Chapter 2

Isabella had her nose in a textbook. Her first year of classes in California had been tough and they wouldn't get any easier before the semester was over. She had been afraid, at first, of being on her own in a new city, but she managed herself pretty well. She was proud of how hard she had worked. Her work ethic and common sense had even managed to impress a couple of notoriously tough professors.

She kept in regular touch with her family back home. Her father had given her everything that would ease her life in an unknown place . Shockingly, her parents never brought up her engagement or asked when she would move back home or anything. They insisted her to fly back for the summer but Bella thought she should take a job, and they agreed as it was the sensible thing to do. They asked about college, they asked if she was dating, but they gave her her freedom to grow up. She sometimes wondered why they were doing this, but she didn't dare to question it.

A knock at the door interrupted her studies. Still muttering passages from her textbook to herself, she got up and looked through the peephole.

You have got to be kidding me. She was surprised to see the person knocking the door.

She opened it. "Connor? What are you doing here?"

"Surprise!" he said, greeting her with a toothy grin. It was the same old Connor. "Look! Flowers." He took a small bouquet of yellow daisies from behind his back.

Connor had never brought flowers when they were officially dating. Bella laughed and accepted them. As she held them in her hands and inhaled their scent, she realized they really did brighten her mood.

"Thank you, Connor! "

"You are not going to welcome me in?" He asked slyly.

"Okay, since you've come all this way," she said, shaking her head, "you may as well come in."

"Thanks! Wow, what a shithole," Conner remarked, dropping his duffle bag just inside the door.

It was true. Her apartment was terrible. It badly needed paint and the carpet was stained. It was full of old furniture that she'd either picked up off the street or found in thrift stores. She Had made a genuine effort at fixing it up, but there was not any lack of professional maintenance.

"Yeah, yeah, okay. So, what are you doing here? Did my dad sent you?" She sniffed the flowers again.

"No way. I came down here because I missed you. How've you been, Bell?"

Bella faked a bright smile and said "I've been good. Making mostly A's. What have you been up to?"

"Mostly A's?" Connor lowered his voice suggestively. "Did you blow your professors? C'mon, you can tell me."

Bella pinched the bridge of her nose. He was going to drive her insane if he stuck around for more than an hour. "No, I did not blow my professors. Most of them are women this semester anyway, so—"

Connor sucked in air like he'd stumbled on just his favourite fantasy "Oooh, that's hot. I would love to visit them"

"You and your dirty fantasies ". Bella replied sternly, "I swear Connor, I don't care how long it took you to get here, I will toss that duffle bag right out the door."

Connor laughed, "No, but seriously, can I crash here for a while? I really want to see the city anyway, so..."

"No ,you can't " She interrupted him.

"Seriously? where can I go now? Please Bell..."

Bella tapped her fingers on the door frame and took a long moment before she answered. She squinted her eyes as she studied him with deep suspicion. "Okay. But ground rules first. No grabbing my ass. No fondling my boobs or snapping my bra strap. No surprising me in the shower. And if I catch you sniffing my underwear-"

"When they are on or off?" Before Bella could yell at him, Connor laughed, "Okay, okay, sorry. Rules accepted. Now, I haven't had anything to eat all day except chicken sandwich and shitty airline food, and I'm a werewolf. So... where's the nearest place that serves delicious ribs?"

"I can't afford to eat out. I have some ramen—"

"No worries. My parents gave me spending money. It'll be my treat."

"But.." Bella hesitated. Not counting cafeterias or fast food, she had not eaten out in a real restaurant in a long time. "This is not a date."

Connor put his hands up in surrender and grinned. "Not a date."

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