Hey everyone! This story is written for .Cucumber's challenge. So Rosalie is scarred by her past and shies away from men. One day she meets Emmett in a coffeehouse. Can Emmett show Rosalie that he's not like other men, and gain her trust?

I hope you all like it !!

Chapter 1

"Another coffee for me, Brenda!" I called across the coffeehouse. It was my favorite place to be. Whether I was studying, reading a book or just wanted some time off, it was the most peaceful and relaxing. Most of the waiters and people who worked here knew me by now; I came here at least twice a day. Today I was comfortable settled in one of those squishy single sofas, and focused on my Physics textbook.

I lived in Los Angeles, and went to UCLA. My passion was cars and it was my dream to one day be on a prestigious team of mechanics. As far as I knew, the most well known association by far was the NASCAR team.

"Is this seat taken?" A deep voice asked me. I looked up from my book and saw a tall, muscular man smiling at me, and gesturing to the vacant sofa opposite to me. I looked away uncomfortably.

"Sure," I finally responded. I started to read again. He cleared his throat. I looked up again, irritated. Why couldn't he just leave me alone? "What?"

"Well," he began, "I think it's rude to have your nose in a book when someone as pleasant and interesting as me is sitting right across from you." I stared at him in disbelief.

"Excuse me?" I asked incredulously. His eyes twinkled. "You know what? My coffee's done! I think I should go." I stuffed my book into my backpack. I stood up.

"No, no, I'm sorry." He apologized.

"Well, it's ok. But I really should be going. Goodbye," I turned around and left the coffeehouse. I drove home in my red BMW. My best friends, Alice and Bella had gifted it to me on my 20th birthday. In a way, you could say that they were like the family I never had. They meant everything to me.

"Good evening, ladies," I sang, as I skipped into the living room of our rented apartment. Alice was curled up on the sofa, reading a fashion magazine.

"Hey there, Rose. What's up?" She looked up from her magazine.

"Nothing much." I replied. "The same old thing: Some guy at the coffeehouse tried to hit on me. But I told him off. He seemed like he was joking. But I can't be sure. You never know with men." I shuddered at the thought. Disturbing memories flashed in front of my eyes. I trembled. Steadying myself, I sat on the couch next to Alice and turned on the TV.

"So where's Bella?" I asked, while flipping through the channels. There was nothing interesting on, right now. I switched it off.

"The usual," she replied. "In the kitchen, trying out a new recipe." I smiled, slightly. Cooking had been Bella's hobby. She told me that she had loved it ever since high school. She was always experimenting with new ingredients, most of which the dishes turned out to be amazingly delicious. She had a certain knack for cooking. Bella's cell phone rang. I picked it up.

"Hello?" I asked.

"This isn't Bella," an amused velvety voice said.

"Hi, Edward. What's new?" I stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

"Nothing much. How about with you? How are your classes coming along?" he asked.

"Fine, fine." I said absentmindedly. "Anyway, here's Bella. Bye, Edward." I handed the phone to her and went back to the living room. I sat down next to Alice again and sighed.

"What's on your mind, Rose?" Alice asked, closing her magazine.

"Well," I hesitated. Alice smiled encouragingly. "It's just that I feel like a fifth wheel." I said in a rush.

"Is that it?" Alice's forehead creased in confusion. "I didn't know you wanted to meet new people. I've offered a fair few times to set you up with some of my friends, but you-" I shook my head.

"No, Alice, you don't understand. I don't want to meet new guys. I just feel like… like I'm losing you and Bella." I confessed. I buried my head in my hands. Alice laughed.

"Are you serious? You'll never lose me and Bella! How can you even think something like that?" She hugged me. I hugged her back and wiped away a tear that rolled down my cheek. She didn't need to see that. She pulled away and looked at me. "But now I want to tell you something serious. You will need to find someone who you can be with forever. Someone who can love you for who you are." I looked away.

"I'm not ready for that, Alice."

"But still, consider-" She tried.

"Why don't you understand?" I said, my voice rising. "I can't… I won't…" I stormed to my room and closed the door and locked it. I collapsed on my bed and started crying. Why did I keep doing this? I was completely messed up. Alice was only trying to help. I closed my eyes, not realizing how exhausted I was. I fell asleep within minutes.

**

The next morning, I woke up with a start. I let out a deep breath of relief. It was just a nightmare, I told myself. I quickly got ready because I was getting late for college. I took a quick shower and got dressed. Alice and Bella must have already left. They always left earlier than me. I unlocked my door and stepped out into the passage. I walked slowly towards the kitchen. On the counter, I saw a basket with a yellow ribbon and a small note attached to the handle. I took it off, and opened it.

Sorry.

See you tonight.

Love,

Alice

I smiled. Alice always had the sweetest ways of apologizing. I ate the breakfast which undoubtedly had been made by Bella. Pulling on my jacket, I hurried out the door and into my car. Within minutes, I reached the college campus. It was beautiful, large and green. I found a place to park my car. Everyone envied my car. As I stepped out, I could feel the dozens of pairs of eyes on me. I wasn't vain, but I knew that I was beautiful. Men all around me were captivated by my beauty. I found it slightly strange, since I felt uncomfortable around men. It was something I didn't like to think about, but the way they kept looking at me, kept it fresh in my mind. I sighed and cleared my head of all those thoughts. I walked quickly towards my first class.

"Ow," I gasped as a tall man collided with me. My folder dropped out of my hand and all my papers flew in every direction.

"I'm so sorry." The man apologized. My head jerked up at the sound of his voice. It was familiar. It was the man from the coffeehouse yesterday. I knew he could see the recognition flash across my face.

"It's ok," I mumbled and bent down to pick the papers up. He bent down, too and picked up the papers, one by one. I reached down to pick up one of the pink ones. His hand touched mine, and I pulled it back with a jerk. I stared at him in surprise. It was not because he touched me. That was something I avoided; contact with men. It was as if something in my heart had stirred when he touched me.

"I'm so sorry," He repeated. I looked around, anywhere but at him. I got all of them, and not bothering to organize them, I gave him one last look and walked away.

I knew that he was probably confused as to why I left so abruptly. I had reasoned with my heart a long time ago, and knew that I could never let down my walls. Never.

That was just the first chapter. Since the minimum word limit is 10,000 words, I'll obviously be writing more. So keep an eye out for my updated chapters !! 'Kay, reviews please?? Just press the little button and leave a short message telling me whether you liked it or not !!