Summary: When Edward begins to question where his life is going, he takes a job teaching biology at his old high school just to take the pressure off of himself. After he moves home he has a one night stand with a certain brown-eyed beauty that he can't get out of his head. I think you see where this is heading...

EPOV

It was another Friday night. 97 days since I had learned that I'd failed the third and final round of the medical licensing exam. 94 days since I'd given my resignation from the residency program at Seattle Grace in a moment of self-hatred. 93 days since Victoria had drained our joint bank account, called me a worthless piece of shit, and moved out. 92 days since I realized that I didn't care.

After that I had spent two months in self-isolation, never leaving my darkened apartment and refusing to answer or return phone calls from my friends and family. My days consisted of Ramen noodles and Netflix movies, as I wallowed in self-pity and wondered how my formerly perfect life had gone so hopelessly wrong. I had graduated at the top of my class at Dartmouth with a bachelor's in biology, before going on to Harvard Medical School and then receiving my first pick for residency placement. I chose Seattle Grace because it was close to my family, and I thought I had been excelling in my first year of residency. But then came the day 97 days ago when I had received the letter from the National Medical Licensing Board that made me re-evaluate everything. You have failed to meet the minimum score required to pass. I had failed. I had never failed at anything. Logically I knew that this was quite common and that I could always retake the exam, but it made me wonder about a lot of things. Was I really cut out to be a doctor? If not, what the hell was I supposed to do now? My entire life had been spent preparing for this career; I had always planned on following in my father's footsteps. Now I just felt lost. I wanted to hide in my dark hole and never face the world and admit my failure, not just on the exam, but in life itself.

Of course my family eventually figured things out. Victoria had been sorority sisters with my brother's wife, Rosalie, and so when they couldn't get in touch with me Rosalie eventually called Victoria. Victoria recounted my mental breakdown and the reason behind it to Rosalie, who then obviously told Emmett. Emmett of course told my parents, which caused my mother to show up at my apartment 32 days ago. Esme took one look at my unkempt appearance and the sty in which I had been living, gave my landlord notice, and dragged me home to Forks.

My father insisted he would help me study to retake the exam, and that he could pull some strings and allow me to continue my residency at his hospital. But I was too proud to accept his help, and at that point I didn't even know if I wanted to retake the exam. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life anymore.

I eventually got tired of his pushing and my mother's overbearing need to take care of me, and so 17 days ago I found a small house to rent a few miles away from them and moved out. I still didn't know what I was going to do, but at least now I was no longer under their watchful eye, and I was happy to drain my trust fund while I got past my quarter-life crisis.

And then 8 days ago I received a call from my old friend Garrett Thompson, who was now the principal at our old high school. Emmett had told him I moved back into town and was currently unemployed, and he essentially begged me to come work for him. Apparently the old science teacher Mr. Banner had unexpectedly retired over the summer, and they were in dire need of someone who could teach both biology and chemistry. I had tried to protest that I had never taught before and was therefore grossly under qualified, but he insisted that because I had a medical degree I could apply for an emergency teaching credential and bypass all the required teaching courses for now. And so, for lack of better things to do, I accepted.

I'd gone to the school to pick up the textbooks I was required to use, and had spent the past week preparing lesson plans. I had no idea what I was doing, really, but discovered that once I got into it things flowed quite easily. I found that I was able to distract myself from my usually self-hating thoughts by concentrating on how I would present my lessons, and I realized that I was actually looking forward to this challenge. Maybe this was exactly what I needed.

And so now it was Friday night, three days before my first day of teaching at Forks High. I had just settled in front of the TV with a grilled cheese sandwich and a Corona, preparing to watch the Mariners game, when I heard a loud banging on the door.

I groaned in exasperation at the interruption and slowly rose to answer the door, only to find my oaf of a brother grinning widely on the other side.

"Eddie! Get dressed, we're going out," he greeted, shoving his way past me and into my kitchen. "You got any beer?"

"Help yourself," I said dryly, following him and gesturing to the fridge. "But I'm not going out."

Emmett grabbed a Corona and I went to hand him a bottle opener from the drawer. He ignored my offer and slammed the bottle top against the counter, effectively removing it before taking a long swig from the bottle.

"Jesus Emmett, watch the granite. I'm renting," I chastised.

"I'm not taking no for an answer, Edward," he said, ignoring my outburst. "You've been cooped up for the past three months. You can't wallow anymore."

"I'm not wallowing," I protested stubbornly.

"Then come have a drink with me. Get laid. Have fun for once instead of behaving like an uptight, overachieving little bitch," he said with a smirk.

"You did not just call me a little bitch," I said incredulously.

"You will be if you don't come out with me. Come on, the Black Rose has been doing really well the past few months. Lots of cute girls to choose from," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes. The Black Rose was a popular bar in Port Angeles that Emmett had opened last year, so he would be a good judge of the clientele. "What's Rosalie up to tonight?" I asked, ignoring his comment.

"She's going to see that new vampire movie with her girlfriends. Thank god I got out of seeing that shit," he muttered, taking another swig of his beer. "But she told me to tell you that if you don't get out of the house and come with me tonight, you owe us a year of free babysitting services," he said with a grin.

I shot my head up to look at him in surprise. They'd been trying for years to get pregnant. "You're kidding," I said with a grin.

"Nope. She's due in March," he said enthusiastically.

"Congratulations, man!" I said happily, walking over so I could give him a one-armed hug. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Maybe if you'd gotten your head out of your ass and returned my phone calls I would have," he replied harshly, causing me to look down in shame. "That's right. See, it's time to join the land of the living again," he said, allowing the smile to return to his face. "So you're not perfect. Who is? And who cares if that gold-digging bitch walked out on you. I promise you you're better off without her."

"I already figured that out 92 days ago," I muttered.

"Huh?" Emmett asked, looking at me in confusion.

"Nevermind. Alright, Dad," I said, slapping him on the shoulder with a grin. "Let's go celebrate. I refuse to let Rose give me diaper duty for a year."

"Hallelujah!" Emmett exclaimed triumphantly. "Let's go then, little brother. I'll drive."

I left Emmett to watch the ballgame while I went back to my room to change. I slipped on a pair of dark-wash jeans and a black button-up, rolling the sleeves up to my elbows. I tried fruitlessly to tame my wild hair, but gave up when Emmett started to call out to me impatiently. Oh well. Who the fuck was I trying to impress, anyway?

We climbed into his big red jeep and headed for Port Angeles. We were both silent for awhile, taking in the scenery, before Emmett suddenly spoke.

"So Garrett told me you took the job at the high school," he said casually.

I snorted derisively. "Yeah, who would have thought I'd have gone from top in the class at Harvard Med School to teaching science at Forks High."

"I think it's a good thing," Emmett said with a shrug. "Nothing wrong with being a teacher. Who knows, maybe you'll like it. And if not, you still have another two years to take the board."

I rolled my eyes, not wanting to admit how much I was looking forward to doing something totally different for once.

"Rose's friend Tanya teaches history there," he commented. "She's Garrett's sister-in-law."

I nodded, only half listening to him. "She's hot," he added. "And single," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

"I'll keep that in mind," I muttered, knowing that I wouldn't. Rosalie was fine, I guess, but her friends tended to be vapid bitches. I certainly wasn't interested in Victoria2.0.

We pulled into the back of the Black Rose a short while later, and after we parked we walked in through the employee entrance. Emmett sent me out to the bar to order us shots while he talked to some of his staff. After I ordered two shots of Patron, Emmett came walking over to me with a guilty expression.

"What?" I asked.

"Alec called out and we're busy. I have to work behind the bar for awhile," he said apologetically.

"Jesus, Emmett. You think you could have figured that out before you dragged me out here?" I asked incredulously.

Emmett took his shot and downed it. "Chill out, Edward. It should only be an hour. And you and whatever lady friends you make will get free drinks all night," he said before hopping behind the bar.

I glared after him, unable to believe that I had come all this way just to be abandoned. I was still staring at his retreating form when I heard a small chuckle coming from down the bar. I looked over to see a pretty young woman with long brown hair and a heart-shaped face covering her mouth as she attempted to hide her laughter.

I frowned at her. Was she laughing at me? She caught me staring at her and she immediately quieted, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of red. "I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you," she called out. "It's just, my friends ditched me too. I feel your pain."

I moved down the bar so I could hear her better. "He's not my friend. He's my ungrateful, idiot brother," I ground out.

She cocked her eyebrow at me. "Tell me how you really feel," she said with a smirk. "At least you and your 'lady friends' get free drinks," she commented.

"Did you want something?" I asked, nodding my head in the direction of the bar.

She lifted a bottle of water and shook it. "No thanks, I'm driving," she replied. "Well, at least I am now that Alice disappeared," she said with a frown.

"That wasn't very nice of Alice," I said with a smirk.

"No, it wasn't. Just like your brother she dragged me out here, made me get all dressed up in this ridiculous outfit," she said, gesturing to her low cut blue top, jeans, and high-heeled sandals. I couldn't help but let my gaze linger for a few moments as I took in her form. 'Ridiculous' would not be the word I would use to describe her. She was actually quite stunning. "And then an hour later she ran into Jasper and took off with him. She better be getting some," she muttered, causing me to laugh.

"That's very nice of you to take one for the team," I said with a chuckle.

She shrugged. "She's liked him for as long as I can remember. They've been doing this ridiculous mating dance all summer, so it will be a relief when they finally get together."

"Did she drag you out here to be her wing woman?" I asked.

She snorted. "No, she was supposed to be mine," she said, rolling her eyes. "She said the only way to get over Mike was to go out with her tonight."

"Who's Mike?"

"The fucktard who cheated on me with Jessica Stanley last weekend," she said, laughing humorlessly.

I frowned. I wasn't sure why, but her statement made me angry. "Well then he didn't deserve you anyway," I told her sincerely.

She looked at me thoughtfully. "Thanks," she finally said. "So why did your brother drag you here?"

"He says I've been too antisocial lately. He called me a 'little bitch'," I said with a chuckle.

She smirked at me just as Eric Clapton's 'Layla' came on overhead. "Ooh, I love this song," she exclaimed.

"Do you know the story behind it?" I asked, causing her to shake her head. "Eric Clapton's best friend was George Harrison from the Beatles. He fell in love with George's wife Pattie. He wrote this song for her."

"That makes sense. The lyrics are all about wanting someone you can't have," she commented. "Did they end up together?"

"They did, and George was the best man at their wedding."

She laughed, causing her whole face to light up. I couldn't help but be entranced by the image. "Weird," she said, shaking her head, before catching me staring at her. She stared right back at me, and as I took in her expressive brown eyes I couldn't look away. "I'm Bella, by the way," she finally said, extending her hand to me.

"Edward," I replied, taking her hand in mine. It was warm and soft, and I found that I didn't want to let it go. I held it for a beat longer than was polite, and when Bella finally looked down at our joined hands I quickly dropped hers and ran my hand through my messy hair. I chuckled awkwardly. "So Bella, what is it that you do?"

She took a sip of her water and smiled at me. "I'm a student," she replied.

"Where at?" I asked curiously.

She glanced over at Emmett on the other side of the bar before responding. "I'm a senior at U Dub. I'm home for the summer."

"Really? I just moved from Seattle. I used to work at Seattle Grace."

Bella chuckled. "Wow, what a coincidence. Do you work at the hospital here in Port Angeles now?"

"Uh, no. I'm taking some time off from medicine right now," I said reluctantly.

She nodded but didn't ask more on the subject, sensing my hesitation. She took another sip of her water just as Emmett came over.

"Sorry man, it's still super busy. It might be awhile. Do you want to take my Jeep back to Forks? I can have Rose pick me up later."

I glanced at Bella, who was studying the label on her water bottle intently. I was enjoying talking to her, and didn't want to leave just yet. Emmett followed my gaze and smirked. "I'm fine. Take your time," I told him.

He nodded and then went back to the other side of the bar. I looked back at Bella to find her staring at me. "You live in Forks?" she asked.

"Um, yes. I grew up there, and I just moved back a few weeks ago," I explained. "Have you ever been there?" I asked.

She nodded. "I'm familiar with the area," she remarked casually, before turning her head to watch the people dancing on the small dance floor.

I followed her gaze. "Would you like to dance, Bella?" I asked her.

She jerked her head back to look at me and blushed. "Oh! That's very nice of you, but I'm not much of a dancer. And even if I didn't have two left feet these death traps that Alice put on me are hurting my feet," she explained, sticking her foot out so I could see her shoes. I tried my best to hide my disappointment and instead took her foot in my hands and began to massage her ankle.

"I don't know how women wear these things," I commented.

Bella looked at me in surprise as I removed her shoe and began to press my fingers into the ball of her foot. Her eyes fluttered briefly before she trained them on my face. "I don't normally wear them. I much prefer being closer to the ground."

"Right. Alice," I said with a smirk. "This Alice sounds like a character. Do you go to school with her?"

Bella hissed as I kneaded a particularly tender spot on her foot. "Yes," she finally breathed. "She's my best friend."

"It wasn't very friendly of her to leave you here alone," I commented. "Why didn't you just go home when she left? Or were you looking for man friends?" I said teasingly.

Bella scowled at me and yanked her foot out of my hand. "I had a couple of drinks earlier because I didn't know I'd be driving. I was just trying to sober up," she said defensively. "I don't hook up with random men at bars."

I chuckled at her misplaced ire and grabbed her hand. "Bella, I was kidding. Perhaps it was a bad joke."

Bella looked down at our joined hands and then up into my eyes. When she saw my sincerity she smiled sheepishly. "It was bad. You're not very funny, Edward," she teased. "Why aren't you drinking if your brother drove you here?"

"I'm not one to drink alone," I said with a shrug. "And my beautiful new lady friend isn't drinking, so neither am I," I said, causing her to blush. I realized I was beginning to adore that blush.

"Well you may not be funny, but you certainly are charming," she said, smiling shyly at me. She then yawned deeply and covered her mouth with her hand in embarrassment.

"Looks like you might be ready to head home," I commented, trying to keep the sadness out of my voice.

Bella took her phone out of her bag and looked at the time. "Oh shoot, it is late. I didn't realize how long I'd been sitting here talking to you. If I leave are you going to be stuck here waiting for your brother?" she asked with concern.

I smiled at her. "I'll survive. Please don't feel you need to stay on my account. But could I get your number before you go? I enjoyed talking to you," I said sincerely.

Bella bit her lip in thought. "Um, sure. Let me see your phone," she said, reaching her hand out.

I reached in my pocket and handed her my phone, and watched as she programmed her number in. Then she pressed send and called her own phone so that she would have my number, and then handed me back my phone. She put her shoe back on and stood up off her barstool, and then hesitated in front of me. She nibbled on her lower lip for a few moments before looking at me. "You know, if you don't want to wait for your brother I could drive you home," she offered.

"Bella, I wouldn't want to impose. Forks is pretty far," I protested.

"I'll be going down the 101 anyway. I don't mind," she reasoned.

"You don't mind being alone in a car with a strange man?" I asked skeptically.

"I trust you," she said nervously, looking down. "And I have pepper spray," she added, looking up at me seriously.

I chuckled. "Well I wouldn't want to cross you in a dark alley," I teased. "That would be very nice of you, Bella. Thank you." I signaled to Emmett then, and he walked over from the other side of the bar.

"What's up, Eddie?"

"Bella's going to take me home. Tell Rosalie this counts as going out," I told him.

Emmett grinned widely at Bella, who smiled shyly at him. "Very nice to meet you, Bella. You take care of my little brother," he said with a wink, causing Bella to blush at his implication.

I glared at Emmett and took Bella's hand, leading her toward the door. "I'm sorry about him. He has a one track mind," I told her.

"It's okay. He seems nice," she commented.

She led me outside and down the street to an ancient, rusty red Chevy truck. "Please don't tell me this is yours," I said when she stopped in front of it.

"Hey! I like my car. It has character," she defended.

I chuckled as she climbed into the driver's seat and leaned over to unlock the passenger side door, unintentionally exposing a good expanse of cleavage. I felt my arousal stir at the sight. Fuck, what is wrong with me tonight? I felt like a teenager the way I was responding to Bella. And somehow, she seemed too innocent to deserve my ogling.

I adjusted myself before climbing in beside her. "What do you want to listen to?" she asked, gesturing to the stereo. "I have some mix tapes, otherwise the only radio station that comes in on this old thing is some classical station."

"Classical is good," I said, turning on the radio and tuning the dial as she pulled out of the parking space.

Bella looked over at me with a smile. "No one ever likes classical," she commented. "Mike certainly didn't," she said with a frown.

"Well Mike sounds like a moron," I replied, causing her to giggle.

"Oh my god, you have no idea. He thinks Kid Rock is a musical genius," she said with a snort.

"I didn't just mean about music, though that certainly is blasphemy," I said, turning to look at her. "It's obvious he was a fool to let you go," I told her earnestly, causing her to blush deeply.

"What about you," she said, ignoring my comment. "When was your last relationship?"

I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning my head back against the head rest. "Victoria," I began, spitting out her name, "left me three months ago when I quit the residency program at Seattle Grace. She made it very clear that she only wanted my future paycheck once I became a surgeon," I admitted, turning to look at Bella. I couldn't believe how easy it was to tell her that.

Bella frowned. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said with a shrug. "She was a bitch."

"Why were you with her?" she asked, scrunching her face up in confusion. It was adorable.

I shrugged again. "I don't know. Because it was easy," I said vaguely. Now was not the time to get into my perfectionism and all my neuroses, and how I equated being alone at the age of 27 with failure. I didn't want to send Bella running away screaming just yet.

We drove in comfortable silence as the sounds of Chopin and Bach filled the cab, until Bella reached the Forks city limits. I directed her off the highway and through town, and then down the street to my small house. Bella seemed a bit tense as she pulled into my driveway.

I reached out and touched her shoulder, and she turned to look at me with a small, nervous smile. "When do you go back to Seattle?" I asked her.

"Um…classes start this Tuesday after Labor Day," she began, causing my throat to tighten. Was this really the last time I would get to see her? "But I still go to Port Angeles sometimes on the weekends," she added, and I immediately became hopeful.

"Well you have my number. Call me next time you do." She smiled and nodded at my words. I took a moment to look at her beautiful face before sighing and raising my hand to brush my fingers along her cheek. I didn't want this night to end, but I didn't want to seem too forward. "Goodnight, Bella. Thank you for the ride."

I went to open the door then, but stopped when I felt her grab my arm. "Edward, wait." I turned to look at her in question, and watched as she bit her lip and searched my eyes. "Oh, fuck it," she finally exclaimed as she leaned over and pressed her lips against mine. I was too shocked by her sudden movement to respond at first, and she slowly pulled her head back and looked at me nervously. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"Shhh," I quieted her as I slowly came to my senses. I grabbed the back of her head and crushed her lips against mine, and I swear I felt sparks as our lips began to move together. Her mouth was so warm and sweet, and when I traced her bottom lip with my tongue she immediately granted me access. I began to feel a warmth spread through my body that I hadn't felt in a long time. In fact, I could honestly say as Bella glided her tongue across mine that this was probably the best kiss of my entire life. The sensation was incredible, and I wanted to taste every inch of this woman.

I wrapped my arms around Bella's waist and slid her closer to me on the bench seat, and she responded by turning towards me and straddling my lap. I pulled her tightly against me as we continued to kiss, and as Bella began to grind her hips into mine I moaned into her mouth. "Fuck, Bella," I whispered against her mouth. "Do you want to come in?" I asked as I broke our kiss and placed my forehead against hers. She looked into my eyes for a few moments and then swallowed thickly before finally nodding. I smiled up at her and kissed her lips one more time before opening the door.

I led Bella by the hand into my house and turned on the lights. She seemed nervous. "Do you want a drink?" I asked her, moving into the kitchen. "I have water, Coke, beer…tequila," I said with a chuckle.

Bella looked inside my refrigerator and pulled out two Coronas. "Have you ever played Never Have I Ever?" she asked, turning to me with a playful grin.

I laughed. "Not since college. Would you like to play now?" I asked as I took out my bottle opener and opened the two beers. I handed one to Bella and she took a sip before nodding. She took my hand and led me to the couch in the living room. I sat down and she sat down next to me, snuggling into my side.

"My turn first," she announced. "Never have I ever made out with a doctor," she said, looking at me with a smirk before taking a sip from her beer. I grinned back at her and drank as well.

Bella's eyes widened in shock. "Who?" she asked.

I chuckled. "I went to medical school. I've probably made out with ten doctors."

Bella giggled. "You're a man slut!" she accused playfully.

"I only slept with a few of them," I defended, causing Bella to laugh harder. "Okay, my turn. Never have I ever given a blow job," I said with a smirk.

Bella turned bright red and took a sip from her bottle. "That's not fair," she pouted when she was finished.

"You're the one who wanted to play. I play dirty," I told her with a grin.

"Fine. Never have I ever had a foot fetish," she said as she turned her body sideways so she could put her feet in my lap.

I laughed at her expectant expression. "I don't have a foot fetish. I was just being nice," I said as I took her high heels off and began to massage her feet again. "Though you do have very nice feet," I commented.

"Oh you so have to drink. You totally have a foot fetish!"

I laughed loudly and began to tickle the bottom of her feet. She shrieked and yanked her feet away from me, and then turned around so that her head was in my lap. I couldn't help but run my fingers through her thick hair as she looked up at me. "Fine. I rephrase my statement. Never have I ever massaged someone's feet in public."

I rolled my eyes and took a sip, and then looked back down at her. "Happy?" I questioned with a grin.

"Very," Bella responded smugly. "Your turn," she said, her eyes sparkling.

I chuckled. God, she made me feel young with her enthusiasm and obvious innocence. I began to trace the soft skin of her arm with my free hand and I heard Bella's breath hitch. "Never have I ever been so attracted to someone I just met," I admitted. She watched me with wide eyes as I took a sip from my bottle, and then to my amazement, she sat up and drank from her bottle as well, continuing to watch me intently as she did so. The air was suddenly charged between us. "Your turn," I murmured.

Bella took a shaky breath and leaned in closer to me so that our noses were inches apart. "Never have I ever wanted someone to kiss me so badly," she whispered.

I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips softly against hers. I felt Bella bring her hand up and cup the side of my face as she deepened the kiss. I took her bottle out of her hand and leaned forward to put both bottles on the coffee table, never breaking the kiss. I then laid her back on the couch so that I could feel her body beneath me, and groaned into her mouth as I felt her pert breasts press against my chest. Bella snaked her hands behind my neck and buried her fingers in my hair, as I brought my hand down and rested it on her hip. I broke our kiss to move my lips along her jaw line and to her ear, and then took her soft lobe in my mouth and sucked lightly. Bella gasped at the sensation and I pulled back and looked at her delicate features. "God, you are so beautiful," I breathed, before diving back in and recapturing her lips in mine.

Bella moaned into my mouth as our kisses became more heated. She wrapped her leg around me and pulled me closer to her, and I felt my erection press into her thigh. I wanted her so badly. I ghosted my fingers over her breasts to see how she would react, and she responded by pressing her chest up into me. I felt her hardened nipples straining through the fabric of her shirt, and wanted nothing more in that moment than to be skin to skin with her. I pulled away from our kiss to look into her eyes, silently asking her where she wanted this to go. She bit her lip and smiled shyly at me, before a look of determination crossed her face and she began to undo the buttons on my shirt. I grinned like a horny teenage boy and lifted my button-up and undershirt up and over my head. Bella's eyes widened at my shirtless form, and she began to run her hands along my stomach. I leaned back over her and began to kiss her again in earnest, this time snaking my hands up and under her shirt and tracing the lines of her stomach. I slowly moved her shirt up her body and then she broke our kiss to help me take it off. She was wearing a dark blue bra that matched the color of her shirt, and the contrast against her creamy white skin was delightful. "What do you want, Bella?" I asked as I traced my fingers over the swells of her breasts.

She was quiet for a few moments before looking into my eyes. "I want you," she said meaningfully.

I couldn't help but smirk as I remembered our earlier conversation. "I thought you don't hook up with random men at bars."

Bella blushed and cast her eyes down. "You're….different," she finally said.

I smiled at her. "Are you sure?"

She bit her lip again and nodded, smiling up at me. I took her hand then and led her down the hall to my bedroom, hoping to show her tonight that I thought she was different too, in the best possible way.

I awoke early the next morning to the loud sound of an engine starting. As I blinked the haze of sleep out of my eyes I thought back to last night and smiled. I let the memories of our night together wash over me. The feeling of her warm lips upon me. Her soft legs tangled with mine. The best orgasm of my life as I came inside her. I rolled over to take Bella in my arms, only to find that I was alone in my bed. As I slowly woke up more I realized that the loud noise that had awoken me was the sound of Bella's truck leaving. I quickly got up and looked around for a note, but found that the only evidence that Bella had even been here last night was the used condom in the bathroom trash. I sat down on my bed and put my head in my hands. I'd had one night stands before, but for some reason this one hurt me deeply. Why did she just leave? Did she regret last night? Should I call her? Jesus, I was acting like a boy with a high school crush.

I decided to send her a simple text message. If she wanted to see me again, that would leave the ball in her court.

Just wanted to make sure you got home okay. I had fun last night.

There. Harmless and not too needy. Now I just had to wait.

After several hours of not hearing anything back I decided to distract myself by driving up to see Emmett and Rosalie. They lived in Maple Grove, which was closer to Port Angeles where they both worked, and about 30 minutes from Forks. I stopped off to get some flowers for Rosalie, and then quickly drove to their house.

Emmett opened the door with a grin. "Two days in a row! And you brought me flowers? You're so sweet, Eddie."

"They're not for you, asshat, they're for Rose," I said, rolling my eyes as I walked through the door.

Rosalie walked down the stairs then and gave me a hug. "That's very sweet of you Edward. Thank you."

"Congratulations. I just heard the news last night."

Rosalie pulled back with a smile and patted her barely visible bump. "Well he can't wait to meet his uncle. It's good to know you're finally up and about again," she said as we walked into the living room.

"How was your movie last night?" I asked conversationally.

"Oh it was really good! Though Tanya kept going on and on about the British actor who plays the lead. I just didn't see it. I liked the big guy who played his brother better."

I grinned at her. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'll take your word for it."

"She's saying she likes her men big, obviously," Emmett said with a smug expression. "So how's Bella?" he asked with a grin.

I couldn't help the smile that came across my face. Rosalie looked between us in confusion. "Who's Bella?"

"The hot piece of ass Eddie went home with last night," Emmett replied, waggling his eyebrows. "Did you get lucky?

Rosalie smacked the back of his head and then turned back to look at me. "What's her last name?" she asked.

I frowned and looked in my phone, realizing that Bella hadn't put her last name. "I don't know," I admitted.

"Her name sounds familiar. I wonder if I know her," Rosalie commented.

"I doubt it. She goes to U Dub," I explained.

Rosalie shrugged. "So are you excited to start teaching? Tanya said she'd be happy to help you out if you need anything."

I chuckled darkly. "I'm sure she would."

"She's nice Edward. She's not like Victoria, if that's what you're thinking," Rosalie added.

I shrugged noncommittally. "It's a job. I'm sure it will be fine," I said, changing the subject. The last thing I wanted was to be set up. I just wanted Bella.

I hung out with Emmett and Rosalie for a few more hours before making my way home. I spent the rest of my weekend finalizing my lesson plans for the coming week, and even went into the school on Monday to get my classroom set up. I still hadn't heard from Bella, and by Monday night I had given up hope that she would ever call. She was back in Seattle now, and I was likely just a fling used to help her get over her cheating ex-boyfriend.

I felt the usual self-hatred begin to creep in at yet another failure, and berated myself for thinking that my night with Bella had been anything more than what it was. I forced myself out of bed Tuesday morning, grasping desperately to the hope of a new beginning with this job. At least I would be distracted today as I tried to act like I knew what I was doing in front of a bunch of teenagers.

My schedule was fairly easy. I had a sophomore biology class first period followed by junior chemistry second. I then had a prep period followed by AP biology before lunch. One more prep period followed lunch, and another section of junior chemistry rounded out my day.

My first two periods went relatively smoothly, and as I sat in my classroom during my third period prep I realized that I was actually enjoying myself. The kids were fun, and I even heard a few of the juniors comment on how much better I was than Mr. Banner, who they had taken the year before. I couldn't help but swell with pride that they were actually enjoying the lessons I had worked so hard on. In all my years of medical school I had never felt the sense of accomplishment I experienced after only two hours of teaching high school science.

I spent the rest of my prep looking over my notes for my AP class that was coming in next. I had already decided that I wouldn't assign seats for any of my classes unless it became necessary, but I decided to look over the class roster anyway so that I could start familiarizing myself with the students' names.

Katie Allen
James Alstot
Trevor Bishop
Alice Brandon

I smirked at that name as I remembered Bella's rants from Friday night. I then became sad, so I pushed the thoughts out of my mind and continued scanning down the list.

Tyler Crowley
Sarah Dunn
Erin Fitch
Dustin Graham
Chris Kelly
Michael Newton
Lauren Mallory
Tiffany Pall
Jake Roberts
Jessica Stanley

Jessica Stanley? Why did that name sound familiar? Perhaps my parents were friends with hers.

Isabella Swan

I swallowed a lump in my throat at that name. That one was far too familiar.

Peter Vargas
Jasper Whitlock
Eric Yorkie

Jasper? Wasn't that the guy Alice left with? What the fuck was going on? It's not like those are average, everyday names. I took a few deep breaths, trying to convince myself that this was just some sick coincidence.

Isabella Swan

My eyes drifted back to that name. Jesus Christ. There was no way. This was not happening.

The bell signaling the end of third period rang then, and I tried desperately to calm my nerves. It's just a coincidence. It's just a coincidence, I kept chanting over and over in my head as students began to file into my classroom.

After a few minutes and most of the desks were slowly filled, I began to calm down when Bella hadn't walked through the door. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when the late bell rang and there was still no sign of her. Jesus, Cullen. Get a grip. Of course she wasn't in high school. She goes to U Dub. This was obviously all just a cruel joke so God could laugh at me.

I turned to the whiteboard and began to write my name when I heard loud footsteps running down the hall towards my classroom.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Mr. Banner, I was- oh crap you're not Mr. Banner."

I stopped dead at the voice. Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! I screamed inwardly. I finally took a deep breath and turned around to confirm my worst fear. There she was, standing in the doorway and breathing heavily from her run. I couldn't help but be reminded of how she had looked the last time I had seen her, breathing heavily and flushed from her orgasm. Her deep brown eyes widened in horror as she looked up and recognized me. I tried not to show my panic as I continued to curse mentally and tried desperately to figure out what to do about this situation. Finally, I did the only thing I could think of.

"No, I'm Mr. Cullen. Please take a seat."