Notes: I apologize for the delay in posting. I had trouble wrangling my words and it took Sunflower3759, Karenec, and Kherisma to set me straight! They are amazing. Trust me, the original version of this chapter was a mess! Be glad you got the prettied up version! Thanks to Kherisma for validating, as well! I owe her many, many pictures of Rob as payment. :)

I think the general consensus is that you all love this Edward. Yeah, I love him, too. And I know some of you want to keep him, but sorry girls, he already belongs to Bella. And maybe to me, just a little bit.

Chapter 9 – Girl Talk

BPOV

The moment I got home from work on Monday evening and opened the door, Alice sprang up off the couch. "You have to tell me absolutely everything."

I chuckled and tossed my bag on the bench by the door, hanging up my coat and putting my shoes in the closet. "Can I at least get settled in?"

She sighed. "Fine, but hurry. I am dying to know about your weekend."

"Impatient much?" I rolled my eyes at her as I headed to the bedroom to change into yoga pants, a T-shirt Alice had given me, a hoodie, and some fuzzy socks.

The long day at work had felt dull and flat after the dizzying weekend with Edward. Victoria had given me knowing smiles all day when I was flustered or distracted. Now, I put away my things and glanced around. Normally, I really liked my room. Alice and I rented a two-bedroom in the University District. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was cute and comfortable, and we'd happily lived there for a couple of years. Now, it felt strange after being at Edward's place. I missed his bed, and more importantly, him in it.

I wandered back into the living room. Alice had just pulled something out of the oven and I inhaled deeply.

"Is that enchiladas?" I asked eagerly.

"Yes. Chicken and salsa verde."

"Oh, God, that sounds fantastic. I'm starving."

"Did you have an active weekend?" she teased, her blue eyes twinkling at me.

"Oh yeah," I admitted.

"Come on, Bella, you're killing me."

"Fine." I rolled my eyes at her, knowing I had been no better when she and Jasper finally got together. "So, he picked me up at work Friday night, and took me to dinner at Tango."

"Oooh, I've heard that's fabulous."

"It was great. Very romantic, but not stuffy or cliché." I took the plate Alice offered me and scooped out some of the enchiladas. I grabbed a Corona and lime from where it was sitting on the counter and took everything to the couch. Alice followed behind just a moment later and looked at me expectantly. I took my time sipping my beer and eating a few bites of my dinner, but Alice looked about ready to strangle me. I wasn't actually trying to keep from telling her; I just enjoyed torturing her. I laughed and set my drink down on the coaster on the coffee table, finally taking pity on her.

"He met me at work, and he was wearing this gorgeous black suit and a white shirt, no tie, and fuck … Alice, I thought I was going to die right then and there. If he'd been willing, I would have gone to his place immediately and totally skipped dinner."

"Did you tell him that?" she asked, sounding a little scandalized.

"Pretty much." I laughed ruefully. "But instead of taking me up on it, he gave me this sweet little speech about the fact that while he definitely wanted me, he also wanted to get to know me as a person, too."

Alice sighed with a dreamy look on her face and I wondered if I'd had the same look on my face when Edward said the words to me.

"So we went to the restaurant and had tapas, paella, and an amazing chocolate dessert and then we went back to his place. Edward was trying to be polite and not jump me immediately, but I told him I wanted him to kiss me, and he really didn't hold back after that."

"Did you make it to the bedroom?" she asked.

"Yeah." I smiled softly. "He was actually really sweet. It was intense, but once we were on the bed, he slowed down, and really took his time to make me feel good. It was pretty incredible."

"How's his tongue?" she asked, a lascivious gleam in her eye.

I sighed, remembering the way it felt. "Out of this world."

Alice grinned excitedly, happy that I had found someone who pleased me so much. "How was the rest of the weekend?"

"Perfect. We spent a lot of it in bed, but we watched movies and talked a lot. Like … I feel like I might know Edward better than I ever knew Jake. He's so open about everything."

"Oh wow," she said.

"Yeah. He's … he's intense, Alice. He really wants this, and I can't believe it, but I want it, too. I want him. I've known him for just over a week and I'm totally smitten."

"Jesus, I've never seen you so twitterpated."

I laughed and nodded. "I've never been like this before. I've never felt like this with anybody. It's just … it's amazing."

Alice leaned over and hugged me, and we spent the rest of the evening drinking and chatting. She'd had a fun weekend with Jasper, so I caught up on what they had been up to, as well. Alice was my best friend and there was very little we didn't share.

At about nine o'clock, I excused myself. "I am going to go call Edward; I'll see you tomorrow, Alice."

"Okay."

"Hey, do you want to invite Jasper over for dinner? I was thinking we could do dinner for the four of us here tomorrow night, if you guys don't have plans."

"That would be great. I'll get back to you after I talk to Jasper. What do you want for dinner?"

I winced. "I'm sorry, Alice. I don't want you to feel like you have to make it for us."

She shrugged. "I don't mind. I can come up with something if you don't have a specific idea."

"Not off the top of my head."

"Do you know if there is anything Edward dislikes?"

"Deviled eggs," I said promptly, and she gave me a puzzled look.

"Okay, that's weird, but not hard to avoid."

"I know. He says it's the texture."

"Hmm, okay. I'll text you on my lunch tomorrow and we can talk more."

"Thanks, Alice."

"No prob."

I closed my bedroom door behind me and grabbed my phone off the dresser before throwing myself down onto the bed. I dialed Edward's number and it took a moment for him to pick up.

"Hey," he said, sounding distracted but happy to hear from me.

"Hey. Did I call at a bad time?" I sat up, tucking my legs under me and leaning back against the headboard.

"No, I was just finishing up with my mom," he reassured me. "She's gloating and apparently, she won fifty dollars from Mrs. Brandon."

I laughed. I couldn't believe that they'd actually been betting on our getting together. "Oh, God, it's so much worse than I thought."

"I know." He groaned.

"Although, I suppose it could be worse. They could be betting on how long we'll last."

"That's true," he said. "You aren't sick of me and planning to get rid of me yet, are you?"

"Not at all. In fact, I'd really, really like for you to be here with me. Or for me to be there. My bed feels weird now."

"You're in bed right now?" he asked, his voice dropping just a little.

"Sitting on top of the covers, yeah."

"What are you wearing?"

I laughed. "Yoga pants, a T-shirt, and a hoodie. Not very sexy."

"I dunno; don't underestimate how much guys like the view of an ass like yours in form-fitting, thin fabric."

"Please promise me you aren't planning to take pictures of my ass and post them on the Girls in Yoga Pants website."

"The what?"

"It's a website entirely dedicated to photos of nice asses. In yoga pants."

"I can't say that I've heard of it," he said, sounding simultaneously amused and horrified. "And no, I am definitely not planning to do that. I know you probably get checked out all the time, and I'm okay with it, but it doesn't mean I need to help other guys do it."

"Fair enough." I laughed. "What about you, though? You have half of Seattle drooling over you."

"I think you overestimate the reach of the ads I've modeled for. But you have a point."

"I'd like to see your portfolio sometime," I said.

"Oh, sure." He sounded less than enthusiastic.

"I mean, you don't have to show it to me, if you don't want to."

"No, I don't mind if you see. I just get embarrassed about it."

I thought it was adorable that Edward was so reluctant to show off his modeling photos.

"Just think of it as giving your girlfriend something to imagine when she's fantasizing about you."

"You fantasize about me?" he asked huskily.

"Mmmhmm."

He groaned. "Now I really wish we weren't halfway across the city from each other."

"There's always tomorrow night," I teased.

"That's true. It's too far away though," he said.

"I know."

It was strange. I'd never been so desperate to spend time with Jake, and it was all so new to me. Edward was nothing like Jake, I reminded myself, and it wasn't really fair of me to compare the two. What I'd had with Jake had been exactly what I'd needed at the time. Edward was what I needed now.

"I can't wait to see you tomorrow," I admitted.

"Me, too."

We talked for a long while that night, until we were both too tired to keep our eyes open.

Edward promised he'd head over to my place the moment he got out of work, and that he was really looking forward to dinner with Alice and Jasper. He said goodnight with a wistful sigh and I found myself longing to be back in his bed again.

~LWP~

In the morning, I shot out of bed, eager to get my day started. The sooner it was over, the sooner I'd see Edward. I chuckled to myself, I was being pathetically over-eager, but it was hard not to be. I believed Edward when he said he wasn't perfect: no one was. He probably left clothes on the bathroom floor or the toilet seat up, but I had yet to see that. Unless I was really missing something huge, there was nothing about his personality that I found a turn off or a deal-breaker.

When I got to work, Victoria wasn't in yet, but Bree was sitting alone in the still semi-dark office, staring blankly at her computer.

"Bree?" I said quietly.

She turned her head, startled, staring at me for a moment before my presence finally registered.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were there."

"Are you all right?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay? You've seemed really quiet lately."

"I'm fine. I've just had a lot going on. I haven't been sleeping well."

"Okay." I hung my coat and purse in the closet behind our desks and took a seat at mine. I took a moment to let my computer boot up before getting up to turn on the lights and start the coffee machine.

"So, what's new with you, Bree?" I asked, trying to draw her out.

"Nothing."

"No hobbies or a new guy?" I teased her.

She frowned and shook her head, hiding behind the long curtain of her dark brown hair.

"No," she said quietly.

"We should go out sometime," I suggested. "You and I. We could go out for drinks or

something."

She shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not much for socializing."

"Oh, okay," I said, feeling a little hurt. Bree had always been kind of shy, but she seemed

especially withdrawn lately. I wondered what was going on with her. . I'd seen the look on her face when I'd mentioned a guy-maybe things weren't going well with someone she was dating. Truth be told, I'd never really heard her say if she did date or not. But, I was sorry if I'd brought up a sore subject. Bree was nice, and I didn't mean to make her feel bad.

Victoria came in then and we all got to work. It was a busy morning and I didn't have time to think about either Bree or Edward. I ate a hasty lunch at my desk, texting with Alice about dinner that night. Jasper would be coming and she was going to make spinach lasagna, another of her specialties.

A family photo shoot in the afternoon went well. I was Victoria's errand girl for shoots like that, setting up backdrops and lights, fixing collars on the subjects, and swapping out the lenses on her camera when she needed something different. I would rather have been behind the camera, but I learned a lot by watching her.

After the shoot was over, I spent the remaining time updating the studio's blog. It had been a huge help in drawing in customers and I really enjoyed it. Victoria, Bree, and I uploaded photos and quick posts about what was happening at the studio. It helped potential clients get a feel for the studio and the photographers who worked here. Plus, they were able to see a wide range of the various types of shoots we did.

I got home with enough time to change into jeans, a cute top, and freshen up.

By the time I was ready, Alice's lasagna was in the oven, so I helped her set the table and make a salad. Jasper arrived just a few minutes after we finished, giving Alice a kiss on the lips and me a one-armed hug. We were close—he was sort of like the brother I'd never had—and Alice had been thrilled that the two of us got along so well. We were talking about Jasper's day at work when I heard the knock on the door. I tried not to rush over, but Jasper's low chuckle told me I hadn't been terribly successful.

I pulled the door open and was met by the sight of Edward smiling at me and holding a bottle of wine, two bouquets of flowers, and an overnight bag slung over his shoulder. He was leaning casually against the doorframe, and my fingers itched to get my camera and take a picture of him. He was graceful, and seemed to pose without even trying. It was effortless, and unpretentious.

"I missed you today," he said lowly and I reached up and kissed him.

"I missed you, too. Come in."

He walked inside and Alice and Jasper stood up to greet him. He handed the wine and a bouquet of deep blue irises to Alice.

She grinned at him and said, "It's nice to see you again, Edward. You've certainly grown up. I seem to vaguely remember you being an awkward teenager, skinny, and not very tall."

He grinned at her. "And I see you're still short and sassy."

She laughed and hugged him. He looked surprised but didn't hesitate to hug her back. "I think we're going to get along great. And I see exactly why you're perfect for Bella."

He looked over and grinned at me. "I hope so."

Jasper smiled and held out his hand to Edward. "Jasper Whitlock; I'm Alice's boyfriend."

Edward shook it and smiled back. "Edward Cullen. As I'm sure you've figured out, I'm with Bella."

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too, Jasper." Edward turned back to me and slipped an arm around me. "How was your day? Did the photo shoot go well?"

"The day didn't go fast enough, but the shoot was really good."

He handed me a bouquet of lavender roses and I brought them to my nose, inhaling deeply. Jasper and Alice disappeared into the kitchen and I turned to Edward. "These are beautiful, I love the color."

"I thought you'd like them. I picked them out for their color, but the lady at the florist told me their meaning, and I thought it was appropriate. Lavender roses are for love or enchantment at first sight. It's rushing it to call this anything else, but I am certainly enchanted by you."

I felt my heart speed up and I shivered at the adoring tone in his voice. He was right: it was rushing to call this love, but it certainly wouldn't be hard to fall in love with him, I knew that already. There was no doubt in my mind that the attraction—call it enchantment if you wanted—was instant and mutual.

"They're perfect," I said softly, kissing him deeply until Alice called out from the kitchen.

"Dinner is just about ready, if you two can stop making out."

"Go to hell, Alice," I called back and kissed him again. Edward chuckled against my lips and pulled away.

"Come on, I want to spend some time with your friends."

"Oh fine." I pouted.

I took the roses into the kitchen and arranged them in a tall, simple glass vase, then brought them to my bedroom to put on the dresser. I touched one of the soft petals, thrilled that he'd bought them for me. Jake hadn't been much for formality, so I was enjoying Edward taking the time to spoil me. He certainly didn't have to; I would have been just as enamored with him if he hadn't. Taking me out to dinner and bringing me flowers, though, definitely made me feel special. Nothing he'd done had been too over the top and I certainly wasn't going to argue with him spoiling me a little if he wanted to. I heard him laughing with Jasper and Alice when I went back in the kitchen.

"I definitely was kinda awkward at fifteen; you're right about that, Alice. You would have been what, nine, ten years old?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. I vaguely remember meeting, but clearly you didn't make much of an impression," Alice teased him.

He clutched at his heart. "I'm wounded, Alice, truly wounded."

"Ehh, it'll keep that ego in check. I heard you model."

He rolled his eyes. "There are days I deeply regret ever agreeing to do it in the first place."

Alice laughed. "I'm sure it's terrible," she said dryly.

He shrugged. "Terrible? No, of course not. I am paid very well. It is, however, sometimes embarrassing, and does give people a certain impression about me."

I slipped my arm around his waist and he pulled me close. "I'm afraid I'm guilty of that. I assumed he was just looking for something casual with me."

"And that's the furthest thing from the truth," he said, kissing the top of my head. "I have never felt this way about anyone before."

Jasper looked pointedly at Alice. "This is what I was trying to tell you. It is possible to fall for someone instantly. You tried to deny it, but I was head over heels for you the moment I laid eyes on you."

Alice cringed and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his jaw. "I'm sorry, baby; I didn't mean to torture you."

"Six months, Alice," he said. "Six months, you put me through hell."

Edward looked back and forth between them. "That sounds like an interesting story."

Jasper laughed. "You have no idea, man."

Alice sighed. "All right, before we get into 'Alice is a mean, mean girl' stories, can we sit down and start dinner? Everything is ready."

We took seats at the table and Alice dished out the lasagna. Edward hesitantly looked at me when the basket of garlic bread went around the table and I nodded and took a piece. He smiled at me and took one, as well. There was no way I was passing up Alice's amazing garlic bread, and if we both ate it, at least we'd have horrible garlic breath together.

After we'd filled our plates and eaten a few bites, Edward put down his fork. "This lasagna is amazing, Alice."

"Thank you." She beamed at him. "I love to cook."

"Is that what you're studying?" he asked.

"I am taking hospitality classes right now, and working at a bed and breakfast part-time. I plan to open my own someday."

"Eventually, we plan to open one together," Jasper said.

"Sorry, baby," Alice said. "Yes, we plan to open it together. I've been dreaming about this for years, so I was totally shocked when I met Jasper and realized he was interested in something like that, as well."

"What is it that you do, Jasper?"

"I'm studying business and accounting."

"Wow, that's a heavy load," Edward commented.

"That's why it's taking me forever to get through school." Jasper sighed. "I'm twenty-four and I have another year to go. I work, as well, at a part-time, shit job at the student bookstore."

Edward nodded sympathetically. "It's why I went into modeling. You don't have to work a lot of hours to make a decent amount of money, so I could take a full load of classes."

"That is nice. The only good thing about working at the bookstore was meeting Alice."

"So, I really want to hear the story of you and Alice," he said.

Jasper chuckled and nodded. "Well, babe, do you want to tell it or should I?" he asked.

"You tell it," Alice said.

I sat back and took a sip of wine, waiting for Jasper to begin. It was funny every time.

"So, I was working at the bookstore and this tiny little thing walks up to me, bats her eyelashes, and asks if we carry the book "In the Devil's Garden: A Sinful History of Forbidden Food."

Edward chuckled and Jasper waved a hand. "Oh no, that's not the best of it. She then adds, cool as a cucumber, 'I want to make nipples of the virgin.' I'm usually pretty laid back, nothing shocks me, but this one—" He gestured toward Alice "–she totally threw me."

"Nipples of the virgin, huh?" Edward said.

Alice gave him a sheepish look. "Well, I did need the book for class, and I had learned about that pastry."

"Oh come on, you wanted to get a reaction from him."

"I don't deny that. You should have seen his face though. He looked like he was about to have a stroke."

"I don't blame him, that would have totally thrown me," Edward said.

Jasper continued. "So, I totally put my foot in my mouth and told her I didn't know anything about virgin's nipples."

Edward nearly choked on his bite of lasagna. "Wow."

"Yeah. It pretty much went downhill from there. She flirted, I said something idiotic, and by the time she left, I wanted to crawl under a rock and die."

"But he ordered the book for me," Alice said with a grin.

Jasper shook his head. "Well, I tried to order the book. I was so flustered I actually ordered seventeen copies of it. My boss was not happy when they came in."

"I bet." Edward grinned at him.

"When it came in, I called Alice to let her know. Once she realized who it was on the phone, she very casually mentioned that she had been just about to get in the shower, but once she was dressed she'd come to the bookstore." Jasper rolled his eyes. "Of course, I got all flustered and said something about hoping that she enjoyed herself in the shower."

Alice chimed in. "And believe me, I did. Jasper has a very sexy phone voice."

Jasper grinned. "Which she mentioned when she came to pick up the book. I dropped her credit card half a dozen times when she handed it to me to swipe. She hung around for a little while and flirted. I made so many mistakes trying to help other people, I was surprised my boss didn't fire me right then."

"So, did you ask her out?" Edward questioned.

"Oh hell no," Jasper said. "I was so completely overwhelmed by her I couldn't think straight."

"I came back though," Alice said, and Jasper nodded.

"She did. Every week. I finally managed to stop tripping over my own tongue and flirted back a little, but I still didn't ask her out."

"By the time he asked me out, it had been a couple of months and I wasn't really sure if I wanted to be with a guy who couldn't manage to ask me on a date. So I said no."

Jasper sighed. "And that's when the torture began. She'd come into work and flirt with me, I'd ask her out, and she'd say no."

Edward shook his head. "You are mean, Alice."

"I know." She winced. "When I first went into the store I was just enjoying flirting with the hot guy who got all flustered around me. But as I got to know him, I realized how much I really liked him. I wasn't really ready for a relationship though. Jasper was amazing, and it kinda scared me."

"So what changed?" Edward asked.

Jasper smiled. "I finally took a more proactive approach. We talked a lot, so I knew what classes she was taking and I showed up at one of them, and serenaded her with my guitar."

"That's quite the grand gesture."

Jasper made a face. "It only took fifty-seven times to work."

"Fifty-seven?" Edward asked with an amused smile.

"Well, it felt like fifty-seven. But I wasn't about to be deterred. I knew Alice Brandon was the girl for me. I wooed her with flowers and songs and really terrible peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

Alice gave Jasper a soft smile. "It was the sandwiches that made me finally take pity on him.

He's a bad cook. Clearly he needed me."

"I always need you, babe," Jasper said, and she grinned at him, unabashed in her happiness.

"You were pretty cruel," Edward said, and she nodded. "But it does make for a good story."

Alice and Jasper both laughed and agreed. Edward grinned at me and squeezed my thigh, and I smiled back, feeling warm and happy at the sight of my new boyfriend and closest friends getting along so well.

Notes: Okay, I have to admit, I kind of love the side story of Alice and Jasper's meeting in this. What do you think?

I know some of you are starting to worry about the mystery hinted at in the summary, but Edward and Bella are going to get to enjoy a little happiness first. Relax and enjoy the smooth sailing for a bit, we'll get to the drama soon enough.

Feel free to stop by to chat or look for teasers in the following places:

Facebook: www*facebook*com/DiscordiaWriter
Twitter: DiscordiaWrites
Tumblr: discordiawriter*tumblr*com/