This chappie's a bit longer because there's more stuff to cover :)

The outfit for this chapter can be found here:

www(dot)polyvore(dot)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_day/set?id=33014092

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

TXTXTXT

Chapter Three: Just Another Label

Friday, June 24, 2011

Day Two of Bet

BPOV

It takes a little bit of imagination – and some reacquainting with the clothes that are already in my closet – but I finally emerge from my room triumphant.

Alice gapes at my outfit when I'm finally able to catch her attention by posing in my doorway for a few seconds. She immediately forgets about her comics and coffee and daintily drops from the barstool, skipping toward me to get a good look at me ensemble.

"This is more like it, Swan! See? This isn't going to be so hard; all you have to do is find new combinations for your clothes and it's almost like they're new!" She squeals encouragingly, admiring the way I paired shirt number two. Today's challenge is a practically see-through, thin white "boyfriend" shirt that I bought around two weeks ago.

I roll my eyes at her utter enthusiasm, but it's just one thing I love about her. She can make anything seem ten times more exciting than it is, and with a dad like Charlie – who internalizes his emotions – it's a good contrast to have someone like Alice around.

"Thanks, Alice. It took some rummaging in the closet to remember that I'd ever bought this skirt, but I think it worked out well," I agree. She gives me a goofy smile and compliments my makeup while I shovel some breakfast into my mouth before she shoos me off to work with a slap on the ass.

My mid-thigh length, navy blue skirt swishes around, tickling my skin as I walk down the hall to the elevator in our apartment to get down to my car. My light brown booties make a muted thunk thunk sound down the carpeted hall.

I've noticed over the past few days that the previously empty suite next to ours has been occupied, though I've never seen its inhabitant. I've only seen various moving boxes stacked on top of each other in the hall so far. I should talk to Alice about welcoming our new neighbor.

One downside to living in LA is not being able to walk anywhere unless you take a trip to a nature preserve or whatnot. Gas prices are a bitch nowadays, but I love my sturdy Lexus SUV, so it's not so much of a pain in the ass to drive everywhere.

Angela asks me over and over again if I'm sure that I've worn these clothes before when I get to the office; she seems to still be in shock over my 39-day challenge. I assure her that I actually have, but she still doesn't believe me.

When I sit down at my computer, there's an email from Bree, who gives me insight into Edward's book. Aro asked her yesterday to send me all her notes so there won't be a rough patch in Edward's transition between two copyeditors. I lose myself in her notes on Edward's work and gnaw on a pen when some of her corrections particularly irritate me.

At around lunchtime, I give my tired eyes a break and thunk thunk over to the break room.

There, I find none other than Jessica Stanley, who's standing against the wall while nibbling on her dressing-less salad like a rabbit. Bitch probably thinks she'll burn off calories if she stands while eating.

God knows how many times she's glared at me while I ate microwaved pasta or Olive Garden leftovers. She's just jealous that she can't eat anything without it going straight to her thighs; she's only been on her "special diet" for about half a year now, and the only thing that looks thinner is her hair since she's lacking nutrients a normal person consumes.

"Bella." She says my name with a note of disdain. "Slacking off already, aren't we? You're a little late on giving me Mayer's information. Are all these responsibilities too stressful for you?" she asks with false sincerity.

I give her an equally false smile. "Well, if you weren't so busy looking at eHow articles on 'how to seduce a man', then you would've noticed that I put a USB drive on your desk with a big-ass post-it note explaining that it contains all of the information you'll need for your…promotion." I can't help but laugh when I say the last word.

I was just taking a stab in the dark with the eHow article, but it seems like I'm on the right track. Of course Jessica would do that kind of thing.

Slut-face Stanley huffs and puts the lid on her salad while I go to the microwave to heat up some leftover spaghetti that Alice cooked last night.

"You're not qualified for Edward's story, and you only got the job you're Aro's favorite; everyone knows that. I'd suggest you back out before you embarrass yourself with your incompetence," she asserts, with a scowl on her face.

Life would be so much easier if Jessica didn't actually have some sort of intelligence under the full head of artificially 'volumized' hair. I mean, she has to know something, at least, to survive in this job.

"And I'd suggest that you apply for a job with the Hollywood Insider so you'll feel less threatened by the superior intellect here, because you obviously are feeling like you don't fit in," I comment. Her eyes narrow at me and she tries to think of a retort, but upon not finding one, she instead stomps out of the room.

Swan-1, Slut-face-0.

Angela joins me in the break room for awhile, and she makes me promise to tell her everything about working with Edward. I call her out on trying to live vicariously through me, and she doesn't even try to deny it.

I see that I have a text from "Incompetent Author" when I get back to my desk and almost piss myself with excitement. So he hadn't forgotten about our…meeting… congregation… get-together… whatever it is that we're doing. I sure know what I want to get together with, though.

Sorry I haven't texted you sooner – I hope it's not too late to ask if we can meet at the Coffee Bean at 4? I could pick you up if you want.

I check the clock to make sure I can get enough work done until then before replying.

No problem, and 4 sounds great. I came by car, so I'll just meet you there?

After I wake my computer up, my phone vibrates against my leg again.

Perfect. I'll see you in a bit, Bella :)

I love it when men use smiley faces in texts. Yes, I am one of those people who read too much into text language. Men are usually so abrupt with their periods and one-word answers. Edward, though, is wonderfully wordy and…emoticon-y. It gives the text more of a warm feeling. God, I'm such a girl sometimes.

I decide to text Alice before I delve back into my work. I let her know that I've seen my phone's wallpaper, I have been a good girl so far, fuck you very much. She only replies with a "lol," and I cringe at her use of teen-lingo.

I finish reading all of Bree's notes and I'm even able to get started on my own annotations on Edward's story when I leave the office. If this weren't LA, I'd be able to walk to the coffee shop instead of having to lug around my car, I think to myself angrily. But it is for a good cause – Edward's company.

The store is relatively crowded, but I find Edward's face easily. He's secured us a table in the corner, and waves me over when I catch his eye.

He stands up when I make it over to the table and shuffles around a little awkwardly. Neither of us knows how to greet each other, so we just settle on a friendly smile and wave.

"Uhm, I'll go get us some coffee! What's your order?" He asks me, sticking his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Well, I'm not much of a coffee person; I personally prefer tea," I admit. "Er, I like the Earl Gray tea." He nods and walks over to get in line. When I'm sure he can't see me, I close my eyes to center myself.

He's just the guy you're working for. I'm sure there's a copyeditors anonymous for people who find their authors incredibly good looking. Better than incredibly good looking… I mean, look at that jaw!

I open my eyes to blatantly stare at him as he tells the cashier his order. His jaw moves back and forth, up and down, and my eyes scan over his face greedily. He probably hasn't shaved since yesterday, so there's a very light coating of stubble over his jawline. I want to lick it.

I try to distract myself from my desire to ogle the shit out of that guy by prying my eyes away from him and digging my purse for my wallet.

When he comes back to our back-of-the-store nook, I hand him a five dollar bill, but he waves me away.

"I'm more than happy to bribe you with tea for your company," he tells me while handing me some sugar.

"There's no bribery necessary; I am stuck with you, after all," I joke. "Thanks, though." We smile at each other for a few seconds before I look down at my cup tea and take off the lid to pour some sugar in. I keep the lid off, because it scares me when I can't see how much tea I'm about to drink with the lid covering the drink.

"So, I finished reading all of Bree's notes today at the office, and I'm all caught up with what your story's about. I've actually started making my own notes, so we can meet a few times a week and talk about my comments or something, if that sounds good," I say nervously.

"Yeah, that sounds great. I'm curious to see what kind of awful errors you find in there." He laughs, and I give him a disapproving glare.

"For your information, I haven't found any errors, Mr. Humble," I say, and he laughs again.

"Not yet! It's like a marriage; at first everything's all new and shiny, but after a while, you see all the nasty faults," he quips. That off-handed comment gets me thinking, though. Does he have a significant other?

"Speaking of marriage…" I say awkwardly. "Do you have someone special in your life?" I take another sip of my tea so I don't have to look at him. As a result of my discomfort, I end up tipping my cup too far back and end up spilling the warm tea on myself.

The liquid drips off my chin and down to my chest, splattering on my conveniently see-through white shirt.

I gasp loudly, which gets the attention of a few people sitting around us, and I stare down at my shirt in shock. The fabric's tinged a light brown now, and my lacy nude-colored bra is plainly visible underneath. Before, it wasn't quite so visible, but now it's in plain view. Of course this would happen to me.

I sigh in resignation to look up to see Edward staring at me… my shirt… my chest. Well, he is a red-blooded male, after all. I snap in front of his face jokingly.

"Eyes on the face, buddy," I reprimand him, giggling. His eyes snap up to mine, and a horrified expression takes over his face.

"God, I'm such a dick; here, let me get you some napkins, Bella." His cheeks are tinged with a blush that makes him all the more adorable. I didn't know until yesterday that a man could be cute and absolutely, heartbreakingly sexy at the same time.

He jumps out of his chair and jogs off to get some napkins, and I think about how I could save this situation. My face is burning and sticky, my shirt is see-through, and I don't have a jacket. FML.

"Here you go," Edward says, holding out a stack of napkins. One of them is actually wet. How thoughtful of him. I thank him and dap at my face first with the wet one to rub away the stickiness, then I fruitlessly rub at my shirt. It's salvageable, but only after going through a cycle in the wash.

"I'm sorry about that," he says, and I look at him questioningly.

"It's not your fault I'm so awkward and inept," I tell him.

"Er, no. I meant…" he trails off, and I guess he's talking about staring at my goods. He clears his throat before changing the topic.

"And to answer your question, no, I don't have anyone special. I may just be an eternal bachelor, writing books in my man-cave." I hope he doesn't see the shock and relief on my face. Bachelor? Edward? That's hilarious; he can have any girl he sets his eyes on. His gorgeous forest-green eyes… "How about you?"

"Eternal spinster," I say jokingly. "Well, I live with my best friend Alice, who has a boyfriend. Otherwise, I'd totally marry her on Facebook so I don't look like a single loser." He chuckles.

"Hey, it seems like you won't be able to get that stain out for awhile," he observes. "Do you want to borrow my jacket, for modesty's sake? You can give it back to me when we see each other again." I'm about to protest, but I think about how good he smells – he smells like mint and sandalwood today – I decide that it can't hurt to be engulfed in his scent for awhile.

"That's so nice; thank you," I tell him as he pulls off his leather jacket and hands it to me. It's a little chilly inside anyway, so I zip it up just enough to cover the spill.

We spend a couple of hours talking about his story and ourselves and I'm excited to find that we've seemed to hit it off really well. I hate it when I have to force a relationship with an author, but it's so effortless with Edward.

I have a feeling my work's going to be spiced up a little bit, especially since I have to spend so much time with Edward over the next couple of weeks; I mean, what a chore, right?

We promise to meet up again after the weekend, and I thank him again for the tea and for protecting my modesty before heading back to the apartment.

TXTXTXT

Alice forces me to tell her about my 'date' with Edward, and when I inform her of the unfortunate tea spilling incident, she laughs so hard, she ends up on the floor with her hands clutching her ribs.

"Oh, Bella!" Gasp. "Of course that would happen to you!" Gasp, laughter. "And with that shirt! I don't regret that bet at all! Oh my God…" I go back into my room, leaving her on the floor in our living room, and shed the stained white shirt. I put it in a laundry basket and dump the rest of my dirty clothes in there to take to the washing machine after dinner.

What seemed to be the perfect outfit this morning turned out to be a disaster. But was it really that bad? Edward was obviously affected by the sight of my bra. This should mean something, right?

When I return to the living room to check on Alice, she's in the kitchen, already starting to cook dinner. What a great friend.

"So… Edward kinda checked out my rack today. And he told me he doesn't have a 'significant other', so…" I mumble around a stick of carrot I'd stolen from her cutting board. I continue to rant when she kinks her eyebrow at me, signaling me to continue.

"But he's so damn far out of my league! And it would completely complicate our copyeditor/author relationship! Like, what if things don't work out? It would be hell, working with him for weeks, knowing I'd screwed up somehow. I know it's too early to be thinking these things, but I can't help myself! He's just so…dreamy!" I sigh the last word like I'm a fucking Disney princess.

Alice steps away to push the vegetables into the frying pan. While she mixes the vegetables together on top of the stove, she tells me, "The man always needs to make the first move. You can check him out all you want, but make sure he makes his intentions clear before you do anything. Isn't it better to have loved and lost than to not have loved at all or whatever?" She ponders for a few moments as I chomp on the carrot stick, eating up her advice… and the carrot, too, of course.

"Anyway, it's easy to keep whatever happens under wraps. You know Aro loves you, so it's not like he's going to blow up and fire you if he finds out that something's going on. He'll just tell you to make sure you still get shit done.

"I say that you go for it, but look for his cues first. If it doesn't work out, I'm sure you'll be able to keep the relationship perfectly professional," she assures me. She whips the spatula around the pan a little more and plates the food. Handing me one of the plates, we both walk over to the couch.

"You really think this could work? If anything even happens, that is," I clarify.

"Well, he has to pass my inspection first, of course. But other than that, I think it'll be great. I really should meet him before I give you any more advice though." She giggles.

While I wash the dishes, Alice calls out to me from her room as she walks toward the kitchen, "Oh! I almost forgot! I baked a pie to take over to our new neighbor. It'll be less embarrassing than you taking a store-bought dish." She glares at me teasingly. "I hope we're not going to need to invest in some thicker walls…" She adds, looking worried.

Ah, yes, our last neighbor was an…enthusiastic nympho by the name of Paulina who had a lot of…friends. We'd politely asked her to tone it down a couple of times, but after she invited us over to "hang out" with a couple of her male friends one night, we made a formal complaint to the owner of the building.

"God, I almost forgot about that!" I exclaim. "Thank the Lord I have you around. I don't know what I would ever do without you," I tell her, planting a wet kiss on her cheek. She wipes it off her cheek with the back of her hand, muttering "ew!"

I look down at what I'm wearing now to make sure I'm presentable. I'm wearing some opaque leggings and a long, tight, blue tank-top and Edward's jacket – which I still refuse to take off, what with Edward's fragrance clinging to it – so I deem myself somewhat respectable-looking. Maybe it'll be an old person who can't even tell what I'm wearing.

We head out of the apartment with Alice carrying the cherry pie. I'm the one with the free hands, so I knock on door number 204, and we both wait for the person to answer the door. There's some shuffling around and what I imagine is someone kicking boxes out of the way, but finally, the person unlatches the door and opens it and…

…Holy mother of all blowjobs. Thank the Lord Alice didn't have me hold onto the pie, because this scene would just become that much worse if I'd dropped it.

Edward's mouth is open and his eyes are wide and his hair is a mess, like he just stuck it in one of those hand-blow dryers. Alice squeaks next to me, I'm opening and closing my mouth like an idiot, and Edward's looking like he just saw his parents having sex.

We must look like a pretty interesting trio.

Alice is the first to recover from the shock, of course, that sly bitch.

"Speak of the devil! You're Edward Cullen, right? Bella's told me so much about you!" She exclaims, and I'm seconds away from pushing the damn pie into her face like in those "Toontown Online" commercials. I glare at her, and then I check Edward's reaction. He looks sheepish, which isn't what I was expecting at all. I thought he'd be freaked out that I'd somehow begun stalking him or something.

"You must be Alice, then," he says amicably. He sticks his hand out to shake hers, and notices that she's holding a pie. "Oh, is that for me?" He asks with a bright smile.

"Yep; we just thought to bring over a little welcoming gift," Alice replies smoothly, and hands him the pie. I feel so out of the loop, like a car stalled in the middle of the freeway while the rest of the cars zoom past me. I shake my head to clear my confusion.

"Wow, thanks! Uhm, do you want to come inside? We can all have a piece, and I can make coffee or something," he says unsurely. Alice waves him off.

"I'm going to have a busy day tomorrow, so I'll have to bow out. But Bella can stay and chat with you," she says as she tries to catch my eye. I nod dumbly. "It was great to finally meet you! We're going to be great neighbors," Alice enthuses, hugging Edward around the waist because she can't reach his shoulders. He hugs her back, looking a little stunned, and we watch her traipse down the hall and back to our apartment.

After a few awkward moments, Edward opens the door wide enough for me to fit through and waves me inside his apartment.

"I'm really sorry about this mess; I still haven't finished unpacking everything. I swear I don't usually live in a pigsty," he explains to me while we pick our way to his kitchen.

"'S okay; I've seen much worse," I tell him. "Namely, my own room." He laughs.

He has me sit down at a wooden table big enough to seat four as he scrounges around for a knife to cut the pie.

"Do you want anything to drink? I don't have too much right now, but there's milk, water, and, of course, tea. I actually stocked up today so I can have some on hand if you ever came by," he admits, blushing a little. "To discuss my story, that is," he clarifies. "I just didn't know we'd be seeing each other so soon." I laugh at the awkwardness of the situation.

"Yeah, what are the odds of us being neighbors? It's insane!" I agree. He smiles at me and cuts us each a slice. "And I'll have whatever you're having." I laugh. "You're getting me something to drink twice in one day! And I thought that I worked for you," I say, giggling.

He returns to the table with a stern look and two glasses of milk. "Hey, we're in this together, cheesy as it sounds. You're as necessary to this publishing process as I am, Bella." He says seriously. I can't help the wide smile that crosses my face.

"Hm, seems like I was right about you being Mr. Humble."

He rolls his eyes, then seems to remember something. His eyes furrow as he says, "Hey, I forgot to ask you about the explanation for your phone's wallpaper."

I take a deep breath after thoroughly chewing some pie. "Well, I'm what people label a 'shopaholic'. No, I don't form weird bonds with the clothes I buy; I just really like getting new things." Edward quirks his eyebrow at me. So judgmental. "Alice doesn't like this at al, because I've had to move my clothes into her room a few times. So she bet that I couldn't go through all the things hanging in my closet that I've already worn, and I stupidly accepted the bet. I have thirty-nine different shirts and dresses to wear, and I'm not allowed to buy any new clothes, makeup, or accessories. I have to make do with what I have." I sigh and look at him after telling my sob story.

He looks amused and I shoot him a glare. He holds up his hands in surrender, and asks, "And what's your prize if you win?"

"Ali's going to give me all the closet space that I want for my clothes and a new outfit to wear on the 40th day." He nods thoughtfully and spears the last piece of pie into his mouth. He moans and stretches his arms in the air, tipping his chair back. I stare unabashedly as his bicep muscles flex for the entirety of six glorious seconds.

"That's some of the best pie I've ever eaten; did Alice bake it?"

"Yeah; she's the chef out of the two of us," I tell him. "My inability to cook is kind of embarrassing. I have no idea what I'd do if we didn't live together."

"I can teach you how to cook sometime," he offers with the quirk of an eyebrow. Of course the guy could cook. He's perfect. "Hey, eternal bachelor, remember? I have to learn to fend for myself. It's either that or go hunting in the frozen section of the supermarket for shitty food," he says, cringing.

"Hey, don't diss the instant food! They're good for the time and money you spend on them," I say defensively. Sometimes, when Alice stays over at Jasper's place, I'm forced with the plight of having to find something nourishing. Usually, though, she leaves leftovers for me.

"Well, let me know if you ever want to learn to cook. Maybe I can have a stay-at-home mom training class; I bet that would make good money," he muses, smirking.

"Uh, no. All they'd do is ogle you and sexually harass you. Women are animals, I tell you," I murmur.

"Yeah, Jessica Stanley gives me the creeps," he says, eyes wide with fright. I laugh, because it makes me happy that he's aware of her obnoxious seducing tactics. When I tell him about the eHow comment I'd made today, his face almost goes purple, and he looks like he's about to throw up.

"Don't worry," I tell him. "You'll be safe with me." He laughs breathlessly, still scarred from hearing about what Jessica may do to him.

"Don't think I didn't notice that you're wearing my jacket," he comments, putting his arms over his chest as he walks me over to his front door. I gasp and turn around, not wanting to face him. I didn't think today could get any more embarrassing.

He tugs on my wrist and forces me to stop walking and turn around. All traces of humor are gone from his countenance, and he smiles warmly at me.

"It looks good on you; you should keep it," he says unexpectedly. I raise my eyebrows at him.

"It's only fair that my favorite copyeditor should own my favorite jacket," he says jokingly, fingering the cuff of his jacket that I'm wearing.

"No, it's yours, so you should keep it," I reply weakly. His intense stare is making my knees a bit wobbly.

"It's not against the rules, so you're allowed to keep it," he debates with a faux-serious face. I sigh in defeat and he brings me in for a hug.

Oh my. Mint and sandalwood everywhere. I take in a big inhale and let it out in a sigh of contentment. We – well, he's the one to let go first – break apart far too quickly, and we say our good nights.

The new development of Edward living next door to me will give me ample opportunity to hang out with him outside the office. These next few weeks actually may not be too bad after all.

TXTXTXT

Yay for sexy neighbors and stupid, jealous co-workers! Oh, wait… XD

Some love for three consecutive successful days of updates?

Monday's chapter (day 5) teaser for reviewers!