesitated. I'd never in my life been nervous around women – not once. I liked women, and that like made it fairly easy for me to be around them. Things generally flowed well, as long as they weren't bubble heads, as was mentioned before. But there was something about this girl. There was something that told me she was important, special. I shook myself out of those thoughts. One step at a time, I reminded myself.

I finally found her in Shakespeare, interesting choice. I took a deep breath to steady myself, and walked forward. "May I help you find something?" I asked. The instant she turned around, I felt at ease. I felt comfortable, boarding on familiar. I shook that feeling off too; it was ridiculous.

She was even prettier up close. Her big brown eyes were wide with shock, and her mouth was parted slightly. She looked so surprised, I couldn't help but smile. "Are you lost then?" I asked. She shook her head as if to clear it, and gave me a tentative smile. God she was beautiful.

"No, I'm not lost. Just wandering." She said. She had a wonderful voice, too.

"Wandering is good in a bookstore. You can find make new favorites, and get reacquainted with old ones." I said, nodding towards the book in her hand. She nodded, seeming a bit hesitant.

"I suppose I was a bit lost then; in the story that is." She said. I smiled, and held out my hand. "I'm Edward, what's your name?" I asked. She smiled, and took it.

"Isabella, but everybody calls me Bella." She said. Bella… the name seemed familiar, just like her face, but it was such a vague feeling it slipped away easily. I raised her hand to my lips on impulse, and kissed her knuckles softly. She got that same started and slightly confused look she had when she first saw me. I chuckled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella." I said. She made a noise, sort of like a whimper, as she pulled her hand away. Interesting. Her skin was impossibly smooth, and soft. Like warm silk. I forced myself to stop thinking about the way she looked, and focused on getting to know her. Start a conversation.

"So what brings you here? To the mall, that is." I asked. Bella jumped, and glanced at her watch.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe how much time I've spent in here! I'm sorry, my friends are waiting." She said. "It was nice meeting you!" She called as she dashed off. I went to stop her, then realized she'd left all her purchases on the floor. I smiled, and shook my head. She'd be back. I picked up the bags, and head back in front.

BPOV

I hoped Alice and Rose hadn't been waiting too long. First with reading, and then meeting Edward… Edward; what an interesting name. It was old fashion, but it sounded nice rolling off the tongue. And damn if he wasn't the most handsome man I'd ever met. Movie stars included.

I dashed out of the store, and saw Alice and Rose waiting for me by the bench. I sighed in relief, and walked over to them. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late. I got distracted." I said, waving towards the bookstore. When I thought of just who had distracted me, I blushed. Rose shrugged.

"That's okay. We know how you are with books." She said, smiling.

"Yeah, books." I murmured, blushing even more. Alice tilted her head to the side, and studied my face.

"Bella, why are you blushing?" she asked.

"I'm not. And if I am, it's from the run." I said, glaring at her. She grinned.

"Mmhm. So, where are your bags?" she asked innocently. I looked around, and realized I'd left them in the store.

"Crap! I must've forgotten them in there." I mumbled. I was reluctant to go back in, because Alice and Rose would undoubtedly want to come in too, and see what made me blush.

Sure enough, Alice grinned. "Well come on then, let's go get them." She chirped lacing her arm through mine. I groaned, and let myself be dragged back in. Rose just laughed and followed. When we got in the store, I immediately noticed that Edward was at the counter. I thought I could see my bags just behind the counter. He didn't see me though, because he was talking to the tall blonde next to him. I decided to be sneaky. "Alice, Rose, how about you guys look that way, and I'll look this way." I said, gesturing in opposite directions. They shrugged.

"Sure." I sighed in relief, and waited until they were out of sight until I hurried to the counter.

I got there just as the blonde guy walked around the counter and disappeared into the aisles. Edward saw me, and grinned. "Forget something?" he asked. I blinked. He had the cutest crooked grin, and I couldn't help but smile sheepishly in response.

"Yeah. Can I have my bags back, please?" I asked. He chuckled, and lifted them up onto the counter. I was about to reach for them when he grabbed my hand lightly.

"You can have them back on one condition." He said. I eyed him warily.

"What's that?" I asked. He smiled.

"Nothing painful, I assure you. You can have them back, if I can have your number." He said. I blinked in surprise. He wanted my number? Mine? I was unable to speak.

APOV

I was browsing through the aisles, chuckling to myself as I looked for Bella's bags. This was such a classically Bella move. She was constantly forgetting things, and getting wrapped up in her own little world. I liked to think that Rose and I kept her grounded though.

I was just about to head back to the front to find Rose, when I sensed someone behind me. I turned around, and saw the most handsome man I'd ever seen standing just a foot away. He was tall, muscular, with blonde hair, and dark mysterious blue eyes. We simply stared at each other for several beats. Then I smiled. "Hello. I've been waiting for you." I said. "You're rather late." I scolded him lightly. He smiled.

"I'm terribly sorry. I got held up." He replied. He held out his arm for me, and I linked mine through it. I leaned comfortably into his side, fitting perfectly there. "I'm Jasper, by the way." He said.

"I'm Alice." I said. He smiled.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Alice." He said. Well hot damn… there goes my heart.

EPOV

Bella looked really rather surprised. "My number?" she asked. "Why would you want my number?" I chuckled.

"So that I can find you, again. A phone number is a traditional way to go about that." I said. She continued to look surprised, and then I saw Jasper reappear. He had a tiny brunette on his arm, and they were smiling at each other. Hmm. That was strange. I didn't think I'd ever seen her before, and Jasper would have mentioned something. But they looked perfectly comfortable and familiar with each other, for seeming to have just met.

The little brunette grinned when she saw Bella. "Hey Bells. Looks like you found your bags." She said in a high, musical voice. Then she turned to me. "Hi. I'm Alice." She said.

"Edward and it's a pleasure to meet you. Could you perhaps persuade this lovely girl in front of me to give me her number? She seems a bit hesitant." I said. Bella glared at me, and seemed to mumble 'Cheater' under her breath. I just grinned at her. She looked really cute when she was mad.

"Of course Bella will give you her number. Won't you Bella?" she asked turning to face her. Bella sighed, and held out her hand to Alice. Alice dug around in a little purse she had on her arm, and gave Bella a pen and paper. Bella wrote down her number, and gave it to me. I smiled at her.

"Thanks. Here are your bags." I said. Bella took them, and sighed again. I gripped her arm lightly, and leaned over the counter. "Bella?" I called. She froze. "I look forward to seeing you again." I murmured in her ear. She nodded, and blushed the most beautiful shade of pink.

BPOV

I was walking unsteadily after Edward had whispered in my ear, his warm breath fanning over my cheek. I shivered at the memory. "Come on, Alice. We gotta find Rosalie." I mumbled.

"She's here." Rose said cheerfully. "I see you found your bags Bells." She said. I nodded.

"Well, we better get going." Alice said. She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed the tall blonde on the cheek, and whispered something to him. He nodded, and smiled. "Come on ladies. Bye guys!" she called over her shoulder. Edward and his friend waved, and then Edward winked at me. I felt my heart stutter and tumble in my chest.

"So, are you two going to explain what just happened, or do I have to guess?" Rose asked. I sighed. Today was going to be a long day.

Ending Note: I hope you liked this chapter. Lots more fun and romance to ensue! Review! Message! Yay! Peace!!! ~~~~~~~~~:D~~~~~~~~