Chapter Notes: I'm sorry I made y'all wait so long for an update. (On the up side, at least it wasn't as long as the last time!) Shit happened that made me not want to even think about this story, much less write it, but I realized that I owed it to all of you who have stuck by me and this story to keep it going. None of that shit matters, anyway. So this chapter, and every chapter, is dedicated to you. You're the reason I had the drive to continue writing this story all the way through, and you'll be my drive to finish it. As usual, thank you to my lovah, Hannah. She was awesome enough to beta this chapter for me so that I could get it out for you guys. My regular beta has gone MIA! Anyway, enjoy, babies. xx

Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to SMeyer. I own nothing but my thoughts...and sometimes, it feels like I don't even own those. But I digress.


-E-

"Alright, what's your problem? Something is up."

I looked up from my cup of coffee, slightly startled. Alice was staring at me expectantly, one eyebrow raised, waiting for me to answer her. I darted my eyes from side to side, shaking my head subtly.

"There's no problem," I replied, taking a sip of my coffee.

"You're acting suspicious," she stated, her eyebrows furrowing.

"You're reading too much into things," I countered.

"Don't lie to me, you ass," she growled, then leaned across the table quickly to flick me in the forehead. I hissed in protest, rubbing the injury as I glared at her.

"Was that really necessary?"

"For liars, yes," she replied calmly.

"I'm not lying to you!" I slammed my hands on the table in exasperation. "My God, have you always been such a pain in my ass?"

"I'd like to think so." She gave me a cheeky grin and I rolled my eyes, unable to stop the smirk forming on my lips. "Seriously, though, what's going on? I know you, and I know...this" - she waved her hand up and down, referring to my posture - "so I think after over a decade of friendship, I know when something's up with you."

I sighed and picked at the plastic lid on my coffee cup.

"This is difficult for me," I muttered. I inhaled deeply and puffed my cheeks as I exhaled slowly. "Alright. I need your help with...something." I peeked up at her from under my eyelashes and she was staring back at me with raised eyebrows, motioning for me to continue.

"What is this 'something' you speak of?"

"Um...Bella," I mumbled, swallowing thickly.

"Bella?" she repeated.

"Yeah. I, uh...I need your help in figuring out how to win her back. Clearly nothing I do is working. I got the 'we should just be friends and forget anything happened' speech." I cringed slightly at the memory as I took another sip of coffee.

"That's not what she wants."

"Oh, I think it is. She's all over that stupid MUB now."

"I know females, Edward. And you should know by now that when women say things like that, they want the exact opposite. It's a test, intentionally or not. She wants to see if you're serious about being with her – if you'll fight for her."

"Well that's stupid," I said bluntly. "I already laid shit out for her. What's the point of rejecting me if she didn't mean it?"

"Who knows," she said with a shrug. "That's just how it is. There's no use in questioning it. Wait, what the hell is a MUB?"

"Metro Undie Boy," I elaborated. "This stupid guy she met on the plane that's up her ass now. He's ridiculous."

"Jealous, are we?" she questioned with a grin.

"Hardly," I scoffed. "He's just not her type. She can do better."

"Like you, I suppose?"

"Obviously."

She laughed and shook her head at me, pushing her empty coffee cup back and forth between her hands. "Okay, so you need help. Why exactly was that hard for you?"

"Well...c'mon, Ali. I don't want to sound arrogant or anything, but I've never exactly had an issue with a girl I want not wanting me. I know I haven't been involved in a significant amount of romantic endeavors, but shit. I'm usually having to run away from them, not chase them down."

"Way to stay humble," she said sarcastically. "And by the way, that sounded extremely arrogant. True as it may be, you never, ever admit that out loud. You'll do well to remember that, my friend."

I stared blankly at her before continuing. "My point is that it's kind of a huge blow to my ego that I can't get this girl. And before you ask," I continued quickly as I saw her mouth open in protest, "no, that's not why I want her. If that were the case, I wouldn't be embarrassing myself further by having to ask for help, and I certainly wouldn't have told Adrian that we couldn't have anything because of Bella."

"You dropped the lab rat?" Alice asked in surprise.

"Yes," I replied, rolling my eyes. "I dropped the lab rat."

"Good boy," she grinned, patting my hand. She stood up and motioned for me to follow as she made her way to the garbage can to toss out her cup. I finished my coffee off and tossed it in the trash as well, trailing behind her as she exited the shop.

"I just like her, you know?" I said, putting on my sunglasses. "Everything about her – even her goddamn crazy moods. They make her...her. She's clumsy, and witty, and hard-headed, and a strong person. I like how I feel, how I am around her. I know I had my chance and I blew it, maybe beyond repair, but I won't just accept it and give up. Not without trying my hardest."

"I'm pretty sure she'd drop this Jace character in a second if you told her that," Alice said, nudging my arm with her elbow.

"Yeah, well, I'm saving that speech as a last resort," I joked.

"Maybe she's just after him because of his name," she mused. "Jace is a much sexier name than Edward. Sorry."

"Well I'm so sorry my parents didn't give me a smoldering hot name. I guess I'll have to add 'change name to something more appealing' to my list," I retorted sarcastically.

"I agree. Nothing says 'I love you' more than changing your name for someone. Do you think they make a card for that?"

"Dunno. Walgreens is right there, why don't you go look?" I joked.

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, cocking her head to the side with a contemplative look on her face, before promptly turning and entering through the automatic doors.

"What the – I didn't mean literally!" I exclaimed, following her into Walgreens with a bewildered expression. "Alice, I can tell you with about 99.9 percent certainty that this store does not have a card for that. And it doesn't even matter! That's the dumbest idea—"

"I'm not looking for that, dumbass," she scolded, kicking her foot back and nailing me right under my shin. I hunched over with a painful expression, rubbing my leg – I hadn't missed that shit. "It just gave me an idea for you," she continued, skimming through random cards as if she hadn't just abused me seconds before.

After much too long of me waiting like an idiot in the card aisle, Alice finally found whatever the hell she was looking for and made her way to the register. After paying for the card, she stuffed it in her purse and walked out the store and across the street to the MUNI station. As we sat on a bench at the West Portal station, I stared at her expectantly.

"What?" she asked, finally.

"Are you seriously not going to tell me what the hell that was all about?"

"Not yet," she replied. "What's the point? You're not doing it right now."

"Will you at least tell me where we're going, then?" I questioned with a sigh.

"The Pier, of course."

"Of course," I mocked with a smile. "I'm still not going to that fucking fairy store, Alice."

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered. "I'll get you back in there one of these days."

*

Later that night I sat at my desk, chewing on my pen as I stared down at the card Alice had purchased. She'd finally told me the purpose of the card when we parted ways this afternoon.

"I want you to write down everything you told me you like about her and then some. Put some real thought into it. You don't have to finish it in one night, but when you do finish it, give it to her. She'll be putty in your hands, even if she doesn't want to admit it," she'd said.

I was counting on her being right.

Unfortunately, I was having an issue figuring out what the hell to write. I didn't want to just make a list of shit I liked about her – it'd seem too forced, not to mention lame as hell. But I also didn't want to gush; that would be even worse. I needed to find middle ground. Why was that always so fucking hard to find?

I sighed heavily and tossed my pen on the desk, pushing the card away. I sure as hell wouldn't be productive if I was over-thinking it. I opened my lap top and waited for it to come out of stand-by before opening up the web browser. I checked my email, finally – literally, I checked it maybe once a month – and skimmed through it.

"Spam, spam, spam," I muttered to myself. "Spam, spam, spa… – wait, what's this?"

I'd signed up for notifications from The Warfield about upcoming concerts a while back, though I couldn't remember why since, again, I rarely checked my e-mail. There was an e-mail from them, sent about two weeks prior, listing all the bands that were doing shows within the month. I scanned the list quickly and shrugged, moving the mouse to 'x' out of the e-mail, but something made me look over at the list again. How I had missed 'Taking Back Sunday' being on the list was a mystery to me, but just the same, I saw that they were doing a show on April 18th, and an idea suddenly came to mind.

I checked the calendar on my computer and cursed under my breath; the show was in exactly eight days, meaning it was probably sold out. I decided to check Ticketmaster anyway – it couldn't hurt – and grinned when I saw that it wasn't sold out after all. Before going through with the plan, I fished my phone out of my pocket and hit speed dial number four.

"What's up, foolio?" she answered after a few rings.

"Charming," I replied, smiling. "What are you doing next Friday night?"

"Mm...nothing that I'm aware of, why?"

"Well, now you have something to do, so mark your calendar," I replied.

"Mind telling me what, exactly, it is that I'm doing?" she asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," I retorted. "You'll figure it out next Friday. I'm serious, though. Don't make any plans; this is a one-night-only thing."

"Intriguing," she said. "You are aware that I hate surprises, right?"

"You are aware that I don't really care, right?" I teased. "Don't worry, you'll love it."

"I'd love it even more if I knew what it was."

"I'm not that easy to break, Bella. You'll just have to wait."

"Fine. Next Friday night, I'm all yours. You just better hope I do love it, otherwise your ass is grass."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, my dear," I said with a grin.

We chatted for a few minutes more before saying good night and hanging up the phone. I felt like a real asshat for replaying her saying, "Next Friday night, I'm all yours," in my mind, but I couldn't think of anything else. All I could hope was that my plan really would get me one step closer to her being mine - in every sense of the word rather than just occupying one night.


-R-

I'd been sitting on my couch, heavily involved in one of those stupid Japanese Soap Operas Bella had gotten me hooked on, when my cell phone rang.

"Yeah?" I answered distractedly, never taking my eyes off the television screen.

"!"

I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at the screen with a confused expression. "Come again? Slower this time, please," I said.

"I have a date tomorrow and I need your help," Bella repeated. I froze; a date? Had Edward actually succeeded and done enough damage control to get her to agree to go out with him?

Feeling mildly impressed by his technique but not wanting to make it known that I had any involvement whatsoever, I asked excitedly, "A date? With who?"

"Jace! He just called and asked me out to dinner tomorrow night. I don't usually suck at picking clothes out for this kind of stuff, at least for other people, but I'm having issues figuring out what to wear so I was hoping you—"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Who the fuck is Jace?" I half-yelled.

"Why are you yelling?" she asked hesitantly.

"Uh...sorry, my...ears are plugged up. Allergies, you know," I lied. "Who is this person you speak of?" I demanded.

"Jace. I told you about him! You know, the guy from the plane ride to Seattle?"

Oh, God damn it. I'd completely forgotten about that airplane guy. Why the hell would I remember? I wasn't there when he barged his way into Bella's life, and she certainly hadn't brought him up since she was in Forks. Until now, at least.

"Oh, right. Yeah."

"Thanks for the enthusiasm," she said sarcastically.

I gave my phone a dirty look. I hadn't busted my nuts to aid in getting rid of the lab rat so Bella could date some other moron – it barely mattered to me that I didn't know this Jace character; he was a moron because I said so. It occurred to me at that moment that it may have been slightly ridiculous for me to be annoyed with the fact that she wasn't dating the person I wanted her to date. I quickly disregarded that thought, however, by reasoning that, for one, it wasn't just me who wanted her and Edward to happen; and secondly...I was just right. Plain and simple.

"I'm jumping in a fit of joy," I retorted, rolling my eyes. "No, but really, you know I'd love to help," - I scoffed internally - "but I can't. Em and I are going to Redwood City for a show after I get out of school tomorrow."

Well it wasn't a complete stretch of the truth. We were going to Redwood City after I got out of school...just not until about four hours later.

"Oh. Damn," she replied, and I could tell she was trying to mask her disappointment. I felt a slight pang of guilt.

I was torn. On the one hand, I didn't want any part in creating the slightest bit of enjoyment on this idiot's behalf. My expertise was, and had been from the start, strictly for Edward's benefit. (Yes, even when I threw the book at his head. Especially that...although it did bring me great joy to do so.) It wasn't exactly fair to help Bella out with this dude when I did everything in my power to prevent Edward from having a go with another girl. However, Bella was my best friend, and that kind of trumped any other reasoning I had to not help her out. Plus, he clearly didn't mind her hobo look if he'd already asked her out. It was more for her benefit than his in the end.

I cursed under my breath, and then heaved a reluctant sigh. "I guess I can come by right now and help you pick something out, if you want," I muttered.

She hurriedly thanked me before hanging up. I grabbed my purse and keys, then trudged my way out to my car with a scowl on my face.

This was unacceptable.

*

I said as much to Alice on the phone that night after I returned home.

"This isn't good," she said solemnly.

"Well no shit, it isn't good. Shouldn't you have seen this happening or something?" I snapped.

"My sincere apologies for not keeping an eye on Bella's every waking moment," she responded with just as much attitude.

"Touché. Sorry." I sighed. "What the hell do we do now?"

It was silent for a moment. "I hate to say this," she started, "but I think it's time we stop interfering. We have to let them happen on their terms, you know?"

"Well they need to get their shit together already," I grumbled. "At this point I can't help but wonder if it ever will happen."

"It will. I've seen it. It will," she repeated, with slightly less conviction. Alice had been absolutely sure of all of her visions up to this point. The fact that their actions were causing her to doubt herself on this was not a good sign.

What a bunch of assholes.


-B-

I'd been a nervous wreck all day long, but the closer it got to five o'clock, the more anxious I became.

Jace had made reservations for six o'clock at Trattoria – a quaint Italian restaurant in North Beach. That was the only thing that was solid; whatever we did after that was up in the air, assuming dinner went well. I couldn't see why it wouldn't, though.

Rose had done a good job of calming me down last night when she came over. I was stressing out because I didn't want to over-do it, but I didn't want to be too casual, either. In typical Rosalie fashion, she pushed me onto the bed by my shoulders and told me to "chill the fuck out. It's a date, not your wedding."

We finally decided on a pair of tight, dark-wash jeans, and a dark blue, long-sleeve empire waist tunic. The shoes, of course, were the main issue, but in the end we were able to compromise – black, short-heeled, pointed-toe pumps. It still seemed a little too casual to me, but she assured me that as long as I had classy looking make-up and didn't just throw my hair up like I always did, it'd be perfect date wear. I trusted her judgment on the subject more than I did my own, so I agreed.

After getting ready, I felt rather confident in my appearance. I briefly wondered if I was trying too hard, but then I figured that was sort of the point of getting dressed up for a date – to make a good impression. So instead, I went back to worrying myself into a nervous frenzy as I sat on the couch, watching the clock on the cable box.

I'd been so distracted by my thoughts that when the doorbell finally sounded, I almost didn't hear it. I jumped up when I realized that it had, in fact, gone off, and all but ran to the door. Taking a deep breath, I flipped the deadbolt and slowly opened it. Jace turned his gaze from the bouquet of flowers in hand to me, and that perfectly dimpled smile appeared on his face.

"Hey," he said, running his eyes up and down my body, a smile still plastered on his face. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," I replied softly, biting the inside of my cheek. "So do you. Handsome, I mean," I corrected myself quickly, shaking my head. He was wearing jeans as well, with a white, untucked dress shirt, covered by a blue sweater vest and an open, black blazer.

"Well thank you," he said with a chuckle. "These are for you," he added, holding out to arrangement of flowers. "I didn't know what you liked, so I got a bit of everything."

"They're beautiful," I said appreciatively. "Come on in, I'll find something to put these in real quick."

I didn't actually know if I had anything to put them in. Flowers weren't really my thing. It's not that I didn't like them – I could appreciate their beauty – it just wasn't something I'd been accustomed to getting, so it was a little awkward for it to happen now. I still thought the gesture was cute, though.

Angela had a vase stashed in one of the cabinets, thankfully, and after filling it with a reasonable amount of water, I unwrapped the flowers and arranged them.

"Okay," I said, walking into the living room to find Jace sitting on the couch. "I'm ready." I shrugged on a jacket and grabbed my purse on my way out the door, being led out to Jace's car with his hand gently on the small of my back. In true gentleman fashion, he opened and closed the car door for me before making his way to the driver's seat and starting the engine.

Conversation ran fairly smooth on the drive to the restaurant. There were a few lulls here and there, but nothing awkward. We joked that we'd probably miss our reservation by an hour with the lack of parking at all times in the city. After almost half an hour of driving around in circles and laughing harder each time we drove around and found nothing, he decided to give in and park in a nearby garage.

Dinner was nice. The atmosphere was great for a date and the food was pretty good, too. We spent the entirety of it getting to know one another better. I learned that he had two younger siblings – a brother and a sister – that he missed terribly, and that his parents were still happily married. I also learned that his favorite band was Our Lady Peace – of course his favorite band would be Canadian – and his favorite color was orange. He seemed genuinely interested in everything I said, as well, and as the night wore on I became more and more comfortable around him.

After dinner we decided to head up to Ghirardelli Square. We wandered around the shops for a bit before stopping at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Caffé for dessert. By the time either of us bothered to check the time – the only reason we even bothered was because the staff started their nightly clean-up - it was already past nine.

"I guess we should head back," he said, finally. I nodded my head in agreement, albeit reluctantly, and lead the way back out to the street. As we walked along the still-busy sidewalk, he grabbed my hand, as if it were the most natural thing to do. I stared at our intertwined fingers with a small smile on my face.

"Is this okay?" he asked, lifting our hands slightly.

"Yeah," I replied shyly, squeezing his hand in reassurance. We came to a halt at a stoplight, waiting for the 'WALK' signal to appear. The tell-tale beeping started, and we hurried along the crosswalk to the other side of the street. I turned and started walking toward the direction of Jace's car, but was almost immediately pulled backward. He spun me around quickly, our bodies touching as one of his arms snaked around my waist.

My heart sped when I felt his hand cup my cheek, his thumb stroking it softly; I knew what was coming. Slowly, with a half-smile, he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. He pulled away for a few moments, centimeters from my lips. I assumed he was gauging my reaction. When I didn't pull back, he breathed out a laugh and kissed me again, more firmly.

It was an ideal first kiss: short, extremely sweet, and he didn't shove his tongue down my throat.

So why do I feel so underwhelmed?

When he pulled away that time, I kept my eyes closed for a few moments before meeting his gaze. I couldn't help but smile up at him once I saw the gleam in his eye. I pushed the thoughts and questions as far back in my mind as I possibly could and instead focused on the wonderful guy I was having a great date with.

*

I lay in bed that night, unable to sleep. Staring up at my ceiling was proving to be highly uninteresting, but I didn't feel like getting out of bed either, so surfing the web was out of the question. I grabbed my phone off my nightstand and sent a text message to Jake, asking if he was asleep. A few minutes later, my phone began playing his assigned ring tone.

"Hey," I greeted, a smile on my face.

"Hey," he replied sleepily.

"Did I wake you up?"

"Yeah," he said through a yawn, "but s'okay. What's up babycakes?"

"I can't sleep," I sighed.

"What's on your mind?" he questioned.

"Everything. Nothing. I don't know."

"Mind elaborating a bit, Bells?" he asked with chuckle.

"I went on a date tonight," I said, sighing again.

"A date?" he asked, sounding slightly surprised. I furrowed my eyebrows, feeling somewhat insulted. "With who?"

"Yes, a date," I huffed. "With Jace."

"Who's Jace?"

"The guy I sat next to on the airplane to Seattle," I replied, rolling my eyes. Jesus, didn't anybody listen? I was getting tired of having to remind people who he was.

"Oh. Okay."

What the hell was with the underwhelmed responses, too?

"So what's wrong, then?" he continued. "Did it not go well?"

"No, that's not it. It went really well."

"Then what's the deal?"

"I just...I like him, I really do. And when we kissed, it was nice; it felt nice. I was just waiting for that...spark, you know? That crazy eruption of butterflies, and it never happened. I don't know. It just felt like something was...missing."

"Hm."

I waited for him to elaborate but was met with silence.

"That's it? Seriously?" I asked incredulously.

"I don't know what to tell you, Bells," he sighed. "Have you felt that with anybody else?"

I furrowed my eyebrows and pursed my lips at that question. Of course I had, and he knew it. I'd told him all about...that; that, which I was trying not to remember at that moment.

"You know the answer to that," I grumbled.

"Yeah, I do. And so do you. So what's the problem?"

"I don't know," I replied, aggravated. "I'm confused. I really do like him. I mean...the sparks could come at some point, right? It doesn't have to be during the first kiss..."

"If you say so."

"You really suck at this, Jake."

"I'm a guy, what do you expect?" he retorted. "Have you told him?"

"Have I told who, what?"

"Have you told Edward you went on a date with this dude?"

"No," I said, "why would I?"

"Why wouldn't you?" he countered.

"I don't know," I muttered.

"Yes you do."

"Suck my dick. You're being a pain in my ass right now."

"That's my job," he replied, yawning.

I chuckled. "Go back to sleep. I love you, though God only knows why."

"It's because of my long piece of man mea—"

"GOODNIGHT, JACOB!" I shouted before hanging up on him as he laughed loudly on the other end of the phone.

I put my phone back on the nightstand and snuggled further into bed, an amused smirk on my face. He was such an asshole, and I loved him dearly for it.

~º~º~

The next week flew by. Jace and I had met up almost every day, for coffee or lunch or whatever we felt like doing. The kissing was still great; it felt so natural – but there were still no sparks. I hated beyond explanation that every time we kissed, I inadvertently thought of Edward but I couldn't do anything about that except try to push it as far back in my mind as I could and focus on Jace.

Friday came back around, and I wondered if my unknown plans with Edward were still happening. Things had been a little awkward between us all week long. I wasn't sure if it was my doing or not – I figured it most likely was – but I didn't like it. I'd been planning on calling him after I got off work to see what was happening tonight, but he barged into the tutoring center all smiles, asking if I was excited about my "surprise" tonight and joking around, so I left it alone.

He only stayed for about ten minutes, informing that he just came by to tell me that I needed to be ready by 6:45 that night. With a smug grin, he winked at me before exiting the room.

Sneaky bastard.

Since I didn't get off work until five, and it took me about ten minutes just to get home, I had to rush in order to get ready in time. It wouldn't have been such a big deal if I hadn't been in desperate need of a shower. Leave it to Edward to demand I be ready to go in such a short amount of time when he still refused to tell me where the hell I was going.

Just as I finished tying my shoes my phone rang. I spotted Edward's Volvo out my bedroom window as I grabbed my phone, and I answered with a quick "I'll be right out" before hanging up, grabbing my wallet and keys, and heading outside with a hurried goodbye to Angela.

I got into the car and buckled up as Edward turned the car around and started toward the street. Before I could even ask, he said, "I'm not telling you anything so don't bother."

"You suck," I huffed, smacking his arm. He laughed but kept his mouth shut about our destination.

"Are you excited yet?" he asked.

"No," I lied. Truthfully, as much as I hated surprises, I couldn't help but be excited as the revealing moment neared.

"You're a crappy liar, but its okay. I'll crack you," he mused.

"Uh huh."

As we drove along the freeway, I attempted to eliminate as many possible destinations as I could think of by means of the exits we passed. Unfortunately that didn't do much good, as there were so many places we could still be going given the merging onto two more freeways, so I gave up about ten minutes into the drive. When we neared the 7th street exit, Edward instructed me to close my eyes.

"I don't think so," I replied.

"If you don't, I'll turn the car around and you'll never know what the surprise is," he threatened as he slowed to a stop at the light.

"You're bluffing and you suck at it," I stated.

"Oh, really?" he challenged, turning to look over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I asked hesitantly. He turned to look over his shoulder one more time, then immediately turned the steering wheel hard-left.

"What are you - okay, OKAY! I'll close them!" I shouted, covering my eyes with my hands.

"Good girl," he replied, and I felt a pat on my thigh.

"God, you're an asshole. Crazy ass mother fu—"

"I can still turn around, Bella."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, folding my arms across my chest with my eyes closed tightly.

After fifteen minutes of me heaving impatient sighs and him telling me to stop non-verbally complaining, the car came to a stop and Edward cut the engine.

"Can I open my eyes now?" I asked.

"Nope," he replied, releasing my seat belt. "Stay right there."

I pursed my lips in irritation and waited, tapping my feet on the floor as I heard his door open and close. A few seconds later my door opened, and I felt my legs being grabbed.

"Hey, what the hell?" I exclaimed, opening my eyes. He immediately let go of my legs and pressed his hands against my eyes.

"Keep them closed, Bella! Jesus wept."

"How the hell am I supposed to get around?" I demanded, closing my eyes once again as my feet were placed on the ground. He grabbed my hands and told me to duck my head before pulling me out of the car and closing the door behind me.

"Bella, do you trust me?" he asked, his hands on my shoulders.

"Obviously," I scoffed.

"Then shut up and go with it, alright?" he said, chuckling softly. "It's only for a few more minutes, I promise."

"Alright," I agreed with a sigh.

"I'm going to bend down. Put your hands on my shoulders then get on my back, I'm carrying you."

I did as he asked, yelping slightly and tightening my grip across his chest as I felt myself being lifted off the ground. Once he started moving I relaxed a bit.

"Are your eyes closed?" he asked.

"Yes sir," I replied. "Promise."

We were both silent, me enjoying the bay breeze and the fact that I wasn't blindly being led into city traffic on foot. The longer we walked, the more curious I became. The sound of excited chatter was getting closer and louder. Just as I was about to ask Edward what was going on, I felt myself being set down.

"Am I allowed to open my eyes now?" I asked, unable to keep the excitement out of my voice this time.

"Yes, Bella. You can open your eyes now."

I opened my eyes to find that we were standing behind a long line of people. I looked around in confusion, trying to figure out where the hell I was. Before I could ask, he told me to go to the front of the line and read the sign. I glanced at him cautiously before making my way to the front, where a large, slightly protruding sign was placed. I scanned the lettering with furrowed eyebrows, but when I finally realized what it meant, my eyes widened and I whirled around, bursting into a run back to Edward.

"Oh, my God, we're seeing Taking Back Sunday?!" I all but screeched as I neared him, before launching myself at him. His laughter filled my ears as he stumbled backwards, his arms wrapping tightly around me.

"Excited now?" he teased.

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you so much! Oh, my God, I can't believe you did this!" I exclaimed, kissing his cheek repeatedly.

"You're welcome," he replied, kissing my temple. I realized I'd probably made a huge scene and I was probably getting really weird stares, but I didn't give a shit. I was excited and it was the only way I could think of showing my appreciation to him for this.

It wasn't too long before the line started moving forward. I grasped his hand in mine and fidgeted excitedly. I wanted to ask him why; what possessed him to do this for me, and go to such great lengths to make it a surprise. As we made it up to the door and he handed security the tickets to scan, I told myself there would be time for questions later. For now, I was going to enjoy this experience with him for all it was worth.


-E-

I'd expected her to be happy when she found out the surprise, but her reaction completely caught me off guard. I'd never seen her so elated, and I couldn't help the smile that found its way on my face every time I looked over at her, or felt her squeeze my hand excitedly every so often as we stood, waiting for the first opening act. I'd put that smile on her face.

Even though neither of us could tell you who the opening bands were, it didn't deter her enthusiasm. Every song that was played meant it was that much closer to the main act, which she reminded me of quite frequently.

Finally the lights went down and the crowd erupted into screams. I always loved the atmosphere of bigger shows. Everybody fed off everyone else's energy and it made the experience that much more enjoyable. This time, though, I only cared about one person.

I paid attention to the stage well enough, singing along with each song that was played and laughing in agreement with Bella when she said she feared for Adam Lazzara's head, what with the way he threw his microphone around. I was more focused on her, though. I watched her passionately sing along with a huge smile on her face, catching her eye every time she beamed up at me.

The concert ended all too soon, and at around 11:30 we found ourselves filing out of the venue and into the chilly night. Bella looped her arm through mine as I shoved my hands in my pockets, and we walked the few minutes to the parking garage in comfortable silence. I fished the keys out of my pocket as we neared the car, pressing the button to unlock the doors.

"Hey, Edward."

"Yeah?" I answered, turning to look at her.

"Why'd you do this for me?" she asked, a small smile on her face.

I folded my arms on the roof of the car, staring at her in contemplation. Finally, I shrugged and replied, "Because I knew it would make you happy."

She smiled brightly at me, and at that moment I knew that I would do anything in the world if it meant putting that smile on her face. Right then, I realized that I was falling for Bella Swan, and falling hard.

*

Back in my room later that night, I shut down my lap top, getting ready to settle into bed for the night. As I reached up to turn off my lamp, I spotted Bella's card, still untouched from the previous week. I paused, a tired smile forming on my lips, and grabbed it before sitting back down. Uncapping a pen, I opened the card and immediately began scribbling every thought that came to mind.


End Notes: I hope to make the next update within the next few weeks. I currently have about 5 pages of the next chapter written, but I think it may be a rather long one, so who knows when I'll finish. Check my twitter for updates on where I'm at with the chapter. Review! xx