MeteorOnAMoonlessNight: Angry All The Time Chapter 1

Time has jumped back here.

One day
someone
will walk into your life
and you'll suddenly realize
why
it never worked out
with anyone else

~Anonymous

BPOV
September 2008

The sky was a beautiful shade of sapphire as I walked along the pier down at the Waterfront district. It was mid-September, a great time of year in Seattle before the weather turned colder and rainy and made it harder to enjoy the outdoors. I was really enjoying the time by myself, mostly browsing and doing a little buying. I chose a bench and sat down; I'd just dropped my bags at my car and was debating whether or not I was hungry. I closed my eyes, leaning back against the bench and taking a deep breath, practically tasting the salty air. A shadow moved in front of me, blocking off the warmth of the sun. I opened my eyes, squinting a bit behind my sunglasses. Adonis had appeared before me, surely an apparition caused by too much sun.

"Hi," said Adonis.

"Uh, hi," I brilliantly replied. I blushed.

He grinned, and I was struck through the heart. And the loins. "I saw you sitting here, and wondered if I could sit next to you."

"Of course," I answered without hesitation, then smiled tentatively. He really was gorgeous, tall and broad shouldered. He had messy hair that shined red with the sun behind him. His jaw was sharp enough to cut glass, and he had full sexy lips.

"My name's Edward," he told me as he sat next to me. You mean it's not Adonis? "It's a family name."

I was staring, sure and bold behind my sunglasses. His eyes appeared like an evergreen forest, with the afternoon sun filtering down. "That's not bad for a family name. Not like Hubert, for instance." I flashed him a grin, hoping my flirting wasn't rusty.

He laughed, and it was a rich velvet sound that went straight to my gut. "I got lucky then, because I had a Great Uncle Hubert."

I laughed too. "Well, my name is Bella. Not a family name, but short for the stuffier Isabella." I stuck out my hand, more interested in touching him than in being polite. When his hand met mine, it felt like static electricity running between our palms.

"Gorgeous." He was looking at me so intently, I pulled off my sunglasses to meet his eyes. "Your name is gorgeous. And actually, so are you." Edward reached out and caught a strand of my dark hair, tucking it behind my ear. I shivered.

"That's, uh. . . very sweet of you." I almost couldn't catch my breath.

"Would you be interested in having lunch with me?" He asked rather abruptly. "I mean. . . If you have nothing else to do. No other plans." He grinned, and it only pulled up on one side, like a sexy smirk. He was flustered.

"I would love to." Again, I didn't hesitate. First, I didn't want him to be flustered, even though it was kind of cute. Second, he was hot, and we were hitting it off. "Ah, it's my birthday. Today. I'm 23. So I would love a birthday lunch with a handsome stranger."

He smiled again, crookedly, and his eyes lit up. "Well, then happy birthday." He stood and offered me his hand. I accepted it, and as I slid my hand into his warm grip, a feeling of rightness washed over me.

~~~oOo~~~

"I'm telling you, Jazz, it was like something out of a soap opera. Or a rom-com." I absently shuffled the papers on his desk. "Everything was perfect. The food was magnificent, the view was spectacular. The conversation rarely lulled, and when it did it was still comfortable. He even respected the truck." I met the eyes of my best friend and coworker over his desk.

"So, you're sayin' love at first sight," he drawled. "Kismet, if you will." His blue eyes sparkled as he said it, and I playfully shoved his arm. "Alright, I'm happy for you. When are you seein' Adonis again?"

As he typed something on his computer, I stared out the nearest window at nothing in particular. "He asked if we could have dinner this Wednesday." I refocused on Jasper. "I said yes. He knows of a place called Eclipse."

Nodding, Jasper looked up at me again. "Sounds good. You gonna go home with him?" He winked.

I snorted. "Leave it to you to say such a thing." I pushed my long brown hair behind my ear. "No. I don't have sex on the first date, you know that."

"Technically, it'll be the second date." Jasper gave me a wide smile. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Ugh. Shut up. I'm going back to my desk." I smiled and walked away, heading to the bank of elevators.

I thought about my lunch date from the weekend, and I couldn't help but sigh. It had really been perfect. I couldn't think of a better way to describe it. We liked a lot of the same things. Our home lives were similar. Edward was charming, sweet, and funny. When he asked if I minded the waiter singing to me, he didn't laugh at me when I balked. He didn't pressure me to 'be more fun', like some dates I'd been on. He accepted that I don't like the spotlight, and quietly wished me happy birthday over a shared dessert. When he walked me to my truck and asked me on a second date, I couldn't help but say yes.

When I returned to my desk, Mike was waiting for me. He was a co-worker who wished mightily to be a boyfriend, and he was not subtle about it whatsoever. He had greasy brown hair and baby blue eyes, and a soft round face that made him look ten years younger than he was. He made me uncomfortable.

"Whatcha doin', Bella?" I didn't appreciate the way he eyed me as I walked up. I resisted the urge to tug on my knee length pencil skirt.

"Running some paperwork to the 3rd floor. You?" I grit my teeth in my effort to be polite.

"I came by to see you, of course." Mike reached out to touch me and I took a purposeful step back. He frowned. "I'm up for a promotion, since Alec wants to retire. They're interviewing in house today. It's a process." His smile was oily.

My stomach dropped to my toes. If he was offered the position, Mike would be my direct supervisor. I swallowed. "That's. . . great, Mike." I couldn't force myself to be any nicer. I hated conflict, or hurting people's feelings; but I couldn't genuinely tell him I wanted him to get the job.

He smiled again. "Well, I better get in there. I'll see you later, Bella." He managed to catch my sleeve with his fingers as he passed. Ugh, I should grow some nerve. I shook my head and went back to work.