As always, thanks go out to all my readers, with a special shoutout to those who left reviews on chapter 15: Goldielover, TheBlueWilderness, S1203, catgrl, kouga's older woman, Guest, and Ruiniel.

Thank you!

CHAPTER 16

SEATTLE

"I made it." Bella gave a low chuckle, her chest rising and falling on a grateful sigh. Owing to Jacob's mechanical skills, her newly repaired car had survived the four hour road trip to Seattle, the engine now falling silent as she turned the key and pulled it out.

Unlike Forks, the afternoon sky was only partly cloudy. Judging by the gently stirring trees that lined the street at interval, it wasn't that windy either. Leaning forward to look through the windshield, Bella beheld the familiar stretch of buildings, and had to smile.

Located a few blocks from her workplace, her apartment stood within walking distance of a park, a museum, and some of the coziest cafés in downtown Seattle. Despite its age, the historic building was incredibly well maintained, with a certain charm she hadn't found anywhere else.

It was the reason she had fallen in love with the place, a full year before meeting Evan, the reason she wasn't quite ready to let her apartment go. In her single days, the rent had stretched her budget a little bit, it was true. But Bella had always been good at planning and budgeting. Now that she was on her own again, she would have to be a bit more frugal to stay in the black. But that was okay. She had managed fine in the past. She could do it again.

Having texted Audrey during an earlier rest stop at a gas station, it came as no surprise when her friend exited the building the moment Bella stepped out of the car.

"You're here! Finally!" Audrey squealed as she bounded down the steps then hurried along the sidewalk to meet her at the car. The ensuing hug was enthusiastic, her friend's voice bubbling with joy when she said, "I'm so happy you're back, Bella. Here, let me get your luggage. You shouldn't be lifting a thing. How was the drive?"

This being a Saturday, Audrey was wearing white sneakers, dark blue jeans, and a plain white tee. Of course, it wouldn't be Audrey without one of her signature blazers. Popping red with three-quarter length sleeves, it was slightly more casual than her other ones. It looked good on her.

"Long but alright," Bella answered and stretched her aching back. "It's good to be home."

As Audrey fetched Bella's suitcase from the back seat, she threw a glance at her over her shoulder. "Well, I'm thrilled you're here. Work wasn't the same without my sidekick around. Your dad must have been sad to see you go, though."

"He was. Which reminds me..." As a minivan drove by, Bella wasted no time to fish her cell phone out of her purse.

As expected, her father answered on the first ring. "Hello? Bells?" The worry in his tone was unmistakable.

"Hey dad, it's me. You wanted me to call as soon as I got back? I'm here."

"Oh good." A clear sigh of relief could be heard over the phone. "Is Audrey with you?"

"She is. She's helping me with my luggage right now."

"Is she? Good."

"Hi, Chief Swan," Audrey interjected loud enough so he could hear. "Don't worry, I'll watch over Bella for you."

As the chipper woman closed the car door, raspy laughter sounded over the line. "Tell your friend I said thanks. And Bella?" A pause. "Thank you for letting your old man know you made it safe. You're going to take it easy, right?"

"I will. Don't worry."

"Okay. Talk to you soon?"

"You bet."

A brief walk later, Bella and Audrey entered the building, and climbed the stairs up to the second floor. Sighing in both gladness and tiredness, Bella was all smiles when she entered her apartment. Minus her accident and subsequent hospital stay, it wasn't that she hadn't appreciated her time in Forks—her feelings about the small, rainy town had warmed considerably after all—but it was nice being in her own place, amidst her own things.

A scratchy meow and the soft thud of landing feet captured Bella's attention, broadening her smile even more. "Lollipop. Come here, you old grouch."

For once, the tabby cat did not live up to her standoffish nickname. In the blink of an eye, she was already by Bella's feet, purring and pushing her whiskered cheek against her pantleg.

"Someone's happy to see you," Audrey remarked as she closed the apartment door, and set the suitcase down.

"I missed her, too." Her heart swelling with affection, Bella picked up the aging cat, and pressed her face into the fluffy fur. "Hey, big girl."

Lollipop allowed the cuddle for about twenty seconds more before she reverted back to her usual anti-social self. With an annoyed meow, the cat suddenly pushed off, and landed quietly on her feet while Bella chuckled and watched as the feline made her way back to the couch.

"Thanks for taking care of her for me," Bella said as Audrey came to stand beside her.

"I was happy to do it," she replied as the two surveyed the living-room. "As you can see, Evan took the television with him."

Bella had noticed as soon as she had walked in; the section of wall where the flat screen had been was now blank. Evan's game console and autographed football were also gone from the living-room. "Can't say I'm surprised. At least he left my bookcase and the rest of the furniture."

"Um…" Audrey gave an awkward wince and was scratching behind her ear when she jerked her chin toward the open doorway on the far side of the room. "I didn't go in your room or anything, but I couldn't help but notice when I walked in with Lollipop," she explained as Bella walked on ahead only to stop dead in her tracks.

Blinking once then twice, she gaped at the room. "The jerk took the bed!" The one they had bought less than a year ago. A really comfortable queen-sized bed that had replaced the hard, lumpy double bed that was now in the guest bedroom.

"Well, look at it this way…" Audrey's tone was tentative, like she was trying to see the brighter side of things. "What if he brought her here? What if they… you know?"

Bella stared at the nearly empty room for a moment. She hadn't thought of that. The idea that Evan might have invited Amber to stay over, that they might have shared the bed and done… stuff…

It made her skin crawl.

Eyeing the room for a moment longer, Bella crossed her arms, and came to a decision. Not that she had much choice anyway. "He can have the bed. I'll buy another one." Once I've saved up for it, she added inwardly, and hated to think how long it would take.

"If you want, I can try to move the guest bed in here," Audrey offered and smiled in encouragement.

While Bella appreciated the offer, she couldn't let her friend do that. "Don't be silly. It's way too heavy."

"Well then, how about I go get those nice neighbors of yours? Mateo and, shoot, what's his name..." Audrey snapped her fingers a few times.

"You mean Leon?"

"That's it!"

Leon and Mateo had moved into the building about three months ago. Leon was a forty year old museum curator. Mateo, an office clerk at a telecom company, was five years younger than him. They had been together for nearly ten years.

Social and welcoming in nature, the pair were always quick to smile and say hi whenever she passed by them in the hall. Every once in a while, they would even drop by for coffee, and vice versa.

"They seem nice and helpful," Audrey added. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping."

"Probably. But really it can wait. I'll sleep in the guest room for now. I don't mind. And quite frankly, all I want to do right now is plop down on the couch and catch up. I missed you."

Warmth suffused her friend's features. "I missed you, too. Are you hungry?" Audrey pointed toward the kitchen. "I brought a bit of groceries, and some takeout, too."

Bella's stomach grumbled. She was starving. "Ooh, what kind?"

"Chinese food. Some dumplings, some vegetable lo mein, and…" Audrey grabbed a paper bag from the counter and held it up. By the looks of it, it contained a bottle. With an impish smirk, she drew it out and beamed. "Fancy some Sauvignon Blanc?"

"You know you're awesome, right?"

Audrey's smile yielded to laughter. "I totally am. But so are you. Now, come on. Let's veg out."

And so they did. After eating their meal, the two sat on either end of the gray sofa, their sock-clad feet tucked beside them.

In addition to the main furniture pieces, the space contained a bookcase, a few potted plants, and a tall street-facing window that was framed by light grey curtains.

With the building dating back to the 1940s, one might have expected old, dingy apartments. But it wasn't the case at all. Like most other units, Bella's apartment had been renovated to keep up with the times, blending old and new in a seamless and rather stylish way.

While the apartment was by no means big, it had an open concept kitchen and living-room, with warm white walls that lent an air of openness to the space. Beneath the area rug, the floors were the original hardwood, and though there was modern heating and ventilation, the landlord had opted to keep the old-fashioned radiator against the wall.

"That was good. I'm stuffed," Audrey declared before swapping her empty food container for her wine glass. So far, she had dished about the goings on at work, and her budding romance with Tim. She had even spoken of her little niece, Cora, recounting a recent excursion to a petting zoo. But now Audrey had gone quiet, and was staring at Bella with a measuring gaze. "Okay, now that we're finally face to face, it's time to spill the tea."

Bella smiled and played dumb. "What tea?"

"The whole cheating and breakup thing. How are you handling all of this?"

She had suspected that Audrey would dive into that topic again. Had the roles been reversed, Bella supposed she would have done the same. Speaking on the phone and texting was fine and all, but it just wasn't the same when it came to something as big as this.

Opting for frankness, Bella gave a shrug and began. "I was livid at first. Who wouldn't be? But at this point, I'm sort of numb to it. Actually, I'm mostly glad and relieved that he's gone."

Audrey gave a small, compassionate smile. "I understand that. Personally, I'm glad he's out of your life. The guy's a snake. He didn't deserve you. I'm sorry it happened, though. I'm sorry he did that to you."

"It is what it is."

Silence fell for a moment. With narrowing eyes, Audrey added, "I hope she dumps him."

Bella nearly spit out her wine. Shoulders quaking in silent laughter, she covered her mouth and managed to swallow before saying, "That'd be pretty funny."

"Poetic justice," Audrey agreed with a twinkle in her eyes. "I just hope that when you find someone—and you will—that Evan will regret the moment he decided to cheat on you. If he does, don't you dare take him back, though. Once a cheater, always a cheater."

"Don't worry, I won't." In fact, it would be a cold day in hell before she took up with Evan again. "Anyway, I'm not in a hurry," she went on to say. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not pining after Evan or anything. But I think it'll do me some good to be single for a while. And when I do meet someone… a good and decent guy, well…" Bella allowed the sentence to trail, thoughts of a certain doctor rising, unbidden, in her mind.

Carlisle Cullen had made quite the impression on her, it was true. But then, it wasn't everyday that one encountered a real-life vampire. Based on her interactions with him, Bella felt—no, she knew—that the man had a heart of gold. By and far, he was probably the nicest person she had ever met.

Somewhat disheartened by the fact that he hadn't sought her out and hadn't called, Bella sent her gaze to the window, and reflected on his reasons. Given the risk he claimed it posed, a part of her understood his reluctance to keep in contact with her. Still, it was a shame. She genuinely enjoyed his company. The fact that he seemed so lonely saddened her, too.

With a subtle and rapid shake of her head, Bella snapped back to the present, and looked to Audrey. "So," she began, in hopes of lightening her thoughts. "Are you and Tim still going to see that movie tonight?" Audrey had mentioned her upcoming movie date earlier in the week. She had seemed really excited about it.

"Actually, I cancelled."

Bella blinked and frowned. "Why?"

"You've been gone so long, and you just got back. I don't want to leave you alone on a Saturday night."

Bella suppressed a smirk and leveled a look at her. "Okay, I'm going to stop you right there. I'm glad to be back and I'm super thankful we're hanging out. But in case you forgot, I don't mind being alone. The television might be gone, but I have my books, and I can play some movies on my computer. I am good, I promise you."

"I know, but—" A flash of excitement appeared on Audrey's face. She shifted in her seat and sat a bit straighter. "Hey why don't you come with us!?"

Bella smiled, and raised a brow. "And be the third wheel? No thank you. But as your best friend, I insist that you go and have a great time. For me."

Audrey pouted. "You sure?"

"One hundred percent. Besides, the accident took a lot out of me. I get tired rather easy these days. I'll probably turn in early. And I won't be completely alone. I'll have Lollipop with me." With these words, Bella glanced at her cat who was relaxing on the couch's headrest, her eyes closing heavily as she purred in contentment.

So passed the weekend. Then Monday came and went. With only a few days before she was scheduled to start work again, Bella divided her time between a few errands, a doctor's appointment, and leisurely pursuits like reading, or frequenting her favorite bookstore and coffee shop. As was her wont, Audrey would stop by most evenings. Going along with her friend's idea, Bella had asked Leon and Mateo to move the guest bed into the master bedroom. The pair had gladly obliged, staying for pizza afterward. But tonight, Audrey was having dinner over at her parents, so Bella was alone.

It was Tuesday, just after eight o'clock.

Clad in a t-shirt and sweats, she stood at the kitchen counter, fixing herself some herbal tea. Because Evan had taken the espresso machine and the toaster, the counter space seemed rather bare. At least he had left the kettle and coffee maker. Given how they had both chipped in to buy new appliances, Bella was both thankful and surprised that he had left them all behind. He could have easily taken half of them.

After Audrey had left last Saturday, Bella had taken stock of some additional items her ex had taken. The treadmill, for instance, and the desk they had kept in the spare bedroom. In addition to those things, he had taken his laptop, his toiletries, and all of his clothes—a good thing, she supposed, for it lessened the chance of him showing up to get more stuff.

Peppermint tea in hand, Bella padded into the living-room, where her favorite playlist was playing at low volume. An indie chill mix she had found on Spotify.

Seeking her round reading chair instead of the sofa, Bella settled under the soft, downward glow of her reading lamp. More than ready to relax for the evening, she set her tea aside, rubbed the tension from her neck, then grabbed her book.

She had barely finished the first page when her cell phone rang. Assuming it was Audrey, Bella answered without scrutinizing the caller ID.

"Hello?"

The line was silent at first.

"Hi, who's this?" she started again, suspecting the connection might be bad.

It wasn't, though, for a voice finally sounded over the phone. Soft and familiar, it caused her mouth to fall open. She couldn't help but smile.

"Hello, Isabella."