17I rated this story M for language
I currently do not have lemons planned, but it's not something that I'm against, so it might be something in the future if that's where the story goes
If there are lemons, I'll put a warning before the chapter
A loud banging on my door wakes me up and I groan. I glance at my bedside clock to see it's 6:37 in the morning.
"What?" I moan, ready to kill whoever is at the door.
"Uhh, Bella," Alice opens my door. "There's someone on the phone for you." She says tentatively.
"What?" I sit up and rub my eyes. My head is pounding and my stomach cramps.
"My phone's been going off since six and when finally checked, it said you were calling. I finally answered and some guy wants to talk to you."
I put my hand out for the phone, not feeling well enough to get up.
"Who is it?" I demand groggily, too tired and pissed to care about being polite.
"Bella Boo. Nice name." The voice says.
Pissed off and fed up, I snap.
"Who the fuck is this?"
The voice chuckles and instantly I know who has my phone.
"You're the asshole from the party last night!" I shout into the receiver. Alice, who is now laying on my bed, looks up at me curiously. "You stole my phone?"
"I didn't steal it. I found it." He corrects me in a tone that makes me want to throttle him.
"Well come find it back to me." I close my eyes and rest my head against my pillow. My shouting has made my headache even worse.
"Wow. You are not a morning person, are you?" I bite my lip to keep in the snide remark.
"Can I please just get my phone back?" I plead, hoping if I say it kindly enough, he'll make this easy.
"I'll make you a deal, Ms. Swan."
"How do you know my name?" My heart starts to race and I get very nervous.
"You really should put a passcode on your phone." I smack my hand against my forehead.
"I'll be sure to remember that." I mumble. "Can we just get this over with?" I sigh. I'm done with this conversation and I'm certainly done talking to him.
"Meet me at Lucy's Cafe in one hour." Lucy's Cafe. That sounds familiar.
"Deal."
"See you then, Bella." As he's about to hang up, I stop him.
"Wait! Who is this?"
"Edward Cullen." And then the line goes dead.
"What the hell is going on?" Alice mumbles from my pillow.
"Do you know an Edward Cullen?" I ask her.
"Should I?" I wish. It would make things a hell of a lot smoother.
I hand Alice her phone back and she gets up to leave.
"Wait. Do you know Lucy's Cafe?"
She rubs her eyes. "Yeah. It's the dinner about three blocks down. It's across from that bookstore you like." That's why it sounded familiar. I pass it all the time when I visit Bookman.
"Thanks."
After Alice shuts my door, I bury my face in my pillow and scream.
Fucking Edward Cullen.
~S~
An hour later, I'm walking to Lucy's. I'm late, but I don't really give a shit.
As the wind blows, I pull my hoodie up in hopes of keeping me warm.
I look like total shit right now, in sweats and a hoodie, with my greasy hair in a messy bun, and not the cute type of messy bun either. It's just a mess. At least I put some concealer on.
At 7:49, I walk into the diner. It's a new diner, with an old school look with the black and white tiles, round barstools that swivel, and a shiny dining bar. All the booths are covered in a turquoise, rubbery fabric and the tabletops are painted red. The waitresses are in yellow, 50's diner uniforms with squeaky tennis shoes. It's cheesy and I can't imagine why Edward would pick this place.
"Just pick a table, miss." A waitress calls out to me from behind the bar. I nod at her and scan the small restaurant.
Towards the back window, I see a head of brownish/reddish hair facing away from me. Compared to the early bird risers that have been retired for the last ten years, he's the youngest one here.
I rub a hand down my face before straightening my back and walking towards him.
"Was it really necessary to meet this early?" I ask him in a sharp tone as I take a seat across from him.
"Good morning to you too, sunshine." He smiles brightly at me. I want to smack him.
I put my hand out.
"Yes?" He asks at my open palm.
"Phone. Please." I say as sweetly as I can possibly muster. He laughs.
"How about some breakfast first. My treat." I sit back, confused by his actions. Where was the asshole from last night?
"You want to buy me breakfast?" I ask skeptically.
"I do." I stare at him, trying to figure him out.
The waitress from behind the bar approaches our table and places down two menus.
"Morning, Edward. The usual?" She smiles at him while she pours him a coffee.
"Of course." He smiles back at her. The waitress, Clara, her name tag reads, is an older woman, probably in her mid-fifties, is attractive with hair that's still blonde and wrinkles that aren't overwhelming. "But I'll wait until my friend here figures out what she wants."
"Uh, just a tea please." I feel uncomfortable with their familiarity. I almost feel like I'm intruding.
"Really? Just a tea. Are you sure you don't want a nice and greasy egg sandwich?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.
His words make my mouth water. A greasy egg sandwich is exactly what I need after last night.
"I'll get that, too." I hand Clara my menu.
"Hash browns or fruit?"
"Hash browns, please. Thanks." Clara nods with a smile before putting in my order.
I look at Edward and he has a complacent grin on his face.
"Oh, please. It's a sandwich. I'm hungover. Don't look so happy with yourself." This makes him laugh again. I'm really starting to get tired of him laughing at me.
"I'm not sure which one of you is worse: Drunk Bella, or early morning Bella."
"Actually, my bitchiness depends on who I'm dealing with." I shoot back.
"Touché." He takes a sip of his coffee. I grimace.
"What?" He asks, looking self conscious. It's kinda cute actually.
Now that I look at him, he's actually quiet attractive. A strong jawline sprinkled with scruff, messy hair that brushes along his forehead, and big, bright green eyes. I don't think I've ever seen eyes like that on a man before.
I suddenly realize I'm staring and have yet to answer his question.
"I just don't understand how you could possibly drink coffee black. It's disgusting and just," I shiver at the thought when Alice gave me a sip of her black coffee once. "It's so bitter."
"Not everything can be sugar and spice, sweetheart." He winks at me.
"Please don't call me 'sweetheart.' That just sounds so...sleazy."
"Fair enough, sunshine." He smiles wide.
"Are nicknames really necessary?" I cross my arms as Clara returns with my tea and egg sandwich. She puts down a plate of blueberry pancakes with powdered sugar down in front of Edward.
"Thanks, Clara." Edward smiles up at her. He actually looks like a decent person, smiling at her like that.
"Anytime, sweetheart." She pats his arm. I laugh at the nickname and Edward glances at me.
"Eat up." He points to the sandwich with his fork.
I dig in, forgoing my fork and knife. The last time I ate was dinner last night, and that was a few hours before the party. Between the alcohol and just good, old plain hunger, I'm starving.
As I'm halfway through my sandwich, I look up to see Edward watching me.
"What?" I mumble very unladylike through my sandwich. Edward laughs and ducks his head to take a bite of his pancakes.
"Seriously, I don't like when people stare at me." I put my sandwich down and take a sip of tea to wash it all down.
"And why's that?" He challenges through an equally full mouth.
"I don't know," I shrug. "It's just that you can literally be thinking about anything about me. It's just kinda nerve-racking, ya know?" I take another bite of my sandwich.
"Self-concious are we? Didn't really peg you for the type."
"I'm not self-conscious, I just prefer to not be in the spotlight is all."
"You don't like being noticed?" He barks out a disbelieving laugh.
I drop my sandwich.
"You say that like you know me." I'm pissed again as we fall into the same conversation from last night.
"You just don't seem like a sideline type of girl is all." He attempts to backtrack.
"Whatever. Can I just get my phone back so I can leave? I've had enough of your judge-iness-"
"Judge-iness. Is that even a word?"
"Can you just shut-up for two minutes?" I snap. "I'm trying to be civil and all you do is knock me down at each turn. I've tried to be nice, I really have. But now I'm over it." I take out my wallet and throw a ten onto the table.
"That should cover breakfast. I want my phone or so help me I will make a scene." I hiss.
Dejected, Edward reaches into his pocket and pulls out my phone. He slides in across the table and I immediately put it in my purse.
"For the record, I wasn't-" He starts but I cut him off.
"Honestly, I don't care." I stand up and walk out of the diner.
I pull my coat up tightly around me as the wind picks up on the streets and put my head down. I walk fast, anger and hurt fueling me on.
How dare he. He doesn't even know me. He doesn't know how hard I work.
"Bella!" I hear my name being called and I turn around. Edward is running out of the diner door and coming my way.
"God damn it." I mutter and pick up the pace.
"Bella, come on."
Suddenly he's in front of me, blocking my path.
"Move." I hiss.
"Look, I didn't mean to be a dick."
I roll my eyes. "Well job failed." I attempt to move around him but he blocks me again.
"I wanted to apologize for last night. I was in a shitty mood and I took it out on you. I was a complete asshole and you didn't deserve it."
"You're right. I didn't." I cross my arms and stare up at him.
"You didn't let me pay for breakfast."
"That's because I don't want anything from you."
"Oh come on, sunshine. You're really not going to give me another chance?" He pleads.
"Why on earth would I give you another chance? Why should I even want to give you a chance?"
"Because of my dashing looks and charming personality?" He jokes. This just pisses me off even more.
Cocky asshole. Like I need more of those in my life.
"I was kidding." He attempts to justify.
"I'm aware. You've already had your second chance, Edward. I've had more than enough of you. And I'm done." This time, I push myself by him and continue home.
~S~
It's almost nine by the time I get back to our place, but I climb into bed anyways, feeling totally and utterly exhausted.
"Did you get your phone back?" Alice's head pokes through the door.
"Yep." I groan. Sensing my attitude, Alice climbs in bed with me.
"How'd it go?" She snuggles under my covers.
"He's just such a dick." I yell, my anger boiling over again as I replay his words.
"What did he do?"
"He just keeps making all these rude assumptions about me like he thinks he knows me."
All my life I've had people make assumptions about me just because I come from a well-to-do family. The minute people find out your family has money, they automatically assume that you've had to work for nothing in your life. All my life I've been trying to fight that stigma. I starting babysitting when I was twelve and got an after-school job the week after I turned sixteen. As a second semester junior, I now have three internships under my belt on top of now being the Panhellenic President. I've always earned my own money, but my parents do help out when I start to fall short. I buy my own clothes and food, and they help out with rent and tuition because they can and I don't have time to add a paying job into my schedule. I work my ass to the bone just to try to prove to everyone that what I earn, I earn through my hard work. But sometimes it just isn't enough.
"Well at least you got your phone back, so you'll never have to see him again." Alice reassures me. This is why I love her. She always points out the positive when I'm too pissed or upset to notice it myself.
"Very true." I pick up my phone and look at it.
"Do you think he put his number in there?" Alice asks.
I shake my head at her. "Why would he ever do that?"
Alice shrugs. "Just a thought."
Alice stands up and practically dances to my door.
"Jasper and I are going to get breakfast. Want anything?" She offers.
"No, I ate already."
"Kay, kay!" She leaves with a small bounce.
I grab my extra pillow and throw it over my head and close my eyes.
What a fucking morning this turned out to be.