So... here's chapter thirteen! I think I'm going to update... when you help me reach 180 reviews =]

it won't be that hard and i promise there won't be any unkept promises from now on. =))

13.

"Is that Jeremiah Cullen?" Zoe was flabbergasted at the sight of Edward's older brother, who was apparently a hotshot businessman. The Cullen siblings were standing with Tanya Denali (of course, Bella thought) by the entrance. "I cannot believe he decided to check on the production!"

Bella took a sip of her margarita then shrugged. "I can't believe Edward has a brother" she mumbled, her lips glued to the rim of her drink. The whole team was hanging out at the hotel bar, near the buffet hall, for some well-deserved loosening-up. It had already been more than two weeks since they first arrived in sunny California, and everything was nearly done.

Zoe rotated her metal stool to look at Bella. "You didn't know?" she asked, not judgmental but genuinely curious. "His name practically pops up everywhere!"

Bella sighed then swiveled her chair around so that she could prop her hand on the bar counter. "Yeah, well, I'm not much of a prominent-figures-enthusiast"

Her friend pursed her lips, trying to hide a smile. Before she could comment, Chris took a seat beside Bella then said, "Mind if I join you ladies for some drinks?"

Zoe brought her fruit-sangria to her lips then waved at him. "We don't mind. Right, Bella?"

Bella turned to Chris then nodded. She lazily waved her drink in the air then giggled. "What's up, Chris?"

Chris shrugged then took a sip of his beer. "Nothing much" he said. After taking a drink, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand then grinned. "How about you..?"

Bella lifted her drink a little then shrugged. "Well, I'm currently enjoying my margarita."

Her friend arched a brow. "I can see that," he joked. She laughed.

"Man, I really am stressed out" she mumbled, taking another sip of her drink. She didn't mention her reason because she knew it would make it awkward between them.

Her reason, you ask?

Edward

The music changed from jazz to blues.

"Ah, crap, the music's making me feel woozy" Zoe whined, putting down her drink. "I think I should go upstairs now."

Bella also put down her drink then groaned. "You go on ahead. I'll stay for a little while" she mumbled.

Chris leaned closer then eyed Bella suspiciously. "Are you really starting to feel wasted?" he asked, amusement dripping in his voice.

Bella rolled her eyes then made a mock-disgusted expression. She wrinkled her nose. "Jeez, Chris...Your breath smells like musty beer," she whined.

He arched a brow. "Do you want me to tell you what yours smells like?" he challenged. Bella shook her head.

Then her vision began to blur a little. She blinked then shook her head again. "I think it's time for me to go" she said, almost to herself.

Chris looked worried. "Are you capable of going up alone?" he asked. Bella nodded her head then slowly slipped off the metal stool.

Her lilac long-sleeved wool dress hitched up a little mid-thigh and she made a move of pulling them back in its place. She waved goodbye to Chris then made her way to the exit.

When she got to the elevators, she pressed the UP button then waited. She didn't notice that someone was walking towards her.

"You easily get drunk, don't you?" a smooth voice teased. Bella turned to see Edward grinning at her. She narrowed her eyes, making her vision blur again.

"Why are you here?" her voice was a little raspy when she questioned him, her vision still blurry.

He was silent for second. "I saw you staggering back there," he jabbed a thumb in the direction of the bar, "and I wanted to make sure you got to your room safe."

Bella blushed then automatically looked down. "Um, thanks" she mumbled. She turned to face the elevators once again so that Edward wouldn't see her expression.

Finally, the double-doors opened and Bella and Edward stepped inside. Bella silently thanked God for the random stranger inside with them. She wasn't in the right state of mind to be alone with Edward, and she knew she would end up embarrassing herself if they were.

When they got to their designated floor, they stepped out. Bella accidentally tripped on a dented part of the rug, making Edward automatically wrap his arms around her.

"You okay, Bella?" he whispered in her ear, making her shiver and blush at the same time. She nodded curtly then stood up straight.

"Thanks" she mumbled then continued to walk through the narrow hallway. It made her feel uncomfortable knowing Edward was just behind her, making sure she didn't trip again. So she kept silent and prayed that she would get to her room as quick as possible.

When she reached her room, she turned to Edward. "Thanks for accompanying me" she said sheepishly. She prepared to get her keycard from her bag but Edward suddenly put a hand on her wrist, stopping her. She looked up and furrowed her brows.

He immediately retracted his hand from her wrist and intently looked at her. "I just want you to know I'm still not finished with you" he said seriously.

Bella blushed then turned away. She swiftly inserted her key in the keyhole on the door. The lock let out a click, signaling that the door was now open. She turned the handle then opened the door. Once she was inside, she said, not looking at him, "I know, Edward."

Then she closed the door behind her. She let out a sigh then made her way towards her bed. She immediately plopped on it, not bothering to change into sleepwear. She was damn too tired to do so.

0*0*0

The next day…

Bella was laying face-down on her bed, the comforter crumpled by her feet. She had been tossing and turning in her sleep, which she normally did when she got carried away with her dreams.

Last night, she had dreamt of an unidentifiable figure from a distance. It was just standing there, completely oblivious of her watching from afar. She didn't know what that meant, but it made her uneasy for some reason… hence, explaining the moving in the bed.

When Bella tried to open her eyes, all she could see were blurred things. She could barely look at her hands because of her hang-over.

She tried to remember how many drinks she consumed last night. She groaned at herself stupidly. She had consumed five margaritas.

"Mmm, Bella..?" Zoe's words were slurred. "You still there..?"

"I am," Bella slurred back, immediately putting a hand on her throbbing head. "What time is it..?"

With her eyes closed, she could hear Zoe noisily rummaging her bedside table. A few moments later, Zoe said, "It's already ten-fifteen."

"I'm hungry," Bella whined, rubbing her flat stomach.

"Ditto... do you know any place we can buy something to eat?"

Bella nodded. "Chris showed me a great hotdog stand by the pier."

"I'll take it. I'm really hungry"

Both rolled off their bed, accidentally landing faces-first on the carpet. They groaned in unison and stayed there for a moment before deciding to pull themselves up.

"If I didn't have such a bad-ass hang-over, I would've laughed until my sides hurt" Zoe groaned, rubbing her thighs.

…

Minutes later, the two managed to slip on tank tops and board shorts so they could roam the town. They slipped on their shades then braved the sunny outside-world. Bella led the way to the hotdog stand where Chris brought her yesterday. She ordered the usual then they decided to hang by the boats.

"Ohmigod, this is awesome" Zoe grinned, taking a hungry bite of her foot-long.

"I had the same reaction yesterday" Bella laughed. "I'm glad Chris let me taste it"

"I am definitely having this as much as I can," Zoe laughed. "Our time is almost up. We're going to leave by the end of next week, right?"

Bella nodded glumly. She was going to miss the fresh sea breeze slamming on her face and the sounds of the cascading waves. "I can't believe I'm going back to New York a week from now."

"And me to Seattle" Zoe groaned. Then she propped one hand on the railings and looked at Bella curiously. "Speaking of New York, are you and Edward Cullen going to work together—again—in the future?"

Bella bit her lip. She began twirling her fingers together; making it obvious she was nervous and embarrassed. "I doubt it."

"Don't be so negative" her friend countered. "Look. I know it might be wrong to eavesdrop, but I kind of overheard from the staff that you two have awesome chemistry on camera"

Bella blushed.

"And I agree. So why not turn it into reality and go out with the guy?" Zoe was blunt, but Bella knew she had a point.

But Zoe didn't know that Edward already has a girlfriend—a pretty powerful one at that. "I don't think that's possible" she mumbled.

She heard Zoe groan. "Christ," she muttered. "Is it because you think there's something between him and Tanya Denali?!"

I don't think, I know, Bella said mentally. She was about to retort when she heard an alluring laugh from afar. The girls turned around to see Edward Cullen grinning amusedly at them.

Zoe smirked then slyly walked away, "I'm guessing he'll explain it to you," she whispered to Bella as she passed her.

Bella's jaw dropped. She could feel the heat rush to her cheeks. "Edward?" she gasped.

Edward ignored her outburst then walked towards her. "Let me get this straight," he said, trying to sound serious. But he ended up sounding utterly amused. Well, he actually was… and Bella wasn't sure why. "You think I'm in a relationship with Tanya?"

Bella pretended to be unperturbed… when the truth was, she was downright feeling intimidated. She pursed her lips. "Well…" she started, but Edward cut her off.

"Tanya Denali, Bella," Edward sounded like he was talking to a slow person. "Is my brother's fiancée"

Bella felt her jaw drop even lower than before. "f-fiancée..?" she sputtered, blinking profusely. "Are you sure?"

"Are you serious?!" Edward asked, laughing as he did. Bella narrowed her eyes then pursed her lips. She was blushing to the extreme, and he laughing at her didn't help one bit.

"People can make mistakes, you know" she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "You don't have to rub it in."

Edward's laugh faded a little then he pursed his lips. He leaned closer then gently tugged a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry. I just can't help it."

Bella looked up at him then blushed. He began to look a bit serious now.

"And here I thought Chris Adams had something to do with you refusing me," he mumbled.

"Huh?"

He shook his head. "Bella, I've been doing all kinds of things for you to like me" he explained, intensity growing in his green eyes. "Because I really like you"

"Y-you like me?" she stammered, her blushing uncontrollable now. He nodded.

Then he leaned closer, until their noses were touching. Bella impulsively opened her mouth.

He pressed his lips to hers, softly at first… then it wasn't so gentle anymore. Their mouths moved furiously in synchronization, both of them with the goal of taking in as much as they could.

Bella moaned on his lips, making him kiss her more urgently. Normally, she would've freaked out. But she couldn't find the will to pull away.

Okay, fine. She was going to admit it.

She liked Edward Cullen—a lot.

The intensity of the kiss grew, and she had to press her back onto the railings so that she wouldn't accidentally collapse.

When the kiss ended a few moments later, they were breathing hard. Edward pressed his forehead to Bella's then they both grinned.

0*0*0

This is a preview for the next chapter:

She stopped dead on her tracks when she saw Edward standing in front of her apartment. He was apparently waiting for someone… for her, perhaps?

She felt her stomach lurch. She cleared her throat as loud as she could so that Edward would notice she was there. It worked and he instantly turned his head. He grinned his irresistible crooked grin then walked towards her. "Hey" he said, sounding pretty normal.

Bella half-smiled then unconsciously played with the hem of her metallic gray blouse. "Um, why are you here?" she asked nervously.

He arched a brow. Bella mentally gulped. He was onto her, and she knew it. "What, can't a guy visit his girlfriend?" he teased.

Bella blushed at the word 'girlfriend' and she felt more rotten. "We need to talk" she blurted. Her words made his expression change from amusement to confusion.

Sorry but there's still more to MLA. In the next chapter, they've already gone home so that explains the 'apartment' thing.

Well, I hope you'll keep on the lookout for the next installments! =]