Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. If I did, then I may have written an Isle Esme scene. -wink wink-


Chapter 3: Trivial

This is a bad idea, this is a bad idea…

"Bella, stop it with the pessimism," Alice said, finishing the final curl on my hair. I had agreed for her to do my hair after a lot of pouting from her. It was torture. But, I couldn't deny Alice. That's just the way it was.

"So you read minds?" I said.

"No," she said, laughing. "It's written all over your face. All you really need is a neon sign over your head."

I laughed nervously. "Yeah."

Alice sighed. "What's really wrong?"

I looked down and sighed. "Jane just got out of the hospital. Don't you think it's a bad idea for her to just be running around like nothing happened?"

Alice frowned. "I wish I could stop her, Bella, I really wish I could. But even I only have so much power over her."

I just nodded once, sighing again. Alice checked over my face and the back of my hair before clasping her hands together and smiling.

"You're done! Look!" she encouraged, grinning. I rolled my eyes at Alice's enthusiasm, halfheartedly turning around to face the mirror and looking at myself. And that's exactly what I did—just looked. I was speechless at Alice's work. Still, I thought that I was still plain-looking (which wasn't a problem with me), but I had to give Alice credit. She did know how to do makeup and hair.

"Wow, Ali. It looks great. Thanks," I said, smiling and giving her a hug.

"We're going to meet everybody there at eight," she told me. "So get your shit and meet me downstairs." With that, she skipped out of my room and left me to grab my stuff.

Well, tonight would be interesting.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

I was so confused.

After Alice had dropped me off, wanting to get a few errands done before she came, I walked into the bar with my hopes high, spotting everybody immediately, but was overcome with bewilderment. Everybody at the bar we arrived at knew exactly what they were ordering—I honestly had no idea what they were saying. I couldn't remember the names, either. Jane was shouting random things like names being picked out from a hat. Clearly, as you can see, I wasn't into the whole drinking and going out thing.

"I just ordered you a sex on the beach," Jane said to me after she ordered everything. "Perfect for a first time drinker."

"Thanks," I said lamely, giving her a wry smile. She smiled and walked up to the bartender, obviously flirting with him. I sighed.

"You don't seem very enthusiastic," a voice next to me said. I spun my head around and saw Edward standing there with a drink in his hand. He looked down at me with a frown.

"I'm just not used to…you know, all of this," I said. I shrugged and looked away shyly. He circled around the table and sat across from me. I idly watched Emmett and Rose talk at the bar and Jane smile as she flirted with the bartender.

"You'll get used to it eventually," he said. "Emmett will start dragging you everywhere."

"Lovely," I said. He took a sip of his drink and set it on the table.

"What is that?" I said, nodding my head towards his glass. The top of the glass was frosted with something white.

"Oh, it's a lemon drop," he said. He picked up the glass. "Taste it. It's really good."

I hesitated. What the hell¸ I thought, and took the glass. I took a sip, holding the liquid in my mouth for a second before swallowing. The frost on the rim of the glass was sugar. I could taste the alcohol and—lemon juice? It would make sense. Otherwise, it really didn't taste bad. I took another sip before handing it back to him. He laughed.

"Told you," he said, grinning. He drowned the rest of it in one gulp and set the glass down.

I continued watching Emmett and Rosalie talk, ignoring the loudness of the bar around me. Edward looked at me for a second, and then looked behind his shoulder to see what I was looking at. Of course, just then, Emmett and Rose decided to make out in the middle of the bar.

"Wow," he said, rolling his eyes. "Well, that's my cue to leave." I laughed as he shrugged into his jacket and started to walk to the back alley. He stopped and turned around. "You coming?"

I quickly got up from my chair and grabbed my jacket, wanting to get out of the pandemonium as quickly as possible. I followed Edward through the crowded tables and drunken regulars towards the back, where a door led to the outside alley. I took a deep breath as I stepped outside, thankful for the fresh, chilly air. The alley was deserted, besides Edward and me. I welcomed the quiet Saturday night.

Edward leaned against the brick wall next to me, sighing. He leaned his head against it and closed his eyes, sighing heavily through his nose. His messy bronze hair was illuminated by a very dim street light a few yards away—otherwise, it was really dark out. I could barely make out my hand in front of my face.

"Em and Rosalie really need to get a room," Edward said out of nowhere, looking at me. I started laughing.

"Yeah, but not his room," I said. "I deal with that every weekend."

His eyes widened as he chuckled. "That must be hell."

I scoffed. "Hell. It's fucking purgatory."

He grinned and looked at the ground, shaking his head. "Ah, well, what can you do? It's Emmett. You know how crazy he is for Rosalie."

"Believe me, I know," I said. My mood all of a sudden turned serious. I took a step towards Edward and leaned against the wall with him. "I don't think I've ever seen two people like that before in all my life. They may be very…physical, but the way Em looks at her…"

Edward didn't say anything. He looked up at the sky, where the moon dimly illuminated the dark road. After a few moments, he spoke up. "Good match if you ask me," he commented.

I just nodded.

"Because we all fit into three categories," he continued. "Ones that have found someone, ones that haven't and are looking, and ones that haven't and aren't looking. I fall into the latter category."

"I'm there with you," I said, admiring his insight. I wasn't really worried so much about love. I wouldn't say that it was trivial, but I wasn't that into it as much as Emmett, Alice and Rosalie were. When it happened, it happened.

We were quiet for a few more moments before my cell phone buzzed in my pocket. Alice had sent me a text. Won't be coming, feeling sick. Xoxo. Oh, great.

"Who's that?" Edward said, leaning over to see my screen.

"Alice," I replied, snapping my phone shut. "She isn't coming. She's sick."

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"I dunno. I'm going to have to call her and ask, but she's probably sleeping…" I trailed off.

Silence swept over the small and damp road, not even the loudness inside the bar seeping through the walls and out into the cold night. I was grateful for that, liking the quiet night. Thoughts swirled around in my head, but I couldn't really read them fully—they were coming at me a little too fast.

"Jasper really likes her," Edward said suddenly. I looked at him—he was looking down at the ground sadly. "Can't you tell?"

"I knew that Alice really likes him," I said. He looked over at me just then, the sad expression still on his face. I frowned, but didn't say anything.

"I noticed that, too," he replied.

"Funny. Alice has been always worried that he didn't like her at all, and now…" I didn't say anything else. I rather liked this little piece of information. Perhaps I would set up a little date for them next weekend.

"You seem very opinionated on the subject," he said. I scoffed at him.

"Not really," I said. "I'm opinionated when it comes to other people, but when it comes to people like Emmett and Alice, I can pretty much just tell what's going on." I looked at him again—he was still staring at me, that sad expression still painted on his face and radiating off his emerald eyes.

"You're very observant," he commented, scoffing at nothing.

"I guess," I said. "The subject of love just seems…trivial in a way. Not that it doesn't matter, but…yeah." I didn't know what else to say. This conversation wasn't exactly getting awkward, but it wasn't the best conversation to have with one of your best guy friends, especially when it was about his sister. I wanted things to stay light—I was actually enjoying myself for once, even if barely anything was happening. I looked away from him, towards the damp concrete of the alleyway, lost in thought.

It was quiet for a few more minutes before Edward spoke up. "Well," he said, closer than I thought he would be. I looked up at him, his face inches away from me. "What would you say…if I did…this?" His hand snaked towards the back of my neck, lightly holding it. He searched my face for a moment, just looking, scanning. I didn't cringe away or turn my head. My heartbeat sped up dramatically, my breathing becoming heavy. He inched his face closer to mine, seeming hesitant of what he was about to do. And then, he pressed his lips against mine.

The place I was seemed to melt into nothing just then—nothing else mattered. I tenderly kissed him back, his hand now fisting my hair and gently pulling. His breathing hitched as I traced my tongue against his bottom lip. He stopped for a moment before granting me access. My fingers searched his back, finally finding his hair and snaking into it, feeling like silk on my palm. My other hand rested on his shoulder while his other hand held the small of my back, inching us closer together. He turned his head to the side, deepening the kiss, his lips warm against mine. I could faintly taste his lemon drop—I welcomed the taste. Suddenly, the chilly night didn't seem that cold anymore.

He broke the kiss, seeming like he was catching his breath. His hand moved to the back of my neck, rubbing the skin warmly there. My hand moved to the side of his neck, my thumb tracing his jaw line. He looked into my eyes, a deep emotion lingering there that I couldn't identify. He leaned in and kissed me again for a moment, before finally breaking it off again.

"You have no idea," he finally said, breathless, "how long I've wanted to do that."

I could feel my pulse racing, my breathing becoming quicker, but still heavy. I leaned up and pressed my lips against his again, both of my arms wrapping around his neck, one feeling the silk of his hair again. He fisted my hair again, tilting my head up towards him. I felt amazed by the way his lips synced with mine, always moving as mine did. If the warmth wasn't enough, then the taste is what hooked me on the spot. I pulled him closer to me, wanting his warmth all around me. I tilted my head this time, wanting the kiss to be deeper than before. Edward seemed to like my slight enthusiasm.

I realized then that I had feelings for Edward, feelings that I've kept buried deep inside of me. They were rising violently to the surface, not backing down. And I didn't fight them—it felt indescribable, and I welcomed the feeling with open arms. I let it drown me, keeping me underwater.

Suddenly, love didn't really seem so trivial any more.