Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

EDWARD

"How do I look?"

I looked up to see Emmett strutting toward me, dressed to the nines in a black tuxedo. Apparently, he had let himself into my apartment, because I hadn't heard a knock.

I raised my eyebrow. "You give a whole new meaning to the phrase 'monkey suit,'" I scoffed. "Is this thing really that formal?" The 'thing' that I was referring to was the dreaded New Year's party that I had been recruited for. I hadn't planned on getting so dressed up, but now that I saw Emmett's getup, I guess I had to rethink my plan.

"You know me, bro. I just want to look my best." He eyed my jeans and t-shirt ensemble critically. "You're not planning on wearing that, are you?"

"Actually, I was planning on changing into a different t-shirt," I replied with mock sincerity.

"Edward, you're going to look like-"

"Relax," I cut him off, jumping up from the couch. "I'm kidding. I'm going to get changed now."

I headed into my bedroom as Emmett snatched up the remote control and settled into my recliner. I was still apprehensive about this blind date. I wasn't very fond of the whole dating scene as it was, let alone being fixed up with someone that I knew nothing about.

Maybe Bella lied to me about her first name, and it'll end up being her. I laughed to myself, brushing the thought off. This night wasn't about Bella. This night was about trying to forget about Bella. And, besides, Bella wasn't exactly the kind of company Rosalie was known to keep.

I threw on a pair of black dress slacks, a black button-up shirt, and a black jacket. I contemplated putting a tie on, but decided against it. I hate ties, so I figured that Emmett's bowtie was ridiculous enough for the both of us.

"How do I look?" I asked, mocking Emmett's strut as I walked back into the living room.

"Pretty smooth, Johnny Cash," Emmett replied. "Almost as good as me."

I chucked a throw pillow at him. "Where are Rosalie and her friend?"

Emmett hopped up from the recliner, throwing the pillow back at me with much greater force than necessary. "We're going to pick them up. They're at our place getting ready," he said, referring to the townhouse that he and Rosalie shared.

I threw my leather jacket on, heading toward the door. "Lead the way, Em."

I followed him to the parking lot behind my building. "Did you really need to bring the Hummer?" I asked incredulously, climbing into the giant, black vehicle. "It's so… ostentatious."

"It matched my outfit," he retorted. I had to laugh at his logic.

When we arrived at Emmett's townhouse, a sudden wave of dread came over me. How long had it been since I had been on a date? If you don't count that night with Bella, it had been almost a year. I couldn't even remember how I was supposed to act. I felt like a high school boy arriving at his prom date's house. Taking a deep breath, I followed Emmett into the house.

"You look sexy," Rosalie purred, immediately throwing herself into Emmett's arms. She was dressed in the flashiest dress I had ever seen. It was low-cut, short, and covered in gold sequins. Anyone else would have looked like a Tina Turner impersonator in it, but she managed to make it work.

"You look amazing," he replied, lifting her up and spinning her in a circle. I rolled my eyes. Rosalie and my brother were always so showy about their relationship. Actually, I guess they were just showy people in general.

Emmett put Rosalie down and she turned to me. "This," she motioned behind her, "is Tanya. Tanya, Edward." I shifted my gaze to look at her. She was gorgeous, but she definitely shared that same flashiness streak that Rose had. She was dressed in a strapless red dress that flared out at the bottom. Her hair was blonde, wavy, and big.

"It's nice to meet you, Tanya," I smiled, stepping toward her and extending my hand. "You look lovely."

"And you as well," she replied, flashing me a big smile. She shook my hand, and then stepped beside me, looping her arm through mine. "Shall we go?"

"Aren't you going to grab a coat?" I asked, eyeing her dress. "You're going to freeze."

"Sometimes you just have to sacrifice comfort for the sake of looking good, Edward," Rosalie answered for her.

"Exactly," Tanya said, giggling as we headed back to the vehicle.

I shook my head, thankful that I wasn't a woman. "When you get pneumonia, you won't be looking very good."

As we settled into the back of the Hummer, I made the obvious small talk with Tanya. Her family had just moved to Chicago from Alaska because her father had received a promotion. She was currently living at her parents' house until she saved enough money to move out on her own.

"How do you like Chicago so far?" I asked politely.

"I'm having a blast!" she replied excitedly. "It's such a huge change from Alaska! There are so many people here, not to mention so many stores!"

I laughed at her enthusiasm for shopping. She and Rosalie really were cut from the same mold. "It really is a beautiful city," I agreed. "Especially at Christmastime. There's just something about the snow and the lights…"

"It's almost magical," she replied, moving her hand to my leg.

I forced a smile at her, trying to shake the nagging feeling of unease in the back of my mind. I spent the rest of the car ride staring out the window.

I am admittedly not much of a partier. Perhaps that is why I ended up sitting alone on New Year's Eve, watching my date dance with every male in the room. It's not that I minded, really; this was her boss's party, her colleagues. And, besides, Tanya had asked me to dance first, but I declined. She wasn't exactly the queen of subtlety. All of her excuses to touch me, her sexual innuendos; it was just too much. I had urged her to go dance without me, though, so there I sat, nursing my third beer of the night and avoiding Emmett's pointed looks. I knew I was going to get an earful from him later.

"Look at the tits on her!" I looked over to see a dark-skinned, dark-haired boy ogling Tanya as she danced. He was taking shots with a few other men, Mr. Palmer included.

"I know," Tanya's boss replied. "I have the pleasure of looking at those puppies every day."

I cringed, their conversation reminding me why I wasn't much of a partier. Call me old-fashioned, but I was never one for the kind of male bonding that involved alcohol and degradation of women. It wasn't really my scene. I mean, I can't say that I don't look at women (and, yes, Tanya was very well-endowed); I just never thought it proper to treat them solely as sex objects. I left that kind of thing to Emmett. Even he wasn't as crude as these guys were, though.

"You've got a hot little piece of ass at home yourself, though, Jacob," another one of the suits chimed in. "I wouldn't be complaining about sleeping with her every night."

"Yeah," the boy replied, downing another shot. "But she's nothing compared to that."

I shook my head, feeling sorry for the poor girl that had to date this moron. Taking their conversation as my cue to leave, I headed for the bar.

As I stood at the bar waiting for my beer, I felt a pair of arms snake around my waist. "Edward," a voice whispered into my ear, "I've been looking everywhere for you." My body reflexively stiffened; it was Tanya.

Her arms still around my waist, I turned around, forcing a smile at her. "Are you enjoying the party, Tanya?"

"I am," she replied, pressing her body against mine. "But I'm not enjoying the fact that you won't dance with me."

"You seem to be doing just fine without me. You're the belle of the ball," I joked. I meant for it to sound lighthearted, but it came out as more sarcastic than anything. Tanya was wasted, though, so the sarcasm was lost on her.

"Come on, Edward, just one dance?" She pleaded, running her hand through my hair.

"Maybe later," I replied, wiggling free from her grasp and grabbing my beer. "I'm not much of a dancer."

"Fine," she pouted, turning to walk away. "But you're mine at midnight," she added, giving me a wink over her shoulder.

"Can't wait," I muttered, flashing her a forced smile before heading into the next room.

"Edward!" I wasn't even three steps into the next room when I heard someone else call my name. I spun around and found myself face to face with Emmett. "You all right, bro?" His voice was a mixture of annoyance and concern, with an emphasis on the annoyance.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"Because you're walking around, all brooding and shit, totally ignoring your date. What's your deal? You're not into Tanya?"

"I don't know. She's a nice girl, Emmett."

"Dude, she's freaking beautiful."

"Gorgeous," I agreed.

"So what's the problem?"

I sighed. Where should I start? You see, I met this girl - yep, only met her once - and she completely ruined every other girl in the world for me. No, Emmett, I'm not gay. "She's just not my type."

"That girl," Emmett said, slurring his words a bit, "is every man's type."

"Why don't you get yourself another drink," I laughed, trying to change the subject. "I don't think you've quite had enough yet." With that, I turned on my heel, looking for a new place to hide.

Now I don't want you to get the wrong idea about me here. I'm not a total social misfit or anything. This party was seriously just miserable. It was full of men in expensive suits discussing boobs and bank accounts and the women who love them. I couldn't relate to them, nor did I want to.

As I rounded the next corner, I caught a glimpse of Rosalie and immediately headed for the staircase. After the run-ins with Tanya and Emmett, the last thing I needed was Rosalie scolding me for blowing her friend off. That was one woman's fury I just did not want to deal with.

I stood in the hallway, observing the party below, finally able to find amusement in the scene. Emmett and Rosalie appeared to be reenacting the final dance scene of Dirty Dancing in the middle of the makeshift dance floor, creating a spectacle as usual. Tanya quite literally had a line of middle-aged men waiting for their turn to dance with her. She'll make a great trophy wife someday. I scanned the crowd, my eyes settling on a girl sitting alone in the corner of the room. I must be more drunk than I'd thought, because that girl looks a whole lot like Bella.

My heart leapt into my throat. It was Bella. And she was real this time. Bella – my Bella – was at this party. She looked every bit as miserable as me. All those months of searching for her in vain, all those trips to the diner, and here she was sitting right in front of me. I wanted to scream her name. I wanted to break dance. I wanted to run to her, to scoop her up in my arms and tell her that she was never allowed to leave again. I wanted to grab her face and kiss her until I ran out of breath. I wanted to tell her that she haunted my dreams every night of my life.

So what did I do?

I ran away.

BELLA

Ugh.

I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom, staring at myself critically. I was wearing a simple, black halter dress that flared out a bit at the bottom, ending just above my knees. I felt so awkward in a dress. Something about it just didn't look natural.

I had decided to go to my boss's New Year's Eve party after all. A wallflower by nature, I was apprehensive about it, but I sure as hell wasn't going to spend the night in my apartment. I wasn't exactly close with anyone that I worked with, but Jacob was going with me. Also, I could always hang out with Tanya.

Tanya. As I continued scrutinizing my appearance in the mirror, I thought about how plain I would look next to her. She always looked spectacular for work – all breasts, hair, and glossy lips – so I was sure she'd go out of her way for this party. In that moment of weakness, I contemplated putting more makeup on, but I opted against it. I already felt awkward enough; I didn't want to have to worry about whether or not my face was melting on top of everything else.

"Ready, Bells?" Jacob came whipping into the bedroom, dressed in a white button-up shirt, dark jeans, and a sports coat.

"You look nice," I smiled.

"Thanks," he replied. "Ready to go? I'll drive!" With that, he headed out of the room.

Rolling my eyes at the fact that he didn't return the compliment, I grabbed a sweater from my closet. I'd definitely feel more comfortable with my shoulders covered up. With a final look in the mirror, I was out the door.

"Holy…" Jacob let out a low whistle as we pulled up to my boss's house. It was located just outside of the city, and it was huge. "You think with a house like this, he'd be able to pay you more," he joked.

"Tell me about it," I muttered in response.

We hopped out of the car and made our way to the front door. My hand had barely touched the doorbell, when the door swung open. "Bella! You look great!" My boss greeted me with an awkward hug; it was painstakingly obvious that he had begun drinking hours ago.

"Thanks for inviting me," I smiled, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "This is my boyfriend Jacob."

"Jacob, my man! Nice to meet you," he said, shaking Jake's hand. "I'm Scott." He stepped aside. "Come in! Let me take your coats... the bar is right over there. Help yourself!" He snatched up our coats and disappeared faster than he appeared.

"Wow," Jacob said, looking at me.

"I know," I replied. "Sometimes I wonder if he's on uppers or something." Noticing the massive amount of people in the room, I added, "Let's go get a drink."

I led Jacob to the bar, where we grabbed two glasses of champagne, then proceeded to a desolate corner in the next room. We sat and people watched for a while, downing our drinks. I wasn't quite ready to interact with my drunken colleagues yet.

"Bella! Bella!" I looked up to see my boss standing over me, about five inches from my face. I winced at his closeness. "Come do a shot with us!" he insisted.

"Um, no thank you, Mr. Palmer," I replied, uneasy. I thought my boss was skeevy at work, but this was a whole new level. "I think I'm going to go easy on the drinking tonight."

"What about you, Jacob?" he said, shifting his attention to Jake. "Come on! Just the guys!"

Jake didn't think twice about the offer. "I never turn down hard liquor," he joked, standing up. I nodded in approval to show him that I didn't mind, but he was already following suit.

I rolled my eyes and slumped further into my chair. We had been at the party for less than an hour, and Jacob had already abandoned me for the guys. It was the story of my life.

I shifted my attention to the dance floor, noticing that a group of my male coworkers were gathered around, watching some sort of spectacle. I squinted to see what the fuss was about, inwardly cringing when I spotted the source of the entertainment. Tanya had arrived, looking like an oversexed goddess of some sort, and was traipsing from guy to guy, loving every minute of it.

Ugh, they are literally lining up for her. I'm guessing there will be no female bonding for us tonight. I felt a pang of something as I watched her. Perhaps it was jealousy, perhaps it was disgust, perhaps it was merely the pork and sauerkraut I had eaten earlier. Whatever it was, it made me want to throw up. I had to get some air.

I briefly looked around the room for Jacob, but he was nowhere to be found. I glanced back at Tanya. Maybe if I looked like that, my boyfriend wouldn't freaking desert me all the time. I shook the thought off, hating the fact that I let Jacob make me so insecure. With a final survey of the room, I headed toward the back door.

EDWARD

I don't know why I freaked out. I just did. I saw Bella sitting there in all her splendor, and I just panicked. I had been glorifying her in my head, in my dreams, for the past three and a half months. What if she didn't live up to the memory? What if I didn't live up to hers? What if there was nothing for me to live up to, if she hadn't thought twice about me? What if, what if, what if?

I stared at my face in the mirror, contemplating my next move. Yes, I had run to the bathroom like a little girl. If you don't talk to her tonight, you will never see her again. You've been waiting for this moment for months. Don't blow it again.

I attempted to fix myself up, giving myself a mental pep talk. I knew what I had to do, what I wanted to do. I was nervous; I was nauseous; I was ecstatic. I burst out of the bathroom and bounded down the stairs, both determined and anxious.

My heart sank as my eyes landed on the now-empty chair that Bella had been sitting in. Had I imagined it? Was I really so lonely and miserable that I was now seeing things?

I hurriedly did a few laps around the house, taking care to avoid the usual suspects. Bella was nowhere to be found. Am I losing my fucking mind?

After the fourth lap, I started to feel lightheaded. I had psyched myself up for nothing. I was feeling crazier and crazier by the second. Defeated and dejected, I headed for the back door to get some air.

I swung the door open and my heart was suddenly in my throat again. She was out there. Her back was facing me, her hands rubbing her forearms for warmth. I stood there, completely dumbfounded, staring at the back of her head. Finally, I choked out her name.

She turned around, a strange look on her face. "Edward?" As I stepped closer to her, a goofy smile broke out on her face. "Holy shit!"

I'm sure my goofy smile rivaled hers as all the tension melted away. She was happy to see me. "Bella."

"I was starting to think I made you up," she said, surprisingly echoing the thought I had so many times.

"I know," I agreed, moving closer to her. "It was like our night together was our own little dream world, our own creation."

"It must be like you're in my dream, and I'm in yours," she whispered, a smile playing on her lips. "Maybe that's why this feels so otherworldly." Her eyes shifted to the ground. "But then the morning comes and we turn back into pumpkins, huh?"

I smiled slightly, not quite sure what she was alluding to. "But then I'm supposed to produce the glass slipper and see if it fits." I cringed a bit, feeling silly for keeping the Cinderella reference going.

"Yeah?" she asked, still looking at the ground.

"Yeah," I replied, my heart pounding in my ears. I ran the back of my fingertips down her arm. "It'll fit."

I noticed she was shivering as she looked up at me again. "Bella, it's freezing!" I exclaimed, shaking my suit jacket off and putting it over her shoulders. "Let me guess. Sacrificing comfort for the sake of looking good?" I asked, repeating what Rosalie had said earlier.

"No," she replied, crinkling her nose. "I just didn't know where they put my coat."

I laughed, adding "You look beautiful tonight." And she did. The moon was almost full that night, its light illuminating her soft features. My dreams had done her no justice; she was absolutely radiant.

"Thanks," she replied, a slight blush creeping over her cheeks. "You look nice, too."

We stood, leaning over the railing of the deck, looking out at the backyard. We were silent for a few minutes, just enjoying being in one another's company again.

Bella looked over at me, giving me the sweetest smile I'd ever seen. I felt my heart skip a beat and, in that moment, I had to know. "Bella, do you ever think about me? About our night together?"

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes avoiding mine. "I do," she finally admitted. "Far more than I should." I didn't quite understand the odd tone to her voice. Was it sadness?

I wanted to be honest with her, to tell her how deeply she had affected me. Taking a deep breath, I turned my body toward hers. "Bella," I started, taking her little hand in mine.

She looked up at me, her eyes wide. "Edward, I have to tell you something."

"No," I argued. "If I don't say this right now, I never will. And if you are absolutely horrified by what I am about to say, I place full blame on the alcohol." I laughed, nervously squeezing her hand.

Still holding onto her hand, I took another deep breath. Let me try this again. "Okay, I once worked for this older man, and he told me that he had spent all of his life thinking about his career and his work, and he was 65 and it suddenly struck him that he had never
really given anything of himself. His life was for no one, for nothing."

Bella stared at me curiously, more than likely wondering where I was going with my little anecdote. I wasn't even sure if I knew where I was going with this. I was just trying to convey how she made me feel.

"I don't want to be like that, Bella. You made me feel like I don't have to be like that. You know, I believe if there's any kind of magic in this world, it must be in the attempt of understanding someone, sharing something. I just… I want you to share your world with me, Bella. And I want to share mine with you. I have been on this planet for twenty-three years, and no one has ever made me feel the way that you do. Never. And it wasn't a fluke, because I feel it again right now."

"Edward…" Bella's eyes shone as tears threatened to spill over. I waited for a response, but one never came.

Not satisfied with her silence, I placed my hand on her cheek. I could hear the guests inside starting the countdown to midnight. It's now or never.

I tried to steady my breathing as I leaned into her, my thumb gently stroking the side of her face. She closed her eyes, each breath becoming increasingly ragged. "Bella," I whispered, "I just need to know..." I moved in closer, until my mouth was just barely touching her slightly parted lips. "Do you feel it, too?"

"Yes," she breathed, gently running her fingers through my hair, sending a charge through my body. I inhaled her scent – all freesia and strawberries and champagne – and licked my lips, feeling as if I might explode if I didn't press my lips to hers soon.

"What the hell is going on here?"

I looked up to see a boy standing at the door, glaring accusingly at us. I noted that he was the "look at the tits on her" boy from earlier. Tanya was standing right behind him.

Bella quickly jumped away from me, shaking my suit jacket off of her shoulders. "Jacob, I…"

"I don't want to hear it," he barked, glaring at her. He turned to me. "Who the hell are you?"

"Who the hell are you?" I shot back angrily, trying to regain my composure.

"I'm her fucking boyfriend," he spat. "And I want an explanation. Now."

Completely bewildered, I took a step back and fixed my gaze on Bella, who now had tears streaming down her face. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me.

Boyfriend.

I wasn't expecting that one.

Author's Note: Woo, this one was a tough one to write. I'm just so ready to jump into the Edward/Bella story, it was hard for me to write the scenes leading up to it. But from now on babies, it's all killer, no filler. We're into the good stuff now.

Thank you so, so much to everyone who took the time to review my story and/or added it to your alert lists. It truly means the world to me to know that someone out there likes what I'm writing! Love, love, love!