Chapter 6

I awake the next morning feeling a little disorientated, not completely sure what to make of the previous night. I glance at the clock noticing it's a little after nine. I throw on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and make my way to the kitchen only to find Bella making muffins.

"Hey," I mumble, still not fully awake, as I grab a mug of coffee.

"Hey, the muffins will be done soon if you want some."

"Thanks. So… did your friends have a good time last night," I ask.

She laughs softly, "Yeah they had a good time. Speaking of which, I just want to apologize for Rosalie making you uncomfortable last night. She tends to speak her mind and not think about how others will feel."

I wave her off, "you don't need to apologize to me Bella, especially for something as inconsequential as one of your friends making me feel uncomfortable. Being a little uncomfortable was nothing compared how I treated her when you introduced us. I should be the one apologizing, I didn't mean to insult your friend."

"Don't worry about it. I think she actually really respects you for that. Not many people stand up to her like that, usually Jake and I are the only ones to put her in her place."

I run my hand up the back of neck and into my hair, "That's a relief, I didn't want you to be mad at me for upsetting a friend of yours. You should bring them over more often; I like them. Just because I never bring anyone over doesn't mean that you shouldn't. I don't really have any friends outside of my family," I shrug, "so feel free to bring over whomever."

She gives me a small smile, "I'm not mad at you at all Edward. Rose and Jake both expressed that they were happy to meet you and that you hung out with us for a while. They even mentioned doing it again sometime, so you made a good impression on them. And they did say something about coming back here again; I think they like your TV. "

We settle into easy conversation over our muffins before Bella excuses herself to finish cleaning up the kitchen and doing a few other chores around the house. After my second muffin, I withdraw to the library. I pick up my phone and scroll down my address book before settling on the desired contact, initiating conversation on the phone for the first time in I don't even know how long.

The phone rings twice before they answer. "What's wrong? Is everything okay," they ask instead of the typical greeting.

I roll my eyes, "does something have to be wrong in order for me to call you?"

"Well no but… you never call. I just figured it must be an emergency of some sort if you're actually using your phone. So what can I do for ya?"

"No, no emergency. I was just wondering if you want to hang out tonight and do something," I trail off.

There is long pause before I say, "Hello? Emmett?"

"Yeah, I'm here. But I think I must be losing connection, I don't think I heard you correctly."

"Oh, I was just asking if you want to hang out tonight."

"I'm sorry, my phone must really be breaking up cause I could have sworn you said you wanted to hang out."

"Ha, ha Emmett. Is that so surprising? Wait, don't answer that."

"Exactly my friend. What did you have in mind? You want to go back to Eclipse so you can hire a gardener or some shit?"

"Very funny. I don't know; I just want to do something low key. Do you just want to head down to O'Reilly's or something?"

"Sure. Is it just going to be us or is Jasper coming too?"

"Yeah, I was planning on him coming. Do you think you could give him a call?"

"Is one phone call your limit for the day Eddie," he teased.

"Shut up."

"Yeah, I'll call him you little pansy. Eight sound good?"

"Yeah, do you just want to meet here?"

"Sure thing. See ya later," and with that he hung up.

I look at my phone contemplating what Emmett said. I guess I should probably make more of an effort with my brother, and other people in general I suppose. I miss spending time with Alice, but now she has Jasper so I don't want to intrude on their time together.

The afternoon passes slowly and I don't see much of Bella. I could hear her throughout the house cleaning various rooms, but never actually coming in contact with her. I wonder what she thinks of our relationship. Does she think of me as her friend, or just simply her boss? I wonder if she has a new boyfriend. She hasn't mentioned anyone and she always seems to be out with Jacob or Rosalie, but perhaps she doesn't feel comfortable talking with me about it.

I hear the front door slam shut and hear Bella give a slight yelp. Curious as to what's going on, I make my way downstairs. I find Emmett talking with Bella while her head is thrown back in laughter.

"Hey Emmett, is it eight already," I address him.

At the sound of my voice they quiet down and look over at me. "No, I thought I would swing by a little early. If you're willingly making plans to hang out, I thought I would milk it for all it's worth."

I roll my eyes at him as I approach them, "I'm not that bad Em."

"We are talking about the same person right?"

"Shut up. You remember Bella I presume?"

At this Emmett rolls his eyes, "Yes, Eddie, I remember your gorgeous housekeeper."

"Emmett," I say in a warning tone. I look over at Bella who is fidgeting nervously with her hands.

He puts his hands up in surrender, "Sorry, sorry. Did you want to watch some of the game or shoot some pool or something?"

"Let's see if we can find the game," I say motioning towards the living room. "Do you want to join us Bella?"

She laughs a little, "no, that's okay. I have a couple things to finish up, but thanks for the offer."

A half-hour later Bella strolls into the living room and places some muffins and sandwiches on the coffee table in front of us. We mumble our thanks and two minutes later she returns with beers for each of us and takes a seat on the overstuffed chair.

An hour later, we hear the front door open as Alice skips in followed by Jasper.

"Alice, you really should knock," Jasper admonishes.

"Don't even bother Jazz, I've been trying to get her to do that for years. I think she just needs a collar with bells," I say.

"Hey!" Alice yells with her hands on her hips.

"Well this is a surprise Al, I didn't know you were coming."

"Well when Jazz told me that you called Emmett to hang out for once, I couldn't pass up the chance. And why wouldn't you have called me? And since when would you rather hang out with Emmett instead of me?"

"Hey, I resent that," Emmett says.

"I guess I didn't really think about it. Usually it's just Jazz, Em, and me when we hang out. You're the one that is always saying something about male bonding," I say waving my hand in the air to emphasize the point.

"He got you there," Emmett states.

"Well that was before there was another girl, duh. I couldn't leave Bella to deal with all three of you nimrods by herself."

Before I can say anything Bella chimes in, "I'm not going Alice."

"Of course you are. We're going to have so much fun," she says clapping her hands to together.

"Uh," Bella stammers looking at me anxiously, as if asking what she should do.

"You should come Bella, it will be fun. We're just going down to O'Reilly's," I say extending the invitation to her. Why didn't I think of that before?

"I was actually just going to stay in tonight, do a little reading for once."

"Come on Bells, don't you want to spend time with us," Emmett says giving her his puppy dogface.

"Please Bella," Alice pouts.

"Um, sure," she says more like a question looking between the two of them.

"Damn, she didn't even have a chance against the Cullen pout. And not just one, but two," Jasper chuckles to himself. Bella looks at him quizzically, "you can never say no the Cullen pout," he says as if to explain further. Bella glances over to me and I just shrug my shoulders not having any idea what he's talking about.

"Well I'm going to go change since Emmett showed up early," I say.

"Oh Bella, I can help you get ready. Let's go," Alice exclaims.

Before Bella can even reply, Alice grabs her hand and drags her upstairs. I chuckle to myself as I follow them up. I hear Bella mumble something along the lines of "overexcited pixie," and laugh even louder.

"Shut up Edward," Alice shouts at me over her shoulder.

After my shower I'm standing in front of my mirror messing with my hair when there's a knock at the door in my bedroom. I holler for them to enter making sure the towel around my waist is secure before opening the door in my bathroom. On the other side, I find Bella standing with a robe on and curlers in her hair.

I see her eyes raking over my body and shift uncomfortably under her scrutiny. I clear my throat and Bella's head snaps to mine. Raising an eyebrow I ask, "Can I help you with something Bella?"

"Um yeah," she says somewhat breathlessly. I wonder what that's about. "I ran out of toothpaste, and was wondering if I could borrow some."

I chuckle and shake my head turning around. I bend over slightly, opening a drawer to retrieve the toothpaste and hear Bella's breath hitch behind me. I wonder what has gotten into her today. Turning around once again, I smile and hand her the tube before returning to my pervious attempt at taming my mane. Realizing she hasn't left yet, I turn and ask, "is there something else Bella?"

She shakes her head, as if to clear it and says, "No." After a brief pause she continues, "It looks like you're having a little bit of trouble there. Need some help?"

I give her my crooked smile and shrug, "it never does what I want it to. But be my guest."

Needing no further invitation, Bella enters my bathroom and sits on my counter while instructing me to bend down so she can reach it properly. I comply and hunch over placing one hand on either side of her legs on the counter to support myself. She sets the tube down, reaches her little hands into my hair, and starts running her fingers through it. Loving the sensation of someone else's fingers in my hair, I close my eyes and enjoy it.

Lost in the amazing feeling, I don't notice anyone else approach until I hear a throat clear in the doorway. Turning towards the door, Alice asks with a small scowl on her face, "How long does it take to borrow toothpaste Bella?"

After taking in our position, her face brightens as I straighten up and grab Bella's hips helping her to hop off the counter. "Um…" she stammers, "I was just helping Edward try and tame his hair."

"Sure, sure," she says extending her arm to Bella, "Edward can handle it, we have to finish getting you ready." Bella takes her hand as Alice drags her out of my room.

"That was weird," I mumble to myself.

Finishing up in the bathroom I go in my room to get dressed. I throw on a pair of dark wash jeans, and a white-collar shirt with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. After I spray on a little cologne, I head downstairs to join Emmett and Jasper to wait for the girls.

Fifteen minutes later they finally descend the stairs. Bella is wearing a pair of black skinny jeans and a red shirt with matching red pumps. Her mahogany hair is flowing down her back in loose curls, calling out for me to run my hands through it. It's only fair; she got to touch mine. I approach her slowly, making sure she is not an illusion my mind has created.

"Bella," I say breathlessly. I wonder if was the same reason for why Bella was breathless earlier. "You look… beautiful."

A deep blush covers her cheeks as she mumbles "thank you." Checking me over herself she says, "You don't look half bad yourself Mr. Cullen." That's right, keep it professional Cullen, she's your housekeeper.

"I've never seen you in heels before, Alice couldn't have possibly predicted that you needed those," I say alluding to Alice's psychic capabilities and her need to dress every member of our family.

She chuckles to herself, "no, she didn't buy these for me. You've seen Rose; she's just the same as Alice when it comes to clothes. I thought they were stashed safely in the back of my closet somewhere, but Alice somehow found them, hence why they are currently adorning my feet."

I laugh and shake my head, "Alice will be Alice. But for what it's worth, you look amazing tonight. You'll have to beat away the boys with a stick."

She throws her head back in laughter, "that is exactly what Alice said before she started mumbling something about you and women. I didn't really catch that part of it though."

"Are you two kids ready," Emmett yells at us.

With that we all head out to my Volvo and squeeze in so we don't have to take more than one car. We head over to O'Reilly's pub and settle into a corner booth. Jasper is sitting across from me on one end next to Alice, then Emmett and Bella, with me on the other end.

"Hi, my name is Jessica and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get for you," she asks looking to Jasper first. She's your average looking girl with flat brown hair, boring eyes, and too little clothing. Her eyes light up slightly when she reaches Emmett, noticing that there is no girl hanging on him as Alice was practically in Jasper's lap. When she gets to Bella I notice her scowl as she scribbles down her drink. Next she looks to me and her entire face lightens up as if she has won some sort of prize. I look at her quizzically as she says, "and what can I get for you handsome?"

"A Guiness is fine for now," I respond turning back to the table where I find all eyes on me. "What," I ask nervously as Jessica goes to fill our order.

"Is it always like that when you go out," Bella asks amused.

I raise an eyebrow at her, "Huh? I don't understand what you mean." The others laugh to themselves, as I grow increasingly annoyed.

"That waitress, she was practically eye fucking you," she says bluntly.

I look at her with wide eyes and hear Emmett snort to himself, "Our Eddie here doesn't exactly understand social cues all that well. Isn't that right Eddie," Emmett says reaching around Bella to mess up my hair.

"Shut up Emmett," I sulk. "She wasn't just acting strange towards me, she was doing that to you too Em. And it looked like she wanted to rip Bella apart which I didn't exactly understand either," I trail off.

"So much to learn Eddie," Emmett says with his hand over his heart. "She seemed slightly interested in me and then pissed that Bella was next to me because she thought we might be together. But you, she looked like a little kid in a candy store."

I open my mouth to reply, not knowing what to say to that exactly, as the waitress comes back with our drinks. She hands me mine last saying, "If there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask," heavily emphasizing anything. As she walks away the entire table erupts into laughter as I sit there dumbstruck. What the hell was that?

"Uh," I stammer, "that… just… what?"

Bella places her hand on my arm, sending a shock through my body, "You are completely unaware, aren't you," she giggles.

"I just… that it is just highly inappropriate," I stammer. "Why would she act like that," I think out loud.

"She just finds you attractive Edward. And because you're attractive, she thinks your shallow and would stoop to her level," Alice tries to explain to me as if I am a four-year old. "Bella would you do me a favor, and help Edward out whenever she comes back? Just make her think that he is taken so she'll back off."

Bella laughs a little, "Sure Alice, it almost hurts to see the lost look on his face when she is trying to hit on him," she says giving me a big smile.

"Alright, let's talk about something else shall we," I say trying to get the attention off of me.

"Sure," Alice chirps looking next to me, "So Bella, do you have a boyfriend?"

Bella chokes slightly on her drink, recovering quickly, she wipes her mouth, "uh, no, I don't. I haven't really felt the need for one after my last relationship ended. You're engaged right? When's the wedding?"

"Oh, well…" Alice rambles on about the wedding excitedly while the guys and I talk sports.

About ten minutes later, I feel Bella slide closer to my side putting one hand on my back while the other casually strokes my right arm. I stiffen minutely wondering what she's doing as she leans in and whispers in my ear, "Just act casual and go with it. Jessica is coming back over in this direction; just give her the impression that we're together so she'll leave you alone," she says as she leans away but snuggles up to my side.

I relax and sit back slightly as I reach around Bella and wrap my arm around her. She stiffens a little before relaxing into my side. I finally look back to others who are all staring at us with mouths agape. "What," I ask shifting nervously, squeezing Bella closer to me unconsciously.

Jasper is the first to snap out of it, "nothing, it just took us by surprise is all. One minute you're just sitting there and the next you two are snuggling like lovebirds. Sorry, it was just a little unsettling is all."

"It was Alice's idea," I say pointing to her. "And she's on her way back over here, so," I shrug, trailing off.

Before anyone else can comment on our new arrangement, Jessica returns. She looks at the empty glasses on the table before turning her attention to me, "did you need another?" Noticing our new position, she visibly deflates before glaring menacingly at Bella.

I squeeze Bella, once again bringing her even closer to me, as if that will protect her from Jessica's glare. "Yeah, we'll have another round thank you," I say before leaning my head down to Bella. "Is she gone yet," I whisper in her ear.

I feel her left hand causally settle on my thigh, as she giggles lightly. "Not yet," she says placing a chaste kiss below my ear, sending another shock throughout my body. Save that tidbit to dissect later. I hear Jessica huff dramatically before storming off. "Alright, she's gone," she pats my leg slightly before I straighten back up and turn to the others.

"Dude, if I didn't know any better, I would totally think you two were fucking," Emmett says in awe.

I roll my eyes, before Bella says, "And what makes you think that we're not?"

I blush a little before laughing at Emmett's wide eyes.

"I didn't know you had it in you Eddie," Emmett says after composing himself.

"Shut up Emmett, and stop calling me Eddie. You know I hate that name."

Jessica returns with our drinks, briefly looking at me before realizing that Bella is stilled glued to my side. Bella snuggles closer to me, resting her head on my shoulder as Jessica turns and stalks off. The table laughs at her retreating form as Bella resumes her previous position under my arm.

Conversation flows freely the next couple hours, with Bella and I acting like a couple whenever Jessica comes near. When it's time to leave I stand, and extend my hand to Bella to help her up. We walk out passing Jessica, hand in hand as I lead Bella to the car. Once we arrive home, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett leave to go to their respective homes as Bella and I enter the house.

We remove our shoes and jackets as we head up to our rooms. Stopping outside Bella's room she turns and looks at me shyly.

"Thank you for saving me tonight," I say brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I had a great time, and I know it was largely due to the fact that you were there. I know it wasn't what you were planning for the evening, but I'm glad that you came."

She smiles at me as she says, "I wouldn't have been anywhere else. I had a good time too, and I'm glad I could help you out of your predicament," she laughs quietly. "I'm your girl whenever you want the ladies to back off," she smirks at me.

I roll my eyes at her, "if I am ever in need again, you will be the first person I call," I say cheekily.

"But really Edward, thanks for inviting me out tonight. I had a great time with you and your family. We should all hang out again sometime."

"That can definitely be arranged. I know I can speak for them when I say that they love having you around Bella. I love having you around. We should get Jacob and Rosalie to come with us too sometime," I add on.

"That would be great," Bella says through a yawn.

"Get some sleep," I say grabbing her hand and placing a small kiss on the back of it. "Goodnight Bella," I murmur turning towards my room. Looking back over my shoulder at her I whisper, "sweet dreams."

"Goodnight Edward.

With that, I close my door and strip out of my clothes as I make my way towards my bed and drop unceremoniously on to it. What a night. Who would have thought that I would have spent the night snuggling with a gorgeous woman, and not just any woman, but my housekeeper no less? What has gotten into me? I cannot allow that to happen again, she is my employee. I can't let the lines blur that much, it's okay to be friends, but friends do not snuggle together whispering into each other's ears and giving kisses. Or do they? I don't really have any other friends to compare it to, at least not female friends. Whatever, I'll think about it more tomorrow, I'm too tired to think logically right now. I close my eyes and fall easily into sleep.

A/N: Hey all, sorry about the delay. I would have been posted a little sooner but it would have been about 2,000 words shorter so I added on a little. Because of that, the bathroom was scene was added, originally that wasn't in there. So I hope you enjoyed. Please review.