Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I'm grateful to Stephenie Meyer for her dream.

Edward wouldn't get out of my head and leave me alone about this one, so I begin with this. With that in mind, away we go!

Chapter 1: He Ain't Worth Missing

Edward

I had worked as a bartender at the Twilight Lounge in Seattle, Washington, for a few years now and had gotten to know the regulars who came in. My boss, Ben Cheney, was a cool guy. He and his wife, Angela, were starting a family and I was thrilled for them. I'd dated some women, but hadn't really found anyone I wanted to settle down with. A lot of the single women coming into the bar in the evenings would attempt to flirt with me – I guess they thought I was attractive since I was around 6'1" tall, muscular and had green eyes. I also heard them giggle about my "sex hair," whatever that was. It was just an unruly mop of bronze mane that I couldn't tame no matter what I did.

One of my favorite regulars was a woman named Bella who always came in with her boyfriend, Jake. They were an attractive couple. Bella was gorgeous – about 5'5", long chestnut brown hair, chocolate colored eyes, porcelain skin. Jacob was almost as tall as I was, had russet skin and short black hair – attractive, I guess, but he always seemed to act like he was a little too good for Bella. I would never say anything to either of them – their personal relationship wasn't my business – I was there to serve.

Bella and Jake had probably been coming into the Twilight for about two years, so I'd gotten to know them pretty well and knew what they regularly ordered. If I saw them come in the door, I could have their drink order ready by the time they sat down. A lot of times they danced to the jukebox or if we had a band. A few times, some of their other friends joined them, but normally it was just the two of them.

I would make small talk with both of them and try to get Bella to laugh. I loved to see her smile. To me, it seemed she didn't laugh a lot in her normal, everyday life. Once, Jake left to go outside to make a phone call. I went over to their table and said to Bella, "Are you ok? You seem a little distracted tonight."

"Edward," she smiled a bit while responding, but didn't meet my eyes, "I'm fine, really."

I put my hand gently on her arm and said, "If there's anything I can do, will you let me know?" She nodded gently as Jake came back into the bar. Jake announced they were leaving then and they were gone.

I'm not sure why I had such a fascination with Bella. She was dating someone else – she could be engaged to him for all I knew, although I never saw a ring on her finger. They were probably living together. C'mon, Cullen, pull yourself together, I mentally chided myself! I just seemed very protective of her for some reason. Maybe it was because of my younger sister, Alice, that I felt so protective of this woman.

A few weeks went by and I didn't see Bella or Jake. I wondered if they had started going to another bar in the city or life just took them in a different direction. It was a Tuesday night and it was basically dead in the bar, so I had too much time on my hands to think about things I shouldn't be thinking about. I was glad this was my last night working before I had two days off. Maybe I could get out of town for a couple of days and clear my head or something.

I was doing some deep cleaning of the counter where we kept the shot glasses when I heard the door open. I was never more surprised to see Bella by herself. I quickly readied her regular drink to bring over to her. On a random Tuesday night, we didn't have any cocktail waitresses working unless we called them in special, so I was serving as well as bartending. Bella slipped into her regular booth and stared down at the table.

I walked over to the table and placed her drink in front of her. I started with a smile, "Hey Bella, how are you tonight?" She looked up at me then. Her eyes were red-rimmed as if she'd been crying for hours. I placed my hand lightly on her arm again and said gently, "Bella, are you all right?"

"No," she replied quietly. She brought a tissue up to her eyes and wiped away more tears that were forming in the corners.

"What's wrong?" I asked, slightly panicked.

"Well, you know my boyfriend, Jake, right?" I nodded and she continued. "He has a new girlfriend and has dumped me. Guess I wasn't good enough. God, my heart just aches so badly in my chest right now. I know I shouldn't miss the jerk, but I do."

"Oh Bella, I'm so sorry," I said. I reached over and gave her a small hug. We hadn't really touched before outside of casual contact. Whenever I had touched her, there seemed to be some sort of electric current that ran between us. I didn't want her to think I was coming on to her, especially when she was hurting so badly.

She sighed, "I suppose I should've seen it coming. Seemed like he was always looking for something better, even while we were together. I can't believe I was duped by such an asshole!"

I sat down opposite her in the booth. I said, "What can I do to help?"

Bella let out a big gust of air and said, "Well, I don't suppose you have any time off or anything that you could help me move out of our apartment. I know it's asking a lot of you since you barely know me. I guess I'll have to move in with a friend of mine, but I haven't even started calling around yet. It's all so sudden."

A few older men came into the bar just then. I got up and told her I'd be right back. After I served the new customers at the bar, I quickly called Alice. Her old roommate, Kate, had just moved out to get married. I knew Alice would be looking for a new roommate soon. And I just had a feeling Alice and Bella would get along great. Alice assured me she'd be right down to meet Bella.

I came back over to Bella's table and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. I said, "Bella, I'm more than happy to help you move. I hope you don't think it's too forward of me, but I called my sister, Alice. She's in need of a roommate. Her apartment is great. You'd have room to move around."

She smiled wanly and replied quietly, "Thank you, Edward. I appreciate that." I squeezed her shoulder gently. I wanted to tell her I would be there for her – for anything she needed and I also wanted to kiss her, but now wasn't the time. She needed time to heal. Alice breezed through the door just then and I introduced her to Bella. I left to go wait on some additional customers.

I noticed after awhile, Alice and Bella left together. Alice said she'd call me later. When she did, she told me I needed to be at her apartment in the morning at 9 a.m. with my truck and some Starbucks for her and Bella. That's my little sister – bossy as ever. I went to sleep in my own bed, feeling good that I would be able to help Bella.

The next morning, I met Alice at her apartment with the required Starbucks and we drove to Bella's. I could see already that they were becoming fast friends – not that I ever doubted that with my sister. I hugged Bella loosely around her shoulders and asked, "Jake isn't going to be around today, is he?" She said he wasn't. I continued, "Good, because I just may have to break his jaw! You're too sweet for him to cheat on. What a jerk he is."

She just gave me a little smile as I got to work. I moved the heavier items. Bella didn't have a lot. In fact, everything she owned fit in the back of my truck – in one load. Jake must be more of a creep than I originally thought. OK, Cullen, keep your mind on the task at hand!

When we were finished, Alice had her arm around Bella's waist for support as she called Jake on her cell phone to let him know she'd moved everything out of their apartment. From the way she was speaking, it sounded as though she was leaving a voice mail. I hoped he never set foot in the Twilight Lounge again – I wouldn't be responsible for my actions. She was leaving the key on the kitchen counter so she wouldn't have to meet up with him again later to give it to him. Smart move.

Alice and Bella followed me through traffic in Bella's car. We arrived soon enough and I began moving things into the new place. Bella was surprised at the amount of room she'd have for her own. Alice's apartment had two master suites, so she would have her own bathroom and the closet was large. Bella wasn't bringing a bed with her – thankfully, I couldn't stand the thought – and Kate had left her double bed when she got married. Being the spectacular hostess she was, Alice already had the bed made up and ready for her new roomie.

Soon, we had everything moved in, clothes were hung up in the closet, and we were sitting down for a breather. I told the girls I was hungry for lunch as I had been doing all this hard physical labor. Alice punched me playfully in the gut, but they agreed on lunch.

Bella

I had been watching Edward for some time – since Jake and I started coming to the Twilight Lounge. Of course, I always hoped I was doing it unobviously so he or Jake wouldn't notice. He really took time to get to know and care about people, whether they were there for just one time or were regulars. The few casual physical contacts I'd had with Edward, my skin seemed to spark with his. I tried not to gasp in surprise each time they occurred, but I always wondered if he felt it also. My skin never reacted like that to Jake.

Jake and I had been dating for about six months before he asked me to move in with him. At first, everything was great. He was very devoted to me, always came home when he said he would, the sex was good. We started going to the Twilight, which was fun. But then I started noticing little things – like he wasn't coming home from work on time anymore; when I called him, his voice mail would pick up; he started becoming very controlling about who among my friends I could or couldn't see; the sex became non-existent. One evening when he didn't come home from work on time, I decided to go to his office to see what was keeping him. When I opened his office door, I got the shock of my life! His assistant, Leah, was naked and bent over his desk and he was pounding away at her.

He tried to apologize, but they were just empty words. He'd made his choice – now I just needed to move on as well. That's what brought me to the Twilight that night. I needed some time to think. I didn't plan on blurting out my story to Edward, but he was so easy to talk to and such a caring person.

And now, sitting here in this restaurant with Edward and Alice, who was quickly becoming my new best friend, as most of my other friends deserted me when Jake pushed them out of my life – I realized there might be a glimmer of hope for me and my life. Edward was trying to get me to laugh at some lame joke he was telling, but it was so sad, all Alice and I could do is groan. To make him feel better, I did groan with a smile on my face. Alice excused herself to go to the ladies' room.

Edward touched my arm lightly again and said, "Bella, I'm glad I was able to help you. If you need anything – anything at all – please know I'm here for you."

I smiled back at him and replied, "Thank you, Edward. I appreciate that. Can you tell me something? Have you been rubbing your shoes on the carpet or something? Every time you touch me, I feel something like a spark."

He said, "Nope. In fact, there is no carpet in here. And there's no carpet at the bar either." He leaned in closer and continued, "I feel it too, Bella. I don't know what it is." His green eyes were staring into mine and I couldn't look away. I just wanted to fall into their depths and never resurface.

Alice returned and we left the restaurant to return to the apartment. Alice and I still had much to do to get me unpacked. Edward left us, saying he had to run some errands.

"Soooooooo," Alice's musical voice started as soon as we were alone, "I saw you trying to eye-fuck my brother in the restaurant. What's going on, Bella?"

I blushed and replied, "Alice, that is so not what I was doing! Geez! I just broke up with my boyfriend. It's too early to get involved with someone else."

Alice said, "Edward is a good catch. He's very smart, caring and nice. He hasn't really settled down because he hasn't found the right one for him. If you need my help in capturing him up, just say the word."

I rolled my eyes and said, "There's no way I'm ready for that right now, Alice." Our conversation ran to many other subjects as we unpacked the rest of my belongings. Edward was right – I'd have a lot of room here. Alice was appalled at my lack of clothing and decided we should go shopping soon. I feared I was going to turn into some kind of "Bella Barbie" project for her. Yikes!

Life became a good routine for me. Alice and Edward were bringing me out of my depression. I didn't think about Jake everyday. I was no longer pained by him leaving me. A couple of times I went to the Twilight by myself. A couple of random guys asked me to dance with them. I did, although when I looked over their shoulder at Edward behind the bar, his expression wasn't very happy.

Once I stayed until Edward's shift was over. I was hoping he'd give me a ride back home as I had brought a taxi to get there in the first place. He saw me still sitting in the booth, came over and said, "Did you want a ride home?"

I smiled and said, "I thought you'd never ask!" I scrambled out of the booth and followed him to his truck.

After he'd installed me in his truck and got behind the wheel himself, he said, "Bella, I need to say something to you."

"What is it?"

He continued, "I can't take watching you dance with those other guys. It makes me insanely jealous."

"Why, Edward?"

"Because I want to be the one dancing with you, not one of those other jerks who probably have all sorts of sick fantasies running through their minds just by looking at you," he said.

I looked at the nearly empty parking lot we were parked in and said, "Edward, turn on the ignition and get out."

"What?" he looked at me, momentarily stunned, as I opened my door and got out, but he did turn on the ignition as I asked.

His radio was tuned to some station or another, which I could hear much better as he opened his door and got out. "Bella," he said, "what the hell are you doing?"

I said, "You wanted to dance with me. So do it – here. Now."

Thank goodness for slow songs. He pulled me into his arms and muttered something about "crazy woman" against the top of my hair. With my arms wrapped around Edward's waist, that feeling of electricity was now running throughout my entire body.

We danced (or was that swayed closely together?) through a couple of songs. Edward pulled away from me a bit so he could see my face. He looked down into my eyes and said, "Bella, I want to kiss you – so much. But if you don't want that, I'll understand."

I replied, "Edward, stop talking so much and just kiss me." I offered my lips to him. He bent his head down to mine as his long fingers caressed my jaw. His lips were soft as a feather on mine at first, and then they grew more urgent, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth. I was growing dizzy from just kissing this man. I needed to remember to breathe.

Soon, I was pressed up against the side of his truck and Edward was ravaging my mouth and throat with his expert mouth. I was panting and gasping like I was in the midst of running a marathon. "Edward," I groaned, "we have to stop."

"Why?" he asked as he kissed me again, gently.

"Because I won't be able to stop myself from anything else happening. And I don't know if I'm ready for that yet."

"OK," he sighed, but gave me one of his crooked grins, "it's late and I should get you home." He brought me around to the passenger side of the truck again and kissed the back of my hand as he installed me inside. The man was such a romantic!

On the way to my new apartment, Edward said, "Will you put your cell number in my cell phone, so I can call you sometime?" He held out his phone for me to do just that. I complied immediately.

At my apartment, he came around to my door again to let me out, gave me a quick good night kiss and then saw that I was inside the building safely. Then he drove off into the night.

When I got up to the apartment, I found I already had a text message from him:

I enjoyed kissing you and want to do it again soon! - E

I responded:

As do I. – B

Edward was entirely too good to me. I didn't realize there were nice guys like him in the world. We dated frequently – at least when his schedule allowed it. He would also come meet me for lunch near my work on most days as well. He'd bring me flowers or some silly little gift that said reminded him of me. I kept every single one. On those Friday and Saturday nights when I couldn't bear to be away from him any longer, I'd go down to the Twilight Lounge and just listen to music. I never danced with anyone, even if they asked. Edward would catch my eye frequently and he would wink or smile at me. Once he was off work for the night, we'd spend more time getting to know each other and kiss. Those kisses were amazing!

One Saturday night, I couldn't stand it any longer. I asked Edward to take me to his apartment because I wanted to see where he lived. It surprised me that he lived so neatly. I expected a bachelor guy to be sloppy – at least that was my experience in the past and I was forever cleaning up after them. After more passionate kissing and groping, I leaned into him and breathed, "Edward, please make love to me."

He looked down at me and said, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," I replied, "I want this. I want you."

"I want you, too – so much," he said. "You don't know how long I've wanted to make love to you. I didn't want to rush you."

He picked me up and my legs were wound around his waist as our lips were molded together. My arms were around his neck and his strong, capable hands were gripping my butt. We made it to his bedroom and shed each other's clothing. I thought Edward was glorious clothed – without, he was a god in human form.

I was just about to say that very thing when he looked at me and said, "God, Bella, you are absolutely breathtaking!" He claimed my mouth again as I'm sure another blush crept up my body. Being loved by Edward was like no other experience. He was so sweet and gentle. He treated me like a priceless treasure in his arms. It felt as though we were made to fit together. Feeling him move inside me was exquisite and I truly felt the loss as he moved to lie beside me afterward. He whispered into the dark, "Thank you, Bella, for letting me love you." I nestled into the fold of his arm and went to sleep beside him.

Epilogue ~ Edward

It's been a year since my lovely Bella – the new Mrs. Bella Cullen, I might add – has brightened my life considerably. Lots of changes have happened in that year. Ben and Angela decided to give me a promotion to the bagel shop they had as the manager. So now I'm Edward Cullen, manager of the New Moon Bagel Shop here in Seattle. We have a pretty steady clientele, too. I get to work days, which is a bonus for me since all my evenings and nights are filled with lovely Bella now.

Yes, Alice still spends time with us as well. We wouldn't leave her out – she planned most of our wedding! She claims she's the one who got us together. Whatever – I know it was my charm and good looks. She's looking for another roommate, since I stole her last one away and I'm not sorry in the least for that. Bella and I decided to get an apartment in the same building as Alice so we could have a two bedroom as my lovely wife and I went to the doctor the other day and it seems we're going to be having a baby! I'm totally jazzed!

Were some of you wondering what became of Jake? You might be. One day while Bella and I were at the mall, we saw him and his "flavor of the month." Guess Leah had dumped his sorry ass and moved on. So now he'd moved on to someone else. We didn't speak to Jake, but that could be due to the fact I stopped Bella in the midst of the mall right where we were walking and kissed her passionately. Once we came up for air, she gave me a cheeky grin. I hope the bastard saw it all. It would be good for him to know what he was missing.

Author's Note: Let me know what you think in the review button below. Also, feel free to suggest future songs!