Okay, I don't have much to say…But thank you so much for sticking with me, and all your great reviews ;) I know I take way to long for my updates, and I am so very sorry…

And thank you Jess! You Rock :)

"Alice?" I whispered. I scanned the room but I couldn't see her anywhere. I don't know what came over me but I had just one need: to find Alice.

So I ran past the spot where I had last seen her, pushed through all the dancing people and in to the kitchen. When I couldn't find her there either, I started to panic.

Why did she run away? Was it because she thought Mike and I...? Could it be that she was jealous? No, I didn't want go get my hopes up. I would know when I found her, anyway.

After looking in the kitchen and checking the bathroom, I considered going upstairs, but I didn't want go there without permission. Furthermore, I didn't even know where her room was.

Of course, I tried to call her phone but she didn't pick up, and she didn't reply to my text message. In the corner of the living room I saw Emmet and Rosalie dancing very close and I really hated to disrupt them.

"Ehm, Emmet? Have you seen Alice anywhere?" I asked him, tapping on his shoulder. He turned around and bent over a bit to hear me better and I repeated my question.

"No, I haven't seen her around. You should ask Jasper!" His voice drowned the loud music out. He gestured to the other side of the room as Rosalie glared at me. I ignored her and quickly made my way to Jasper who obviously was uncomfortable in Lauren's presence.

"Hey, Jasper. Do you know where Alice might be?" For a second he looked like he was having an internal debate, but in the end he told me that he saw her running out to the garden a while ago.

My eyes had to adjust to the torch-lit garden before I could orient myself.

I had to search for several minutes before I found her because their garden was very large and half of the teenage population of Forks seemed to be at Edward's party. I walked around until the silhouette of a tiny person, sitting alone near a small stream, caught my attention.

I approached slowly, so that I wouldn't scare her away. I know she must have heard me, but she didn't acknowledge my presence. Even as I sat next to her, she just kept staring blankly at the moving water, her arms firmly wrapped around her legs.

Because I didn't know what to say or how to react, we just sat there for a while until I couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Hey, Alice?" I started tentatively. "What's wrong?" I scooted a little closer so my knees were touching her arm.

She just sighed and lowered her head, hiding her face from my view. I wanted to scoop her into my arms and tell her reassuring words, but I didn't know if that would be appropriate. Sometimes I wished I could read people better, because I couldn't figure her out at all.

When I heard that she was sobbing lightly, I couldn't bear it anymore and wrapped my arms around her. That was when I felt goose bumps along her arms and I noticed that she was still wearing only her bikini and the grass skirt.

"Al, you are freezing! How long have you been sitting here?" I pulled away from her to unbutton my shirt so she could wear it.

She pulled it over hesitantly and fidgeted with the buttons, still sobbing lightly.

"Hey, you can tell me. It's okay." I laid an arm around her shoulders.

Alice opened her mouth to reply, but she turned her head away instead.

"Is it because of me? Did I do something wrong?"

Her only response was to inhale sharply, so I guessed I was right. I was the reason my new friend was so upset.

"Shhh… It's okay. You can tell me," I tried to comfort her.

"Okay," she whispered. I was shocked because I didn't expect her to talk to me yet.

"It's just, I don't want to lose you…as a friend," she murmured. Now I was confused. Why would she lose me as a friend?

"Why do you say that? I might have only known you for a short time, but I want us to stay friends no matter what," I confirmed.

"Can you promise that?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course. I promise."

"Okay." She inhaled deeply, and when she spoke she looked everywhere but at my eyes.

"I don't know how to begin. Like you said, we haven't known each other very long, but every time we are together it feels like we've known each other for ages and you make me feel things…" She smiled a little.

"I don't know. How can I say it without sounding cheesy? But every time you laugh I am happy, and every time we touch I have these weird feelings. And tonight, as we danced, I thought that maybe you had these feelings too. But when I saw you with him, I knew that I was wrong," she sobbed.

"And now that I've told you everything, I'm afraid that you won't want to be friends with me anymore. I mean, can you still be friends with me?" She looked up with blurred eyes.

I just sat there frozen. When she was speaking, it was like she was explaining my own thoughts. And now that I knew that my feelings weren't one-sided, I was overwhelmed.

Slowly I realized that I hadn't said anything, and that I hadn't answered her last question. Just as I started to say something, she interrupted me.

"I knew it. How could I –" but she was cut off by my lips pressing gently to hers. I closed my eyes, relishing the soft feeling of her lips on mine. They were cold, like her whole body. One of my hands found its way to her back, and I pulled her further to me so that my body heat could warm her.

At first, Alice didn't respond, and just sat still, but as she started moving her soft lips in sync with mine, a pleasant feeling ran through every part of my body.

I'd never been kissed like that before. It was the best kiss I'd ever had. I never wanted it to stop, but eventually I had to pull away a few inches to take some ragged breaths.

Smiling, I opened my eyes and wiped my thumb over her tear-stained face, making her smile too. God, she was beautiful: her well defined features, her pink lips, and her eyes. I could get lost in her huge dark eyes, but first I had some explaining to do.

So I told her everything. I explained the way I felt around her, especially when we accidentally touched, that I loved her presence, how confused I still was, and how much I had enjoyed dancing with her.

"But what was that with Mike? You two looked so intimate." Alice hesitated.

"Well, I was kind of thinking he was you," I whispered. Fortunately it was dark outside and she couldn't see the blush creeping up my cheeks.

"Oh," she gaped. "That explains a lot." And suddenly it was Alice who crushed her lips to mine. This time the kiss had more urgency. But I gladly let her take control.

We were one. Her hands were wrapped around my neck and my arms were wrapped around her waist. As she trailed one hand slowly down my spine, while the other pulled me even closer, to deepen the kiss, I felt my heart racing wildly in my chest.

I was surprised when I noticed it was my tongue tracing her bottom lip, and I was even more surprised when I heard a muffled whimper coming from her.

Soon enough our tongues were moving in a steady rhythm. She tasted like a mix of the fruity punch, lemons, and something else.

Okay, I have to take back my earlier comment because this was now the best kiss I'd ever had.

Our hands were moving all over each other, and when I felt her cold hand roaming around my lower back, I realized that I was only wearing shorts and a bikini top.

Out of breath, we pulled away simultaneously.

"Wow," I gasped.

"I know," Alice giggled.

I couldn't describe the amazing feeling I had, and I relished the moment, just holding her.

"I think we should get back. It's getting really cold." I locked eyes with her.

"But I don't want to go yet," she pouted.

"Yeah, me neither, but you are freezing and I don't want you to get a cold. Come on." I took her hand and lead her back to the house, her fingers entwined with mine.

Once we were inside, I noticed that most of the people had already left, but the number of slightly buzzed teenagers seemed to have increased.

"So, do you want to continue our dance?" Alice whispered into my ear, making my heart flutter.

"Okay, but only if you promise not to leave me alone on the dance-floor again," I smirked.

"Promise! Now, hurry! I love this song." Alice pushed me into the middle of the dancing people. After two songs, I heard the annoying laughter of my brother next to me.

"Oh, no! Bella, why are you wearing your bikini? I thought for sure you would chicken out." He looked at me with a fake frown. "How did you manage that?" he asked Alice.

Slightly confused I turned to face her.

"Now that would be telling! You owe me 20 bucks," she laughed.

Just great! They were betting on me, I thought, as I realized what they were talking about. I made a mental note never to bet against Alice. She seemed to be unbeatable.

"Yes, you won…Hey Bella, Angela was asking for you. I think she wants to go home. She said something about Lauren not knowing her limit, or something," he told me.

"Okay, I guess I'm going home, then." I sighed.

I didn't want to go yet, but I didn't want to leave Angela with a drunken Lauren, and I didn't want my dad to worry too much. So we found Angela, who was steadying a swaying Lauren, and I said goodbye to Alice, my brother, and their friends.

What a night.

As I sat in the car and thought over the events of the party, I was beaming inside.

Haha, there it is! ;) Did you like it?

I know this chapter is not so long…sorry!