Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

Chapter Nine: Just a Dream? (Edward's Point of View)

I woke up in my hotel suite feeling rather content. I was still a bit tired from being out so late, but I also felt…happy. It's been a while since I've woken up feeling this way. I thought about what the cause of this change could be and immediately came to a conclusion, Bella. She was amazing, beautiful, intriguing, and she treated me like a normal person. I wondered if she had texted me back last night as I reached out and checked my phone. I felt a wave of disappointment when the only text I had was from my sister, Alice.

I'm coming over at 12. You better be up!

I groaned and looked over at the clock, I had ten minutes before Alice got here. I quickly rolled out bed and ran to take a shower, hoping I would be out before Alice got here. I knew I'd be cutting it close.

I got out of the shower, only to find Alice sitting on the couch that was just outside the bedroom, cell phone in hand.

"Alice, how did you get in here?" I asked.

Alice giggled. "I got the guy at the front desk to give me a copy of your room key." That was comforting, great security they had here.

Alice noticed my worry. "Chill, I showed him my I.D. He wouldn't give it to me until I proved we were related." Relief washed through me.

Alice smiled brightly at me. My sister was short, about four foot ten, with short black hair that almost always was spiked out in every direction. She an energy level that could rival a pack of three year olds hyper on sugar at a birthday party. Trust me, it was terrifying at times. At the moment her green eyes were sparkling, this was a warning sign.

"What are you up to Alice?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm not up to anything. You, however, are up to something. What are you up to Edward?" she responded.

"I'm up to something?" I was completely confused. My sister lets herself in her and is grinning in a slightly evil way and I was up to something?

"Yes. Who is Bella and why did you wish her sweet dreams?" Alice asked in accusatory tone. My eyes zeroed in on the cell phone in her hand. I hadn't been paying enough attention before, shocked to see Alice in my room. It wasn't her phone she was holding, it was mine.

"Why are you going through my phone Alice?" I asked, trying to deflect her question and failing miserably.

"Oh no you don't Edward, tell me about this Bella!" She demanded.

I glared at her for a moment, she simply glared back. Then suddenly that evil grin was back.

"Fine, don't tell me. I'll just ask her."

Damn pixie! I couldn't let her do that. "Fine." I sighed in defeat.

"I thought you'd see it my way." She replied smugly.

I moved closer to her, choosing to sit in the chair near the window.

"She's the girl I met at a club last night." I began.

"Oh! What club?" Alice interrupted.

"Eclipse."

"What does she look like? Is she pretty?"

"She's slender and short, but taller than you." Alice glared at me for a second. "She has long brown hair, pale skin, and chocolate brown eyes."

"You like her." It wasn't a question.

"I….um, what?" I wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"You like her. You got her phone number, you wished her sweet dreams, and you said 'chocolate brown eyes.' You're too specific to not care." Her tone wasn't teasing, it was rather understanding.

"I don't know, Alice. I only spent last night getting to know her a little bit." I defended. I knew I was attracted to Bella…but could I really have feelings for her?

"It doesn't matter, sometimes the heart just knows." She smiled wistfully as she said this, no doubt thinking of Jasper.

"Tell me more about her." She stated as she came out of her daze.

"She's shy, and didn't freak out over talking to a celebrity. Honestly, she didn't even seem to care." That never ceased to amaze me.

"Well, that right there is perfect for you." Alice commented.

"I know. But her friends, they aren't like her at all. When I was with them they did nothing but tease her and try to humiliate her. Alice, they left her alone in the club, they stranded her there!" I couldn't quite hide the anger in my tone.

Alice gasped. "They left her alone in a club full of strange people?"

"Yes." I confirmed.

"Oh my god." Alice looked worried.

"I stayed with her, and then took her home when the club closed." I explained.

Alice smiled again, but this time she just looked happy. "See, you do care."

"I do." I admitted quietly. "What do I do now?" I asked more myself than anything else.

Alice felt inclined to answer. "You ask her out on a date." Her tone implied the "duh" that could have been tacked on the end.

"What if she doesn't want to go?" I asked.

"OH MY GOD!" Alice screamed. "You're afraid of rejection! Smooth, confident Edward Cullen, is afraid a girl is going to turn him down. You must really like her."

I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. Was I scared? Absolutely, I was terrified. Did that mean I had feelings for her? That I wasn't so sure about.

"You have two options my dear brother. Option one, you man up, face your fear and ask her out. Option two, you sit here letting her consume your every thought constantly wondering what if. Which sounds worse to you?"

When she put it that way, it wasn't such a hard choice to make. "Ok, I get it Alice. Thanks." I responded.

"Great! So after you two go out, you should ask her to be your date to my charity party so I can meet her. Remember you only have a week!"

"I know Alice, I know. Now, what did you come over here for really?" I asked.

"Oh just to bug you about getting a date, now that it's taken care of I can tell you that mom and dad want to have a family dinner on Sunday. Not tomorrow, next Sunday. Oh you can bring Bella!" Alice chirped.

"Alice! Calm down, I haven't even gotten her to say yes to a date yet and you're already going into wedding planner mode. Chill pixie!"

"Whatever, Edward. Just find out soon if she's coming to the party. She'll need a dress and I'll need time to make that happen." She said in a dismissive tone.

"Alright Alice, I will. Are you done now?" I asked in a hopeful tone.

"For now." She responded. She grabbed her purse and made her way to the door. She paused before leaving.

"I'll see you and Bella Saturday. Don't forget to tell me about the dress."

"Alice-"

"When will you learn I'm always right?" She stated, interrupting my objections. Then she was gone.

The suite was quiet without Alice. It was nice. I loved my sister, but she can be a bit much sometimes, like when she's trying to play matchmaker. Alice didn't like me being the only one single. Both her, and my brother Emmett, have found people they love enough to want to spend forever with. I haven't and Alice feels it's her job to fix that. I really wish she would give it a rest.

I ordered room service, not feeling like going out anywhere. I began to think about what Alice had said. I knew I had to bring a date to the party, Alice would kill me if I didn't. As I thought about, I couldn't think of anyone I would even want to take besides Bella. I contemplated that while I ate my dinner. After a while I got annoyed with my obsessive thinking and turned on the T.V. for some distraction. I still found myself glancing over at my cell phone every few minutes. I was clearly going crazy. Finally, at a decent enough hour, I went to sleep, exhausted from being out so late the night before and whirlwind Alice, thinking of Bella, the party, and my family.