Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I just own Doris.

-:-

He was gone.

I tried to glance around without being too obvious, but he was nowhere in sight. And no wonder, with me sitting only a few feet away, sounding like I was poking fun at what had happened earlier that morning. I leaned back over the table, rested my chin in my hand, and resumed my meaningless tea-stirring. The cup was only half full now and I hadn't even taken a sip.

Life was back to bland for the moment. I sighed and wondered what my friends were doing back in Jacksonville. They were probably driving to the beach or shopping along the Riverfront Boardwalk, or maybe even planning on seeing a concert at Jack Rabbits. My ex-roommate was probably cake-tasting for her wedding and causing a public display of over-affection with her man-meat fiancé. And I was stirring tea. In Forks. In the precipitation capital of the United States.

I suddenly had a crushing disappointment in myself for choosing to escape to a random town, thinking I could forget my issues at home just because I was hiding away in the woods. I supposed Renée's spontaneity could have rubbed off on me in a moment of weakness, but the honest truth was, I had been lonely. And because I was a person who literally and figuratively was always reaching for a bandage to cover up physical and mental wounds, I automatically figured that it was my location causing the problem.

But it wasn't. I was the same girl—boring, uncertain, naive, and pretty pitiful.

I eyed Doris at the front of the lobby, and I started contemplating how to tell her that I'd made a mistake and probably wouldn't need my room again tonight. I thought of how Charlie would probably be disappointed that I wasn't happy and offer to fly up to save my weary soul with a magical fix-all fishing trip. Renée would most likely be thrilled that I was coming home and find me a handsome yoga or tai chi instructor as a 'welcome home' blind date. My friends would say 'I told you so.' And I would fall back into my regular routine of blending in, hiding my emotions, and succumbing to a mundane existence.

My gloomy thoughts were interrupted by a flash of grayish blue in the distance. I narrowed my eyes and saw jeans. As far as I recalled, I had been the only one wearing jeans this morning, seeing as I'd made a mental note that Forks was all about the khaki attire. Jessica and Lauren had both been wearing black pants. And then I saw a charcoal-gray shirt on top of the jeans. That matched only one person I'd seen and he was walking toward me.

Unwilling to be prey to any more embarrassment or haughty glares this morning, I shielded my eyes and leaned on my elbow. There was no urge to look at him now. He'd already seen me and heard me pry about noises on the fourth floor, and if he was actually heading to talk to me, I was probably in for a classic lecture on minding my own business. I tried to look busy as I reached to stir my tea again, but my hand shook, causing clinking, drawing more attention to me instead of less. Appearing oblivious was never my strong suit.

Just as I thought, he slowed his steps and stopped at my table. Not wanting to be rude and completely ignore him, I gradually lifted my head and stared up at him the way one might look at their executioner. He towered over me, tall, and his uncertain gaze shot through me in a way that felt criminal.

"Hello, again," he said.

His voice was a complete one-eighty from the last time we'd spoken—smooth and gentle, with no traces of anger or irritation. Even his expression was softer. I was stunned silent.

He reached behind his ear and scratched at his hair when I didn't answer. "I just wanted to apologize for my behavior last night. Or this morning, I suppose."

I couldn't think of a response. My brain had gone on a coffee break.

"I'm sure I frightened you," he continued, pausing a few moments to see if I would answer. When I didn't, he narrowed his eyes, looking a bit uncomfortable. "How's your head?"

Catatonia was winning. But I knew if I didn't speak up, he would walk away and I'd be plagued with this moment of bafflement for the rest of my stay. After another painfully slow second, I managed to brilliantly reply with, "I... um, what?"

He almost looked amused as he lifted his finger to his temple, indicating what he meant. "Your cut?"

I'd completely forgotten. I was too distracted by the residual sting that my fingers were aching with to remember the dull ache by my eyebrow. "Oh. It's better."

"That's good," he said, glancing at the floor. "It was rude of me to leave you like that. I wouldn't have, normally. It's just… I was distracted."

I nodded quickly, thankful for gestures, as I was still having trouble speaking. To his credit, he didn't back away from me like I was some sort of Martian. "So..." he started, but then his eyes darted to something behind me and he exhaled shortly. He leaned over close enough for me to hear him almost whisper, "Would you mind if I sat with you?"

My eyes had to have been like saucers. At that moment, with him so close to me, if he had been a demon whose sole purpose was to destroy my very life, I probably would have still let him sit with me. "Yes," I said quickly. "I mean, no, I don't. No, sit."

Wow, Bella.

"Thanks," he said, sliding into the chair across from me. "I'm just trying to avoid a somewhat awkward situation."

I raised my eyebrows. "Standing?"

"Edward!"

I turned my head, glancing over my shoulder at the shout. It was Jessica, striding from the kitchen and calling someone. To my surprise, she bounded over and stopped directly at our table.

Edward. Huh. He didn't look like an Edward. I would have taken him for a Bruce Wayne or Dylan McKay.

"I thought I wasn't going to get a chance to say good morning. I've been running around like crazy," she said to him, a full-blown smile plastering her face. It was the first genuine one I'd seen from her.

"Good morning," he replied, giving her a polite half-smile and tapping the table with his fingers. To my amusement, he reminded me of a kid at a family Christmas party who had just gotten approached by a crazy aunt—the one who never stopped talking and wanted to kiss you on the lips and smelled like a bad perfume factory.

"I thought you'd left," said Jessica sweetly, and if I was seeing correctly, she angled her arms inward to make her cleavage bigger. "I did see you walking up the stairs, right?"

"I came back," he said.

She didn't hide a frown as her eyes turned to me. "Hi, Bella." She must have spoken to Lauren; everyone else had called me Isabella.

"Hi," I said, fighting the urge to laugh. This was uncomfortable, but more painfully amusing to watch.

"So, can I get you guys something? I saw that you didn't get to finish your breakfast," she said, smirking at me.

I stared at her, giving her a small, ironic smile in return.

"Could we have some toast, please?" Edward asked. I wondered if his request was because he hadn't eaten any of his breakfast, either, or he just wanted her to leave. I wanted her to leave.

"Sure," Jessica replied, then boldly reached over and smoothed his hair with a syrupy smile. "Sorry, you had a piece of hair sticking up."

I had to cover my mouth so I didn't snort.

She walked away, hips a-wagging, and disappeared behind the kitchen door. Edward looked apologetic. "Sorry," he said. "She's quite a… character."

I had been thinking 'bitch' was the more appropriate word, but ah, potato, potahto.

"It's all right." I played with my fingernails, feeling a little disheartened, now knowing that he had sat with me in hopes of avoiding Jessica. It seemed as though he wasn't fond of her, but for an embarrassing moment, I thought that he might have been interested in my company.

"Is toast okay?" he asked.

"Oh, sure," I said. "She was right, anyway. I didn't finish. Although, I'm sure you saw."

"Yeah, it was kind of hard to miss."

His slight smile was unexpected and I returned it, feeling my stomach give a tiny flutter. "I'm like that a lot. Solid walls seem to get in my way. I drop things. I trip over flat surfaces."

He chuckled lightly. "Don't be embarrassed. I tripped down the stairs naked once."

Pressing my lips together, I tried not to laugh. I also tried not to picture it out of respect for his privacy. It didn't work. "Really?"

He paused, looking hesitant, as if he couldn't believe he'd just confessed such a thing. "Yes, really," he eventually continued. "I had just gotten out of the shower and was hurrying up the stairs, and my dad opened the door to the pizza girl. I tripped, rolled down backward, and my towel stayed on the steps."

I laughed, but all the while thinking what a lucky pizza girl.

"I never let him call Ginos again," he said. Oddly, his expression seemed sad for a fleeting moment, but it was only that—brief, then gone. "So, Bella. Not Isabella?"

I shrugged. "Isabella sounds so classy and elegant, you know? Beautiful. It doesn't really fit me."

He stared at me curiously. "I think it does."

Before I had time to react, Jessica appeared and set a basket of toast triangles on the table, along with a plate of mini butter packets, fruit preserves, and honey. Now that there was food in front of me, I felt hungry again, and kind of wished he had ordered eggs. There was no way Jessica would have loogied up anything he had asked for.

"Here you go," she said. "So, Edward, what are you doing later? Lauren and I are driving out to Olympia to meet her boyfriend. You should come. Maybe we'll see a movie or something?"

My face felt warm, and as much as her offer to him was the last thing I wanted to hear at the moment, I was having a hard time keeping my smile to myself.

"No, thank you," said Edward. "But have fun."

"Are you sure?" she asked with a pleading look. It was impossible—impossible—for her to stick her chest any further into his face without poking his eye with a nipple.

"Yes," said Edward. "I'm going to stay in tonight."

Jessica played with her hair. "Oh. Well, let me know if you want some company. I'm totally going to be a third wheel later with Lauren and Tyler."

Before I could tell her she already was right now, Edward gave her a polite smile and looked back at me. Jessica watched, looking disappointed, and then directed her attention to me. "By the way, I'm Jessica. Stanley."

I guessed the emphasis was supposed to intimidate me, like she was a big name in Forks. If I'd been alone, I probably would have turned red at her gawking look as usual, but having someone there who could quite obviously see through her mask, too, gave me some poise.

"Do you prefer Jessica or Stanley?" I asked.

She scoffed and clutched the tray she was holding until her knuckles turned white. "See you later, Edward." With that said, she was off, only to look back at me with contempt.

"I get the feeling she wants to be best friends, don't you?" I joked. Honestly, I wondered exactly what I'd done to her in the first place other than show up with a dilapidated Chevy.

Edward lightly chuckled. "Don't fret over it. People like her aren't worth worrying about." He pushed the toast toward me. "Hungry?"

I took a piece with a slight smile. "Thanks."

"Well, I guess we've inadvertently been introduced," he said, "but even so, I'm Edward Masen, formally."

"Bella Swan," I said, thinking how sophisticated his name sounded when mine resembled a fat bird.

"Nice to meet you, Bella," he said gently, his eyes shining. They were deep and mysterious and troubled, like he had a hundred secrets beneath them.

"You too," I replied, trying not to stare at him for too long.

He buttered a piece of toast and drizzled honey over it, not looking at me when he said, "So, how did you hurt yourself? Your head, I mean."

I inwardly debated on telling him the truth or making up a lie, but I was too interested in finding out what the hell he'd been going to pieces about earlier.

"Well," I said carefully, "I fell out of bed and knocked my head on the night table. I was kind of startled by the noise. I'd been dreaming and when I woke up, I… well, I heard a bang from the wall."

He nodded slowly, concentrating on his silverware. When he looked up, he said, "I'm sorry about that."

The look on his face made me feel guilty, so I said, "Trust me, if it hadn't been you, it would have been the first step I'd taken out of that bed. I'm accident-prone."

He sighed lightly, turning his attention to his plate.

"I don't want to pry," I continued, "and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but… what were you doing?"

He had taken a bite of toast and was chewing, but he looked confused as he swallowed. "You haven't guessed?"

I narrowed my eyes. He was a guy, after all; he could have been giving himself the mother of all masturbatory sessions. Only, he looked pretty upset in the hallway, and normally, people were more than blissful after that. Plus, he'd booked it out of his room like he was being chased by something.

"Oh," I said quietly. "A nightmare?"

He nodded, averting his eyes. "You probably think I'm crazy, huh?"

I shook my head quickly, chuckling humorlessly. "You probably think I'm an idiot," I said, picking up some strawberry preserves to spread on my toast.

"Not at all," he said. "I clearly startled you, and you were kind enough to check on me." He took a green apple from the basket, giving me an interested look. "But I'm curious. If you didn't know before, what did you think I was doing?"

I paused. There was no way I was confessing to thinking he'd been manhandling. "Honestly, my first thought? Going at it with Doris."

He'd been about to take a bite of the apple, but it nearly fell from his hand. "You thought I was with Doris?"

"Well, sort of, but not for long," I said, unable to hold back a smile. "She really chatted you up last night. I figured 'Mr. Masen' was some old guy she had a thing for."

He straightened his back and bit into the apple, shaking his head. He looked a bit embarrassed, but humored.

"I got here last night while you were playing in the Entertainment Hall," I explained. "Doris said that you were amazing everyone with your performance. By the look on her face, I thought she was talking about her lover."

I didn't even try to hide my smirk; I couldn't really blame Doris. If I was her age, I'd probably be just as captivated by him as she was. Though I couldn't deny that I kind of was already.

Edward coughed an uncomfortable laugh. "So, you were intending on interrupting us then, if that was the case?"

"Well, no," I said, laughing, too, then lowered my voice. "There are a lot of old people here. I thought you were some old man who had fallen out of bed and broken a hip."

His gorgeous eyes widened and he grinned. "Bella Swan, the Good Samaritan."

"If you'd heard that from my side, would you have checked it out?" I asked.

His expression changed slightly. "I don't know. I'm not comfortable going up to strangers' doors."

I had to admit, that answer surprised me. "So, you're saying that if it had been me yelling—"

He raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"Okay, not yelling, but moaning. Wouldn't you get an urge to go check and see if everything was all right?" I asked.

"Well, I'd certainly be curious and would hope that everything was okay if that's what you mean," he said, folding his hands in front of him.

"You wouldn't check?"

Edward thought for a moment, then sighed. "If you saw a shadowy figure in a house, would you ring the doorbell to investigate if everything was safe and sound? Or would you call the police?"

I briefly thought of Charlie, who would undoubtedly have my ass if I ever did anything so remotely stupid as to knock on a stranger's door when there was possible danger present. Yet, that was pretty much what I had been about to do only hours ago. "That's different," I protested. "If I saw something like that, I'd call for help. Last night, I just thought someone—you—were hurt."

He looked down at his hands. "I suppose you meant well. You just don't understand how things like that can be dangerous."

I felt myself bristling a bit. Who was he to tell me something like that? "And how long have you been distinguishing how much I know?" I asked, frowning.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm not questioning your instinct. I'm just saying… I'm not as trusting as you seem to be."

We were quiet for a few moments.

"I would have called management," he said finally. "If I heard any kind of strange noise through my wall, I'd call management."

I raised my eyebrows, picturing Doris in a Ghostbusters suit, making the climb to the fourth floor to knock a nightmare demon out of someone.

"You'd call management," I repeated plainly.

"I think it would be for the best, yes."

I cracked a smile. "So… you would call Doris."

He hesitated. I guess he couldn't deny that a short, late-sixty-something lady might not be the first person to think of investigating any real danger. "I would get proper help if necessary."

His voice sounded rehearsed, like he was trying to get a point across to me. He could have been lying, but why? He definitely had a smooth demeanor, but I could tell there was something he wasn't letting me know. I eyeballed him for a few moments and then decided that I didn't believe him. I took a large bite of toast, too chicken to call him out.

He studied my expression and sighed. "You're getting a bad first impression of me."

"Well, it's not like you got a good first impression of me," I grumbled with my mouth full. "I certainly didn't intend on meeting someone when I was half-dressed and bleeding."

"I am sorry for that," he said, sounding sincere.

"Don't sweat it, really."

Time passed as we silently ate, and I figured I was being stupid for trying to guess what was going on inside the mind of a total stranger. Maybe he was just private. Or maybe this was his polite way of indicating that I should never come knocking on his doorstep.

Eventually, he sighed and said, "I'm not trying to upset you. But some things are better left unsaid."

"I know," I answered too quickly, and ate the last bite of my toast.

"Do you?" It was as if his eyes had little swords that sliced right through me. How did he give looks like that without breaking a sweat?

A languid nod was all I could come up with. Damn him. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Jessica leaning against the banister on the stairs, looking a bit too satisfied that our faces had suddenly turned solemn.

Damn her, too.

"Okay," Edward said, probably thinking that was all he was going to get from me at that moment. "Thanks for letting me sit with you."

That was an end-of-conversation line. He was going to go. I had a slight (and embarrassing) urge to reach out and ask him to stay.

Sure enough, he asked, "Are you finished?"

I nodded and got up from the table. He walked me to the lobby and we stood by the door in an awkward air.

"I hope you don't think..." he started. Then, "Never mind."

I shook my head. "I'm not thinking anything bad if that's what you were going to say. You just make me wonder."

He smiled a bit at that, though there was no real happiness in it. "I'm not the greatest person to talk to."

"What makes you say that?" I asked. "You just told me about your experience in taking a naked dive down the stairs. That's got to count for something."

He gave me a halfhearted grin and shrugged. "Well, have a good day, Bella. It really was nice to meet you properly." With that, he turned to walk out the door. That was probably our last conversation. In two seconds, he was going to be outside in the rain. Without a coat, my mom-conscience noted.

"Edward?" I said, slightly raising the volume of my voice so he could hear. He turned back and looked at me with a kind of empty, sad expression.

"Were you—Were you serious before? When you said that you were staying in tonight?"

He seemed surprised. "Yes."

"Well…" This was humiliating. Not as bad as the time I had tripped up the stairs at graduation or when I puked in my purse on my twenty-first birthday, but humiliating all the same. "I was wondering if you're planning on watching the movie they're showing tonight? Because I am and I don't really know anybody. So, if you were… maybe we could sit together?"

I could barely look him in the eyes. I'd only had a few boyfriends in high school and college, but it had been a while since I'd been rejected by a guy.

"You want to sit with me?" he asked.

"Yes?" I couldn't stop saying things in question form. I was too far gone to use proper intonation.

After a moment, he chuckled. He was officially laughing at me. I knew it. Why hadn't I just kept my mouth shut and let him walk out into the rain where he could catch a cold and then warm up with Jessica Stanley, and probably wake me in the middle of the night again with an actual 'banging' on the wall?

"You should probably stay away from me," Edward said, his smirk fading.

"You don't have to say things like that," I said, feeling awkward. "It's fine if you don't want to."

"I didn't say I didn't want to," he said, sounding conflicted. "I just usually don't—"

"I'm sorry. You don't even know me," I said, thinking of the privacy he probably wanted to protect. "It's fine. Really. It was nice to meet you, too."

I turned, embarrassed, and started for the stairs.

"Bella?"

I slowly turned back. He paused, ran a hand through his hair, and finally said, "Save me a seat?"

After a few seconds of shocked silence, I nodded, trying to act nonchalant. "Okay," I managed, keeping my voice light.

"Okay," he repeated, giving me a small, quick smile. A second later, he turned on his heel and went out the door, which rang a little bell at his departure. I watched him through the window until he was out of sight and then as I turned around, I noticed Doris behind her desk, giving me a Grand Canyon-sized grin.

I smiled back to please her and hurried to the stairs. By the time I got up to my room, I shut the door behind me and collapsed in a heap on the bed, breathing as though I'd just finished a race.

"Holy shit," I panted, partially from the climb, but mostly because of the obvious. Agreeing to meet me later that night seemed crazy after our 1 am meeting, but here we were. After the past couple of years, I would never have thought it possible that I would be excited to watch a movie with a guy, surrounded by senior citizens.

I rolled over on my bed and peered at my bags that I had been ready to pack only a half hour ago. I still wasn't sure if I was in Forks for the right reasons, but at that moment, whether they were good reasons or bad ones, I didn't care.

I was definitely staying for at least a few more days.

-:-