Disclaimer: I own an Edward Cullen Barbie doll (it was a gag gift, don't judge me), but the character belongs to Stephenie Meyer, as do all of his friends. Such a shame.

Chapter 8

Someone, somewhere, was being a complete asshole, had set up this whole situation, and took great pleasure in watching me squirm. That was the only explanation behind this mess.

I'd met "Charlie" every morning for the past couple of weeks, and so far she'd given me nothing. She didn't trust me, and while I understood that to an extent, I was also becoming quickly frustrated with the girl.

I tried to search her name through our database but didn't find anything, which only frustrated me further.

I knew she needed help – there were moments during our conversations where her false bravado would fall away and I saw the frightened young woman that hid beneath. She was terrified for herself and her friend, and I wanted to take that away.

But fuck she wasn't making it easy. She'd finally given me a name yesterday: Breanne Tanner, but she goes by Bree. Again, she wasn't in our database, not that I expected her to be. I needed more information, information that Charlie wasn't giving me. I was exhausting far more brainpower on this girl than I was entirely comfortable with.

Never mind that every time I so much as thought her name it was like a knife driving through my heart over and over again.

"Are you all right?"

I jumped at the sound of Alice's voice – why am I so jumpy?

"Huh?"

"You're frowning and your forehead is all wrinkly. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Just work stuff." I took a sip from my milkshake and avoided eye contact with Alice.

Shopping with her was surprisingly less intense than I'd anticipated. While Alice was indeed a shopaholic, she was also incredibly efficient. She knew what she needed and she knew where to get it. On our first shopping trip together I'd completed my shopping in less than half an hour, and we spent the rest of the afternoon lazily strolling through the mall, just because. I was beginning to really like Alice, and while that scared the fuck out of me, it also made me feel normal.

I needed more normal in my life.

"By the way, how's that going?" She asked, licking the ice cream off her spoon.

"Work?"

She nodded.

"Not too bad," I leaned in closer and lowered my voice, and she mirrored my position, "Has Aro always been a freak or did that only just happen recently?"

She laughed heartily, "Oh, my God! Tell me about it! He speaks like the villain in a film set in the Middle Ages."

I nodded emphatically, "The other day he called me into his office so he could ask me whether I was willing to work over Thanksgiving and it took me about 10 minutes to fully process what he was asking me."

Alice's brow furrowed and she tilted her head slightly, "He asked you to work over the holidays?"

"Yep," I replied and leaned back in my chair.

Alice looked down and closely inspected her Sundae, "And what did you say?" Her voice was quiet and hesitant.

"I said I'd do it. I need to get the extra hours in, get on his good side, you know."

She nodded but still didn't look up.

"What is it, Alice?"

She kept playing with her Sundae, but mumbled, "Nothing. I just…uhh…I was going to invite you to spend Thanksgiving with our family."

Oh.

"Oh, Alice, I-"

"Don't worry about it, Bella," she faced me and smiled, though it didn't touch her eyes, "I thought you might be a little uncomfortable with it anyway. But it's an open invitation – if you still want to come you're more than welcome. Jasper will be there, too."

I sighed, "Alice…I…family dinners aren't really my thing."

She shrugged, "Honestly Bella, it's fine. I just wanted you to know that you had somewhere to stay over Thanksgiving, that's all."

I swallowed past the lump in my throat and closed my eyes. I didn't want to think about the holidays – the first Thanksgiving without him; I wanted to work through them and just forget. I wanted to be numb and distant and quite thoroughly drunk. I didn't want to spend it with someone else's family just to remind myself that I didn't have my own.

I tried to grasp at the fog of indifference – the armour I'd used in the past, the same shield I used whenever Emmett was hitting a little close to the mark. I used to be able to call on it so easily before, but now? It felt just out of reach, too far away to hold on to. Even when it did get close enough to grab at, it quickly slipped through my fingers and out of grasp again. I was so used to using that armour to push away the feelings that were too intense to deal with that I didn't know what to do without it. I felt exposed and bare and vulnerable and I hated it.

Suddenly, I felt a soft, warm pressure on my hand, which had unconsciously balled up into a fist, and I opened my eyes and saw Alice's hand resting on top of my own. I looked up and I saw her once again using her spoon to play with the ice cream in her bowl, not looking at me, but offering her silent support.

A month ago I would've jerked away from the contact – I would've pushed Alice away, made some sarcastic comment that she would've laughed at, and then locked myself in my apartment for the rest of the weekend.

Now? Now, that soft touch was my anchor, pulling me away from my dark thoughts and grounding me to the present, if only temporarily.

"Thanks, Alice." I said quietly.

She didn't reply, just gave my hand a final squeeze and jumped up from her chair, "C'mon. We're meeting the guys for lunch."

I choked on my milkshake, "Wait, what? You never told me that!"

"Didn't I?" She said absently, inspecting her nails and trying to hide a smirk.

I lazily slid off my stool and sighed, knowing I probably wouldn't be able to get out of this right now, "Is it just Jasper and Edward?"

"Yeah. We're meeting them at a restaurant across the street."

"You just ate an entire Sundae!"

She raised a brow at me as if to say "So?"

I groaned as we started towards the exit, "Your brother hates me! Why does he insist on being around me so often?"

Alice gave me a strange look, "Edward doesn't hate you. He really likes you, actually."

I snorted humourlessly, "He really likes annoying me, maybe."

"No," Alice shook her head, "That's not it." We pushed our way past impatient early Christmas shoppers and I breathed in a deep breath when we finally made it out of the mall and in the cold, open air.

"What is it, then?"

"Edward is…" she pursed her lips, searching for the right words, "He values authenticity. He likes that you're genuine. And he likes to…test that by annoying you."

I stopped walking and frowned. Alice turned and looked at me curiously.

"He's waiting for me to slip up?" I whispered. That makes two of us.

Alice bit her bottom lip, "I've said too much," she chuckled nervously.

I shook my head slightly and inhaled, "Sorry, Alice." I kept walking in what I hoped was the right direction and I heard Alice follow closely behind me.

"It's not anything personal, Bella." She lightly pulled on my coat and pointed to an Italian restaurant to the right, in the opposite direction I was walking in.

"No, Alice, it's fine. I don't really care," Why do I care so much? "He's a great, trustworthy detective, and that's the best I can hope for in a colleague. His business is his business."

Alice's brow furrowed and she looked like she wanted to say something else, but she just nodded and said "Okay," and we both entered the restaurant, finding both Edward and Jasper sitting at a round table near the back already chugging a couple of light beers.

"Hey!" Alice called, skipping forward. Her eyes were still a little troubled, but she smiled widely at her brother and Jasper.

Jasper stood and gave Alice a lingering kiss on her cheek, his hand resting lightly on her waist. Her eyes closed for a split second before she quickly pulled away from him and turned to jump into Edward's arms.

"Ooft," he exhaled, but wrapped his arms around his sister, "What was that for?"

Alice jumped down from Edward's embrace and looked down, her cheeks dusted with a faint blush, "Can't I be happy to see my brother?"

Edward narrowed his eyes at her, but then shrugged and said, "I'll get it out of you later."

"How are you, Bella?" Jasper asked, sitting back down.

I lifted my hands, which were full of shopping bags, "Broke."

He nodded in understanding, "Alice."

"Alice," I confirmed.

"Hey!" Alice exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest and taking a seat between Jasper and Edward.

"But," I rushed to explain, "you were an incredible help and I'm very grateful."

"You're welcome," she replied, flicking her hair over her shoulder. I shook my head at her, but couldn't help smiling too.

"Take a seat, Swan." Edward still hadn't sat down, and was looking at me expectantly.

"Umm," I awkwardly swung my arms and the bags in my hands as I looked around the restaurant, "You know, I think I'm going to head out."

"Why?" Alice asked, pouting.

"It's been a long day, Alice. I'm a little tired. And I'm not really hungry."

"We won't be long, Bella," Jasper pushed.

I grimaced.

"I'm buying," Edward provided.

"Geez, you sure know the way to a girl's heart, Cullen," I rolled my eyes, "I'll see you guys on Monday, all right?"

I turned walk away but Edward quickly grabbed my sleeve, before instantly dropping the material as if it had burned him.

I frowned and he cleared his throat, "How are you getting home?"

"I'm getting on the subway, Edward."

"Great!" He pulled out a chair at the table and gestured towards it, "I'll give you and Jasper a lift home. Now sit down, Swan."

I glared at him and he rolled his eyes, "Please."

I huffed and stomped towards the seat, fully aware that I was acting like a petulant child, "I don't know why you give a shit," I grumbled quietly – quiet enough that I hoped no one heard.

Edward hesitated after pushing my chair in, remaining behind me for a second. I looked up and saw a very intense expression on his face – his brows were furrowed and his lips were turned down in a frown. He opened his mouth as though he were about to say something, but then closed it again and looked away from me, moving towards his own seat to my left while scratching his right cheek.

"Are you guys ready to order yet?" A young, blonde waitress had sauntered over to our table, smiling widely at both Jasper and Edward while ignoring Alice and I completely. I had to stifle a laugh. You're not going home with both of them. Pick one and stick to one.

Jasper made a noncommittal noise and looked over to Alice, who just shook her head and picked up the menu.

Edward, on the other hand, returned the waitress' smile and lowered his voice slightly, "Not quite ready for food, yet. I'll have another beer in the mean time…" He leaned in to inspect her nametag, "Brittany."

"Sure," she replied, now focusing entirely on Edward once she realised Jasper wasn't interested, leaning in his direction and batting her eyelashes slightly. I coughed loudly and raised my hand to cover my mouth, trying to hide my smirk. Apparently I was unsuccessful, because Edward shot me a look.

"Any other drinks for the rest of the table?" The waitress continued, oblivious.

"I'll have a beer, too." Alice piped.

"Yeah, me too." Jasper added.

"And for you?" Brittany turned to me almost unwillingly.

I swallowed thickly, "Just…just a water for me." I noticed Edward look at me curiously out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored him

Brittany nodded and then turned eagerly back to Edward, "Let me know if you need anything else," she purred, and then sashayed away.

"Jesus," Alice muttered.

"Does that happened often around them?" I asked Alice, gesturing towards the guys.

She nodded, and then lifted her hand to hide her face from Edward "Especially that one," she mouthed, pointing towards her brother.

"You're saying this like it's a bad thing," Edward leaned back in his chair and lazily put his hands behind his head – the epitome of ease.

"Nope, not a bad thing. I also like it when barely legal girls eye fuck me in front of my sister and friends."

Alice and Jasper chuckled and Edward flipped me the bird. It was enough to ease the tension that I'd been feeling since I sat down and I felt my spine relax against the back of the chair.

"Did Aro talk to you about your hours, Alice?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah, I'm getting Christmas eve through to the second week of January. He said the hospital should be able to cover it."

Jasper let out a low whistle, "That's pretty generous."

Alice shrugged, "He likes me. I'm adorable," she paused and narrowed her eyes at Jasper, "You know, if you were cuter I'm sure he'd give you more time off."

Jasper smirked and shook his head, "I know you think I'm cute, Ali."

"Aww," she leaned over and patted Jasper's hand, "You keep telling yourself that, sweetie."

Edward cleared his throat loudly, and Jasper and Alice both jumped and pulled away from each other. Jasper quickly picked up his menu and Alice nervously tucker a stray hair behind her ear and then abruptly said, "Bella's working over Thanksgiving."

I felt my eyes widen and I looked at Alice, panicking. Don't drag me into this!

"Did Aro pressure you into that?" Jasper's tone was sympathetic.

"Yeah," No need to tell them I volunteered. I gave Alice a look and she thankfully didn't say anything.

"I've been wondering, Swan; what was your last squad like?" Edward enquired, turning and facing me.

I picked up my menu to give my hands something to do, "What do you mean? They were just like any other squad," I answered.

"Okay," Edward said impatiently, "But did you work with more people? Was it busier? Were you close with your colleagues? That kind of stuff."

I shrugged, "We had a much bigger squad – about fifteen or so people, but our jurisdiction was much larger. I was…polite to my colleagues, I guess." I didn't look up from my menu. I felt a little full from that milkshake; maybe I should just get a salad?

There was silence for a moment and I looked at Edward over the top of my menu. He looked expectant, his eyebrows raised, and he opened his mouth to say something when Brittany came back with the drinks and asked for our orders.

She quickly took my order, followed by Jasper's and Alice's. She lingered while taking Edward's order, leaning against the table and bending over slightly so he had a clear view of her cleavage.

Alice scoffed and left to go to the bathroom. Jasper tried to engage me in conversation, but after a couple of minutes his phone chimed and he walked away to answer it. I was left at the table with Edward and motherfucking Brittany who wouldn't stop flirting. While I didn't give a shit what or who Edward did in his free time, I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, and that wasn't happening until she took our order to the fucking kitchen.

I gritted my teeth and crossed my arms, my hands balling into fists. Brittany was now sitting on the table, where we were going to eat food, between Edward and I. Her laugh was fake and obnoxious and sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Her voice was nasally and high pitched and gave me a fucking toothache.

And I tried, I really tried to keep my mouth shut because I didn't want to be a bitch and I didn't want to give Edward the wrong impression. While I was amused before, I was pissed and restless and just wanted to go home and be alone. It might have had something to do with the fact that I was making a conscious decision not to get drunk, but I'm only guessing here.

"Hey Brit!" I called out in an overly innocent voice.

The waitress turned and looked down on me, a frustrated look on her face. She gave me a quick once over, and her expression turned from frustration to disgust. "Yes?" She asked snidely.

I rested one elbow on the table and put my head in my hand, giving Brittany a ridiculously sweet smile, "I was just wondering how long it'll take for the food to come out."

Her expression didn't change, "Probably about half an hour." She went to turn back to Edward, not moving from her perch on the table, when I spoke up again.

"If you've got your hands full," I continued, an edge was entering my tone now, "I'm happy to ask your manager to take our order to the kitchen." She turned back and glared at me, and I returned it with one of my own, a sarcastic smile still on my face, "If you're too busy."

She stood abruptly, a hand perched on her hip, "Was there anything else your table needed?"

I pursed my lips and put my finger on my chin, feigning thoughtfulness, before I said, "Nope, I think we're fine. Edward will meet you in the bathroom in about an hour."

Her mouth fell open and she huffed indignantly before marching away. I bit my lip to keep from laughing and took out my phone, pretending to check messages or some shit.

"You wanna explain that?" I heard Edward ask. He didn't sound angry, but I couldn't be sure unless I looked at him. And I wasn't planning on doing that.

"I'm hungry and I don't want to be here longer than necessary. If you want to fuck her in the bathroom that's fine, just don't waste my time with flirting and foreplay."

A silence settled over us once again, and then I heard him let out a breathless chuckled, "Jesus Christ," he said quietly, "I never know what's going to come out of that mouth."

I finally look at him – his expression was one of awe and amusement, mouth parted and breathing a little heavily while his eyes danced with mirth.

"I'm glad I amuse you," I replied.

He smiled widely – a real, genuine smile, which was rare for him – and I felt my breath catch. While his face was all sharp angles and edges, when he really smiled his face softened, and he looked so much younger, happier, carefree. His intensity melted away and just left a truly beautiful man.

I looked away before I could embarrass myself further. Game face, Swan.

"Why are you so closed off?" He asked, suddenly serious.

I looked at him in shock, then turned away and closed my eyes, "Don't do this now, Edward." He did this often. He pushed and explored and tried to catch me off guard.

"Why won't you let anyone know you?" His voice was soft and probing and, like a blanket, it settled over me and warmed me to my core.

"I could ask you the same question," I tried to make my voice light and nonchalant, but I could barely speak past the sudden lump in my throat.

"What's the supposed to mean?" Again – his voice wasn't hard or angry, merely curious.

"Seriously Edward," I shook my head and opened my eyes, turning to look into his bright green ones that instantly made me think home, "You don't want to get into this."

He moved his chair a little closer to mine and whispered, "Why don't you let me decide what I want."

I couldn't breath, I couldn't handle the intensity of his gaze, and I couldn't think. I looked down and shook my head; I felt a strange pressure on my chest and a quiet nagging at the back of my mind, but I ignored it.

"Let me be your friend, Bella." He breathed.

"Why?" I replied just as quietly.

He laughed, "My sister's in love with you and you don't take my bullshit. There's only one other person on earth that fits that description and he's my best friend." He moved closer still, I could feel his hot breath on my forehead, "I'm running out of reasons to let you push me and everyone else away. You need a friend and so do I."

I turned towards him but kept my eyes on his hands, "You're the most confusing person I've ever met."

"Doesn't that excite you?"

"It mostly freaks me out."

"If it makes you feel any better, I've only pretended to have you all figured out – I'm really just winging it here."

Teasing – I could handle teasing. I looked up slightly, my eyes now on his collarbone, "You're way off the mark."

"Such a long line to the bathroom, guys! Where's the food?" Alice's voice – once again – made me jump and I quickly righted myself, my legs no longer turned towards Edward but under the table. I cleared my throat and suppressed the urge to fan myself – when had it gotten so hot?

"The waitress got a little distracted so the food might be a little longer," Edward said, taking his time move away from me. Before he could move away completely, however, he leaned in close – closer than before – and whispered in my ear, "I'm closer to the mark than you'd like to believe." His hot breath made me shiver, but it was quickly – too quickly – gone, and I was left feeling colder than I had in a long time.

000

"Why don't you talk to someone, Bella?"

"Because, Emmett," I sighed, "I hate being told things I already know. I hate being treated like a child or a dumb student being lectured at. I already know what's wrong with me." I'd opened up a lot more to Emmett over the past week, and while I knew this was unfamiliar territory for him, he was always happy to listen. He never made me feel like I was talking too much or bothering him, and I appreciated that more than he'd ever know.

"Do you know how to fix it?"

"Yes."

"Then why don't you?"

I laughed humourlessly. Things were so much easier in Emmett's world – all black and white, no in-between. "It's not so easy, Em."

"Why not?"

I fell back against the couch and reached over to grab a pillow, hugging it to my chest with one hand. "It's like…if I told you that water was actually bad for you and snorting coke made you healthy, it'd take you a while to believe it, right?"

"Right," he said hesitantly.

"It's the same thing. I've lived with these beliefs for so long, I can't just will them away."

"Is there anything I can do?"

I smiled sadly. I didn't deserve him, "You're already doing so much for me."

There was a loud knock on my door and I narrowed my eyes, checking the time on my phone: 6:28pm.

"Em, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure. Love you Bells."

"Bye Em."

I hung up quickly and ran to the kitchen counter to grab my handgun. I was in an unfamiliar city on the same floor that had a break-in a couple of weeks ago and a possible stalker. I wasn't going to take any chances.

I moved quickly back to the front door as another, louder knock came. I glanced through the peephole and almost tripped over in my shock. What the fuck was Edward doing here?

I didn't release my hold on the gun, but held it behind my back as I opened the door.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Woah, no brain to mouth filter today?

"It's nice to see you, too!" He gave me a gorgeous crooked smile; one I'm sure has been the catalyst to several panty droppings in the past.

I rolled my eyes, "Seriously, why are you here?"

"I'm being a friend," he lifted his right hand, which was holding a bag of what smelled like Thai food, "Friends eat bad food and watch movies together." He didn't wait for a response and elbowed his way past me into my apartment. "You got any good movies? I brought one, but I need an excuse to see what movies you're in to."

"Cabinet beneath the television," I answered numbly before I could stop myself.

I heard the plastic bag land on the coffee table before Edward said, "What's with the gun?"

I hesitated before I turned to face him, not relenting my grip on the firearm, "A strange man is in my house on a Sunday night for no good reason. The same strange man that only yesterday insisted he wanted to be my friend, again for no good reason. You can't blame me for being a little suspicious."

Edward didn't say anything for a moment, but then he placed his hand over his chest and pouted, "You wound me, Swan. My intentions are noble, I swear it."

I tried to stop myself from smiling, but couldn't help the slight twitch of my lips.

"So," Edward exclaimed, and practically skipped over to the cabinet to have a look at my admittedly lacking DVD collection. He bent over to rifle through them, and I tried not to let my eyes wander. It was tough; the man gave a good show. "Where are the rest of them?"

During my admiration my mouth had fallen open and, Was that drool at the corner of my mouth? I quickly snapped my mouth shut with a loud click of my teeth, and mumbled out a "Mhuh?"

"Where are the rest of your movies?" He didn't turn, so I was still a little distracted.

"They're umm…that's all of them."

"There are four movies in here."

"Yes."

"They're all Die Hard movies."

"Yes."

"Are you all right?"

He finally faced me and he looked at me in concern, his brows furrowed and his head tilted.

"I'm fine." I answered a little too defensively and shuffled over to the kitchen to deposit my gun.

He raised his brows in disbelief, but then shrugged and stood up, "Well, I'm not in the mood for action so I guess we'll just have to see what's on t.v."

He made himself comfortable on my couch, sitting where I had been just moments earlier, and taking out the food he'd brought. I should've been pissed off, but something about seeing him so relaxed and at ease in my home was…nice; sure it was disconcerting and weird and invasive but still nice. As much as I enjoyed making other people uncomfortable just because I could, it was kind of wonderful knowing that someone still wanted to know me and was at ease around me, despite my sarcastic attitude and constant bitch-face.

"Do you prefer chicken, beef, or pork? I've got all three and I'm happy with any of them."

"I thought you said you brought a movie?" I took the other side of the couch, leaving a sizeable gap between us.

To my surprise, Edward ducked his head and avoided my eyes, "Yeah, I…I don't think we've got the same taste in films."

Oh God, this was too good. "What did you bring, Edward?" My voice was light and teasing and I tried not to dwell on that too much.

He just shook his head.

"Is it Schindler's List?"

He snorted and shook his head again.

"Is it a porno?"

He started coughing loudly, "Jesus, Swan!"

"What?" I asked innocently, "This would be a lot easier and less painful if you told me what movie you brought, you know."

He still kept his head ducked, but mashed his lips together.

"Is it a rom-com?"

His eyes closed.

"Oh, my God!" I jumped up from the couch, a huge smile on my face, "You brought a rom-com and then freaked out because all I had was Die Hard!"

"I've literally never met a woman that doesn't have at least one rom-com in her movie collection." He mumbled, but then lifted his head and spoke up, pointing an accusing finger at me, "Furthermore, I was expecting you to have a more embarrassing selection of films and I was planning on spending the night making fun of your collection and then you," he wagged his finger a bit, "had to mess up those plans! I'm crushed, Swan. I feel so betrayed."

I rolled my eyes, but my grin didn't waver, "I'll try to better meet your expectations in the future," I said as I sat back down, grabbing the chicken Pad Thai.

Edward opened his mouth as though he were about to saying something, but then shut it quickly, pursing his lips and narrowing his eyes.

"So what did you bring?" I asked after an awkward silence.

"I'll only tell you if you swear never to tell anyone."

How could I resist? I bit back a smile, "Of course." I tried not to tremble in anticipation.

Edward took a deep breath, preparing himself, and then reached into another plastic bag and pulled out…

"Love Actually?" My voice was three octaves higher than usual.

Edward's ears were bright red, but he exclaimed, "It's a fucking awesome movie, Swan. Don't even try to deny it."

I laughed, "I thought you were going to blame it on Alice or something, but you're taking full responsibility for this." I leaned and punched him lightly on the shoulder, "Good for you, man. Own it."

Edward grumbled under his breath and stood to place the DVD in the player, "Just…shut up and watch it."

And I did, and I loved it. But I was never going to tell Edward that. There were a couple of awkward moments during the film, where Martin Freeman was naked on screen and thrusting up against some young blonde woman, but it was overall an easy and pleasant experience.

However, that ease ended as soon as the film did.

"Let's talk, Swan." Edward turned to me and sat Indian style on the couch. His expression was gentle but his posture was intimidating, like he was preparing for an interrogation.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked cautiously.

"Well, seeing as we're friends now," I coughed but Edward ignored me, "I think we should get to know each other a little better."

I didn't reply.

"So I'll ask you a question and you ask me a question and you have to answer honestly and then we'll graduate from 'friends' to 'best friends.'"

"Are we fifteen year olds on their first date?"

"Humour me, Swan."

I took a sip of water to give myself time to think about what he was saying. There were a lot of questions I didn't want to answer, but I also knew it was important for Edward to feel like he trusted me.

But more importantly, if things with Charlie were going in the direction I suspected they were going in, I'd need someone in the squad to help me get information. I needed someone that wasn't going to run to Aro as soon as I started asking questions.

In short, I needed someone to trust, too.

"Do I have to answer?"

Edward pondered that for a moment, "Nope. But I feel like if you don't answer you're kind of answering the question anyway, you know?"

"How old are you?" I asked incredulously.

"28. Great! My turn."

"What? No, I was –"

"When's your birthday?"

I sighed, "September 13th. You know you can get this from my file?"

He nodded, "I do know that. Where were you born?"

"Hey! I didn't get my question!"

Edward raised his brows, "Yes you did."

"You're cheating!" I pouted.

"Answer the question, Swan," a smirk was playing on his lips now.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Forks."

He cocked his head, "Where's –?"

"Nope! My turn!" I grinned. Edward grimaced but waved his hand for me to continue, "Have you always lived in New York?"

Some expression passed across Edward's face for a moment, but it was gone before I could fully examine it. He quietly uttered, "No," then scratched the side of his face before he continued, "Where's Forks?"

"Washington." I bit my lip and hesitated before asking my next question. Curiosity had always been my greatest downfall, "Where were you born?"

His response was swift. "Illinois. Are you seeing anyone?"

The question shocked me, but I didn't have anything to hide, so I answered, "No. Why?"

Edward merely shrugged, a soft smile on his face, "Why not?"

I frowned, "I don't know what you're asking."

"Why aren't you seeing anyone?"

For some reason, that was the funniest question I'd ever heard, and I started laughing. Hard.

"What?" His small smile turned into a full grin.

"Sorry," I tried to get my breathing under control, but my deep breaths kept getting interrupted by hiccups, "I don't know why that was so funny to me. There isn't really one reason, just lots of little things."

Edward nodded, "Your turn."

"Why aren't you with Alice or Jasper tonight?"

"Jasper had a date and Alice was busy with friends or something I don't really know. Do you miss Chicago?"

I finally broke eye contact with Edward and looked down at my hands. Did I miss Chicago? I didn't miss my job – I worked with a lot of unenthusiastic, incompetent people in Chicago – aside from Emmett. The weather wasn't really anything to mourn over, so I didn't miss that. My life in Chicago had been meaningless; I woke up and went to work because I had to, not because I wanted to; most weekends – hell, most nights – I would drink myself into a stupor because the pain and grief were too difficult to face; my best friend and I hadn't had a real conversation in months…

"No," I replied, still focused on my now trembling hands, "No, I don't miss Chicago." I was silent for a moment, and Edward didn't push me. I carefully considered my next question.

"Edward?" I whispered.

"Yeah?" He responded just as quietly.

I looked up and saw the apprehension in his eyes, "Why are you here? Really?"

Edward didn't do anything for a while, just stared at me, as though deciding whether or not he should reply. And then he grinned, stood up, and said, "I'll see you in the morning, Swan," and left.

And, as usual, I was left confused, frustrated, and a little breathless.

A/N: I hope your 2016 is full of good health and happiness, life and love, joy, fun, and good sex. Take care!