Seven

*Edward*

I stared at my coffee machine, flicking the switch one more time. No bright red light indicating that it was on; no gurgling. Nothing was happening.

I blinked at it, flicking the switch off and then back on, narrowing my eyes at it when it just sat there quietly. I leaned to the right, staring at the outlet behind it to see that yes, it was plugged in.

It was just broken.

"Fucking piece of shit," I grumbled, hitting it once in hopes that might make it work.

Nothing.

Fucking clearance bullshit.

Grumbling to myself, I yanked on the cord and unplugged it, glaring at it once more before I stomped into the living room and grabbed my shoes from the end of the couch.

This was not how I wanted to spend my Saturday. I'd slept in until noon, had spent another hour in bed grinning at the damn ceiling for no fucking reason other than the fact that I'd been able to sleep in and do so without waking up fifteen times during the night and then had wanted my coffee. I'd taken a long ass shower and had gotten dressed before making my way into the kitchen, humming under my breath and tapping my fingertips against my thigh while I stared happily at the little black coffee maker sitting on the granite countertop. I'd wanted my coffee and then I'd wanted to spend the rest of the damn day with my ass in front of the television before I even thought about working on the files in my briefcase.

Was that really too much to ask for?

I shoved my foot into my shoe and glared at the bottom of the entertainment center in front of me as I tied the laces, standing up and grabbing my coat from the back of the armchair.

Yes, apparently, it was. Now I had to leave my little bubble of contentment to go get some damn coffee that I desperately needed before coming back and just generally being pissed off about my plans being ruined.

I locked the door behind me as I walked out, jiggling my keys in my hand as I ran down the three flights of stairs and pushed through the heavy glass door in the small lobby. I quickly found my car, got in, still grumbling about my stupid coffee machine as I pulled out of the parking lot, and started in the direction of the little coffee shop Bella had taken us to.

I tapped my fingertips against the steering wheel and twisted my lips to the side as her name popped into my head.

We were friends. At least, I was pretty sure that we were. Or we were getting there. One way or another, we were something more than coffee buddies. She was slowly starting to open up to me, I think.

Hell, I didn't fucking know.

I sighed in frustration and gripped the steering wheel tightly as I pulled into the parking lot and jammed the car into park once I found a space.

I knew that she and Carlisle were close and I knew the reason. Part of the reason. Her almost panic attack the day she screwed things up had to have more to do with her father leaving her and it was obvious that she'd left it out.

How could you have friendship without trust?

I growled and slammed my way out of the car, stomping my way up to the door of the coffee house and pushing through it. I kept my eyes on the counter and stood impatiently in line, tapping my toes on the grey runner beneath me and ignoring everyone else around me.

I wanted my coffee and I wanted to get out. I had a whole day of doing nothing ahead of me and I wanted to get back to it as soon as possible.

I was starting to trust her, damn it. I didn't tell anyone about my parents – aside from Carlisle and that was only because it was pretty fucking unavoidable – and I'd told her. I'd told her about my parents and it wasn't just because she told me about her father. Yes, it was my way of apologizing for snapping at her, but it was because I was feeling more comfortable with her. I was learning to trust her and it had taken me fifteen minutes to convince her that we could even be friends.

Why was I even putting this much effort into her? Why was I so fucking determined to have her as my friend? She had what appeared to be a shit-ton of baggage and any normal fucking guy would turn the other way and run for the hills after the first day. Why was I the stupid fuck that wanted to know what caused all of that?

I took a step forward as the line moved up, huffing and standing up on my toes to see how much longer it would take to get a damn cup of coffee. Seriously, was someone ordering all of what was offered for coffee?

And what the hell was up with the damn shocks I felt each time I touched her bare skin? When I touched her fingertips yesterday, it was as if my arms were buzzing with electricity and as much as I'd initially wanted to, I hadn't been able to pull away from her. It wasn't wholly unpleasant and she hadn't pulled away from me as quickly as I thought she would've. I didn't know what it meant – if anything – but I was damn sure that I didn't like it. I didn't need this shit; I didn’t come here for this.

I finally made it up to the counter and ordered the largest sized coffee cup they had, ignoring the way the barista batted her eyes and tried to start conversation while she took her sweet ass time pouring.

Any other day and I might've indulged her a little; maybe even given her my number and taken her out. It had been too long since I'd felt a woman beneath me and the blonde with the glass blue eyes would've been a perfect candidate. But today, I just wanted my damn coffee. And I wanted Bella out of my head.

If I couldn't have the latter, I definitely needed the former.

I tilted my head at the barista as she slowly dumped the sugar into the cup, running my tongue along my teeth.

Maybe the way to get Bella out of my head was wrapped up in this girl. Maybe she could help and maybe I could actually remember what it felt like to be a normal twenty-six year old man who had urges and acted on them without thinking about so much shit.

The barista – Penny, her nametag proudly declared – slid the cup over to me and I reached in my back pocket for my wallet.

"So… Penny," I started, handing over my debit card.

"Yes?" she grinned, biting her bottom lip as she slid the card.

"What time do you - ?"

I heard a loud peal of extremely familiar laughter ring through the dismal crowd and turned in the right direction, my eyes immediately landing on Bella's flushed face in the corner by the door.

Fuck. Me.

"Yes, Edward?" Penny purred.

I looked back at her and shook my head, trying to clear it as I puffed out my cheeks and sighed.

"Close. What time do you close?" I finished lamely, grabbing both my card and coffee.

"Seven," she grumbled, her face falling as she sighed heavily.

"Right. Okay. Thanks."

I quickly stepped out of line and stood halfway between the counter and the door, nervously tapping my debit card against my thigh as I contemplated the chances of getting out of here without her seeing me.

She was laughing. Her entire face was lit up and her cheeks were flushed red as she threw something small at the man across from her. She was comfortable being near him in a way that she had yet to be with me and I immediately felt an irrational surge of something very fucking close to jealously shoot through my veins. My hand tightened around my coffee cup and I stopped tapping my card against my thigh in fear that I might give myself a bruise.

I wasn't sure what pissed me off more; being unjustifiably jealous of Bella being out with some other guy or the fact that she was clearly comfortable with him. From the glimpse I'd gotten of her friend Jake a few days ago, it was easy to tell that it wasn't the same guy. And she'd clearly said that she didn't have any other guy friends.

So what in the fuck was going on here? Had she lied to me? Great fucking way to start out a friendship.

Scowling at the back of the mountain sitting in front of her, I hastily shoved my debit card into my jacket pocket and reached up to run my hand through my hair.

Apparently, we weren't friends after all.

Fighting the urge to growl, I slowly started towards the door, my eyes narrowed at the stone floor and my free hand still tangled in my hair at the top of my head.

It was none of my business. Having to expend massive amounts of energy and apparently meaningless words to try being just her friend wasn't worth it.

Fuck. I wonder if there were still any openings at the hospital in New York City.

"Oh, hey Edward!"

I dropped my hand and closed my eyes tightly, immediately stopped walking and turned to face her when I heard her voice.

That's what I get for coming to a place that she introduced me to. There was a very good chance that she would've been here but in my stupid need to get caffeine through my system, I hadn't been thinking about that.

That's the last time I'll be making that mistake.

I opened my eyes and smiled tightly at her.

"Hey, Bella."

She grinned at me, easily leaning back in the seat and crossing her arms over her chest.

"How's it going?"

"Uhm… well…" I shrugged, looking over at the mountain of a man that was sitting in front of her. He didn't look all that thrilled. "It's going."

"Bad?" she asked, the grin immediately faltering as she sat up straight and dropped her hands in her lap.

Well, fuck, now she was concerned. Why couldn't I just have said everything's fine? Nope. Had to be an idiot and tell her how I actually was.

"No. My, uh… my coffee machine broke this morning," I laughed weakly, holding up the cup in my hand. "And I had a whole day planned of not leaving my apartment."

"Oh," she grinned again, placing her hands flat on her thighs. "Well, I'm sorry that it broke but glad that it got you out of the house for just a little while. Everyone needs to get out eventually."

"Yeah," I agreed slowly, nodding and shifting awkwardly as I shoved my free hand into my jacket pocket and began thumbing the edges of my debit card.

The mountain cleared his throat and I sucked in a deep breath before looking over at him. He had curly brown hair on the top of his head and everything about him was just huge – his hands, his jaw, his entire body could've crushed mine with one simple step.

"Oh!" Bella exclaimed, sitting up straight and smiling brightly as she reached out to grab her cup in her hands. "Edward, this is my brother, Emmett. Emmett, this is Edward."

Her brother, Emmett. Not whatever I thought he was. My shoulders relaxed and I took a step forward, shook my hand out of my jacket pocket and held it out almost happily to the mountain sitting with her.

Way to overreact, asshole.

"Nice to meet you," I nodded at him.

"Yeah, you too," he said slowly, grabbing my hand and squeezing as he shook it.

I grit my teeth together to hold back the wince and forced myself not to narrow my eyes at him. This man was very capable of killing me easily and I wasn't going to be the ass that provoked him. Plus, being killed in a coffeehouse is not the way I ever wanted to go.

"Do you want to join us?" Bella asked as Emmett finally released my hand. "He's trying to get me to buy a motorcycle and I need someone else to help me vote no."

I quickly shoved my hand back in my pocket, flexing my fingers and raising an eyebrow at her.

"Bella, you will be fine," Emmett stated, smirking at her. "It's easier than a car."

"Em, I can't ride a damn bike!" she laughed, shaking her head. "What makes you think I can drive a motorcycle?"

"You can't ride a bike?" I asked incredulously, chuckling at her.

She looked up at me again, shaking her head as she bit her bottom lip and her cheeks turned pink.

"Really?"

"No!" she laughed, moving over a little on the bench seat running the length of the wall by the door.

She patted the now empty spot beside her almost absently before leaning back again. I sighed inwardly and slid in next to her, face-to-face with her extremely large and obviously curious and appraising brother.

Should've kept walking, moron. You could've talked your way out of this somehow when you saw her on Monday.

"I have no balance on a bike," she explained, twisting her coffee cup around in her hands. "If you put me on a motorcycle, I will kill myself and probably three others."

"Three?" Emmett asked, raising an eyebrow at her as he lifted his cup of coffee.

"Yes, three. I don't need a motorcycle, Em."

"Where the hell did you get three from?"

She shrugged easily.

"Seems to be a good number."

"Four would just be too much? I asked, placing my coffee cup on the table in front of me and shrugging out of my jacket.

"And two wouldn't be enough?" Emmett piped in.

"Shut up!" she laughed, shaking her head. "It was the first number to come to me!"

"Random. Bella…"

"No! And that's my final answer!" she laughed, pointing at him.

"You're no fun!"

"I'm keeping the streets of Forks safe," she said innocently, lifting her own coffee and I saw the grin as she sipped from it.

"In that case, you shouldn't be driving, either!"

She snatched a yellow packet of Splenda from the black container next to her and chucked it at him. He laughed and caught it easily before throwing it back at her.

"You're gonna get us kicked out!" she exclaimed, setting her cup down on the table with a snap.

"You started it!"

"Logistics," she laughed, waving her hand at him as she plucked the packet from where it had landed in her lap and began twisting it in between her fingers.

"Why does she need a motorcycle?" I asked, looking over at Emmett.

"The shop has one too many and it's getting crowded. You want one?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Where do you work?"

"Yamaha in Port Angeles," he sighed dramatically, glaring at Bella when she snorted at him. "Why?"

"Maybe I'm interested in buying a motorcycle."

"Seriously?" Bella laughed, turning completely and looking over at me incredulously.

I shrugged, forcing myself to relax as I leaned back against the seat.

There was something about meeting Bella's brother that had me on edge. Aside from the fact that he could easily kill me with a flick of his wrist, it felt like I was under a microscope.

But she was relaxed and I liked this side of Bella. I wasn't going to chance ruining the way she grinned at me. I liked her smile; I liked it a lot.

"Why not? I can ride a bike."

Her mouth dropped open and she reached over, shoving my shoulder roughly and laughing.

"Asshole!" she exclaimed.

I laughed and reached over, gently pinching her side and watching as she squirmed away from me, glaring at me before she stood up and placed her hands on her hips.

"I hate you both," she declared before sticking her nose in the air, slamming the Splenda packet on the table by her cup and stomping her way to the bathroom.

I watched as she did so, smirking and shaking my head as I leaned my elbows on the table, twining my fingers together.

I liked her like this; seeing her so free and easy-going and completely relaxed even with me sitting next to her. Her entire face lit up and she looked like a completely different person from the one I saw every day at the office. She wasn't guarded, she wasn't scared and she was the Bella I wanted to get to know better.

"So where are you from again?"

I was brought out of my little reverie when I heard Emmett's voice, only to realize that I'd been staring at Bella's ass as she walked away. And with the way Emmett's eyebrow was raised in my direction, he plainly knew it and didn't approve.

"Chicago," I said quickly, clearing my throat.

"Why'd you come here? They've gotta have better opportunities out there."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, reaching forward and grabbing my coffee cup in between both of my hands.

"It was time for me to leave."

"Why's that?"

I stared at him, drumming my fingertips against the sides of my coffee cup as I ran my tongue along my teeth.

"Unforeseen circumstances."

"So you ran away."

"I don't think that's any of your business."

He nodded, looking out of the window behind me.

"Don't fuck with her head."

"Maybe you should tell her the same."

He nodded again, his eyes meeting mine once more.

"She's my sister," he said simply. "She comes first."

I nodded at him, watching as he glanced back out the window and fisted his hand underneath his chin.

We sat in an awkward silence, both of us avoiding the other's gaze as we waited for Bella to return. She was the only one that kept any conversation going and I feared that if I said something else, I really would die in this damn coffeehouse.

"What'd I miss?"

We both jumped a little when Bella approached the table again, clapping her hands before plopping back into her seat and leaning back.

"Not too much," Emmett stated, straightening up in his chair and grinning at her. "Are you sure about the bike, Bells?"

"I'm positive, damn it," she laughed, propping one knee up against the table and sticking her tongue out at him. "Ask him." She jerked her thumb in my direction and I smirked at her. "He seemed interested."

"If you want one, we can get that worked out," he nodded at me. "Come down to the shop when you have time."

I nodded back at him, lifting my cup to my lips again.

"Thanks."

"Sure." He looked down at his watch and sighed heavily, shaking his head and looking up at Bella. "I have to go. You know how Rose gets when I'm late…"

She nodded and forced a smile on her face, standing up as he did and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. His arms wound around her shoulders and his head dipped down by her ear.

I looked away from them, pursing my lips as I looked over at the counter and caught the eye of Penny as she made another coffee for the lanky guy standing at the counter. She was probably a very nice girl that had little to no baggage. And if she did have baggage, God knows it couldn't be any worse than what Bella's has so far appeared to be.

So why in fuck was I rooted to this seat while Bella said goodbye to her brother, waiting almost anxiously to get her alone so that I could talk to her some more? There was something insanely wrong with me; there had to be. Normal, sane people didn't try this hard at something that should just be natural to them.

Normal, sane men didn't give up a blonde that was clearly interested for a brunette that flinched away from them on a daily basis.

"It was nice to meet you, Edward."

I looked back to see that Emmett was shrugging his coat on over his shoulders and picking up what I presumed was his now empty coffee cup.

"Yeah, you too."

He nodded, waved at Bella and walked towards the door, chucking the cup in the garbage nearby before walking out.

"So you're serious about getting a motorcycle?"

I looked back at her and watched as she propped her knee back up on the table, placing her hands flat on her stomach as she leaned against the booth and looked over at me. She looked so damn relaxed and content that it was hard to remember why I'd wanted to avoid her in the first place.

"I really am," I smiled, leaning back as well and stretching my legs out in front of me.

"Any particular reason?"

I shrugged easily, reaching forward and grabbing my coffee cup.

"I'm reasoning it to be that I'm going through the rebellious phase that I never really had in my teens or in college."

"You're a little old for that, aren't you?"

I grinned when she smirked at me, threading her fingers together and tapping her thumbs on her stomach.

"Making up for lost time."

"Half-life crisis?"

"Sure, that sounds good."

She laughed and shook her head, rolling her head back and closing her eyes as she continued to tap her thumbs on her stomach. I watched her closely, idly sipping off my coffee.

It was then, sitting in the little coffee shop that started all of this, that I realized something vitally important. Bella was pretty fucking gorgeous.

Sure, her nose was a little big and her chin jutted out a little further than normal but it just made her Bella. And the Bella that was sitting next to me with her head thrown back and her eyes closed in what seemed to be complete contentment was the epitome of the glimpses I'd seen at work. This was the girl I wanted to know and be around as often as possible.

"Will you take me for a ride?"

I watched as she lolled her head to the side, her eyes slowly opening to look at me as a small smile flitted on her face.

"Of course. Maybe I'll even teach you how to drive it."

She quirked an eyebrow at me even as the small smile on her face turned into a full-fledged, if not somewhat evil grin. She sat up straight, her hands falling to her lap as she pulled her leg onto the seat between us.

"Really?"

I swallowed hard, my heart working double time in my chest for reasons unbeknownst to me as I nodded and quickly sipped from my coffee again.

"Might have to teach you to ride a bike first, though, huh?"

She pursed her lips and tilted her head, laughing a little as she bit her bottom lip.

"You might regret that whole damn proposition in that case."

"You can't be that bad."

"Edward, I almost broke Emmett's foot the last time he tried teaching me how to ride a bike. And not only," she started, holding up her pointer finger and wiggling a little in her spot, "are you offering to teach me to ride a simple bike, but also one that could cause some serious damage to the both of us?"

"Well, we could tackle the regular bike first and work up to the motorcycle." I shrugged easily, watching as she began chewing on her bottom lip again. "If you want."

She looked up at me through her lashes and my mouth went dry.

"It's your funeral."

"I think I'll be able to handle it," I managed, clearing my throat.

"Whatever you say," she sang, shrugging easily.

"You don't give me nearly enough credit."

"When I break something very important on your body, you will no doubt finally believe me."

"How can you be that dangerous on a bike?" I laughed.

"I don't know!" she laughed, throwing her hands in the air. "I just am. I've never been able to get the hang of it."

"We'll get you riding like a pro in no time." I sat up straight and puffed out my chest a little. "I'm a good teacher."

"Uh huh, sure."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, reaching over and smacking her knee gently. "You just wait!"

"Bring it, bub."

"Bub?" I asked, shaking my head and laughing.

"Yes, bub."

"Where did that come from?"

"I could've called you Bubba. Would you have preferred that?" she asked innocently, batting her eyes at me.

I swallowed hard and laughed nervously, shaking my head before clearing my throat again.

"So that you can make me sound like I should be a guy in prison? No, thanks."

"Then Bub it is."

I laughed and shook my head, sipping from my coffee again.

"Did you have any other plans today?"

She shook her head, playing with the hem of her jeans.

"I'm avoiding my apartment," she said quietly.

"Why?" I asked slowly, eyeing her warily.

"Jake's been trying to get a hold of me and I just…" She sighed heavily, shaking her head and looking down at her lap. "I don't want to deal with him right now."

"I thought you forgave him and that the two of you were all fine and dandy?"

"I did. And then I called him the other day. His girlfriend basically told me that all I do is piss him off."

My face fell as I stared at the top of her head, my coffee cup half lifted to my mouth.

"What?"

She looked up, avoiding my eyes as she looked over my shoulder and pursed her lips slightly.

"Yeah," she finally said slowly, nodding.

"You need better friends."

"Well… that's what I have you for, right?"

"Right," I nodded, licking my lips and smiling at her when she finally glanced at me.

Friends. Yes. That's all I wanted. I just wanted a friend out of all of this. I didn't come here for anything more. Bella and I were just going to be very good friends. I could get used to that.

I didn't want anything more than that. Not after all that I'd been through in Chicago; no. I was strictly looking for friendship with Bella and that was all. My heart wouldn't be able to take anything else.

"Were you sold on getting back to your place any time soon?" she asked suddenly.

"Uhm… no. Why?"

"Do you want to go see a movie with me or something? Hang out for a while?"

I watched her fidget nervously with the hem of her jeans, her bottom lip already caught in between her teeth as she looked over my shoulder again.

Huh. Must be some kind of genetic thing.

"I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I just figured…"

"What did you wanna see?"

Her eyes briefly met mine and the way her entire face lit up as she smiled only confirmed what I'd realized before.

Bella Swan was pretty fucking gorgeous when she was like this. And I wanted to see more of it.

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