Ficawesome Gift Exchange- 3some

Title: Second Chances

Written for: Fanfic Reader / Reader_Giggles

Written By: MzBionic

Rating: T

Summary/Prompt used: A first date that goes horribly wrong

BPOV

At first glance most guys would probably not notice my best friend. She usually has her hair pulled back, wearing no make up, and has on clothing that hides her body, coming off as one of the guys. If you knew her better, you'd know that her honey blonde hair frames a face that houses beautiful brown eyes, high cheekbones and full lips. When she wears clothing that doesn't make her look like a shapeless blob, she has graceful curves. But since she owns and works at a garage, and not just any garage but one of the most widely known full service mechanic shops in all of Indianapolis, people see her as asexual (her co-workers), or as a friend and nothing more (the guys I've attempted to introduce her to).

So a few months ago when she complained about being lonely, we came up with a plan. She'd go out on a few blind dates and try to meet potential men at our friend's parties and at my work functions. The only thing I made her promise is that she'd let me have the final say on her outfits. Everything had been going fine to my knowledge. Although she hadn't met anyone that fit her criteria, she had been having fun going on dates and was even getting more comfortable wearing clothing that accentuated her beauty. So you can understand how upsetting it was to see her sitting on our couch with a pint of Ben & Jerry's sulking while watching 'The Notebook'.

First of all, Rosalie never watched romance movies. I still don't know if it is because she was raised with 4 brothers or because of the guys at the shop, but she says that she 'hates chick flicks'. She's always said how they're unrealistic and give girls high hopes to find a man who doesn't exist outside of movies. It was one of the first discussions we ever had as college dorm mates. During one of these discussions, she created her criteria for a potential boyfriend/husband. Of course being the realist that she is, a man only has to possess five out of the twelve characteristics on the list to be granted a second date. When I first read her list, I have to admit that I laughed a bit. It was a cute gesture on her part, but having never had a boyfriend or any type of male romantic interest, she based it all off of watching her parents and older brother's interactions. I can't say that it was a bad thing, but having no experience she didn't know that it takes time to break through the tough outer shell of most men.

Everything could be solved by a list in Rose's eyes. It was how she got through high school with a 4.0 GPA, graduated from Harvard School of Business at age 22 went on to get her Masters by 24 and managed to open Auto Be Good with no money to her name. But it's the drive she has to succeed that has hindered her love life. She never worried about being social, just getting her work done. She never worried about how she looked, just how well she did; hence making her promise to let me at least help dress her.

At this point I was staring at her with my eyebrow raised, waiting for her to give up the ice cream. "Rosie, you know you don't want to eat that entire pint. Now hand it over. Ice cream won't help you, talking it out will." She reluctantly handed it over but kept the spoon probably thinking that I'd let her have the pint back once I heard what was wrong. With a glum expression she began, "Remember that blind date I had a month or so ago? The guy seemed like a complete ass but towards the end of the night it was like he was another person entirely?" Her demeanor changed drastically it was as if she was attempting to solve all of life's problems.

"Yes, Rose I remember that guy. I believe you dubbed him 'The Incredible Jerk'. Yet you were gushing on and on about his passion for cars and that he seemed intelligent enough. You even said that if he hadn't of given you such a bad taste upon first meeting him that he would have definitely gotten a second date."

She began to toe the rug, and then tucked her feet up under her on the couch while fidgeting with her necklace. "Well, Bells, I never thought about it before… but what if my first impression was wrong?"

Rose looks dazed for a moment. Maybe she's just been replaying the date over in her head all night, analyzing every detail. It's definitely something she's prone to do.

RPOV

I couldn't believe that I had allowed Bella to buy this shirt and make me wear it tonight on top of letting her put all of that goop on my face. I knew I had to leave early because of the construction so I had shooed her out of my room at seven even though the reservation wasn't until eight. My planning had worked out because I arrived at the restaurant fifteen minutes early. Early enough to scope the place out but not seem over eager. I quickly scanned the room then stepped up to the maître d', "I'm here for McCarty." He looked through his list then smiled, obviously finding the reservation. He told me that I was the first to arrive and turned to lead me to the table. I wondered as we were walking if I should have waited at the bar so that we could be seated together, but it was too late to turn back now, the maître d' was pulling my chair out for me. I was more nervous about this date than any of the other blind dates I'd been on recently because of how it came to be. One of my customers came to me saying she had the perfect man; that a polite, young man had just moved in upstairs from her. Normally I wouldn't accept a date from a customer, just on principle, but I was sick of the guys that were being pushed on me by my tight knit group of friends. She described him as a handsome, burly man with one adorable dimple and cornflower blue eyes. A complete opposite of all the other men I'd been out with, I hastily accepted; Which led me to sitting at this table by myself for twenty-five minutes. How could he be late? Mrs. Gibson had told me she'd shown him the photo of us from the annual fundraiser at the garage last year and that he seemed very interested. So why wasn't he here?

Just then I heard a throat being cleared not three feet away from me. I looked up and saw who I assumed was the handsome man Mrs. Gibson had described. I had to give it to the old lady; he was definitely worth having to wear the skirt and heels for. My eyes had yet to leave his. So of course I notice when his suddenly made a circuit, top to bottom and back. Strike one. I hate men like him. Why can't you look into my eyes, introduce yourself and then hold a conversation without checking out my body? He offers his hand to introduce himself then starts babbling about traffic and construction on I-465; all the while alternating between staring below my face and winking at me. I honestly don't know if I can sit here through dinner and dessert with him mentally undressing me. He orders a bottle of wine without asking if I even want to drink then orders the bruschetta and house salad before looking back at me. I was on the verge on telling him that I needed to use the restroom just to get out of his sight when he looked up with an adorable grin and asked me, "So Mrs. Gibson says you help her out with transportation, I've never seen you around the building. Have you been hiding from me? I mean, not been around lately?"

This guy must be so full of himself. Or full of something less appealing. Before I could reply the server came back with the wine and appetizer. I smiled brightly at the waiter silently conveying thanks to him for coming back at such an awkward moment. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that my date did not appreciate that smile very much. So I toned it down a bit and aimed it his way which gained me another peek at the dimple. Damn, my thoughts towards this man are all over the place and I need to say something soon or he's going to think I'm mute. As I start cutting into a huge piece of bruschetta, in an attempt to not get a stain on the beautiful, pale lavender shrug top that Bella insisted I wear, I quietly inferred, "Mrs. Gibson said that you recently moved in, what brought you to Indianapolis? Where are you originally from?"

His answer was mumbled through a mouth full of tomato, onion and bread. "I'm from Arizona originally but I moved around quite a lot due to my father being in the military, Army to be precise. I was most recently in Louisville for three years helping to solidify my firm's base there. Once my work was done my company sent me over here. I'm what you may call the first wave. I am responsible for opening new offices for my firm." After he had swallowed down what I had had the pleasure of seeing during his entire answer, he winked again and went back to eating. As if he had nothing more to say to me.

Until after the main courses were cleared from the table, both of us sat silently enjoying our food and wine without so much as an appreciative moan. As the waiter was leaving from our table with our dessert orders, I decided to find out a bit more about the man sitting across from me. I had to really think about what to say. Bella had told me not to bring up sports because that normally led me into the friend zone. Also I wasn't supposed to bring up my exact job title. Safe topics were education and travel, but of course I was not supposed to lie to my date. Just omit some of the truth in an attempt to keep his mind on track. "So as an Army child-"

"Army brat is normally what we're called."

"As an Army brat, I bet it was hard to establish residency for college, assuming you went to college." I quickly covered my mouth and tried to gauge his reaction without staring directly at him. I am such a fool. I really need to work on my brain to mouth filter. Maybe I should have spent a bit more time socializing with Bella during college. I lowered my hand to my lap and slowly raised my head. The first thing I saw was his charming dimple then I noticed he was slightly shaking. He was laughing at me! Did I have something on my face? Did I have a stain on my shirt? Why was his laughter making me second guess myself?

My inner ramblings were cut short. Between guffaws he managed to get out, "Thank you for being concerned about the hardship of establishing residency for us army brats. But we're just the same as any one else. If the base we live on is in the state of the university we want to go to, we get the discounted rate and so on. I actually got lucky and received a full ride to Duke for football. How about you? Should I assume you also went to college?"

He was poking fun at me. Well two could play this game; I was well versed in sarcasm, the result of having 4 older brothers. "Well while you were busy cleaning your jock strap, I was busy attending every one of my classes at Harvard." The smug expression on my face was alien to me. I had never rubbed my education in someone's face before. But for some reason this man made me feel the need to one up him. What was it about him that made me act just as horrible as his actions had been at the beginning of the night?

My thoughts were interrupted by a clinking sound followed by a wet sensation all over my shirt. My head automatically popped up in shock before looking at the mess that was now my shirt. In that split second I saw his hands rubbing together as his bottom lip disappeared into his mouth. Did he do that on purpose? Can he not handle losing? OH MY LORD! My shirt is now see through. As I'm wondering how to place my hands to cover the indecent areas that could get me sent to jail, I see a napkin being thrust into the top of my shirt. I feel warm, slightly rough skin brush my collar bone before I realize that my blind date has just shoved a napkin, grandma style, into my shirt in order to keep the front of my body shielded from the other patrons in the restaurant. All I can think of are his wandering eyes, continuous winking, pretentious demeanor and now his purposeful wetting of my shirt; which somehow granted him permission to invade my bubble.

Leaving twenty dollars, the only cash I had, on the table I stood up while looking straight into his eyes. "I can't say it was nice meeting you. I can't say I enjoyed our dinner. And I definitely can not say I'd like to see you again. Have a nice night." With that I turned towards the door with a purpose to my stride. Why had I wished him a nice night? Why couldn't I just be an ice queen to his ostentatious jerk?

I had gotten home, after rushing to the 24 hour drug store where I bought something to hopefully get the stain out of the shirt Bella had bought for me, to an empty house and note telling me I was alone for the remainder of the night since she was staying at her boyfriend Edward's house. I quickly pulled the napkin off me and threw it right into the trash before carefully taking the still damp shirt off and setting it into the sink. I quickly washed it before then jumping into the shower to wash the wine that had seeped through, off of me. As I was checking the lock on the front door before bed, like I always did, I noticed an address scribbled on a napkin pinned to the corkboard at the front door with the name Alice written above it. Must be a new friend of Bella's. The address seemed familiar but it wasn't Bella or her boyfriend's handwriting. After turning down all of the lights except for the stove light, I quickly penned a note to Bella telling her we definitely needed to discuss the night I just had and that I'd see her after work tomorrow.

BPOV

I allowed Rose a few minutes to come back from whatever memory she had just disappeared to, "What do you mean your first impression of him might have been wrong, Rosie?" She had moved enough that I could sit comfortably while facing her on the couch. I watched as she went from sulking to biting her lip to looking determined to downright angry. Whether she was angry at me, herself or this blind date guy from all those weeks ago is beyond me. She started fidgeting with her fingers, interlocking them then straightening them out, bending them backwards and then starting all over. Her need to move was worrying me. Rose rarely second guessed herself. She was a Harvard graduate who knew what she wanted and knew how to read people so that she didn't get dragged down by associating with the wrong ones. Her 'gut feelings' of people upon first meeting were normally correct. Heck, even her judgments after spending the least amount of time with a person were generally accurate. Had this guy broken the great Rosalie's clean streak? "You're not honestly thinking that a date having gone that wrong was coincidence? That it wasn't meant to end the way it did, so you could get out without the embarrassment of having to decline giving him your number?"

She was simply shaking her head back and forth and mumbling about perfection. There is no such thing as perfection; Rose had told me this a million times. She looked so perturbed yet determined to figure this all out. "Well there could be a perfectly good explanation as to why everything happened the way it was. Maybe he was just extremely nervous and couldn't control himself. Maybe he ordered the wine to relax but got drunk off of his one glass? Maybe someone slipped him something? Maybe he was experiencing a bout of Intermittent Explosive Disorder and in an uncontrollable fit of rage he threw his wine glass down." She was rambling, never a good sign. Looking up at me with sadness in her eyes that I couldn't explain she whispered, "What if he was the one? You know I saw him today. He was everything I could ever want in a man and that was only after a few minutes of talking at the grocery store. What hurts the most is I might have blown my one and only chance. Just imagine what he must think of me, for the way I acted that night, if it was all just a big misunderstanding!"

Wrapping her in my arms I let her softly sob into my shoulder. I really wondered how great this man must be to have her so riled up after one horrendous date and one unexpected meeting weeks later. I couldn't be sure but I believe she said 'Duke' under her breath. Maybe that was his name? "Rose, what happened? Did he sweep you off of your feet and ravage you in the ice cream isle?" She just blinked at me, so much for making her laugh. This must have been some pretty heavy stuff for Rose to be so stoic. "Tell me what happened at the grocery store that has you analyzing every thought and emotion you had about the guy that first night." She didn't immediately answer me. She actually didn't seem to have heard me. Just as I was about to repeat myself she pulled away from me and stared unwaveringly into my eyes.

In a less than confident voice she started detailing how she ran into his cart on accident only to be struck silent when she looked up into his striking cornflower blue eyes, emphasis on cornflower; not just any old blue as Rose insisted. "We stared at each other for what seemed like ages until he extended his hand with a greeting. He looked even better if possible. He was wearing square, solid black frames and a faded blue Duke athletic shirt over a faded pair of jeans. His mouth was moving but I was temporarily unable to hear anything but the rushing of my own blood. Why? Why did our date go so horrible? He didn't seem so bad today. He was sweet and kind and didn't partake in any eye travel below my shoulders or any epileptic winking. Bella, he had the makings for a wonderful home made dinner. He apologized for spilling his wine on me, explaining his nervousness and not being able to see that well because he was adjusting to his brand new contacts. We were talking like we had known each other forever, about sports and cars and anything else we could think of. It was going wonderfully until this brunette model type walked up and wrapped her arms around him. He has a girlfriend! I will never be able to change the way I acted. I'll never be able to take off the ice queen mask and just let him get to know the real me. I guess I could just hang out with him and be put in his 'friend zone'." Lying completely across the couch by this point, with her head in my lap, Rose looked up with tears in her eyes. I couldn't allow her to wallow in misery over one bad blind date.

I moved her hair to one side of her face and started gently combing through it. "Rosie, you're going to come to dinner with me tonight. You're going to dress in whatever you want and you're going to be yourself." I walked over to the corkboard by the door and grabbed my co-worker's address off of it. "We're going to go to Alice's apartment, now that it's fully furnished, and we're going to have a great home cooked meal that isn't pasta or hamburgers," at this she smirked just a bit, "and forget all about 'The Incredible Jerk'. Now go shower and change. You have an hour." As I walked down the hallway to my bedroom and en suite bathroom I couldn't help but wonder if Alice and her roommate would mind that I just invited Rose to dinner. I hope they made enough food.

After we both showered and dressed, we headed downstairs to the car. I had called Alice to make sure she was okay with Rose coming and she said she'd love to meet my best friend after hearing all about her at work; the more the merrier. I hope that her jubilant nature is in full force tonight. Rose could use a fun night right about now. Her roommate should be helpful too. From what little interaction I'd had with her roommate I knew he was just as fun and energetic as Alice.

The drive over to Alice's apartment didn't take too long, even with the construction that is still being done on the 465. It seems like they'll never be done repaving and refortifying the bridges. Rose seemed to be in her own dream land barely acknowledging that we had parked. I nudged her and put a mega watt smile on in an attempt to get some kind of reaction out of her. It doesn't help. She grunts and opens the car door to get out. We walk up the steps in silence to reach the second floor apartment. Until I knocked on the door Rose seemed like a zombie. She was staring towards the floor just following my lead. Alice opened the door and wrapped me in a strangling hug before starting to babble about how happy she is to finally have me over. When she turned to Rose it was as if she ran out of breath. It was dead silent for a moment. When Rose realized the door had been opened and looked up to introduce herself, she reacted like a deer in headlights. She was frozen with a look of terror on her face. Before I could introduce them to each other Alice perked up and started talking to Rose as though they were old friends. Maybe Alice has taken her car into Rose's shop before, it is only a block or two away.

Walking into the house I was amazed at the transformation since Alice had moved in and gotten her landlord to agree to renovate. The dining area was open and full of light. I immediately sought out the kitchen to put the dessert I had brought into the fridge when I bumped into a fleshy wall. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Hey Emmett, it smells fantastic in here! I didn't know you knew how to cook." He smirked at me while reaching over to give me a one handed hug. "Let's get some wine poured and bring it out to the girls. You can meet my best friend, but hands off! I'd like to keep her as a best friend and roommate." With a wink I turned to find some wine glasses.

With glasses in hand we exited the kitchen to find both Alice and Rose sitting on the couch hands clasped giving me a flashback to only hours before. "Well I'm glad the two of you are getting on so well. Rose this is Alice's roommate Emmett and he is dying to meet you." Rose turned her head with a faint smile gracing her beautiful face. Hopefully they hit it off, now that I think about it they'd be almost perfect together. They are both intelligent, goal oriented and have a passion for cars. Em placed the glasses of wine on the table in front of the girls before nodding his head in greeting towards Rose.

Alice instructs us to sit down for dinner about fifteen minutes later. Rose was sitting across from me while Alice took one end of the table leaving the other for Emmett. He sat down each of the dishes around the table before sitting down himself. Attempting to lighten the mood at the table I decided to quote one of my favorite TV shows, "My family and friends want to give you some thanks. So before this dinner's all swallowed and chewed, thank you God, for this stupid food." Em's guffaws filled the dining room along with giggles from both of the girls. I was glad that Rose seemed to be in a lighter mood and hoped that it would continue throughout dinner.

Dinner finished with little conversation which Emmett attributed to his good cooking. Alice immediately jumped up to clear the table eyeing me and asking for help. Once we had all of the dishes loaded in the washer Alice grabbed my wrist and held her finger over her mouth and gestured towards the dinning room. I could hear Rose's voice taking on a whining tone. "I hope that tonight showed you my true colors. I wanted to apologize for our date-"

That was the point at which I walked into the dining room and dished out my best bitch brow while alternating between looking at both of them. What was going on with these two? Had they met before? "Rosalie Lillian Hale, you better explain yourself!" That earned me two large grins and a fit of giggles. When the laughter finally subsided, the only explanation I received was Rose calling Em 'The Incredible Hulk' and Em saying he was getting a second chance.

What a small world.

A/N: Fanfic Reader I hope I did you justice!

HAPPY FAGE!

(Please excuse ANY mistakes... I lost the beta'd version. I will switch it out as soon as I get it back from my beta)