Twilight is not mine, and neither do the characters.

They belong to no other than S Meyer

a/n : okay, so, i edited some part of this chapter.

Chapter 2 (BPOV)

"Bella?" I heard someone called my name as I opened my eyes slowly.

"Bella? We need to go back now. It's getting late. We're having dinner with the group." I heard that velvety voice speak again.

I blinked several times, and saw his emerald green eyes first.

"Edward?" My voice was groggy. And I realized that I had fallen asleep.

He chuckled and offered his hand to help me get up. As I began to move, I saw that my shoulder was covered by his jacket. I smiled and took his hand.

"What time is it?" I asked him, slowly tightened his jacket around me.

"A quarter to 7." He said and his phone rang by then.

"Hello?" He answered without looking at the caller ID. "We'll be there in 20 minutes, Em. Bye."

"Emmett?" I asked him.

He nodded then laughed quietly, "He said that he's very hungry and the girls won't let him eat until we're all there."

"Well, maybe we shouldn't let him wait any longer." I said.

"I can't agree more." He grinned.

We walked in silence. I almost fell as I tripped on the stones, only Edward was there to catch me. He grabbed my hand and held it while he led the way to his Volvo. My heart simply pounded faster than before, and I was quite sure my face was as red as a tomato.

ooooo

"Where did you guys go?" Alice asked as we stepped inside our (the girls) apartment.

"Sorry, I fell asleep." I said to Alice. She frowned at me.

"Come on, Alice. She's just tired." Edward defended me. Yep, that's my best friend, always defending me.

Alice huffed. " Okaaayyyy." She dragged the words, "Help me here, Bella." She said and then got into the kitchen.

"Where's Rose?" I asked her before I gulped my water. I exited the kitchen to give Edward a coke and then walked back to the kitchen.

"Don't ask me. I think you've known the answer." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Emmett." I muttered. Yes, our group had become couples, except for Edward and I.

We worked for another couple of minutes and then arranged the dining room table with the help of Edward and Jasper.

"Rose! Emmett! Dinner is ready!" Edward yelled, standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Why are you yelling?" Jasper asked him.

"I don't want to see inappropriate things. Did you expect me to go to Rose's room?" He shot Jasper a look.

Jasper simply chuckled and sat beside Alice.

"I'll go change first. Save some for me, or else Emmett will eat that all." I said, pointing to the salad and the pizzas.

I changed into white tank top and a pair of shorts. When I got back there, everyone was eating their dinner. I took a seat beside Edward.

"You asked me to eat all of this?" I turned to Edward.

He raised an eyebrow. I looked down at my plate. There were 2 slices of pizza and a lot of salad.

I sighed, "You have to eat the rest if I can't eat this all." He just nodded while resumed eating.

"How's your boutique, Alice?" Rose asked.

"It's great." She grinned. Marice Fashion Boutique was hers as she had started it a year ago. It was a great success and I couldn't say that I was surprised, what with her love for fashion and all. And she also had her own line, Mary Alice.

"What about your work, Rose?" Jasper asked. Rose was a model and she joined a famous agency, and of course, Jasper and Emmett's company often hired her as a model too. She's quite famous now.

"Good. No, I think it's amazing." She said, smiling.

I, myself, followed my parents as an interior designer, and I was handling my parents' company branch here, in New York. Surprising enough, all of our parents got along really well.

After we met the guys a year and a half ago, we became closer and closer. We spent loads of time together since then and Christmas that year was spent in my parents' home in Canada. It had been tradition for my, Alice and Rose's family to spend Christmas together. We took turns as to who was to host the party each year. We ended up all going home together, inviting the boys and their families to join in on the festivities. Our parents themselves never met before then.

You might say it was coincidence, but all of our parents did live in the same town in Canada. I, myself, prefer to say that it was wonderful coincidence. I wondered why we never met the boys when we went back in holiday.

Before that Christmas, in July, we went back to Canada together. We visited each other home, and met the parents. We got along well with them, and Christmas felt like a reunion.

I was in my room with Alice and Rose. They were going to give me a make-over. I hadn't gotten used to it even though I was friends with them since I was baby!

"Don't you want to look beautiful tonight?" Alice asked me while I rejected her idea to play Bella-Barbie.

"What is the difference with other Christmas nights, Alice?" I asked her. I usually didn't get this difficult with her, because I knew she would win in the end.

"Because today, Edward will be here!" Rose said as if it was the obvious reason. Well, I guess it was. She was applying her own make-up before doing mine.

My jaw dropped, but I quickly composed myself, I was doing good, I hoped.

"What's with him?" My voice was slightly higher than I intended it to be.

Both of them rolled their eyes at the same time, and Rose turned to look at me.

"Do you think you can lie to us?" Both of them asked me, at the same time, again.

"Um.. no?"

Alice nodded her head, "Good, at least you know that." She said.

"But that doesn't answer my question." I said again.

Rose sighed dramatically, as if she was doing the toughest job in the world. "You like him,don't you?"

I felt the heat crept from my neck up to my face.

Alice wore that knowing smile and then continued to rummage through my closet.

"I take that as a yes." Rose said, nodding.

"I've known that." Alice chirped in.

"We'veknown that." Rose corrected her.

I just sat there, knowing there's no point to argue. I couldn't lie, even if I wanted to. They knew me more than I knew myself.

Alice put a white cinched-waist strapless bra top dress on my bed , a nice soft-blue sweater and white ankle-strap mary jane shoes.

"Sit here, Bella." Alice called me, and pointed to the stool in front of my big, long mirror.

"Don't go overboard, you guys." I warned them. They nodded.

I sighed, here's the torture. I closed my eyes, not wanting to know of whatever they were doing to me. Alice was doing my hair and Rose was doing my make-up.
After an hour and a half that seemed like forever, Alice tapped me on my shoulder.

"Finished!" she said. But before I could open my eyes, Alice turned me around and asked me to change my clothes.

After Alice had made sure that I wore my clothes right, she spun me around to the mirror.

I couldn't help but stare at the girl in front of me, or rather my reflection. I looked different from usual. Actually, the usual plain me looked…beautiful. Well, I expected that from the professional hands as Rose and Alice.

"Thank you, girls. I look different." I hugged them.

"Silly Bella. You're beautiful, you know." Rose said, hugging me back.

"Come on. the boys will arrive in a few minutes." Alice said. As she finished speaking, the bell rang.

I heard the door open and then Jasper's voice was heard. Alice eagerly got downstairs, followed by me and Rose.

A few minutes later, Emmett came in with his parents. Our parents were now sitting in the living room, so we, children, took the next room over, the second living room.

The door rang again as we were talking.

"I'll get the door." I said and got up.

I opened the door and gasped when I saw him. He was wearing a black button down shirt, he opened the first 2 buttons and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

"Hello, Bella." He said and smiled.

"Hi." I almost whispered.

"You look beautiful tonight, Bella." He whispered in my ear when he hug me. "As always."

"Thanks" I blushed. "You don't look too bad yourself."

He smiled.

"Hello, dear." I heard a woman voice behind him and looked past him.

"Esme!" I squealed and hugged Edward's mother.

"How are you, Bella?" She laughed and hugged me back. I heard Edward chuckled.

"I'm fine, Esme, thank you." I said and took a step back.

"Carlisle" I hugged the man beside Esme who had his hand around her waist. Carlisle was a well-known doctor in town.

"Hello, Bella. Thanks for inviting us to come." He said after I pulled away from the hug.

I invited them to come in, and after I introduced Edward's parents to my parents, we talked for a while and then settled for dinner.

The parents were wrapped in their own conversation then, as we were in ours.

"Present time!" Alice squealed after we'd finished our dinner. The parents had went back to the living room.

We exchanged presents then. I'd gotten Alice and Rose a similar strapless gowns that went just above the knee with a tie-knot in front. Rose's was red and Alice's was yellow.

As for Emmett, I gave him Hermes men's cologne. I got Jasper a sweater from Hermes too.

I got an LVs wallet from Rose and high-heels from Alice. Maybe she wanted me to learn to wear them. I cringed at the thought. Emmett gave me a nice music box and Jasper got me a new Wuthering Heights copy and some other books.

After we said thanks, the couples went to give their presents to each other.

Alice and Jasper at the love seat, Emmett and Rose went to the front garden.

"How about we go to your swimming pool?" Edward asked.

I nodded and led the way.

"So, ready for your present?" Edward asked me.

I took a deep breath, "Okay."

He chuckled, he knew I didn't really like presents, I hated it when people spent money for me.

"Come on, Edward. Let's finish this quickly." I said to him.

"Fine" He chuckled again, Close your eyes."

I closed my eyes as he told me to. And then I felt he opened my hand and something velvety was on my hand.

"You may open your eyes now." He said.

I opened them and saw a long velvet box on my hand. Curious, I opened it. Inside was a cute gold necklace, with gold-ribbon shaped pendant. I gasped and my eyes widened.

Edward looked nervous, "You don't like it?"

I laughed, "Edward, it's beautiful. Really." I assured him. His smile grew.

I silently cleared my throat, afraid that he didn't like my present.

"Where's mine?" He playfully wiggled his eyebrows.

I gave him the long box and he raised an eyebrow.

"Just opened it." I said, shifting in my sit.

He chuckled and then slowly lifted up the lid.

"Thank you, Bella." He said and took the double tag pendants chain I got him from Tiffany's in his hand, while smiling softly.

"Do you like it?" It was my turn to get nervous.

He nodded, "I really like it", he said. My smile reappeared.

We talked for a while before going back to the main living room, where everybody gathered.

I took a seat beside Alice on the couch, Edward sat beside me.

"Bella, Esme will help us," my mom said, smiling widely. I felt like she'd jump around if there was nobody here.

I raised an eyebrow, "Pardon?" I didn't get what my mom meant.

"You know how I designed my own home, right, Bella?" Esme asked me, smiling.

I nodded. Of course I knew, I had seen how wonderful she decorated her home. I felt something clicked.

"Do you mean, Esme is going to help you in the company, mom?" I asked.

My mom nodded eagerly. I grinned at them, they were going to be great partners.

"So, Edward." Alice began, drawing me back to the present. "How did the shoot go?"

"It went really well." He said, smiling to himself.

I frowned, "I don't think I did it good, Edward."

He just smiled again, wider, if it was possible. I just looked at him, but he didn't say anything else, so I shrugged.

"Hey, it's weekend. Wanna do something? Go to beach, for instance?" Jasper suggested.

"That's a great idea, Jasper." Alice clapped her hands.

I groaned, which caused Edward to look at me.

"Alice will definitely force me to wear something I don't want to been seen in." I said in a whisper and dropped my head on my hands.

At this, he just chuckled. "Like what?" He asked, and I saw amusement in his eyes.

"Like, bikinis." I said it like I was talking about poison.

Edward laughed then. Turning to me, he said in a teasing tone. "I guess I'll be waiting to see you in that since you're always wearing one-piece swimming suit all this time."

I looked at him wide-eyed and jaw slightly dropped, "Edward Cullen!" I said, mortified. But really, the butterflies in my stomach were fluttering really hard.

He just laughed and walked away.

There! Chapter 2, with editing here and there.

Review = a kiss from Edward Cullen

-MrsSwanCullen-