AN: I don't own Twilight or its characters, I just like playing around with them.

God this was embarrassing!

I, Isabella Marie Swan, had been officially stood up. I hate blind dates. Well I had never actually been on one before but I hated the idea of them. And while I wasn't exactly up on the official criteria required with blind dates, I do think that both parties really should show up as a first step. Well I'd held up my end of the deal, but my 'date' obviously hadn't got the memo. I don't know why I let Alice talk me into this, I would kill her the next time I saw her!

Alice Whitlock was the closest friend I had here in Los Angeles since moving here a year ago. I moved away from my home town of Forks after a rather unpleasant breakup with, my boyfriend at the time, Jacob. It may have seemed like a rather drastic move but I really just wanted to get away from Forks and all its reminders of Jacob. And ever since I was a little girl Los Angeles had always been a fascination of mine, don't ask me why, it had just had some sort of pull for me. So what better place to make a fresh start I had thought. I had been lucky and managed to get myself a job as a junior copy editor at a popular woman's magazine, a job I could honestly say I loved. The people I worked with were lovely and very friendly but I had remained in my shell, only very rarely taking them up on their after work drinks offers preferring to instead go home and curl up with a book or DVD. Until Alice that is.

Alice was a fashion consultant we hired to help on some of our fashion shoots. She was tiny and gorgeous with short dark spiky hair and she was a ball of energy. I had to work with her on some layout issues we had for one particular shoot one day and we instantly clicked. God knows why, we were totally different in all aspects of the word but we just got along right from the start. Alice took me under her wing, she seemed to know that I tried to keep to myself and she slowly got me to open up to her and we started to go for coffee every now and then. And then we started going for lunch. And then she managed to get me to go on full day shopping trips with her. And then we would go out for a few drinks on the weekend and go to nightclubs. She slowly got me out of my comfort zone with every new activity and I loved her for it.

Alice met her husband Jasper when he moved into the house next door to her; she walked straight up to him and said "I'm going to marry you one day". They were six years old but sure enough Alice, even then, knew she had met her soulmate and 15 years later they had married. She always seemed to be one step ahead of everything, she always just knew what was going to happen next, or how people would react to certain situations. I think that was why we got along so well, she had never put me in a situation where I would be too uncomfortable, she seemed to know what I needed and when I needed it.

So that's why I had agreed to go on this stupid blind date, and how I came to be sitting completely alone at the bar of one of our favourite hangouts. Alice had told me nothing about this guy except that he could be perfect for me and was a complete gentleman. She had also assured me that her and Jasper would be there in the background to swoop in and save me if I needed it, although she was very certain I wouldn't. Yet half an hour after the agreed meeting time and two vodka lemon and limes later, neither my mystery man nor Alice were anywhere to be seen. The place was starting to fill up and I felt as though I was sticking out like a sore thumb as groups full of people and couples started coming in.

I pulled out my cellphone and rang Alice. Great. Straight to voicemail. "Alice Whitlock you better have a fucking good excuse for not being here. I'm sitting here by myself feeling like a complete idiot for even listening to you about this stupid blind date. He hasn't shown up and now you are both half an hour late. I'll give it five more minutes and if you aren't here by then I'm leaving. So either call me back right now or get your scrawny little ass down here so I can kick it!" I hissed through gritted teeth down the phone.

"Excuse me I couldn't help but overhear you just now, are you alright?" I heard a velvety voice coming from my left. I turned my head to see who was talking to me.

Holy fucking shit, it was Edward Cullen only the hottest actor known to mankind. Oh my god, he was even more attractive in person if that was even possible. Tall, with the most piercing green eyes I have ever seen, just-been-fucked tousled hair, and those lips, oh god those lips. Basically he was just so pretty I nearly wanted to cry.

"Are you ok?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Oh crap I'd just been flat out ogling him with my mouth hanging open, I could feel myself blushing redder and redder. Oh please god, don't let me have dribbled, that would just be too much.

"Uh yeah... um... yeah good... I mean I'm ok yeah," I stuttered out. "I.. um.. well haha...erm, I've been stood up by someone I've never met and have been sitting here for half an hour all by myself. But that's ok coz I've had two drinks... and you know... time to contemplate I guess...um... so I've had something to do I suppose so it's not all bad. Oh and I've rung my so-called best friend to abuse her for setting me up on this stupid blind date that I didn't even want to do in the first place, but I only got her voicemail... uh... but, ah, I left her a very strong worded message and so the upside of this whole fiasco is that she probably wont do it again...." I trailed off.

What the fuck Bella, shut the fuck up you rambling fool!

He stood watching me with an amused expression on his face. Great I was the entertainment for this evening.

"I see. I must admit I've never been a fan of blind dates either although my sister keeps trying to set me up on them, so I can sympathise. Apparently I'm not able to find a suitable person to date on my own" he said with a roll of his eyes and a wry smile that nearly made my panties drop. "I'm sure if the guy had come and seen you for himself he'd be kicking himself for standing you up now. Tell you what, would you like to come back to my table and sit with my friends and I while you wait for this guy? He may have just been held up and could still show up when you least expect. I would hate to leave you alone again in case you ring another friend and abuse them as well... I'm Edward by the way, Edward Cullen."

Oh my God. Edward Cullen was asking me to sit with him. Me, Bella Swan! Not only that but he actually introduced himself to me! As if I wouldn't know who he was, he was plastered over half the city in movie posters and on magazine covers. In fact I was hanging out for the day our magazine might be able to get to do an interview with him. Not just because he was incredibly good-looking although that was a pretty good drawcard on its own but I had heard that he was one of the nicest people in show business to deal with. He had a reputation for being one of the sweetest, most down to earth people you could meet and there was no way I could dispute the fact now, he was trying to help me out just because he heard how upset I was on the phone. Normally I hated the whole knight in shining armour, but it just seemed to suit Edward to a T. I must have sat in stunned disbelief for a while because he started looking a little uncomfortable. He was probably trying to eye up the exits and form some sort of escape plan from the crazy lady in front of him.

"We're only sitting just over there, still in view of the bar staff if you're worried about going off with a stranger somewhere. You don't have to if you don't want to, its just you seemed upset about being here alone and I thought you might like some company," he said in a rush.

"Oh! Sorry, I was just off in my own head for a minute there," I blurted out, embarrassed, I bet blathering Bella was a far cry from the gorgeous starlets he mingled with on a daily basis. "That's really kind of you, but I wouldn't want to intrude on your night."

"You wouldn't be intruding at all, I invited you didn't I? Besides my friends tend to work on a 'the more the merrier' policy anyway. So come and join us...?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

"Bella, I'm Bella. Ok I'll join you, thank you."

"Great, come and meet my friends Bella."

I followed him over to his table of friends. Oh crap, if I'd taken a proper look at the people sitting around the table before I had agreed I would have run for the hills. They all could have passed for supermodels, they were gorgeous. I most certainly was going to be the odd one out at this little table of fun.

There was a big burly guy with the most gorgeous dark curly hair and the sweetest dimples. His arm was casually draped across the shoulders of the stunning blond girl next to him. She had legs that went on forever, and a body to die for and while it hardly seemed fair her face was perfect too. She was hands down the most beautiful woman I had ever met. To her other side was a very pretty strawberry blond woman, she didn't have quite the same striking features as the other one but there was no denying that she was gorgeous aswell.

Edward began introducing me. "Guys this is Bella, she's going to join us for a drink or two until her friend shows up. Bella, this is Emmett and Rosalie," indicating towards the world's most beautiful couple. "Emmett is one of my best friends and personal trainer, and Rose is his fiancé and the only one who has any hope of keeping him in line."

"Hey! I resent that remark, I'm a perfect gentleman thank you very much. Although I can't say I don't love it when 'Punisher Rose' comes out to play." Emmett piped up before giving her a big sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Shut up Em, you'll scare the poor girl off. Hi Bella, its nice to meet you" she said giving me a warm smile. I have to admit I was a little shocked she was so welcoming, I would have thought someone with her looks would be a complete bitch. Completely unfair of me, but I'd come across my fair share of girls who thought they were shit hot and had no concept of treating anyone they deemed beneath them with any amount of human decency whatsoever.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you too" I replied giving her a shy smile in return. Perhaps this wouldn't be too bad after all, it was certainly preferable to sitting on my own anyway.

"And I'm Tanya" said the strawberry blond icily. Ah, so this was the 'look at me I'm shit hot' bitch of the group. There's always one.

"Tanya is my personal assistant and all around lifesaver, and I have no idea what I would do without her." Edward said, diffusing some of the tension while Tanya stopped glaring at me to give Edward one of the biggest 'do me please' looks I have ever seen. She looked slightly mollified by the comment he had made though, and so after giving me another displeased once-over she went back to her drink.

Aha so the personal assistant seemed to be lusting after her boss. I could see where the girl was coming from though. If I got to spend all day with a man as good looking as Edward then I'd have a hard time not wanting to throw myself at him either. And the down to earth rumours were proving to be true as well.

As Edward took a seat he gestured for me to do the same and I ended up sitting next to Tanya. Emmett immediately drew Edward into a conversation about what car Edward was looking at buying while Rose threw in a few suggestions every now and then. I had nothing to offer to that particular conversation so I just watched the interaction between the three of them letting my eyes linger over Edward's form for perhaps longer than strictly polite.

"So how long do you think your 'friend' will be Bella?" Tanya sneered at me before lowering her voice so no one else at the table could hear. "Don't think I don't know what you're playing at bitch. Edward's always been a sucker for a pretty face and a sob story, but I see right through you. Do you know how many girls throw themselves at him every day? What makes you think you'll be anything but a notch on his belt? If you even get that far, which I doubt."

I sat there in stunned silence for a moment. Jeez sitting on my own would definitely be preferable right now. By about a thousand.

"Tanya, I think you've got the wrong end of the stick. I'm not trying to sleep with Edward, I actually was waiting for someone who hadn't turned up and he was kind enough to invite me over to your table to wait so I wouldn't be on my own. I'm not trying to step on any toes here." I whispered back.

"Hah, yeah right. Like I haven't heard that one before, I've been working for Edward a long time and - "

"Tanya," Rosalie cut in. "Your makeup is smudged, there's mascara all over your cheek. You'd better go to the bathrooms and fix it."

Tanya shot me a withering glare and stormed off in the direction of the bathrooms. Rosalie moved into the chair Tanya had just vacated and leaned over to me.

"Don't worry about the bitch. She's been trying to get into Edwards pants since day one. She's trying to stake a claim on something that's not hers to stake a claim on."

"Does Edward know she's like that?" I inquired. It seemed odd to me to have someone working for you that was so obviously interested in you.

"To some degree he knows she is interested, god knows we've all told him enough, but she is a very efficient PA and is also a family friend so it makes it a little awkward. Plus she is never overtly flirty to him, she only acts the way she did when she sees a threat. But honestly she is pretty harmless, just don't let her get away with any of her crap, I know she has a sharp mouth on her."

"But I'm hardly a threat to her, and in any case I'm not trying to worm in on her territory! I've only just met Edward and he was only being nice by inviting me over here." I protested.

"Bella, she sees a pretty girl like you being led over to our table by Edward himself, which never happens by the way, of course she is going to see you that way. Like I said you just have to ignore her, everyone else at this table is much better company anyway." she said quietly with a wink and a head nod at Edward who was watching us with a small smile.

He opened his mouth as if to say something just as Tanya came flouncing back to the table.

"Must have been a shadow you saw Rose, there was nothing there" she said as she sat down in a seat across from us with a steely glare in our direction. There was an awkward silence for a moment as Rose and Tanya stared each other down.

"So, anyone up for a another drink?" Emmett asked the table as he stood to go to the bar.

"I'll have one," a voice piped up from behind Emmett. Huh that voice sounds familiar, I thought to myself. No, it couldn't be. Could it?

Holy shit it is. Alice poked her head around Emmett's burly frame and slipped into the seat next to Edward giving him a peck on the cheek, while he shot me a nervous smile.

What the fuck?

"Hi Bella. Sorry I'm late, I got stuck working and only got your message when I was leaving the office. But I guess you didn't need me here after all, it looks like you managed to find my brother all on your own." she said with a smirk.

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AN: This is my first attempt at fanfiction so please be gentle! Lol :)