Graduation.
The day where your life begins. Four years of college, frat parties, hangovers, and late night cramming for important tests... Over.
Today was the day my future began, but why was it that I felt so stuck? It was as if the world had come to a halt and I had no idea what the hell I was going to do with the rest of my life.
"Bella!?" Alice Brandon my best friend of eight years skipped her way into my bedroom of the new york city flat we both shared with two other girls.
"Yep," I turned towards her the black tight dress that was going to go underneath my graduation gown hugged my body tightly, it showed my curves extremely well... but I felt ackward.
"You look great. I told you that dress was perfect." She smiled up lovingly at me. Alice was my tinkerbell, short, tiny, and extremely beautiful. And she also thought she was my personal fashion designer.
Staring at my dresser mirror I noticed that my jet-black hair was a little waved because of the humidity but it still reached the top of my butt. Secretly hoping Jasp would be there, I smiled. At least I'd look good for him
Jasper Hale was an executive at CNL, Cullen Network Living. Wasnt sure exactly which title he held, all I knew was that he was the best sex of my entire life and he was absolutely gorgeous. As a business major, I had the opportunity to listen to Hale's four week course last semester on the Ethics of Business Administration.
We went on a few dates and one thing had led to another...
Alice knew about Jasper but because I didnt believe it to be anything serious I had not introduced him to anyone.
Sighing and then inhaling deeply, I turned towards my best friend who wore a light pink short dress and reached my arm for hers. "Let's go graduate!"
NYU would miss us, but I'd miss it so much more. I felt safe in the confines of studying and partying... Real life would be different.
Phil and Renee sat in the back row next to my brother Seth, who was now a sophomore here. They smiled and then eventually cried and waved as my name was called and I went to recieve my diploma.
I officially held a bachelors in Business Administration.
Before I walked off the stage, light blue eyes stared at me from the exit of the auditorium doors... and he waved.
My heart fluttered a bit.
Jasper had came to see me graduate.
Sitting beside my best friend, even though we werent supposed to while the rest of our classmates were called, I smiled at her. We had this shit.
That night after our graduation dinner at a resturant in Long Island with family and friends, Alice and I stumbled into our flat a little tipsy.
She threw her heels somewhere in the living room and laid a top the cheap target futon in the living room and sighed. "I'm going to miss you Bella-Baby..."
Flicking lint off my black dress I sat beside her and looked at the small tube tv in front of us. As college kids we were all pretty broke. Only reason we had the flat and each had our 4x8 bedroom was because Rosalie, our other best friend had a rich uncle and he rented us out the place for almost nothing.
She had graduated Columbia University a few days before us and was currently doing an internship abroad she had landed through the school. The same internship Alice was going to in just a few hours. Off to Italy to work for some fancy smanshy fashion company.
"I'm going to miss you Tinker-Alice..." I'd be alone in NYC for a whole summer, Angela our other room-mate was from Jersey and she wouldnt be back until late August. She had graduated from Pace and had landed a job at a private school as a first-grade teacher.
And I was trying to land an internship at whatever company would take me. Even willing to work for free just to get some experience.
Twenty-five resume's, two weeks, and not a single freakin phone call.
Looks like I'd be waitressing double shifts this summer at my step-father's grill and bar. Phil was a blessing in disguise for my mother and us once Charlie had passed in the line of duty. He had set us up well. Giving us everything we ever wanted or needed even pulling strings and landing me a full-ride at one of the best schools in the country.
"Try not to fall in love without me around," She mumbled falling asleep.
Smiling to myself I went to grab a blanket from the small closet and put it over her. Alice was such a sap when it came to romance. Me, I was a bit more realistic. Jasper was one hot, hot, man, but he was older and established. We were just what we were... nothing more. I would have loved to fall in love with him, but he kept his distance and I kept mine.
As if reading my thoughts, my Iphone buzzed in my purse. A text from Jasper Hale.
Come over. I have a present for you.
It was almost midnight, but in this city that didnt mean much. We lived in the city that never slept.
Jasper's high-rise was only 6 blocks from our loft, but that didnt mean I'd be getting there anytime soon. It was friday night and a June summer, traffic was heavy.
Once I was in a cab I texted him back: Im on my way.
Jasper's doorman, George read his name-tag greeted me and opened the front door. He even pressed Jasper's floor number for me at the elevator already knowing where I was headed.
"Have a goodnight," He spoke politely, almost smiling to himself.
"You too George."
Jasper opened his apartment door in silk pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt. His short cropped dark-brown hair was wet and stuck to the sides of his face. He smelled like soap and body spray.
"You showered without me?" I teased him as he shut the door behind me and I went to go sit on his white modern couch in the living room.
"We can shower again in the morning princess..."
Rolling my eyes at his nickname for me I started to take off my black heels. They had been killing me all day long. At twenty-one, Jasper thought I had been a bit spoiled by my parents and he said he spoiled me too so he called me princess, that and the fact he was almost 30 in two more weeks. Although he didnt even look it.
He sat beside me and helped me take off my shoes and then smiled up at me. "I saw you today. "
Trying to control the smile forming on my lips I looked down, "I know..."
"You made me so proud."
Looking up I raised my eyebrows up at him. "Proud, why?"
He looked at me as if he had been hiding a secret and grinned. "I was proud to see my girl graduate. Heck, why shouldnt I be?" His southern drawl came out in that sentence. Jasper was originally from Texas.
My heart fluttered a bit. We had never had a title, at least not anything official. "So I'm your girl, eh?"
He kissed my forehead, "Of course you are princess. All mine. Would you like that?"
Blushing profusely I looked down at my french manicured nails and then looked up smiling from ear to ear. "Of course I would Jasp."
We had only been seeing each other a little less then four months and although we didnt know everything about each other, we knew enough.
"Now for your present..."
He stood and shuffled through something in his suitcase and took it out, it was a blue folder he handed to me.
On the cover were the letters CNL in bold gold lettering. "What's this?"
"Open it silly." He spoke excitedly as he sat back beside me.
Opening it, my eyes grew wide. "You want me to intern at CNL and get paid for it?"
He nodded his head. "Ill be seeing you all summer Princess."
I giggled excitedly. "Jasp how did you even manage this?"
He shrugged,"I know people."
My interview was for the day after tomorrow. I was going to be an intern for the CEO of CNL, Mr. Edward Anthony Cullen's intern.
This was big!
Putting the folder beside the couch I jumped up and attacked Jasper with my lips as he jammed his tongue down my throat.
God this man was perfect.
The next day I drove Alice to JFK airport in the shiny new silver volvo Phil had purchased for me three months before graduation. It was really hard not to cry. My pixie friend, my best friend was going to be gone for almost 3 months...
Before she went through security we hugged liked ten times until I finally watched her go.
At our now empty apartment, I walked into my room and was ready to dive onto the bed when I noticed a stack of new clothes and a note:
For my Bella-Baby.
Sexy business attire.
-Alice
Tight pencil skirts, dress blouses, and fashionable dress jackets. I was going to be the hottest intern at CNL, thanks to my tinkerbell.
The rest of the day I spent cleaning, I ordered chinese, and practiced my interview in front of the mirror. That night I showered, blew out my hair, and ran a straightner threw it. It had never looked so jet-black and japanese straight in my life.
Jasper called me around nine to wish me luck in the morning and then I passed out imagining an old man scrutinizing me and asking me impossible questions. I had nightmares about the CEO of CNL...
I had researched to know enough CNL sold, distributed, and manufactured computer software and electronics. But what I hadn't bothered to research was what Edward Cullen looked like.
And the next morning, my interview changed everything.
I'm just writing to write. Hope you all like!