"Why did you drag me to a stupid concert? It's New Year's Eve! I just want to go home and sit on the couch where I can watch the ball drop and drink with my two best friends." Isabella Swan pouted, stomping her foot against the dirty snow in front of the intimidating club. "Oh and where I can be warm." She shoved her frozen hands into her jacket pockets, trying to unfreeze them.
"Stop being such a baby, Bella." Alice Cullen, one of Bella's best friends, bumped her shoulder. Alice was short with a brunette pixie cut – it suited her well – and was absolutely beautiful and stylish.
"Seriously, B! You need to loosen up. Besides, I think you'll like the band that's playing." Rosalie Hale, Bella's other best friend, rolled her eyes. Rosalie was a gorgeous, tall blonde babe. She had legs for miles and every boy that they passed drooled over her. It was infuriating and calming at the same time because Bella knew that they weren't staring at her so she didn't feel as self-conscious.
"I.D's." The bouncer ordered, holding out his hand. The three of them handed him their identification cards and he 'Okayed' them and they headed inside. Bella pulled on the bottom of her body-hugging dress and was mentally strangling Alice for making her wear such a small dress.
"I see Jasper!" Alice squealed in delight, grabbing my wrist and pulling me and Rose towards a booth in the back of the club, far away from the dance floor. We pushed past people grinding against each other, or guys grabbing girls all over their body. I flinched away from them and hurried to keep pace with Alice.
Jasper was Alice's boyfriend – well, they were more than boyfriend and girlfriend. Soul mates were a better word – and they had been dating for almost three years. Jasper beamed brightly as Alice slid into the booth beside him. Rose and I sat across from them.
"So what band is playing tonight?" I asked, glancing up at the stage where two men were putting together a drum kit.
Rose shrugged, reaching for a drinks menu. "I forget their name, but I know they're amazing."
"They are amazing." Jasper interrupted. "I'm close friends with the singer-slash-guitar player." Alice nudged him playfully and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. Rose made a gagging noise and Bella laughed quietly. "In fact, here he is." He nodded to two guys walking over towards their table. One was tall and extremely buff.
"Dibs on the buff one." Rose murmured, smirking. She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink. "The other one is cute, too. You can have him." She added. Bella laughed, shaking her head.
"Hey, Jazz." A familiar, velvet voice greeted Jasper. No. No, no, no, no, no! This is not happening! This cannot be happening! Absolutely not! Bella thought to herself, pinching her thigh.
"Edward, let me introduce you to my friends. This is Alice," he squeezed Alice closer to him, causing her to giggle, "and they are Rosalie and Bella." Emmett stared at Rose, his mouth hanging open slightly. Rose blushed and she smiled at him.
"I need to go get a drink." Bella excused herself from the table and, without another glance at Edward, she headed towards the bar. She sat down away from all the drunks and girls trying to get free shots from the guys. She ordered a martini and ran her hands through her hair, frustrated. She was already upset about having to go out tonight, when she just wanted to stay in, but she agreed to go out with my two best friends. Bella hadn't planned on running into anyone we knew, much less Edward!
"You seem lonely." She ran my hands down my face and looked over her shoulder to see Edward leaning against the bar, smirking.
"I'd rather be lonely then be with you." She snapped.
"Ouch. That hurt, B. I'm…I'm wounded." He placed his hand over his chest. She rolled her eyes and took a sip of my martini. "So how is the ever beautiful Isabella Swan?" He sat down, turning his chair to face her.
When he faced her, he studies her. She was even more beautiful than he remembers. She still has freckles along her nose – and probably still along her shoulders and back – and her hair is longer, cascading down her shoulders and over her breasts. Her eyes, though were irritated, were still the same hypnotizing shade of chocolate brown.
"I'm not going to fall for you womanizing ways, Edward. Not again." She turned to face the bar again, but he stopped her, placing his hand on her knee.
"You know how sorry I am about that." He apologized. He knew that she wouldn't forgive him, and he wouldn't blame her. What he did was unforgivable and he knew it. She glared at him, her teeth clenched. She raised her left hand and the next thing he felt was a blinding slash of heat across his cheek. She had slapped him. "Okay…I deserved that." He held his hand to his cheek, rubbing it. "Feel any better?"
"Not in the least." She slid off the barstool and wobbled in her heels. He grabbed her elbow, balancing her. She quickly pulled her arm away and headed back towards the table with her friends.
"Look, can we please just talk somewhere quieter? Let me explain!" He begged. She stopped in her tracks and took a deep, calming breath.
"Ten minutes. That's all." Edward relaxed and followed her towards one of the back rooms. When they were far away from all the noise, she stopped and turned to face him. She had her arms crossed tightly over her chest, and she was standing tall.
"Well go ahead…explain!" She bit the insides of her cheeks. Just seeing him made her want to cry. "Explain to me how you could just ditch me, last minute, and for a music gig and then never call me!"
"Bella, look, I never meant to hurt you. I just…I couldn't face you after what I did. It was a stupid mistake. At the time, it was a big deal but now when I look back on it, I was stupid. I should never have left you hanging. I should have told you. I was more worried about getting my fifteen minutes of fame, rather than being with the person who meant the world to me." He confessed. Bella's whole body visibly relaxed but her arms stayed tightly crossed.
"That doesn't excuse what you did. You could have called me." She held back tears and pushed past him, heading for her friends again.
"I was going to propose to you after the performance." He called after her. She stopped dead in her tracks and her chest suddenly got tight. She fought the urge to turn around and run back to him. She couldn't do that. She had to be strong. She pushed the urge to the back of her mind and headed to the booth again.
She squeezed in next to Rosalie, who was still staring at Emmett, and saw Alice glance at her, worried. She shook her head at her and waved her worries away. "Where's Edward? We have to get set up, we're on in five." Emmett said, standing up. He pushed his way through the crowd to the stage and not five seconds later was Edward up there.
"After the guys are done performing, we're heading back to their place to watch the ball drop." Alice smiled and Rose smirked. Bella chewed her bottom lip and wondered if now was a bad time for her to ditch them and stick to her single party.
"Come on! I want to get closer to the stage and see them!" Rose started to shove Bella out of the booth and she couldn't help but laugh. Rose pulled Bella towards the front of the stage, shoving people aside to get closer. A few people cussed at the girls but they ignored them.
Bella couldn't help but stare at Edward as he placed his guitar strap over his shoulder and strummed a few cords to warm it up.
"Alright, how's everyone doing tonight?" Everyone applauded and cheered loudly. "That's good, alright well for our song tonight, we're going to be playing 'Heart on Fire'. Enjoy." Another round of applause sounded as the band started to play. Rose screamed out Emmett's name and he winked towards her. Bella turned towards her in time to see her blush and blow a kiss towards him.
Bella stared at Edward, watching him play the guitar beautifully. She had to admit to herself that he did look hot in the black button-up shirt her was wearing, which had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a matching pair of dark jeans. He looked hot and there was no use denying it.
I'm falling in,
I'm falling down.
I wanna begin
But I don't know how
To let you know,
How I'm feeling.
I'm high on hope.
I'm reeling.
Edward's eyes were closed tightly while he sang. He didn't want to open his eyes. He could feel Bella watching him and he didn't want to see the look on her face. This was her favorite song and he always sang it to her whenever she was upset.
And I won't let you go,
Now you know,
I've been crazy for you all this time.
I've kept it close
Always hoping
With a heart on fire,
A heart on fire.
With a heart on fire,
A heart on fire.
Bella couldn't believe he was singing this song! She wanted to run up on stage and break his guitar, but at the same time, she wanted to kiss him. The song made her mad and happy at the same time. It was infuriating. She bit her bottom lip and continued to stare at Edward. He opened his eyes and looked right at her. He flashed his enticing half-smile at her and she looked away, towards Rose who was ogling Emmett.
The band finished up the song and Edward and Emmett headed to the back to pack their things up.
"Let's head back to our hotel to change and then Jasper will take us over to Edward's apartment." Rose shouted over the crowd. Bella nodded and the girls headed outside into a cab, Jasper tagging along behind them.
He waited in the lobby while the girls headed up to their room to change. Bella was relieved to be out of her dress and into a pair of skinny jeans, winter boots and a nice blouse. She threw a dark brown leather jacket over top. Rose changed into a pair of black cashmere leggings and a gray sweater dress and matched it with a pair of black mid-calf boots and put her hair up into a messy ponytail. Alice switched out of her dress into black skinny jeans, a red sweater and black ankle booties. After they were all dressed, they headed down to the lobby. Alice took Jasper's hand in hers and they all headed into a cab.
They arrived to Edward's apartment by ten-thirty, and they all climbed out. Alice and Jasper were in the front, followed by Rose and Bella. They walked side-by-side to the hotel.
"So it seems like you knew Edward." Rose murmured loud enough for only Bella to hear. She scoffed.
"Sadly, yes."
"What happened between you two?" Bella and Rose stopped in the lobby and watched as Alice and Jasper headed into an elevator.
"Two years ago, we met at a New Year's Eve party, believe it or not," she laughed sarcastically, "and we hit it off. We had a few dates here and there and one day, we had a date planned and he never showed up. He didn't call me or answer any text messages. I soon found out that he did a music gig." Bella jammed the up button on the wall, frustrated. "He ditched me for a concert." Bella left out the fact that Edward had recently confessed that he planned on proposing to her because Rose didn't need to know those details.
Rose didn't ask her anything else; instead they rode the elevator to the correct floor in silence. The doors opened to a large loft filled with people dancing, laughing, drinking and even making out.
"Rosalie! Bella! Over here!" Alice shouted over the music, waving them over to a large couch where the boys were sitting. Bella spotted Edward, who had switched from his button up shirt to a black sweater and looked even more delicious than he did earlier.
Emmett pulled Rosalie down onto his lap, and she squealed. Alice shook her head, leaning in closer to Jasper. The only seat available was next to Edward. Bella bit the insides of her cheeks and went to sit down as close to Alice as possible.
Bella reached for a glass of wine and crossed one leg over the other. She listened in as the guys talked about some of the places they've traveled for concerts; Rio, England, Berlin. Bella clenched her opened hand, jealous. Edward had always promised her that he would take her to Berlin and England and wherever they wanted to go.
Edward moved closer to her and placed his hand on her thigh. She stiffened and shoved his hand off of her thigh. "Excuse me…again." She stood up and Edward moved with her. She turned to tell him to leave her alone but instead, she bumped into him, spilling red wine all over his shirt. "I am so sorry!" She gasped.
"It's fine." He laughed once, grabbing a napkin and trying to rub it off. No one was really paying any attention to what just happened, which made Bella feel a lot better.
Edward watched as her cheeks grew red with embarrassment and watched her bite her bottom lip. He felt his heart pick up its pace when he looked at her. "I can easily wash this off in the kitchen." He dropped a damp napkin on the table and turned to head into the kitchen. Bella followed behind him, her head looking down at the floor. She felt so horrible. Sure, she hated him for what he did, but she didn't want to embarrass him – not that she did because nobody paid any attention at all.
Bella shooed away the few people who were standing in the kitchen, out. She grabbed a dish towel, wet it and then dabbed it against Edward's shirt. She tried not to notice how…defined his chest was but she couldn't help it. She looked up at Edward, and he was looking down at her.
"What?" She asked, dropping the towel from his chest and tossing it in the sink. She leaned up against the counter, and he shrugged, taking a step closer to her.
"I've missed you so much." She shook her head.
"Please, we already talked in the club. Don't…" He took another step towards her. Her breathing accelerated and she didn't know whether to run or to kiss him.
"Bella, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since that night. I was stupid enough to walk away, and I'm being stupid enough to walk back to you." She shook her head, grabbing her left wrist with her right hand and squeezing it hard, trying to be strong.
"I can't do this Edward, not again." She pushed herself away from the counter and left Edward staring after her. She pushed past a lot of people and ignored Rosalie and Alice calling for her. She slid open the balcony door and slid it shut again. She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and walked to the ledge of the balcony, leaning her arms against it.
The balcony had a perfect view of the New Year's Eve ball and Bella secretly wondered if Edward bought this apartment specifically for the view. She heard the door slide open behind her, but she didn't turn to see who it was.
"Why are you out here? And why did you ignore me calling for you?" Alice asked, standing behind her. Bella pushed herself off the balcony ledge and turned herself around. "What were you and Edward doing in the kitchen?" She quirked an eyebrow at Bella and crossed her arms, smirking.
"Whatever you're thinking, we did the complete opposite." Bella defended herself. "I tried to help him get the wine out of his sweater and that was it."
"But that still doesn't explain why you ran out here."
"It's a long story." Bella shook her head, laughing humorlessly.
"We have time." Alice smiled gently, looking at her phone. "Well, we have about forty-five minutes." They both laughed and Bella shrugged.
"Edward…keeps trying to apologize." Bella confessed, looking down at her shoes.
"Apologize for what?"
She scoffed, trying to fight back tears. "For running out on me two years ago." Alice gasped and Bella nodded. "He ditched me for a music gig and never called afterwards. And then he sees me today and tries to make up for it. And then out of nowhere he tells me he was going to propose to me after the concert, but he never did." Tears were falling down Bella's face and she wiped away the tears, feeling silly for crying now.
Alice hugged her best friend tightly, stroking her hair soothingly. "I'm so sorry, B. I didn't know." Bella pulled back and sniffled, wiping away the remaining tears.
The sliding door opened again and Edward stepped out holding a steaming mug of hot liquid. "Am I interrupting something?" He looked at Alice and then Bella, his eyes remaining on Bella's face.
Alice looked up to Bella. "You okay?" She whispered. Bella nodded and Alice headed back inside, glaring at Edward as she went.
Edward held out the cup towards Bella. "Here, you're probably cold and I know how much you love hot chocolate." He smiled softly and Bella took the cup from him, wrapping her frozen hands around the warm cup.
"Thanks." She turned back towards the New Year's Eve ball and placed the cup of hot chocolate on the ledge.
"Look, I know you're probably tired of hearing me say it but, I really am sorry, Bella. And I don't want to leave you again. I don't want to go off and not talk to you or see you for another two years. I wouldn't be able to bear it." She shook her head and stepped away from the balcony and headed to the door.
"You're right; I am tired of you telling me over and over again how sorry you are. How about instead of telling me, you show me how sorry you are?" She was suddenly angry and Edward wanted to pull her into him, but he knew she wouldn't allow that. "You have half an hour. At midnight if you don't show me how much you're sorry, don't ever bother calling me or calling my friends to get to me." She turned and went inside, slamming the door shut behind her.
Edward ran his hands through his hair, tugging at his hair from the roots. He kicked the plastic chair next to him. How could he show her how much he was sorry in less than half an hour? She was so infuriating but he knew he had to do something. He was being honest when he said he didn't want to lose her again.
Bella sat down next to Alice, who rubbed her back soothingly, and Bella smiled to her. They all drank and ate while talking about their plans for the New Year and some of their resolutions.
"I'm planning on spending a lot more time with my Alice." Jasper smirked leaning in to kiss Alice. Everyone groaned and Bella crumpled up a napkin throwing it at the two of them. She laughed and for a minute, forgot about Edward until she saw him moving through the crowd of people and go into the kitchen.
She fought the urge to go after him, and instead was getting ready to count down the remaining minutes 'till the New Year.
"There's one more minute until midnight, someone grab the champagne!" Alice ordered. Emmett disappeared and came back five seconds later with a bottle of champagne. He twisted the cork off and poured five glasses for each of them.
"Where's Edward?" Emmett asked, looking around. Bella shrugged, staring at the bubbles in her champagne glass.
The huge flat screen TV hanging on the wall had a live play of the New Year's Eve ball and a clock counting down. People began to cheer and blow into their horns.
Everyone began to count down as soon as the timer hit ten seconds.
"Ten!"
Maybe Bella was wrong, maybe she should just leave. Edward still hadn't showed her anything. Maybe he really didn't want to get back with her, he just wanted a hook-up.
"Nine, eight!"
Edward pushed his way through the crowd, ignoring people trying to talk to him. He ignored the girls trying to get him to be their midnight kiss. He was searching for one person and he had less than ten seconds to do it.
"Seven, six!"
Bella felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and she turned around, startled. She looked up to a familiar warm smile looking down at her. "You said I had until midnight." Edward laughed. Bella shook her head, her hands resting on his chest, getting ready to push him away. "I still have five seconds."
"Five, four, three…"
Edward leaned down and pressed his lips to Bella's. She couldn't help but think about how soft and warm his lips were. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, pulling herself closer to him. His arms wrapped around her waist, bowing her body against him. Bella could feel her body relax automatically in his hold and her heartbeat sped up and it felt like it would burst right out of her chest.
"Happy New Year!"
Champagne bottles popped open, people kissed each other, people yelled and cheered – you could even hear cheering from the ball. Edward pulled back from Bella and he smiled at her. She blushed and bit her bottom lip. "Does that prove to you how sorry I am?" He snickered. She shook her head, looking up at him.
"I don't know. I might need more apologizes to be one hundred percent sure." She giggled and he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers again. Her hands went to both sides of his face and she smiled against his lips.
She pulled back and looked up at him, her face bright, "I love you." Hearing her say those words again was like music to him.
"I love you, too. Always." He promised. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around her back. He pulled her against himself, hugging her tightly. He never wanted to let her go again. He wanted to hold onto her forever as long as she would allow him to.
New Year's was the time for people to make amends with enemies, start with a clean slate, kiss someone and fall in love all over again. And that's what happened with Bella. She fell in love with Edward all over again.