I was going to post this chapter tomorrow, but since it's still my birthday and I'm in exceptional mood, I thought what the hell.

Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Isabella Pov

~ October 8th, 2011 ~

~~0~~

~~0~~

~~0~~

"So, what's our schedule for today?" Angela asked. She had her feet kicked up on the coffee table, a bowl of Cheerios in her lap. It was a quiet Saturday morning.

I looked up from my laptop with raised eyebrows. "Our schedule?"

"Yes, our schedule," she said pointedly.

"Well, I don't know about yours, but I do about mine. I have breakfast... do homework... have lunch... do some more homework, maybe even read a book... have dinner and then watch a movie."

She groaned, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at me. It hit me in the head. "I swear to God you're such a nerd sometimes."

"Gee, thanks Ang," I sneered, throwing the pillow back.

"I want to get out of the house today," she whined petulantly.

I sighed. "And go where? Do what?"

She brought the spoon to her mouth, chewed and swallowed before answering. "I don't know." Then after a moment she added, "How about we start running?"

My mouth fell open for a second. "Running like in the park?"

"Yeah." She grinned enthusiastically.

"No way." I shook my head firmly.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like running. I'm fine with just walking, thank you very much."

I glanced back down at my laptop's screen, concentrating on reading my latest emails.

I was not going running. Not in a million years. No way. Nu huh.

"You have a fat ass," Angela's comment came out of nowhere.

My eyes widened in horror and snapped up to meet hers. "What? !" I squeaked in a very girlish fashion.

"Yeah." She nodded solemnly. She leaned forward to place her empty bowl on the coffee table, then crossed her arms over her chest as she sized me up and down with criticizing eyes.

"You're just saying that so I'll go with you," I said defensively, but I wasn't so sure myself.

I almost ran to the full-fize mirror we had hanging in the hallway to make sure she was just messing with me.

She shrugged, the corner of her mouth lifting up in a smirk. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"Ugh!" I snapped my laptop shut with more force than necessary, tossing it next to me on the couch. "I hate you."

"I can see the cellulite all the way from here," she continued her verbal assault. "You want to know what caused it? Your sedentary lifestyle. Uh-huh. Keep that up and soon you'll end up on a surgery table with a guy sticking a cannula in your ass cheeks to vacuum all the fat. You know like in those plastic surgery shows where… "

"Okay fine!" I yelled, cutting her off and throwing my hands up in exasperation. "Jesus." The little troll could be extremely convincing when she wanted.

She grinned in a very self-satisfied manner. "So you'll go?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, glaring at her. "But I don't have anything to wear."

She rolled her eyes at me, waving me off. "All you need is a t-shirt, a hoodie, a pair of sneakers, and a pair of sweatpants or leggings or something. It's not rocket science."

"Okay, smart ass. But I need a pair of sweatpants. I threw mine away last week. They had holes in them."

"Oh, yeah," she remembered. "But I only have one pair, so you'll have to settle for leggings."

"I'm not wearing leggings," I said adamantly.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"You wanna bet?"

~~ 0 ~~

True to Angela's words, later that afternoon I was wearing black leggings paired with a black hoodie and my white Nike sneakers. We had been running in the park for about half an hour, and I was almost on the verge of passing out with exhaustion. Mentally, I was thanking all the gods ever known to human kind that we had taken Angela's car so we didn't have to walk back home. I didn't think I was going to make it otherwise.

"Oh God," I panted heavily, dragging my feet in a slow, tired jog. "I think my legs are going to give up on me."

"Stop whining and keep running," Angela called over her shoulder, already a hundred feet ahead of me.

I really think she enjoyed torturing me.

"I need to stop. Seriously," I said mostly to myself, because she was too far away to hear me now, and I couldn't even breathe properly, let alone yell after her.

I slowed my pace even more, preparing to just drop onto my butt on the hard asphalt and maybe even lose consciousness.

All of the sudden, I crashed right into a small body. One moment there was nothing in my path, and the next thing I know I had my arms wrapped around a little girl to prevent her from falling to the ground.

"Ow!" she protested, pulling away from me and rubbing at her forehead as she glared up at me. She seemed to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, had blond hair and a pair of intense blue eyes.

"Oh my God!" I said, panicked that I had hurt her. "I'm so sorry. Let me see." I gently pried her hand from her forehead to take a look. Fortunately, there was nothing to worry about.

"I'm okay," she mumbled, and I let out a sigh of relief which was short lived.

"You really have a bad habit of bumping into people," a deep voice said from behind me, and I spun around wide-eyed, my heart skipping a beat.

There, standing with his arms akimbo was the man from Starbucks. Well, one of his hands was akimbo while the other held a gigantic yellow cotton candy.

Dear God, he was tall. I mean, I had noticed that before, but today he seemed even taller than usual. I was like a leprechaun compared to him.

Hah. Nice comparision, Bella. Infantile much?

This time he wasn't wearing a suit. He was dressed in a pair of jeans, navy-blue suede loafers, a white polo shirt and a black military-inspired jacket with two sets of buttons. I could swear I had seen that jacket before in a magazine. I was almost sure it was Armani, and I didn't even want to remember what the price was. It must have cost the equivalent of my entire wardrobe. I mean, I was a girl and I liked clothes and stuff, but there was only so much I could afford from my modest salary.

He took a step closer to hand the girl the cotton candy and a whiff of cologne caught my nose. I almost passed out. He smelled so good it made me weak in the knees.

It was weird how I kept literally bumping into him wherever I went.

I looked up to his face and for the first time I noticed that he was frowning.

"I-I'm s-sorry?" I stuttered, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. I was already slightly red in the face from running. Add the embarrassment, and I could bet I looked like a tomato.

"It's okay," the girl answered for him. "I wasn't looking where I was going either. Who are you?" She said, examining me curiously.

He looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on my leggings-clad legs for a brief moment.

Is he actually checking me out?

Nah. He probably finds my outfit hideous or something. Or maybe he finds me hideous...

"She's the nice girl who sent you all those books you liked," he responded, staring me in the eyes.

"Really?" the girl said excitedly.

"Yeah," I answered, smiling down at her, deducing she was his niece.

"Bella, what the hell?" Angela yelled from a few feet away, jogging towards us.

"Bella?" he said questioningly, his eyebrows arching.

"Yeah. Well, my name is Isabella, but friends call me Bella, Sir," I said quickly, realizing only too late I had addressed him as sir. But how was I supposed to address him? I didn't even know his name. "This is Angela." I gestured towards her when she approached us.

Angela nodded, giving him the once over, her breathing labored from the physical effort. "Hey."

He was staring at me, seeming amused by something. "I'm Edward," he finally said, and my stomach clenched at the sound of his name. It was a beautiful name, and it suited him perfectly. He put his arm around the girl's shoulders. "This is my niece, Jessica."

"It's... uh... nice to finally meet you," I said, forcing myself to tear my gaze away from him and look at Jessica.

"You too." She grinned widely, extending a hand for me to shake. "So, can I come by the bookstore you work at?"

"Of course," I agreed quickly. Too quickly.

Way to seem desperate, Bella, I berated myself mentally.

"When can we go, Uncle Eddie?" She looked up at him with big pleading eyes.

"I don't know," he answered nonchalantly, pulling his arm back and burying his hands in his pants' pockets, taking what I had noticed to be his usual relaxed posture. "I'm pretty busy next week."

"Awww." She pouted, and his expression softened.

He sighed, lazily running his fingers through her shoulder-length hair. "How about I'll take you as soon as my schedule allows me? Hmm?"

The gesture made me smile. It was clear to me that he cared deeply about his niece. I couldn't help but wonder if he had kids of his own. If not, he would definitely make a great father.

Jessica beamed happily in agreement. "Okay."

"It was nice seeing you," he said, turning to me, then looking at Angela he nodded. "Nice meeting you."

"Are we leaving already?" Jessica complained, frowning at him.

"Yes, your mother is waiting for us."

She sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat as she started to walk away. "Bye, Bella. See you soon."

"Yeah," I said distractedly, watching him. "Bye."

He gave me a smile then followed after his niece. "Have a good day."

I let my lusty gaze trail after him. Oh. My. God. His butt. His butt looked absolutely amazing in jeans.

"Who the hell was that?" Angela demanded as soon as he was far enough. "You're drooling."

I smiled sheepishly, starting to jog again. I suddenly felt reinvigorated. "Remember when I told you I soaked a guy's shirt in coffee at Starbucks?"

Angela joined me, our arms touching as we headed towards the park exit. "That is the guy?"

"Yeah."

"Sweet baby Jesus. He's hot."

"I know," I said dreamily. I couldn't feel any physical pain anymore. My body was light as a feather.

"So what are you waiting for?" she urged through heavy breaths.

"What do you mean?"

"Flirt with him, throw yourself at him, or better yet, just jump him. Trust me he won't mind. Just do something!"

I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Okay, take a deep breath and calm the hell down. He's not interested."

"How do you know?" she challenged.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Maybe he's gay," she offered. "But then again, why was he checking you out?"

"He was?" I looked at her for confirmation. I thought it had only been my imagination playing tricks on me. Or I was delusional or something.

"Duh!" Angela exclaimed, nudging me with her elbow playfully.

I grinned hugely, but my elation died quickly. "Whatever. I'm not going to throw myself at him. You know it's not like me."

"You need sex," she stated dryly. "Badly."

"No, I don't," I argued stubbornly. If I had been able to survive without sex for a year, I was going to make it for a while longer. As the saying goes, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Right?

"Yes, you do."

I groaned, which was pretty difficult to do with my labored breathing. "You really like to contradict whatever I say, don't you?"

"Yes. Now, you think you can do a one night stand?"

My brow furrowed, and I turned my head to give her a nasty glare. "No. I want a relationship, not a pathetic one night stand."

Angela squinted at me in return. "Do you honestly think anything involving that man is pathetic?"

"Well, no, but..."

"I can bet you my life savings he's an animal in bed."

"What makes you think that?"

"Intuition," she said smugly, waggling her eyebrows.

I laughed to her face. "Your intuition sucks! Remember when based on your crappy intuition, you told me that Jake was going to be the love of my life?"

She rolled her eyes. "Jake's an asshole. And he was lousy in bed."

"No, he wasn't." I honestly had no idea why I felt the need to defend him. He wasn't a sex guru or anything, but sex with him had been pretty decent.

"You told me so yourself."

"I didn't say that. All I said was that he couldn't bring me to orgasm when we were doing it. He had to use other... techniques."

"You mean his tongue and fingers?"

"Yes. And sometimes the... um... vibrator," I whispered the last word as we passed an elderly couple holding hands.

"Oh my God." She stopped, leaning with her palms firmly planted on her thighs and started laughing. "I don't even want to imagine how small his dick was."

"Okay, why are we still talking about Jake?" I said annoyed, coming to stand next to her. "He's history."

"You're damn right he is," she replied, gazing up at me with mischievous eyes. "Anyway. So about this guy..."

"Drop it." I headed towards a water fountain, leaning down and swallowing a few mouthfuls. "Yeah, he's good looking. Yeah, I like him a lot, but I'm not going to just throw myself at him. He probably has a girlfriend or a wife already."

"I didn't see a wedding ring," she said, splashing some water on her face.

"Maybe he's just engaged," I pondered. "I really can't see a reason why a man like him would be single."

She sighed as we started walking at a leisure pace. "Yeah, you're right. He can't be single. Do you think he'd be willing to cheat on his girlfriend slash fiancee?"

"Angela!" I admonished, livid that she would suggest such a thing.

"I'm joking." She held her hands up defensively. "Maybe."

~~ 0 ~~

Later that evening, I was lying on the couch, blankly staring at the TV. As soon as we'd came back from the park, I had jumped in the shower to wash all the gross sweat from my body. After that, I had made us some sandwiches for dinner while Angela had lain on the floor lifelessly, still dressed in her workout clothes. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she was just as drained as I was. Now she was in the shower while I tried not to fall asleep at seven in the evening. My eyes kept closing under the weight of much needed sleep, but I fought against it.

The doorbell rang loudly, sobering me up instantly. I sat up with a groan and rubbed my palms over my tired face roughly before making my way into the dark hallway.

Opening the door, I was surprised to see Ben standing on the other side, his arms crossed over his chest and his head bowed as he seemed deep in thought. He looked up when he heard the door open.

"Oh," I said, slowly processing what was happening. "Hey, Ben."

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. "Hey. Is Ang home?"

I sighed, knowing what was about to come. "Yeah, she's in the shower."

"Can I come in?" he pleaded, looking at me with big hopeful eyes.

"I don't think this is a good idea," I replied softly, feeling bad for him. "She's in a foul mood."

"I just wanna talk to her. I miss her." His voice cracked as he said the last words, and my heart broke at the obvious emotional pain he was in.

I hesitated, not knowing what to do. Finally, I gave in.

"I know." I sighed again, this time in defeat. I just couldn't say no to him, especially when I knew how much he still loved her. "She's going to kill me in my sleep, but... come on in."

"Thanks," he murmured gratefully, squeezing my shoulder as he passed by me. He headed into the living room and sat down on the couch with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped together.

"Can I get you a drink or anything?"

He nodded distractedly, and I walked into the kitchen to pour him a glass of Coke, returning to him shortly.

"Thanks, Bella," he said, taking the glass from me and chugging half of it down.

"You're welcome." I sat down next to him and pulled a pillow into my lap, starting to knead it nervously between my fingers. Angela was going to have a fit when she saw him there. "How's school?"

He shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

"Work?"

"Same."

He clearly wasn't in the mood for small talk tonight.

Just then, the door to the bathroom opened, and I heard Angela's footsteps as she made her way into the living room.

I cringed and closed my eyes, waiting for the usual screams.

"Bella, who was at the do..." her voice trailed off as her gaze landed on Ben. I looked up at her apologetically. She had a large towel wrapped around her and another smaller one holding her hair. "Get out," she gritted through clenched teeth, her expression hostile.

Ben jumped to his feet immediately. "Baby, please. Can we talk for a little while?"

"No," she snapped, gesturing towards the hallway. "Get out, Ben."

"Please," he begged as he took a step towards her, his voice starting to tremble. "I miss you so much."

Angela took a step back, the dangerous fire in her eyes burning him alive. "Get the fuck out."

"Ben..." I interfered, standing to place my hand on his shoulder. "Maybe some other time," I whispered close to his ear, knowing he didn't have a chance to speak to her tonight. If he insisted too much, she was going to detonate soon.

He shook his head and took another step forward, determined to have a long-denied conversation with her. "I promise I'll change, just... please hear me out."

She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly. "Get. Out."

They both stood imobile, staring at each other for what seemed like a long while. Angela's stoic expression held annoyance while his held something akin to despair.

Evetually, without another word, Ben hung his head in resignation and headed out of the room. I followed after him silently.

"I'm sorry," I said to him at the door.

Holding back tears, he turned around and started rushing down the stairs. I stood there watching his departing form, and when he was out of sight I closed the door, walking back into the living room.

Angela was sitting on the floor, her knees hugged to her chest and her face hidden into her left arm. She was crying so hard, her entire body was shaking violently. I rushed to her side and dropped to my knees next to her, wrapping my arms around her.

She cried the entire night.

~~ 0 ~~

"I'm leaving," Kate announced, grabbing her oversized bag from the counter. It was around four-thirty in the afternoon the next Thursday, and the eventless day was dragging along slowly. "Make sure you lock the door," she said pointedly, and I had to roll my eyes at her.

I had learned my lesson a year ago when I had forgotten to lock up the shop before leaving which had ended up staying unlocked an entire night. Fortunately for me, nothing happened, but Kate had thrown a tantrum to remember her by.

"Good luck on your date."

"Thanks." She smiled tentatively. "God, I hope he's not a creep or anything."

I simply shrugged, not knowing how to respond. She had met this guy through an online dating site, and this was the first time they were meeting in person. In the photo Kate had showed me he looked pretty decent, but you could never know what kind of twisted personality might be hiding behind the apparences.

"See you tomorrow."

"Alright," she sighed, turning on her heel and starting for the door. "Bye."

"Bye."

As usual, I pulled a school book from under the counter and a box of chocolates that had been there since the day before, and started occupying my time in a productive manner. Combining work with pleasure and all that.

Sometime later, I was reading a very interesting passage when the bell announced the arrival of a new customer. I sighed, not really in the mood to deal with anyone. Reluctantly, I closed the book and looked up, a gasp escaping my lips as I did so.

Edward and Jessica.

"Oh!" I exclaimed in surprise, a wide smile making its way to my face as I jumped from my seat. "Hello."

Now this I can definitely deal with, I thought to myself, nearly salivating when I saw Edward was back to wearing a suit.

Jessica ran to the counter, propping her elbows on it. "Hey, Bella!" she said excitedly, bouncing on her feet. She had on a pretty blue and white dress, coupled with white tights, blue ballet flats and a jean jacket.

"Hi, Jessica," I greeted warmly. "I'm glad to see you again."

She grinned, her ice blue eyes drawn to the box of chocolates. "You too."

"Isabella," Edward said in acknowledgement, nodding his head as he came to stand next to his niece.

"H-hi," I stuttered and flushed a little. I chidded myself mentally for the stupid reactions I had around him.

"Can I have one?" Jessica asked boldly, pointing to the chocolates.

"Jess!" he scolded her, his eyebrows furrowing.

"No, no, it's okay," I assured him, smiling at her sweetly. "Of course you can have one. As a matter of fact, you can have as many as you want."

"Thanks." She dug in with gusto and Edward shook his head disapprovingly.

"You were taught better manners than this."

"I really don't mind. Chocolate is the bane of us women. We simply can't resist it. Am I right, Jess?" I said, winking at her.

"Yeah," she agreed, picking another one up and popping it in her mouth.

"So, what can I help you with?" I asked, looking up at him.

God, he looked good. I'd never been so attracted to a guy in my life. And those suits he wore… I had never really noticed men wearing suits until I'd met him.

I wondered to myself how old he was. From what I could tell, he was around thirty.

Also, I was really curious about what he did for a living. It was plain as day that he had money. Lots of it.

"She wants to browse through the fantasy section herself."

"Okay. Sure. Come with me," I said, getting out from behind the counter. "You can bring the chocolate box if you want."

Jessica reached for the box eagerly, but Edward stopped her with a meaningful glare. "She's had enough."

She sighed exaggeratedly, turning around to follow after me.

"Knock yourself out," I said, when we were in the fantasy section, gesturing towards the shelves. She looked around briefly with excitement in her eyes, before heading towards the nearest shelve.

"I see you've changed the decor," Edward observed from behind me. I turned to face him and saw that he was taking in his surroundings curiously.

"Yeah. A bit. We wanted to make the reading area a bit more spacious. You want to take a seat while she looks around?" I offered.

He nodded, and I lead him to one of the comfy sofas.

"There's no need for you to stand," he said, patting the empty space next to him.

I took a deep breath, trying not to squee like a teenager with a crush at the fact that he had invited me to sit next to him.

"So, you go to the park often?" I attempted to distract myself from his intoxicating nearness by making small talk. His cologne invaded my nostrils, and my eyes nearly rolled to the back of my head.

His scent was simply out of this world. I could honestly say he smelled heavenly, and I didn't think I had ever before met a man who could drive me to the brink of insanity only by his simple presence.

"Every Saturday," he answered smoothly. "Both Jess and I like to take long walks. Do you run in the park often?"

"No," I admited, a little embarrassed. "It was actually my first time."

"Really?" He looked at me in surprise, his eyes quickly roaming over my form.

"Mmhmm," I murmured, flushing. "I'm not very passionate about sports or workouts or anything that involves physical effort for that matter."

The corners of his lips lifted in a small smile. "You don't have to be passionate about it, but working out improves your health significantly. Not only your health but also your state of mind."

"You workout a lot?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Two times a week. Sometimes more, depending on my free time." Involuntarily, I let my gaze linger on his chest for a little longer than would be apropriate. I heard him let out an amused chuckle, and my eyes snapped to his, my face coloring a deep shade of red. "What? Are you checking to see if I have big enough muscles?" he teased.

"No!" I squeaked, mortified that I had been caught ogling him. "I was just... I'm sorry."

"I was just messing with you," he assured me, leaning back into the sofa to adopt a more relaxed position. He lifted his right leg to rest his ankle on his left knee as his arms spread along the back of the sofa.

There were a few minutes of complete silence as both of us watched Jessica.

"So you go to the gym or you work out at home?" I continued, trying hard not to get back at staring at him.

"I go to the gym. I have a treadmill at home, but I rarely use it. It was my wif-" he stopped abruptly, his expression hardening.

"Your wife's?" I completed the sentence for him tentatively.

He was quiet for a long minute before answering. "Yeah," he murmured softly, his gaze trained on the wall in front of us.

Oh.

So he was married?

Had been?

Was he divorced or something?

I wanted to know so badly, but I knew I couldn't ask him that.

All of the sudden, he got to his feet, walking to where his niece was crunched down, browsing through a heavy book. "Jess," he said, his voice completely changed. "Are you done?"

"No!" she protested.

"Well, hurry up," he urged, impatiently pacing the floor and checking his watch at the same time.

"But we just got here," I heard her whine just as my attention was distracted by my phone ringing loudly.

I got up and headed towards the counter where my bag was. "Excuse me," I murmured as I passed by Edward, and he moved out of my way, not even looking at me.

I dug in my bag for my phone, and when I found it I glanced at the screen to see Angela's name flash on the display. I brough it to my ear with a sigh. "Yeah, Ang?"

"Can you get some milk on your way home?" her voice sounded distant as if she had me on speaker.

"Sure. You're home already?"

"Yeah. I wasn't feeling so good, and I left work a bit early today."

"What's wrong?" I asked concerned.

"Nothing. Just some really bad menstrual cramps."

"Oh, okay. I'll get the milk."

Just as I was hanging up, I saw Edward and Jessica head towards me. He had his hands shoved into his pants' pockets, seeming distracted as she trailed behind him with a scowl on her pretty face and holding a thick book to her chest.

"You're leaving already?" I couldn't keep the disappointment from my voice.

"Yeah," Jessica sighed, handing me the book she wanted to purchase. "But I'll be back."

I nodded, biting on my lips and trying to avoid Edward's gaze. I felt bad for having mentioned his wife. It was obvious she was a sore subject for him.

"Thirty-seven dollars," I said mechanically, staring at my hands.

In my peripheral, I could see Edward pull out his wallet. He handed me a fifty-dollar bill, and I quickly cashed it, giving him back his change.

"Thank you for your help, Isabella," he said all business-like as he took the bag I was holding out for him. "Come on, Jess."

"See ya." Jessica waved, looking at me apologetically.

A weak 'bye' was all I could get out before the door was closing firmly behind them.

A/N What the hell, Edward? Poor Bella just wanted to talk.

Reviews are appreciated :)