I'm sorry this is later than I hoped for! Thanks to Donna for reading it over so quickly. As always all mistakes are mine and all the characters are not!

Chapter 4

After Bella and her Jasper-scorned angry friend left, my interest in the party dwindled fast. I had zero desire to make small-talk with anyone still there. What was the point when the most interesting person had left?

I decided I'd make a start on the clean-up process; I wouldn't be able to sleep with the number of people still in the apartment and I'd just end up lying awake thinking about Bella. I knew she'd be stuck in my head all night anyway so I might as well be productive and save ourselves a big job the next morning.

Jasper was talking to another girl now, but as I held him firmly responsible for Bella's departure, I decided he owed me and now was the time to cash in. I walked over to him and tapped his shoulder.

"Time to clean up," I said and he laughed.

"Maybe later?" He winked at the girl. "I'm having so much fun chatting to Carmen, here."

"I was having much more fun chatting to Bella and thanks to your dick she had to leave, so as way of apologizing to me you can say goodnight to your friend and help me. Unless she wants to help too?" I stayed where I was and folded my arms across my chest.

"Bella… Penis Girl was here? Is that who you were talking to?" Jasper grinned. "Well, I'm happy you found her again but how did my dick make her go home?"

"Baby Girl, you're the most amazing girl in the world. I've never had a night like that before. I'll call you," I answered in a terrible southern accent, but he understood at once.

"Shit, did I sleep with your Penis Girl?" he asked, looking like he didn't want me to answer. "I don't remember her and I think I'd definitely remember her."

"No, you slept with her best friend. Her very angry best friend who also happened to be at the party. Her very angry best friend who saw you pulling the same lines on another girl and then decided she wanted to go home—with Bella," I said and noticed the new girl's face change from a smile to a frown.

"Huh, small world." Jasper grimaced and looked at the girl. "That was a long time ago, I admit I played around, but I was single enjoy your cleaning- "

"Save it, baby boy," she quipped and stomped away.

"So, because you aren't getting any, none of us can either?" Jasper huffed and I laughed.

"Do you even remember her? A small dark-haired girl called Alice. She's a florist?"

Jasper thought about it and his eyes lit up. "Little Alice with the flowers, shit yes, I do remember her. Man, I liked her. I did want to see her again but when I tried to call her the number wasn't right. I figured she'd given me the wrong number on purpose."

"Seriously?" I asked and he nodded. "You didn't try to find her?"

"What was I going to do? Visit every florist in New York to find a chick who I thought had given me a dodgy number because she wasn't interested?" Jasper shrugged. "I ain't that desperate."

"Well, now you know she was interested but thought you weren't interested so she now just wants bad things to happen to you." I laughed. "I'd be very scared. That was a lot of rage for such a tiny girl."

"Yeah, she was a handful alright." He winked.

Begrudgingly, he started to help me clear up. A little after two in the morning Jake and Seth left, taking the last few girls with them. I noticed Eric trying to get a very drunk Mike to his feet and struggling so we went over to help him.

"Wow, this was some party," Eric said as we walked to the door with Mike barely able to walk. "Do you think next time you can set me up with some of those hot chicks you know?"

Maybe next time you see Eric or Tyler and they can set you up with some of those hot chicks that they know." I laughed. "I didn't know any of them."

"Aside from Penis Girl," Jasper said. "She's hot and you were talking to her like she was a long-lost sister."

"I hope to God she didn't think I was talking to her like she was a long-lost sister," I said to him pulling a face. "That's not quite the impression I'm looking for."

I offered to help Eric get Mike into a cab downstairs, but he insisted he could manage. I waited for the elevator doors to close and then looked at Jasper.

"I bet you fifty bucks Mike is still in that elevator tomorrow morning." He laughed and we went back inside the apartment.

Tyler still had the music playing louder than it needed to be, even though there was no one here but us. "Why don't you turn the music off, Tyler," I shouted. "Not much point having it on now everyone left."

"I bet in about two seconds you ask me to turn it back on," he answered but turned it down straight away.

Instantly I understood and it dawned on me that Emmett was nowhere to be seen… but he was definitely heard and judging by the sound effects coming from his room he wasn't alone. I saw Jasper pretend to gag and I nodded at Tyler who instantly turned the music back up.

The noises were still going when we'd finished cleaning up and with a grumble I went to my bedroom. I stuck my earphones in and listened to music to try and drown them out before they gave me nightmares. Surprisingly, despite the noise and my mind being totally preoccupied with Bella I fell asleep quickly. I also went to sleep looking forward to seeing her again, this time without one of us being a drunken mess or having to deal with scorned friends with potentially a rage issue.

I woke up at about nine the next morning and went straight for a run. For the entire duration I tried to rehearse what I'd say when I called Penis Girl. For now, I'd started to use her nickname again, even in my head, because saying or thinking her name stirred something in me that I'd never felt before and it was almost as intense as how I felt when she said my name. The last thing I wanted to be was a nervous mess when I drummed up the courage to make the call.

Fuck I'm in trouble.

I switched between wanting to make the call sound casual like I was completely laid-back about the whole thing, trying to be funny and make her laugh and then simply just being myself. The more I rehearsed each call the less casual I sounded, the jokes became less funny and being myself came across so lame it was cringe worthy. By the time I got back to the apartment I felt sick and considered downing a shot of something strong before I made the call.

I walked through the door and smelled coffee, which was strange because I was usually the one who did the brewing. Tyler and Emmett were averse to spending any time in the kitchen and I did wonder how they'd survived while I'd lived with Jess, even as short-lived as it was. I saw a half-drunk mug on the counter but no one else around and started to walk over to my room when a tall, blonde woman walked out of the bathroom. She was wearing just a man's shirt and not much else. I assumed this was Emmett's screamer from last night and it was one of his shirts she was wearing. The thing was, because she was so tall, even as big as Emmett's shirts were, it barely covered the areas she really should have covered, and I put my hand over my eyes.

"You might want to put on some pants or underwear," I said, embarrassed.

"Oops," the stranger laughed, seemingly not sharing my embarrassment. "I didn't think anyone else would be awake."

"Yeah, what are the chances of people being awake at almost," I moved my hand just enough to peek at my watch, "Almost eleven-thirty in the morning."

"I made coffee," she told me. "You have to be Edward. Emmett was right, you are hot."

I moved my hand and looked at her, she had moved to sit at the breakfast bar, so her bottom half was hidden from view thank God. "Thanks?" I half said and half-asked, not sure what else to say. "How do you know, Em?"

"I fucked him last night," she said matter-of-factly. "That about sums it up."

"Cool," I said, nodding my head and poured myself some coffee. "Is he still asleep?"

"He's just having a nap," she said with a smirk. "I wore him out last night and this morning."

"Good, good," I said, still nodding and turning redder by the second. I ignored the burn from the scalding hot coffee and chugged it down as quick as I could, I just needed to leave. "Well, I'm going to take a shower. Nice to meet you… um…?"

"Rose."

"Rose," I repeated.

"Are you gay?" she asked, and I looked at her in horror.

"What?" I spluttered, watching as she stood up and walked back around to me. "Seriously, what? Am I gay? Will you please put something on your bottom half?"

"So, you are gay?" she asked again then walked into my bedroom and grabbed a towel I'd put out for when I'd showered. She wrapped it around her waist and asked me, "Better?"

"Not really, that's my towel that you have just taken from my bedroom."

"You're way too uptight," she said.

"Uptight? I'm uptight because a woman I met five minutes ago just walked into my bedroom and took a towel off my bed without even asking if she could?" I looked at her in exasperation and she just shrugged.

"It's not like I'm some random stranger in your apartment. I'm Rose. Emmett and I fucked a few times last night and again just now before I made coffee. After this conversation we'll probably do it again before I leave."

"Really didn't need to know the specifics," I muttered. "Well, you might not be a random stranger to Emmett, but to me you could be a murderer or serial burglar so maybe just stay out of my room?"

"Are you gay? You really don't want to answer the question, do you?" She waited for me to answer.

"No," I said and rubbed my forehead. "I like girls. One girl more than most... you less than most it has to be said."

"Huh," she said, still not moving from my doorway. "Well, the one you like more than most is lucky."

"This is beyond uncomfortable," I groaned. "Why would you think I was gay?"

"You're hot and single so Emmett told me. Yet despite the fact you guys had most of the attractive twenty something females in Manhattan drunk in your apartment last night, you didn't hook up with anyone." She waited expectantly for me to respond.

"So, sleeping alone equates to my being gay? Surely, I would have spent the night with a hot drunk guy if that was the case?" I laughed and shook my head. "Well, Rose, it has been a pleasure meeting you. I can't wait to tell the guys at work about a half-naked, strange blond sitting in my kitchen. If it's okay with you I'll forget to mention the fact you think I'm into guys, the story sounds much better without that little snippet of information."

"So, we've established you're not gay and there's a girl you do actually wish was half-naked in your apartment. We've also established my name so I'm a half-naked friend and not a half-naked stranger—I would call that progress. Your friend was magnificent last night so I hope to be back here for seconds at some point." She laughed and asked, "You want your towel back?"

"You keep it, friend, I'll grab another. I left her standing in the kitchen and walked over to Emmett's room. I swung open the door as hard as I could, instantly regretting it when I realized he was naked and uncovered spread eagled on his bed. I closed my eyes and yelled, "Emmett! Might I suggest supervising your guests? There's a half-naked Rose stealing my towels and making herself at home in our kitchen while asking me if I'm gay."

"Send her back in here," he chuckled sleepily. "Half-naked Rose in the kitchen is bad. Fully naked Rose making herself at home in my bedroom is just what I need."

"First of all, I think we heard enough last night and second of all, what if she robs us or murders us all?" I immediately heard Rose behind me clearing her throat.

"What if I rob you? I thought we were friends," she said, laughing. "That's quite a character assumption?"

"It is, isn't it?" I bit back. "Rather like assuming I'm gay because I don't have a half-naked girl wandering around the apartment invading people's privacy."

"Look at what she's wearing, Eddie. I highly doubt she's concealing any stolen items or murder weapons." Emmett winked at Rose. "I better check, just to be sure."

"You wanna watch him search me?" Rose said as she strutted past me.

"I have no need to watch. I'm sure I'll hear every minute of it," I sniped and shut the door.

After I'd showered, I decided now was the time to call Be—

Penis Girl. Stick to Penis Girl.

I couldn't even say the first syllable of her name without hyper-ventilating.

I went out onto the fire escape, mostly so no one could hear my pitiful attempt at conversation and also because I didn't want Bella to her Emmett who was still searching Rose for weapons and stolen property.

I stared at my phone, my thumb hovering over the dial button still with no idea what I was going to say. I began to doubt if I'd be able to make the call at all when my phone rang and Penis Girl appeared on the display. I almost let it go to voicemail, panicking at having to speak to her, then it occurred to me if I didn't answer I'd have to call her back and that was a million times harder.

"Hello?"

"Edward? Hey, it's Bella." Her voice sent a thrill through my body and the hairs on my arms stood on end. "I figured I'd call you. I could totally picture you freaking out over what you were going to say so I thought I'd save you the stress. I like to imagine you smiling not scowly."

"Thanks," I said, relaxing a little. "I would have called you."

"This year or next?" she joked. "So, are we still on for coffee?"

"Absolutely," I said quickly. The panic and nerves were evaporating and all I felt was excitement at the prospect of seeing her again. "Where do you want to meet?"

"You live close to a nice little place called The Garden Room; we can go there?"

"Yeah, I know the place," I told her. "Is that far from you, we can meet somewhere else?"

"I'm just a few blocks away right now, so it works great for me. Meet you there in about an hour?" she asked it like a question but had to know what my answer would be.

"I can't wait," I said, and I really couldn't.

After I got off the phone I went to get changed. I'd never been on a date before, not since my first high-school date with Jessica anyway. I refused to think too much about what I was wearing and just went for a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. My hair was its usual pain in the ass. I attempted to calm the wildness down, but it still looked chaotic. I'd tried all sorts to keep it under control over the years, it was something I'd gotten used to but it bugged Jessica just how untidy it was. She'd bought me serums, tried straightening solutions and even had me try cutting it super short but none of it worked.

I grabbed my wallet and phone and shoved them in my pocket then walked out of my room, instantly met with cooing noises from the living area.

"Naw, Tyler, look how handsome our boy is. Going on a date with Penis Girl."

I rolled my eyes at Emmett. "You're strange."

"I can't bear to think about it, Em." Tyler sniffed. "I think I'm going to cry. Our boy is growing up."

"Jerks," I muttered as they fanned their eyes, complaining about their mascara. "Do I need to lock my valuables up or has the thief gone home? She owes me a new towel."

"Rose has gone home for now. She's coming back over later though so I need a nap." Emmet yawned as if on cue. "Man needs his strength for that woman."

"Oh great," Tyler groaned. "Ed, can I come with you?"

"No chance. It was bad enough that Jazz was responsible for Be—Penis Girl—leaving early last night, I'm really looking forward to this."

"Then I'm going to hang at Jake and Seth's. It was bad enough hearing Emmett when I was drunk, I definitely don't want to hear him sober," Tyler said, and I agreed.

"You're just jealous," Emmett said with a shrug.

"You bet your ass I am," Tyler laughed. "I struck out last night."

"Wow, will you ever recover?" I asked.

"Don't worry about me, Ed. Just a blip." He winked and asked me, "Are you nervous?"

"Yep," I said, hoping he'd leave it alone.

"Don't be."

"Oh well, thanks Tyler, when you put it like that all of a sudden the nerves have disappeared." I shook my head and he chuckled.

"Seriously, Ed, don't worry about it," Emmett said to me. "She's into you, it was obvious last night. Plus, she's outgoing enough for the both of you that you don't need to worry about awkward silences. She'll do the talking until you calm down. I saw you two, it was like you'd known her all your life."

"Like she was a long-lost sister?" I said, remembering Jasper's observation.

"Ugh, no," Emmett pulled a face. "I don't know any brother sister relationships that look like that."

"You think?" I asked and he nodded. "I just don't want to make an idiot—"

"STOP!" Emmett shouted at the top of his lungs and I jumped. He got up and walked over to me, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Stop thinking and more doing. Penis Girl is as cool as fuck. Quit thinking what about this and what about that. Go and have coffee, talk and that's it."

"Just a coffee and talking," I repeated.

"And let her do all the talking until you calm down," he added.

"Pfft, women always do all the talking. Yadda, yadda, yadda, and then they wonder why we zone out sometimes," Tyler groaned. "Why do you think my dad refused to see the doctor when his hearing got bad? He likes the peace he gets from my ma."

"Ears should be detachable," Emmett said, and Tyler nodded. "We should learn to train our ears to only hear the important stuff. Like I need to know who her workmate's cousin's best-friend's fiancée slept with?"

"I'm going to go now," I told them. "If I follow your advice, I keep quiet and let her do the talking but try not to listen too much because women talk incessantly? That's not contradictory at all."

"Hey, don't forget Rose is going to be here again later. Just thought I'd warn you in case you bring Penis Girl back home with you," Emmett told me.

"If I walk back in the apartment with or without Penis Girl and see a semi-naked Rose anywhere near my bedroom, I will show her the photos your mom sent me of you as a kid." I smiled smugly at Emmett's horrified face. "You made such a pretty princess."

"You wouldn't do that to me," he argued.

"Rose can only be any kind of naked in your bedroom and preferably work on some volume control. Got it?"

He nodded glumly and I laughed as I left the apartment.

Not wanting to be late I walked too quickly and arrived twenty minutes early. I picked a table in the corner of the coffee shop, somewhere we would have plenty of privacy, away from the rest of the customers.

Nice and private.

No one can see us.

No one can see us… huh.

What if she thinks I'm embarrassed and don't want anyone to see us together?

Better move.

I moved to the middle of the coffee shop and sat at a smaller table and smiled to myself.

Much Better.

No privacy but shows I'm not embarrassed to be seen with her.

What if Bella thinks I don't want to be alone with her?

Better move.

I stood up again and ignored the questioning looks from a few customers and the staff members. I was feeling warm and decided to sit outside to get some fresh air. I picked the first table I came to and sat down. I drank my first coffee quickly and then did the same with a second. Those two cups plus the couple I'd had in the apartment left me a jittery mess; I couldn't sit still, and my hands were sweating.

Pathetic, get a grip, Edward.

This is coffee with a girl.

People smuggling cocaine out of South America look and act less suspicious and guilty than you.

"Are you okay?" Bella was standing by the table; she looked a mixture of amused and concerned.

"Too much coffee," I told her, and she laughed.

"Hope there's room for more?" she asked, and I nodded eagerly. "Good."

I stood up and pulled out a chair for her which made her smile. I'll go and get us a drink, what would you like?"

"As long as it's got caffeine in, I'm happy." She laughed and added, "I don't trust people who do decaf unless it's a medical requirement."

"Yep, decaf should only be available via a prescription." I laughed with her, feeling completely at ease. "Be right back."

I could see her while I waited, and she just sat watching people walk by. Not once did she pull out her phone like the majority of people sitting nearby. She caught me looking once or twice and at first, I started to feel embarrassed but then it occurred to me that she only caught me looking because she was looking too.

"Sorry about last night," she said to me when I returned to the table. "Alice went on about that guy for weeks. It really bugged her when he blew her off."

"Funny story," I said with a smirk. "Jasper is usually a massive jackass when it comes to not calling girls back or seeing them after he's slept with them, but he remembers Alice—he actually liked Alice. She must have given him the wrong number and when he realized it was wrong, he thought she was blowing him off. He'd been looking forward to seeing her again."

"No shit?" she asked, and I shook my head. "I can't wait to tell her. She'll still refuse to be anything but pissed at him, she's not the backing down kind of girl."

"She's the most terrifying girl I've ever met," I said, and Bella laughed. "I got the impression you weren't so keen about today, until Alice pushed you into it."

"I wanted to, I'm sorry if I seemed stand offish. I just have a lot of stuff going on, it makes having a personal life a challenge." She half-smiled. "Honestly, Edward, if it had been anyone else asking, I wouldn't be here, I like you… a lot."

"Is everything okay? I don't want you to feel like I'm being snoopy, but if it's a bad time or—"

"It is a bad time honestly, but I don't think there'll ever be a good time. It's ongoing and it's a family thing so it's pretty complicated." She sighed and I felt bad for not dropping it.

"I'm sorry," I said, and she smiled.

"Don't be and don't be offended that I'm not telling you all the gory details. It's just that I like the fact you don't know about all that drama; it'll be nice to have someone in my life who is separate from it all." She put down her cup and leaned forward, resting her head in her hands. "What are your parents like?"

"You tell me. You seem to know everything about me," I joked. "Esme and Carlisle—Mom's a nurse and Dad's a doctor. He grew up on Staten Island with my grandparents and Mom's from California. They met when he got an intern position at the hospital where Mom worked. I was about eighteen months old when my grandmother got sick so he and mom moved back home to look after her. It was supposed to be a short-term move but after she died, they decided to stay and kept her house—they're still there now."

"Who do you look like?" she asked.

"My mom, definitely. I used to hate it as a kid, everyone used to tell me I was her double and I used think that meant I was girly. The only thing I inherited from my dad was my height." I laughed. "I hold Mom firmly responsibly for this mess on top of my head. Dad has normal, well behaved hair."

"I like your hair," Bella said softly and reached over to ruffle her fingers in it. "I get why it irritates you but trust me there isn't a woman in the city who wouldn't like your hair."

"That's definitely not true," I told her, missing the feeling of her fingers when she moved them away. "My ex hated it."

"Or she hated that other people—and by that, I mean girls—liked it." She smirked. "Or she had hair envy, it is amazingly soft. What do you use on it?"

"If Emmett and Tyler could hear this conversation, I would never live it down," I said and shook my head. "I'm meeting you for coffee and we're talking about hair products."

"Talking about hair products maybe, but I'm thinking about plenty more than that." She winked. "What happened with the hair-hating ex?"

"Her name was Jessica and we'd been together since high-school," I told her, and she smiled smugly. "Yes, something else you called me on."

"I have a gift, what can I say." She laughed. "You just didn't look or act like a player and you're too good-looking for girls to not approach you."

"And then when said girls do approach me, they realize just how un-cool and weird I am, so they run away screaming." I laughed.

"Your un-coolness makes you cool, and I like the fact you embrace the inner-dork inside you—we've all got one in there and it's only the awesome people that let it out to play. Why did you break-up?"

"We broke up when we first went to college but then got back together later. I was about as good with girls then as I am now, so I never wanted to do the whole playing around thing much to Emmett's disappointment. We lived together the last few months before we split up." I laughed and it wasn't forced. "She threw a lot of insults about how I was boring and never wanted to do anything exciting so she found someone who did. She wanted someone who was into the romance and big gestures and that's just not me."

"I think it was one specific big gesture she was hoping for," Bella said. "Didn't that cross your mind?"

"Sure, it did, but I wouldn't have done it because I wanted to, it would have been because I knew it was something she wanted." I added, "And she wouldn't have been content with me asking privately, she'd have wanted the big shebang and that I was never going to be able to do."

"Ah, every girl's dream," Bella said dreamily. "To be propositioned into a life-long contract in public where you have no choice but to say yes or be the bitch who turns the guy down and humiliates him."

I laughed at her disgusted expression. "Not a fan of marriage, I take it?"

"I hold it in the same league as decaf coffee. What's the point? If you're in love with someone and have a great life together what difference does the ring and a few vows make?" She looked seriously unimpressed as she spoke, and I smiled. "My parents split up when I was a kid and my dad met someone else, they're still happy eighteen years later but they never got married. My ex step-father, Phil, on the other hand, is now about to tie the knot with wife number four."

"Four?" I asked and she nodded. "I guess he loves a wedding."

"Yep, he says he's a romantic, I tell him he's a glutton for punishment." She laughed. "I've warned him I'm not getting him a gift this time until he sorts a prenup to get my money refunded if they end up divorced."

I was just about to ask her if she wanted another coffee when her cell started to ring, she glanced down at the display and sighed.

"Sorry," she said quietly and picked the phone up. "Hey Alice."

I decided to give her some privacy so I pointed to the bathroom and left her to talk. When I came out she was still chatting so I bought us two coffees, but got them to go, just in case. I waited by the counter until I saw her put down her phone and then went back outside. I could tell by her expression that she needed to leave.

"It's fine," I said as she began to apologise. "Here."

"Thanks, and I'm really sorry. I've had a good time and really don't want to go." She stood up. "Can we do it again, soon?"

"Definitely." I nodded. "You have a lot on your plate so you tell me when and where and I'll be there."

We walked outside and Bella waved down a cab. I lingered close to her, not sure what to do as she opened the door. I saw her go to get inside but then she paused for a second, turned and then stood on her tiptoes, pressing her lips softly against mine.

I wasn't expecting it but I was delighted none-the-less it and without a second thought I kissed her back, coffee in one hand and my other I placed on her hip. The energy I'd felt between us at the party returned instantly and it would have been very easy to forget where we were.

Bella stepped away, her cheeks flushed and a cute little smirk on her face. "Very nice way to end the date."

"I'll say," I said in agreement. "Imagine if that had happened in the bathroom that first night we met."

"Yeah, kissing you like that while we were both under the influence would have meant for a very different outcome. Not sure I'd have been able to stop things from going all the way." She turned back to the cab and got in, but before she closed the door she said, "You're really something, Edward."

"You're not so bad yourself, Penis Girl," I joked and she laughed.

I stayed on the sidewalk until the cab drove away and then walked home with a very noticeable bounce in my step and extra-wide smile on my face.

Thanks for reading and reviewing I appreciate it so so much! I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can :D