Thanks for all the reviews and alerts on this story! Oh, and there are some pictures of the band's instruments on my profile page in case you haven't checked them out… I forgot to mention it, I sort of put them up there just cause I was bored even though I never really went into much detail about the band's instruments before…

Anyway, enjoy…

EPOV- the scene where he and Bella converse :)

Emmett and I got to the stage back in time for our next set- just barely. I dashed on stage with a feeling sort of like lead in the pit of my stomach- and yet it was light and airy- a mixture of nerves and…. Butterflies? Good Lord. It couldn't be all from Bella could it? Of course it could…

So this is what it felt like…

I grabbed my favorite guitar and bent down to fix one of the guitar pedals. I could hear Rosalie shuffling behind me impatiently. Eventually she grabbed her bright red bass, which matched the color of her lips- the color she always wore when we had a show.

I tried to forget about Bella backstage. I couldn't let her make me nervous. I willed myself to forget about her.. Or at least I tried to. I wouldn't let the audience miss out on a good show just because the dumb lead singer couldn't pull it together because of some sort of stupid crush on a girl.

While I couldn't entirely do that, I couldn't entirely think it was stupid either. To have a crush at all (if you could call it that) proved something was changing in me… now the only thing I thought about was her- backstage. I wondered if anyone was polite enough to ask her if she wanted a drink, was comfortable, needed shade, anything… I wondered if she would be watching right now. I wanted to know if she'd be impressed, or thrilled to see her favorite band, if that's what we truly were anyway. Right now, I was hoping I could bet on her friend Alice to be right- to be full heartedly right about this one.

I hoped she'd deliver my autograph too, even after I had made quite the show back at the bus. Maybe when I talked to Bella after this I could explain everything and she'd go back to Alice telling her how well it went and then Alice could just top it all off by casually adding, 'oh yeah, he wants you to have his number.'

My heart seemed to jump to my throat with the prospect that Bella might call me- just maybe she would… I'd have to make a good impression. I needed something to take her mind away from what happened before. She had to know it wasn't her, well it was, but she wasn't the cause of my anger or my cruelty.. It was just a terrible misunderstanding. Honestly it was.

Our set started and the crowd was twice the size of the previous set we played. Many stayed behind from the first one only to be joined by a new coming crowd.

Halfway through the set, after exchanging a joke with Rosalie for the entire audience to hear, I stepped up to my microphone and said the first thing that came to mind…

"I just… want to say… thanks to all the fans who got us here… especially the ones like Bella…" I laughed as I trailed off, remembering her determined and angry expression, how cute she looked then when she was furious… "who aren't afraid to speak their minds… sometimes we need that… to be put into place…"

I briefly saw Rosalie shoot a look to Emmett out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't turn around to gauge his reaction, but from what I could tell, it was something… Rosalie turned back to me with a mischievous and slightly knowing grin on her face. I merely smiled, I couldn't help it, couldn't wipe the grin off my face, but I refused to look her directly in the eye. Instead, I started strumming our next song without warning, catching both Emmett and Rosalie off guard- they quickly had to catch up and leave whatever teasing looks they were going to exchange for later…

When the set ended, I couldn't find a towel or anything to dry off, I only hoped I wasn't disgusting dirty or sweaty, as not to repulse Bella even more- I figured how rudely I'd behaved would've been reason enough without any other contributing factors.

I took a deep breath as I approached her, my eyes set only on Bella as my target, everything else was completely blurred out of my vision.

She was standing shooting dirty looks everywhere, her eyes slightly squinted and glaring with a pout. Suddenly I felt the strongest urge to tip her chin upward and sweep her lips up in my own- but that would surely earn me a well deserved slap across the face. Even still- I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if I had greeted her that way instead:

"Hello. I'm Edward Cullen." I offered her my hand but she didn't take it, probably still reeling over what happened before, even though I had hoped shouting out to her while I was onstage would've helped erased a bit of that. I guess not…

"I understand." I said as I lowered my hand back down to my side.

"So did you enjoy the show?" I decided to ask, not wanting to waste any time, not liking the silent treatment she was giving me. I knew I deserved it though, but I would still rather hear her sweet voice… whether it be an angry tone or not. Preferably not.

"The show??" she squinted, almost incredulously towards me. I cringed internally. Her tone was acidic and intentionally bitter.

"You mean, you didn't see the set?"

"Were you expecting me to? Honestly?" she sort of scoffed I think. I bit my lip, biting back the compliments that were just building up on the tip of my tongue. You're so beautiful, I wanted to tell her. You're so stunning, I wanted to say. You're so tempting, you're so intriguing, I'm so attracted to you- tell me what it is that makes me this way… but instead I went with:

"I see… I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I had just brought you back here hoping you'd get a good view- but I guess not. You didn't hear me shout out to you then, did you?"

"Shout out??…" she asked, perplexed.

"Ah, of course not. I have offended you far more than I expected- which is perfectly fine. I can't blame you. And I fully, humbly apologize for that. Honestly, it was the deepest of misunderstandings… I know I shouldn't have taken it out on you, it's no excuse, I only ask you at least hear me out…"

"Hear you… out?" she seemed truly lost now. I sighed. I couldn't blame her, I was doing a complete 360 of how she had met me before. But this is how it should've been.

"I… I don't want you to think I do this all the time," she seemed to be listening intently so far, "I don't really socialize or make much contact with fans- with anyone at shows or whoever happens to come out… other than what's necessary and appropriate of course… I just want you to understand that before I go any further. This isn't normal for me. In fact, it's completely out of character. I'm a rather solitary person." I was surprised at how much the last bit had depressed me- when it never really had before, but then again I never really let myself dwell on it for it to cause some sort of restlessness in myself.

"I had just come back from doing a set when my band mate, Emmett, and I decided to go back to the bus. Unfortunately, after that set, just before we left for the bus I… had a rather difficult time with my band members and a rather… persistent… sound technician. It was a terrible confrontation and rather irritating on my part- so of course what happened before didn't help me when I came along and spotted the line waiting for us by the bus. I tried to control my temper, but what had happened before was much too pressing… and then there you were…"

"Me? And what did I do, Edward? Tell me." the anger flared up in her, it was as if she knew everything she did to me and I got that unexplainable, unstoppable image in my head that seemingly popped out of nowhere of us arguing as a couple..

"You stood there."

She froze, just blinking furiously. I could tell my words had stung, in a negative way- not at all in the way they were meant to be.

"Really, Bella, I can't-" I said reflexively.

"How do you know my name?" I was the one who froze that time. Might as well tell the truth.

"Your friend. The black haired one. Alice."

"Alice?!" the name seemed to definitely mean something to her…

"She told me you were much too shy to ask me for an autograph yourself when I asked who I should write it out too. She said 'Bella,' and I asked if you were Bella… the girl towards the end of the line. She confirmed who you were, and so I proceeded to write out the autograph…"

"Why did you do that? Only to go on and be rude to me- to be terrible??"

I sighed and felt a deep wave of repentance, feeling so very sorry, "Because I wanted to leave you with something. I knew there was no way I would be able to talk to you. I prayed you would just let me walk by and your friend would just… let you have your autograph later… and hopefully what I wrote would be enough to satisfy you for your favorite band." I smiled gently, "but of course you wouldn't let it go. Stubborn. And so I tried to ignore you- as impossible as it was… I just couldn't talk to you, couldn't look at you because I knew it would be so obvious, especially to Emmett…" I looked at her now, just hoping she would understand, somehow she'd be able to piece it together, but instead she shook her head.

"What about Emmett?" she finally found her voice and was able to keep it at a somewhat calm level, not as angry or resentful. A good sign, I thought.

"He'd know I liked you."

And there it was. I admitted it. It wasn't so hard was it? Depends. How would she take it now? I wasn't sure how I would deal with it, my ego, my pride, my view of self if she were to reject me right now. The one woman I actually cared if I had her approval- and she had the power right now to turn me down without a second thought or care or whim in the world. I could only wait for her reply and hope it would be good to me.

I had to explain, just a little more, "Of course it's no excuse I just… when you did press me for answers, then , at the bus, you were so angry, I couldn't help but be reminded and my anger from earlier flared up- and a small part of me wanted to be rude to you- just to throw Emmett off- but I think even then he knew. Because just like he's never seen me fond of anyone in particular, he's never seen me so cruel."

"I…." she stammered, otherwise speechless.

I then, regretfully, realized the time. I'd have to go… I felt a twinge of guilt, not being able to fully repent for what happened before, and a bit of disappointment that I would have to leave her without making any substantial progress- no step forward in getting to know her better- not yet anyhow- maybe it would come later when she realized I gave her my phone number.

"I'm sorry, Bella. If I could explain more… I would. Right now I can't exactly. I have to go… but please, please, believe me. I'm being nothing but honest. What you saw back there really wasn't me. I understand how put off you were, how shocked, but really who could ever be that way to you? For no reason, at that… who could tolerate themselves to be unpleasant to someone so beautiful?" I just had to say it, unleashing only little bit of what I thought, of what I could instinctly tell about her just from her presence. I just knew she'd be like no other girl I'd ever met before. Already she was proving herself far better and superior than all the rest.

I waited for her to take that in, but she seemed to still be contemplating it.

"Bella.. I have to go."

"Oh!…" she realized suddenly.

"I'm filling in on another set for one of our friends on tour." I explained, smiling, trying to show I really was trying…

"I see.."

"See you friend Alice" (please see your friend Alice, I pleaded desperately in my head) "we'll be here in the state two more nights. That little piece of information, whatever you choose to do with it, will make sense once you see her." I grinned. She smiled radiantly back at me, and I felt myself inhale deeply, my heart swelling at the sight of it.

"Again, I'm so very sorry for what happened. Can you at least consider to forgive me?"

She bit her lip, making me wait just another fraction of a second and I was dying with suspense, the blood in my veins quickening with my nervous pulse.

"I guess." she rolled her eyes playfully and I exhaled, the tension relieved, yet replaced by something else- hope.

"I have to go, be safe- be careful out there" please, please for me.. And then I reached out my hand to brush her arm before I departed, after all, I was a selfish creature, and I wouldn't be able to think straight for the rest of the day, rest of the week if I hadn't succumbed in some way to the magnetic force attracting me to her…

As I turned to walk away, I thought maybe I might've felt a spark…


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