Disclaimer: Thanks again to my wonderful beta, MissAlex.

I own a cat, a laptop, I even own a brand new mobile phone. Unfortunately, though, I do not own Twilight.

Chapter 2: Angel of the Airwaves

The next morning, I wondered if the previous night's events were just a delightful creation of my overactive imagination, a result of my career as a journalist. Even so, now that I was completely awake and well-rested, I still felt tingly all over and I knew for sure that I wasn't imagining that. After a deep and meaningful reflection, I arrived at the conclusion that the owner of that husky, dreamy, velvety voice must have been Apollo himself, because no human being could have been graced with such a talent.

Today was Saturday, and although I was attending a ballet in the early evening for work, I still had the morning and afternoon to myself. Despite the workaholic façade that I put up for the rest of the world, apart from Alice, of course, I was secretly one of the laziest people on earth, and on weekends, I usually let my true nature take over.

My plan was to lie on the couch all day for as long as I could. The theme of my day was going to be relaxation, but fate, in the form of Alice, had other plans. She organized a shopping trip to the mall today, and between work and sleep-deprivation, I couldn't come up with a good enough excuse to save myself from that torture. Apparently, as she so put it, she needed her shopping fix in order to get through the ballet later tonight.

At ten o'clock, we left our apartment. Alice bounced in her seat the entire ride while I sulked in the passenger seat.

"Come on, Bells!" she giggled. "Try to smile at least. If you're trying to depress me, you should know that you're in over your head."

Of course, I knew that. Alice was a combination of vivacity and cheerfulness which was on the brink of explosion at all times. Her petite body was like a champagne bottle ready to be uncorked. Despite my sour mood, I couldn't help but smile.

"I know you, Alice, and I know it's impossible to get you down. Don't worry, I will allow you to play Barbie Bella for as long as you want today. Well, at least until closing time."

We arrived at our destination within a few minutes. After Alice parked her not-so-discreet yellow Porsche, and we exited the vehicle, I couldn't help but tease her.

"Hmm, Hell certainly isn't as hot as I thought it would be," I smirked as I scanned the mall parking lot. "I expected flames and people with horns and tails. Where are they? Are you sure we're at the right place, Al? Didn't you say we were going to the mall today?"

She shoved my shoulder playfully as we made our way towards the mall entrance. "Stop making fun of me! I know you secretly enjoy our shopping expeditions."

"Yeah, sure." I rolled my eyes with a smile. "And you know what I also like? Having my legs waxed. Keep dreaming, sis!

"If it helps you sleep at night, Fendi..." she sang.

The automatic doors slid open and we entered the mall. Alice, in her typical shopaholic frenzy, strode towards the stores, her short legs moving faster than I thought possible, leaving me panting as I tried to keep up with her. She stopped abruptly, eyebrow furrowed, and her eyes glossed over as though she was in some sort of a trance.

I groaned. I knew what that meant.

"Oh, Bells!" she exclaimed as she pointed at one of the shop windows. "That green dress right there is just what you need. I know it will look great on you! Will you try it on, Bells? For me?" Her lower lip jutted out and she looked up at me with wide eyes.

Well, she was no psychic, but she did have a sixth sense for clothes. But even though she had an excellent taste, we still had a few hours of shopping ahead of us, and if the torture started in the first few minutes, I didn't think I would come out of this hellhole alive. I contemplated telling her no, but unfortunately for me, her pout was very hard to resist and my resolved weakened.

"Can I say no?" I asked, in one last attempt to find a way out of this.

Instead of verbally responding, Alice squealed and clapped her hands while fervently shaking her head. I sighed in defeat. I guessed that meant she won.

We walked into the shop, and after briefly scanning the room, I knew this would be very expensive torture. I tightened the grip on my purse, but my efforts were in vain. Once Alice made up her mind about an outfit, resistance was futile. It wasn't that I didn't have the money, I just didn't want to spend it on trivial things such as dresses and shoes. As George Bernard Shaw wisely said, "Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months."

That was my point precisely.

As my self-proclaimed personal shopper spoke with the store clerk, I had the chance to look at the perfect dress more closely. It was undoubtedly nice, and not even remotely trashy, but it was still a little too pompous for me. As I turned away, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was a strapless, navy blue, knee-length dress, both elegant and dare I say, sexy?

Alice glanced in my direction and made a beeline right for me. Within a few moments, I found myself in the dressing room with my idea of the perfect dress in hand. She must've really liked my choice because she didn't even bring up the green dress.

"Come on, Bella! Hurry up!" Alice bellowed from the other side of the door. "I can't wait to see how it looks on you!"

I managed to put it on without doing any damage. With my coordination, or lack thereof, that was quite a great accomplishment. As soon as I stepped outside the dressing room, Alice attacked me. After all those years, it still amazed me how much she could say in just one
breath.

"Oh Bella, you look simply fabulous. It's perfect!" she exclaimed. "You should wear it tonight. Oh, I'm so excited! With all the guys that I'm sure will ask for your number, this ballet might not be as boring as I thought it would be. You have to buy it, or I will." Without waiting for my response, she turned around and waved her hand in the air. "Miss, we've decided!"

I just smiled and let Alice do her thing. While I went back into the dressing room to change, my best friend hunted down the sales clerk to tell her the good news. Against my better judgement, I glanced at the price tag and cringed. Considering the amount, I knew that the clerk would be just as happy as Alice, if not more.

After one last quick look around the shop, Alice insisted on paying for my dress so we could continue on our shopping expedition. I found a pair of Jimmy Choo stilettos and a Fendi bag which matched my new purchase perfectly, and although my feet hurt just looking at my new shoes, I couldn't help but feel satisfied with my choices.

I wasn't a fashion connoisseur like Alice, however she did ask for my opinion on various items and I ended up helping her pick out some skirts and blouses, as if her wardrobe wasn't full enough. My favourite was a beautiful Calvin Klein blood red knee-length skirt that looked spectacular on her. It also matched perfectly with a top she'd purchased recently at Burberry. We decided that she was going to wear that outfit and some red pumps. Finally, at four thirty, Alice declared it was time to leave. My aching muscles were grateful.

On the way home, I messed with the radio, attempting to find a station playing a decent song. As I scanned the various options, my search came to a halt when I recognized the voice of the DJ from the previous night.

"To all of my wonderful listeners, your ears do not deceive you. As promised, today we have managed to score an interview with the popular up-and-coming musician you've all been calling in for. His new song has been the most requested song of the week and we have him here with us right now. Hello, Mr. Dames. How are you?"

My heart stopped when I heard my angel speak.

"Please, call me Andrew."

Let me know what you think. Review!