The Right Guy

Whose fantastic idea was it to host a games and booze night at my apartment?

I pondered this and many of life's other great questions as I perused the shelves of the local store, dropping a few bottles of wine into my cart alongside groceries, as well as some potato chips and other nibbles for Sunday night. It was only Friday and yesterday, Jasper announced that we were going to start having a booze and games night and that I would have the honour of hosting the first.

Somehow I thought that Alec might have had something to do with it. That guy had come out of his shell a lot since he'd met Jasper four weeks ago. He was almost chirpy some days.

Not that I held it against him. I couldn't bear any grudges against Alec and Jasper, not when they were so damned happy.

It just sucked to be reminded that I was not that happy.

And by happy, I mean getting banged on a regular basis.

Sigh.

I stopped by the dips and grabbed two different kinds of salsa. Most of us were happy with medium but I knew that Edward enjoyed the hotter version so I picked up one for him too.

Come to think of it, I'd also picked up Edward's favourite beer and his favourite kind of chips. The guy owed me, I thought as I pushed my cart.

"Fuck!" My cart came to an abrupt stop as it ran over someone's foot. I jumped, startled as I whipped my head around to stare at the person I'd just maimed.

He was pretty tall, wiry, with blonde hair in a ponytail and slight stubble. He looked around to see who it was that had viciously attacked him with a shopping cart and the look of irritation faded.

"Oh… hey."

"I'm so sorry." I said, horrified, "Entirely my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No worries, it wasn't that bad. Just made me jump." He winked and I smiled. He was good-looking, in an unwashed kind of way.

"I'll watch out for you next time." I said, pushing my cart away.

"And I'll be watching out for you." He said, with a charming grin.

He had completely slipped my mind until ten minutes later when I was trying to reach a bottle of ketchup in a store that was apparently prejudiced against all short people. I was on the tips of my toes when one hand placed itself on my ass and the other reached up to bring down the bottle. I dropped flat and his hand rested against my back instead.

"Sorry. You looked like you could use a hand."

I could. Just not on my ass in the middle of a grocery store.

"Thanks." I said, dropping the bottle into my cart. He leaned against it, smiling again as his eyes raked me over.

"I'm James. Can I take you for a drink tonight?"

"Oh!" I was surprised and twisted my fingers around the bar of the cart. He sure wasn't beating around the bush.

"You can call it payback for breaking my toes." He winked and I smiled.

He was good looking. He'd been kind to get me that bottle down. I had no reason to say no.

Apparent from the uncomfortable feeling he gave me simply by being in the vicinity.

"Well, I'm having drinks at The Port Bar tonight." I offered weakly, thinking that I'd want to be on familiar territory for a drink with James. At least that way, Rosalie would be along at some point. Jasper and Alec might make an appearance and Edward would certainly be there.

"And your name?" James smiled, moving around the cart. He smelled good and I bit my lip as he stood close to me.

A little too close, maybe?

"Bella."

"Beautiful." He smiled again, "Well. I'll be seeing you at The Port Bar, Beautiful."

The bar wasn't too busy for a Friday night, but it was a little early. I found Edward at the bar and he smiled, pouring my drink.

"Hey, Bella. Who's coming tonight?"

"You need someone other than me?" I smirked and he grinned, his bright green eyes sparkling in my direction.

"Never."

"I don't know." I sipped my wine, "Rosalie probably. The boys, maybe. Oh, and I met this guy in the store today who wanted to go for a drink so I suggested that we meet here. I got a weird feeling from him."

Edward's expression had turned stony.

"Weird, how?"

"I don't know." I shrugged half-heartedly. "He was just… a little intense, I guess. Anyway, if he shows up, can I give you a signal if I need to get away?"

"Sure thing."

We chatted a little longer until a customer called Edward away and I looked down at my glass, swirling it around a little until a large hand slid onto my exposed knee. I twisted away, startled as I looked up to see James smiling at me, his hand returning to his side.

"Hi."

"Hi, James." I said hesitantly. He already had a beer and I wondered if he'd already been here a while.

"There's an empty table over there. Want to come and sit down?"

"Sure." I looked around, catching Edward's eyes. He nodded, his eyes scanning James carefully.

He looked distinctly unhappy.

I followed James to a table, two stools close together at a round table. As I sat down. James shifted his chair a little closer so that his thigh was pressed against mine. OK, it may well have been a bar and there was music playing but it wasn't that loud. I angled my body away slightly as James spoke.

He worked at a garage, specialising in body work. He was thirty-two. He enjoyed hiking and rock-climbing.

"Have you ever been rock-climbing?" He asked and I shook my head with a smile.

"I'm not very coordinated."

"I'd love to take you sometime." James said, his eyes on my face, "There are some great places to go rock-climbing, not far from Seattle. Just the two of us."

I flushed, my cheeks warming uncomfortably.

"Well, I don't know… it'd probably be a disaster. I think I'm more of a stay-at-home girl." I laughed haltingly and James smiled, leaning in so that his face was closer to mine.

"I like the sound of that. A stay-at-home girl…"

His hand was on my knee again and I shifted away, his palm too hot against my skin.

"James-"

"Finish your drink, Bella." His voice was close to my ear, his breath warm and his hand slid up my thigh, pushing the hem of my skirt up, "Let's go back to my place. I've wanted that tight ass since I saw you in the store. We're just wasting time."

Fuck. That.

"Goodbye, James." I said sharply, reaching for purse which was sitting on the table. In a flash, James' hand was around my wrist, keeping me in place. My heart jumped as alarm rushed through me.

"Don't be a fucking tease." He said in a low, harsh voice. I stared at him and he stared back, his jaw clenched.

"Get off me." I said quietly and his mouth curled into a twisted sneer. I tried to stand up again but James stood too, twisting my arm to pull me back towards him. The skin tightened painfully under his grasp and I whimpered slightly.

"Ow!"

"You're such a bitch, just a stuck-up little bitch!" He spat and before I could react, there was a rush of movement. James' hand was pulled from my arm and he was slammed up against a wall.

I fell back, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

Edward had James pinned against the wall. As tall as James was, Edward had a couple of inches on him and was taking full advantage of that as he glowered at him.

"Get the fuck out of my bar. You touch that girl again, you touch any girl like that and you're dead. Got it?"

"Fucker." James spat back in his face. Edward yanked him by the neck towards the door, aided by Sam, who had abandoned the bar to help.

I shrank away as they threw him from the bar and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and saw Rosalie's concerned face.

"Bella, what happened? Jesus, you're shaking."

"Drink this." Another voice, a rather familiar one spoke and a glass of water was placed in my hand. I looked up and saw Emmett, from the park.

What the hell was going on here?

Before I could even take a sip, the water was plucked from my fingers. Edward, with a face like thunder, put his arm around me and marched me swiftly behind the bar and into the little office.

I'd never been in there before. It was a dull room, plainly decorated and with a rather worn desk covered in paperwork. Edward slammed the door behind me and lifted up my arm, his actions far gentler than his attitude.

"Make a fist." He said gruffly and I obeyed curling my fingers into a fist. He nodded and went to a small refrigerator in the corner of the office, taking out an icepack. Taking my arm, he wrapped it around the blossoming bruises.

He didn't speak.

So I didn't either.

He sat on the edge of the desk, his warm hand around my fingers, and the other hand against the ache in my wrist. The way that he was sat made me move closer so that my arm wasn't too stretched out and I ended up almost stood between his legs.

He still didn't speak.

I looked down at my arm. The skin was dark red, hints of purple coming through. I bruised easily anyway but James had squeezed my arm so hard.

"I don't get you." His voice was low and I looked up at him but he was staring at my bruises.

"What…?"

"What is wrong with you, Bella? You'll date a guy who can't get you off for two years. You've accidentally dated a married man, a guy who turned up to your date high, a guy who still lives with his parents, a gay guy, a transsexual gay guy and now a man who has actually injured you."

My stomach churned with anger and I pulled my arm away, clamping the ice pack around it as I glared at him.

"Thanks, Edward. Way to make me feel like shit."

"Will you just date anyone who asks? Are you that desperate?" He folded his arms across his chest, staring at me and I resisted the urge to throw the ice pack at his head.

"Why are you being such a dick?"

"Because I've been right there, Bella." Edward jabbed a finger in the direction of the bar, "Right there! For Christ's sake, are you blind? Did you never notice me?"

The ice pack slipped from my fingers. Edward stood slowly, picked it up and placed it back around my wrist. He was so close and his free hand went to my shoulder, sliding to my neck and tilting my head back so that I was looking up at him.

"Bella." He spoke quietly and I swallowed loudly, my eyes wide. It was like I was looking at him for the first time. His wide scruffy jaw, his bright green eyes, his heavy eyebrows and serious gaze.

"Tomorrow night. Have dinner with me, Bella. Let me show you how a date is supposed to go. And if nothing else, I can guarantee that I won't be married, high, gay or an asshole."

What else could I say but yes?

A/N: Finally, we're getting where we went them to be! I estimate two or three more chapters after this. Possibly a couple of outtakes as well, but I'm not fully committed. Either way, please leave a review to let me know what you think.