I fork the leftover cake that's still on my plate, unable to shake the feeling of disappointment. Edward was acting weird on the dance floor. Not nervous, but… purposeful? Between the dance and our song and his sweet declaration of words. It was the perfect set-up for something big to happen.

And yet, nothing.

I glance over at the bar, realizing Edward's not over there. I'm not sure where he would've gone, but I leave the table to head to the bathroom. I freshen up a bit, fluffing my hair, adding a bit more red to my lips. Anything to clear my head and not dwell on what did or didn't happen.

On my way back into the ballroom, I detour outside to FaceTime Rose, appreciating the chill in the air.

"Show me the ring, bitch!" she immediately screams out, smiling widely.

"No ring," I say flatly.

She pulls a face. "What the hell?"

"Yeah. I think I might've screwed up his proposal."

Her face disappears behind the rim of a red wine glass before she asks, "Why do you think that?"

I explain to her what happened, allowing us to scrutinize every moment. I tell her about our song, the dancing. The sweet words. How he said I'm the best thing that's ever happened to him, and he never wants to imagine his life without me. The most tender of expressions. The—

"I get the picture," she says, cutting me off. "So after he said all that sentimental shit, what happened?"

"He said he didn't buy me a ring."

She pulls a face. "Confusing, but okay. Then what?"

"I said I didn't need a ring."

"Bullshit!" Rose blurts, laughing. "You want a ring, don't lie."

"But I don't need one. You know I'm not like that." Although imagining him wearing a gold band on the fourth finger of his left hand is insanely fucking attractive. Maybe I do want us to have rings. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. I said I didn't need a ring, and then told him I was kinda nervous all day that he was gonna propose in front of everyone."

Oh. Right. Now it makes sense. Everything went wrong the moment I opened my big mouth.

Rose quirks a brow. "Girl. You messed up."

My smile is fake. "Clearly. Shit. Should I say something to him about it?"

"No."

"Should I propose to him?"

"God, no!"

I laugh at her reaction. "Jesus, okay. Calm down."

"Just… whatever. Don't dwell on it. You can't go back in time so just let the night go on. Get drunk, have fun with him."

"But…" My heart sinks. "Okay."

"Bella," she says gently. "It's Edward. Maybe you threw off his game, but even if whatever he had planned didn't work out the way he wanted, you know homeboy's already got a new plan up his sleeve."

That's true. He exudes so much confidence, even if I did put a blip in his plan, there's zero way I completely ruined the end game.

"I just don't know how anything else would top that proposal," I murmur.

"Maybe that's not the point. I don't think he's gonna try to top that," she replies. "You more or less told him you didn't want something public, right?"

"Right."

"And he's crazy for you. He'll do anything to make this just the way you want it. So my guess is he freaked out when you said that, but it'll happen. Probably not tonight but… oh well."

"Hey, Bella?" I turn to see Emmett lingering nearby. "Sorry, I wasn't eavesdropping," he laughs, walking closer. "Edward's looking for you."

"Shoot. Okay."

"Who's that?" Rose asks, and I tilt the phone in his direction.

"It's Emmett, Edward's cousin."

"Hi," Rose says, voice a little softer now. "Oh! It's you. I've seen you before."

He grins wider. "You have?"

"Mmhmm," she says coyly.

"I think you're mistaken. I'd definitely remember you," he says, blatantly flirting.

I blink, suddenly feeling awkward during this exchange. Rose says she's seen him on my Instagram, and he asks her what she's up to. She says nothing, just having some wine. He says he can tell, it's kinda on her lips, and that's when I turn the phone back to me.

"Okay, gotta go, I'll FaceTime you later, love you, bye!" I say in one breath, hanging up.

Emmett looks amused. "Who was that?"

"My friend Rose."

"She's cute."

"So is Charlotte," I say, quirking a brow.

"It's not like that with her," he says honestly. "We're here together, but we've been friends forever. It was just a convenient last-minute date. She's well aware of that, too."

I think back over the night. It's not like they've been all over each other. In fact, they've barely hung out. "Are you a good guy?" I ask, tapping my shoe, scrutinizing him in a way that I haven't before. He's not Royce, though, so I already approve.

"I think I'm alright," he says humbly with a shrug.

Knowing the Cullen clan, he's definitely a good guy. "You want Rose's number?"

His cheeks turn a little pink. "Yeah? I mean… yes."

"I'll ask her if it's cool and then… do with that what you will."

"Cool. Thanks, Bella." He pauses. "Edward's still looking for you, though."

I nod. "Right. I'll see you inside."

When I make it back to the table, Edward's already there. He's not wearing his jacket or tie, top button undone, showing a sexy sliver of chest. He's deliciously disheveled, and the way his face lights up when he spots me makes my heart swell.

"Where'd you go?" I ask, and he pulls me to sit in his lap.

"I was just about to ask you the same," he says, kissing my cheek.

"Bathroom. Then FaceTimed Rose."

"Ah." He nods. "I ran upstairs to the room."

"For what?" I eye him. "To hang up your stuff?"

He nods again, handing me a glass of whiskey. "Yep."

I sip the amber liquid, appreciating the burn. With one more sip, I grow bold. "Be real with me for a second."

He looks amused. "Shoot."

I'm about to ask him if he was going to propose, if I ruined it all, then stop myself. Rose told me to let it go… to have fun. Not to overthink it. I know just the way to let go and have fun with him.

"How do you feel about sex in public?" I ask instead, feeling myself instantly grow warm at the idea.

Edward's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline, lips parting. "How public are we talkin'?" he whispers, fingers digging into the exposed skin of my thigh.

"I don't know," I muse, moving my ass a little on his lap. "Think we could find our way onto the roof? Check out the view? And then… yeah."

He clears his throat, swigging his whiskey in one gulp. "I think we could make that happen."

Sorry for the delay, y'all! I'll update again Friday. :)