When I got back into the apartment I decided to go ahead and shave. It was just to will away the time. My clothes wouldn't be ready for another forty five minutes and I didn't really have anything to do until then. Besides, I needed to think about what was going on. I went into the bathroom and flicked the radio back on.

I wasn't exactly sure where we were at- Bella and myself. I didn't exactly ask her to be my girlfriend. And, if I did, would she when say yes? It was far too soon to even think about that. But, I had a strong need to protect her. Though, I always had.

Alice and I were friends, and I didn't think she'd be angry with Bella. I knew I only had good feelings for her. I mean, I wanted her to have a good future with a man that could make her happy. I had to admit that the lines of our friendship were sometimes blurred back into the bedroom at times. Though, it had been a few months since that happened.

I knew Bella was worried about that though. Alice was her best friend. But, Bella worried about everyone in some sort or fashion. She was that kind of girl.

I finally realized that I had just been standing there for several minutes. Feeling like an idiot I grabbed the bottle of shaving gel. I sprayed some into my hands, rubbing it together. Though my hair was fine, and you could barely see it because it was extremely blond on my face, it got on my nerves. I didn't like being rough. I started to carefully shave when I heard the front door close.

There was a tiny tap on the bathroom door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, I'm just getting ready." I called.

I didn't look at her while I went over my chin. I knew if I did I would get distracted and cut myself. And, I didn't want to see Bella pass out on the floor after she saw the blood. After a minute of her not saying anything I looked at her through the mirror. She was biting her bottom lip, like she was going something in her mind.

"What's the matter?" I asked gently.

"I want to tell Alice. Is that okay?" She said, leaning against the counter.

"Darlin, you're a big girl. If you want to tell her you can. It's fine with me." I said, giving her a reassuring smile. "You know you don't have to ask my permission."

"Well, she's you're ex."

"She's your friend though. Bella, it's fine with me. Don't worry." I told her as I went over my cheek. I ran the blade under the water when I was finished. Little bits of cream were still on my face. I cupped my hands under the cool water and splashed it over my face.

"She wants to go out tonight. She wants to take me shopping." She told me as she handed me a towel. "I told her that I had to get ready first. I had to ask you though."

I wiped my face and set the towel down. I moved to stand in front of her, taking her hips into my hands. They felt so small. She was so fragile. "I want you to have a good time. Though, if you want me to beat her off with a stick I will. I know you hate to shop."

"No, it's okay. I'm actually in the mood for an Alice makeover." She said with a smile, her fingers running up my arms. Her touch was so light.

"Are your feet cold?" I asked in a playful tone.

"What?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My feet are freezing. I think Hell might have just frozen over."

She laughed at my cheesy joke, slapping me weakly on the shoulder. "Do you honestly think you're funny?"

"I made you laugh, didn't I?" I said in a cocky tone.

She giggled, her beautiful full lips pulling into a sly little smile. "I guess you did. Alright, well I guess I should get ready and let you finish up in here." She began to pull away.

"One thing first..."

I lowered my mouth to hers. She was so tiny next to me. I had a good foot on her. She reached on her tip toes, her arms wrapping around my neck. I had never felt anything so soft in my life. I brought my hands to her cheeks, holding her so I could kiss her longer. I didn't want it to end. I was already addicted to her, I thought briefly as kissed her bottom lip. Finally, I pulled away and leaned my forehead against hers as I tried to catch my breath. "Darlin, if you need anything call me. I'll have my phone on me. If you don't get a hold of me there you can call the bar and-"

Her tiny fingers covered my mouth. Bella lightly kissed my chin. "I'll be fine. But, I'll keep that in mind."

OooOooOooOooO

About an hour and a half later I was heading to work. It was a cool night and already dark because it was November. It wasn't too bad though. I turned the music up loud as I drove towards the bar. The music fit my mood: a little angry. I didn't want to work tonight. Usually I didn't mind because the money was always great, but this was the first time, in a long time, that I had other plans.

I'm not sure what I had planned for us, but I'm sure it involved nudity and a bed, or a couch. The amount of foreplay and sex that we were having probably wasn't healthy. But, when she threw herself at me I had a hard time thinking of anything else. I wondered how Edward could stand it. If I had to go a month with just her kissing me I think I'd explode. He lasted a little over two years.

It wasn't really busy when I got there, but it was still early and a weeknight. I groaned when I saw the banner above the door. "Starlite Night Club welcomes you to 80's night!" I usually liked when they did theme nights on the weekdays. I even volunteered when they did country night. But, I was in no mood to listen to cheesy eighties music that were killed by teen flicks. I let out a heavy breath as I pulled out my keys from the ignition.

As I came in the manager, Sam, pounced on me. "Thanks so much for coming in. With the new owner maybe coming in sometime tonight I was in a jam..." He said with an apologetic smile.

"I forgot about that. I thought he wasn't suppose to come until tomorrow." I told him as I clocked in.

"Well, apparently this guy likes to make surprise visits. And you're one the best. I just wanted to be prepared."

"You don't have to butter me up. I'm already here." I said a heavy sigh.

"Well, we've got one of the new guys coming in tonight. He's still training, but he's not bad. Once it slows down and he gets comfortable you'll get to go. By the way, we're expecting a birthday party tonight."

"Great," I mumbled, rubbing a hand over my face.

It was going to be a long night...

OooOooOooOooOooO

A few hours passed without much happening. Around nine the new guy, Seth, showed up. He was young, but had worked at a bar before. It was just taking him a while to make drinks because he couldn't find everything he needed. Around ten it picked up, the party- a twenty first birthday- showed up.

I had my hands full with a gaggle of giggling girls when one of the bouncers, Jake, came up to me. "Dude, check out the hot brunette."

I nearly dropped the tumbler I was holding when I saw who he was talking about. She was wearing a short black dress, that was more like a shirt, with a swoop neck that dipped a few inches below her breasts, down the center, revealing the fact that she was not wearing a bra. With heels that made her legs go on for days and hair and makeup that screamed sex she looked amazing. "Bella..." I breathed.

"Shit! That's Bella? No way." Jake gaped. I had honestly forgotten that he was there. I threw a towel at him and told him to get back to work.

She sauntered up to the bar, her bright red lips smiling slyly. "What does a couple of girls have to do get a drink around here?"

That's when I finally noticed Alice standing behind her. She looked like her normal lovely self. She winked at me, giving me a small wave.

"Give the bartender a kiss." I said before I could stop myself. I was rather known for my flirting, and it wasn't abnormal for me to come home with lipstick somewhere on my person.

Bella blushed and Alice giggled. Alice leaned against the bar, one of her legs kicked up behind her. She pressed her lips to my cheek with a loud smacking noise. "Cosmo, please."

I looked into Bella's eyes for a moment. I wasn't going to make her uncomfortable with public displays of affection. "What would you like, darlin?"

She leaned over the bar and I met her halfway. With a hand on my shoulder she lightly pressed her lips to the opposite cheek that Alice had kissed. Her lips were lingering and soft as a feather. When she pulled away we just looked at each other, smiling.

Alice slapped Bella on the shoulder. "What do you want to drink?"

"Oh... um," she blushed brightly, "surprise me." She mumbled, looking away embarrassed.

I know exactly what to make her. Something sweet and strong. I started to get to work on both of the drinks, my hands working without even thinking about it.

A new song came on and Alice squealed loudly. I smirked when I realized that it was 'Girls just want to have fun,' by Cyndi Lauper. Alice grabbed Bella by the hand, jumping up and down with excitement. "We're going to go dance. Could you hold the drinks behind the bar? We'll get them after this song."

"Sure thing, sugar. Have fun."

Bella gave me a fleeting 'come save me' look. I gave her an apologetic smile and she sighed heavily. There really wasn't anything I could do right now to say her from Alice's manic energy. I mouthed 'sorry' to her.

"Who's the two hot girls? You seem cozy with them." Seth asked as he got a couple of beers from the tap.

"My ex Alice and my roommate Bella." I said distractedly, getting a glimpse of the girls dancing together.

"The short one is really hot." He said a bit shyly.

I was relieved that he was attracted more so to Alice than Bella. I didn't know what to think of that realization. "That's Alice. I can introduce you if you like." I offered.

"That would be awesome. Thanks!" He said brightly. "You don't mind, do you? She's your ex and all." He added quickly.

"Nah, me and her are friends. I just want her to be happy." I told him honestly.

The song ended and Alice bounced over towards me, leaning against the bar.

"Where's Bella?" I asked as I handed her both of the drinks.

"Bathroom. So, I heard..." She trailed off, looking at me with an evil little smirk. I knew that face too well. She was trying to see how much she could get out of me.

"You hear everything, Mary Alice. You're a gossip whore." I said with a grin of my own to show that I was teasing.

She slapped my shoulder hard and rolled her eyes. "Smart ass! No, Bella told me about you two."

"And?"

"And, I think that's awesome! Lord knows she needs a good..."

"Alice," I said in a warning tone.

"A good, fun, relationship. That's all I was going to say." She held up her hands in innocence, but there was still a wicked glint in her eye.

"Look. I really don't know what's going on between us exactly right now, but I just want her to be happy."

"What about you?" She asked as she took a sip of her drink.

"What about me?"

She rolled her eyes like I was daft. "Are you happy?"

"I am," I shrugged.

She rolled her eyes again at my vague answer and sighed. "Well, what do you want to happen?"

"I don't know." I said quietly. "It doesn't matter. It's too early anyway. Too soon."

"She's more ready than you think," and with that Alice skipped off. I shook my head at her words. She always did stuff like that. I think she just liked to cause drama. She was a good girl, she just liked to be in the middle of everything.

A few songs later Bella came to the bar, by herself this time. She looked a bit sweaty, but happy. "Can I have another of whatever that was you made me. It was good."

"Sure thing, honey. Having fun?" I asked.

"Yeah, but she has more energy than me." She complained, frowning.

I laughed, "she has more energy than everyone."

If I hadn't been so focused on her I would have noticed him. Edward walked up to the bar, only one person between him and Bella. I didn't think he even noticed her yet.

"Hey, Jazz. Can I talk to you?" He called to me, trying to get my attention.

Bella visibly stiffened at the sound of his voice. She looked like a deer in headlights. She seem to notice the same thing as me. I could tell her strategy was to stay still as possible. Or, perhaps she was just glue to her spot.

I gave her a meaningful look before I moved over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to apologize about earlier and I wanted to ask for you advice."

"Look, this isn't really the-"

"Please?" He said as whiningly as possible.

"Fine," I sighed, not knowing what else to do.

"What can I do about Bella?" He asked in a determined voice.

"Leave her alone." I almost growled. He didn't seem to notice the tone of my voice.

"No, seriously." He rolled his eyes. He didn't even consider that an option, which bothered me.

"I am serious. Bella is a grown woman and you led her along for two years. And, when she finally has enough of your bullshit, you dangle the one thing that she's probably wanted for year. Don't insult her intelligence by thinking that one of your gestures will win her back." I told him, getting anger with every word I spoke.

"I know you're on Bella's side but-" I cut him off quickly before he could finish that sentence.

"Damn straight, I am. Do you know how many nights I've had to listen to her cry because you made her feel unworthy?! She deserves better than that!"

Without even thinking I had already made Bella's drink. I was so flustered at this point that I was probably beet red. I didn't know what else to do. I gave her the drink, hoping that she could get away without being noticed.

It would have probably worked too. Edward followed my eyes to her fleeting form. "She's got nice legs." He said absently. But then she glanced back at me. Edward's eyes went wide. "Bella? Bella! Wait!" He shouted, going after her.

Bella kept walking though. Edward ran behind her and grabbed her arm. The drink fell from her hand. I couldn't hear the shattering of the glass, but I knew it had.

"I'm taking my fifteen." I yelled to Seth before hopping over the bar. I could hear the beginning of their conversation, or rather, argument, as I walked closer.

"What the hell are you wearing?" He asked in a rather snide voice.

"What does it matter to you?" She hissed angrily.

"You look like a-"

"Finish that sentence and you'll be hauled out of here on a stretcher." I informed him, grabbing his shoulder tightly.

"But-" He began, but then cleared his throat. Apparently he changed his mind about what he was going to say. "I just want to talk."

Bella inched into my side. I wrapped a protective arm around her. "She doesn't want to talk to you right now. It's too soon."

"She can speak for herself." He said angrily.

"Listen to him, Edward. Not now. Not for a while." She answered softly, not look directly at him.

I waved one of the waitresses over and asked her to clean up the broken glass. "Darlin, dance with me." I whispered softly in Bella's ear. She nodded, leaning more into me. Over her head I looked directly at Edward. "Leave."

He opened his mouth to speak but I quickly pulled Bella away to the dance floor. A slow song was playing so I brought her close to me, holding her hand to my chest in my own. It took me a moment to remember the song. 'Every breath you take,' by the police, if I remembered correctly.

I looked over her head, watching to make sure that Edward was leaving on his own. When he reached the door he turned to look at us. I'm sure my face displayed a clear message. 'Mine.'

"Are you alright?" I asked, leaning my cheek against hers so we could hear each other.

She shook her head, pressing face into my neck. Alice finally showed up. I wondered where the hell she had been.

"Hey, sorry I took so long. I saw one of my clients and we started to-" She stopped, taking in Bella's somber appearance. "What happened?"

"Edward. Ally, take her home." I asked. She nodded quickly, taking her hand. I walked with them to the front door. I leaned over and give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hey, Jake. Walk the girls to their car. Make sure that Edward is no where near them. If he is, come get me."

"Alright," he shrugged. He led them outside as I watched from the doorway. I rubbed my hand over my face, feeling my frustrating overwhelm me. I took a deep breath and turned to go back to work when they were safely out of the parking lot. .

OooOooOooOooO

The bar went nuts about twenty minutes later. Two bachelorette parties came in, both a pretty decent size. We almost never got them on the weekdays. It must have been a full moon out tonight or something. And, the new owner hadn't even showed up.

It was past two when I left the bar. I was exhausted and I have a lot on my mind. I didn't want to think about it, but I had to.

My friendship with Edward was so... off now. He was the first friend I met when I came here from Texas. He made me feel welcomed. He was my college roommate for a couple of years. But, what did we have in common now? Apparently only our desire to be with Bella.

I had worried about Bella all night. I'm sure that Alice was taking good care of her, because she was a good friend. I wish I could have been there to comfort her. I don't know really what I could have said to make her feel better, but I could have at least held her. I'm sure she was so overwhelmed. I'm sure she had just had as much running through her mind.

The apartment was dark by the time I got home, like it usually was this late. I quietly shut the door and locked up. I threw my wallet and keys on the side table, unbuttoning a few of the buttons on my shirt as I went. Bella's light was off, but her door was slightly cracked. I kicked off my shoes before I walked over to her door. I peaked inside, just to look at her.

Bella was curled to her side, her knees close to her chest. The blanket had been discarded at her feet, revealing her body to me. She was just wearing a tee shirt and a pair of cotton white panties. She looked so innocent. I went to move away but she opened her eyes.

"Jasper..." She said sleepily, reaching out her hand to me.

I undid the rest of the buttons on my shirt and slipped it off. I crawled in beside her, still in my jeans. She snuggled her back against my chest, and my arm wrapped protectively around her waist. I brought my face to her hair, breathing her scent in deeply.

"Bella, is it okay if I hold you tonight?" I asked softly. I would leave if she said no.

She nodded her head and pressed herself closer to me. With my foot I wrangled the blanket so I could reach it. I wrapped it around us, making sure she was warm enough.

With my face in her sweet smelling hair, I fell asleep. She felt so perfect in my arms. Like this is where she was suppose to be.

Longer chapter today. I hope you enjoyed it! Also, I want to thank everyone that has added me to their alerts or reviewed. Keep it up. It'll make me write faster.

Alice took it well. She's just that kind of girl.

Also, I don't know if you noticed or not, but FF is being bitchy with internet explorer. FireFox seems to work better. Just letting you know.