Ah you people rock. And as mentioned last night, I'm the idiot who stays up all night doing projects and papers. So I figured I'd post this then finish up.

Don't own.

Ch. 6: A Night at the Roxbury

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful. Uneventful in the fact that we were painfully civil to one another.

It was even more awkward than before.

I didn't dare say anything out of line now, I could tell he was still angry and I didn't want to be on the receiving end of him yelling at me.

In that case, I'd end up mad at him and we'd both be screaming at the top of our lungs, and we'd have to spend the night in the same living space.

So we both attempted to play nice.

Can I tell you, it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

Then a dull and rather boring Sunday, then Monday came, and as promised, Edward didn't say anything about Saturday night. He didn't recognize anything that had happened all weekend, and acted as if we'd left off from Friday.

Truth be told, I was a little surprised. I had hoped he'd be a little nicer. That kind Edward, the one that surrendered his coat was completely gone.

"Swan, what is this garbage?" he said harshly, taking the hard copy of an article I'd already written and had had printed in yesterday's edition, and throwing it on my desk in front of me.

"What does it look like. An article." I shot back.

"It's awful."

"You know, I kind of liked it. Gives the public an idea of what's out there." I said, picking up the article.

"The idea's fantastic. The article itself reeks."

"I'll keep that in mind." I rolled my eyes. I found, after that awkward and awful night together, that it was easier to deal with his pigheadedness.

Mainly because I was sick of it, and didn't feel like fighting him as much. It wasn't worth the waste of energy.

"Too factual. Too word-heavy. This is the East Side Herald, not the Monthly Medical Journal."

"Too wordy. Got it." I said, not paying attention anymore. I was done with this conversation, and had moved back to my current project, arranging background on the candidates.

"Remember, we're meeting with the ink guy at three." He said, as I checked my watch.

My mother had gone ahead and scheduled that appointment with my doctor. She said that I was of age now, and she wanted me to make good choices…but in case I didn't, she didn't want any little Swans running around.

It was kind of annoying.

She really thought I was irresponsible, which kind of bothered me. But she was a mother, and I wasn't a kid anymore…

She was just going through the 'my baby is all grown up' stage of all mothers' lives. I understood it, but that didn't mean I had to like it…

"No, actually, you're meeting the ink guy at three." I said, seeing that it was two o'clock. "I have a doctors' appointment in half an hour."

"She wasn't kidding." He cracked a smile, and I flushed.

"Don't get me started on it." I sighed, looking back to my work and going over it.

"If you get out in time, drop by. They're coming here, in the conference room."

"Gotcha." I mumbled, taking my pen and scribbling out a few things.

Half an hour, half an hour…if I could just get in a half hour of uninterrupted work! I swear, Edward had been in this office every five or so minutes with something else he wanted me to go over.

He wasn't lying when he said he wanted me as an assistant.

Though, I didn't even really do much. I think I was here just so someone could hear him talk. He loved to hear himself talk, I'd noticed…

Let's modify that a bit. He loved to hear himself order people around.

There, that sounds a lot better.

I began cursing Carlisle, for ever doing this.

My office door opened again, just as I had gotten back into my groove.

"Ugh WHAT is it now!" I exclaimed, expecting Edward to walk back in. Instead, it was Robb, and he had a giant bouquet of flowers with him. I swear, it was like a small bush, only had a million different kinds of flowers in it.

Gerbera, chrysanthemums, tulips, fuscia liatris, aster, orchid…they'd gone all out with this. I was surprised to find only a few pink roses in it.

Pink. Pink roses, a sign of friendship.

What the hell. Who would send me flowers?

Oh no. Friendship.

Flowers.

Friendship.

"Robb, tell me you got those for me because you love me just so damn much…" I said with wide eyes. He put them on the corner of my desk.

"I love you, but not enough to waste this much money." He said, pausing at the door. "Tough break, kiddo."

"Yeah, no kidding." I sighed, as Edward came back into my office.

"I pushed the meeting to tomor—what's with the flowers?" he asked, going over to them to read the tag. I hadn't bothered to, I knew who they were from.

"'Join me for dinner tomorrow night, Jacob Black'." He read aloud, and grimaced. "You know that guy?"

"I try not to." I moaned, collapsing my head into my arms, folded on my desk. "He won't leave me alone."

"Tell him to back off." He said, almost sounding like he had a bit of anger in his voice.

"I have! Several times! It's not my fault he doesn't know the meaning of 'Hell No!'" I lamented, before sighing. I stood, to leave. "Do me a favor. Give at least one flower to everyone working in this office. Or if that's not manly enough for you, have Robb do it."

I got my coat and new gloves, looking outside and seeing a cab waiting, my mother standing outside of it waiting.

"I'll be back in an hour, maybe two." I brushed past him, tightly pulling my jacket around my slim form.

I knew he watched me leave, but didn't turn around to observe his expression. He was probably annoyed that I bothered to ask him to do something. Self-gratifying jerk.

I didn't notice, or rather, realize, until much later, on the way back to my office, that I was starting to like that jerk.

And when I did, as I stepped out of the cab and went back into the office, it hit me like an anvil over the head.

My heart skipped a beat, at the notion that he'd probably be there, waiting in my office to yell at me for something else.

As if that's not weird in itself…

He was a complete asshole, but he had shown me a different side that weekend. I'd just met him a few days ago, and felt like I'd known him for a long time. I didn't know anything about him, but I was used to his personality, after such a short amount of time.

This was bad.

This was catastrophic.

I definitely couldn't be falling for my boss, even if he was the most beautiful man alive.

But…just something about his asshole persona was so damn likeable! Maybe I had a thing for assholes, I mean I dated Jacob Black in high school…and he was certainly one of the assholeyest assholes out there.

One of the most annoying.

But Edward…I knew he had it in him to be nice. I'd seen it first hand. Maybe that's why I was finding myself attracted to him, because he wasn't a complete jerk.

The wind blew right through me, as I stood still on the sidewalk, and snapped out of it. It was freaking cold!

Going back into the office building, I saw that Edward was gone.

Well…good riddance. I couldn't let myself get attached, he was my boss!

I found, on my desk, however, a white rose.

The bouquet…it hadn't had any white roses. I knew that, for sure. It had only had pink, and this had the little water capsule on the bottom of the stem, to preserve it.

White roses…

I scanned my memory for their meaning, I'd gone over it a hundred times in the shop…

Purity.

Oh, that bastard! He was mocking me still, with flowers!

I picked up the rose, and had every intention of crushing it…but I couldn't. It was beautiful, in its simplicity.

Next to it was a card, and a tape recorder.

'For your interviews tonight. Remember, 7 o'clock, sharp. Don't be late.'

He even had beautiful handwriting.

No, Bella, no he didn't. He was still obnoxious. Don't let this fool you.

I sighed, listening to my inner doubt. He was my boss.

I checked the clock, and saw it was five-thirty already.

Everyone was leaving, no doubt because the jerk was gone for the day, and they weren't afraid of leaving. I shrugged, putting my coat back on and grabbing my tape recorder and rose. I tucked the rose into my coat before I left my office, in case anyone saw it.

It was an inside joke between Edward and I, and I didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea.

I was not shagging the boss.

But if people ever found out about Saturday, they'd think I was. Which is why it could never get out, ever.

I'd told Robb that my mother had gotten me the cell phone, that she was sick of my lifestyle. He believed it, he'd met her once, and knew that she was crazy.

I'd started taking cabs.

My mother insisted, saying that the bus wasn't safe. I didn't really understand that, but didn't really mind. I had to get home anyway, to get ready for the gala.

I made sure I was professional looking, whereas today I'd somewhat dressed down at the office, with a sweater and not very dressy black pants.

I don't know why I was nervous. I'd done plenty of interviews before. I'd worked the circuit dozens of times.

Maybe I was nervous because this was a big story for me, because I knew he was counting on me to deliver gold.

Maybe it was because I actually had a ticket to one of these things, this fund-raising dinner.

I made sure I had everything probably twenty seven times, and took a cab to the hotel, my old hotel.

Most social gatherings were held there, because it had the best ballroom in the city. So I wasn't surprised.

But Lou would be, if he saw me there as a guest.

I smirked, just thinking about it.

I made it there early, and didn't see Edward there yet. I wasn't really surprised. He was one of the guests, he could afford to be late. I was trying to get my story, so I had to be on my toes.

Ah, there was my target. Mr. Antonio Zuffoletti. He was running for mayor, in next year's elections.

"Excuse me, Mr. Zuffoletti?" I said, seeing him alone for a moment, getting a glass of water.

"Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Isabella Swan, from the East Side Herald. Might I have a minute of your time?"

"Oh, certainly dear." He said with a smile. He was a rather rotund man, and was probably only an inch or two taller than me. Your typical middle-aged Italian man, he said frequently. "I just loved the Herald as a kid. I didn't know it was still running."

"It is." I smiled in return. "I understand you grew up on the East Side. What motivated you to enter politics?"

"Well, it started with…" he began, and I got every word on tape. When he finished, and I thanked him, I saw the Cullens entering, Edward with the family.

I wanted to join them, but then saw another candidate, this one for State Senate.

This was going great. No wonder I hadn't been having very successful political articles, the few minutes I'd gotten with politicians in the past didn't compare to what I was getting now.

I sat in a chair, outside the ballroom, listening to my tape and scribbling things down for my article on a notebook I had with me.

"What is it with you and overworking yourself?" a familiar voice said, breaking me out of my thoughts as the tape continued. I stopped it, looking up to see Edward staring down at me.

My God, he looked stunning in suits.

The one he wore now was gray pinstriped, and since it had no color in it whatsoever, it made his eyes positively jump out at you.

My god, he was a beautiful man!

I didn't say anything for a full minute, and he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What am I going to do with you. C'mon, they're starting to serve dinner."

"But you said you wanted this to be a good article—" I started, still somewhat dazed by his splendor. "I'm here to work…"

"You're here to get interviews, which I saw you do. I've never seen someone get so many interviews, so quickly. Now, you sit and enjoy the evening." He said, as I followed him into the ballroom, to the table with the rest of the Cullens.

I saw Carlisle and Esme, Jasper with Alice and a camera, she taking photographs for my article, I guessed, that giant of a man Emmett with a beautiful woman I hadn't met, a supermodel type girl, blonde, beautiful, and definitely stuck up, and then Edward and I.

We took our seats, and I was sitting in between Alice and Edward, which I was grateful for. I don't think I could have handled sitting next to the beautiful blonde woman.

One thing that bothered me about this situation, was that I was surrounded by incredibly beautiful people.

They belonged here, and I suddenly felt self-conscious.

Even Alice, who I knew was only marrying into the family, looked like she belonged. I was the outsider, the poor girl with a lot of debts, the plain-Jane of the group.

I wasn't pretty.

I was too pale, I still had dark circles, all of my clothes were too large from the weight I'd lost from stress over the past three months…my hair wasn't nearly as perfect and shiny and beautiful as anybody here, it was a dull brown, and just everything about me paled in comparison to this group of superhumanly beautiful people.

"Hey, you're that waitress from the other night." Emmett said, his booming voice cutting through the conversation I was having with Alice.

"Yeah." I said sheepishly, coloring a little. I didn't want to be reminded of that experience. "I got fired."

"And you're a journalist?"

"Yeah." I answered, noticing the scowl the blonde woman—who I'd been told was Rosalie, Emmett's wife—was sending me. "For the East Side Herald."

"We're just seeing you all over the place, now, aren't we, dear?" Esme said, in an attempt to make the situation less degrading, I'm sure.

"Kind of like a parasite, worming your way into our lives." Rosalie said harshly, under her breath. She was on the other side of Edward, and said it probably purposely loud enough so I could hear.

"It really is a charming little paper." Esme continued, as I tried to ignore Rosalie's comment.

And I thought Edward was a jerk!

It kind of hurt.

I wondered why she hated me so much, when I'd just met her and was trying to be as cordial as possible.

Then again, she was the stereotype supermodel super-rich type. She probably hated me because I wasn't in her social circle.

I sighed softly, as the conversation turned to the stock market and a bunch of other boring things.

The night wore on, painfully slow.

Edward and I hardly spoke of the paper, and I hardly spoke at all.

I was surprised, however, at how he had managed to behave himself. He wasn't snide or cruel at all, in front of his family.

It made me wonder why Carlisle had warned me like he had. He was perfectly civil, now…

It was all so confusing. I was done with trying to figure out Edward Cullen. He was yelling at me one minute, telling me I was awful, and the next he was mocking me, and the next he was borderline nice.

I don't think even Freud could have figured out this nutcase.

He was absolutely bizarre.

I would say he had some kind of mental multiple personality type thing, but I knew he didn't. He had the same kind of ferocity present in everything, so it wasn't like he was three different people…

With each and every day I had know him, you know, a grand total of four, now, I'd been more confused than the last.

I was nearly asleep in my seat by the time everyone stood to leave. I looked over and saw Alice talking quietly to Jasper, and sighed.

I hated couples, when I was perpetually single.

But they were made for eachother, I could tell.

Everyone at this table was made for eachother, save Edward and I. I even saw that Rosalie belonged with Emmett, though I didn't really know how.

They just clicked.

And Carlisle and Esme…they were the same kind of person, the same kindness, the same joy and warmth present in their eyes.

As I said, I hated couples, when I was perpetually single.

I was brought out of my thoughts by Esme's warm, kind voice.

"Bella, dear, how would you like to join us for a show on Broadway, Friday night?" Esme asked, and I saw Rosalie glare at me. We were getting ready to leave, and I stopped what I was doing, upon hearing this.

What? Why was she inviting me along with her family?

Did they not realize that Edward was my boss, and only my boss?

Oh God.

I think they were trying to set me up with him, through this whole thing, through the paper.

But that was preposterous! Edward was…Edward. He was fierce, he was mean, he was cold…

He was beautiful.

He was everything I wasn't. I tried to act tough, but I was a softie at heart. I wasn't gorgeous, certainly not worthy of someone with his beauty…

"Oh…that's very kind, but…" I started, looking around the table. Rosalie was the only one protesting, and Edward looked carefully indifferent. "I'm not sure…"

I'm not sure I can pay them back for this. I know they'd insist on buying the ticket, but how could I accept it?

I shouldn't be getting cozy with the family anyway, I only knew them through business.

And Edward was my boss.

"I…have to go." I murmured, leaving as quickly as possible. I couldn't do this. I couldn't deal with this situation.

How suspicious does it look if you have dinner at a gala, then go to a show with your boss's family all in the same week?

It seemed wrong to me. It wasn't very professional.

Why did they have to be so goddamn nice?

Why did I get the feeling that everyone at that table knew something I didn't?

Now that I'd thought of it, I couldn't get my mind off of it. Off of the prospect of Edward…and me.

This was absurd. I'd known him for four days. I could hardly stand him.

Opposites attract, though. Which is why I was liking him more and more with every encounter I had with him.

Which was going to make my job awful.

What was I going to do?

What did you think? I know many of you were holding out for some form of reconciliation in the night spent together, but I have something else in mind. Good guesses, though.

And more people voted for an Edward POV than didn't, but I'm still not sure. I think it might ruin the story, take away from the BPOV and all her craziness.

And I don't know if I'd be able to successfully write a good EPOV. I don't know. I'll try and if I don't like what happens then no EPOV. I'll work on it.

Review :-)