A/N This chapter is late, my apologies. I told you things were going to get crazy. No truer words have been spoken.

Many thanks to my lovely, wonderful, kind, giving beta, nicnicd for all the hand holding and boody kicking she did. I couldn't do it without you!

I've met some new friends, so if you're reading, I love you, you all know who you are.

To my one anonymous reviewer, gmoney, I really wish I could thank you with a more detailed note (you all know how wordy I am if you review!) to say thank you for all your kind words. I want you to know I read each one, and am so happy you enjoy my story.

Esme contest is done! Congrats to the winners and great job to all who entered. It was fun!

I don't own the characters… I just pretend I do!

Chapter 11

BPOV

The week both crawled and flew by. Time seemed to fly by whenever I sat at my desk to work on my newest book. When I was done, however, it seemed like the day would never end. Edward would creep into my thoughts whenever I ate or watched television. I never considered myself lonely, but since meeting Ali and especially Edward, I started to feel the emptiness of my home. I wished I could hear his voice. I wanted to call him, but I wanted him to call me more. It grew more and more difficult everyday to distract myself. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to work on the story every day.

Esme called me on Tuesday with the news about my presence being mandatory at a silent auction in a couple of weeks. It seemed that the auction house felt my collection of works donated for the event would fetch a higher price if I were there to personalize and sign them.

Alice threw in her two cents about how it would be a small gathering, perfect for me to practice the skills I would have acquired by that time on etiquette. With both of them bullying, I relented. What the hell, it was for a good cause. What author would turn down the chance to raise money for literacy?

My attendance at the auction required me to shop for an appropriate dress. Fortunately for me, Alice was available to help me pick out the perfect one. The discovery that it would need to be tailored caused us to have out first fight ever.

"Alice, I promised my neighbor that I would only let her alter my clothes. She would be crushed if she found out I went to someone else." I begged her to understand. Angela was the first real friend I'd made besides Esme.

"Really Bella, the girl I use is good. I don't trust anyone else. She's my personal tailor and I refer clients only to her. She'll do a top notch job. Can't you just meet her and see?" I knew I was sunk when she pulled the pouty face. When I sighed, she grinned in victory. "Come on Bells, you'll love her. She's super!"

"Super? Really? Will we pass notes in study hall and braid each others' hair at the slumber party?" I couldn't help but make fun of her attempts to cheer me up. "I still feel bad I'm considering this," I grumbled, as we took a cab over to the shop. When we arrived a few minutes later, I looked up and laughed.

"Well, it seems we have excellent tastes in tailors Alice," I grinned as we stepped in the shop. Recognizing both of us, Angela let out a little squeal as she rushed up and hugged us both.

"How do you know each other?" Understanding dawned quickly as she gazed between Alice and I. "Wait, Bella, you never said you were seeing a life coach? This is great! I should've thought you two would get along. I can't beli-," I cut her off with a hard hug.

"It doesn't matter how we met, we did, and now I've come to bring Alice's only tailor and my neighbor some business. What do you say we get started?"

The memory of that day brought a smile to my face. It was one of the few times I didn't think about the upcoming weekend. I spent the rest of the week either writing or worrying about the trip. On Thursday evening, I wondered if Edward would call me. He'd replied to my email, confirming everything was okay with him, but I never heard from him after that. I wondered if he still meant to ride there with me. I was debating calling him to find out when the phone rang. I snatched it up and answered quickly.

Disappointment flooded through me when the caller turned out to be my mom.

"Bella my sweet baby, how are you? I haven't heard from you in ages. Why haven't you called or answered my emails? I was worried something happened to you," she continued to steamroll past any attempt I made to answer her questions.

Sighing, I gave up, putting the phone on speaker and instead concentrating on picking out my clothing for the weekend. I tuned in just in time to hear mom go on about sending the police to check on me.

"Mom, please." I interrupted. "There's no reason to send in the cavalry. I've just been busy between writing and getting ready to do another book tour-"

She cut me off immediately. "Oh sweetie! Another tour? Are you sure you want to subject yourself to that? You didn't do so well last time. Remember when you almost threw up…" I couldn't stand to hear her bring up the last tour.

"Really, I'll be fine. I've gotten over what happened. This time it'll be much better. I promise you mom." I hoped she listened.

"Oh, Bella I have the greatest, most outstanding idea!" What? Why does she insist on talking like that still? "What if I came along with you on your little tour? It'll be so much fun! We can stay in the same rooms and stay up late to watch movies!"

Dear Lord, shoot me in the head please. Thank you. Bella

"Mom I don't-" she kept interrupting me with more harebrained ideas.

"Oh Bella!! We could go clubbing!" Clubbing seriously? I rolled my eyes, thankful she couldn't see. "Well, maybe not. All the clubs around here won't let me in. Can you believe they think I'm too old to get in?" I'm bordering on being too old to go clubbing. "But maybe if we went in Chicago-"

I finally yelled into the phone to get her attention. "RENEE! That won't work. It's not a vacation for me. I'll be spending most of my time working. I'll be too tired." I cut her off as she tried to interrupt again. "I'm making a stop in Seattle. I'll try to rearrange things so I can have a long weekend there, okay?"

"That would be fantastic, dollface!" What was with her calling me weird names? "We could spend the whole time together. I know of some great men for you to meet." I rolled my eyes. Renee's idea of a 'great man' couldn't be further from mine. Sometimes I'm surprised at how different we are. It would be a lie if I said I could relate to her.

"It may surprise you to know that I don't need my mom to introduce me to anyone. I'll be too busy for that kind of thing anyway. Please no set-ups, okay?" I wouldn't be past begging her to get her to lay off.

I shudder to think of the kind of man she would deem "right" for me.

"All right baby, well I gotta run, I have a yoga class in twenty. Make sure you call more, Charlie misses you. Muah! Love you sweetpea, bye!" Before I could get another word out, she hung up.

I cut the connection and sighed, knowing that what I said had no impact on her at all. Typical Renee. I gave up trying to figure out her plans and finished packing my bags. After a quick dinner and some reality TV in bed, with my phone within arms reach the whole time, I fell into a fitful sleep.

Swallowing my nerves along with a little pride after breakfast on Friday morning, I picked up the phone. I was disappointed when it went straight to voicemail.

"Hi, it's Bella. Ummm, I haven't heard from you, so I don't know if you still wanted to ride together or not. If you don't, it's no big deal... I just need to know. If I don't hear from you by one, I'll assume we're driving separate. Now I'll go because you've died after hearing this absurdly long message." I hung up quickly, wishing like hell I could erase that and start over. I opted to forget about it instead of pulling a 'Swingers' and scaring him by calling twenty times trying to fix it.

Taking a seat on the couch and opening up my laptop, I tried to keep busy instead of watching the clock. Checking my emails, I noted one from Alice, two from my mom, and one offering to increase the size of my penis. Hmm, maybe I'll forward that to Rose; Tapeworm would probably get a kick out of that one… Looking at Ali's note afterwards, I smiled when she wished me luck and told me to relax and 'go with my gut'. She also hinted that mentioning the auction would be a good idea. I deleted the message without replying and quickly scanned and sent off short replies to my mom.

After cleaning my inbox of unnecessary messages, I started killing time surfing the net. Remembering Emmett's comment about the 'snuggie sutra' site, I typed in the address and laughed my ass off at the different positions they offered. While trying to think up new ones of the site involving the snuggie, my doorbell rang.

When I opened up the front door, I was surprised to see Edward standing self-consciously on my doorstep. His hands were in his pockets, and he looked like a kid with his head bowed and rocking back and forth on his heels. My heart fell a little more when he looked up at me through his lashes and smiled.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked him quietly. It was strange to see him here. With a start, I realized that he looked like he belonged; dressed casually and looking me over the same way I was him.

"I thought we were going to ride together. Did you change your mind?" He looked and spoke as if he was confused.

"Didn't you get my message?" I was irritated, unprepared for what seeing him did to me. I was both elated and horrified to see him. I wasn't dressed right. I didn't have a chance to run a brush through my hair, or over my teeth for that matter. "Come on in, no need for you to be on the doorstep." I swept my hand to usher him in. He brushed by me, looking around at my place.

"I didn't get the message, Bella. I'm sorry. I had an early meeting, and I went home to grab my stuff and came straight here. I'm sorry, did you make other plans?" He looked genuinely sorry and perplexed about the situation.

He honestly has no idea why I'm upset. That made me feel a bit better. Maybe I just got my wires crossed.

"Why didn't you call this week? I mean up until now I didn't know if we were going together still or not." I tried not to let any frustration show, but by the way he looked at me, I guess I failed.

"What do you mean? We decided all this on Sunday. Why would I change my mind?" The look on his face, so lost and bewildered was so cute I couldn't help but melt a little.

"Yes Edward. Sunday," I emphasized the word, and spoke clearly to make sure he understood. "That was five days ago. A lot can happen in five days." His eyes widened a bit as what I said started to sink in. "It would have been nice if you had called or even emailed me to confirm we were still on for today." I felt bad for laying this on him, but if this were a date with another woman, she might be angry...

It made me wonder if he'd ever had a girlfriend or even dated. The thought of him on a date with another woman was making me nauseous. I knew I had no claim on him, but it bothered me to think of him with someone else. A guy as gorgeous as him has probably had his share of dates. My mood plummeted a bit at the realization, and I fidgeted with my clothes trying to push it away.

"O-oh umm, I-I don't know what to say." He pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants and looked down, clearly embarrassed and upset by the conversation. "I've been really busy this week trying to clear up a contract snag with a Chinese importer. I even had to send Jasper out there to work with them."

So that's why Alice has been all mopey this week. It explains a lot.

"But Bella, I really had every intention of going there with you. I still do I mean," he rushed out as he realized what he said sounded like he didn't want to come. "I've thought about it all week. Seeing you this weekend is the only thing that kept me from tearing my hair out." Blushing bright red at the admission, he looked down for a moment before shyly raising his head to lock eyes with me. "I'm sorry I didn't call. It was inconsiderate of me. I'll go if you want." He made a move toward the door, head back down.

"No Edward, wait," I sighed, not wanting to see him go, but not liking the manipulation technique to get me to give in. He had to have dated before to know that trick! "Let me freshen up real quick and we can go. I'll just be a minute."

"No need. You're beautiful just the way you are." I swore I heard him mumble as I went into the bathroom. My heart raced a little when I heard his comment. I studied myself in the mirror. Does he think I'm beautiful just the way I am?

After freshening up a bit and throwing on some less casual clothes, I grabbed my bags and went into the living room. Edward stood looking over the massive bookcase, oblivious to my presence. His mouth turned up into a smirk as he pulled one book in particular off the shelf.

"Yes I like sci-fi, too. I read anything," I laughed a bit when he yelped and tossed the book away from him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snoop," he looked guiltily at me, smiling when he saw I wasn't mad. He stooped down and picked up the fallen book, "I highly doubt Orwell would consider 1984 to be science fiction."

"What would you call it?" I questioned, genuinely interested in his answer. Of their own volition, my feet moved toward him until I stood close to his side. It wasn't often I got to debate books with someone, and I looked forward to the opportunity. I took the book from his hands and replaced it on the shelf, frowning when I noticed he had picked up my bags for the weekend. The book conversation would have to wait... "You don't need to do that. I can carry my own bags."

"Despite having to go to this seminar, my mom did teach me basic manners. Please allow me to demonstrate them for you." When he performed a mock bow, grinning boyishly, we both shook with laughter. It was wonderful to see him so relaxed and at ease with me. Normally it took him a while to settle in, but here it seemed like once we had finished with out quasi-argument, he lost the stuffiness altogether. I liked this side of him, very much… "Are you ready to go? We don't want to hit traffic."

"I'm all set. Let's motor." I knew the perils of navigating the roads north toward O'Hare Airport. The hotel and conference center were both located near the major airport that caused headaches on the road no matter what time of day you drove it.

After locking up, I followed Edward over to a car parked in front of my townhouse. It was the sexiest thing I had ever seen. Dark grey, the color of gunmetal, it sat low to the ground—sleek and dangerous looking. I was by no means a car expert, but I knew enough to know it wasn't a make that was seen often. He put my things in the trunk, leaning on it for a moment after shutting the door. I seriously almost checked my mouth for drool.

Damn, where is my camera? That is a photo-op if I ever saw one…

He opened the passenger door for me with a smirk, and I sank into the plush leather seat. If I thought only the outside was sexy, I was dead wrong. The black and tan two-toned leather seats and dashboard blended together seamlessly. It was totally modern and geeked out, with top of the line GPS and apparently a sound system because it thrummed out loudly when he turn on the car. Red-faced, he quickly turned down the music and apologized. Somehow, despite his shy exterior, this car screamed Edward, like it was custom made for him.

"This is some car. What is it?" I questioned, smiling when I saw his eyes light up.

"This, Bella, is a Fisker Karma. It's the first luxury four door plug-in hybrid. I ordered it over the summer and just got it a week ago. I've been dying to take it out for a nice run, and I'm glad we can." He grinned at me when he gunned the engine. "Wanna see what she can do?"

"It's beautiful. I can't wait to see what she's got." I smiled right back at him. I was happy to see him so excited. We quickly reached the highway, where he really opened her up. Thank goodness traffic was light, and there weren't any patrolmen around. My dad would throw a fit if he knew how fast we were going. I loved it though, and so did Edward by the way he smiled and hummed in appreciation. I had a vague thought of what else would get him to hum like that...

Down girl… My face suddenly felt hot when I realized the directions my thoughts had taken. Seeing him so relaxed, so confident in something was a major turn-on.

"Am I going too fast? Your face is all red." He looked over at me, concerned. My face only turned redder knowing he'd caught me having naughty thoughts about him. He started slowing down a bit, and I spoke quickly to stop him.

"No, it's not that! I was thinking about something else. Please don't slow down. This is fun," I looked out and saw that he was slowing down because it was time to turn off. He'd somehow turned a thirty minute trip into one that took just over fifteen. I was shocked. We never got to get back to our book discussion... "I can't believe we were going that fast. If I'd known, I wouldn't have suggested a hotel."

"Well, there wasn't a lot of traffic either. You know how this road gets. We're lucky it's not under construction again." We both laughed at that. It's a running joke to anyone living near the city that we have two seasons: winter and construction. We just happened to luck out on this one.

After pulling into the lot, Edward drove over and surprisingly parked next to the little shed they kept any outdoor necessities. I raised my eyebrow, questioning the parking spot. He smiled sheepishly and admitted the shed had an outlet, and the car needed to be plugged in. I was amazed that it could be recharged by a simple household plug.

"That's the genius of the car," he told me excitedly. "It's fast, which caters to my love of speed, and fuel efficient, which caters to my new outlook of going green. I can't lose!"

I smiled at his excitement over the car, and then fought him over carrying all of the bags. He finally relented and handed over two of the bags, scowling when I slung a third over my shoulder. Luckily, he was smart enough not to challenge me on it.

When we arrived at the check-in desk, he sidled past me and smiled at the woman behind the counter. She immediately straightened her shoulders and smiled seductively at him. I watched him closely, and snickered as he showed no sign of noticing; only asking that the room be paid by his credit card and not mine. When I protested, the woman looked at me strangely, and Edward simply ignored me.

They completed the process, the woman turning up the wattage on her smile full blast and pulling out every move she had to get him to notice. I swallowed a great deal of jealousy watching the interaction. When the task was complete, the woman placed the key cards in his hand and trailed her fingers along it, inviting him to "call her if he needs anything at all." She was completely mystified when he smiled at her innocently and said he'd be fine. Her mouth gaped when he simply walked away, his hand along my back, causing my body to tingle and my breathing to pick up as we followed the bellboy to our room.

We both unpacked and picked out which bed we wanted in record time. With nothing really left to do, we opted to call room service for a late lunch. Chatting idly as we ate, he told me about the problems with the contract he was having. In turn, I told him a little about the tour that I was preparing for. We both shuddered at the mention of all the media attention.

"I want my products to speak for themselves, but all the media sees is some young rich guy. I can't get past it, and I don't understand it," he vented to me, frustration radiating from his body. "It shouldn't matter how old I am, if I'm single, or how much money I have. The product should matter." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up even more.

"I know just what you mean. I'm sorry they focus so much on you. But you're a great catch, young, brilliant, handsome and wealthy. You're every girl's prince charming, and everything a parent wants for their daughter." He looked down sheepishly.

"You think I'm handsome?" He asked me shyly. I swallowed hard, mustering up the courage to answer him honestly.

"Edward," I said softly, "I thought you were cute when I first saw you sitting defiantly in Alice's waiting room. Seeing you after you left the salon, I was struck by how they had taken your cuteness and raised it up to handsome." He turned a little red and smiled at me to continue. I drew in a deep breath and told him, "When I saw you at the bar, you blew me away. You have no idea how hot women find you. The lady at the front desk practically offered you herself on the counter, and you didn't bat an eye." I almost laughed at the confused look on his face. "So yes, Edward, I find you incredibly handsome."

As soon as I finished admitting it, there was a knock at the door. I had completely forgotten about the massages I set up for us. Grateful in that it got me out of having to go any further with our talk, I watched him as he walked to the door. Edward let in the two ladies, and looked confused about their appearance.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. I arranged for us to get massages to help relax us for the weekend." I looked at the ladies setting up two tables in the sitting area of the room. "Umm, excuse me, but why are there two of you? I was going to take a bath and let him go first." One of the ladies looked at me strangely.

"No, no, a couples' massage is done together. You relax together." I looked at Edward in horror.

"I didn't ask for a couples' massage. I asked for two massages. There's a difference," I explained slowly.

"I'm sorry, we're all booked up. You can either have the together, or one can go without. I'm sorry for the mix-up," she said sincerely.

"You can go ahead Bella. I don't need one. It was thoughtful of you though. I can wait downstairs if you like," he offered, not looking at me.

"Well, I can tell that neither one of us will give in, right?" When he nodded, I continued, "What will it hurt to get them at the same time? I'll change in the bathroom and hop in here first, then you follow. Deal?"

At his nod, I grabbed a robe and disappeared to change. In no time at all, we were side by side on the tables, sighing in pleasure as the women manipulated our muscles into submission.

"I never realize how tense I am until I have one of these," I told him, moaning a bit when the masseuse hit a particularly sore spot. I opened my eyes to see his darkened orbs watching me hungrily.

"I've never had one," he replied softly, still holding my gaze, the hunger turning into something else. Is that longing? I was beginning to read him better, but I wasn't sure about this look. Eventually, he closed his eyes, breaking the hold he had on me. I mimicked him, and soon dozed off to a happy place.

"Bella, you need to wake up. The ladies need their table back," a voice whispered softly in my ear, the breath blowing strands of hair onto my face. I groaned and stretched a little, starting to pull myself into a sitting position. Before I got too far up, something was thrown over my back. I turned beet red, realizing I was still topless and had almost flashed him. Quickly thrusting my arms into the sleeves, I tied the garment closed and snuck a peek at Edward, who was gallantly turned away from me.

The ladies waved me off when I tried to thank them with a tip, assuring me it was already taken care of. I glared at Edward, who was trying—and failing—at looking innocent. I stomped to the bathroom in a huff, trying to calm down while I changed into my pajamas. I gave myself the standard pep talk about accepting gifts graciously, something I always had trouble with. By the time I emerged, I was calm and apologetic to Edward about my behavior. He smiled at me, a small, hopeful smile, promising me that it was fine.

Thanking him, I suggested we try for sleep. I had a feeling tomorrow would be a long day.


Edward and I entered the room on Saturday evening, exhausted and starving. Opting for room service once again, we both took turns changing and using the rest room. Sitting down to our meal, we rehashed the day.

The morning started out fine. I woke to the alarm, showering quickly and moving quietly so I wouldn't disturb Edward sleeping in the other bed. By the time I emerged, he was half awake, smiling sleepily at me. He hopped into the shower while I ordered us a quick breakfast. We ate and then left for the convention center.

While checking in, we took the opportunity to check out who would be partaking of the seminar with us. We saw men and women from what seemed to be all walks of life, and were happy that crowd seemed to be of the younger sort. I commented to Edward that we may get lucky and have a good time.

I realized I spoke too soon the moment Alistair came up to the podium. The man was much older than us and dressed like a professor in a tweed jacket complete with elbow pads and corduroy pants, both in a basic, boring brown. His salt and pepper hair was combed neatly into a style that was popular back in the fifties. I nearly groaned aloud when he started to speak.

He spoke in a monotone, making the subject matter even drier than before. When Edward leaned over to whisper, "Bueller…. Bueller…" it took everything I had not to laugh aloud. We hoped that lunch would offer a respite from the intensely boring man, but it was a false hope soon dashed when he announced it was the perfect time to brush up on table manners at lunch meetings. The rest of the day was spent listening to him drone on about the right type of handshake and how not to offend someone.

"I don't think I can face another day of this," Edward whined a bit after dinner. "Do you think we can sneak off?" He brightened at the idea.

"No can do Big E," I hated to see the smile replaced with a pout, but it was for his own good. "We need that certificate tomorrow. If we bail, we have to do this all over again."

"Well if I have to go through this again tomorrow, you have to do something for me." He looked nervously at me.

"Umm, I have to do it too you know! But I'll bite, what is it you want," I was insanely curious as to what he wanted.

"There's this charity auction in a couple of weeks. My family has always been big contributors to the cause, and this year they've asked I make an appearance due to the size of my donation. I don't think I can do it alone. Will you do me the honor of accompanying me please?" He looked so nervous and earnest, that even if I wanted to turn him down, there was no way I would.

"Wait… Is that the one for literacy?" When he nodded, I smiled at him. "I'm already going, but I'd love to go with you." When I agreed, he looked like the kid from A Christmas Story when he opened the rifle he'd been asking for. We smiled goofily at each other for a couple minutes before opting to watch a movie before bed.

I was a bundle of nerves as we settled down on our separate beds to watch the movie. He gave me control of the remote and I quickly scanned the on-screen guide for the pay-per-view selection. Not satisfied, I looked on the cable channels, emitting a small cry of glee when I saw that Real Genius was about to start. He smiled his approval when I questioned him, and we sat back to enjoy the show.

About halfway through, I noticed he kept shifting on his bed, trying to get a better angle on the screen. I debated for a moment and, before my nerves could get the best of me, invited him over to sit next to me.

The bed dipped when he sat, and I looked over to find him smiling sheepishly at me. When I asked what was wrong, he admitted to being hungry. I rolled my eyes and ordered some dessert, jumping up to answer the door and tip the server before he could. He rolled his eyes at me, but soon we were dipping into our desserts.

A small spoon war started when he tried to steal a bite from me, but I emerged victorious. He offered me a bite of his cheesecake as a peace offering and once again we settled back to watch the movie.

We were strange, like high school kids, sitting next to each other, stiff, neither one touching, but both seeming to desperately want to. Finally I just relaxed and laid my head on his shoulder. I drifted off to sleep inhaling his unique, musky scent.

I woke in the middle of the night in an uncomfortable position. I remembered the movie and looked over to see if Edward was in my bed. It was empty, and I heard a light snore from the other bed. I was both relieved and upset he wasn't next to me. I lay back down, frustrated I couldn't sort out my feelings for him.

Glancing at the clock, I noted it was three in the morning. I decided to think more on my feelings tomorrow, and rolled over to sleep. Twenty minutes later, I got up and quietly snuck over to Edward's bed. He moved restlessly around, but didn't wake up. I kissed him lightly on the forehead, my feelings for him suddenly crystal clear. Without a doubt in my mind, I was falling hard. I could only hope he was doing the same.

Sunday was more of the same, but instead of just listening we were required to practice what we learned. Edward kept me laughing the whole time by being overly formal.

One particular "practice session" we had involved us meeting and interacting with new people in a "formal setting". I knew this would come in handy for the auction, so I decided to actually try, elbowing Edward until he complied as well. The decision was quickly reversed, however, once we met our group…

I was the first to shake Steve "Sweaty Palms" hand. I caught Edward's snicker as I surreptitiously looked for a napkin or a beach towel to use to wipe my hand off. I had the last laugh however, when it came time for Edward to "meet" Steve. The look of horror and disgust he desperately tried to hide while shaking his hand and making small talk caused me to laugh way too hard at "Lipstick" Lisa's silly dog joke.

Once I made my way over to Edward, napkin in hand, he made me promise not to leave his side again. To make his point, once he wiped off Steve's palm sweat, he took my hand in his and kept it there. A strange humming sensation went through my body at the contact, and increased whenever he randomly stroked the outside of my thumb with his. His shoulder bumped mine, and when I looked up at him, I found he leaned down toward my ear.

His breath sent a shiver down my spine and when he whispered that if I needed a mirror, I could always use Bob's bald spot, it took me a moment to get the joke. My shoulders shook with laughter that I knew was wrong, but I couldn't help myself, mainly because of how true it was. Alistair gave us the stink eye, causing us to laugh even more. After another grueling day, we finally received our certificates and wasted no time packing up and heading home.

He helped me carry my bags into my house and lingered a little for coffee. He kept fidgeting and drumming his hands on the table. When I called him out, he looked at me startled.

"I can't take this anymore!" He literally shouted at me, making me spill my coffee on the table. After a quick mop-up of the mess, he took my hand in his and after a deep breath said to me, "I don't want to wait two weeks to see you again. Would you please have dinner with me this week?"

"I would love to have dinner with you, anytime," we smiled at each other and he stood, still holding my hand. I led him to the door, where he kissed my hand and promised to call me tomorrow evening.

After he left, I indulged in a girly squee and skipped to my room to unpack and get ready for bed. I fell asleep, once again dreaming of Edward.

Okay... I know it didn't go they way I thought, but I hope you all liked it. Yes, we'll see A&J next chapter, and will they seal the deal? Hmmm, we'll see!! If you review, I'm more likely to spill little secrets. What am I reading you ask? Well, On the Inside of Love will be back soon and it's better than ever! Go refresh or read for the first time and enjoy! Also, A Woman Scorned is a fairly new fic, 5 chapters in, that I so love!! Revengella is so funny! Leave me love!!