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not beta'd

Sultry

prompt - escape

"You said you were quitting." Rose waves her arm through the air, making a face at the smoke.

I dash the cigarette beneath my boot, nodding. "I am."

"For New Years?" she says, mocking.

I shrug. "Sure, why not?"

To my credit, I never smoked a lot and I smoke even less now. But Rose is right; it's a gross habit, one I picked up from Masen. It's probably the last physical vestige of our relationship.

"That gives you two weeks, then."

"Maybe I'll quite right now."

Rose ignores that and stands, her hand hovering over my coffee cup. "Want more? I'm in the mood for another cup."

I nod and recline back, closing my eyes against the brightness. It's brisk and chilly but very sunny, probably my favorite kind of weather. I love how the air smells, and how the sky takes on this special clear blue that only colder air permits.

Moments later Rose joins me on the deck, and we sip in silence. We've been friends a long time.

"I'm meeting Emmett and a couple of friends in the city tonight," she says after a while.

"Nice."

"Want to come?"

The way she asks, it's like she doesn't care either way but I know better. She's still waiting for me to thaw from my self-imposed post-Masen freeze. She was never too crazy about him, but she didn't hate him.

Well, not until we found out he'd been two timing me. Still, she's maintained a respectful distance when it comes to that topic.

So have I, actually. Distance and busyness are my favorite forms of escape. I focus on the classes I take at Laney, and have dinner at my dad's at least twice a week. I work and have girl's nights with Rose, Angela and Alice. I just don't date; I haven't really wanted to.

This isn't because I don't trust men. I trust myself, and that's what matters.

I don't date because I'm still not over Masen's death, and thinking about spending time romantically with other guys hurts a little. I figure I'll know when it's time to move on.

Rose's long, exaggerated sigh coaxes me from my thoughts. Smiling, I peer over at her. "Sure, I'll come."

She smiles too. "We'll take BART; Emmett can drive us back later."

Tyler and I have been chatting for nearly an hour. Any surprise I felt initially at how easy this is has long since been swept away by good conversation. He's smart, but not condescending, and then ridiculously silly, but not low brow. I'm on my second martini when he stands.

"I'll be right back. You good?"

"Great, thanks."

He nods and strides away, leaving me with Rose, Emmett and several of their pseudo-yuppie friends from the city. Most of them are nice, but we don't click as well as Tyler and I have.

Rose leans forward, resting her hand on my knee. "Having fun?"

I nod, smiling at her. "I am, actually. It's gorgeous up here."

We're at the Sky Terrace above Medjool, cozy with heat lamps and good liquor. It's my first time here, and I love it. Rose tells me it isn't always this mellow, but for now it's just what I need.

I'm considering another martini – chocolate – when a familiar head of hair catches my eye from across the lounge. My heart skips a beat; not because he reminds me of lost love, but because he is so very handsome and somehow we are connected whether we want to be or not.

He's chatting up a curvy blonde…well, maybe she's chatting him up. He's smiling, and very attentive, but the more I observe the more I imagine he's indulging her.

I want to say hello; I feel like I should. Would he want to see me? Was he polite and friendly before because the situation called for it? The one thing we have in common connects us, yes, but it could also possibly estrange us – and rightfully.

Besides a couple of interactions with Edward, I have no idea who he is or what he's like. He doesn't seem like Masen, though. And that's good. Masen was amazing, but I no longer know how much of him was real.

Edward walks over to the bar and I get up to follow him.

"Hi."

He turns slowly, surprise evident on his face. "Hey! Bella. Wow…it's been awhile. How are you?"

"I'm good," I say, subtly calming my clenched fists. I'm still healing, even though I know, deep down, I will be okay. I'm okay most of the time, really. "How've you been?"

"Good. Busy, you know. Life is nonstop…" He accepts his drink and pays. "Are you drinking? Can I get you anything?"

"Oh, no. I'm set." I motion back to the table where my group is sitting. Tyler has since returned. "Thanks, though."

He sips his drink and watches me, his eyes less pained but more guarded since the last time we spoke.

I hope he doesn't think my motivations are shady. "I just…I saw you here and I wanted to come and say hi."

"I'm glad you did."

He's so to the point. Not a charmer, which is good.

And now I wonder when I began seeing him this way. It's inappropriate, in every sense, and too close. There are a million guys in this city, let alone Oakland - why would I consider the one person I shouldn't?

There's having a type, and then there's having a type. This would just be…

"Do you want to talk about this?" he asks, setting his half finished drink aside abruptly.

His "this" could be different than my "this" but I doubt it.

"Yes."

thanks for the reviews, lovelies. Today's chapter is brought to by Tiny Tyrant's Nap and Playmat.

so, to clear something up: masen and bella were not together for years. i saw a couple of reviews mentioning this. they met their senior year of college, and then separated - he to attend grad school and she to catch up on credits in her hometown. also, in ch 1, bella says they'd been together for almost a year.

doesn't change the fact he was a grade a jerk, though.