*gasps* Can it be? She's updated! I know, I know, I've been really fail at updating lately...truth is, Bella's been a bitch. This chapter just did not want to be written. You can thank the Easter Bunny for its completion though - had a sudden writing inspiration on Sunday night. =) That Easter Bunny is one awesome rabbit...
Apologies for the wait though. I know how much it sucks when you have to wait ages between updates on fics. Thanks for your patience!

Okay, so I've got some EXCITING NEWS! But I'll save it for the end notes. Make sure you check them out after you've finished reading. It relates to an exciting Fandom Gives Back event. =)

Huge thanks to my awesome friend and beta Hannah81, who just rocks, plain and simple. *hugs*

To Cassie, who pre-reads my shit and makes me laugh, well ... pretty much all the time. =p Love you, hun!

To Kason08 and Melee03 who review every. single. chapter. Thanks guys! I look forward to reading your reviews!

And to the awesome Alex - this one's for you, hun! Your excitement over my story inspires me to keep writing it. *tacklehugs*

Now, on with the chapter...


Thinking of You

Chapter Eight – Dazzling Dan's Domain

For the few days following my encounter with Dan, Tilly became increasingly curious about my apparent "aversion of men," as she put it. I told her that when I felt like I could talk to her about it, I would, but for now I just wanted to enjoy my time in Sydney. The knowledge that I would eventually tell her seemed to appease her somewhat, but it didn't stop her from trying to convince me to return to the bar that we had gone to that first night. She was unwavering in her belief that Dan and I had met for a reason, and that reason wasn't just a brief exchange of words in a bar with a lack of exchanging numbers, never to see each other again. She was adamant that Dan and I had a chemistry that was destined for more.

Basically, she was trying to play match-maker.

How she came to this conclusion upon observing our short exchange of words from afar was beyond me. I honestly didn't think that I would see him again, even if we did go back to the bar. I was quite happy to leave things as they were; a friendly encounter with a good-looking, water supplying, flirtatious man that had made my first night in Australia a delightful one. I certainly wasn't looking for anything with Dan, although I did have to admit that he was highly attractive.

Still, Tilly was relentless and I found myself being dragged back to the bar on Thursday night.

Thursday had been a very busy day for Tilly, Sara and me. The whole week had been, really. After saying our goodbyes to Emilya on Tuesday morning, the three of us had ventured out onto the cold streets of Sydney to begin what had turned out to be an exhausting few days of sight-seeing. Come Thursday afternoon, I was a wreck. In no state to come up with a good reason why we should not return to the bar that Tilly had labelled, "Dazzling Dan's Domain," I had no choice but to concede to Tilly's pressuring.

The three of us entered the bar around sunset, the orange hue of the sky making the inside of the bar appear even more homey and welcoming than it had on Monday night. Tilly's gaze flew straight to the bar in search of the mop of sandy blonde locks that she was so eager to see again. Sara just rolled her eyes and headed off towards the booth by the window that we had occupied last time. When Tilly's search appeared fruitless, she turned to me with a disappointed shrug.

"Maybe he'll be here later?" she offered, a hint of hope in her voice.

I shrugged my shoulders back at her with a small smile; however, as soon as she turned her back on me to go join Sara, I felt my chest sink a little. A little part of me had been hoping that Dan would be here, and the lack of his presence actually caused a twinge of disappointment – one that I hadn't counted on – to settle inside me.

It was a little confusing.

I glanced quickly at the bar, just to make sure that Tilly hadn't overlooked Dan, then followed her to the booth and slid in next to Sara. The three of us found that we were actually quite famished after our day out in the city, so we decided to stay at the bar for dinner and unwind from the day.

Around two hours later, the three of us were well on our way to becoming the drunken lunatics that had surfaced on Monday night.

"Bella, it's your shout!" Tilly cried, shaking her empty glass in front of me. "Get your arse up there and get me a refill, bitch! I can feel myself sobering up already…"

I mock saluted her and stumbled out of the booth, gripping the edge of the table for a few seconds to steady myself before turning on my heel and making my way up to the bar.

"Well, this is a nice surprise," came a familiar voice from my left. I felt a huge wave of déjà vu wash over me and my stomach flipped excitedly.

Turning my head to my left, I couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped my lips. The positions that Dan and I were in were almost an exact replica of our first meeting; he was seated on the same stool, his hair still had that wind-blown, just-stepped-off-the-beach appearance, his eyes still shimmered like clear blue pools – pools that I felt myself drowning in the longer I gazed into them – and his grin? It made me a little weak in the knees.

"You came back," Dan spoke again, surprise evident in both his words and his expression.

"More like I was coerced," I replied with a laugh. "My friend Tilly is very persistent." I waved my hand over to the booth where Sara and Tilly were staring raptly in our direction. They hastily turned their heads away when they realized that Dan and I were both looking back at them. I laughed and shook my head in amusement as I turned my gaze back to Dan, who was already smiling back at me.

"Remind me to buy her a drink later," he said with a wink. "I definitely owe her one."

I felt my cheeks heat up and ducked my head in embarrassment, but Dan was having none of it. He slid his forefinger under my chin and gently raised my face back up to meet his penetrating gaze.

"Hey, enough of that. Your face is too beautiful to hide away."

At his touch, I felt a little tingle where his skin connected with mine. It wasn't much, but it was something that I hadn't felt in a while, and I found myself excited at the prospect.

"You're such a smooth-talker," I mumbled, and he laughed.

"I do try," he said with an amused shrug. A small giggle escaped my lips, causing my hands to instantly fly up to cover my mouth. I did not giggle. I wasn't one of those girls. Those girls wore cute little skirts, and mountains of make up and jewelry, and carried little rat dogs in their circus-tent-sized handbags. I didn't even own a handbag.

I giggled. Oh, how embarrassing.

Before either of us could speak again, thankfully, the bartender slid to a halt in front of us with a cheerful grin on his face.

"What can I get you folks tonight?" he asked.

"Can I please get one vodka orange, one rum and Coke, a vodka cranberry with fresh lime, and three shots of Jaeger?" I asked.

"Add a Jack and Coke and another shot of Jaeger to that," Dan added over my shoulder.

The bartender nodded in agreement and started pulling out glasses from under the bar.

A silence hung between Dan and me as we watched the bartender at work. It wasn't an awkward silence as such, but its presence was definitely one I could feel. I sneaked a quick look at Dan from the corner of my eyes to find him staring at me with a look I couldn't quite decipher. Turning my face to look at him directly, I raised my eyebrows at him questioningly.

"I'm really glad you came back. I didn't expect to see you again."

The look of pure joy on his face made my heart melt a little inside. He looked so adorable right now in his vulnerable state.

"You almost didn't," I stated truthfully. "I wasn't sure you were being serious the other night. To be honest with you, I was kind of hoping you weren't …"

I watched the light fade a little from Dan's eyes at my words. Shit.

"Any particular reason for that?"

I sighed. "It's a long story."

"I've got plenty of time," he offered.

"I'd rather not talk about it right now," I said quietly. "I swear, it's nothing to do with you."

"But?"

I dropped my head to my chest and took a deep breath before raising my gaze back to his.

"You seem to be an amazing guy, Dan, but long story short, I lost my fiancé in a car accident a few years ago, and I'm still not ready for anything more than friendship right now. That's why I came to Australia; to move on. Please don't think it's because I'm not interested in you. It's actually the complete opposite," I said, surprising myself with my blatant honesty. I was never usually this forward with anyone, let alone with a guy I had spent no more than ten minutes with total. The fact that I was actually admitting my attraction to him while knowing nothing but his name and where he liked to drink at the end of the day was quite a shock to me.

"So you do actually like me, then?" he asked innocently with a hint of a smirk.

"Shut up," I mumbled, unable to hide the smile tugging at my lips. I gave his arm a shove and turned back to the bar where the bartender was setting our drinks up in front of us.

"That'll be thirty-eight dollars," he said.

I reached into my pocket to dig out some cash, but Dan beat me to it. He was handing a fifty over the bar before my fingers had even made contact with the bright-colored plastic notes in my jeans.

"You don't have to do that-" I started to protest, but he cut me off.

"I owe your friend, remember? And besides, I think bringing you here has earned her more than one drink."

"Dan …" I sighed, a pleading look on my face.

"Bella …" he retorted. "It's just a friendly gesture, nothing more. I promise."

Studying him for a moment – his right hand raised in a three-finger scout salute and his eyes twinkling with happiness – I came to the conclusion that he was being honest. He was so amazing that, without a second thought, he was honoring my wishes about friendship. He wasn't going to pressure me into something I didn't want, and that only made me like him even more.

God damn, this man was going to make it so hard for me to leave Sydney tomorrow.

"Thank you," I said softly with a smile. "Would you like to join us? I think Tilly would strangle me if I didn't introduce you to her."

Dan laughed and reached to pick up the tray of drinks off the bar. "I would be honored. It would be extremely un-friend-like of me to allow you to walk into a death sentence."

"You do realize that I'm extremely embarrassed right now, don't you? I'm not usually this forward with someone I've only just met," I told him.

"Don't be embarrassed. I like it," he winked.

"Oh, come on," I laughed, leading him over towards the booth where Sara and Tilly were seated.

The rest of the night passed by in blur of laughter, Jaegermeister shots, and embarrassing stories. It seemed that, the more liquor we ingested, the more our internal filters shut off. Some of the stuff coming out of Tilly's mouth was just plain vulgar, but I couldn't find it in myself to care; even with some of the other patrons of the bar laughing at us or shooting disgusted glares in our direction.

At around one-thirty, the bartender came over to our booth to inform us that the bar would soon be closing. I looked around and was surprised to see that, apart from the four of us and the bartender, only two other people remained. I saw Dan look down at his watch quickly, a frown suddenly forming on his face as he realized what the time was.

"Shit," he cursed quietly, running his fingers roughly through his hair.

"What's wrong?" I asked, clumsily placing my hand on his forearm. My vision and co-ordination were something to be desired in my drunken state.

He shook his head. "Nothing. I just didn't realize how late it was. I have to work tomorrow … or should I say today. I need to get home," he said sadly.

"Oh," I said, slumping back into my seat. The knowledge that our night was fast drawing to a close made my heart sink. I was only just starting to get to know Dan and if I wanted to be really honest with myself, I really didn't want to say goodbye to him just yet. I felt like I shouldn't be feeling so attached to a virtual stranger, but something inside me was telling me that maybe Tilly was right; maybe Dan and I were destined for more?

I was so confused. On the one hand, I knew that I wasn't ready for anything romantically; especially seeing as I'd only just left Jake behind in Seattle. I felt guilty about feeling something for another man, even though Jake and I weren't technically together. But on the other hand, I couldn't help the way my mind, or my body, reacted to Dan's presence. I wasn't throwing myself at him, nor would I ever stoop to that with any man, but I couldn't not think about what the future might hold for us.

I was in deep and I'd only been in Australia for four days.

Dan's gentle tug on my hands snapped me out of my musings.

"Are you feeling okay, Bella?"

I nodded in reply. "Yeah. I was just … lost in thought. Alcohol tends to mess with my concentration."

Dan laughed as he helped me to my feet. Tilly and Sara had already started to make their way to the door, leaning heavily on each other for support. Clearly I wasn't the only one affected by the number of drinks we had consumed.

Dan and I followed them out of the bar and stepped into the cold late night air of the city. The streets were well lit by the street lights, which cast a yellow glow over the pavement surrounding us. Even though it was well after midnight on a Thursday, the streets still hummed with life and the air was filled with raucous laughter, the growl of traffic, and the occasional sound of smashing glass and shrieking car alarms.

I pulled my coat tighter around my body and shivered at the light breeze that swirled around us. Noticing my actions, Dan wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his side.

"This better?" he asked.

"Much," I said with a smile. The warmth of his body and his thoughtful gesture helped dispel the cold instantly. "Thank you."

We walked in silence for a few minutes, keeping a short distance between us and my two giggling roommates, who kept sneaking what they obviously thought were covert glances back at us.

"So, you're leaving tomorrow?"

Dan's question was laced with sadness, the quiet volume of his voice indicating that the subject wasn't something he really wanted to discuss, yet he knew it was his only chance to do so.

I wrapped my arm around his waist and pulled myself closer to him before replying with a quiet, "Yes."

He sighed and I felt his arm tighten around me slightly.

"I wish you weren't. I'd really like to spend more time getting to know you."

"I feel the same," I admitted. "I know I've only just met you, but I feel like … I feel like I've known you a lot longer than a few hours. When I'm around you, it just feels …" I struggled to think of the word I was looking for.

"Comfortable?" suggested Dan. I nodded.

"Yeah. I don't feel like I need to be someone I'm not. Then again, I've only seen you when I've been drinking, so maybe I'd feel different when I'm sober. But somehow I don't believe that."

Dan chuckled. "You're a refreshing change, Bella. You're quite unlike any other girl I've met. I've lived here in Sydney all my life, and I'm surrounded every day by girls who think they need to wear clothes or makeup to transform them into someone else; they dress and act to impress, to make people like them. That annoys me. I despise people who lack individuality and sense of self. These city girls are all the same, clones of each other. You're not like that at all. I've seen more of who you are in a few hours than I saw in my ex-girlfriend in the four years we were together."

I blushed at his words. "I'm not very good at concealing my thoughts or emotions."

I felt myself lurch forward a little as Dan stopped walking abruptly. He turned to face me, placing both of his hands on my shoulders.

"Bella, I meant that as a compliment. I love that you're so open. Tonight has been the most fun night I've had in a long time, and I'm not just saying that to be nice. I truly have enjoyed myself with you and the girls. I wish you could stay."

Before I could think about what I was saying, I heard myself blurt out, "Come to Brisbane with us!" When it registered in my mind what I'd said, my hands flew to my mouth in shock.

"I'd love to," Dan chuckled, rolling his eyes at my embarrassment, "but unfortunately I've got a job that I'm stuck in right now. I could come visit though."

"I'd like that," I replied, smiling shyly up at him.

Dan resumed his position beside me, arm wrapped around my shoulders again, and we walked the last few hundred feet to the hostel where Tilly and Sara were waiting. We stopped a few feet in front of them and they giggled.

"Come on, Bella, we have to get up early enough to pack tomorrow! We're going hoooooome!" Tilly cried into the night, breaking into giggles as Sara tried to shush her.

"You girls go inside. I'll be in soon," I told them, waving them inside the door.

"DAN! You're awesome! You should come party with us again sometime!" Tilly practically shouted. She threw herself on Dan in a drunken hug, stumbling as she lost her footing and almost knocking Dan over. Luckily he was fairly steady on his feet and gripped Tilly's hips to help her regain her balance.

"Whoa! Careful there, Tilly. You should warn a guy before you try mounting him in the street," Dan winked.

Tilly roared with laughter and gave his shoulder a forceful shove in what she must have thought was a playful gesture. Dan staggered backwards at the force. Stepping up close to him, Tilly suddenly became serious and pointed a finger at him in warning.

"No funny business with my Bella here, do you hear? You say your goodbyes and go on home like a good boy. I like you, Dan, but if you use your charming ways to convince her to accompany you anywhere for a little 'last night in Sydney hanky panky,' I will hunt you down. Got it?"

She looked so serious, her five-foot-three frame hardly conducive to intimidating Dan's towering five-foot-eleven build.

Dan mock saluted her.

"You have my word, ma'am. No hanky panky."

"Good. It was nice to meet you, Dan. Bella, you've got ten minutes before I come out looking for you," Tilly warned, before turning on her heel and grabbing Sara by the wrist to drag her inside.

"G'night Tilly, Sara!" Dan called after them.

"Goodnight!" came Sara's voice faintly as the door closed behind them.

Dan turned to look at me; we stared at each other in silence for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"I can't believe I agreed to follow them to Brisbane," I breathed, my lungs stinging a little from the cold night air. "Am I crazy?"

"Based on what I've just witnessed … yes, I'd say you are. But only a little," he winked in reply.

I sighed. "Is it too forward of me to say that I'll miss you?"

"Why don't you stay here? I'd be more than happy to let you crash on my couch while you got yourself sorted."

"I can't, Dan," I said quietly, my chest aching a little as I did. "Don't get me wrong, I've had a wonderful time here, but I just don't feel like it's the right place for me to stay. I've got a good feeling about Brisbane."

Dan stepped forward and took my hands in his.

"Can't fight those gut feelings," he said with a small smile. "You'll keep in touch though, right?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely! Where's your cell? I'll give you my number."

Dan pulled his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and handed it to me; I entered my Australian number, prank called myself, and then handed the phone back to him.

"There we go! Now we have no excuse," I grinned.

"I'm going to miss you, Bella," he said softly, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. I slid my arms around his middle and hugged him in return.

"I'll miss you too, Dan."

We stood silent in our embrace for a moment, savoring the warmth and peace our contact provided.

"Travel safe tomorrow," Dan said as we withdrew from each other's arms. "Send me a text when you get there."

"I will," I replied. I stood up on my tip-toes to kiss him gently on the cheek. "Goodnight. Thanks for the pleasure of your company tonight."

"The pleasure was all mine."

With one last smile and a kiss to my forehead, Dan turned on his heel and strode off down the street, leaving me standing alone outside the hostel. A sudden chill swept through me at his departure, and I knew it didn't have anything to do with the weather.

I sighed heavily, pushed the door open, and stepped inside. I pulled my key card out of my pocket and made my way through the hostel to room 103 where my bed – and my new friends – awaited me.

As I lay in bed, the light of my cell phone's tiny display cast a small glow around me in the darkness of the hostel room and I smiled at the name on the screen before my eyes. I had added Dan's number to my phonebook after changing into my pyjamas and climbing into bed, and not ten minutes later Dan had sent me a text message.

With the sound of my roommates light snores echoing around me, I re-read the message.

In the dark of the night, on the cold lonely street, he sets off alone and leaves her behind. Yet he knows this is not goodbye … it is only the beginning. Sleep well. Dan xx

~*~

The following few weeks passed in a blur of job interviews, new friends, and finding my way around a new city. The Brisbane public transport system was fairly easy to navigate – once you knew how – and I found myself absolutely loving my new home.

As promised, Tilly had secured me a job as a receptionist at the hostel she managed, just while I looked for other work. She insisted that the job was mine for as long as I wanted it, and really, I didn't need to look for anything else. However, as much fun as working at the hostel was, I really needed to find something a little more challenging. I missed my job back in Seattle already; I craved it. I was desperate to get my hands on an un-edited manuscript and start editing the crap out of it.

There were a few small editing companies that I had submitted my résumé to, and I had scoured the newspapers for any other jobs were available. Some of the newspapers and magazines had positions for part-time and casual editing staff advertised, so they all received a copy of my résumé too. Unfortunately, most of those jobs were snapped up very fast, so I had started receiving letters that read something along the lines of, "Thank you for your application. We regret to inform you that the position you applied for has been filled …"

I had only been in the city for three weeks though, so I wasn't giving up just yet.

Dan and I had been calling and text messaging quite often since that last night in Sydney, and I found myself becoming more and more attracted to him. I eagerly awaited any contact with him, and my stomach would flip excitedly every time I saw his name flash up on the screen of my cell phone.

It wasn't long before my friends back home knew about my new "interest." A video Skype chat with Alice a few days after my arrival in Brisbane had alerted her to my change in demeanor.

"There's definitely something different about you, Bella," Alice said, her brow furrowed in contemplation. "Something's happened …"

"Nothing's happened," I insisted. "I'm just really enjoying myself here. Tilly and Sara -"

"You've met someone!" she gasped loudly, excitement filling her eyes. "You've met a guy, haven't you? Oh, tell me all about him!"

I rolled my eyes. "There isn't a guy, Alice."

"Oh yes there is! You can't hide it from me, Bella Swan! I don't care what you say … that look on your face is not the result of making a few new friends. What does he look like? What does he sound like? Ooh, what's his name? I'll bet it's something totally sexy and Australian …"

I snorted at her last comment. "Sexy and Australian? His name's Dan. Short for Daniel. Like the thousands of other men in the world."

"Mmm, Dan …" she moaned. "That's so hot. Is he cute? Oh, I knew it! I knew there was a guy! Bella, I'm so happy for you!" A distorted squeal came over my speakers as the pitch of her voice in her microphone messed with the connection.

"Alice, calm down or you'll make Skype explode. And don't get too excited over it … we're just friends. We met at a bar in Sydney, got drunk together, I moved to Brisbane. End of story."

I watched the slightly pixellated Alice on my laptop screen sigh heavily and fold her arms over her chest.

"End of story my ass," she muttered. "Have you kept in contact with him?"

"Yeah, we text," I replied reluctantly, knowing she'd make a huge deal out of it.

"Ha! And I'll bet you get excited every time your phone chimes!"

I tried to fight the grin that threatened to expose me, but I failed miserably. I closed my eyes and laughed.

"Oh, Alice, he's just amazing. He's funny, sweet, down-to-earth … and he's got my emotions running wild. I just don't know what to make of it all! I feel so guilty feeling this way about him when I've left Jake in Seattle, not to mention I almost feel like I'm cheating on Edward …"

"Stop right there," Alice demanded, her expression serious. "Firstly, no guilt over Edward. He wanted you to move on, to be happy, and that's what you're doing. You're doing so well! The old Bella is emerging from the darkness; do NOT let her retreat back inside that funk. Secondly, I know that things with Jake got a little … I know that you and he have a close relationship. I know there's an aspect of it that went beyond normal friendship, that you became quite intimate. But I also know that you weren't in an actual relationship with him, and that you told him not to wait for you. So don't keep yourself for him either, not if you've found someone else who makes you happy. You can't lock yourself away like that, Bella! You shouldn't feel guilty for being attracted to another man, especially when you're not in a relationship to begin with. You're young, you're single, and you're on the other side of the world! Forget everything else! You're starting fresh over there, remember? Make the most of it."

I sighed. "Yeah, I know. You're right. I just … don't know. I really do like Dan, but he lives so far away."

"It'll work out somehow," Alice said happily. "Everything always does. You never know; you might meet someone even better than Dan."

Laughing, I said, "Doubtful! I swear to God, Alice, this guy is like pure sex …"

The rest of the conversation consisted of an Alice-style inquisition, in which every detail of Dan and my encounters with him was discussed thoroughly. She briefly touched on how everyone else was doing back home, and Jasper had jumped into the conversation next to Alice for a few minutes, before I had to say goodbye to get ready for my next reception shift.

Talking to Alice had made me come to a few realizations, and I felt myself starting to become a bit more confident in myself and my decisions. The phone calls between Dan and me became longer and more flirtatious, and we had started to discuss future visits. None had been set in stone, but it was enough to know that it would happen at some point.

~*~

"If I could just get you to sign in here," I said, pointing to the open pages of the guest book. "We just need your name, nationality, passport or ID number, your address, and your contact email address."

The Japanese couple began to write their details into the book and I turned away from the desk to take the keys to their room out of the key cupboard. Finally finding the correct ones, I closed the cupboard doors and turned back to the couple.

"I'll also require a ten dollar key deposit, which you'll get back once you check out," I informed them.

"We have to pay for the key?" the male of the couple asked, a slightly confused look on his face.

"It's just a deposit, in case you lose the keys. We will return the ten dollars to you when you hand the keys back to us once you check out," I clarified. This seemed to satisfy him, as he reached into his money belt to pull out some cash. After rifling through the wad of bright-colored plastic notes, he pulled out a blue one and handed it over.

I took it from his hand and placed it inside the corresponding envelope in the box beside the till. I held the set of keys up in front of him and began my spiel.

"This large key is for the door to your dormitory. The square key is for a locker inside the dorm, which is labelled with the same name as your allocated bed. You'll be staying in room 3F, which is up on level three. If you go through this door," I gestured towards the door to the right of the reception desk, leading to the stairwell, "and up two flights of stairs, you'll come to level three. Room 3F is the third door on your right. You'll be in the beds labelled 'Southbank' and 'West End'."

"Is there an elevator?" the woman in the couple asked.

I nodded in reply. "If you go through this door and turn left, the elevator is located opposite the stairs. Just press the button for level 3. We also have a kitchen downstairs if you wish to cook your own meals while you're here; we just ask that you clean up after yourself. Feel free to make use of the lounge as well. Also, check out will be at ten-thirty tomorrow morning. You're welcome to use the hostel's facilities after that time, but you will need to be out of the room by ten-thirty. We have luggage storage if you wish to leave your bags here while you go out and explore the city." I gave the keys to the couple and smiled at them. "The hostel is open twenty-four hours a day, and there's always someone here on the desk, so if you have any problems, don't hesitate to come down and see us."

The couple smiled at me in return, thanked me, then wheeled their luggage through the door beside me and disappeared down the hall.

After finishing the check-in process for the Japanese couple - finishing off the paperwork and making sure that everything was in order - I sat down in front of the computer to check the hostel's emails. A few more new bookings had come through, so I printed off the relevant information, followed the processes online, then began to write the new bookings into the book.

I was halfway through when the phone rang.

"Hello, River City Hostel, Bella speaking."

"Hullo Bella, it's Sean here," came a familiar Irish voice down the line.

"Oh, hey Sean! What's up?" I asked. Sean was the manager of one of our sister hostels, located only a few streets away. Even though he had been living in Australia for over fifteen years, his Irish accent was still as strong as ever.

"I've got a young lad here wantin' to stay for a few weeks, but we've not got the room. I thought you might have one of yeh long-term beds available for him."

"Hang on, I'll just check," I replied, flipping the bookings book open to the current day's date. I ran my finger down the page, looking at the availability.

"That shouldn't be a problem, Sean," I answered finally. "We've got a few spare beds in the male long-term dorm, so send him on over!"

"Oh, you might want to try keep this one around as long as yeh can, Bella. He's quite a handsome lad. Would charm the pants off of you and keep yeh bed warm at night …" teased the Irishman.

I rolled my eyes and felt my cheeks heat up a little.

"Sean, you just keep your little leprechaun nose out of my love life, okay? I keep my bed warm enough all by myself," I scolded playfully.

"Ah, but this lad would warm it up the fun way." I could hear Sean's smirk from the other end of the telephone.

"Just send him over, Sean," I laughed.

"Right-o! Hey Bella, are you girls heading over our way tonight? Amy's got one killer of a quiz lined up," Sean said.

"It's Wednesday! Of course we're going to be there. As long as you've got the beer, we'll bring the fun."

Sean laughed. "I've got the beer all right. It wouldn't be right if I didn't get you girls drunk before eleven on a Wednesday night."

I laughed again and added, "And you wouldn't get the quiz crowds if Tilly wasn't guaranteed to take her shirt off at some point during the night. You dirty old man."

"Hey, enough of that …" Sean warned with a chuckle. "Okay, I'll see you tonight. Make sure young Sara brings that man of hers along too. I've yet to meet the illustrious Drew."

"Will do! Are you sending that guy over here now?"

"Yes, once I stop harassing you I'll send him on his way," replied Sean.

"Okay, thanks, Sean! I'll see you tonight," I said cheerfully, and pressed the 'end' button on the cordless phone before placing it back down on its dock. Smiling to myself, I continued where I had left off with the new bookings.

I was down to the last one when the door to the hostel opened and a slight breeze blew through, gently rustling the papers on the desk. Thinking that it was probably the guy Sean had sent over, I rushed to finish off the last booking before handling his check-in.

"Just give me one second, I'll be right with you," I said without looking up.

"Not a problem. I'm not going anywhere," responded a familiar voice.

My head shot up and I felt my jaw drop.

"Dan? What are you doing here?"


Okay, time for the exciting Fandom Gives Back news...

Hannah81 and myself are organising the Eclipse Masquerade Ball Australia, which will be held in Sydney, NSW, on Saturday June 26th, 2010. All proceeds from the event will go to The Fandom Gives Back for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.
For more information on the event, you can check out our website at:

http : // eclipseballaustralia . blogspot . com

or follow us on Twitter:

(at)Eclipse_Ball_Au
(at)IvyandLime
(at)_Hannah81_

We'd really appreciate your support. We've got lots of fun lined up for the night, so keep an eye on the website for updates! We also have a large amount of merchandise up for auction on the night which you won't want to miss out on!

In other news, I now have a blog dedicated to my stories, both fanfiction and original fiction. I have a number of stories up there that I haven't posted anywhere else, including my contribution piece for Ms Kathy's 'Twifans for Haiti' compilation. I'll be posting everything on there first from now on, so go check it out!

http : // theivyandlimenotebook . blogspot . com

Now go click that review button and leave me some luuuurve! =)