A/N:

Wow, thanks so much for all the reviews last chapter. That was kind of an insane amount. It pushed me over a thousand, so you all are awesome.

Many of you wondered why Bella didn't do this or that to get herself out of Italy earlier, or why Alice didn't tell her parents, etc. There are a lot of technicalities involved, which I won't get into, but the bottom line is that they were both teenagers. I don't know about you, but when I was that young, I didn't exactly think straight either, especially under stressful situations. I don't think it's important to go into every little detail about it, since the story isn't about what Bella did or didn't do in Italy. However, I do explain this time in her life a little on the MPMI forum. And you're always free to ask me questions.

I just want to say a mega thank you to those that nominated me for the Fandom People Awards. I placed in 13 categories, which I wasn't expecting to place in even one category. It's definitely an honor, so again, thank you. The link is somewhere on my profile if you want to see all the winners.

Beta is Lindz26. She's the bee's knees.

CHAPTER TEN
*HE SAW ME*

"Mmmm," I moaned in pain as I poured coffee into my mug to remedy my awful hangover. There was a loud drilling noise that was causing my head to hurt. "Who's doing construction this early?"

"That's just the copy machine," Rose grumbled, taking the coffee from me to pour in her own mug. She was equally as hungover as me, if not more.

"Well, tell them to be quiet out there," I said, not really thinking about what I was saying as I took a much needed sip.

Rose set her coffee down on the counter, walked the distance to the door, and stuck her head out of the break room. "Be quiet, will ya?" she barked, and then made her way back over to me casually.

I flinched, partly because of her loud voice, but also because I didn't want her to be rude like that. "Rose, I wasn't actually serious."

She shrugged. "Well, I was," she said, and leaned against the counter with her coffee mug in one hand. She was analyzing me closely and I didn't know why.

"What?" I questioned, and took another sip of coffee, allowing the hot liquid to warm my throat.

"Quite a night last night," she remarked with some sort of amusement lining her tone.

I groaned. "Don't even remind me."

I remembered bits and pieces, but nothing concrete. I was sure there was laughing, I knew for certain there was tequila, and I distinctly remembered green princess cake, for some reason, which was still sitting in my kitchen untouched.

This morning, I'd woken up with all my clothes on from the night before with a snoring Rose on my couch. Since we'd overslept tremendously, I had to let her borrow something from my wardrobe, which was unusual. Actually, she'd never worn anything from my closet. It was always me wearing her things because she said I dressed too sophisticated sometimes for her taste.

"If I recall correctly," she started with a mischievous smile, "you were grinding on a certain someone."

My eyes went wide. What exactly had I done and who with?

I'd known that by drinking tequila, I would've reverted back into my former, youthful self, yet I'd still gone through with it with that knowledge. I'd been stupid and reckless. The last time I'd done shots of any alcohol was when I was on the cusp of turning twenty years old. I was practically near thirty now.

"You're joking," I said, but somehow, I had a feeling she wasn't.

She shook her head, the corner of her mouth turning up. "Can you take a guess who?"

Trying as hard as I could, I dug deep in my brain to remember which poor guy I'd most likely thrown myself at, but nothing was coming to mind. "I have no idea. Please tell me," I practically begged. If it was my seventy year old neighbor, next door, I'd have to write out an apology letter to him, because I would be too chicken to apologize face-to-face.

"Starts with an E, ends with bumping uglies in your bedroom," she revealed.

I gasped loudly, nearly spilling my hot coffee all over my hand and blouse. "Oh my God! Edward was with us last night?" I questioned, now starting to remember his overall presence there, but nothing specific. Then, with horror, it hit me what she'd said. "We…we had…?" My tone was quiet, petrified, and lifeless. I couldn't even finish the sentence.

She snorted. "No," she said, and laughed. I narrowed my eyes at her. "I just wanted you to admit that something's going on between you two."

I sighed, relieved, and set my coffee down. "Well, I've been meaning to tell you, honestly," I tried to salvage, "and I think I was supposed to tell you last night." I rubbed my forehead, trying to soothe the throbbing.

"Hmm," she said in thought briefly. "So, what's going on, then?"

Gearing myself up, I stepped a little closer and looked towards the doorway, just to check if anyone was around. "Remember at the New Year's Eve party I was supposed to kiss Jasper?" I prompted, to which she nodded. "That never happened. He got a call at the last minute, literally, and I was left alone during the countdown."

"No way…," she said, her mouth open and her brow furrowed.

"But then, Edward just swooped in out of nowhere and kissed me," I finished, reliving the memory. It brought on a feeling of confusion, anxiety, yet excitement.

She suddenly gasped, her eyes lighting up. "That's what they were talking about," she said enthusiastically to herself.

"Who was talking about what?" I queried.

"Okay," she began, calming herself, "we were in the car on the way to the party after picking up Edward. I told you, they were talking in code. Emmett said something like, 'You need to go for it with BS,' and Edward just said no, then Emmett said that if he just got it over with, that maybe BS would finally notice." She paused, in thought. "It really didn't cross my mind that 'BS' stood for your full name."

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, a little taken aback by her revelation. "Are you sure?" I asked, disbelieving.

"I'm almost positive now."

So, if they'd been talking about me before the kiss, did that mean they'd talked about me even before that? Somehow, I thought so, considering Emmett always referred to me as the "infamous Bella Swan." But, then, that meant it went as far back as the blind date…and I'd been completely oblivious to it all.

"It makes sense," Rose said, almost as if reading what my mind was thinking. "That time we went out to dinner, I didn't tell you, but all he kept doing was staring at you like you were God's gift to men." She chuckled. "And then before that, he was all quiet whenever you were around. You know, Emmett told me Edward's a pretty quiet guy, but not that quiet."

"Okay, Rose, stop," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. I was having a really hard time wrapping my mind around this.

"What?" she asked. "It's sort of obvious he's had a bit of a thing for you for a while now. No big deal."

"No big deal?" I asked incredulously. "This is a huge deal, Rose. I don't date. I wasn't even looking for someone to date. Now, suddenly, here he is and—"

"Hey," she interrupted, and placed a hand on my shoulder to calm me. "You're over thinking this. I think you're just scared because your brain has been ninety-nine percent Jasper, and now someone else is worming their way in, am I right?"

I frowned, because what she was saying was fitting. "I just don't know what to do," I spoke quietly.

She walked around my side and looped her arm through mine, beginning to walk us toward the exit of the break room. "Here's what you do," she started. "You talk to Edward, verify that he's been trying to put the moves on you, even though it's sort of obvious, and then decide from there if you want to move forward or not."

As we neared my office, we both stopped right outside the door. "Okay," I replied meekly, a little scared.

She chuckled. "You look like you're about to throw up," she noted, and I was sure that was exactly what I was going to do. "Tell me this, Bella. How do you feel about him?" I managed a small shrug. I had no idea what it was I felt for him, but I wish I knew. She rubbed one of my arms soothingly. "That's okay. You don't have to know that yet. But when he kissed you, what emotions did you feel?"

"I don't know," I started, trying to remember. "It all happened so fast. I didn't know it was him at first, and I just recall feeling like I was floating." She smirked at me. "What?"

"Floating? You so like him."

I shook my head in response. "I'm really not sure—" I began to say, before she cut me off.

"Admit it. You like him."

I sighed heavily. "We have nothing in common, Rose," I said honestly.

"So what?" she asked. "You think Emmett and I have everything in common? It may look like that, but it's only because we have a strong connection." She paused, taking in my thoughtful expression, no doubt. "Do you have a connection with Edward?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure." The only time we'd actually been natural with each other was when we were at that bar and grill, before the disaster happened. Our conversation had flowed, surprisingly, but how could I deduce a connection based on that?

"Well, you need to find that out," she instructed, and then looked across the main office. "Oh, shh, Jasper's coming."

I turned my head, and sure enough, he was walking toward us from the elevator. Inwardly panicking, I kept my eyes on Rose to avoid him. For some reason, I felt guilty, considering I'd just been talking about another man that wasn't Jasper.

"Good morning, Jasper," Rose greeted.

"Good morning, ladies," he replied with his usual charming smile. "How are you?"

"We're both good," Rose answered for us, and I was grateful for it. "Just discussing when to schedule in an appraisal for the Smiths collection."

"Very good," he said, sounding pleased as well as more chipper than he usually was. "Well, I'll be in my office." He began whistling an unknown tune as he walked past us.

"Goodness," Rose whispered to me once he shut the door to his office. "Could he be any happier? You know what that means…" She snorted, and then quickly said she'd talk to me later as she headed to her own office.

Before I could fully let her insinuation sink in, I heard my phone ringing inside my office, so I hurried inside to answer it.

"Isabella Swan," I greeted, and lowered myself to sit in the swivel chair.

"Morning," Angela spoke. "Roberta Cummings is here for her appointment with Jasper."

I grabbed my scheduler from inside my top desk drawer and flipped through. But when I saw that Roberta wasn't even scheduled until late in the afternoon, I became confused. "Angela, she shouldn't be here until three, and it's now—" I checked my watch "—eight-fifteen."

"Should I tell her to come back later?"

I sighed and shut the scheduler. I really didn't like when Jasper's day was thrown off. "No, just send her up, thanks," I said, and hung up briefly before dialing the extension number I needed.

"Jasper Whitlock," he greeted.

"Hey, it's me," I replied awkwardly. "Bella, I mean."

He chuckled heartily. "Yes, I know it's you. What is it?"

"Well," I started, "Angela just called and said that one of your afternoon appoint…" My voice trailed off when my eyes caught sight of a flash of short, dark hair on the floor of the main office.

Oh dear Lord…

"Bella?" Jasper questioned, sounding concerned.

Alice was currently crawling on the ground, right under Jasper's window, heading toward my office. When she'd passed the window, she stood up, and righted her hot pink mini skirt. I wasn't sure why she was doing that, but then again, she was an odd person.

"Uhh," I fumbled, my eyes glued to her in horror. "Let me call you back later."

I didn't even give Jasper a chance to respond as I hung up quickly and stood. As Alice walked into my office, I made my way to her and wrapped my hand around her upper arm tightly.

"Hi, Bella," she said while I led her in and shut the door swiftly.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed in question.

"I just wanted to talk to you," she answered, her voice sounding not as enthusiastic as it normally did.

I groaned and walked to my desk, trying to put some distance between us. "I really don't want to talk to you, Alice," I replied. "How did you get up here, anyway?"

After Alice's ambush the other two times she'd been here, I'd taken extra measures to make sure it wouldn't happen again. Another security guard had been added to the team to assist Waldo, who was well into his seventies. Unfortunately, I couldn't get him fired, because, otherwise, I'd have to tell Jasper why we should let him go, and I didn't think he'd accept the reason at all.

"Your secretary believed me when I said I was Roberta Cummings," she admitted, looking a little sheepish. "You really need to hire new staff. This is the third time I've gotten through." She walked around my desk and sat down. "By the way, remember to send out invitations for the January auction." She tapped her finger on my closed scheduler.

My jaw clenched. Had she been going through my scheduler? How and when did that even happen? That would explain how she knew about Roberta Cummings.

"Get out, Alice," I spat, entirely fed up, and walked toward the door to open for her.

Before I could, however, she bolted to me, grabbing my hand to prevent me from grasping the knob. "No, wait. I just want to talk," she pleaded, sounding desperate, which threw me off a little.

I pulled my hand out of her hold and took a small step back. "There's nothing to say," I spoke coldly.

"Yes, there is. I heard you last night."

"You heard me?" I questioned, baffled at first, but then slowly began to realize what she was talking about. I now recalled being in my bedroom with Edward as he listened to me blab about my pathetic past.

Oh God…he probably won't ever speak to me again.

Come to think of it, I'd fallen asleep with him there, and then woken up with him gone. Well, that just proved how repulsed he must've been. I couldn't blame him…I knew how much I hated anything to do with my past.

"You were in your bedroom with the hunky guy, and I heard you. Why didn't you ever tell me about what that Italian guy almost did to you?" she asked.

"Tell you?" I repeated, angry and flabbergasted by her words. "Alice, you ditched me in Italy. How, exactly, was I supposed to tell you?"

"No, I mean, when you got home."

I laughed bitterly. "Are you kidding me right now? I was stranded in another country for eight months because of you. Why on earth would I bother to tell you?"

She placed her hands on her hips, huffing. "I don't know, Bella. Maybe because we're friends."

How dare she just come back into my life and try to worm herself in again, and then, on top of that, subtly make me out to be the bad guy. She had some nerve.

"You're an idiot if you think we're friends or ever will be again," I seethed.

Her expression dropped, becoming hopelessly sad. "We used to be friends," she spoke quietly.

Her defeated attitude was angering me even more, and all the animosity I had toward her when she'd first abandoned me in Italy, came completely barreling back. "That was before you up and left me for a guy who probably just saw you as a hole to stick his dick in," I spat maliciously. I was temporarily shocked at my harsh words, but quickly realized that she deserved it after everything she put me through.

Alice always brought out the worst in me.

"Ouch," she said dejectedly, and glanced away.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

Her light blue eyes found mine again, a hint of resolve there. "Look," she began, "you want to know why I came back?"

I laughed humorlessly. "I knew there was another reason. That whole 'let's be friends again' crap was just an act."

"No, it wasn't," she exclaimed with emotion. "I was telling you the truth with that, I swear…but there's another reason, too."

I shook my head. I wouldn't play her little game anymore. "I don't particularly want to know. I want nothing to do with your screwed up mess of a life."

"God, Bella!" she all but yelled in despair, throwing her hands up. "Can you just listen to me?"

"Why should I?" I countered.

"I'm just going to tell you, anyway, since you're being stubborn, so you better listen," she demanded. When I didn't respond to her immediately, she took the liberty of continuing. "I met a guy—"

"Ha!" I exclaimed with a smirk, because this was just so typical. I already assumed this was how it would start.

Alice didn't seem to be fazed at all. "I'd been living in Spain for a while and I loved it," she began. "I was having the time of my life. I met Demetri there at a bar I was working at and he was amazing. He was just...everything that I liked in a guy. He was fun, handsome, free-spirited. I really fell in love with him quickly. We ended up traveling around Spain together, just seeing the sights and being with each other." She paused, taking a deep breath. "But one night, he met some other girl and then up and left me. Just like that. I was crushed."

"Guess you know what it's like to be abandoned now, huh?" I questioned, feeling no sympathy toward her.

"Yes, actually," she replied. "All I could think about was what I did to you and how, now, I know what you went through. I didn't understand back then why you were so angry with me…I didn't get it. Honest to God, I didn't even remember that your passport and money were still with me when I left you. I honestly thought you'd be okay, because we always did stuff like that, Bella. But I get now why you were so pissed. And as soon as I realized, I knew I had to come to you. I had to make things right."

"Gee, seven years later," I said cynically.

Alice quickly unraveled my arms that were crossed tightly, and took hold of one of my hands in hers. "Bella, I want my friend back. I need you," she spoke softly.

"I needed you at one time and look what happened," I reminded, slipping my hand out of her grasp.

"I know, and I'm sorry for that. If there's anything in my life that I regret…it's that. If I could go back and change things, now knowing what I know, I would."

I could see the conviction in her eyes and the desperation she was emitting. A small part of me began to feel somewhat sorry for her. I hated it so much, but it couldn't be stopped. I was a good person at heart, and it could either be my strength or my downfall.

"This doesn't change anything just because you had some epiphany," I said honestly.

"I know, but I'm trying to make things better…Can you please let me?" she pleaded.

I sighed in frustration. "By coming into my life and making a mess of things all over again?"

"I'm not trying to do that. Honest. I just miss you so much, Hella Bella."

"Don't call me that," I snapped angrily. I hated that old nickname with every fiber of my being. I wouldn't stand to be called it ever again.

"Right, right…sorry," she tried to salvage, and sighed. "I forget you're all straight-laced now."

"I'm not that girl anymore, Alice," I began. "The girl that ran around everywhere with you and got into trouble—she's gone. I'm different, and I refuse to allow you to change me back into her."

"Then, I'd like to get to know the new you," she offered.

She was really trying hard here. With everything I was throwing at her, she was coming back as if she was wearing a suit of armor. Though I was angry with her, and might always be, I couldn't deny that she was making an honest effort to befriend me again…even if she was loopy in her efforts.

"You have a lot to make up for," I relented finally.

She gasped loudly and threw her arms around me, hugging me tight and swaying us side to side. "Oh my God, Bella! I do! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!" she exclaimed, hugging me even tighter, if possible. "I'm gonna make it up to you times infinity, you'll see."

"Yeah, yeah," I choked, unable to breath. "Get off me."

"Oops, sorry," she said with a giggle, and pulled back, letting me go. "And you were wrong, you know."

"About…?" I questioned.

"You said last night that I wasn't fazed when you ended our friendship. I was. That's why I left. You meant too much to me for me to be able to stay in the same place and have to see you all the time. So, I left."

X-X-X-X

Lifting the top flap of the cake box, I decided to peek inside of it, since I hadn't gotten a good look. The princess cake was sort of smashed, which was probably my fault, considering I'd drunkenly stumbled into Edward yesterday.

How embarrassing.

I hoped the next time I saw him that he'd just forget about seeing me drunk, because I didn't want him to think that was what I was like. It was already humiliating enough that I'd allowed myself to fall into the trap of drinking, but then for the one person who had my head reeling to see it, too, was beyond mortifying.

Not able to contain myself, I grabbed a plate out of the cupboard and took out a knife to cut the cake. But just as I was about to dive in, there was a timid knock on my front door.

I hoped, with everything in me, that that wasn't Alice. I'd basically told her I'd let her make things up to me, and she really took it to heart, but I couldn't handle seeing her more than once a day. Actually, I didn't think I could handle seeing her more than once a week…maybe even a month.

When I approached the door and turned the knob, I was surprised who stood there.

"Hi," Edward greeted, his Adam's apple bobbing slowly and his hand grasping tighter to the plastic bag he held in his hand.

"Hi," I replied, taken aback by his presence. Why was he here? I suddenly felt nervous, and I had no idea why. It seemed it was a natural occurrence around him. "What are you…?"

He cleared his throat. "I left my glasses here last night."

"Oh," I said dejectedly, and raised an eyebrow when his eyes glanced away from me quickly. I opened the door further, letting him inside. "Where would they be exactly?"

As he came inside, I took a second to look over him. His scruff was back now. There had been a few times where he'd shaved, and I had to say that I really couldn't imagine him anymore without the five o'clock shadow.

He glanced around before his eyes fell back onto mine. "I left them on one of your nightstands."

Hmm…I didn't remember seeing them there. "Alright, well, I'll check," I offered, and left him out in the living room.

Entering my bedroom, I took a deep breath, feeling even more unsettled knowing he was in my apartment…again.

Sure enough, on my nightstand, was a glasses case. It was perfectly positioned right in the middle, and I had a brief thought that he might've put it there on purpose. He didn't seem genuine in the least that he left it there on accident. I didn't know how I felt about it, but I had to admit that it gave me an excuse to talk to him about last night….that was if I could find the courage.

I went back into the living room to find Edward looking into the fish tank. Upon my arrival, he gave me a half smile.

"I didn't know you wear glasses," I observed, handing the case to him.

"Normally, I don't, because I wear contacts, but sometimes, my eyes need a rest," he replied.

I pursed my lips and cocked my head to the side, trying to imagine him with glasses on. I was sure he'd look entirely different with them, in a good way. I definitely wasn't opposed to a man wearing glasses.

"Are you trying to think of what I'd look like with them on?" he asked, chuckling.

I smiled. "You caught me."

"Well, next time I don't wear my contacts, I'll let you see them on me," he offered. It almost seemed like he winked, but I was sure I was mistaken.

"Deal," I agreed, trying not to sound too eager as a warmth graced my cheeks. I glanced down at the plastic bag that was still in his hand. "What's that?"

"Oh," he said, as if he remembered he was carrying it, and then handed it to me. "It's a gift for you."

"A gift?" I questioned with a furrowed brow.

"Yeah, open it."

Hesitantly, I opened the bag and took out…a miniature sculpture of a toilet…?

"Um…," I spoke, unsure of what to say.

He, on the other hand, had some sort of knowing smile. "It's for your fish tank," he revealed. "Yesterday, you told me that Max was named after Roman emperors, so I thought, well, he needs a throne." I stared at him, and then wrinkled my nose in confusion. He shifted on his feet, his playful mood quickly waning. "Because…a throne is another word for a toilet…" He scratched the back of his neck.

"Oh, right," I said, nodding, and smiled weakly. The gesture was incredibly sweet…I just didn't think I wanted a toilet in my fish tank. "Well, this is great. I'll just…set it right here." I placed it on top of the tank and turned back to him. "Thank you for that."

"It's no problem," he replied.

"And thank you for the cake yesterday. I was just about to have some right before you came."

"I'm glad you liked it. I was hoping I got the right one." He laughed lightly. "But I was sure you said you liked the green one over the pink."

I nodded and tried to hold back a grin. No one had ever gotten me my favorite cake when it wasn't my birthday. "Do you want some, maybe?" I offered.

"No…thank you. I'm actually not into sweet things."

I nodded, frowning. Who didn't like cake? "Oh, okay. Well, why don't you have a seat? Unless, you have somewhere you need to be…" I was hoping he didn't, but I didn't know him too well, and he might have other obligations. I still hadn't figured out if he had a girlfriend or not.

"Nope. Nowhere I need to be," he answered, and made his way to the sofa chair, which was when I suddenly remembered something.

I'd sat in his lap last night…and he'd had an erection.

Oh my God.

I felt my face becoming warm as I remained standing in the same spot, trying my hardest not to look at his crotch.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sitting down slowly.

I nodded, trying to stop myself from thinking about anything to do with my behavior last night, and joined him by sitting on the couch. "Yes, sorry," I said, and crossed my legs. I noticed Edward's eyes flicker down to them quickly before training on my face. "So, about last night…" I knew I needed to just bite the bullet and apologize for my behavior.

"Yeah?" he prompted.

"I know I acted…well…I wasn't myself, and I'm sorry you had to see that," I started nervously. "I just want you to know that that's abnormal behavior for me."

He cracked a smile and leaned back, bringing his ankle up to rest on his knee. "You mean, you don't normally get drunk?"

"Well, no, not exactly," I admitted. "What I mean is…uh…" Why was this so hard for me to say? I was trying to apologize for throwing myself on him like a cheap hooker, but I couldn't seem to get the words out. "Let's just say that the way I acted isn't me, and I shouldn't have…uh…" God, spit it out!

He suddenly laughed, the sound bright and warm. "Are you talking about what happened on the balcony?"

My eyes went wide. "What?" I asked loudly.

His eyebrows shot up, before he began shaking his head fervently. "No, nothing," he backtracked quickly.

"No, wait. What happened on the balcony?" Please, don't let it be something embarrassing.

He sighed, and then muttered something inaudible to himself. "I was coming over here, when I saw, from down below, you on the balcony. You…" He stopped himself and turned his head to look away. "You flashed the city."

My mouth dropped, and I screwed my eyes shut tightly, moaning in embarrassment. "I can't believe this," I breathed, absolutely disgusted and mortified with myself. I placed my head in my hands, not wanting to see him right now.

Edward had seen my breasts.

I felt the spot next to me dip and a warmth radiate on my side. Slowly, I lifted my head and saw he was sitting next to me. He reached behind me and began rubbing my back soothingly. His gentle touch sent an involuntary shiver throughout me, and my humiliation began to ebb.

"Don't be embarrassed. I didn't really see much," he assured, and then chuckled quietly. "Though, I do have to say, I may prefer you without your shirt than with."

I tensed, my body going rigid at his words. What did he just say?

He quickly dropped his hand. "That was a joke," he tried to salvage. "Um, I prefer you with your shirt on only." His eyes went wide and his face flushed slightly. "I mean, I wouldn't mind seeing you without your shirt, either—shit." He quickly shot off the couch as if he was on fire. "That's it. Bella, I like you. There I said it, and now, it's out in the open and…" he cleared his throat and pointed to the door "…and I'm just going to go."

He made it about three steps away from me before I stood up. "Wait!" I shouted. He froze in his spot, and then slowly turned around, obviously embarrassed. I began to laugh, because, honestly, this was all funny. He was nervous; I was nervous. We weren't going to get anywhere with both of us skirting around the subject.

He joined me, chuckling. "I'm sorry," he said.

I approached him, stopping about a foot from where he stood. "Don't apologize. This is all a mess," I said truthfully. This was so not how I imagined things might turn out if I was to see him again.

He nodded in agreement and took a step to me, closing the gap. His penetrating eyes instantly caused my expression to become serious. "I know you said not to apologize, but I'm sorry…because I really need to do this again," he said, before leaning down to press his firm lips to mine.

I sighed in contentment as soon as his mouth covered my own. Wanting to add more pressure to the kiss, I rose up on the balls of my feet and brought my hands up and behind his neck. He parted his lips, gently taking my bottom lip into his hot mouth, while I worked on his top lip. His large hands found my waist, and he barely gripped onto me, treating me as if I'd break.

My heart was hammering in my chest at the knowledge that I was kissing him again. I'd been so caught up in the New Year's kiss that it failed to cross my mind what would happen if we were to do it again. My body was tingling and my head was void of all my usual inane thoughts.

He released my lips and pecked me once before pulling back marginally to look at me. "I've been wanting to do that since New Year's," he admitted.

I was about to reply, when his phone suddenly went off. He let out a loud breath of air and reached in his back pocket for it. Very swiftly, he glanced at it, and then pushed it back into his pocket. I raised an eyebrow, wondering who that was.

And that was when all sorts of fearful thoughts entered my brain.

He had a girlfriend, perhaps, and she was calling to ask him why he wasn't with her. Instead, he was with me…kissing me…and now I was the "other woman."

Oh God….I was going to be sick.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he questioned frantically, no doubt witnessing the chalky white my face was turning.

"I'm okay," I said, trying to muster up a smile. "I hope I'm not keeping you from…" My voice trailed off, wanting him to fill in the blanks.

"No, I have nowhere to be," he answered vaguely.

I sighed, aggravated. I'd have to just get it over with and ask him. There was no other way, since he didn't want to offer me the information freely. "Is your girlfriend upset that you're here?" I asked.

His blank expression morphed, a tiny smile creeping across his face, and he began rubbing my arms up and down, igniting goose bumps all over me. "I don't have a girlfriend."

I frowned, a knot forming in my stomach. "A fiancée…?"

He chuckled and moved his hands down to my hips. "Nope."

I tried to think of any other scenario he might have that would involve him being taken. "Wife?" I asked, my voice but a whisper.

His face fell. "No, Bella. I'm single, and I hope you are, too."

I sighed in relief. "Yes, I'm single."

A crease formed on his brow. He seemed to be deep in thought as his eyes danced across my face. "That night at the grill, when I spilled wine on you, I'm sorry about everything. Mainly, I'm sorry that I upset you by asking about Jasper."

I sighed and looked down. "It's fine. I guess I was just a little sensitive about it all," I admitted, feeling foolish. I'd begun to see how poorly I'd acted toward Edward that night, and pretty much every time afterward.

"If you don't mind me asking, though," he started hesitantly, "I know you dated him, but are you still…?"

He was going to ask me if I was still in love with Jasper. I couldn't answer this at all. My feelings for Jasper were confusing, as of lately. Since Edward had come around, there'd seemed to be a fundamental shift, but nothing had completely died, as far as feelings go. I didn't think I could ever stop loving Jasper. However, I was beginning to think about him less, and I'd started to come to terms with the fact that he was moving on.

"Jasper and I aren't together anymore, and won't be again," I replied, hoping that answered enough for now.

He seemed to accept this answer, which I was grateful for. My body tingled as he rubbed the ends of my hair between his fingers.

"What's going on here, Edward?" I inquired quietly, the silence of the room wafting over us.

He rubbed my cheek with the pad of his thumb, inflaming the skin beneath . "I don't know," he spoke, "but I don't think I can stop."

"I don't know what I'm doing," I admitted sadly.

"Me, neither," he said, and pressed his forehead to mine.

I wasn't sure how this was going to work, but just like him, I didn't think I could stop. I was the moth and Edward was the flame. Maybe Rose was right…maybe it was a connection we had that gravitated us to each other.

Though this was new to me, I knew I had to take it a step at a time, because I wasn't sure if it was right to have feelings for someone while wanting to try something new with someone else. But there was one thing that I was positive about…it was time to move on with my life, and the person whose arms were currently wrapped around me was the first step to accomplishing that.

A/N:

Edward saw her boobs. That's all I have to say. lol. I know, real mature, Dani.

See ya next Tuesday!

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