Hi Guys! So this is a really long one from HammondGirl, I hope you take the time to read it, it's one of my favourites :D

I just PMed VoldemortPerfumes to find out which book that was, so for everyone who wanted to know, I'll tell you as soon as I know XD Thanks for all your awesome reviews! Keep 'em coming!

Ly x E

Resident Advisor by HammondGirl

Why is it that I have to dress up for this costume party again? Oh yeah – It's my job. Wait, why do I have this job again? I mean college freshmen are annoying, so why is it I've agreed to be a resident advisor in this dorm, which is the one full of freshmen and the occasional college employee that was roped into staying here to help, or take pity on us lowly RA's?

Oh yeah – it pays for my room & board. Dang it. I guess becoming a junior at the University of Seattle is one of those defining moments where you're supposed to learn the importance of independence.

Or it's someone's sick idea of a joke. I mean, I've gotten past that stage of drinking, partying, and the subsequent puking. I am twenty-two years old for Pete's sake – not eighteen. I'm supposed to do something substantial with my life now. Well, I've done one thing right this semester, I've actually chosen a major. I couldn't very well continue on a course of general education now that I've covered all of my basics.

Now, I have to suck it up and pay for the bills. Well, being an RA was pretty much my only option. I couldn't afford room and board and pay for my ever increasing tuition with my old job. Heck, I couldn't pay one or the other with my old job. Now, room and board was covered, three quarters of my tuition was waved, and the other quarter was paid for with my salary. The only downside is that I actually have to advise the residents of Weston Hall, my dormitory. Ugh.

Well, my job is kind of easy, I suppose. I mean, I'm only expected to make a few speeches at the beginning and end of each semester to go over dorm rules and such, and to be available to the female residents of the fifth floor. I had fourteen freshmen and two sophomore girls who had applied late to a few of the other dorms and ended up stuck in Weston. No biggie, right?

Well, I thought so too once. I had forgotten just how hyper freshmen were. And I had fourteen of them. They did party and think it was funny to knock on everyone's doors at four am on Saturday morning. Thank goodness pledging and rush week of the university fraternities and sororities were over within the first two and a half weeks of the semester, or else I think I would have killed someone. One drunken girl I can handle. Four is a different story that I never wish to relive. Geez.

Like I said though, the drunken episodes had died down considerably. But, today was the last day of midterms. And it was Halloween. And it was Friday. I should have not been surprised by the knock on my door this afternoon once I was back in my room, but I was kind of expecting it.

"Hey, Bella," I heard after a light knock.

"Yeah, come on in," I replied. I looked up to find Angela Weber, one of my sophomores, lingering in my doorway. "Oh, hey Angela. What can I do for you?"

"Do you mind if I ask you a dumb question? I kind of can't ask my roommate for advice and I don't really know anyone else here in Seattle, and you said your door was always open at the beginning of the semester and everything."

She was rambling. Great. "Umm, yeah sure Angela. Come on in."

I swiveled around in my computer chair and motioned for her to take a seat on the edge of my bed. She walked over slowly and wrung her hands in her lap after she sat down.

"So, what is it I can help you with?" God – please don't be anything weird. I'm not really a people person, but my job says I have to be. I'm not exactly what you would call anti-social or anything, but I only really have one friend here in Seattle – Alice.

"So, umm…" Angela began.

"It's okay, Angela," I said, calming her. Wow, maybe I have some people skills after all.

"Yeah, I totally have a crush on this upper classman that lives here in the dorm and he doesn't give me the time of day," she blurted out.

I did not see that one coming. My shocked face must have read like an open book, because Angela closed her eyes. I took a few breaths and realized she was waiting for me to respond.

"Alright, so you have a little crush," I started. God, I sounded like my father Charlie. How strangely parent like of me.

She opened her eyes and started again. "Yeah, well, I talked to my roommate Lauren once about guys and that was not really a good idea. She went out with that baseball player Mike Newton a few weeks ago, so I casually asked her to have him introduce me to my crush, since he plays baseball too, I think. She said Mike was a jerk-off."

I didn't know what to say. I knew Mike was a jock and popular around campus, but I had not pegged him as a total douche.

Angela broke the silence when I didn't respond. "See, she told me that she had slept with Mike and he bragged all over campus at what an easy lay she was. I don't know what to do now. I don't think this guy that I have a crush on is like that, but I don't want to come across as a skank like my roommate. I mean, I feel bad for her about the rumors and all, but who sleeps with a guy after knowing him for a day?"

After a few more moments of silence I decided to find my voice again. "Well, I umm, don't have a lot of experience in this department."

"But you're friends with that girl Alice Brandon, right?"

"Yeah, Alice is my best friend," I said, confused at this new inquiry.

"Well, Alice is like the most popular girl on campus, right?"

"Oh," I said. Crap, now I get where she's going with this. "Umm, yeah, she's pretty popular you could say. But that doesn't mean I am in any way shape or form. I wouldn't know the first thing about meeting a guy, or talking to a crush, or whatever."

She looked down at her hands again once I was done rambling. She looked so defeated. Great, I'm failing at my job because I have a non-existent social life.

"So, Alice told me something just the other day though, and it gives me some hope when it comes to this stuff." I had to at least throw her a bone. I mean, Alice was always trying to throw me one. Angela looked back up at me with new found hope in her eyes. "Yeah, so she said that a situation will present itself and not to worry about it. Hey, we're still young and have a few more years here with a never ending supply of cute guys." I smiled at her, hoping she would take the bait.

She smiled back. "Well, if Alice thinks that a couple of shy girls like us are bound to catch someone sooner or later, I guess I'll just wait it out. I mean, it's bound to happen sooner or later," she said looking over at me while rising from my bed.

I stood also knowing she was looking for permission to leave and end both of our misery. "Yeah, well, weirder things have happened," I said.

She walked over to the door ready to leave, but I couldn't let our conversation end on such an awkward note. "So are you coming to the Halloween party tonight? It's supposed to be really fun and your mystery man may be there," I said, fishing for his name while trying to remain nonchalant about it.

"No, I'm going to drive home to Portland for the weekend, but hey, thanks for listening to me rant about my love life. I know it's not really your job, but it did help," she said, letting me off of the hook.

"No problem and hey, my door is always open so feel free to drop by if you need to. Happy Halloween, Angela."

"Happy Halloween, Bella. Good luck with the dorm party tonight," she said before walking out into the hall.

Oh yeah, the dorm party is going to be a hoot. It's going to be non-stop fun to stand around with the college employees required to attend and the students who are too socially stunted to be invited to something more fun. Great.

Angela nearly made me forget what I was doing before she knocked on my door. I was busy complaining on exactly why it was I was required to dress up for the aforementioned party. Double the excitement for me folks! Not only am I required to attend a party that was sure to be the event of the season for socially awkward young adults and stuffy because it will be attended by my fellow co-workers, but we are being forced to dress up. Bring on the mortification. I can't wait.

I don't need any extra reason, especially a lame costume on my part, to not want to attend a party tonight. I mean, my social life is put up on my bookshelf, next to my well worn Harry Potter novels. I don't go out. Ever. I'm only friends with the uber-popular Alice Brandon because I rescued her from the class bully in Kindergarten back in our home town of Forks. She never really left my side after that, and I know people just assumed she hung out with me out of pity in high school. They also assumed I had a girl crush on her. I did nothing to sway the rumors because I was never one to look for any outside attention. It was hard enough to be the daughter of the local police chief. Not to mention the fact that my mother had up and left us when I was nine. Local gossip had flourished that year, and every year after because of it.

I never blamed my mom for wanting escape small town life, it just wasn't like her to be "trapped" somewhere. I didn't leave with her because of the look on Charlie's face when he came home to her packing a suitcase and yelling about his late hours at work.

I had talked to my mom on the phone at night about three times a week since I was nine. When I moved over to Seattle to come to school, I added Charlie as a phone pal and spoke to him about once or twice a week.

I had a pretty routine life around here now. I had three classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and two classes every Tuesday and Thursday. I talked to my parents on the phone most nights. I went out to lunch with Alice every other day, and she usually dragged me to the mall or on some shopping extravaganza every weekend. I am a routine kind of girl, and it suits me just fine.

Speaking of routine…. Ring, ring.

I walked over from where I had been staring into my closet for the last ten minutes to my phone that was lying on the corner of my computer desk.

"Hi mom," I said into the receiver, not even glancing at the caller ID.

"How do you do that honey?" My mom was so clueless. How could she not know that I have absolutely no life and that the only person that ever calls me on Friday at seven thirty in the evening is her?

"Do what mom?"

"How did you know it was me?"

"My phone has caller ID mom. You know, where it tells you who's calling?"

"Stop making fun of your hare-brained mother, Bella. What are you up to tonight?"

"I've been trying to come up with a quick costume idea from my closet and failing miserably. What are you and Phil up to tonight? Have the trick-or-treaters raided your neighborhood en masse yet?"

Please, oh please don't pick up on the fact that I'm dressing up and ask about my plans.

"You're going out tonight Bella? Where are you going, some frat party? Did you get asked out? Do you have a date for tonight? Tell me everything. Is he cute? What's his major?"

Dear lord, it was worse than I thought. Breathe through your nose Bella. In, out. In, out. "No mom. I don't have a date. The dorm is throwing a Halloween party for the staff and residents and I need to go."

"Oh, right. So, umm, what are you going to wear? Something sexy maybe? How about a vampire? Just throw on something short and black and wear some pale makeup with red lipstick. That would be a great conversation starter, you know."

"Yeah mom, umm, I don't have anything short or black. I'll just wear my polo from my old job. I've got a whistle to throw around my neck and a matching baseball cap."

"You mean your uniform from last year - the one from the Foot Locker? Why honey? Why don't you throw on that dress I bought you last spring? You could be a, a.."

"A what mom?" I paused, knowing she was trying to come up with a word for tramp that didn't sound so skanky. I would never wear that dress. Ever. "No, the referee thing is great. I don't want to start any conversations anyway, and now I'll be dressed up and comfortable at the same time. It'll be great, I promise."

"Oh, alright Bells. Have fun and don't forget to tell me all about it next week," she said.

"Sure thing mom. I'll talk to you on Monday, alright?" She was so predictable.

"Alright honey. Bye," she said before hanging up.

Well, now it was time to suck it up and go down to my own personal form of hell. I quickly threw on my old Foot Locker polo and a pair of black blue jeans. A baseball cap, the whistle, and my trusted Converse sneakers completed the look.

I looked at the full length mirror hanging on the back of my front door before leaving, and smirked at the girl reflected back at me. Tonight should be interesting - very interesting.

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When the elevator doors opened into the lobby, I had to blink a few times. The whole lobby was pitch-black except for the constant flickering of a very bright strobe light. "Monster Mash" was blaring from the six speakers that had been delivered earlier in the day, and I had to shake my head a few times to orient myself with my surroundings.

I quickly spotted my boss Ted Banner by the front desk, and strode over to him, giggling at his choice of costume as a giant ketchup bottle.

"HEY MR. BANNER. HOW IS THE PARTY GOING?"

"IS THAT YOU BELLA?"

"YES. HOW IS THE PARTY GOING, SIR?"

"IT'S GOING GOOD SO FAR." The music suddenly went quiet while Mr. Banner was still shouting. He turned beet red and looked around the room embarrassed.

The softer song "I Put a Spell on You" came on and Mr. Banner turned to face me. "So, a referee huh?"

I knew he was trying to turn the attention back to me after being caught shouting.

"Yeah, well, it was either this or a vampire. I love your costume. Where's Mrs. Banner this evening?"

"Oh, she's the mustard bottle over by the refreshment table," he replied, pointing over to the common area in the lobby.

I glanced over and at first chuckled when I saw her trying to scoop some queso dip out onto her plate, but I stopped breathing when I saw who was standing next to her trying to balance her purse and a soda in his arms. Edward Cullen. Why was he here? I mean, I know he lives in this dorm because I've seen him around all semester. Heck, I've even talked to him once. Well, I said thank you when he opened the front door for me. That's considered talking, right?

I just never expected him to be here tonight. I didn't even know why he lived in this building. He was a junior like me and just as popular as Alice. She wouldn't be caught dead living on campus, let alone in the oldest dorm. Or the one that mostly housed freshmen. Wait a second, why is he at this party? He is popular. He should not be at a party for the socially inept. Well, I mean, the socially inept and poor college employees such as myself.

"Bella are you alright? You look all flushed. Is the strobe light getting to you? Here, sit down, honey," Mr. Banner was saying.

I had forgotten that I was standing next to him.

"Oh," I started, shaking my head. "No, I'm fine Mr. Banner. I just, umm, I just umm, need some fresh air. I'll be right back, okay," I said, walking swiftly to the front door.

Once outside, I walked over to the benches in the courtyard that were usually full of smokers. I was glad that they were empty and smoke free tonight, because I needed to clear my head. I sat down, put my head between my legs and took in deep lungfulls of air.

What is wrong with me? I had seen him before and never reacted like this. Was it the fact that he was smiling at Mrs. Banner in her ridiculous mustard costume? Was it the fact that he was holding her huge purse in his outstretched arms for her? Or was it the fact that he looked delicious wearing a tight grey pinstriped Seattle University baseball uniform?

Of course I thought he was gorgeous. How could you not? He had a smile plastered on those gorgeous lips every time I had seen him. He was tall – probably six foot two, but lanky in build. He had the strangest shade of hair I had ever seen. It wasn't brown, but it wasn't red either. I guess it was like a penny – bronze. He had style that most guys tried to emulate, but very few achieved. I doubt he even tried – he probably just woke up looking like that.

Get a grip Bella. Stop daydreaming about Edward Cullen. You've got to go back in there and… and what? There were hardly more than fifteen people in there, including myself. There were no more than two students, and I doubt they needed my help right now. I think I bought myself some time with Mr. Banner too. Feigning nausea always worked with men. I was faking it, wasn't I?

I sat up, and realized that I wasn't. My head swirled and I let it loll back while I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose with my right hand.

I heard loud music blare through the double doors of the dorm as they opened and closed. It was only around eight o'clock by now. People would just be leaving for the evening. I hoped it was just one of those students who had a real party to go to, and not Mr. Banner coming to check on me.

"Hey, are you okay? You looked kind of green in there. Well, you still do," said the smooth voice approaching from my right.

Oh no. Not him. I'd rather it be anyone but him. Please tell me it's not Edward that just walked over to me.

I opened my eyes to find him looking down at me with a worried expression across his face.

"Oh, yeah umm – yeah, I guess the strobe light was getting to me." I bit my lip. Why was he out here?

His brow creased and he cocked his head to the left a bit. "It's Bella, right? You're the RA on the women's side of my floor, the fifth floor?"

"Uh, yeah. You live on the fifth floor?" How had I missed that one? I'm never going to the bathroom again. He might see me. God, I'm pathetic.

"Yeah, I'm in 534. I'm right in the middle of the hall by the elevators," he said, relaxing his brow.

I sat there stunned for a moment until I realized I must look like an idiot just gaping up at him with my wide stupid eyes. "You're Edward." God, I didn't even make it a question. He must think I have a disability of some sort.

He grinned and I noticed it was a bit crooked. I blinked a few times realizing I must really look stupid to him. He simply continued grinning at me and sat down on my right.

"Yeah, I'm Edward. Edward Cullen."

Kill me now. He had only introduced himself, yet somehow it came out as smooth and as debonair as James Bond. I was really going to faint if he kept it up.

"I totally didn't mean for that to come out like that. I, umm, crap, I sounded like an idiot," he said.

I noticed a faint blush creep onto his cheeks. My face heated up. I bit my lower lip and looked down at my lap.

A few tense moments of silence passed before he spoke again. "Bella," he said with concern. "Are you feeling better? Do you need me to get you some water or something?"

"No," I blurted out kind of loudly. I didn't want him to leave yet. "No," I said again, softer this time. "I'm feeling better now." I turned my head in his direction and was surprised to find that he had scooted closer to me. I looked up at his face when I felt the weight of his stare. His eyes bore into mine and took a quick intake of breath when I noticed the deep shade of green his eyes were. I had to remind myself to breathe again, or else he would surely call an ambulance because I was about to pass out.

He grinned at me once again. He opened his mouth to say something, but then he turned towards the double doors when the song "Thriller" escaped into the silence around us. Mr. Banner looked around intently before spotting us on the benches. I sneaked a glance at Edward's profile and saw that he was chewing on the inside of his left cheek and could swear his eyes narrowed when Mr. Banner made his way over towards us.

"So the baseball player found the referee," Mr. Banner said, now standing in front of the bench we were sharing. "Bella, I brought you some water, but it seems that you are feeling better. The party is already winding down and most of the staff is about to leave, including my wife and I."

"Really," I questioned, reaching for the water bottle Mr. Banner was extending towards me. "But it's still so early." I looked down at my watch and noticed it was 8:30. Had I really been out here with Edward for thirty minutes already?

"Yeah," Mr. Banner said once I looked back up at him. "The refreshments went kind of fast, and once they're gone, the party was pretty much over. You know how it is with the staff," he said, chuckling.

Just then, the doors opened and Mrs. Banner came out followed by a couple dressed up as a caveman and cavewoman. Mrs. Banner stood outside of the doors wishing the couple a good night and glanced over at her husband with an expectant look upon her face. Several other people exited the doors and walked past, saying their goodbyes to everyone and thanking them for the party.

"So, the DJ is packing up right now and the janitors will be in overnight to clean up, so I guess I'll see you on Monday for the RA meeting Bella. Edward thanks for coming down to help out tonight. I'll see you on Tuesday. Good night." Edward nodded once to Mr. Banner and waved to Mrs. Banner.

Mr. Banner walked over to his wife, who waved in our direction, and then they walked out into the street towards the employee parking lot. I watched the Banners walk towards their vehicle for a moment before returning my attention back to Edward.

"What did he mean about Tuesday?" I didn't realize Mr. Banner knew Edward so well. He must have though, since he mentioned Edward's help with the party.

"Oh, Mr. Banner never misses a Seattle U. baseball game. He played right field in the eighties apparently. I've known him for three years now and he asked me to come and help out tonight. So, here I am," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

That was odd. If he knew Mr. Banner so well, why had he reacted so strangely when he walked over towards us? I looked back down at my lap and scrunched up my brow in frustration.

"What are you thinking about now?"

I turned back towards him. "Me?"

"Yeah, you," he replied. "You look confused."

"Oh, umm, well." I blinked slowly and swallowed.

"Well what?"

"I don't know. I just, I mean I didn't know that Mr. Banner played baseball. He doesn't strike me as the jock type. Neither do you though," I mumbled, rolling the water bottle around in my hands.

"Well referee, you don't look like the sports type either." I looked over at him and a smirk crossed his lips.

"Oh, yeah," I started, embarrassed at my lame costume choice. "I didn't know we had to dress up until this afternoon and this was the only costume option I had."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I love costumes and all, but this was a last minute deal for me too," he said.

"But you play baseball though. It's a good costume. Mine is stupid. I worked at the Foot Locker last year before getting my job as an RA this semester." I was rambling for the second time today. I really had to learn to stop doing that.

"I don't play baseball," he said in a determined tone.

"But, you said you knew Mr. Banner from baseball." Hadn't he just said that?

"Yeah, I know him from baseball."

Now I was confused. I cocked my head to the left in a questioning manner and pulled my eyebrows together. "You've lost me again."

"I'm an intern in the University athletic department. You know, a college employee, just like you Bella."

There was no way in hell he was just like me. I knew better. This is Edward Cullen we were talking about. Everyone on campus knew who Edward was. No one but Alice and my sixteen co-habitators of the women's wing of the fifth floor knew who I was.

I was still looking at him with the same expression, so he continued.

"I'm going into sports medicine. I'm double majoring in kinesiology and biology in preparation for medical school in a year and a half. I used to play but blew out my rotator cuff freshman year and it still isn't what it used to be after two surgeries." He circled his right shoulder for emphasis.

I was stunned. I would not have pegged the famous Edward Cullen for the intellectual – doctor type. But then again, I would not have pegged him as a jock either. I had never seen him hang out with the big baseball players of Seattle U., but how would I know who he hung out with? On the rare occasion Alice dragged me out, I was a wallflower and chose to just people-watch instead of actually interacting with them. Our paths had just never really crossed, but I knew who he was. Or I thought I did.

I shook my head once more, realizing I had once again stayed silent when it was clearly my turn to respond.

"A doctor, huh? Have you always wanted to go into sports medicine?"

His eyes drifted thoughtfully up and to the right before landing on me once again. "It's funny you ask. I never wanted to go into medicine." His crooked grin reappeared.

I cocked my head once again to the left so that he would continue.

"See, my dad is a doctor. So naturally, I wanted nothing to do with medicine and was focused completely on baseball. A couple of friends from high school and I were recruited to the team, but when my shoulder went out, I knew I was done. Can't pitch with a bum rotator cuff, you know." He circled his shoulder once more, holding onto it with his left hand this time.

"Anyway, the University has an awesome sports medicine department, and I figured since I couldn't play anymore but still loved the game, I might as well help out guys so that they can still play. Plus, you can only avoid becoming like your parents for so long."

I let out a snort in a fit of sudden laughter. He looked at me with the same confused expression I had given him only moments ago.

"What did I say?"

"Oh nothing, it's just that you hit the nail on the head," I said through my now controlled laughter.

"Oh yeah," he started, amused. "Your mom or your dad?"

"My mom of all people. She's a bit, err, eccentric you could say, but she's a writer."

"Mmmm," he replied, nodding his head. "A creative mind, huh? What does your dad do?"

I laughed again. "My dad is the police chief of Forks. It's a really tiny town up in the Olympic Peninsula."

He raised one eyebrow in surprise. "Yeah, I know where Forks is. It's about an hour away from Port Angeles, where I'm from. My dad is head of the cardiac wing of Port A. Memorial."

"Oh my gosh. That's so strange. Alice dragged me up there twice a week during high school to go shopping. And my friend Jacob and I drove over every other Friday last summer to go to the movies."

"Jacob? You mean Jacob Black?" A strange expression crossed his face.

"Yes. Umm, do you guys know each other or something?" I couldn't understand why his mood had changed so quickly. He seemed so surprised at finding out that we had lived so close before, but now he seemed almost angry.

"He was an all-star a few years ago, right? Didn't he get recruited to some big college out east or something?"

"Oh, right," I said. He knew him from baseball, of course. What is it with guys and sports? I'd never understand. "Yeah, he was MVP our senior year. He got recruited by UT to play for the Longhorns. He has a real high RBI, whatever the heck that means." I shrugged my shoulders and smirked.

One thing I loved about having Jacob as a friend was that he knew when it came to sports, I didn't get it. He never shoved that stuff down my throat. He never had to though. His girlfriend Leah was his biggest fan and cheerleader. She couldn't get enough of his stories. She even came over when Charlie would invite Jacob to come watch the Mariners play.

I looked back up at Edward and noticed that he was once again biting the inside of his left cheek. "So you two came over to watch movies a bunch this summer? I was up here most of the summer, so I didn't get to see any." He shrugged and looked down into his lap.

I bit my lip again. I was confused by his sudden animosity towards me. Why was he suddenly acting so angry? So, so…. Jealous. Oh crap. He must think Jacob is my boyfriend. Wait. Why would he be jealous? I'm probably reading too much into this. He's probably just ready to go now that I'm obviously feeling better. I mean, I have kept him out here for god knows how long now. I decided to test him.

"Yeah, Jacob's girlfriend Leah hates movies, and so does Alice, so Jake was always my go-to friend for all of the stupid ones that I just had to see." I looked directly into his eyes to gauge his reaction.

His crooked grin reappeared. I smiled back at him.

"Well, did you see any good ones that I need to go rent? I haven't seen a movie in ages."

"Nah, they were all dumb. I'm a sucker for good advertising. I hate it when you see a good preview and then all of those parts that made you want to see the movie are either the very best parts and there is nothing else worth watching, or they have all been left on the editing room floor."

He was still grinning at me, so I decided to delve a bit further.

I set the bottle of water down next to me on the bench and put my hands on my knees, pulling my shoulders toward each other. "So, what where you doing up here that kept you from the exciting night life of Port Angeles all summer?"

"Oh I know. I really missed out on the night life by staying here all summer." He gestured over his shoulder to the dorm entrance.

"You stayed here in Weston Hall? What on earth for?"

"Well, Division one of the College World Series started in June, so we all had to go to Omaha for the beginning of the summer. I've been traveling with the team since my freshman year, so I've just kept my same old dorm room this whole time." He bit his bottom lip and I could tell he was a bit embarrassed to tell me that he'd been living in Weston for the past three years.

"Yeah, Weston is kinda my home away from home, you know?"

I shrugged. "I guess it's alright. I lived off campus for a while, but rent and tuition was getting ridiculous on a referee's salary," I explained, looking down at my stupid costume. "So, I took the RA job the second I had enough hours to be considered for it. Well that and I don't think my poor old truck could take another year of driving the thirty minutes across town to the mall for work and back." I gestured across the street to the parking lot. "See that old red Chevy parked next to the shiny rich-looking silver car over on the left? Yup, that bucket is mine." I shrugged again and grinned at him.

He looked embarrassed again.

"What?" I had to question him when I noticed the same faint blush from earlier creeping onto his cheeks.

"Yeah, umm, that's my car parked next to your truck."

Kill me now.

I felt my cheeks burn and knew that they were at least fifty times redder than his were. I brought my hand up to my face and smacked my forehead, hard.

Just then, a loud squeal from what sounded like a very large vehicle caught both of our attention. I looked up to see a giant Jeep on huge wheels stop in front of the dorm. The driver hopped over his door and started jogging over to us.

"Edward," the guy called out, "Are you ready to go or what?"

"Yeah," he said. I stood up to go inside and put an end to the mortification I was still dwelling in, but lost my balance – of course.

I closed my eyes and braced myself with my hands for the fall, but instead I felt two strong hands grasp my waist. I opened my eyes to find Edward's face just inches from my own. I could feel his hot breath on my face. I blinked several times, unsure of what to say or do.

"Hey Edward, do you need a minute with your friend?"

"Jasper, this is Bella," Edward said while he set me upright onto my feet. "Bella, meet Jasper. Bella's from Forks, dude."

"Oh yeah," Jasper questioned, raising his eyebrows.

I nodded to him and looked back at Edward.

"Yeah man," he replied to him. He then looked over to me. "Bella, Jasper was one of the players that got recruited out of Port A to come play up here. We went to high school together."

I nodded again. I couldn't seem to find my voice. I had just made a complete fool of myself and then ended up in Edward's arms right after that. I didn't know what to say. I bit my lower lip again. It was quickly becoming a habit around him. It wasn't helping that Edward and I seemed to be in some weird kind of staring contest.

Jasper decided to break the silence. "So, Edward, umm, you ready or what? I've got to tell you about this amazing girl I met this morning. She's supposed to be at the party."

I shifted my weight from foot to foot, unsure of what to do. I looked down.

"Yeah, umm, sure. Give me just a minute, ok?"

"Sure dude. It was nice to meet you Bella," Jasper said. I looked up to respond, but he had already turned towards his Jeep.

"So Bella," Edward began, "I've got to go. Do you, umm, want to go to another party?"

I looked back down, suppressing a smile by biting the inside of my cheek like he had done earlier.

"No thank you Edward. I think I'm just going to go to bed already. There's probably a strobe light at that other party, and I'd just get sick again."

He looked down at his feet and I followed his gaze with my own eyes. He was shifting his weight around and looked like he was trying to think of what to say next.

I let him off the hook. "Have a good time, Edward. It was really nice to meet you."

He looked up at me with a somewhat forced smile. "It was really nice to meet you too Bella."

Jasper honked his horn and Edward turned around and flipped him off.

"Sorry about him, he's a bit impatient," he said.

"Not a problem. Have fun at the party."

"Ok." He began to bring his hand up and I almost thought he was going to extend it for a handshake, but instead he brought it up to his mouth and bit one of his nails. He dropped it just as quickly. "Goodnight, Bella."

"Goodnight, Edward."

And with that, he turned towards the jeep and I turned towards the double doors. Once inside, I turned and watched him hop into the passenger side of Jasper's huge Jeep. The music was cranked up so high that I could hear it inside. I looked down. Just before I turned to walk towards the elevators, I decided to catch one last glimpse of him. I looked up just in time to see Edward's face turned in my direction, before the Jeep pulled out into the road.

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Two weeks passed and my futile attempts to see Edward again were not working out. I was being ridiculous. I hung out by the elevators in the evening, set on pretending to be waiting for one, but he never came out of his room. I lounged around the lobby extra early in the morning, hoping to catch him on his way to class, but that didn't work either. I had been late to my MWF Advanced Fiction Class at least three times over these last two weeks. Professor Johnston had not been impressed.

It was once again Friday. I had gotten soaked in between my first and second class, which were clear across campus from each other, because I had forgotten my umbrella this morning. I was glad my third class for the day was a writing workshop, because we walked in, were told what to write about, and then got to leave. I needed to get changed before I caught my death.

I dreaded running into Edward looking like I did though. I really didn't want to go back to the scene of the crime, Weston, so I decided to go down to the University Quarry and get a ridiculously overpriced latte. Caffeine was my vice and I would not be giving it up anytime soon.

I made my way over to "Six Cups," the on campus coffee house, and got in the back of the non-moving line. I stood patiently for about three minutes before craning my neck around the big guy standing in front of me. He must be at least six foot four. I had to really lean over to get a view of the counter in front of the store. I ended up taking a step to my left to see what the hold up was.

I spotted the problem quickly. The cashier was being help up by the cute blonde in the front of the line. She was bent over the counter and was obviously flirting with him. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

This caught the attention of the big guy in before me and the guy standing in front of him. I'd recognize that color hair anywhere. Crap. Please Lord, not now.

He turned around and smiled. "Hey Bella."

I sort of smiled back. "Oh hey Edward." Of course he sees me now. I must look like a drowned rat with my hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, and all traces of this morning's makeup either smeared under my eyes, or washed away by this morning's rain.

The big guy in front of me smiled at Edward, then looked down at me and smiled. "So this is the famous Bella." He smacked Edward on the back with one of his large hands. "I'm Emmett. I play baseball with the young Edward here."

I sheepishly grinned up at Emmett for making fun of Edward. But what exactly did he mean about "the famous Bella?"

"Don't mind Emmett, Bella. He's your garden variety asswipe," said Edward.

I opened my mouth in surprise, not knowing how to respond.

"Does she speak?" Emmett was eyeing me with his eyebrows knitted together.

I decided to stop being an ass in front of Edward's friend and come back to life. "Yeah – just waiting on my afternoon caffeine. Sounds like you two don't need any."

We moved up a few places in line. The blonde must have finally gotten her drink.

"What makes you think I don't need caffeine, Bella? I like caffeine," replied Emmett.

"He only got in line with me to ogle that blonde," Edward said, nodding his head over to the girl who had been holding up the line. She was now sitting down at one of the tables dotted around the Quarry.

I looked up at Emmett. "It's guys like you that hold up the line for us caffeine-addicts. I see how it is. You just don't care for the needs of others. Only out for yourself, huh?"

He looked down at me and a slow grin appeared on his face, showing his adorable dimples. "Edward, you didn't tell me your new friend knew how to play with the big boys."

I smirked. I could play his games. I looked over at Edward. He was giving me that crooked grin again.

"I didn't know she liked to play, Emmett."

We had finally moved up in the line and Edward and Emmett were next. Edward turned towards the cashier and placed his order before turning back towards us. "Emmett, do you want anything?"

Emmett just shook his head, still eyeing me.

"Bella, what do you want?"

I looked from Emmett to Edward. "That's okay - I can get my own coffee." I bit my lower lip. It came out a bit more snarky than I had originally intended.

Edward raised his left eyebrow, credit card in hand. "Humor me, Bella."

"Alright then," I said, giving in. "I'll take a Venti Hazelnut Latte – with an extra shot of Hazelnut."

This time Emmett clapped me on the back. "Now that's my kind of girl."

I looked up at him and laughed.

When Edward and I got our drinks, I walked out and away from the line, not wanting to hold it up. I wasn't sure if we were going to continue hanging out with our drinks, or if Edward had somewhere to be.

I looked back towards the guys and found Edward gesturing towards an empty table. I gave him a questioning expression. He smirked while Emmett waved me over to the table. They had sat across from each other and I wasn't sure who to sit next to.

Emmett laughed at me when I was still standing in front of them after a few moments. Under the table, he kicked the chair next to Edward away from the table. I looked down at Edward. He was chewing the inside of his cheek again.

I sat down and took a sip of my latte. I wasn't sure what to say, so I scanned the Quarry, avoiding eye contact with Edward.

Emmett broke the silence when he pulled out his phone to laugh at the text message he received.

Edward shifted around in his seat next to me. "What's so funny?"

"It's Rosalie. She wondered if I liked the show she put on for me earlier."

Edward turned towards me. "Rose is the blonde that was holding up your caffeine fix. She also happens to be Emmett's girlfriend."

I gaped over at Emmett. "That was your girlfriend? I don't understand."

"Neither do I," said Edward, looking at Emmett with a sly grin. "They like to play with each other I guess."

"Yeah," agreed Emmett. "We like to play."

I scrunched up my nose from his innuendo. To avoid eye contact with him, I scanned the Quarry once more in the direction I had seen Rosalie sit in earlier. She was no longer there.

"Where'd she go? How come she didn't come and sit with you guys?"

"Oh, she was just playing with me. I'll get her back later," said Emmett before looking down at his phone again. "Dude, we've got to go – coach will kill me if I'm late again."

He stood up and looked down at Edward. "It was really nice to meet you Bella."

"Yeah, it was nice to meet you too Emmett." I stood up, ready to part ways.

"This seems to happen to us every time, huh Bella?"

I looked down at Edward. He ran his fingers through his hair before standing up.

"No big deal. You two have fun," I said, disappointed that he had to go as well.

He sighed and nodded at Emmett, who had pointed to his watch. "See ya around, Bella."

"Yeah, umm, I'll see you later. Bye." My teeth bit into my lower lip. I really needed to stop doing that.

Emmett gave me a short wave before he turned towards the east wing of campus. Edward shot an apologetic grin towards me before turning and following Emmett across the Quarry.

I sat back down to finish my coffee while watching Edward walk away. When my coffee was cold, I sighed and began the trek back to Weston Hall. It only took about fifteen minutes to walk there from this point on campus, so I decided to spare my truck and just walk everyday.

I made it back to the dorm in no time, and was grateful that I didn't have any meetings this afternoon – I really just wanted to sit and relax for a while. It had been a really long and strange day so far. I scanned my dry erase board when I reached my door, to see if any of the girls had left a message for me. I was relieved to find it empty.

I finally made it into my room and kicked off my still-wet tennis shoes. I drug on a pair of grungy sweats and pulled out my writing journal to begin brainstorming for my afternoon writing workshop. I needed to have a topic by Monday. It wouldn't take me long to come up with a story idea, and I didn't have anything better to do.

I pulled out my iPod and made my way over to the bed with my pen and journal. I drew a few absentminded loops and circles on the page for about ten minutes, and then shut my eyes to think properly. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

I woke up to a dull thumping noise coming from somewhere near my left ear. I looked for the source of the noise and found my iPod ear buds next to my head. They must have fallen out during my impromptu nap. My hair smelled like mildew. I needed a shower – badly.

I gathered up my toiletries and made my down the hall towards the middle, where the women's bathrooms where. I took my time in the shower. It was only around five o'clock, so there was still a good supply of hot water. If I had waited any longer, it would be either packed with fifteen girls getting ready for the night, or it was a cold shower for me. Friday nights were the worst around here. I lingered under the water until I heard a few girls come in, chatting about what frat party they would be attending in a few hours.

I grabbed the towel from the hook outside of my shower stall and dried off. I wrapped it around my body and grabbed my things to take over to the sinks on the other side of the bathroom. I brushed out my hair and grabbed my toothbrush. When I had finished scrubbing and gargling out my nap and coffee induced dragon breath, I looked behind me for my sweats to change into.

With a defeated sigh, I realized that in my sleep induced haze, I had forgotten to bring a clean change of clothes. I refused to put my dirty ones back on, so I wrapped the towel around myself tighter and peeked out of the bathroom door to see if the coast was clear.

I turned my head to the left, looking up the boys' hallway to see if it was empty. I had never left the bathroom in just a towel before. I wasn't necessarily modest – it was hard to be with a communal bathroom, but I wasn't voyeuristic either. The hallway was empty, so I decided to take my chances and run for it.

The second I stepped out into the hall, the elevator opened to my left. I turned around prepared to walk back into the bathroom when I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

I looked down at the floor, terrified that I knew exactly who it was. I turned around slowly and my hunch was confirmed.

"Funny running into you here," I said looking straight at Edward's beet red face. I had my towel in a death grip with my left hand, and my toiletries and dirty clothes scrunched up in my right.

He shifted his weight from foot to foot and rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand.

"Umm, hey…" he said, trailing off. He bit the inside of his cheek and he looked really uncomfortable.

"So," I said, raising my eyebrows.

"So," he repeated, now rocking back and forth on his heels.

His eyes darted down to my right hand and his mouth fell open a bit. I looked down at what had captured his attention and realized my bra was hanging out. I pulled it behind my body and smiled at him, a bit embarrassed.

His eyes swept up my body slowly and he blushed when his gaze met mine.

"Well, I better go, umm, get dressed now," I said, unsure of what to do next.

He drew his lower lip into his mouth and then let it back out. He looked down and then back up at me.

"So, I'll see you later Edward." I smiled over at him. He was obviously at a loss for words. It was funny to watch him squirm.

He nodded at me and fished his keys out of his pocket. He kept his eyes on me to walk across the hall to his room. He was still looking at me while trying, unsuccessfully, to put his key into his door. I looked down at his fumbling hands and saw that he was trying to open his door with a black car key with a wireless remote. I bit my lip through my smile and looked back up to his face.

"I don't think that key works on your door, Edward." He looked down at his hands and then back up at me.

I grinned once more at him and turned to walk down to my room, smiling the whole way.

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Over the next week, I saw Edward everywhere. He was downstairs lounging in the lobby when I came down for class on Monday. He was in the hallway after my last class on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we sat and had a quick coffee together in the Quarry. On Thursday evening, we ended up in the same elevator on our way up to the fifth floor.

I had enjoyed quick, pleasant conversations with him all week. We had avoided talking about the incident that had happened in the hallway last Friday, but we had talked about other things.

He asked about my friends on Wednesday during our coffee chat, and I had told him all about Alice. I chatted away about how long we had been friends, and reminded him that she had taken me to Port Angeles so often in high school to go shop.

It was Monday afternoon now, and my last class was again let out early once we had turned in our latest writing assignment. I hurried down to the Quarry in the hopes of running into Edward. Even though I had seen him four times last week, I had not seen him Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Thanksgiving break started tomorrow, and I selfishly wanted to see him once more before I left for Forks.

I walked up to the Quarry and hesitantly scanned the throngs of people waiting around in various groups and lines. I looked down at my feet, realizing I would never spot him. I pulled out my phone and was about to do the unthinkable – call Alice to cover my embarrassment for standing hopelessly around the Quarry. I was about to push the send button on her highlighted name, when I spotted him quickly making his way over towards me.

I snapped my phone shut and shoved it in my pocket. I now could see that he had a huge smile on his face. I bit my lip and grinned back towards him.

He finally made his way over to me and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey yourself," I replied. "Where's Emmett?" I looked around and scanned the crowd for him, before turning my attention back to Edward.

His smile faltered. "Oh, umm, he's at practice today."

"You don't have to be there today?" Please say no, please say no….

"Nah, I have the day off. I've got to work tomorrow and Wednesday this week before I go home for the holiday. Are you going home?" He bit the inside of his cheek. It must be some kind of nervous tic or something. He seemed almost unaware that he was doing it. I wondered if he had rubbed a spot raw inside of his mouth.

I looked at him and blinked, pulling myself out of my head and back into the present conversation. "Oh yeah, Alice is driving me home tomorrow. The Chevy's been acting up lately. I don't know what its problem is. I guess I hurt it's feelings on Halloween." I shrugged my shoulders for emphasis.

He laughed at me and said, "Yeah, you were kinda harsh. Good thing Alice can take you home. I'm riding with Jasper on Wednesday. Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "Jasper just started dating some girl named Alice Brandon. He said she was really short. Could it be the same Alice?"

I cocked my head to the side. I had not talked to Alice in two, no three weeks. Wait a second, how had that happened? Had I been too busy stalking Edward to notice that Alice and I had not called each other this whole time?

"Yeah, she's short alright. Shorter than me, and that's saying something. She's barely five foot one. I haven't talked to her in a while. Are they dating now? I didn't know." I was rambling again. Shut up Bella. Just shut up now.

"Yeah, I guess. Funny you said that you haven't talked to her in a while. I haven't seen Jasper since that Halloween party I went with him to."

We both looked around for a few moments, unsure of what to talk about next. My stomach intervened by growling, loudly.

He looked down at it with a smile. "Hungry?"

"Yeah, I guess I am," I said, embarrassed.

He put his hand on the small of my back and led me down to the food court on the opposite side of the Quarry. I wished I could feel the warmth of his hand, but I had on a sweater with my hoodie over it.

We got in line at one of the deli shops. I chose my food and made my way over to the cashier, but Edward stepped in front of me and paid for my food before I could protest.

We chose the first empty table we could find and sat across from each other this time.

"You really have to stop paying. I mean, you've paid for my coffee twice, and now you go and pay for my lunch."

He smirked at me and said, "Well, my next coffee is on you."

I smiled down into the table, relishing at the idea that he wanted to meet up for coffee again sometime. I was getting used to spending so much time with him. I looked up at him and said, "Deal."

He smiled back at me.

We ate in comfortable silence and when we finished, he walked with me back to the dorms. We chit-chatted about our work schedules, the unpredictable Washington weather, and the fact that our best friends were apparently dating each other. Before we knew it, we had arrived on the fifth floor of Weston Hall, and were standing in front of Edward's room.

He opened the door and turned towards me. "Do you want to come in?" He had a strange look on his face. He was obviously nervous, but I caught some other emotion flash behind his eyes. Or at least, I thought I saw something else there. Maybe it was just me – wishful thinking and all.

I wasn't sure what to say, so I declined. "I'd better not." He nodded at me, looking somewhat disappointed. I could have imagined that as well though. I decided my refusal needed further explanation. "I need to pack. Alice is a morning person. She'll want to get out of here at the butt crack of dawn tomorrow." I shrugged my shoulders.

"I understand," he said. He sounded disappointed this time. Maybe I wasn't imagining it. He shrugged and said, "See you next week then, I guess."

"Yeah, I'll see you next week. I owe you a coffee, remember?"

He smiled at me and I grinned back at him, before turning towards my room. Once I made my way down to the end of the hall, I looked back towards his room. He was still standing in the hall, looking at me.

"Happy Thanksgiving Bella."

"Happy Thanksgiving Edward."

This was going to be a long holiday.

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My alarm clock rang at six a.m. the next morning. Fifteen minutes later, Alice was banging on my door.

"Bella, let's go already," she was already saying into the door.

I flung it open. "Alright already. I'm ready, let's go." Alice was nothing, if impatient.

It normally took a law abiding driver an hour and a half to get to Forks from Seattle University. Alice pulled into Forks forty-five minutes later.

She had talked about Jasper from the moment I got into her ridiculously fast sports car, until we had pulled up in my dad's driveway.

I had found out that they had met Halloween day at the Quarry through mutual friends. They had each invited the other to the Halloween party that Edward had left for after he had spoken to me that evening.

When I said I already knew that part, I explained how I had met Edward that night, and how we had talked a few times since then. She gave me a sly smile, but I didn't press her for details on what she was holding back. I was home, and I fully intended on going up to my bed and sleeping for a few more hours. It was still only 7:15 in the morning.

I said goodbye to Alice and promised to go shopping with her on Black Friday. The girl did not need sleep like I did, apparently.

I noticed Charlie's police cruiser was gone when we pulled up, and I was thankful for the peace and quiet in the house. I dragged the laundry bag I had brought home to the washroom, started a quick load, and dragged my tired behind upstairs to bed.

I had slept a good four hours before my mom called and woke me up.

"Hi mom," I said while yawning.

"Are you home yet, honey? You're not still asleep in the dorm, are you? It's nearly eleven o'clock."

"Mom, I rode with Alice."

"Ah, I see. What time did she drag you away from Seattle this morning?"

"Six a.m. I swear that girl is on a permanent caffeine high. I don't think she needs sleep like the rest of us."

"I remember," my mom said. "So, are you cooking up a feast for Charlie in two days? How is he?"

"I haven't seen him yet. He was gone already when I got here this morning. Yeah though – I'm going over to the grocery story in a while. I guess I'll have to borrow his truck. I wonder if he left the keys."

"You mean that little Toyota he bought for me when we were still married?"

"Yeah, he still has it. I don't know why though. He takes the cruiser everywhere he goes." I couldn't very well tell her he kept it for sentimental reasons. That it was the last thing that he bought her, so he couldn't bare to part with it.

"Well, be careful with that thing. The clutch used to stick in third gear, you know."

"Yes mom, I remember. I learned how to drive a standard on that truck, remember? Charlie said I might need to know how to drive a stick shift one day."

"Oh yes, I remember now. Alright then, tell Charlie I said hello and Happy Thanksgiving and all of that."

"Alright mom, I'll tell him. I love you. I'll call you on Friday after the madness is over, alright?"

"What madness? Alice isn't dragging you shopping is she?"

"Unfortunately, she is. She's my ride, so what she says goes. I'll survive. Tell Phil I said hello and Happy Thanksgiving and all of that."

She laughed into the phone. "Alright honey, I'll talk to you soon."

"Alright – bye mom."

I heard the front door open downstairs.

"Bella, is that you?" I could hear Charlie shuffling around what sounded like his fishing gear. Wonderful – fish for dinner.

"Yeah dad – I'm home."

"Where's the Chevy?" It sounded like he was standing at the foot of the stairs now.

I walked out of my room and looked down the stairwell.

"Hey dad. The Chevy wasn't up for the trip. No biggie. I got Alice to give me a lift – I've been home for a few hours."

"Oh, I'm sorry Bells. I didn't know when to expect you, so I went fishing with Jacob and Billy."

"That's okay dad. Alice and I got here pretty early, so I laid down for a nap when we got here this morning. I just got up actually. I was going to run over to the grocery store for our Thanksgiving supplies. Mom says hi, by the way, and to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving."

He looked up at me. "You talked to Mom already?"

"Yeah, umm, she called a few minutes ago." I hated talking about mom – it was still a very sore subject, even after thirteen years. "So," I began, changing the subject. "You want to go grocery shopping with me?"

"Nah," he said. "I've gotta get ready for the big game in a couple of days though. You don't mind that Billy, Jacob, and Leah are coming over on Thursday, do you? Oh, and they kind of don't do traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Do you think we could have something different this year?"

I shifted my weight from foot to foot. "Uh, yeah sure dad. I'll make lasagna or something. What else should I get from the store?"

"You know, Bella - what we always get when the guys come over for the big games."

"So you want hot wings and beer on Thanksgiving?"

He looked up at me apologetically. "You don't mind, do you kiddo?"

He was hitting below the belt calling me kiddo. He knew I couldn't resist it when he called me that. I sighed. "Alright dad. Where are the keys to the Toyota?"

I made my way down the stairs.

"Oh, you're taking the Toyota?"

"Well, I can't very well take the cruiser, now can I?"

"Right," he said. He fished the keys out of his pocket. "Here you go, Bells. Don't forget…"

I cut him off. "I know dad – the clutch sticks in third gear."

"Oh right. Of course. Well, here you go," he said, handing over the keys.

Well, it should be easy to get what I needed at the store at least. I doubt I'll run into any problems with the one small grocery store being out of things like hot wings, Doritos, and lasagna noodles. It's going to be an interesting holiday – to say the least.

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I was a bit relieved that I wouldn't be cooking from six a.m. until three p.m. today. I woke up at a normal hour and went into the kitchen to get started on the lasagna. It would only take about two hours to prepare and an hour to cook, so I knew everything would be ready before the football enthusiasts showed up. The game wouldn't even start until two this afternoon, so I knew I had plenty of time.

I boiled the noodles and was just beginning to prepare the meat sauce when Charlie walked through the front door.

"Hey kiddo, it smells good in here."

"Hey dad. How was work this morning? Anything interesting happen?"

"Oh you know – it's always excitement around these parts. No, but really – it smells great. What time do you think you'll have everything ready?"

"The lasagna should be done around one, and then I'll get the hot wings in the oven. Everything should be done at a quarter till two. What time are Jacob and Billy coming over?"

"Around twenty minutes before the game starts, I suppose. I talked to Billy earlier, and that's what he said anyway."

"Perfect timing then," I said.

Charlie lingered at the kitchen door for a few more seconds. "Well Bells, I think I'll go lay down for a bit then, unless you need me to do something."

"Nah, it's cool. I've got it covered, dad. You go and lay down."

"Alright then. Wake me up around one or so, if I haven't already gotten up."

"Will do," I answered.

He left and I got back to work on my meat sauce. Once I had that prepared, I made sure to fix the marinade for the hot wings and put those in the fridge. I layered the lasagna and put it in the oven around noon, and got to work on the salad and garlic bread that I would be serving with it.

Before I knew it, it was one o'clock – time to make sure Charlie was up. After popping the wings in the oven, I made my way out of the kitchen and was halfway up the stairs when he came around the corner.

"Hey kiddo. Things are starting to smell really good down there. What time is it anyway?"

"Oh, you're up already. I think it's about one o'clock or so." I checked my watch. "Yeah, it's five after one." I lingered in the stairwell. Charlie and I had a comfortable relationship, but we didn't feel the need to be up in each other's business at all times.

"Alright, well I guess I'll just take a quick shower and then everyone should get here. You're sure you don't need any help in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, I'm sure dad. You go on and I'll get everything set up." I turned and walked back down to the kitchen. It was cute that he had offered to help out. I didn't think that Charlie actually knew how to boil water though.

I set the table for the five of us and was just finishing up with the food when the doorbell rang. I walked over and was greeted by a huge hug.

"Hey Jake. I'm glad you came. I think I made enough wings to feed an army." I knew better. He'd probably down half of them before Charlie or Billy were done with one helping. I made extra because this was bound to be an exciting game – therefore Jacob's appetite would be unleashed on everyone in full force.

"Excellent," he said looking over his shoulder, releasing his hold on me. "She made extra wings guys!" He let go and came inside, followed closely by Leah and Billy.

"Hello Leah. Billy, it's nice to see you again." I gave them both a quick hug.

Leah stopped in the doorframe after Billy passed her, obviously making a beeline for the best spot on the sofa.

"Hey Bella, how's it going?" She wasn't one for small talk, so I knew something was up.

"It's going alright. I can't complain this semester, now that I've got the new job and all."

I wasn't sure what exactly to say. My RA skills were desperate to kick in and ask her what was up, but this was Leah we were talking about. She was even more anti – social than I was. It was a miracle that she and Jacob had started dating a few years ago. But then again, when it came to Jacob – Leah was a go-getter. She absolutely lit up when she was around him.

I was just thinking about this when a huge smile broke out on her face. She flashed a huge rock I had somehow managed to overlook.

"Jake proposed last night," she whispered to me. She had obviously been dying to tell someone, but was being very hushed about it.

"Why are we whispering," I said to her softly. I smiled at her obvious joy. She was practically bouncing up and down at this point. I normally only witnessed this kind of enthusiasm from Alice.

She smiled back at me and whispered, "We kind of haven't told Billy yet. He's not going to be happy that his only son is getting married. I think he's worried that I'm going to distract Jake from school and baseball, and that he'll lose his scholarship or something. I think he forgets that I'm on an academic scholarship to UT as well."

I gave her a sympathetic nod. "I'm sure it will work out."

"Thanks Bella. You're a great friend to me and Jake. Just don't tell Charlie. He'd tell Billy in a heartbeat. Those two are worse than a pair of old women – they are constantly gossiping."

"Oh I know. They think that we don't know it too. I wouldn't dream of telling Charlie – he'd break in about twenty seconds." I winked at her.

She slipped her impressive ring off and put it in her purse. "This would kind of give it away – but I couldn't resist showing it off this afternoon."

"I understand. It must kill you to take it off – it's gorgeous."

"Thanks. I can't believe he proposed. I really can't believe he picked out such a great ring without any help."

I nodded to her once again and we made our way into the kitchen.

"Alright boys – dinner is ready." You didn't have to tell this group twice. They all scrambled into the kitchen to make sure to get the three chairs facing the television – as if I would be interested in watching football. Leah did look a bit disappointed – but I knew that baseball was her sport of choice, not football.

I watched Leah and Jacob throughout the afternoon. They stole glances and mouthed the words "I love you" across the dinner table. Once the lasagna was devoured, they moved over to the couch and held hands throughout most of the game. It was really sweet to watch, but it was going to take some getting used to. Jake had been my best guy friend for as long as I could remember. I wasn't jealous of his relationship with Leah or anything, but it was somewhat depressing to see him so happy. It just made me remember how lonely I was most of the time.

Charlie and I bid everyone goodnight around eight-thirty. It had been a fun afternoon, and I had actually enjoyed the football game. It was very tense filled. UT vs. A&M always was in our house though. Jacob was obviously a Longhorn, but Charlie's dad was an Aggie, therefore Charlie was by default. He had watched just about every major A&M football game that was televised for the last thirty-odd years.

Unfortunately for Charlie, the Longhorns spanked the Aggies, 49 to 9. It had been hilarious to see Charlie's face fall a little bit more each time UT had scored.

I had cleaned up the kitchen during the halftime show, but went in to see if anything else needed to be washed, or put away. Charlie drug the trash can into the living room. He threw the last of the beer cans and paper plates away and brought it back into the kitchen, just as I was cleaning off the counter one more time.

"Thanks for cooking, Bells. It was great."

"No problem dad. I had a good time this afternoon. I think that everyone else did too."

"Yeah, it was good, except for the game. That wasn't the greatest."

I laughed at him. "Well, it depends on who you ask." He glared at me. "Ouch dad. You know I'm no Longhorn." His glare was replaced by a sly smile. "But I'm no Aggie, either."

"Well, you can't have it both ways I suppose. I'm off to bed – too many hot wings." He patted his bloated stomach for emphasis.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to turn in already too. Alice will probably be here in a few hours to drag me off shopping." I was not looking forward to it.

"You're going to brave the stores on Black Friday? Wow, I didn't know you had it in you Bells."

"I don't. But I'll never hear the end of it if I don't go with her." I knew better than to mess with Alice when she had her heart set on shopping.

"Goodnight kiddo. Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy Thanksgiving Dad. I'll see you tomorrow sometime, alright?"

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." He turned and made his way up the stairs. I turned off the kitchen light and made my way to my bedroom as well.

Once I was dressed and ready for bed, I noticed that I had missed a text message from Alice.

Bell – call me. There's been a slight change of plans – Love Alice

I pushed the green call button and held the phone up to my ear, not knowing what to expect. I knew she would never cancel shopping. At least on the biggest shopping day of the year.

She answered after the first ring. "What took you so long to call me back?"

"Why? What time did you leave me that text?"

"I don't know – hours ago. What have you been doing?"

"Well, Alice – I don't know if you noticed, but its Thanksgiving today. You know – major holiday and all." She hated it when I was sarcastic. She just didn't realize she made it simply too easy.

"What is that supposed to mean, Bella?"

"We had company. I cooked. We ate until we were stuffed. We watched football. You know – Thanksgiving. Like normal Americans."

"Who came over, Jacob?"

"Yeah, Jacob, his dad, and his girlfriend Leah. They came over and we watched the UT and A&M game. It was funny."

"Ew - sports. How can you stand it?"

"Aren't you dating a baseball player, Alice?"

"Well yeah. I suppose dating a baseball player has a few advantages – like uniforms. Yummy."

I had to agree with her on this one, though I would never tell her that to her face. Edward had looked simply delicious in that baseball uniform.

"Yeah well, some sports are actually fun to watch too, Alice. You know – the game."

"Sure Bella. Let me know when the next game is so I can set my DVR. What else did you guys do?"

"Well, Leah spilled the beans on a major secret that they're keeping from Billy."

I let it sink in for a moment, but told her about the engagement before she started speculating that Leah was pregnant. She squealed into the phone, which I had luckily been prepared for.

"So I take it you are happy for them?"

"That is some major news, Bella. It's awesome that he proposed. They've been together forever. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Yeah, I guess. I didn't peg Jake for such a romantic though. Apparently he planned the whole proposal and even picked out the ring himself. Who knew he had it in him?"

"Aw – that's so sweet. I hope I'm surprised like that one day."

"Speaking of surprises – what's the change in plans?"

"Oh right," she said. "Umm, so Jasper called me earlier and asked if I would meet up with him tomorrow. He said he likes to get his Christmas shopping done on Black Friday to get the best deals on stuff. I swear, its like we were made for each other Bella."

"So then I'm off the hook? I can actually get some sleep tonight?"

"Well, not exactly." I could practically hear her wheels turning through the phone.

"What did you do, Alice?" She was never good at hiding things from me. We knew each other too well.

"Well, Jasper rode home with Edward and I kind of invited him to ride home with me. He said you guys could just switch places and Edward could give you a ride back to Seattle."

A whole hour alone with Edward? I wasn't sure whether to be nervous or excited. And I definitely didn't know how to answer Alice.

"Bella, are you still there?"

Gulp. "Yeah, I'm still here Alice. So, you guys already decided this. Does Edward know? Is he okay with it?"

"Yeah, it was sort of his idea. I was talking to Jasper earlier and Edward was complaining in the background of how much time we were spending on the phone today. He suggested we just ride back together and Jasper was all for it. He asked if it was cool that Edward gave you lift, and Edward said it was fine. No big deal."

Oh god, it was Edward's idea – sort of.

"The only thing is – Jasper and I are leaving tomorrow after we go shopping. So, how are you and Edward… Hang on, I'm getting a text message."

I listened as she clicked around on her phone, obviously sending a reply to whoever had texted her. I was used to it. Alice always seemed to being two things at once, and that included talking to two people at once too.

I thought about what she was about to say as I listened to her click her keyboard. How was I going to get to Port A to get a ride with Edward? I couldn't have my dad drop me off, that would be beyond mortifying. I wondered what day he would want to get back too. I was ready to get back tomorrow, because I would just sit around and get bored if I had to stay in Forks until Sunday.

"Bella?" She must finally be done texting.

"Yeah Alice – I'm still here."

"That was Jasper. He said that Edward was going to drive down to Forks tomorrow morning to pick you up around nine. Is that going to be alright?"

Thank God Charlie had to work tomorrow morning. "Yes, nine will be fine. I'll just get my stuff together then. I'll see you… wait, when will I see you?"

I could hear her clicking again, probably texting Jasper. "I'll make it up to you Bella. We'll do something just the two of us on Saturday night, alright?"

"Oh – can we go watch that new movie with James McAvoy?"

"I don't know. You know how I hate going to the movies. We'll do something fun though – I promise. Alright, so I'll see you Saturday?"

I sighed. I had a feeling our plans would fall through because she would want to hang out with Jasper. "Sure, uh-huh. I'll see you Saturday. Good night, Alice."

"Night Bella."

I walked over to my nightstand and plugged my phone into its charger for the night. I grabbed a sheet of paper from my notebook and wrote a quick note to Charlie telling him the change in plans. I told him goodbye and that I would see him next month for Christmas. I grabbed a piece of tape and walked out into the hall to put the note up on the bathroom door, where he was sure to find it in the morning.

I went back into my room and sat on the edge of my bed. I looked around my old room. I had already washed all of the clothes I had brought home, and was glad for it too. I had originally planned on throwing a pair of sweat pants on for the morning shop-a-thon, but now that Edward was going to be picking me up, I was sure something I brought home to wash would work. I hadn't dressed up any of the times I had seen him before - well, that is if you didn't count the Halloween costume. I just had never seen him while wearing anything grungy like a pair of my ratty old sweats. The towel had been my most interesting ensemble, by far.

I smiled at the memory of Edward being so flustered that he couldn't even open his door. I went to sleep thinking about it, and ended up dreaming about embarrassing him once again, if only to see that blush creep across his cheeks once more.

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Edward arrived at my house at exactly nine o'clock, and I was sitting in the kitchen anxiously awaiting him. When I saw his car pull up into the driveway, I made my way outside with my huge bag of clean laundry and my small overnight bag in tow.

He stepped out of the car when he spotted me on the porch, and I waved hello before turning around to lock up behind me.

I heard him walk up the sidewalk behind me. "Morning, Bella."

I turned back around to find my luggage in his hands already. "Oh, good morning Edward. I can get those if you want." I reached out to grab my laundry bag from him.

"That's alright, I've got it," he said, turning back down the sidewalk.

I walked behind him and helped him load my luggage into his trunk. I noticed a big duffel bag next to a smaller suitcase.

"Looks like you had the same idea as me," I said to him while he closed the trunk. We parted around the car and walked to our respective doors.

Before getting in he asked, "And what idea is that?"

I heard the doors unlock, and slid into the passenger seat. Once he had started the car I answered him. "Free laundry." I nodded my head in the direction of his trunk. "I don't know about you, but I never seem to have any quarters and the change machine in the Laundromat sucks. It never works for me. Ever."

"Oh yeah, I know what you mean. It actually accepted a dollar of mine about a month ago, and I got really excited because it never does that. Once I got over the fact that it had actually accepted it, I realized that it didn't give me any quarters. So, I always bring a huge bag of laundry home with me now, but I do wash it myself. My mom offers to wash it for me sometimes, but I know she doesn't want to. She stopped washing my stuff in junior high when I started playing baseball. She told me that my socks and undershirts stunk up the other clothes, so I started washing my own stuff."

I laughed at him while he backed out of my driveway. He turned right at the end of my street, headed for the highway.

"Forks is pretty small. When Alice started naming off streets to turn onto to get to your house yesterday, I was scared I wouldn't find it, but it was pretty simple once you got onto the main road in town."

"Yeah, everything is off the main road, pretty much. It's would be difficult to get lost in this town."

I wouldn't let him know that I had gotten lost once when I was sixteen. Or that my mother before me had as well.

We had made it to the highway by now and the trees were starting to thicken on either side of the road as we pulled out of Forks.

I broke the ice. We were going to be in the car for the next hour and a half – well, if he didn't drive like a maniac. I did not want to spend the entire time in awkward silence.

"What are your plans for the Christmas break?" I silently wished for a repeat of this. The more time I got to spend with Edward, the better. Especially like this – just the two of us.

"Well, for now it looks like I'm going to get to come home. And yourself?"

"Oh, umm, yeah. I get the time off from work, if that's what you mean. I'm sure Alice and I will drive home as soon as finals are over."

He asked about my classes next. We talked about our course schedules and upcoming finals for a while. I was interested in his internship with the sports medicine department, and he in turn seemed to be just as interested in my job as an RA.

I asked what medical schools he was thinking about applying to. I was astounded with his top three choices of ivy-league schools. He sounded so confident naming them off. I didn't know how to respond, so a comfortable silence fell between us.

I began to fidget in my seat after about ten minutes. I was okay with the silence, but I still was in a state of shock that I was riding back to Seattle with Edward. I snuck a sideways glance at him and saw that he was chewing on the inside of his cheek. I took a deep breath through my nose. I could smell the leather of the seats, but most of all, I could smell him. His scent was mouthwatering. He smelled like a fresh summer day. It was the scent of soap, clean laundry, and something faintly musky. I was wondering what kind of cologne he used when he cleared his throat.

"I'm thirsty. You want to stop for a drink at the next gas station?"

I swallowed hard. I realized that my throat was a bit dry, but also that I was suddenly very aware of how close he was to me.

"Uh, sure. I could use a drink." A drink sounded great. Maybe I wouldn't sound like such a morose tool if I had a bit of alcohol in my system.

He pulled off of the highway at the next exit and made his way to the gas station at the intersection. It was the giant truck stop that had been advertised on every other billboard for the last forty miles.

Edward parked the car and we made our way inside of the store. I excused myself to go to the ladies room. I didn't have to go, but I was in desperate need of a moment to myself.

I made my way to the back of the giant store and went directly to the sinks. I was glad the restroom was somewhat empty. I placed my hands on the counter and leaned towards my reflection in the mirror.

I looked at myself intently for about thirty seconds before mouthing the words "What is wrong with you?" I was in a daze. I obviously found Edward attractive, of course, and had loved spending time with him over the last month. We had been alone for our last several meetings, like when we got coffee last week. Why was I acting flabbergasted to be around him all of a sudden? I didn't even act weird around him this morning. Now, I could feel that my body had broken out in a cold sweat. It was only after we had talked about what medical schools he was hoping to attend that I started feeling this way. Well that, and how he smelled. I leaned down to smell my left shoulder. My shirt smelled like him. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.

I loved the way he smelled.

I opened my eyes in shock. I looked at my expression in the mirror. That was what was wrong.

I didn't only love his smell. I loved him. Sometime over the last few weeks, I had fallen in love with Edward Cullen.

I blinked a few times and my arms gave out. I caught myself before I slammed face first into the mirror. I turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on my face. I looked back up into the mirror. Yup – I was definitely in love with him.

I knew I had been in the bathroom for at least a couple of minutes, so I grabbed a paper towel and dabbed at my face before heading back out into the store to find Edward. I was nervous to rejoin him now that I realized how I felt about him, but I couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. I looked around and spotted him by a display of tee shirts with the truck stop's logo on them – a cartoon picture of Buccee.

He turned around when he spotted me and I saw that he had one of the tee shirts held up to his chest. The logo had the cartoon of Buccee on the front and underneath the picture it said in bold capital letters, "Buccee – It's a Beaver!" My face broke out in a huge ear to ear grin. I started laughing at how ridiculous he looked with the shirt stretched out over his chest, and the goofy crooked grin he was giving me.

He put the tee shirt down and walked over to me. "What? I like Buccee. I stop in here almost every trip back down to Seattle."

"I've never been in here before." I got nervous again when I looked up into his eyes.

"So, shall we?" He gestured towards the refrigerated drinks along the back wall.

"Uh, do you mind if I get a Dr. Pepper out of the fountain? I like the carbonation. It doesn't taste as sweet. Plus, styrofoam cups don't sweat like the bottles do."

He chewed the inside of his cheek. Why does he do that?

"You prefer Dr. Pepper from the fountain?" He gave me his best crooked grin.

I gulped. "Mm-hmm." I couldn't seem to find my voice.

"You're a girl after my own heart," he said, still grinning.

If only you knew, Edward. I wish I had your heart.

I looked down at my feet and could feel my blush heat up my cheeks. I bit my lower lip, plastered a small smile on through it, and looked back up at him.

"Uh, could you get me one too, I'll be right back." He chewed on his cheek once more before turning abruptly on his left heel and heading for the restroom.

I grabbed us both a fountain Dr. Pepper and took the opportunity to grab the tee shirt he had held up earlier. I brought them up to the counter and paid for all of it before he came out of the restroom. I had the cashier give me an extra bag, so that the tee shirt was concealed from view.

I waited for Edward by the entrance and where he met up with me a few moments later.

"Hey, I would have paid for that, you know?"

"I told you had to stop paying, remember? Consider this as a payback for that first coffee you bought me." I handed him his soda, and we walked out to where the car was parked in front of the store.

"Thanks, Bella," he said, stopping in front of the car and looking directly into my eyes.

I bit my lip before stepping off of the curb towards my door. He unlocked the car and I opened my door. "No problem, Edward," I said before sliding into my seat.

Once he pulled back onto the highway, I saw a sign saying we were only about twenty minutes from Seattle. For once, the sun was out, so I flipped down my visor to keep it out of my eyes.

"So," I said, breaking the silence that had fallen since we had gotten back in the car. "What type of music do you like?"

He smiled. "All kinds, really. I think this is the only car trip I've ever been on where I'm not blasting music."

"I was just thinking that." I smiled over at him. Alice and I usually cranked up the volume on the way to Forks. The only reason we had not the other morning was that it was too early in the morning for me.

"What kind of music is on your playlist?"

"Oh," I answered timidly, "you wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of one of my playlists. I have such a strange variety. It's all jumbled up."

"Really? Most of my playlists are like that, too. It drove Jasper crazy on the way to Port Angeles last Wednesday."

I looked out of the windshield and saw that we were on the outskirts of the city. We would be pulling up to the University in ten minutes. I looked away from him out of my window and sighed quietly.

He must have heard me. "I hate the last leg of this trip. It feels like it drags on and on, don't you think?"

If only he knew that I was thinking how fast the trip had been. I only had ten more minutes of sitting so close to him, taking in his smell. I inhaled deeply again. God, he was killing me and he wasn't even aware of it.

I turned back towards him. "Yeah – just when you think you're almost there, it takes forever to get across town to the campus." I bet he sees right through me. I sound so fake.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." His fingers curled around the steering wheel and I could see the whites of his knuckles. He probably was ready to be rid of me.

We spent the last few minutes of the trip in silence. It was not comfortable. I opened my mouth, ready to say something – anything, at least five times. I closed it every time and simply remained silent.

He pulled onto campus and parked next to my truck once we reached Weston hall. I had been looking down at my lap when he shifted the car into park, but looked over at him when he still had not turned the car off several seconds later. He was chewing the inside of his cheek again. It almost looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he turned off the car and got out.

I got out too, and went to the trunk to get my things. He opened it, still silent, and handed me my luggage before getting his out and setting it down on the pavement. He shut his trunk and locked the car before shoving his keys in his pocket. When he picked up his luggage and starting walking toward the street, I sighed once again, and followed behind him.

He slung his duffel across his shoulder once we reached the double doors to hold it open for me and I whispered "Thank you" after I walked in, but I don't think he heard me.

I pushed the up button on the elevator and when it opened I walked inside. He set his duffel bag down and pushed the button to take us both up to the fifth floor. I looked down at my feet.

"Thanks for riding back with me Bella."

My mouth opened a bit and I took a few breaths before looking up at him and answering.

"Thank you for bringing me back to school Edward."

He gave me his crooked grin and I thought I was going to melt into a giant puddle right here in the elevator.

The doors opened up and he scooped his bag up off of the floor. We walked out into the hallway and stopped in front of his door.

I wasn't sure of what to do.

"Umm, I'll see you later then." I was a coward.

"Okay. I'll see you later Bella."

I gave him a weak smile and turned right to quickly get away from him. I tried not to run down the hall to my room, which was hard since I could feel his eyes boring a hole into my back.

Once I reached my door I saw a message written on my dry erase board.

Bella – I hope you had a good holiday. I just wanted to let you know that I am going to follow your advice. You were right about a situation presenting itself. Thanks a million – Angela.

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The rest of the day was torture. I put away my clean clothes. I listened to my iPod. I checked my e-mail. I talked to Charlie. I talked to Renee.

I refused to leave my room, in case I ran into him again, so I was glad that I had some candy stashed in my desk. I nibbled on it all day.

At eight o'clock, I couldn't stand the smell of myself anymore, and I desperately had to pee since I had been nursing my Dr. Pepper all day. I snuck down to the bathroom and took a quick shower. I remembered to bring my sweats this time, but still checked the hallway to make sure it was all clear.

Once I made it back to my room, I brushed out my hair, gave up on the day, and went to sleep.

I dreamed of Edward.

When I woke up on Saturday morning, I thought things would be better. They were the same. Alice called to cancel our plans at three o'clock. I was not surprised. Saturday night was just as miserable as the night before.

The next three weeks passed by in a blur. I went to class. I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner, talked to Renee and Charlie, and gave my end of semester spiel to the girls on my floor. Everyone was staying put for the spring semester, and I was grateful that I wouldn't have any extra work to deal with.

I found out that Resident Advisors made extra money for working over the holiday. I needed the money, so I called Charlie and told him I wouldn't be coming home after all. He had Billy and Jacob to entertain him, so I wasn't too worried. Renee threw a fit, but I calmed her down by telling her it would be easier to keep my job for my senior year if I stayed on for the holiday. I knew that she and Phil were in no position to help out with tuition, so she agreed.

Finals came and went, and it was finally Friday the nineteenth, the last day of school for all official purposes.

I was sitting on my bed, listening to depressing music and thinking about how I had not seen Edward for twenty two days. I looked down at the pile of wrapped presents I had in the corner of my room. I had gifts for Alice, Renee, Phil, and Charlie. On top of them all sat the gag gift I had bought on impulse at Buccee's for Edward. I should just open it and keep it myself.

My head snapped up at the knock on my open door. "We're going out," Alice said.

I groaned in protest when I saw the bags she was carrying in her hands, and threw myself across the bed. She came and stood over me.

"Oh come on. I know you don't have anything cute to wear. Besides, I haven't seen you in ages. It's the last night of the semester. I didn't make plans with my boyfriend. I said we needed a girl's night. Finals are over - we need to celebrate."

She smiled down at me before pulling me up.

"Alice, where are we going? I don't want to go anywhere." Couldn't she see that she was interrupting a truly spectacular mope?

"I hate to ruin your pity party, but we've got some serious drinking to do tonight."

I would normally protest, but a few drinks actually sounded good right now. I raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you have in mind?"

"Shenanigan's is the only place I want to go tonight."

I couldn't blame her. It was the only college bar that catered to twenty-one and up. I was not in the mood to run into any eighteen year olds sneaking alcohol into the bathroom. Those were the bars that always ended up with at least a corner booth or sofa covered in vomit.

I nodded my head in agreement. "Shenanigan's it is then. But what are you insisting that I wear? I am NOT wearing a dress. It's Washington. It's December. It's cold."

"No dresses, Bella. Geez – don't you think I know you by now? But, it is not going to be cold inside of the bar."

She opened up the bag she had set on the bed and pulled out a pair of jeans. I cocked my head to the side in surprise.

"Hmm. I thought when you said no dresses that you were going to pull out a skirt from your bag of tricks."

"Oh yea of little faith," she said, pulling out a pair of black ballet slippers and a plain black tank top. I was grateful for the simplicity of the clothes. I was in no mood to stand out tonight.

My tank top was plain, but the cut of it was very interesting. It had a low square neck that showed a bit, well, a lot more cleavage than I had ever shown before, but I didn't feel too overly exposed.

The most surprising part of the evening's wardrobe choices belonged to Alice however.

"What are you wearing then?"

A devilish grin broke out on her face as she pulled out a small piece of black fabric and a pair of black pointy heels.

"The perfect little black dress, of course," she replied. I should have known.

"What," she questioned as I watched her put on a pair of black leggings under her dress. "You didn't think I was going to wear that thing without a pair of leggings underneath did you? My ass would hang out if we decided to dance tonight."

I laughed at her. "You think I'm going to be dancing tonight?"

"Oh, there will be dancing. Because we have some serious drinking to do. It's a girl's night out, Bella. We're out-drinking people tonight."

I knew I wanted a couple of drinks, but I didn't want to wake up dead tomorrow. I've have to watch her tonight.

Alice whipped out her phone and began typing on the keyboard.

"Alice, I thought you said this was a girl's night out. You're not inviting Jasper, are you?"

"God no, Bella. He's hanging out with Edward tonight." My heart stopped at the mention of his name. "I'm not that clingy. I seen him everyday for the last month for cripes sake. I'm calling a cab. You know – no drinking and driving. Ring any bells, Bells?"

"Oh yeah," I said, slightly ashamed.

We finished getting ready and I threw my dorm key, me and Alice's IDs, and some cash into my jeans pockets. We headed downstairs as soon as Alice shoved her lip gloss in my other pocket. I shivered in the cold and almost went back up to my room to grab a coat when the taxi showed up.

After the quick twenty dollar cab ride, we pulled up to Shenanigan's. It wasn't that busy, but there were enough people already there to make it interesting. I was simply glad there wasn't a line outside. We would have frozen to death outside.

We walked inside and Alice immediately pulled me over to the bar. It was busier than I had originally thought, so I just stood behind her, letting her order.

She asked for our IDs and cash, handed back the change and our licenses, and then gave me a shot glass filled with a milky brown liquid.

I made my way away from the bar over to an empty tall table by the dance floor and sat down on the barstool. She sat across from me and clinked our shot glasses together, looking at me expectantly.

"What is this?"

She had an evil glint in her eye. "It's good – drink it."

I pursed my lips and asked again. "What is this Alice?"

"It's a Buttery Nipple - Bottoms up." She downed hers.

I gave up and drank. It was delicious.

"Mmmm. That's good."

"Yes it is. Now go get us another one."

I smirked at her and made my way back to the bar. This time, I got two shots, a Red Bull and Grey Goose for Alice, and a Seagram's Seven and Seven for me. I didn't want to down the shots and have to turn right back around to come back to the bar. I paid and tried to balance the four glasses in my hands and not trip and fall on the way back to our table.

Alice clapped her hands when I made it back in one piece. "I thought for sure you were going to spill when I saw how many things you had in your hands. Ooh – Red Bull and Grey Goose – my favorite!"

"Who's the one with little faith now?" I passed the shot over to her and raised mine up towards her. "To, umm, girl's night. Yeah – to girl's night."

We pushed our shot glasses together at the toast before downing them together this time. I smacked my lips together – those things were good, but I had a feeling there wasn't much alcohol in them. That was probably good though, since I didn't tolerate alcohol so well and I had already had two of them.

I shrugged and started drinking my Seven and Seven, scanning the bar for anyone I knew.

I was glad that I didn't recognize anyone. I wasn't in the mood to chit-chat and pretend to catch up. I always found those type of conversations so fake. They just seemed forced to me.

"Pork and Beans" by Weezer came on over the speakers and I looked over at Alice. She had a grin from ear to ear and we immediately started singing along with the chorus, bouncing up and down in our barstools.

After the song ended, I took another sip of my drink and was surprised to find it empty. I looked down at Alice's glass and was disappointed to see that she still had a ways to go on it. I poked my straw around the bottom of my glass and moved the ice around before picking up a cube and popping it in my mouth.

She looked at me funny. "Why are you acting so weird?"

I bit my lower lip. "Oh. You know, work, finals – the usual." I was rambling. Crap – she was going to know.

She cocked her head to the left. I didn't think I could talk about Edward. I could never hide anything from Alice.

She was still looking at me intently. I was getting nervous but then she asked, "You want another drink?"

I looked at her glass again, but she had not taken a drink since I had last looked at it. I nodded at her but asked, "Are you sure? You've still got some left."

She hopped down off of her barstool and came and stood by me. "Yeah – I want to have one ready. I'm telling you – I'm drinking tonight." She smiled at me.

I handed her some cash and watched her walk up to the bar. She hopped up on the footrest in front of it and leaned over, whistling to get the bartender's attention. She may be small, but Alice was feisty.

She made her way back over to the table a few minutes later with a fresh round. I hungrily sipped my drink and she started laughing.

I set it down. "What?"

"Nothing," she answered. "No toast this time, then."

My cheeks heated up and I looked at my folded hands in my lap. I bit my lip and looked back up at her.

She had her first drink to her lips and it was gone before I had a chance to say anything. She picked up her second one and smiled at me before tipping it in the air towards me and placing the straw to her lips. Within seconds, her drink was at the same level as mine.

I smiled at her and picked mine back up. We looked into each other's eyes, egging each other on, and downed them within seconds. As soon as we set our now empty glasses on the table, Madonna's voice came over the speakers. "What are you looking at?"

Alice and I looked at each other, and a sly grin broke out on both of our faces. We started snapping our fingers in time with the steady beat. When the bass kicked in, we jumped off of our barstools.

By the time Madonna said "Strike a pose," we were already on the dance floor, along with almost every other girl in the bar.

I mouthed the words along with Madonna and looked over at Alice to see her mouth the word "Vogue" right along with me.

When the steady beats picked up tempo, we were really getting into it.

Everyone around us shouted out, "I know a place where you can get away – It's called a dance floor, and here's what it's for - So, come on Vogue."

At the main chorus, I watched in awe as Alice extended her arms in front of her, crossed them over her chest, and then brought them behind her head, perfectly emulating Madonna from the video.

I should not have been surprised. We had taped and studied the video a million times in fourth grade for the talent show we were both too chicken to actually go through with.

I started doing the dance with her, and soon the whole dance floor was a sea of bending arms. The DJ must have been getting a kick out of the entire population of females out on the dance floor, because he led the end of the song right to "Into the Groove."

It seemed like all of the girls stayed on the dance floor. I noticed a few guys being drug onto the dance floor by their girlfriends.

Alice and I were laughing and singing along with the music when Jasper slid up behind her. Her eyes opened in shock and she squealed and kissed him hard on the mouth. He laughed and started dancing behind her, swaying with her to the beat.

I realized I had stopped dancing when I felt someone right behind me. I slowly turned around and found a guy smiling at me. It was not who I thought it would be. I didn't even know this guy. I scrunched up my nose and eyebrows.

He took it as a questioning look, instead of one of disgust.

"Hey gorgeous, I'm Mike Newton. You may have heard of me." He had started grinding into me.

I had heard his name somewhere before. I racked my brain, searching of exactly where I had heard it before. Then it came to me - Angela. She said this guy had bragged to the entire baseball team, hell, she said the entire school - about sleeping with her roommate Lauren.

I bit my lip and looked back at Alice and Jasper to save me. Mike took it as in invitation to grind up on my ass. I hated it when guys did that. Especially dickheads like Mike.

Alice and Jasper were too busy sucking each other's faces off to notice that I needed help. Mike continued bumping up into me and snaked an arm around my waist. I cringed.

The song ended and a low bass beat that I instantly recognized came on. I loved this song - so much, and wanted to dance to it. Really dance. By myself. Mike suddenly backed off.

I started swaying my hips back and forth to the low bass beats. I turned around, realizing the moment the lyrics to the song came on, Mike would surely start his ministrations on my ass once again. I came face to face with Edward. I sucked in a deep breath. He smiled.

Trent Reznor sang out "You let me violate you, you let me desecrate you. You let me penetrate you, you let me complicate you."

I bit my lower lip and looked down.

He grabbed a hold of my hips and started swaying from side to side, moving me in time with him. I looked up into his eyes. I couldn't decipher the look that flashed just behind them, but it didn't matter. Everyone else was gone at that moment. It felt like we were the only ones out on the dance floor.

Suddenly, and without shame, his eyes swept over my entire body. I was glad that Alice had picked out a tank top for me to wear in December. I was flushed with heat from the close proximity of our bodies, and the intensity of his gaze. He stepped in closer, still moving in time with the heavy beat of the bass.

I started breathing heavily through my mouth. His face was so close to mine. I started moving a bit more, relaxing into the music.

He spun me around and returned his hands to my hips. He scooted closer to me and I felt him press himself closer to my body.

Adrenaline rushed through my veins, and the alcohol was certainly catching up to me. I pushed back into him when the lyrics changed. "Help me become somebody else." No truer words had ever been uttered. I closed my eyes and leaned slightly forward while still swaying my hips back and forth.

"I want to fuck you like an animal. I want to feel you from the inside."

We were only swaying from side to side. It felt like so much more. His right hand left my hip and trailed up my back towards my shoulder. He pushed me forward a bit more and I felt his body make contact with mine, sending a shiver down my spine.

We danced this way for the remainder of the song, and I didn't know what I was going to say or do once it was over.

Suddenly, the moment was upon us. I turned around just as the slow beat of "Trouble" by Coldplay began. I looked into his eyes and still could not read what was happening just behind the surface. He placed his hands on mine and brought them up around his neck, before moving his own back down onto my hips. I turned my head away from him and closed my eyes as we began to dance again.

I could feel the hot air from his breath on my neck. I shivered again. I was in heaven – alone and close to Edward. I thought I heard him whisper my name.

I pulled back intent on looking into his eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to look up into them. Instead, I walked off of the dance floor and hastily ran for the bathroom.

It was the gas station all over again. Only somehow it was worse this time. What was he trying to do to me?

Just like last time, I stared at myself in the mirror. I was about to turn towards the door when Alice burst through it.

When I saw her face, my emotions bubbled over. The alcohol buzzed around my head. I started crying. I couldn't help it - I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what I wanted. Well, except that I wanted Edward. I just didn't know if he wanted me back. Too many thoughts were being tossed around my head at once.

Alice nodded her head at me and turned the water on. I quickly splashed my face, and tried to make myself presentable. She handed me a paper towel. I tried to scrub the mascara away from under my eyes. At least it was darker out in the bar.

"Are you ready to go back out there Bella?" Alice handed me one last paper towel. I blew my nose and nodded that I was okay and ready.

We walked out and I heard the loud steady beats of Rihanna's "Disturbia" resonating throughout the bar, and pounding in my ears. I winced at the volume.

Alice and I made our way back to the table we had sat at earlier. I scanned the bar for Edward or Jasper. I found Jasper waiting in line, but didn't see Edward anywhere.

I looked at Alice, only to find a panicked look upon her face. She opened and closed her mouth to speak to me, but no sound came out. I followed her gaze out onto the dance floor where I immediately spotted his tall frame across the dance floor. I could only see the back of his head, but I knew it was him. He was dancing. With Angela.

She had her hand thrown up across her chest and was laughing. She looked so happy. I thought back to our conversation from two months ago.

"I totally have a crush on this upper classman that lives here in the dorm," she had said. I raised my hand up to my open mouth. She had even mentioned that she thought he was a baseball player. I clamped my eyes shut.

Then I remembered the note she had left on my door just a few weeks ago. "I just wanted to let you know that I am going to follow your advice. You were right about a situation presenting itself." She had sounded so determined. At the time, I was happy that she was going to go for it. Now, I wanted to curl up into a ball and die.

I thought about the fact that I had not seen Edward in three weeks. They could be dating by now for all I knew. But why had he danced with me like that? Why had he looked at me like that? Why had he whispered my name into my neck? I knew that he had. I just knew it.

My eyes flew open and landed on Alice. I didn't say anything, but I knew I didn't have to. I rose from my barstool and headed for the exit, knowing that she would be right behind me.

Several cabs were parked at the entrance, so I hopped in the first available one. Alice slid in beside me and gave the address of my dorm to the driver.

Neither of us spoke on the way back to Weston. Alice pulled out a twenty from my pocket and paid the cabbie when we arrived. I got out and walked up to the doors. She followed me inside and up to my room.

Once we were inside, I curled up into a ball on top of my bed. Alice pulled a blanket up over my legs and sat down next to me. She handed me a Kleenex. I grabbed it and balled it up in my fist.

There was a light knock on my door. I looked over at the door, and silently willed Alice to make whoever it was go away. She must have understood the look on my face, because she rose from my bed without question and walked over to the door. I buried my face in my pillow and turned my back towards the door.

"Hey Alice, is Bella here?"

My head spun towards the door at the sound of his voice.

Several emotions passed through me in a matter of mere seconds.

I was shocked – He was here. He was not with Angela.

I was pissed – Why was he playing games with me? Why had I not seen him since we rode home together?

I was confused – Why was he doing this? Why was he here?

I was happy – He was here. He was not with Angela.

Alice looked back at me. I sat up and wiped under my eyes with the Kleenex that was still balled up in my hand.

I nodded to her. She understood and came over to me.

"I'm going to go if that's alright. Edward said that Jasper was downstairs waiting for me with a cab. I won't go if you don't want me to." I shook my head. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright. I'll call you tomorrow. Thanks for everything, Alice."

"Alright Bells. I'll call you tomorrow."

I was so grateful that she would be staying in Seattle over the holiday. I had the feeling I would need her over the next couple of days.

She grabbed the things she had brought to my room earlier and made her way over to the door. She spoke quietly to Edward once she got to the door and then left.

He stood in the doorway. I sat on my bed. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and I wrung my hands in my lap.

I finally stood up and walked over to him. I didn't want to talk about any of the things that had happened between us, but I didn't know what to say. This was going to be the last time I saw him for three weeks. I knew that the dorms would be mostly empty over the break, and he had mentioned something about going home for Christmas during the ride back to Seattle over Thanksgiving.

He stared into my eyes. "Bella…"

I couldn't do this now.

"So have a Merry Christmas Edward. I guess I'll see you after the break." I put my hand up on the doorframe.

I didn't want to be rude, but I knew I'd break down and say something stupid if he stayed any longer. Just the smell of his body so close to mine was sending my mind into overdrive.

I was biting my tongue. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to ask him what he was thinking. I wanted to tell him I was in love with him. I wanted to tell him he was confusing the crap out of me.

I needed for him to leave.

He looked down, and I could finally breathe again.

"Merry Christmas, Bella." He turned and left.

I shut the door and turned off the lights. I curled up on my bed to die.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next five days were torture. I was in hell. Alice didn't make me talk about anything that had happened, or the fact that I had been holding out on her. She had told me that Jasper was staying in Seattle, but that Edward had gone home. I winced at the sound of his name, but I was glad to hear he had left. It made it easier to leave my room.

Alice quickly picked up on this fact. She was trying to kill me. By distraction. In the form of Christmas shopping. And decorating.

On Christmas Eve, she helped me decorate for the party Weston was throwing tonight. It turned out that several members of the staff had stayed in town this year, and decided a party would be the best way to cheer everyone up that couldn't go home for the holiday.

We hung garland around the lobby all morning, and Alice sang cheesy Christmas carols at the top of her lungs. She even got me to laugh at one point by quoting the silliest lines from my favorite Christmas movies.

Because the party was just for the staff and their guests, it wasn't going to start until ten-thirty at night. Alice left me around seven o'clock to get ready and meet up with Jasper, but promised to drop by so that I wasn't completely bored out of my mind.

I decided to go take a shower around nine-thirty. I normally would have showered earlier in the evening but with the dorm all but deserted, I had my fair share of hot water for the night. I took my time, paying extra attention to condition the tips of my hair and shave my legs until they were smooth. I soaked up the last few minutes I had to myself tonight under the steady stream of hot water.

After I relaxed the tension that had been settling in my lower back for the last few days, I sighed and turned off the water. I had succeeding in steaming up most of the bathroom, so I wiped down my mirror before brushing my teeth. I watched myself as I brushed them for a few minutes. The girl reflected in the mirror looked exhausted. I sighed and rinsed out my mouth.

I placed my toothbrush back in the toiletries bag and could have kicked myself when I realized I had forgotten my sweats again. But I remembered he wasn't here. In fact, I had not seen anyone on the fifth floor for days. I wrapped the towel tightly around me and, grabbed my bag and walked down the hall to my room.

Alice had picked out a simple outfit for me to wear to the party. I pulled on a pair of black panties and a matching camisole.

I sat on my bed in my underwear and brushed out my hair. I felt dazed. The party was suddenly sounding like a very bad idea, but I knew Alice would kill me if she stopped by and I wasn't there. I pulled out my blow dryer and dried my hair until it was impeccably straight. I put on a bit of makeup to cover up the dark circles that had become noticeable under my eyes over the last few days.

I stood up and put on the skinny black slacks Alice had picked out for me one leg at a time. Then I slipped on the black ballet flats I had worn the other night. I felt like a zombie. I shook my head from side to side to snap out of my daze.

The world did not revolve around him for cripes' sake. Pull yourself together, Bella.

After sliding the sheer black tank with the faintest shimmer to it over my head, I inspected myself in the mirror. I liked the clothes, and my circles were hidden under the makeup, but I still didn't recognize the girl staring back at me. I checked to see what time it was, and didn't believe the clock at first. It was already fifteen till eleven. I must have been standing here for ages. I closed my eyes, grabbed my keys and phone, and pushed my door open. I couldn't bear to look at myself any longer.

When the elevator doors opened up into the lobby, I had a strong sense of déjà-vu. Except this time the room was dimly lit with Christmas lights, and a soft carol was playing through a small stereo set up at the front desk.

I walked out of the elevators and made my way over to the empty couch facing the doors.

I figured people could see me from here, but that I was still far enough away from the refreshment table, where the crowd was lingering, to be bothered. Also, this way Alice could spot me the second she got here.

I was about to flip open my phone to call her when I felt it buzz with a text message alert.

"Bella – I'm trying to get there. We're stuck at the restaurant. We've been here for an hour and just got seated. We'll eat fast and I promise I'll be there as soon as I can."

I sent her a quick reply. "Alice – don't worry about it. I'm here at the party and having a good time. Have fun with Jasper tonight and don't worry about me. I'll see you tomorrow – Merry Christmas."

I snapped my phone shut, dropped it on my lap with my keys, and closed my eyes. I took a big breath in through my nose, and exhaled through my mouth.

I got up and walked to the elevators. I had spent a total of fifteen minutes at the party, and had not talked to anyone.

The elevator finally reached the lobby, so I walked in and punched the button for the fifth floor. When the car stopped moving, I closed my eyes for a moment. I didn't want to look across and see his room in front of me. The doors opened up and I took a moment to breathe before stepping out.

I opened my eyes and Edward was standing directly in front of me. I had to blink several times to make sure he was really there.

"Bella?"

"Edward?"

"Are you going to get off of the elevator?"

I quickly looked from side to side and realized I had not moved yet. I stepped out into the hallway.

We stared at each other for a moment before the doors closed again.

My eyes finally took in the sight before me and I noticed that he had on a dark green dress shirt, a matching tie, and a pair of black dress pants. He must have been on his way down to the party.

I realized how quiet it was. I must have looked like an idiot just standing there gaping at him.

"Where you… Did you… Umm. On your way to the party?" Now I sounded like an idiot.

He nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry about the elevator then."

I was about to push the down button for him when he stopped my wrist with his hand.

"That's alright Bella. I was actually just going to come down to talk to you."

I swallowed hard. It was proving difficult to find my voice again.

"Do you want to come in?" He had opened the door to his room. "We can watch a movie or something. I have a bunch of Christmas movies and I haven't watched any of them this year." He gestured into his room where I could see that he a flat screen TV mounted on the wall above a small bookcase stacked with DVDs.

I nodded my head. My feet moved on their own towards his room. I watched him walk in and close the door behind us.

I stood by the bookcase of movies and he walked up beside me.

"So, what are you in the mood for?"

I bit my lip and tried to relax. It was hard to though. Our last meeting had ended so weirdly. It felt awkward to relax near him.

He held up "Christmas Vacation" and smiled at me.

"Merry Christmas. Shitter was full."

A wide smile broke out on my face. I loved that movie.

I knew most of it by heart. "Why is the carpet all wet, Todd?"

"I don't know, Margo," he answered. He started laughing and I soon followed.

He put the movie down before picking up "A Christmas Story."

I grinned at him and bit my lip. "We've got a lotta people waiting here, so get goin'." I shook my head for emphasis at the last part.

He busted out laughing and clutched at his sides. "That's my favorite part. Her stupid hat is dangling in her face."

I was laughing too. It felt good. It felt right. It felt like it used to – no awkward moments, no strings attached. Just the two of us hanging out.

He put down "A Christmas Story" and picked up "It's a Wonderful Life."

"How about this one? It's my favorite and I haven't got a chance to watch it yet." He looked down at his watch. "It's already eleven-thirty. This way we can say we watched it before Christmas."

I thought about the time for a minute. If we watched the whole movie, we would be spending the beginning of Christmas together.

I nodded to him. "It's my favorite too. I haven't seen it since last year."

He took the movie out of its case and slid it in a hidden side compartment on the TV before grabbing a remote and walking over to the door to turn out the lights.

While his back was turned, I looked around his room properly for the first time. It was neat and in order. He had a nice double bed with lots of fluffy looking pillows. He also had a lot of cool gadgets. I noticed a fancy iPod deck and sleek laptop computer on his nightstand. There was no desk. There was also no chair. Or couch.

I had no choice. I walked to the bed and sat down on the edge. He made his way over to his nightstand and emptied his pockets. I watched him kick off is shoes and sit down with his back against the headboard. He patted the space next to him.

After a few moments of internal debate, I gave in and kicked off my shoes. I scooted backwards until I felt the pillows behind me. I leaned back just as the movie started.

We watched the introduction and I smiled at the flashback scenes at the beginning. I had looked forward to watching this movie every December since I was a little girl.

I saw him shift his weight a bit out of the corner of my right eye. I had been trying to ignore the fact that I was lying next to him in his bed. It was difficult. And it was getting harder to ignore.

I could feel the heat from his body. His forearm was a mere inch away from mine. I glanced back at the television and saw that the Honeymoon scene was already on. His fingers grazed mine. I held my breath. He picked up his hand and placed it on the other side of mine, intertwining our fingers. I started breathing again. But I had to close my eyes.

I stayed absolutely still. I listened to the dialogue and relished the feel of his hand wrapped around mine.

"How can you watch the movie with your eyes closed?"

I was caught. And completely embarrassed. I bit my lip, turned towards him, and opened my eyes.

He was right in front of me. I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. He was so beautiful – it hurt to look at him. I ached to feel his lips on mine.

"Why do you do that?"

I blinked a few times. "Do what?"

"Why do you bite your lip?"

I realized I had been biting the crap out of it.

"I don't know." I dropped my gaze, before looking back into his eyes. "You make me nervous I guess."

He chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"Why do you do that?" I looked at his cheek. "Doesn't that hurt?"

He stopped. "No. I don't even realize I'm doing it half of the time. It's just something I do when I'm…"

He trailed off. His eyes zeroed in on my lips. I parted them and began to breathe heavily.

He leaned forward towards me and I couldn't stand the anticipation any longer. I moved towards him and captured his lips with my own.

My lips moved with his. He pushed against them and pulled them into his mouth. I was trembling. His tongue swept along my teeth before I let it into my mouth. He massaged my tongue with his and even though my eyes were closed, I could feel them roll back in their sockets. I was pulling in as much air as possible. I needed more and so did he, but I refused to let his mouth leave mine. We simply breathed in each other.

No kiss had ever felt like this. My body was on edge. Every nerve ending was firing, and I craved the feeling of him next to me. I was happy that our lips were touching, but I needed more. I knew if it felt this good to have his lips on mine, that I would surely be in heaven to have my hands on his body.

I hesitantly began to reach out for him, but he beat me. His hand landed on my hip and he pulled my body towards him until my chest and hips were flush with his. I draped my left arm around his back and pulled him even closer to me.

I felt a low moan move up his torso and into his throat. It caught me off guard so I pulled back and opened my eyes.

We were both panting. I moved my right hand up to my mouth and felt how swollen my lips were. They tingled under my fingers.

I was dying to tell him what I was feeling. But I was too afraid to. And I was still confused. I wanted to tell him that I loved kissing him. That I loved laughing with him. That I had missed him. That I was mad at the time we had spent apart in December. That I never wanted to leave his arms. That I wanted to kiss him again. But most of all, I wanted to tell him that I was in love with him. I closed my eyes knowing I didn't have the courage to do any of it.

I felt his hand cup my jaw. "Bella," he whispered to me.

I squeezed my eyes shut tighter. He had whispered to me the other night.

"Bella, look at me." His voice was strained. He sounded like he was in pain.

I opened my eyes and he looked sad.

"Bella, I…" He dropped his gaze from my face. He took his hand away from my face and ran it through his hair.

My breathing accelerated. What was he going to say?

He closed his eyes and opened them again. I was shocked at how intense his stare was this time. He looked directly into my eyes. "Bella."

I blinked and hoped he knew that he had my full attention.

"I love you, Bella. I'm – I'm in love with you."

My mouth fell open and I started breathing erratically. My vision blurred. I blinked several times, but my eyes would not clear. I closed them for a moment.

I felt his hand return to my face.

'I love you too. I'm in love with you too," I whispered with my eyes still tightly shut.

His mouth returned to mine for a slow burning kiss.

I pulled myself towards him and got as close as I could.

He pulled my leg up over his before wrapping his arms around my body. His kisses deepened and I was soon gasping for air into his mouth. His hips had instinctually pushed forward and I could feel the hardness of his length on the inside of my thigh.

I moaned into his mouth and opened my eyes. I was surprised to find his eyes on mine. We kissed once more before I pulled my lips away from his again.

"Edward, I want you." My lips trembled.

He was trembling too. "God Bella, I want you too. Are you sure though? Is this what you really want? It's happening pretty fast." His gaze dropped again and my heart faltered.

I cupped his jaw this time and made him look me in the eye. "Yes - I want this. Please, Edward. I need you."

That was all it took. His lips crashed onto mine and he pushed himself up and over me.

He moved his lips to my neck and I felt like my body was falling apart. I wanted him so badly. I wanted to feel his lips all over my body, and I wanted to explore his body with mine as well.

He supported his weight over me with one hand and on his knees, which were placed on either side of my own. He loosened his tie with his free hand and threw it down off of the bed.

I bit my lip and reached up to help with the buttons on his dress shirt. He pulled it free from the waistband of his slacks while I worked my way down from the top. Once it fell free, he pushed it off of his shoulders. I held my breath at the sight of him. His arms were well defined. His chest was sculpted and his shoulders were broad. I noticed a faint scar on his right shoulder in the flickering light from the movie that was still playing. There was no noise coming from the television however. Edward must have muted it when I closed my eyes.

I traced the scar with my finger after Edward discarded his shirt. I felt him shudder under my touch. I looked up into his eyes and was lost in a sea of green. I could see the love he had just professed for me swimming in their depths.

He smiled at me before leaning down to capture my lips with his. I felt his hands pull at the hem of my shirt as he leaned back up.

I propped myself up on one elbow and took off my shimmery tank top. His eyes were locked on mine, but his hand came down to the edge of my camisole. He kept his eyes on mine as he pulled it up and over my head.

He turned to throw it down along with the other part of my shirt. I laid back on the bed. When he turned back towards me, his eyes traveled upwards from my waist and settled back on my gaze.

With shaking hands, I reached out for his belt. His hands found mine, and he made quick work of his belt and pants, pushing them down to his knees. He pushed them off with his feet, and toed his socks off. His hands came to my waist, and I let him undo my pants. I lifted my hips up while he pulled them down.

He threw both pairs of pants off of the bed and settled back over me. I was glad that I had worn these panties, because he was eyeing them. With a questioning look, he grazed his fingers on the side of them. I nodded in permission, and he hooked his fingers around them. He slowly dragged them down my legs.

He was far away from me now, with his body down by my legs. I was suddenly very aware that I was naked. I squirmed a bit, rubbing my legs together. I had not been naked in front of anyone before. I wasn't a virgin, but I had only had sex once. I had left my shirt on. It had not been anything like this. It was quick and awkward.

I was suddenly self-conscious. I didn't know what to do.

Edward must have felt me tense up, because his eyes met mine. He pressed his lips to my right knee. My leg broke out in goose bumps.

He began to trace them with him fingers. My leg was shaking. He picked up my leg and placed it over his head and brought it back down so that he was now positioned between them.

I bit my lip, hard. I was nervous.

He put his hands on the outside of my thighs, rubbing them to try and help me relax. His touch set my skin on fire.

He kissed his way up the inside of my right thigh. When he got up to where they met, I closed my eyes and tried to shut my legs. He used his hands to push me down.

"Just stay still. I'm not going to hurt you."

I nodded. I couldn't speak.

I could feel his breath between my legs. It was beyond erotic. I would die if he didn't touch me soon.

Just when I thought I couldn't stand it any longer, his tongue brushed up against me.

My head sank back onto the pillow and my entire body relaxed. He began moving his tongue up and down along my clit and I moaned. My hips bucked toward his face involuntarily.

My body was now on fire. He had moved his hands and they were now on the insides of my thighs, keeping them pushed apart. He had begun with a steady pressure, but now he was lightly flicking only the very tip of his tongue across me. I tried to push closer to him, to increase the feeling, but his hands prevented me from moving.

My lower body was shaking violently. I had never felt anything like this before. It felt like I was about to fall off of a cliff. Like I was dangling. I either needed to step back on to sturdy land, or I needed to let go and fall. I decided to let go.

My whole body convulsed with my orgasm. I moaned and Edward's name fell from my lips. He kissed my inner thigh once more, making me shake again.

I felt him pick himself up and crawl up the bed between my legs. His mouth clamped down on my right nipple and my back arched up towards him with the sensation.

I screamed out. It was too much. Or not enough. I just couldn't tell. I opened my eyes when he let go of my breast.

His face was nuzzled in my neck and I could feel his hot breath on the sensitive skin there.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you, Edward."

My hands reached around him, and I lightly grazed my nails down his back. They rested on the waistband of his boxer briefs. When I started to pull them down, he picked up his head and looked into my eyes.

We didn't speak.

He helped me pull down his boxers, and he kicked them off the edge of the bed. When I felt him brush along me, I raised my legs up so that my knees were bent on either side of him.

He rested his forehead against mine and looked into my eyes.

I stopped breathing.

He slowly entered me, his eyes closing when he was fully sheathed within me.

I let out the breath I was holding and he opened them again, staying completely still within me.

"Are you okay?" His eyes pleaded with me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but my lips were trembling too much. I nodded and picked my head up to capture his shaking lips with mine.

I moaned when he started moving back and forth. I can't describe how he felt inside of me. My head swirled. My heart soared. I felt complete. This is what love was supposed to feel like.

We moved with each other slowly for a while. The only sound enveloping us was our heavy breathing.

Soon though, I was craving more of him. I began to move faster against him, pushing my hips upward to meet his thrusts. He was breathing heavier now into my neck. His hands pulled me up and wrapped around my back

My arms were under his, so I brought them up around his shoulders, pulling him into me.

He kissed my neck and began to tremble. I knew he was close, and the thought of Edward spilling inside of me sent me over the edge of the cliff once again. I screamed into his chest and wrapped my legs tightly around his waist.

I felt myself clamp around him from the inside, and he thrust into me even deeper. I moaned and clutched at him, wanting him to feel what I was feeling. He shuddered hard and I felt him spill into me.

He pushed into me a few more times before stilling his movements above me. He was practically lying on me, but the weight of his body felt wonderful.

He was breathing heavily into the side of my neck, laying wet sloppy kisses wherever his lips could find. I smiled into his chest.

He must have felt it, because he pushed himself up a bit to look at me.

I shivered once again under the weight of his stare.

"Are you cold?"

He pulled out of me and I wanted to cry. He picked my body up and laid me back down before I knew what had happened.

He was suddenly next to me again, my body pressed snugly to his under the covers.

"Mmmm," I said.

"Merry Christmas Bella. I love you," he softly whispered to me.

I looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was well after one in the morning.

I looked back into his eyes. "Merry Christmas, Edward. I love you."

A/N: This was a mother to get out of my head and onto the computer. Kim – this is for you baby! You told me to "Get Goin'," so I got goin'….. Hope you like it. British Bitches – thank you for inviting me to participate – hope you like it too. Oh – sorry for all my crap. You understand how it is now that you've read it though. It's hella-long. I tried to warn you. To Dustin – you are my favorite. Please review people…. I like it. Ah lot.

Hope you liked it! So I was totally astounded by the number of people who don't know what CHocolate Advent Calendars are!!! Is that just an English thing??

So Lucy's shape this morning was a ... gingerbread man ?!?!?! Very er... festive? Review!

Tomrrows author is... Amethyst Jackson!