*V*V*V*V*V*

The better part of three weeks passes in the same fashion. We take turns bringing each other coffee and cracking jokes, talking with more ease each day. He now has a stash of individual creamer and sugar packets he stole from a Starbucks in his top right drawer – just for me since he drinks his coffee black.

I find out Edward's a major nerd hiding beneath a model exterior; he's into Star Wars and cinematography and comic books and Jodorowsky (I had to look him up), though he goes kayaking for fun and drools over the new line of Tesla cars. I find him compelling, particularly when his inherently soft-spoken tone is occasionally replaced by his brash wit. Even our first Friday afterschool session for tutoring was comfortable – fun, actually – although no one showed up for our expert services. Instead, we took turns picking out songs while we worked. He introduced me to some Radiohead and I played Bon Iver for him.

Although I can't forget for one moment how attracted to him I feel, there is a great deal of relief in being able to relax a bit. Ever since we decided – or he decided, rather – to not pursue a relationship or at least some kind of sexual contact, it has eased our interactions. Still, there are moments where I catch his stare and feel something more than platonic, where I accidentally brush against him and get a swooping sensation in my stomach, where I think too hard about how well we get along and wonder how different everything would be if I was a little older. No, my feelings for him are not gone, but at least I can function around him now.

My other big anxiety is Emmett. He calls every day now. He texted me an incredibly long message a few days after his first phone call explaining how sorry he was and that he still loved me. I haven't responded to anything he sent despite his assurances that he will find a weekend to come visit me, but it weighs on me every day. Overall, I feel justified in not reviving our relationship after he tossed me aside and then basically called me easy when I didn't take him back immediately, but part of me can't help but remember how effortless it was to be with him. I chalk that up to sexual frustration, though.

Otherwise, my excitement grows about starting my internship at Bedford Publishing. The thought of getting to be amongst all those editors and books appeals to me greatly. Of course, that enthusiasm turns to angst when Alice drops the bomb on me in her room.

"I haven't told him yet," she admits, clutching a stuffed teddy bear to her chest.

"Oh my god, Alice! I start my internship tomorrow morning!"

She twists the bear's arm at an alarming angle, hunching her shoulders to make herself smaller. "I know, I know," she groans. "I just got so nervous."

"It's only going to be worse the longer you wait to tell him. And if I run into him at the office and someone happens to mention that I'm the high school intern instead of the college intern, he's going to flip out."

"Fuck, I know. I just kept telling myself it was going to be fine and it wouldn't matter, but I kept not telling him and it just got harder and harder."

"You have to do it tonight," I say sharply. "Believe me, I feel for you especially given everything with Edward, but you can't put this off any longer."

Her eyes shine with tears. "What if he breaks up with me?"

"How could he? You're his future wife," I say gently, trying to lighten the mood.

She snorts, but a smile pulls at her face. "I really do think he's the one."

"Then you need to be honest with him and trust that everything will work out."

She sniffles once and then exhales noisily, her face hardening into determination. "Ok, I'll do it."

"Do you want me to stay?"

"No, it's late already and you have to get up early. Besides, I think I need to do this on my own."

I squeeze her hand. "Just remember that I'll still marry you if we're both single at thirty-five."

She laughs more loudly this time and blows me a kiss.

*V*V*V*V*V*

The next morning, I wake up at six, leave at seven, and arrive in Port Angeles by eight o'clock at Bedford Publishing House. The building is smaller than I thought it would be and infinitely cozier with warm lighting and bookshelves in the lobby.

I approach the young, blonde receptionist. She's dressed impeccably and her face has the expression of professional aptitude, but she looks younger than I am, like they found a business-formal thirteen-year-old off the street and gave her a job.

"Hi, my name is Isabella Swan and I'm here for –," I begin saying.

"Yes, you're here for the internship," she says brusquely, but not impolitely. "I just need you to fill out some paperwork and then I will direct you to your work station."

She hands me a clipboard with insurance forms, W2 papers, and a waiver about workplace conduct. I settle on one of the couches that is even more comfortable than it looks and make marks on every page before handing it back.

"Perfect, let me show you around," the receptionist says, standing up, though she can't be over five feet tall. "My name is Jane, by the way."

"Hi, Jane, I'm –."

"Isabella, I know."

I don't correct her that I like to be called Bella, meekly following along behind her as she points out different areas of the first floor.

"There are six floors. The first floor is reception and HR; the second floor is legal and sales; third is marketing and design; fourth is finance and accounting; fifth is editing; sixth is publishing. There's a break room on floors two through five, but you're mostly going to be on the fifth. Initially, you were going to be shadowing with the fiction editing department, but you got switched over to non-fiction for some reason," she says, mild annoyance on her face.

I know exactly why. I guess Jasper wasn't kidding about pulling strings around here, though I'm still anxious about seeing him. I woke up to a short text from Alice saying that Jasper was not happy at first, but they are still together – no further details. Although that was my primary concern, I still worry about how he will react to seeing me.

"Any questions?"

"Um, no, I guess not right now."

"Ok, take the elevator to the fifth floor and ask for James. He'll show you the rest."

So much for a big tour. But I follow instructions and am surprised by how many people are immediately in my line of sight when the elevator doors open. I guess I was expecting cubicles, but they have an open office with groups of people sitting around different glass tables, looking at book cover designs and working at computer stations.

"Hey, Jack," I hear from my left. It's hard to describe how relieved I am when I see the easy smile on his face. He looks tired, but not angry. Thank god.

"Hey, cowboy," I say shyly.

"Ready for your first day?"

"Um, sort of. I don't really know what I'm supposed to do yet except for finding someone named James."

Jasper clicks his tongue. "No need. I'll show you around. Besides, we should talk first."

I cringe. I guess I'm not off the hook after all. He leads me directly to what I assume is his office, though he seems too young to have a corner office with great views. Alice told me Jasper's dad was some bigwig here or runs it or something, so he probably got the benefit of favoritism. It makes me wonder why the hell he bartends on weekends.

He doesn't hesitate to address the big issue. "I guess I should thank you. Alice told me you were the one that pushed her to finally come clean." He sounds matter-of-fact and his eyes are kind.

"I suppose. I think she would have eventually. She just got nervous that you would break up with her over the age difference."

He sighs. "Obviously, the high school part is not ideal and will probably turn heads, but being four years apart is not the worst thing ever. Nobody will give a shit once she's in college."

Oh, I could kiss him. "I am so relieved. You guys really are so good together. Alice talks about you all the time."

His effortless smile is back, lighting up his eyes. "Yeah?"

"All. The. Time."

"Yeah, she does talk a lot," he jokes, smiling wider. "It's hard for me to get a word in sometimes."

I smirk. "That sounds like Alice."

He clears his throat. "Um, speaking of Alice, I wanted to talk to you about that."

This piques my interest. "Really?"

"I'm kind of your supervisor now, so we should probably avoid showing too much familiarity at work." God, he is blushing so hard.

"Of course," I say easily. "I won't spill the beans to anybody."

With the relief palpable on his face, he says, "Thanks, Jack. Come on, I'll introduce you to the gang."

The gang is made up of six people, seven including Jasper.

"Guys, this is Bella Swan. She's our new intern and she's really interested in getting a feel for the whole editing process. Bella, meet Laurent, James, Victoria, Demitri, Alec, and Chelsea."

I forget their names almost immediately, but they all greet me and ask me a few questions. My eye is drawn to the tall redhead – Victoria, I think? – with wild curls and a mischievous smile because there's something appealing about her.

"Man, you're going to have a blast. Between making the coffee, getting people food, and filing shit, it's really a nonstop party," she teases.

"Well, my motto has always been to mix business with pleasure," I joke, causing everyone to chuckle.

Victoria laughs loudest – a nice, throaty laugh that flashes her straight, white teeth. "Oh, I like this one. Let's keep her." She winks at me and I feel a tug of attraction. Jesus, what is with me today? I wonder if my hormones are making me insane, but she's quite pretty, twenty-three at most.

"That's the plan," Jasper says. "Ok, get back to work and I'll show Bella around."

They go back to their computers and Jasper escorts me around the play pen as they call it, telling me about my new company login, where the printer is, where the break room is, how to file certain folders. Honestly, none of it sounds too daunting, but Jasper promises he'll let me hang out in some editing meetings.

"I won't lie, you're going to be making a shit ton of coffee for people and filing their shit like Tori said, but it's going to be fun once you get closer to people."

"This is great," I say sincerely. "Thanks for getting me into your section of editing."

"No problem."

We part ways and he leaves me at a computer station, asking me to make more coffee when it's empty and practice editing a writing sample.

My whole day passes as Jasper predicts with occasional refilling of the coffee pot, filing, some work in Excel, and editing practice, but I like the vibe here. Some of the editing team talk to me when I pass by.

Victoria's desk is right by the coffee maker and she twirls in her chair every time I make more, engaging me in conversation.

I find out she is, in fact, twenty-four and she went to Loyola University in Chicago for theatre, but wound up in editing instead. "It was a crazy ride here," she tells me, laughing like she's recollecting something particularly sentimental. "I followed my boyfriend out here and he dumped me two weeks after I moved across the country."

"Oh my god," I say, leaning in. She twirls one strand of her wild hair around a finger as she talks. I'm enraptured by the movement. "That's so awful."

She shrugs. "Yeah, I did consider burning his apartment down, but mostly I got drunk for a week straight and then pulled myself together and found a job as a receptionist for a bit."

"How did you end up here?"

"Well, the receptionist job fucking sucked because people suck, but my boss was completely incompetent and needed me to edit literally every single memo, email, or letter that went out. After doing that for a year, I figured I had enough experience that I could interview for something like this and they were insane enough to hire me."

"And they've regretted it ever since," the huge guy with shoulder-length, dark hair yells from three rows over. He looks like he belongs in a gym beating up a punching bag rather than fastidiously typing at a computer.

"Not as much as they regret hiring your Russian ass, Demetri," she flings back, though he has no accent.

"They don't mind when I bring the good vodka to the office parties."

She laughs. "I still haven't forgiven you for last year. That was the worst hangover I've ever had."

"Then don't pound back shots like a wannabe Russian next week."

They continue to joke from across their spaced out desks, but I really have no reason to continue standing there seeing as the coffee is done, though I find myself smiling along with them. "I better get back to work," I say apologetically, excusing myself.

"Well, come hang out in the cool corner whenever you want. Interning can get boring, so I will be happy to host procrastination parties."

I grin at her. They're just cool. Everybody here seems cool.

I get back to my filing, but the day ends shortly after. I'm in the middle of an Excel spreadsheet when Jasper taps on my shoulder.

"Hey, Jack. It's quittin' time."

"Oh, wow, already?" I glance around to find most people have already cleared out.

"I know, time flies when you're having fun," he jokes.

"I did have fun," I protest. "Everybody was super nice to me – especially Tori."

He laughs knowingly. "Watch out for her. She swings both ways."

"Damn, now I definitely have a crush on her."

Although I expect this comment to surprise him, he just smiles – Alice must have told him about our past. "As your supervisor, I have to tell you that relationships with coworkers are discouraged." All the seriousness of his words is drowned out by his smirk.

And because no one is close enough to hear, I joke, "Dude, don't be a fucking cockblock."

His eyes go wide at my bold raillery – perhaps he puts me a little too at ease, but it's hard to take his authority seriously when I've heard his penis described in graphic detail– but his smile widens. "You're going to be a problem, aren't you?"

"I'll be good," I promise, packing up my few belongings. "Well," I add as an afterthought, "not too good, but you know what I mean."

He just shakes his head, amused. "When do I see you again?"

"I work from four to eight on Mondays and Wednesdays. And eight to four on Saturdays, obviously."

"Drive home safely. Try not cause a sexual harassment lawsuit on the way out."

I stand, laughing a bit too hard. He has no idea how close to the mark he is. "That's the best advice I've heard all week."

*V*V*V*V*V*