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To bring you up to speed on the haps so far –

Edward confronted Bella about their feelings for one another, which Bella denies. Edward sought Emmett's advice about the whole situation. Emmett tells him to either enjoy himself with 'the mystery girl' or cut her loose. Bella, meanwhile, sought Alice's advice. Alice thinks she should give her 'mystery guy' a chance. Edward is cutting Bella off until she admits her feelings for him; Bella is more determined than ever to keep their relationship strictly sexual. Bella and Alice are meeting friends to catch a movie. Edward is invited but he may not show.

What happens next? Read on…

Thanks as always to my Twilighted beta vjgm and CullenDLite for their help with this fic. As always, read, review, and recommend to other Twihards who love smut as much as I do.

Enjoy!


EPOV

~Present Day~

I think I may have lost my mind…

I can't believe I let Alice talk me into going out tonight…against my better judgment, of course.

After what had happened between Bella and me this morning, I didn't want to put myself in another awkward situation.

But when Alice called me this afternoon and basically begged me to come out tonight, how could I have said no?

I promised Allie I'd be here tonight.

I never break my promises.

But the Beehive, Allie? Really? I wouldn't expect this to be her kind of place. It reminds me more of Gargamel's castle than your 'friendly neighborhood watering hole'. This is my first time here and it's not making the best impression on me.

I found an empty seat at the bar and scanned the room for Alice and Bella. Luckily, I found them quickly, seated by the fireplace in the back.

Given the mood of the night, I thought it would be in my best interest to grab a drink before I walked over to their table. I turned back toward the bar and flagged down one of the barhands, hoping to grab the first of many beers tonight.

I caught the attention of a tall, lanky guy with Marilyn Manson hair and a barbell nose piercing to match. He looked at me as if he wanted to eat me rather than serve me alcohol. He placed his palms flat against the bar and towered over my slight frame, his stare deadly.

"Can I help you?" His deep timbre reminded me of Lurch from the Addams Family.

Really, Alice?

"Um, excuse me…" – I quickly searched for a nametag – "Lars… can I get a Rolling Rock?"

"No," he snapped and turned his back on me.

What the fuck?

I knew I was going to have my hands full with Bella tonight but I wasn't in the mood for Lars and his refusal to help me get drunk…

"We don't serve any of that domestic piss they call beer here," he said as he turned back toward me. "Here, preppie," he added, sliding a plastic-covered drink menu across the bar. "If you want a real beer, I would suggest the Rochefort 10 – Belgian beer at its best…."

Lars was right… imported beers only. Not an American draft on the list.

Now I see why Alice loves this place. It's almost as pretentious as she is….

"Alright, Lars. Rochefort it is."

He disappeared under the bar for a brief moment before rising to his feet and placing the dark brown glass bottle on the bar. Lars popped the top with his bare hands and slid the cold, wet bottle over to me. I stared at the swirls of mist that escaped the tapered bottleneck, the condensation on the bottle's surface forming heavy drops of water that fell clumsily from bottletop to label… the dark, fruity aroma of the brew reminiscent of some of the finest wines…

"What are you waiting for, preppie?"

It seemed that Lars was getting impatient.

I threw him a look and saw the hint of a challenge in his eyes.

I refused to let Lars punk me.

So, I picked up the bottle and took my first sip.

Sweet, rich, full-bodied …perfection. Lars definitely knows his beer.

"I stand corrected, Lars," I told him, tipping the bottle in his direction. "This is pretty good. Thanks."

"Welcome to the Beehive," he smiled before wiping down the counter in front of me and moving on to help his next patron.

I put the bottle to my lips and tipped it toward the ceiling, taking another hearty sip of beer. The fruity-sweet scent and smooth taste of the Rochefort was very deceiving. I could taste the alcohol; one or two more of these would get me drunk fast.

I rotated the seat of my barstool to get a better look at my sister and my…

My sister's best friend. I can't think of her as anymore than that.

Maybe Emmett was right. If she doesn't want a relationship with me, then there are plenty other women out there who would.

But look at her…

Bella is beautiful in every sense of the word. Yes, she is physically attractive; I'm not denying that… especially tonight. Her hair cascaded over her bare shoulders, her lilac sweater hugging the soft curves of her breasts, waist, and hips. Her legs were crossed at the knees, dark blue denim gracing her long, toned limbs. Simple yet stately black heels adorned her feet, accentuating the muscles of her calves and the ballerina-like arch of her feet.

But this was not the Bella I fell hard for.

I'm not talking about the seductress who makes me hard with a simple glance… or the woman whose touch brings me to my knees every time.

I'm talking about the sweet and gentle soul who always had a few kind words in her heart… or one of her mother's various healing stones to counter my negative thoughts.

She has saved me more times that I can count.

All of the time we shared together as kids… all of the nights we comforted each other with our words, not our bodies….

Does she even remember?

I could see glimpses of the Bella I used to know as she talked to Alice. Whatever they were talking about must have been interesting; Alice was leaning forward on her palms, staring intently at Bella as she talked about her day. Bella was animated one minute, dejected the next…. smiling brightly one moment, pensive and resigned the next. She always talked with her hands and I see that habit hadn't disappeared over time. Bella was constantly fidgeting in her seat, her physical posture changing throughout their conversation.

I wonder what she did today…. Did she go to campus to work on her portfolio? Did she obsessively tidy up her place like the OCD girl I used to know? Did she take her time thinking about what she should wear tonight? Did she think about me?

I'll admit; I have thought about her. And sitting here now, I can't help thinking about our nights together. The stolen glances, the discrete touches, the gentle kisses to body parts that rarely see the light of day….

God, I wanted to touch her…

But I knew what I had to do. I had to hold out until I knew exactly how she feels about me. Sex with Bella was never cheap or meaningless to me. It's not fair to either of us if we continue with our current "arrangement". She deserves better than that… and I want to be the one who gives it to her.

"Lars," I called, swiveling back around in my chair. "I need another."

"Clearly," he stated matter-of-factly. "Someone has obviously caught your eye." He nodded toward the girls.

"That's my sister, Alice."

"Yeah, I know Allie – a real firecracker, that girl. But I was talking about her friend."

I turned to see Bella leaning on the arm of her chair, gazing into the warm, inviting fire.

God, she is beautiful…

"Yes, she has," I smiled to my friend.

"I think she needs a refill…."

"Can you get her a glass of your best white zinfandel? One for Allie, too."

"No problem," he replied as he grabbed another Rochefort from under the bar.

I took a swig from my second beer.

"Hey, preppie…"

"Yeah, Lars?" He was already pouring the wine for the girls.

I'm really starting to like this guy.

"Since you wanna make a good impression on the girl, I'll ask Glen to take these drinks over for you. Hey, Glen!"

Glen, a slender-built guy with bleach-streaked brown hair, made his way toward us from the other end of the bar.

"Take these over to Allie and her friend. Tell 'em they're 'on the house'."

"Got it," Glen called out over his shoulder as he took the drinks over to the girls' table.

I followed Glen with my eyes until he arrived at the fireside table. Alice was clearly excited about the free drinks; on the other hand, Bella was in a state of shock. She took one sip and looked toward the bar. When our eyes met, I raised my bottle high and smiled broadly.

Bella understood the significance of my wine choice and was not amused.

Time to face the music, I guess…

I rose to my feet, smoothing down the buttons of my charcoal grey oxford as I stood. Grabbing my beer, I made my way through the crowd of drinkers until I finally reached the girls.

"Slim fit looks great on you. Calvin Klein?"

Only Alice would greet me with a critique of my attire.

"No, baby sis," I smiled. "Ralph Lauren."

"My good taste is finally rubbing off on you," she beamed as I leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hi, Bella," I whispered.

"Hi," she replied, trying very hard not to look in my direction.

Alice was eager to butt in. "Thank you for the wine, by the way. Do you wanna sit with us?"

"If you don't mind, Bella," I asked, not wanting to make her too uncomfortable.

"I don't mind," she said flippantly. Her nonchalance was mildly infuriating.

I grabbed a high-back chair from the table next to us and turned it so that I could straddle its seat. I rested my crossed arms along the top of the chair back, feigning casualness. In actuality, my moves were very calculated and I was extremely uneasy sitting between two of my favorite girls.

"Eddie, I am so glad you came out tonight. I worry about you, you know…"

"What do you mean, 'worry', Alice?"

"You never come out with us. You're always holed up in that room of yours," she whined.

"I like the quiet. Can't a man be alone with his thoughts once in a while?" I took a quick pull of my drink.

"You spend way too much time alone with your thoughts and not enough time with the opposite sex. When's the last time you got laid?"

I practically choked on my drink. I knew she was joking but she had no idea that her comment hit a little too close to home. "Allie, you're my sister and I love you… but that is none of your business."

"I thought so…," she replied matter-of-factly.

"But I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are," Allie smiled. "We'll have fun tonight. I promise."

We'll see about that…

"So," I began, "who's coming out with us tonight?"

As always, Allie was quick to chime in. "Well… it's the three of us, my photographer Jazz, Bella's friend Lee… is Emmett coming?"

I chuckled, thinking of Emmett's response when I asked him earlier. "No, he's not coming unless there was a hot girl waiting for him."

Bella and Allie exchanged an interesting look. I let it go.

"No hot girls here… besides us, of course," Alice beamed. "Maybe he can come meet us at the Alley later on? He might find someone more his 'type' there..."

Oh, yes, the Alley. Good for late night drinks and dancing. A lot of pretty girls get drunk there – Em's type indeed.

"I'll text him and let him know." I whipped out my phone and began to type my message.

"Bells, you should invite that new guy friend of yours…."

A new guy?

My head popped up so fast that I almost caught whiplash. "A new guy, Bella?"

Bella lowered her head, continuing to avoid my eyes.

"Allie, I don't wanna –"

"But, Bella, you said –"

"I didn't know you were seeing someone, Bella," I interjected.

I had to know.

She turned to me and met my eyes for the first time tonight. "It's nothing serious, Edward."

Alice was practically bouncing in her seat. "Oh, really, Bells? From the way you talked about him earlier, I beg to differ." Allie looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.

Bella's eyes set like lasers on my baby sis. "Alice, can we drop it… please?"

I raised my hand to Alice in a stop-like gesture. "It's okay, Allie. If she doesn't want to share, she doesn't have to share." I turned my attention to Bella once again. "I'm happy for you." I gave her a genuine smile but my eyes probably told another story.

"Um… thank you," she mumbled, her eyes darting from mine to stare into the fire once again.

The table became quiet. I took a sip of my beer as Allie finished her glass of zinfandel.

Once Allie finished her drink, she jumped to her feet. "I need to freshen up, guys. I'll be right back."

Bella and I mumbled our replies and watched Allie weave her way through the crowd.

Once Allie was out of earshot, I felt compelled to ask…

"Should I be jealous or what?" I smiled, hoping to ease some of the tension at the table.

"Edward, it's not what you think," Bella rebutted, lowering her head and shaking it in response.

"Oh, really? Alice seems to believe so…."

"I don't want to talk about this right now…."

"Bella, if you're seeing someone, you can tell me. It's okay."

It's not okay but I'll pretend that it is if that's what you want….

With a huff, Bella adjusted herself in her seat. She shifted her body in my direction and leaned toward me conspiratorially. "I was talking about you, okay?"

Me?

"Me?" I was fucking stunned.

"Yes," she hissed at me, peering over my head to see if Alice was on her way back to the table yet.

I whispered back. "But I thought we weren't supposed to talk about our relationship."

Bella snapped back quickly. "I didn't tell her it was you, Edward."

Oh. Well, that changes things….

"So, what did you tell her?"

"Nothing of consequence. Girl talk, nothing more."

"I see…," I nodded in understanding. But there was one thing that still wasn't clear to me.

"But why can't you talk to me about our relationship?"

"Edward," she sighed, lowering her head in defeat. "Don't start this tonight…."

"Bella," I whispered, covering her hands with mine as they lay in her lap. "Stop running away from this," I told her, shaking her hands for emphasis.

"There's nothing to run away from, Edward." She lifted her head and met my pleading gaze. Her eyes were black and cold. Her jaw was set. Her voice dripped with venom as she put the final nail in my coffin:

"Like I said before… it's nothing serious."

I leaned toward her, giving her a cold stare of my own.

"I don't believe you."

We stared each other down until we heard Alice's sing-song voice carry across the crowded room. We broke apart quickly, the both of us still a bit shaken by our conversation.

"I'm back," Alice sang, grabbing her coat from the back of her chair. "We need to start walking over, guys. Jazz and Lee are going to meet us at the theater in a few minutes. You ready?" Alice asked, turning to her old friend first.

"Sure. Let's go," Bella answered, bounding out of her chair quickly. She grabbed her coat and hurriedly downed the last of her glass of wine. My eyes followed her as she walked toward the door.

"Eddie?" Alice still hovered above me, an expectant look on her face.

"Of course, Allie," I told her. I swallowed my pride (and the last of my beer), pushed myself away from the table, and wrapped my right arm around my sister's shoulders.

As the three of us left the Beehive to make the trek to the Landmark, my mind drifted back to the conversation Bella and I had a few moments ago.

Our conversation may have been interrupted but it was far from over.

Bella has some serious explaining to do. She can lie to herself but she can't lie to me.

But I guess we don't have time to talk about it now.

We had friends to meet.


Ooooooh… it's showtime! Can't wait to see what happens in Chapter 13 – Bella POV. Will Edward keep his promise to himself? Will NaughtyBella make an appearance at the movie theater? I guess we'll have to wait until next time. If you're not on story alert, I would definitely recommend signing up for the next update.… I promise you it will be gooooooood.

Whadya think? Show me some love!

'Til next time….

-dye