I'm not Stephenie Meyer. This story is written for entertainment, not profit...don't sue me. Pretty please?

I simply cannot believe the response to this story on !! I am constantly receiving notifications of people adding the story to their list of favourite stories, or me to their list of favourite authors, and it's overwhelming (in a good way) !! Seriously, you guys all rock! Even if you don't review, to know that you're adding this story to your lists makes me smile!

Thank you!!!

As always, thanks to Meghan for beta'ing.

Enjoy!


EPOV

I hadn't been out to eat in a while. Come to think of it, I hadn't really made any contact with the outside world that wasn't forced upon me since I was with Bella. Shit. Jasper and the guys had been right; I really had become a homebody.

To make me sound even more pathetic, I hadn't been on a date since I was with Bella, either. When Tanya came up to me at the bar and began chatting me up, I fell easily into conversation with her. The guys gawked at us, making their comments afterward that she had to have been the hottest woman in the bar that night and I didn't need to work to get her number. I hadn't noticed any of that, but I guess my friends were pretty perceptive, even after a night of drinking.

Saturday came pretty quickly. Tanya suggested we go to this little Italian restaurant in Port Angeles stereotypically called Gino's, and that we meet there, further asserting to me that she was an independent woman who paid her own way, and didn't want to depend on a guy for transportation. It was fine by me, since I wasn't entirely ready to date anyone. If I picked her up, it would have felt more like a date than I had wanted it to feel.

That evening, I dressed in my jeans and a red button-down shirt. I left the shirt un-tucked, since I wanted to feel casual and comfortable. I was pretty sure that I looked alright.

I walked down the stairs and was grabbing my keys and my wallet from the small hall table in the foyer when I was accosted by Alice.

"Where're you heading off to, all dressed up?" she asked curiously, an eyebrow cocked in question.

"Dinner."

"With who?" Her tone elevated a bit. She was now standing in front of me with her hands on her hips.

"No one," I replied, not caring to look her in the eye. I tried to dodge out of her way and get to the front door but she blocked my path, nearly glaring at me.

"It obviously isn't no-one, if you're lying to me."

"Why do you care?" I huffed, growing more and more irritated. I didn't have to pass all of my plans by my little sister. Sometimes, she could be so fucking annoying.

"Because you barely leave the house for months, Jasper and the guys practically had to drag you out of the house last weekend, and now you're all prettied up to go out to dinner with no one," Alice replied, her glare softening. "We were a bit worried about you, that's all."

I let out a breath. Some of my agitation left me with that breath.

"Her name is Tanya. We met at the bar last weekend."

Alice seemed to chew on that bit of information for a while before looking like she was letting me go. She stepped to the side.

"Alright. Have fun," she said, sounding resigned, but smiling politely at me. What was her deal? She was giving me whiplash with her mood swings!

"I'll try."

I could have sworn I heard my sister say "don't try too hard" as I walked out the door, but I chose to let it go, and headed to my car.

*****

"Hey, Edward!" a voice behind me called out after I parked my Volvo and began walking towards the restaurant.

I turned to see Tanya shutting the door to a shiny black Infiniti G37. It was a gorgeous vehicle, and I had been pretty close to getting one of those during my search for a car, but my parents talked me into getting the Volvo because it was more responsible and safe. Plus the insurance would have been infinitely--ha!--higher, so I had to agree with them.

I waved back at Tanya and stopped walking so that she could catch up to me. When she reached me, she smiled and motioned to the restaurant.

"Let's go," she said pleasantly, thankfully skipping the chit chat. I nodded and led the way.

We were seated at a smaller table situated relatively close to the front entrance by a friendly waiter named Steve. He left us to look over the menu. I had never been there before, so I didn't know what was good. I chose a dish that featured chicken and french fries. Tanya chose some sort of pasta dish.

After we had ordered, Tanya tented her hands upon the table and tilted her head, gazing at me.

"So, Edward, tell me about yourself."

"Well," I began, unsure about where to begin. I cleared my throat. "What would you like to know?"

She laughed confidently, resting her chin on the back of her hands. "Really, everything, but for right now, let's start with your interests."

"I'm a huge sports' fan, so I took Sports Management in college. I'm juggling some job prospects in a few different cities right now. The one I'm leaning towards would put me in Seattle, which would be perfect for me because it's not that far from my family."

She nodded, clearly interested. "So your family means a lot to you. That's really nice to hear. You're lucky. My only living family member is a great-uncle living in Tenessee."

"Really?" I attempted to hide the surprise in my voice.

"Yeah, I've been on my own since I was 17." There was no sadness in her voice, no remorse. Her words were said in a matter-of-fact, no nonsense tone, as if she'd had to explain her situation so often that the words had become blasé to her.

"Wow that must have been hard for you."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, it was, but once I got the hang of it, I was able to go to school, and land my dream job."

"That's awesome. I suddenly feel really spoiled," I laughed quietly. She smiled and shook her head lightly.

"No need. Anyway, tell me about them. Your family, I mean."

"Uh, well, ok," I stumbled. I had never really had to describe my family to outsiders. "My dad is the Chief of Staff at Forks General,"--I couldn't help but notice her eyes widen and the corners of her mouth creep up slightly--"and my mom works at a women's shelter. I have a younger sister named Alice," I huffed at the mention of Alice, remembering how she had interrogated me before I left the house.

"You don't get along?" she asked, concerned.

"No, no, it's not that. We get along great, but she can be frustrating sometimes."

"Oh? Did she do something lately?"

"Yeah, before I left the house, she wouldn't let me leave until she knew who I was meeting for dinner."

"Aww," Tanya grinned.

"No," I shook my head with a slight smile. "Not awww, she was borderline demanding."

"Did you give in?" she asked with a smirk.

"Yeah."

She laughed again. "Why do you think she was so inquisitive?"

I inhaled and exhaled loudly, closing my eyes. "She said she was worried about me. The joys of family, I guess."

Tanya's face grew a bit concerned. "Why would they be worried about you?"

"I haven't been out much lately," I began. "Last weekend at the bar was the first time I've been out in months."

One of Tanya's eyebrows rose. "Why?"

"I just haven't felt like it since..." I trailed off, realizing I just may have given far too much information.

"Was there a girl involved?"

"Maybe, but I think it just coincided with the break-up. I've just been feeling listless."

"Well," Tanya said decidedly. "I'm glad you came out that night. Hopefully, you'll forget all about that girl when you're in a woman's presence," she said suggestively. Just then, I felt her booted foot graze my shin under the table. I looked at her; she was smiling seductively, her eyes hooded.

As if to heed my subconscious desire to cease this moment, the waiter came by with our meals. He placed the plates before Tanya and me and left us.

I went to reach for my napkin, but instead ended up watching it fall to the ground beside me. I tilted my body so that I could reach the napkin where it lay, and happened to turn around.

I instantly wished that I hadn't, because I immediately saw Bella coming into the restaurant, walking hand in hand with the same guy I had seen her with on the motorcycle two months ago, not thirty feet from me. They looked comfortable in their proximity. I guess things were just fine and dandy with her and this guy.

They were trailing behind Bella's older brother, Emmett, and a smiling blonde, who were also walking hand-in-hand. I could only assume that they were on a double date. Fuck.

"Edward," Tanya called to me, but I couldn't look away from the girl my stare was fixed upon.

"Yeah," I replied, keeping my eyes on her. Thankfully, with all my stalker-like gawking, she and the rest of them didn't notice me watching them pass.

"Who's that?" Tanya's tone was bitter, rough. It was jealousy, no doubt. It was completely unattractive coming from Tanya.

"Uh," I stumbled. Did I really want to tell her that this gorgeous brunette walking with another guy was said ex-girlfriend? I sighed. "That's my ex." I said it quietly, but she definitely heard me because she made a grunting noise in affirmation.

When I turned back to Tanya, though, she didn't look like she was jealous in the least. She smiled sweetly at me and leaned over, placing her hand on the table, palm up, obviously hinting that she wanted to hold mine. Mindlessly, I obliged and she gripped my hand a little roughly.

"We'll forget all about her tonight. Alright?" she questioned lightly, her fingers stroking my hand.

"Sure," I mumbled, smiling.

We went back to our meal, I was making a conscious effort to enjoy my time with Tanya, but my mind continuously provoked me with thoughts of Bella. She had looked content as she and her boyfriend walked into the restaurant. It must be serious because she was on a double date. And not only with was she on a double date, but she was on that double date with her older brother, who had the unfortunate reputation of being something of a man whore. He was a year older than me, but we shared similar interests and had some mutual friends, so I heard of a few of his exploits from some of them. Emmett never really dated; he just sort of got around. This girl that he was with must be serious to him, too.

As Tanya rattled on about her job and her hobbies, my head swirled with thoughts of Bella. Sure, I was still listening to Tanya, but only half-heartedly. Tanya seemed to be the perfect woman, both in beauty and intelligence. But she wasn't Bella. The more Tanya spoke, the more I realized that our evening was turning into an eye-opener.

"What about you?" Tanya said after swirling some pasta around fork and bringing it up to her mouth. Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"What about me?" I asked distractedly. Tanya looked a bit annoyed as she narrowed her eyes at me ever so slightly. She knew I was distracted. Someone who was blind would have probably been able to see it, too.

"Your hobbies," she stated dryly.

"Oh, well, I play indoor soccer on a team with some of my friends, and in the winter, we play ice hockey."

Her nose scrunched up. Had that been Bella, it would have been adorable to see. Tanya, however, made the action seem trite.

"Ew, sweaty men running after a ball. Not my idea of a good time, to be honest."

"I guess it isn't for everyone, but the guys usually have their girlfriends come out to support them." Bella would do it, I thought. In a heartbeat. Well, at least she would have a few months ago.

Nothing further was discussed regarding sports, since Tanya shut down at the thought of that being a hobby of mine.

In actuality, playing sports was one of the few things I actually loved, besides my family. I liked my car a whole lot, but it wasn't the same. Playing sports, whether it was hockey or soccer, helped me relieve tension, kept me active, but was also the only aspect of my life that I felt I had any control over. Add that to the fact that I was pretty good at kicking a ball or lacing up some skates and shooting a puck past a goalie. Playing gave me an incredible ego boost.

We ate the rest of our dinner uneventfully, amidst light conversation. Once Tanya was done, she glanced up and suddenly cleared her throat.

"I'll be right back, Edward. Ladies room," she smiled and walked swiftly out of view, making sure to take her purse with her. I thought nothing of it and finished off my meal without her. The waiter even came by to clear our plates, leaving us with a dessert menu. I waved it off and asked him to return with the bill. Within an instant of the waiter leaving, Tanya came sauntering back to the table with a satisfied smirk on her face with a freshly applied coat of lipstick. She took her seat and frowned.

"What, no dessert menu?" she asked, pouting.

"Well, uh, I didn't know if you wanted something," I trailed off.

"I always save a bit of room for dessert. Let's get something, Eddie," she stated more than asked. Her use of that god-awful nickname sounded like she had run her long fingernails down a chalkboard. I cringed slightly.

"Fine, ask the waiter when he gets back." I didn't want to sound like a prick, but I just wanted to get out of the restaurant by this point. It had started off well enough, but the sight of Bella really threw me off my game, and reminded me of the reason why I hadn't left the house for so long.

I reached for my Pepsi when I felt Tanya's hand pull mine off the cup and closer toward the middle of the table. She stroked the back of my hand again. I watched her face turn from indifferent to furious and then smug in a matter of ten seconds as she stared at something or someone behind me.

Curiously, I turned to see what could possibly be eliciting that sort of reaction from Tanya, and locked eyes with Bella as she, Emmett, and their dates were leaving the restaurant.

Bella's face was dripping with shock and what I could only assume was embarrassment, because her mouth was slightly agape as she walked hand in hand with the oblivious guy beside her.

Emmett seemed to not see me, either. Good thing, too, since his loyalty to his family was pretty intense, and judging from the stories I had heard of him, he probably wouldn't have thought twice to pound me into hamburger meat had he seen me there. His date, on the other hand, glanced over and raised an eyebrow as she looked at Bella and then me and back at Bella quickly.

I felt Tanya's hand tighten on mine, her fingernails digging uncomfortably into my hand. I was instantly annoyed by this reminder that I wasn't there alone. I turned to Tanya and narrowed my eyes at her, pulling my hand out from under hers.

"I'm really not in the mood for dessert, Tanya. I think we should call it a night," I muttered, reaching for my wallet to pay for the meal. I heard her exhale loudly.

"Don't let that little girl ruin our night. She's obviously happy with that guy she was with. Let her be." She smiled seductively, her eyes hooded.

"Let's get out of here. It's Saturday night, after all."

I sighed. She was right. Bella was happy, and I needed to let her be happy. This meant that I couldn't think about her. I couldn't interfere in her happiness.

Seeing Bella with her date and her brother made me envious. At one point, I had wanted to be the guy she went on double dates with, and now I just watched from the sidelines as this tall guy held her hand and looked at her reverently.

It dawned on me that I still wanted to be that guy, but it was far too late for that. I had let her go, and I needed to get over my mistake and move on. She had easily been the best thing to happen to me, and I had just allowed her to leave without a fight, because I was a fucking coward.

Tanya was more than ready to help me forget Bella.

Other than being a bit jealous, there was nothing wrong with Tanya. She was beautiful, she was hard-working, and she was a good person.

I regarded Tanya as the thoughts flew around my head. She smiled at me expectantly, awaiting my response.

I nodded and smiled at her. "You're right. Let's pay and get out of here."