sorry for the scare earlier guys, but thanks to miranda hardie (party hardie), im back up on my feet and ready to keep writing! please enjoy!!

Chapter 10

Dinner

"No way!" i glared at Alice trough slitted eyes.

"Bella, you owe me. You absolutely have to. It's a matter of life and death."

"But if i let you, Edward will think that i truly am shallow."

"Hello, life and death. Does that phrase mean anything to you?"

"Yes, if the phrase applied to this situation we have here."

"Come on Bella. I hardly ever do this on you and I'll stop being angry at you if you do this for me."

I sighed, obviously exasperated. I had to give in to Alice, it's not like her agreement was steep or anything, i did owe her, big time.

As i was thinking this over, Alice put her hands on my shoulders and took out those huge brown puppy dog eyes, her bottom lip jutting out and her head tilting downwards, making her eyes sparkle.

"Okay okay!! Fine! You don' have to pull those eyes out on me!"

Alice squealed, "One make over coming up Bella!" she shrieked, grabbing my hand and dragging my reluctant body behind her into the bathroom.

"Just don't make me look like a two dollar hooker." I mumbled, crossing my arms as she sat me down on the toilet and rummaged through her make-up.

Alice turned to me and feigned hurt, holding her hand over her heart, "Bella!! I'm offended!"

I smiled as she ran into her room, mumbling something about having to do the outfit first.

Her head popped back into the bathroom, looking at me with questionable eyes, "What are you doing just sitting there?! Bella, we have a few hours to get ready and we need to organise your outfit, make-up, hair and shoes darling!! There's just too much to do!"

I gaped at her as she literally pushed me out of the bathroom and into her room, closing the door behind her.

Fifteen outfits, twelve different experimental shades of eye shadow, three lipstick tests, five shoe walks and an unspeakable incident with the hair straightener later. Alice stood back and admired her handy work. She had dressed me in a long grey pants that stylishly hung off my hips and a green ruffled top that hung with spaghetti straps off my shoulders and revealed half my back. She had curled my hair so that in framed my heart-shaped face. And thank-fully she had laid off the make-up, only putting a light shade of pink lip gloss on.

I bit my bottom lip and looked at her questiongly, "um...How do i look?" i asked nervously.

"Well for one, I'm a pure genius. And Two, stop biting your bottom lip, you'll take the lip gloss off." She replied, beaming up at me.

She checked her wrist watch and gasped, "Oh my gosh, I've only got an hour to get ready!!" She said, rushing into her room and slamming the door behind her. I giggled and went to go sit down on the couch. "Don't sit down on the couch Bella, you'll crinkle the top!" Alice screeched from her room.

I sighed and shook my head, mumbling incoherently under my breath.

Rosalie came out from her room; she was dressed in a casual red dress that clung to her frame magnificently and showed off her legs. I gaped at her, her hair was hanging loosely around her face and her eyes were flickering with a small light of uneasiness.

This was the best i had seen her since her brake up.

"Wow, Bella, you look amazing."

"Not as amazing as you Rosalie!" i said adoringly.

She smiled sadly up at me, "Really?"

"Really." I said, going over to her to hug her.

"No hugs Bella!" Alice squealed from her bedroom again, "It'll crinkle the top!"

"I can't do anything in this outfit!" i muttered and Rosalie giggled.

The door bell rang and my frame stiffened, Rosalie eyeing me strangely.

"That'll be them." I whispered, my voice cracking a little. Jimmy ran out from my bedroom, yapping at the door. I had almost forgotten about jimmy this past week, to many things had been going on.

Alice came out of her room in a stylish mini skirt and a blue blouse that hung open, showing a little cleavage. Her hair was done up in a bun and she had a light lipstick on.

"Now how come it takes you two hours to get me ready and you take a god damn twenty minutes and you still look more magnificent than me?!" I growled, walking over to the front door.

I took a deep breath and turned the door knob to reveal three guys. Jimmy ran out into the hall way and started jumping up and down, running from one guy to the next. I giggled, Jimmy always loved meeting new people.

Emmett looked down at the small dog and crouched down to his level so he could pat him. "Hello," he said adoringly to Jimmy, "Whose this?" he asked, looking up to me.

"That's Jimmy." I replied.

"I thought you weren't allowed any pets in the dorms." Jasper said.

Alice perked up, "Jimmy is our exception." She said.

I leant down and picked jimmy up, putting him inside the apartment again so that he wouldn't bother anyone else.

I looked back up at the three guys standing in the doorway. The way they were all standing accounted for their different moods. One of them was cocky, another curious and the third a little uneasy.

Of course the cocky one was Emmett, his hands in his pockets, leaning up against the wall and one word simply sprung itself into my mind - nonchalant. The one curious was Jasper, a small smile fixed upon his face as he stared in the apartment, his eyes making contact with Alice's. And the uneasy one was Edward, surprisingly enough. In fact, i had never seen Edward like this; he always had the most confidence in the word and was just as, probably even cockier, than Emmett.

But the uneasy look had been swiped from Edwards face, replaced with one of astonishment as he looked at me and grinned a crooked smile. Ah, there's his cocky confidence coming back to him. I rolled my eyes and smiled, "Shall we?" i asked, turning to grab a jacket. Alice stopped me, shaking her head and nodding towards the top i was wearing. Of course, the jacket would crinkle the top.

I grabbed my purse instead and we left the apartment.

Alice and Jasper started heading off first, going down the hallway, then followed by Rosalie and Emmett who were making small talk.

Edward waited for me as i locked the apartment and i stuffed my keys into my hand bag. I turned around to see him smile a wider crooked grin at me, "You look amazing." He said.

"Yeah, well, it's amazing what power Alice has over you when she has two spare hours and a make-up bag." I said sarcastically as we started walking off down the hall.

We all piled into the elevator, pressing the ground floor and awkwardly stood in silence as the elevator moved.

When we got outside, the cold air slapped me in the face and uncomfortably wrapped my arms around myself to shield me from the cold and to hide my goose bumps. I would kill Alice for not letting me wear a jacket.

We had split into two vehicles, Emmett, Alice and I in Alice's yellow Porsche, and Rosalie, Edward and Jasper in Edwards silver Volvo.

We had decided to go to a little Italian restaurant in the city called Olive Garden.

Alice was driving and Emmett was in the passenger seat, and i happily sat in the back.

"So Emmett, uhm, do you play any sports?" i asked awkwardly, trying to make small talk.

Emmett chuckled, "Yeah, i play rugby. I sometimes play a little basketball with Eddie though."

"Cool..." I said.

I stared out the window, watching the passing lights against the dark night sky that looked like neon beams passing by.

I heard the faint chatter of Alice and Emmett discussing holiday destinations but i wasn't quite interested.

When we had finally found a parking spot, and had walked into the restaurant, Edward, Rosalie and Jasper had already found a table and were looking at the menu. Emmett sat down next to Rosalie, i think the two of them were really hitting it off, and of course Alice went to sit next to Jasper.

I sat down next to Edward who looked up from his menu to smile at me. I blushed and hung my purse off the side of the chair, picking up my menu. "Anything good?" i asked not really that interested.

"Well, I'm looking at something good." He replied, his smile widening.

I looked up from my menu to see he was staring at me and i figured out what he meant.

A burst of laughter escaped my mouth and then rolled into more giggles, everyone looking up from their menu's to stare at me confusedly, even Edward.

"I'm sorry," i said, trying to fight off the giggles, "But, that is just such a cheesy line!"

After a few seconds, Edward started laughing with me and the rest of the group started laughing because we were.

The evening passed nicely, we all chatted amongst ourselves and laughed a lot. The discussion varying from sports to jobs to music.

"Yeah, that was hilarious," Emmett said, finishing off a story about Edward dying his hair pink, "But did you know that Edward plays piano, expertly?" he said eyeing Edward with a mischievous smile.

I turned to Edward, "You never told me that! What do you like playing?" i asked.

"Um, well, one of my favourites are Claire De Lune." He said, fiddling with his napkin.

"Seriously?!"

Edward grinned crookedly at me, "No darling, i was joking," he laughed, "yeah, i learnt to play it in the seventh grade."

"Wow. That has to be one of the most challenging songs there are." I said

The waitress then interrupted me before i could ask any more questions about his music skills.

"Are we having dessert?" she asked, notepad in one hand and directing the question to Edward, who she had been swooning over all night.

I scowled as she tried to bat her eyes at him, but thankfully he didn't notice.

"What do you guys think? Anyone got a sweet tooth?"

We all nodded and she went off to get some menu's.

Emmett laughed, "I think that waitress likes you Eddie."

"I don't think so." He replied.

I scowled again and suddenly became interested in my mobile, trying to pretend that i had gotten a message.

When i put my phone back into my purse i could see Edward staring at me intently.

I blushed scarlet, and smiled awkwardly.

"Do i have something on my face?" i asked self-consciously.

"No." He chuckled and i blushed a maroon colour.

"Bella, there's nothing going on between me and that waitress, just so you know." He said, a bit more seriously.

"Oh, uh, i don't really, you know, care. It's fine."

He raised his eyebrows at me and smiled challengingly.

"So you wouldn't care if there was something going on between her and me?"

"Is there?"

"No, hypothetically."

"Uh..." my voice trailed off. Of course I'd care if there was something going on between them. But i had just told him i didn't care...

"Well i wouldn't care. But then you'd have no chance with me." I said

He smiled and took my hand in his, bringing it up to his mouth and planting a soft kiss on my fingers.

I blushed again, but smiled back at him warmly.

Emmett POV

Bella and Edward seemed to be talking quietly to each other. I had seen Bella scowl before when the waitress had been practically throwing herself at Edward. I had seen that Edward saw what the waitress was trying to do too and he didn't seem the least bit interested. The Edward i knew would be feeling her up in the closet room right now. But he hardly gave her a second glance, but seemed to be staring at Bella all night.

Bella seemed perfectly nice, very pretty and seemed to have a great sense of humour. She was also very shy, and docile, not Edward's type at all. He usually went after the girls that were so sure of themselves, popular, outgoing, and ready to stick their tongue down any guy's throat. The previous girls he's dated usually had implanted boobs, loads of make-up and fake blonde highlights in brown hair. Girls he could easily get.

So maybe Edward was trying to set himself a challenge? Go after a girl that didn't want him and prove he could get her, and so rightly becoming the king of girls himself.

But it was more than that. The way he looked at her, how he treated her like glass, how he now took her hand in his and kissed her fingers softly that made me think that this was more than some stupid challenge.

Maybe he did love her. Or would this blow over soon enough?

Either way, i don't think Bella noticed Edward's change in behaviour, or how adoringly he looked at her.

She hadn't been around Edward a lot before, so probably didn't detect that he was acting differently, especially when he was around her.

I shook my head and turned my attention back to Rosalie, who was talking with Jasper about school assignments.

I really liked Rosalie so far. She was funny, for one. And extremely smart.

She had a great laugh, and looked very sexy in her dress.

I think we would hit it off really well...

Alice POV

It was halfway into the dinner, the waitress had just asked if we needed any desserts? I think i knew what all of us were thinking. That waitress so had the hots for Edward. And i could plainly see that Bella was jealous by the way she scowled at her. What really annoyed me though was how Edward took Bella's hand and kissed it. She didn't seem to mind, and blushed a deep maroon, the kind when we was really nervous. Get off her jerk!

I was trying to send Edward a telepathic message, trying very hard. It seemed to work, because right before the waitress was going to give us back our menu's to order dessert, Edward announced he had to go to the bathroom.

"Don't you want to order first Edward?" Bella asked as Edward got up.

"I'll have whatever you're having." He answered and then headed off to the toilets.

The waitress stared after him, i could see she was deliberating about going after him but decided against it.

We all looked at our menus, commenting on how lovely the desserts sounded.

I decided to go to the bathroom myself, standing up and heading in the direction of the toilets.

The men's bathroom was exactly opposite to the woman's and just i was about to turn to go into the bathroom, Edward came out.

We looked at each other and i glared at him.

Again, i was about to turn around to go into the bathroom when Edward stopped me.

"Could we, could we maybe...talk?" he asked.

I turned back to him, "About?"

"Bella."

"What about Bella?"

"You obviously hate me..."

"Wow, you're smart."

"What...what don't you like about me?"

"I thought this conversation was going to be about Bella, not you. I guess you are self-absorbed"

"What don't you like about me?" he pressed on.

"I know your kind. Players. I know what you do to girls and i don't know why you chose Bella, but she's obviously too blind to see all the bad in you. I've dated on of you before, got my heart broken. I don't want that to happen to my Bella. So you better back off, or then treat her as a real person, not some blonde bimbo of yours."

I turned around again, for the third time, heading for the bathroom.

"That's not true." His voice stopped me in my tracks.

"What's not true?" i asked, not turning around.

"Bella isn't blind. She looked hard enough to see the good in me."

ok, next chapter, its the walk home from the restaurant, and i think we all saw this coming. Since bella doesn't have a jacket, of course edward will lend her his. NEXT CHAPPIE COMING GUYSS!!!!! in the working!!! thank u to so many who have helped me continue this story. u have my endless thanks!!