AN: Ok, so it's about damn time, right?

Miss me? I've missed you girls (and guys if there are any of you out there) like crazy! We have so much to catch up on! Fill me in!!! Let me know in your reviews what you've been doing this year… After you read the chapter of course.

Ps. Rpattz in details magazine… amazing. Seriously, whoever was behind that shoot deserves some kind of medal… or a statue built in their honour.

The Strokes - 12:51

Bella POV

I rolled over the next morning only to smack into a mound of flesh, and confusion took me momentarily before settling into lazy satisfaction. Edward was lying beside me, in a fairly substantial state of undress. I groaned as a wave of nausea hit me, and launched myself out of bed over to the bathroom, just making it before I expelled the contents of my stomach… all fluids. No wonder I was feeling so ghastly. Not to mention it was an obscene time of the morning. Well, 9am wasn't that bad, but when your memory gave out some time around 3, it seemed a lot worse than it was.

I cleaned my teeth and removed my makeup, something I probably should have but was in no state to do the night before. I berated myself for getting too drunk to have sex with Edward, but by the same token, I was glad that I hadn't because I wasn't sure I would have remembered it in the perfect detail that I wanted. I grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge before returning to my room. Edward was awake now, barely, rubbing at his closed eyes while moaning quietly, apparently suffering as much as I was. I cleared my throat and one eye opened, quite a humorous expression, and I passed him a bottle of water. His face lit up with gratitude.

"Oh thank you…" he trailed off and drank half the bottle of water in one attempt.

"You're welcome," I assured him as I crawled back into the bed and started on my own bottle. After we had both replenished our systems somewhat, he snuggled back down into the bed. I turned to face him and he extended his arm, an invitation.

"Come here," he murmured, "we're sleeping some more."

I lay back down and he pulled me to him, flinching at my cold feet, which made me giggle before I succumbed to sleep.

Three hours later I awoke to find myself alone in bed. Feeling a little miffed that my guest had abandoned me I got up, pulled on a shirt of Liam's that I had stolen and a pair of ankle socks and stumbled out into the kitchen, still feeling a little drunk. I could smell Liam's special Sunday Morning Hangover coffee, the expensive stuff that only really came out when we were in dire need of it. He and Edward were sitting at my dining table, both appearing showered and neat, talking quietly amongst themselves, with no hint of a sexual advance coming from Liam. I was a little shocked, and found myself even more surprised to see Edward wearing a clean shirt. There was no way he and Liam would have been the same size, so I had no idea where he'd gotten it from.

"Hey, baby," Liam greeted, "get coffee, it's over there." He nodded to the coffee machine. "I was just talking to your man candy here, as it turns out, his parents and mine are friends, what a small world!" His voice had an almost gleeful tone, as if having something in common with Edward was the best thing in the world. I poured myself some coffee then headed over to the table. Edward pulled out his chair and gestured towards his lap. I look a seat on him, a little smug at how easily we went together. Liam gagged.

"You two are repellent, and it is way too early in the day for me to be seeing this shit, so I am audi," he sang before leaving the room. His Clueless reference was lost on Edward.

"Audi?" he asked.

"Outtie, as in leaving," I clarified.

"Oh," he said, still looking like he had no idea at all. I laughed and pinched his cheek affectionately.

"You're cute when you don't get basic pop culture references," I said teasingly.

"You're cute all the time."

"Even when I'm one foot in the grave from a hangover?"

"According to you, I'm one foot in the grave all the time, so I'm used to it."

"Awwwww, there there, I'll kiss your bruised ego all better," I cooed before pressing my lips to his.

"Happy now?" I mumbled against his mouth.

"Not yet," he murmured, swivelling me so that I was straddling him and deepening our kiss. His hands came to rest on my bare thighs and I sighed into his mouth at the feeling of his skin on mine. I pushed closer, so much so that our my centre was almost rubbing against him, wanting the contact desperately. I pulled away, almost gasping for air.

"How about now?" I managed to choke out before his lips attached themselves to my throat.

"Getting closer," he whispered against my skin, bringing up goose bumps. His hands moved around to my ass, pulling me even nearer to him, our hips bumping as I got as close as I possibly could. I rolled my hips down and his breathing hitched against my neck, confirming that I was rubbing against him in all the right ways.

I had wanted Edward to a ridiculous extent the night I met him, and at this point, I was about to go insane and maul him, consequences be damned. I could only hope that he felt some semblance of the attraction I felt for him, otherwise he was going to get molested, because I wasn't sure how much more of this I could take. the growing hardness I could feel against me seemed to indicate that odds were in my favour, making me smile as my head lolled back. We were interrupted by Lauren stumbling through the front door, heels in hand. I immediately lifted my head, trying to make my position look less whorish, a difficult feat. Edward sighed, dropping his head to my shoulder, and I put my hand on the back of it, running my fingers through his hair in a silent apology.

"Do I smell the good -- oh, hey Bella… and man friend," Lauren said condescendingly. As a general rule, whenever we caught anyone with a male guest in the house, we made a point of making it as awkward as we could. As much as I liked doing it to the others, I had to admit, I wasn't really enjoying it when the tables were turned on me.

"Hey Lauren, this is Edward," I introduced him, and he lifted his head to smile at her and then waved. She nodded in greeting and he dropped his head back down.

"Holy shit," she mouthed, "Hot."

"I know," I mouthed back, unable to keep the smug smile off my face.

"Hit that?" she asked silently.

I frowned dramatically and shook my head. She shrugged in disappointment and moved to the kitchen to grab coffee. I returned my hands to Edward's hair, giving him a gentle massage until she was safely out of the room. I tugged a bit harder, pulling his face back up to look at me.

"I hate my room mates," I told him honestly.

"To be honest, right now I do as well," he confessed, and we laughed lightly.

"It may have been a good thing that Lauren came in, because I really don't think it would have been wise to continue that much further in a public thoroughfare, and if we'd kept going, I doubt I would have been able to stop myself," I admitted. He groaned.

"Bella, hearing you say things like that doesn't help me at all, it just makes decency even more challenging," he whined and I giggled.

"Sorry," I said insincerely and climbed off his lap, missing the contact immediately. He sighed, ran his hands through his hair and stood, pulling his phone out of his pocket and fiddling with it for a moment.

"I should probably head off, I'm supposed to be seeing my sister and nephew for lunch," he said, somewhat sadly.

"Alright," I said, trying to keep my irrational devastation out of my voice. I must have failed because he took my hand in his, clearly a comforting gesture.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" he asked.

"Nope, just hanging out here, there's no way I'll make it through another big one after last night," I said teasingly.

"Do you want to come hang out at my place then?" he offered, and I actually had to stop myself from squealing with joy that he was inviting me over.

"Yeah, sounds fun. It's probably a lot nicer than our little landfill," I said deprecatingly, my eyes darting around our cluttered, messy home.

"I like your place," he responded, "it has so much… life."

"By life you mean bacteria, right?" I joked.

"No, not at all. Your place feels lived in, it's a home. Most places I find myself in feel like museums or display homes, not places where people actually live," he explained.

"Oh," I said, a little awed by that revelation. "Well, I'm glad you like it, I guess," I mumbled awkwardly, to which he responded with a melodious laugh.

"Alright, well I'm having lunch with Alice in the village, so I can swing back down here and pick you up if you want," he volunteered, ever the gentleman.

"No, no, text when you're nearly done and I'll come and meet you up there," I suggested instead. He looked a little hesitant, but agreed. He kissed me goodbye, grabbed his phone and keys then walked out of my door. As soon as he was out I flounced over to the couch and collapsed into it, smiling hugely to myself. The man was heavenly. Liam, having heard the front door close, re-emerged from his bedroom and sat on the couch adjacent to mine.

"I knew I knew him from somewhere! He looks just like his dad, all strong features and lickable jaw line, but his father is blonde, and more or less the definition of a DILF. Speaking of liking to fuck, I am so, so sorry for cockblocking you last night, babe, I really didn't mean it." The apologetic expression on his face assured me that he really was sorry for interrupting.

"Don't worry about it," I told him, smiling. He smiled back impishly.

"It wasn't even worth my while, I barely saw anything," he playfully sulked. "What little I did see was pretty enjoyable though, I'm not going to lie," he added.

"Tell me about it," I said, half to myself as the memories flooded me.

"Bella…" he started, sounding uncharacteristically nervous and breaking my out of my sexy abstraction, "I'm not sure if you know this, but I feel like, as your friend, I have to tell you." I was a little worried now. Liam rarely took anything seriously, and when he did, it was usually a very big deal.

"Alright," I said warily, "tell me."

"Edward is… well… he's married." I sighed with relief. Although I really didn't like hearing about the one flaw Edward seemed to have, I was glad that there wasn't some new problem to deal with.

"I know that, Liam," I told him and he looked confused.

"And you're with him still?"

"Yes, there is a lot of crap surrounding that situation and after we talked about it, I decided that I still wanted to pursue something with him." He opened his mouth to speak, and I cut him off. "Believe me, I know how bad that sounds, but Liam, I've never… I don't think I can walk away from him, and as much as this situation makes me angry and sad, I want him too badly to just leave, this is unlike anything I've ever felt." My best friend looked at me, his eyes full of sympathy and pity.

"Well… is he going to leave her?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, I know that he's unhappy, and that things haven't been good for a long time between them. They haven't lived in the same house for about eighteen months, he rarely sees her, and even then its mostly for functions and events. He said that their marriage is basically for show, it does them a lot of favours in their social and work circles. She's cheating on him as well, and has been for some time. I know that doesn't make it acceptable, and I know how tawdry and clichéd the situation is, but I just… Liam, I can't leave him. I can't." I was pleading for his acceptance, desperate for someone to talk to about this, someone to tell me that I wasn't the devil.

He climbed off his couch and immediately joined me on mine as I huddled into his arms, tears sliding down my face as the gravity of my situation overwhelmed me. He held me in silence as I cried it out, rubbing his hands up and down my back, trying to calm me. Eventually, I got it all out of my system and started to calm down. I had needed that outlet a lot more than I had realised. I was only 19 for fucks sake, and this was a pretty intense thing for me to have to be dealing with, regardless of my age. What I knew to be right and what I wanted more than anything were conflicting in an unprecedented way, and as much as I tried to act like I was thinking things through, I was already well aware that I would remain with Edward, regardless of whether or not he left his wife.

"I think," Liam started, his tone gentle and inoffensive, "you need to talk to Edward about his plans with his wife. Maybe not the next time you see him, wait til you're ready, but really, you're entitled to that information. If he has no intention of ever leaving her, it will make an impact on your relationship and where you can take it. Clearly, he's very into you, otherwise he wouldn't be risking it, and that aside, when the two of you are together, it's almost sickening. You radiate this vibe that is undeniable, and I really wouldn't be surprised if his heart beat your name."

I knew what he was doing, he was trying to make me feel better, pull me out of my spiralling depression, and I had to admit, it was working. Knowing that he could see what I felt, the bond that was forming between Edward and I, made me feel a lot more validated. I hated to admit that, but ultimately, I was insecure. Edward was so far out of my league, he was gorgeous to an almost uncomfortable extent, successful, clearly wealthy, funny, clever and completely beguiling. Everything about him appealed to me.

And by some twist of fate, he wanted me. Wanted me enough to risk his marriage, to chance his very reputation to get drunk and make out with me, to be visually assaulted and verbally harassed by my gay best friend, to be repeatedly cock blocked by my room mates. It felt like I had won the lottery, and however long this man hung around, I was going to get as much as I could of him, enjoy his presence as much as possible. The more I got to know him, spend time with him, the more I was sure that he would be the pinnacle of my dating career.

Feeling much better after having spoken to Liam and vented my issues, I was hit with a wave of creativity. I darted into my room, pulled on some clothes, picked up my camera and spent the next two hours wandering around the area, taking pictures and enjoying the pleasantness of the day. On my way back to the apartment to get ready for my evening with Edward, my phone chimed. I slid it open and smiled gleefully at the message.

B - Just so you know, tonight's invite included a sleepover, so pack a bag. I definitely owe you a couple.- E

E - You don't have room mates do you? - B

B - No, why? - E

He knew exactly why, but I decided to play into his game regardless.

E - I'll show you later. - B

B - Can't you just tell me now and show me later? - E

E - Even though I can almost see you doing the puppy dog eyes, no. It's much better in the flesh than in words. - B

B - I have no doubt. - E

E - ;) - B

B - That's just cruel. - E

E - I'm anything but cruel. Talk to your sister, you're being rude. - B

B - Yes, ma'am. - E

I laughed to myself but didn't reply to his text, because I could only imagine what his sister would say if she found out he was sending innuendo-laden texts while sitting across the table from her and her son. I pulled myself together and threw a toothbrush, a fresh top, a couple of toiletries and some clean underwear into my big tote bag, and went through some of my photos on my laptop to pass the time. A short while later, I received another text.

B - Hey, we're nearly done here, want to head over? - E

E - Yes, ma'am. - B

B - Very funny, princess. - E

I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, my desire to see him truly over the top considering it had only been about three hours since I had been straddling the man in my kitchen.

15 minutes later I was approaching the place where he had elected to meet me, only to have my face light up instantly as I saw him, facing away from me and fiddling with his phone, which seemed to be a habit of his. I snuck up behind him and tapped him on his left shoulder before turning away from him. He tapped on mine and I turned back around to him, feigning surprise.

"Oh, hey… I didn't see you there!" I said in a ridiculously innocent voice, which he of course saw right through.

"Sure you didn't, gorgeous," he muttered as he leaned down to kiss me. I accepted his choice of greeting enthusiastically, barely remembering that a sidewalk was not an appropriate place to pounce on him.

We walked close beside each other, our shoulders almost touching, and he subtly took my hand, linking our fingers, which surprised me a little. He saw my hesitation at once.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, loosening his grip on my hand, clearly reading my concern as unwillingness to be affectionate with him. He couldn't have been more wrong.

"I just wasn't sure that you'd want to be seen with me… like that, in public," I mumbled, not liking that I had brought this up. It was a topic I would happily never broach it again if I had my way.

"No one my… no one she knows would ever come this far downtown, we have nothing to worry about," he soothed me, and I felt simultaneously better and worse.

"In fact," he continued, "that is precisely why Alice, my sister, moved here, to get away from all the bullshit that accompanies being a Cullen, particularly one that lives on the upper east side. My parents would never approved of Jasper if you couldn't see from a mile away that he absolutely adores her. In his eyes, the sun would fall out of the sky if she ever left him. It's sickening, but in a good way, you know?" I nodded, ecstatic that he was sharing information about his life and family with me. It made me feel a lot less like a tacky mistress to know that he really was interested in getting to know me, and me getting to know him. It was a small thing, but it meant the world to me.

We continued wandering down the sidewalk, and even though I knew we were heading in the general direction of his home, I was also sure that it was well out of walking distance. I didn't say anything though, enjoying our leisurely stroll far too much to put a stop to it. Eventually, he hailed down a cab and we climbed in, heading off. I was abruptly nervous, because I suspected that I wouldn't even come close to fitting in in his high end, lovely environment, and I really didn't want to do something stupid like break something or ruin his carpet or something stupid. Living in a house full of junk meant that it didn't matter if we ruined something, but with Edward's home, it was a completely different story.

I knew how ridiculous I was being, but I couldn't help it. I just didn't want to do anything that might make him realise how below him I was. Somehow, by some fluke, he still felt like I was worthy of his time and attention, and I didn't want to fuck that up. The cab pulled up at a gigantic, regal building, and the butterflies in my stomach started launching canons at each other. He greeted a rather sullen, mean-looking doorman and guided me to the elevators, keeping me at a respectable distance the whole time. It stung a little but I understood it was a necessity and it was something I would have to learn to deal with, and so let it go as best I could.

Once we were in the elevator he took my hand again, using it to pull me to him. I rested my head on his shoulder, smiling a little to myself at how effortless and comfortable this all seemed, despite the huge obstacle we were up against, and the fact that we'd barely known each other a week. Standing in his elevator, holding his hand, I knew that I had made the choice not to walk away, and that, if I had my way, I would never have to.

AN: Cockblocked again. Don't worry my lovelies, you will get your smut soon enough.

In other news, over 200 reviews for 10 chapters. Seriously. You girls would give me a huge boner if I was equipped for that sort of thing. If you, or anyone you know is reccing my story, tell me and I'll rec ya right back. I'm super serial about this.

Also, there's this story I read ages and ages ago, it was hugely popular, and I cannot for the life of me remember what it was called. E was a stripper/hooker, B was a pysch student who 'buys' him for two weeks to study him. Shout out to anyone who can tell me what it's called, I wanted to rec it to a friend but just can't remember.