Disclaimer: All Twilight characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.


December 12.

I was extremely frustrated. It was a fortnight until Christmas and I still had no idea what to get my boyfriend Edward for Christmas. He wasn't helping either. He kept telling me that he didn't want anything for Christmas, he had me and I was enough. I would have agreed if I didn't already know that he had bought me something. Something he was being overly secretive about.

So here I was standing in a huge department store, wandering around the aisles half-heartedly. I continuously picked things up and put them down, while shoppers where running madly around me. The shop was extremely full of people, yelling and screaming at each other. People were fighting over the last appliances on the shelves; one claimed ownership because they saw it first. This wasn't a safe place for a clumsy person like me. I had already been knocked to the floor twice by people who had their hands too full to see where they were going. I was in the process of putting an electric toothbrush back on the shelf when it was taken out of my hand before I had even released it.

"You weren't taking that were you?" An old lady asked sweetly.

"N-no," I stammered. "Take it."

I decided I'd had enough and began to leave the store. Besides I doubted that I would find something here that would convey what I felt for him when words couldn't even do the trick.

Edward and I had met in high school, when his sister Alice became my best friend. I was always attracted to him, but initially he seemed very cold towards me. He avoided me at all costs, which made it difficult when I used to stay at theirs for sleepovers. I thought he hated me, although Alice constantly tried to reassure me that he didn't. It was hard to believe her when every time he saw me he seemed too brooding, staring at me with his beautiful green eyes before running off somewhere else. The really sad thing was I liked him. A lot. Alice always told me stories about her and Edward that make me laugh or smile. She always made him sound so sweet. Those stories only made me fall for him more, although I never told Alice. I wasn't sure how she would take me liking her big brother.

Years passed and my silly crush never faded. Edward was a senior, about to graduate and leave for college somewhere far away from here. It broke my heart knowing this, which seemed stupid since I had barely ever talked to the guy. All that time he never had a girlfriend, which surprised both Alice and me. He was an extremely attractive guy, with bronze tousled hair, mesmerising green eyes, and the body of an underwear model. Added with his charming and gentle manner, well to everyone but me, it just didn't make sense. Especially when he had girls practically throwing themselves at his feet, but he never dated any of them. Then, finally one day, when senior prom was just around the corner, things changed.

"Bella," said a voice behind me. I knew that voice, I had been dreaming about it for years.

I turned around. "Yes?" I asked, expecting him to relay some message from Alice.

"Hi, um, how are you?" His face was anxious and his eyes keep dancing as they looked at my face.

"Oh. Fine, I guess. Did Alice send you over?" I asked glancing around the large cafeteria to see where she was.

"No. No, Alice didn't send me. I just wanted to ask you something. I've been meaning to ask you for some time, but I didn't, and well I didn't want to leave it until the last minute."

I peered up at his face, trying to read what he was thinking. What could he possibly want to ask me? Maybe I accidentally took something of his, and now he wants it back. Or maybe it was something to do with school. I waited to hear what he had to say.

"I was um, wondering if you would, by any chance, would like to be my date to prom?"

My jaw fell open in shock. This was what he wanted to ask me? My throat seemed to be sucked dry of air making it impossible to answer. He must have misread my expression.

"That's ok, you don't have to," he said turning away.

His movement did the trick, air whooshed back into my lungs as I reached out to grab his arm. "Edward, wait."

He turned back, his eyes sad.

"I'm sorry, I just never expected you to ask that question. Of course I would like to go to prom with you." My voice sounded hopeful.

His eyes lit up as he smiled. "Great, wonderful."

I nodded, smiling too. Then we stood there like that, staring and smiling idiotically at each other for moment until the bell for class rang. Students streamed around us as I tried to wait for as long as I possibly could before leaving.

"Well I guess I should get to class," I said defeated.

"Yeah, me too. I'll see you around Bella."

"Bye Edward."

That was the moment when I realised that he might actually like me. I spent that night thinking that it had to be an awful joke. However, the next day he came and talked to me again, and he continued to do so every day until prom. Conversation flowed easily between us, and I found out that the only reason he had avoided me all this time, was because he liked me and didn't think that I would feel the same. I told him that type of thinking was stupid, as if I couldn't like him, he was perfect. He was everything I wanted.

Prom night was exhilarating. He arrived at my house in a limo, and dressed in a black tuxedo, matching skinny tie, and a crisp white button down shirt. He gracefully asked my dad Charlie if he could escort me to the prom, before whisking me off to our destination. He complemented me immensely on my sky-blue, deep-plunge dress and curled hair, and I in turn did the same. I don't remember much of the actual prom, only being in Edward's arms for most of the night. The only time he left me was when they crowned him prom king. He did the obligatory dance with the queen, and came back to me as soon as he could. We shared our first kiss that night. It was sweet and lingering, everything I imagined a first kiss to be. We've shared many more similar kisses since then, and others that are laced with fire and passion.

Shivers ran down my spine remembering all of our firsts, as if I was there experiencing them again. Although my love for Edward was still as strong as it was back then, time changes things, and desires grow dormant in place of other things.

My mobile rang, diverting my attention as I once again tried to make my way through the crowds and out of the shopping complex. It was Alice.

"Hey pixie girl!" I said as I picked up.

"Hey yourself," she giggled. "So, have you found anything for Edward yet?"

I sighed. "No. Nothing seems to be catching my eye. Plus these people are mad Alice. I saw two men fighting over a doll. How sad is that? Only at Christmas time!"

"Oh Bella, you need to learn how to make a competition out of it. It's a sport, that's all it is."

I laughed. It was easy for her to say, she was small enough to duck under everyone and make it to the front of the line. "You should know by now what I'm like at sports Alice. There is no way that I would be any good at this one."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Honestly, I have no idea, but I guess I still have time to think of something. Are you sure you don't know what he got me? It would make it so much simpler."

"No, I don't," I could hear the irritation in her voice. Alice didn't like to be kept in the dark. "He's being pretty good about not mentioning anything, even when I try to catch him off guard. I might have to engage Emmett in my battle plan." Emmett was Edward's best friend.

"Battle plan," I questioned. "It sounds like war Alice." I giggled to myself, imagining her bossing Emmett around like a soldier.

She whined, "It is Bella. He knows I don't like secrets, and he's doing everything he can to keep this from everyone. I'll find out before Christmas if it's the last thing I do."

I laughed and listened to her continue her plans, and talk about her weekend plans with her boyfriend Jasper. I um'ed and ah'ed along to what she was saying, half listening as I tried hard to focus on staying upright as people shoved past me. I finally made it out to my car as she said goodbye. I sat behind the wheel, relieved to make it out alive and tried to assess myself for bruises. I could feel one coming up on my hip which was going to be big and nasty. I sat in the car for a while, just thinking, and staring out into the open car-park. When I pulled myself back, and when my eyes refocused, I noticed a huge poster for a romantic-comedy that was meant to come out this holiday season. There was advertising for this movie everywhere. On Television, radio, the internet, even the subway. It was called Twelve Days of Christmas, and was based on a book of the same name, about a new couple fumbling their way one relationship disaster after another, and getting it together just in time for Christmas. I had considered seeing it, if only for novelty purposes since I had read and liked the book, but I couldn't imagine Edward wanting to watch it with me. We were complete homebodies now, hardly ever stepping out of the house. It didn't really bother either of us, but part of me was beginning to think we were getting too comfortable with that lifestyle. We rarely went out on 'dates' anymore.

That's when it hit me. I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of such a thing earlier. It was perfect. I would need Alice's help on this one. Excited, I rang her to share my news.