AN: Please be kind. This is my first-time publishing any of my work on a public forum. Helpful feedback is appreciated!
Pain.
That was the first sensation Bella felt as she slowly gained consciousness. Groaning, she tentatively turned her head from its face down position in the satin pillow case her head rested on to her side so she could take a breath of fresh-
Satin?! My dingy hotel didn't have satin bedding. She threw herself upright and ripped her eyes open to take in her surroundings. The first thing she realized (much to her relief) was that she was alone. The light to what she assumed was the restroom flittered into the room from under the closed door, she realized as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room she was in.
It was a hotel room; she realized.
"Well, fuck." she whispered to herself as she brought a hand up to her face to rub some of the sleep out of her eyes. It was a nice room, actually, she thought to herself as she took in the king bed she was perched in the center of. She was still in her dress from the night before she noted to herself as she scooted to the edge of the large mattress while ignoring the way her entire skull seemed to throb with each movement. There was a shrill ringing coming from somewhere in the distance, her phone was ringing.
Tequila shots and I apparently do NOT mix well or a litte too well?... Bella made a mental note to punch Jessica in the arm, should she get the chance, for even suggesting them.
She stood from the bed, wincing as several joints popped in complaint, her vision darkened around the edges momentarily, and her feet seemed to scream at her for the audacity with which she expected them to bear her weight after the sky scraper heels she had worn the night before. Other than those few things, she noted, she seemed to be in good shape. Her hair had fallen from its half up do she had twisted it into the night before, her familiar waves back as the flat ironing she had done yesterday seemed to have failed.
She continued on, looking for her purse or cell phone; she would even take her painful shoes at this point. When Bella realized none of those items were there and that the restroom was the only other door in the room, she took a deep breath and prepared herself for an awkward but quick goodbye. When she ripped open the door, she fought the urge to hiss like a cat from the pain that exploded behind her eyes at the sunlight pouring into the room.
Yeah, cause what exactly was the plan here? Her own thoughts taunted while her eyes adjusted.
When they did all Bella could do was stare with her mouth open at the suite before her. The large bedroom had apparently opened to an even LARGER living space. From what she assumed was the living room were two short steps that lead into a walk down couch area, which was what had actually inspired her awe. She walked up to the windows to stare out at the vast views of the strip she was currently seeing.
I've got to be like 30 stories up, AT LEAST. Bella whistled aloud as she took in the street and people below her.
Finally, Bella turned to look for her things and saw them on the center of the table behind her. They had obviously been placed there with care as her purse was laid on the table beside her shoes that had been re-strapped. She walked up to them and plucked a small folded piece of stationary from between her shoes, noticing the letter head of the page read 'The Venetian Resort' as she scanned the short message.
Isabella,
I've gone to take care of some business.
Please help yourself.
D.
"D? Who the hell is-" she was cut off by the shrill ring of her phone. She dropped the note and jumped about a foot in the air before scrambling to rip her purse open, seeing Jacob's name and toothy grin on her phone screen. She quickly answered it, picking the note back up and pressing her phone to her ear in time to once more have her tender senses assaulted; this time by the roar of his rabbit.
"What's up jake?" Bella sighed as she put the phone on speaker to protect her brain from the wind on his end of the line.
"What up Jake? That's all I get after you call me a dozen or so times at 2:30 in the morning, then text and tell me you wish I could have been there?" His voice sounded incredulous and maybe even a little hurt. But Bella was too busy looking out the large window that made up the fourth wall of the living room again to notice.
"What are you talking about Jake?" She was alone, and felt saef enough at the moment that she had begun to snoop around the room, a bottle of minifridge water in her hands as she opened cabinets and drawers. He did tell me to help myself. She told herself as she took a large drink.
"Bells, you sound like shit." He laughed as Bella was opening a closet in the bedroom, inspecting the luxurious suits and button ups that were hung in the closet.
"I FEEL like shit." She snorted, checking the pockets of the suits for any sort of clue as to who D was. "That and waking up in the wrong hotel might have something to do with it." She said that part quickly as his engine backfired, hoping it would drown out her voice.
"YOU WHAT?" Came his bellow over the speaker. "Shhh!" She hissed, looking at the hotel room door as she perched herself on a barstool at the kitchenette's counter. "I don't know who but he could come back any time!"
"Then WHY are you still there?" He whined, sure he and Bella had agreed that friendship worked best for them, but it didn't mean he wanted to hear all the sordid details.
"What if he's not so bad looking?" she mused as she finished the water bottle and ignored Jake's groan, deciding to snoop through some papers she had found in a drawer in the kitchen. "Besides, what if-"
She stopped short and felt her heart jump up into her throat and then proceed to freefall down to her feet as she stared at the certificate in her hand.
"What if what, Bells?..." "Bells?!"
She registered Jakes voice somewhere in the back of her mind, but the forefront of her thought process was busy processing the papers she had found.
MARRIAGE OFFICIANT LEGAL REQUIREMENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS the first page screamed at her in all capitols at the top of the page.
"S-Sorry Jake," she mumbled, her mind a fog as her heart began sprinting. "I gotta call you back." without waiting for him to answer, she hung up and placed her phone beside her as she began shuffling through the short stack of papers.
CLARK COUNTY NEVADA RECEIPT OF INTENT TO FILE MARRIAGE LICENSE
LITTLE WHITE CHAPEL; WHITE CHAPEL RECIEPT
The second page was the most interesting by far, Bella decided as she scanned the page and noted, with great disconsolateness, that her full legal name was listed in big and final print across the section labeled as 'spouse 1 information'. She frantically looked further down the page to find spouse 2, however there was a ring of condensation blocking the last name- HER last name- she realized with horror.
As she stared blankly at the pages in front of her, she didn't recognize the sound of the electronic key registering and the swoosh of the door open, only the soft thud of the door against the doorstopper made her look up.
Her jaw went slack as one of the most handsome men she'd even seen- Cullen family excluded of course- stepped inside, placing several parge garment bags on the counter in front of her.
He flicked his sunglasses up from his face, taking her in as she stared at him- mouth agape- for a moment as if her brain were rebooting.
*Flashback*
Damon had been whispering into the ear of a leggy blond that sat on his lap in the club he was in. Drai's he's been told. Blondie of course had been giggling drunkenly and sloppily rubbing his chest; Damon himself grinning cheshirely as his buzz had begun to finally kick in.
As loud as the music had been, shortly after his tempting new 'friend' had left him to freshen up, an even louder group of women had come squealing in. He had taken them in slowly, drinking in the image of each woman as they made their way past him to the bar.
A bridal party. Damon had noticed to his delight. They were always the most fun. He had slowly risen from his perch on the VIP couch, side stepping his way through the crowd the nestle himself in their midst at the bar.
"I'm getting married!" One of the women had immediately screeched into his ear. "I would have never guessed." Damon mused with his signature smirk in place.
"HEY!" A hand had tapped his shoulder roughly, catching him off guard. He begrudlingly turned his attention from the drunk bride-to-be only for his blue eyes to meet a wide set of deep brown orbs. They were muddled by her buzz, he noted as she shouted at him. "I bet I can out drink you!" Bella had challenged, Angela coming up behind her and laughing too loudly.
"We just came from somewhere else, please don't mind Bella." She had offered an explanation. Bella pouted.
"Ange, LET ME LIVE! It's not every day I get out." Bella had hiccupped indignantly.
Damon watched the exchange with amusement dancing behind his eyes. Of course, she's taken. A small voice in his head said as he shamelessly raked his eyes over the dress she likely had to have been poured into. It was a knee length number; sleeveless with a plunging back and bustline with a thin sliver necklace that drew his eyes right to her chest.
Like it will stop me. He thought to himself.
"Yeah Ange," Damon had shouted back over the loud music. "Let her live." His eyes never leaving the burnette beside him, a smile slowly creeping over his face.
"Damon." he'd offered her his hand, which she had firmly shook, a drunken smile plastered across her face so wide her eyes were squinting.
"Bella."
*End Flashback*
"Damon?" She said quietly, the shock of realization slowly spreading across her face.
"Bella." He answered as the same slow grin lifting his features.
SO! I'm doing a complete overhaul of this story. I absolutely love it. but I'm going chapter by chapter right now and slowly either adding or removing scenes. maybe comment some you'd like to see get more time, something you'd like to see followed more closely that didn't get it, or maybe just some words of encouragement!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed and commented and liked and even followed! I look forward to hearing your feedback as each chapter comes rewritten and the story develops.