Without Love

Alanya spotted Jessica straight away. She sat at a table in the middle of the diner with Angela and Lauren. Alanya made her way over to them, forced her hurt feelings away and put on a smile for the three girls.

Jessica greeted her first, as Alanya took a seat next to her. Angela greeted her with a little less curiously, while Lauren was a different story. Alanya grew suspicious of her.

“How did you like the party?” Jessica asked her and ordered her an Ice Tea; the three of them had already eaten and Alanya reassured her she was full.

“It was awesome; I thought this place was completely dull,” Alanya told her sincerely.

“But aren’t you used to upscale elite parties?” Lauren asked her. “Since you’re from New York.”

Alanya recognized a fake smile when she saw one. “Of course,” she lied. “But I have never been to a beach party. It was fun not having to wear my any of expensive designers’ dresses for once. It was pretty laid back.”

Alanya winked at Angela and Angela suppressed her laughter when she saw the expressions on Lauren and Jessica’s faces.

“Oh my god, are you serious?” Jessica asked her, clearly buying the lie, not hearing the heavy sarcasm behind Alanya’s words.

“No,” Alanya said. “But I liked your party.”

“You left too early, Alanya. It got crazy later at night,” Lauren said and took a sip of her coffee. “Where did you go, anyway?”

Alanya shrugged, already growing tired of Lauren’s attempts to break her.

“I saw you going with Tyler to the cliffs,” she said with narrowed eyes.

“I don’t go after boys with girlfriends, Lauren, he was the one that came to me,” Alanya suddenly understood Lauren’s hostility. “I went home with Paul Johnson, if you really have to know.”

Jessica’s eyes widened. “You already have been in bed with him? How did you manage that?”

Alanya laughed. “Again, he came to me.”

Jessica shook her head in disbelief. “You’re unbelievable.”

The words didn’t hurt her, but Alanya found it hard to know if the words were words of praise or if Jessica disliked her. That was the reason Alanya didn’t have any girl friends anymore. She wanted to get away from there, before they found out about her father; she believed Angela’s warnings to be very important.

The bell above the door ringed, making all the girls turn their head and see who had entered. The man was handsome, beautiful; Alanya would go so far and call him glorious. Jessica, Lauren and Angela seemed used to him and quickly withdrew their stares.

Alanya waited until he was by the counter before she asked. “Who is he?”

“Emmett Cullen,” Jessica said with a silent sigh.

“He is…” Alanya trailed off.

“We know,” Lauren said in the same tone as Jessica. The tone you get when you want something you can’t have.

“Is he free?” Alanya couldn’t help but ask.

“His girlfriend left him last month,” Angela said, clearly not as affected by him as the others. “I think he’s still hurting though; he and Rosalie were together in over three years.”

“You shouldn’t hit on him,” Lauren said, “He has turned down every girl in town by now.”

A smirk made its way onto Alanya lips. “He hasn’t met me yet.”

“What about Paul, Alanya?” Angela asked her.

“It was just a one-time thing,” she shrugged.

Alanya watched as Emmett bought a hot drink to go and made his way outside again after he’d paid. Alanya gathered her things and rose from her chair.

“If you’ll excuse me, girls, I have a broken heart to attend to,” she said in an excited voice. “I’ll see you another time.”

They gawked at her back as she walked after the handsome stranger, Lauren and Jessica was envious of her courage.

Alanya found Emmett sitting on a park bench a across the street from the diner. He was just holding the paper cup in his hands and staring out in space. She sat down next to him and only stared at him, waiting for him to start the conversation.

“You’ve got quite some guts,” he said without looking at her. “Following after a stranger.”

“Yeah, I know,” she told him. “But it looked like you could use a friend.”

“I have friends,” he responded.

Alanya laughed. “Yet here you sit, looking ready to feed the birds. Don’t you think you are a little young for that already?”

He turned his head and looked at her with well hidden curiosity. “You don’t know how old I am.”

“And you don’t know my name,” she said and winked. “Alanya, eighteen.”

Emmett shook his head. “You’re not eighteen. That’s just something you tell people so you can appear older, more grown up. I prefer honest girls.”

Alanya blushed. “I’m seventeen. And you?”

“Emmett Cullen, ninety-six.”

She burst out in laughter. “Now that’s just something you tell people because you want to feed birds.”

His face then broke out in a smile and he laughed. “You are something special, Alanya…?”

“Alanya Simangan.”

“With a special name as well. I turned twenty last month, so yeah, I should find another hobby than feeding birds.”

“You could always spend time with me, I’m not the worst company,” she smiled at him.

“Yeah, I could try that. Want my coffee?” he asked and handed it to her.

Alanya’s heart skipped a beat when his skin touched hers, and her back was chilled, but she quickly brushed it off and accepted the hot drink.

“Why did you buy it, if you weren’t planning on drinking it?”

Emmett shrugged. “I thought it was the proper thing to do if you were planning on sitting alone on a park bench, but then you came and joined me.”

She laughed again. “So, what are you up to?”

“Nothing. Everything. I don’t know,” his stare turned vacant again.

“You seem lost, Emmett,” she whispered, almost feeling his pain.

A sorrow filled smile made its way onto his face. “Maybe I need a friend after all.”

She smiled at him. “I don’t know if I can save you, but I think I can handle being your friend.”

“Want to go to my place?” he asked her with pleading eyes.

She raised one eyebrow. “Really, Emmett, booty call?”

He smirked at her with a secret playing in his eyes.

She held his stare, now willing to give in.

Emmett gave up and laughed. “No, I was thinking having a conversation without your friends eye ogling me.”

Alanya turned her head and spotted Jessica, Lauren and Angela on a table much closer to the windows than the one they’d sat at earlier.

She laughed. “Okay, your place it is.”