DISCLAIMER: I do not own twilight. All the characters belong to SM.

A/N: WOW! I really never expected to get such a great response for 1st chapter! Really...your reviews made my day. I'm glad you all liked the plot. Thank you all so very much. Now the answers of some of your questions:-

Yes! Edward is dating Tanya...but he is in no way emotionally attached to her. Remember the part he says "what else would I have to go through to keep my Boss's daughter impressed." Other reasons why he is forced into this relationship would be revealed in the upcoming chapters. Just wait and find out :)

There will be more EPOV but only when necessary. There would be more of Bella's side of story.

So on with the chapter...enjoy!

Chapter 2

The Perfect Kiss

BPOV

After the unpleasant encounter with practically the most handsome guy on planet, I exited the shop and made my way towards my truck. He and his oh so cheery-spirit girlfriend had annoyed the hell out of me just before the Christmas party for which I'll have to make sure to put up a rather forced expression of excitement and elation for the sake of my friends and Jake. I needed some fresh air. Anything to clear my mind. Hence, I decided to take a little ride in my truck and come back to the shop once I'm sure they're gone. I'll have to look for a different gift for Jake. Even though that thought disappointed me, I was sure that Jake would appreciate it anyway.

What should have been a short aimless drive took a little longer than expected. There was barely half an hour left for the party to begin and I still have no gift for the best boyfriend in the entire world. I rushed my car to the all so familiar jewelry shop and parked my car at the nearest empty spot available. To my horror the entrance glass door of the shop was locked and a sign 'CLOSED' hung from the knob of the door. My heart broke while nervousness made its way up my veins.

Shit! What am I gonna do now!!

Jake had practically spent every single penny he had saved to buy me the necklace for Christmas and I was absolutely empty handed and I was supposed to give him my gift at Angela's party where he would give mine to me. This was humiliating. I looked around to see if any other gift shop was open. No luck. This day couldn't possibly go any worse. With a defeated sigh I leaned against my truck, trying to come up with a way so I wouldn't have to go empty handed at the party.

And then I saw it.

A little cardboard box was kept in front of a little shop. There were little very cute puppies cuddled together trying to get themselves liberated from the tedious brown walls around them. One of them particularly caught my eye. It was a little white Dalmatian with tiny black spots. It looked adorable and energetic. I still remembered Jake's desire to own a little puppy. But a puppy in return for the stunning necklace Jake had bought?

Like you have a choice!

That's right. It was either the pup or nothing at all. I made up my mind to buy the similar pen that the green eyed stranger – Edward – pilfered away from me once more of its kind were available, later. I made my way to the box and knelt down. The little Dalmatian looked up at me with its adorable innocent big eyes. It melted my heart. A girl inside the shop before which I was standing, noticed me and came running to me.

"Hi! Do you like any of them? Would you like to keep them?" the little girl, who looked about 5 to 6 years old, asked.

I nodded gratefully and indicated my forefinger towards the Dalmatian.

"I love this one." I clarified. A huge smile spread across her face as she picked up the cute little puppy in her fragile embrace and held it towards me. I took it from her smiling gently as it cuddled into me. It was so sweet.

"How much for it?" I asked the girl, reaching for my purse with the spare hand. The girl shook her head eagerly and pointed her little forefinger towards the front of the box. There was something scribbled across the box but the writing wasn't clear. I bent down a little so I could read it clearly and then I made out the words 'FREE' written. It was the handwriting of a little five year old kid, probably the girl standing beside me.

"Are you sure you don't want anything for it?" I asked the girl.

"Nope. Just give him a home to live. Dad wont lemme keep it anymore. But will you please come to visit with him sometime. I would love to see him!" the girl asked expectantly. I smiled at her and nodded.

"Sure! Thanks a lot for him. I'll take good care of him. What's your name?" I asked her kneeling down so that I was at her eye level.

"Kate" the girl replied timidly, a light blush coloring her cheeks as she peeked up at me from under her eyelashes. She was endearing.

"Thanks a lot Kate. I'll come to meet you with my new friend whenever I can. You're a very sweet child" I said and she blushed deeper. I laughed and ruffled her golden hair playfully and made my way back towards my truck. I drove as fast as my old truck would allow to my house. I changed into a Spaghetti Strapped Brooch Bubble Dress [link for the dress - www(dot)cybernetplaza(dot)com/party-dresses/11143(dot)asp] and arranged my hair into light curls so they looked presentable for the party. After keeping Jake's gift comfortably in a beautiful box, I made my way to the party.

The arrangement for the party was astounding. Ben and Angela's center hall had been completely transformed into a party ground. A huge dance floor in the middle of the room dominated most of the place while a few round tables were arranged further away with three to four chairs placed around them.

Among the crowd, I spotted Jake sitting at one of the round tables with his best friend Embry. Too intent in his conversation with Embry, he didn't notice me when I made my way towards his table holding his present in my hand. While approaching his table...something caught my eye. Pale white skin and bronze colored hair. I stopped dead in my tracks.

This is NOT possible!!

After decreasing the distance a little more, his startling green eyes became vivid and I saw him staring back at me. His face mirrored my shock and incredulity.

"Bella! Finally, you came! You're late though, I thought you won't be coming" Angela said coming to greet me.

"Angela, what's he doing here?" I asked, unable to hide my astonishment as I continued to stare at him. He refused to remove his gaze from me as well as he stared back at me with pure shock and confusion.

Angela followed my gaze till they rest on the green eyed stranger and recognition came to her. "That is Alice's elder brother." She replied.

"What??" I asked, my voice rising by an octave as I finally removed my gaze from Edward to look at Angela. "That is Alice's brother? Ben's best friend?"

"That's right! How do you know him?" she inquired.

I just shook my head before replying "don't ask"

Thankfully she left it at that and went to attend other guests. I saw Edward calling his sister. Alice, a short and thin pixie like girl with spike hair, came and he whispered something in her ear before indicating towards me, probably asking her the same question that I asked Angela. Alice's eyes flickered to me and she whispered something back to him. I decided to ignore him and started walking towards Jake.

Just my luck...his chair was just next to Jake's table. So much for trying to ignore him.

Alice departed while Jake finally saw me. "Bella!" Jake called standing up and holding me in his arms. "you're late" he complained after giving me a chaste kiss.

"sorry" I mumbled and took the only spare seat available beside Jake...which Ofcourse happened to be nearest to the arrogant stranger! Someone has some serious issues with me up in heaven; otherwise my luck wouldn't have been this bad! Edward sat at his table with his drink and pretended to be oblivious to us. Embry excused himself after sometime giving Jake and me some privacy. Jake took out a splendid jewelry box and placed it on the table.

Uh oh! Here it comes!

My present was kept behind my chair and thankfully the puppy was fast asleep so he wasn't making any noise.

Jake opened the box and took out the brilliant diamond necklace.

"Merry Christmas Bells" he wished and turned me around so he could put the stunning necklace around me neck. He removed my hair and placed them gently on my left shoulder. Then he placed the necklace delicately around my neck. After placing the necklace properly, he kissed the back of my neck and whispered in my ear "I'm sorry, but I couldn't manage to bring a gift that looked as beautiful as you. Your perfection has dulled it's beauty."

I blushed at his comment and turned back to face him. I cradled his face in my hands and looked straight in his eyes. "It's perfect Jake. Thank you so much!" I said and leaned forward to kiss him. The moment after our lips just barely touched...the moment was broken. Thanks to the stupid arrogant greed eyed stranger. He found it appropriate to practically shout out loud to call the waiter when the waiter was standing just beside him, as if he purposefully wanted to ruin the moment.

Is he TRYING to annoy me?

The waiter jumped slightly in shock and turned to look at him in confusion. Apparently I wasn't the only one who found his behavior peculiar. "what may I do for you sir?" he asked formally.

"I...uh...I-I need water. Yeah, could you please bring me a glass of water?" he stuttered. The waiter nodded and went to fetch him a glass of water. I sighed and turned back to Jake who was frowning at Edward too, agitated at him to break the moment for a glass of water. I smiled apologetically at him before bending down and picking up my gift for him. I swallowed heavily before picking up the basket and placing it on my laps.

Great going Bella! What a perfect way to thank your boyfriend for gifting you a diamond necklace. Gift him a free puppy you picked up from a box infront of a random shop! Jake is SO lucky to have you! I thought sarcastically and regretfully.

"M-Merry Christmas Jake?" it came out more like a question as I handed him the basket in which the puppy slept peacefully, and waited anxiously for his reaction.

Jake raised an eyebrow and took the basket from my hand. He removed the blanket and noticed the little Dalmatian sleeping. His lips turned up into an amused smiled and he looked up at me, attempting to frown playfully but the smile playing on his lips gave him away. "A puppy?" he asked.

"y-yeah. R-Remember you said that you always wanted a puppy? S-So I thought to gift you one on Christmas." I stuttered looking down and blushing. Seriously! How could I look up at him after this?

"You purchased it for me?" he asked, the amusement in his voice increasing.

What should I do? Tell him I bought it for free after he gifted me a diamond necklace? Or lie to him now and tell him the truth later once I've purchased the pen for him?

I decided to go with the latter decision and prepared myself to lie to him as impeccably as I was capable of. "Umm...yeah! After searching a few shops I finally came across this Dalmatian and purchased it for you" I replied looking down at my hands which rested on my laps.

I saw Jake as he bit his lower lip hard as if to prevent himself from bursting into laughter.

"uh...But Bells, isn't this the same dog that I saw in a box kept infront of a grocery shop in Port Angeles, which read 'FREE'?" he asked.

Edward, sitting beside me suddenly coughed in an attempt to stifle his laughter but failed badly. His body shook with laughter as he tried his best to hide it by pretending to cough. I glared at him for a moment before turning back to Jacob apologetically, who was now laughing out loud. I was sure my face resembled a tomato in color.

"I'm really sorry Jake. I wanted to buy you the same diamond embedded pen you liked so much at the jewelry shop in Port Angeles but some jerk, stupid, moron claimed it at the same time. I agreed to pay thrice the amount but he said he'll pay four times the original amount and I couldn't do anything. It was the last piece. So I decided to buy you the pen once more of it's pieces were available. Honestly! I've been saving for it from a week! But when I returned back to the shop I noticed that it was closed and so were all the other gift shops. Then I saw this shop with really cute puppies placed in......" I rambled on an on at an incredibly fast pace due to my nervousness before Jake stopped me.

"Woah! Woah! Woah! Relax Bella" he chuckled. "I love this present. And don't even think of buying that pen! It's way too expensive. Besides I like my little new sleepy friend more than that pen anyway" he said and winked at me. I smiled gratefully at him. He was the bestest boyfriend anyone could ever dream of...and I will gift him that pen no matter what!

"So what do you want to name our little friend?" Jake asked, tickling the puppy as it stirred while sleeping.

Something flashed across my mind and I smiled slyly at him. Now was my turn to laugh.

"Well actually I was thinking of calling him.....EDDIE!" I suggested and peeked at Edward from the corner of my eye to observe his reaction. Edward's posture became rigid as he held his hand halfway to his mouth but stopped dead before taking a sip from his drink. I smiled contently.

Well done Bella!

"EDDIE? What kind of silly name is that? I would never name such a cute puppy...Eddie!" Jake replied with disapproval.

"HEY EDDIEEEE....!!!" A familiar high pitched voice sang as I saw Tanya running towards Edward and hugging him tightly and sat on his laps before kissing his cheeks. "I'm so sorry Eddie, I'm late. I hope you didn't have to wait too long honey-buns." She said in a sickly sweet voice.

Edward's face grew even paler if that was possible and it seemed he would die of embarrassment!

Jacob's entire body was shaking with laughter as he turned his head to the other side and tried very hard to suppress his laughter. I on the other hand, did nothing to help. I was laughing out loud without caring about the stares I received from some people. This was way beyond funny than I imagined. Poor Tanya didn't pay any attention to us as she assumed, we might be laughing at our own private joke, and continued to torture Edward by playing with his tie. Seriously, I should make this my favorite spare time hobby – embarrassing Edward!

Edward buried his face in his left hand. "For crying out loud Tanya, how many times am I supposed to tell you not to call me by that name?" he said exasperatedly and pulled away his hand to look at her. "my name is EDWARD! Please call me by my name!"

Tanya stared at him in complete shock, taken aback by his sudden outburst. "okay..." she said cautiously before getting off his laps. "Whatever! Hey, this is my favorite song! Lets go and dance!" and with that she dragged him to the dance floor.

Jacob chuckled lightly and shook his head. "well, that was funny. What a coincident!" he remarked.

I chuckled. "Yeah! Coincident!" if he only knew...

"so? Mind joining me for a dance?" he asked, extending a hand for me to accept.

"Jake, you know I can't even walk on a stable surface without finding something to trip on. How do you expect me to dance?" I replied.

He rolled his eyes. "It won't be that bad, bells. Just one song. I promise" he assured and took my hand, leading me to the dance floor.

Before we could even begin to dance, the music stopped. Noises of disapproval and protests from the people filled the room. I saw Alice walking towards the front of the hall and she took a mike in her hand. We all looked at her in confusion.

"Alright everyone. May I have your attention please? Thank you. Firstly, I'm sorry to disturb you while dancing. But we're about to play game called – A Stranger's Kiss. We'll be switching off the lights. Once the room grows dark, I wan all of you to shuffle up among yourselves. On the count of 3, you will stop moving and stand still in your places. Then you'll kiss the nearest person standing beside you. It could be a guy kissing girl, a girl kissing a guy or even a guy kissing guy and girls kissing girls. It just has to be the person standing closest to you. No protests. No complaints. Ofcourse, overprotective boyfriends and jealous girlfriends can hold their partners tightly, but I doubt it would work among so many people running in the dark. Anyways, we're about to begin the game. Get ready to receive your Christmas kiss." And with that Alice left and went to the main switch board. Jake held my hand tightly in his grip.

Suddenly, all the lights switched off and the room went entirely dark. Jake's grip was still tight on me but I felt someone trip in the dark and stumble on top of Jacob. Jacob's hand left mine as he fell on the floor. I was about to bend down and search for him when someone pushed me and I ended up stumbling across the dance floor, not sure where I was going. All the people running and shuffling were driving me insane. This was the worst game I've ever played!!

Someone slammed into me once again and I ended up pushing someone. From the sound that escaped that person's mouth when I tripped over, told me that it was a girl. I was about to apologize when someone stepped on my left foot and I tripped and fell down, waiting for the floor to hit my face.....but nothing happened. A strong pair of unfamiliar arms caught me before I could hit the ground and steadied me. More people slammed at us and to prevent me from hurting myself, the stranger who saved me, held me tighter while wounding his arms tightly around my waist. I could feel his toned chest and incredible muscles as I stood there in his tight and protective embrace. After a few seconds, Alice's voice came through the speakers.

"1....2....3...."

OH. GOD.

Everybody stooped. All the noises around us died away. Everything became still. The stranger's grip around my waist loosened and I felt my breath picking up pace as I thought of what was coming. Stranger's left arm was still wound delicately around my waist and I felt his other hand hold my chin and tilted my head upwards. My heart was beating at in incredible pace. I could feel stranger's sweet breath coming closer and closer to my face. His smell was intoxicating, driving me crazy! Who was he? His nose touched mine and I could hear his uneven breathing as he brought his lips closer to mine, just lightly brushing them. The feeling was overwhelming and incredible, and he didn't even kiss me yet! Finally his soft lips captured mine and an electric shock ran through my body. I guess he felt it too as he stopped for a moment in shock, before bringing me closer to him with his left hand which was wound around my waist while his right palm still cupped my chin, deepening the kiss. All the coherent thoughts in my mind disappeared. This kiss by far was the most amazing and...perfect kiss I've ever received. My lips felt as if they'll burn from desire as the tingling feeling never left them. I could feel thousands of butterflies in my stomach and I clutched the collar of his shit with both my hands and brought him closer to me. He kissed me back with more passion and eagerness, his lips moving in perfect rhythm with mine.

Finally we both broke the kiss as it became entirely necessary to breath. Our breathing was ragged as his left arm still rested around my waist and he ran the back of his right hand along my cheek. I leaned in his touch; too overwhelm to make sense of my actions. Both my hands rested on his chest. His nose traced my jaw, making my breathing jagged.

"who are you?" the stranger's voice came in a light whisper...and my entire body became rigid. I removed my hands away from his chest. I recognized his velvety soft voice. I could recognize this voice anywhere!

This couldn't be possible! No chance!

"3....2....1....STOP!" Alice's voice filled the silent room and the lights flicked on.

All my doubts disappeared. There was no more uncertainty as to who was the guy I just kissed.

Before me stood a very shocked looking Edward. His green eyes wide with recognition and twinkling with excitement. The amount of butterflies in my stomach increased. His position never changed. His arms were still wound tightly around my waist.

My perfect kiss was from a very familiar green eyed stranger….

A/N : hey people! I need suggestions for A NAME OF THE PUPPY. So if you have any suggestions for a name for a cute little Dalmatian :p…please tell me in your reviews. The best suggestion would be appreciated and I'll finally be able to give the puppy a name! Help!

A/N: Please review!

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