Alice was giggling madly, and Rose and I carried her on our shoulders into the house. I didn't want to wake Charlie, so I tried to move her as fast as possible. Luckily she seemed to understand that as well, so her laughing quieted once I opened the door. We got her up the stairs, and I dropped her onto my bed. Rose got a blanket from my closet and draped it over her.

"What is with her?" I whispered. "She has been acting strange lately, don't you think?"

"Definitely," said Rose.

But before we could ask her, her tiny snores filled the silence of the room.

5

"Wake up!" called a cheery voice from beside me. I groaned loudly, and rolled over. I didn't have to look at a clock to know that it was way too early to be getting up. But I knew better than to think that voice would go away.

"Girls!" said the voice, bright as ever. "We have a lot to do today now get up!" I felt two small hands start rocking me back and forth.

I reluctantly pulled the pillow off my face, and through heavy lids I glared at Alice. But Rose, who was down by our feet, found her voice before I did.

"Well aren't you the little ball of enthusiasm," she said blackly, not looking up from her pillow. "I would have thought after last night, you would want to sleep in a little bit."

Alice waved her hand as if last night was a distant memory she didn't have time to recall at the moment. "It's not that early, it's already 9:00, and we have to go shopping for the dance."

That caught my attention. I sat up and pushed my hair out of my face.

"Alice, Rose and I haven't even been asked yet. I'm not going to waste my money on some dress that I might not even need."

"Of course they're going to ask," she insisted, pulling the pillow out from under Rose's head. "Everyone is asking their personal response pen pal. I'm sure Gentleman and Built For You will ask next week."

"Well let's go in another two hours," said a sleepy Rose. Now that she didn't have a pillow, she was resting against my legs.

"Guyssss," pouted Alice, "Please! What am I going to do for two hours, watch you guys sleep?"

I stared back at her for a second and let out a heavy sigh.

"Oh fine," I moaned, flopping back on to my pillow. I got out from under the covers and sleepily walked to my closet, pulling out a pair of jeans and black sweater. I didn't exactly want to dress up to go shopping.

"Traitor," said Rose, who was still lying flat on my bed.

After about 20 minutes, we were all set and ready to go. We hopped into Rosalie's car and headed to Port Angeles. I still thought this idea was stupid. I didn't even have a date. But I knew I agreed to go because a small part of me was hoping he would ask. Just so I could meet him. I would deal with the dancing problem later.

On the way, we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for coffees and bagels. Alice was bouncing with excitement, talking about a silver dress that she had seen online that would be perfect for me. We pulled up to Saks and after Rosalie parked the car, made our way into the store.

Alice ran around all the different racks happily, piling clothes onto her arm. Rosalie, who was much more selective, only had about two or three. I didn't have any. If I was honest, I knew Alice would pick me out something nice. And of course, without fail, she led us into the dressing room fifteen minutes later with many different selections to try on.

"Is it really this formal?" I called from inside my dressing room as I eyed a long gown with distaste.

"Yeah," said Rosalie from across the aisle. "I think we have to get real dressed up for this one." I groaned softly and sorted through the ten or twelve dresses that Alice had given me. I pulled a black and gold one from the middle. I instantly liked it, and decided to try it on. The dress was black, but had a gold band going around the middle and up into the sleeves. It was tight fitting and hit around knee length. I zipped it up from the side and admired myself in the mirror.

I pulled the curtain across and walked into the aisle.

Alice was already studying herself in the three mirrors by the end. She had on a sparkly gold dress that hit just above the knees. She looked hott.

"Wow Alice," I said "That dress is perfect!" She spun around with a big smile and gasped when she saw me.

"Bella!" she exclaimed, "You have to get that dress!" I looked down self consciously as a blush rose up my cheeks.

Rose came out last in a short red strapless dress that had a band around the middle. My mouth dropped open, as did Alice's. Rosalie never failed to stun.

"You guys look amazing," she said walking over to us. "I'm getting this one, and you guys better get those," she said as she appraised us. We all turned and looked in the mirror at the same time.

"Perfect," Alice said. "Let's get them."

After picking out shoes and clutches, we headed into the car to go home. It was Saturday so I was looking forward to relaxing. Rose and Alice had the same idea, so we spent the rest of the day cuddled on the couch, ordering take out, and watching movies. All too soon, Sunday rolled around and I woke up, knowing that I had to catch up on my homework. But being the procrastinator that I am, I decided to respond to Gentleman's latest letter first. That one line note he sent me about the movie had me so frazzled, that I almost forgot about his response to the one I sent him that day.

Blushing Beauty,

I have to admit that I was surprised with your answer at what type of men you like. Your beautiful response caught me off guard in a very good way. It makes me happy to hear you feel those things.

As for me, I admit that I never cared much for pursuing a woman, no matter what they looked like. No one has ever captured my attention because I've never met anyone that was right for me…up until recently that is.

Gentleman, Box #99

P.s – Although if I'm honest, I have to tell you, that I do have a thing for brunettes.

I smiled at his last sentence. At least I had one thing going for me, whoever he was. I pulled out a paper from my drawer to write him back.

Gentleman,

I hope your having a good weekend. I did end up going to the drive in on Friday, unfortunately things got a little out of control and I had to leave early. I guess you could say that I was looking for you there, but then again, I didn't know what to look for. I wish I knew who you were. I always wonder if I'm passing you in the halls everyday and looking you right in the face and have no idea that it's you. I would like to meet sometime, that is if you want to.

Blushing Beauty, Box #23

I signed the note, read it over once again, hoping I didn't sound desperate. Now that I had my dress, I was kind of hoping he would ask me. I would never come out and say it though, so it was going to have to be his decision.

I went to bed that night, making sure to shut my window. I crawled under the covers and drifted into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of mysterious men and chocolate candy.

We arrived at school early the next morning. With our newest notes in hand, we made our way into the mini gym, which was packed as always.

I dropped in my note, and decided to make a quick detour to my box. To my utter shock, I had another surprise waiting for me. My eyes widened as I lifted out a single blood red rose, with a scroll attached. I looked around, to see if anyone else was looking, but they were too absorbed in what they were doing.

I unrolled the scroll carefully, not knowing what to expect.

You were all I could think about this weekend. Say you will accompany me to the dance this Friday?

I tried not to squeal with delight as I read his words. He asked me. I was going to meet Gentleman this Friday. I was finally going to figure out who he was. For the rest of the day, I was on cloud nine. Even though the dance was five days away, my stomach was already filled with butterflies. I wrote back to Gentleman about two classes later, telling him that I would love go.

I walked into lunch, ready to share the news with Rose and Alice. But apparently Rose had some news of her own.

"Built For You asked me to the dance!" she shrieked happily once I came into hearing shot of the table.

"Oh he did?" I replied, faking a pout, "Well, that's just perfect."

Rosalie suddenly looked sympathetic. I didn't come across a sympathetic Rose often, so I knew she must be in a good mood. "He'll ask you Bella, don't worry, it's still early."

"No," I said solemnly. "I meant it's perfect because Gentleman asked me too!" We all erupted into very girl like squeals, earning us curious looks from the sophomore boys beside us.

"I told you!" Alice whispered, once we calmed down. "You guys need to listen to me more often! I know these things," she said, tapping her forehead.

"Now, I just need to learn how to dance," I said, taking a bite of my sandwich. The last thing I wanted was to show up with two left feet and make a fool of myself. What if Gentleman was a great dancer? He would probably be really turned off if I brought him down all night with my poor dancing skills.

"I'll teach you," said Rose. "I had to take ball room dance classes once; I don't think I've ever forgotten. But I kind of want to practice too, just to make sure."

"Oh will you?" I asked, breathing a sigh of relief. "I don't know a thing though, so it might take a while."

"That's okay; we'll start after school today, the gym is usually free until 4."

"Great." Well, I thought. At least now I could have some experience and wouldn't completely embarrass myself.

After school, I went to my locker to throw in my books and headed for the gym. I pulled open the heavy door, and saw Rose in the middle, holding out her arms and dancing with herself. I couldn't help but laugh at her serious face. She spun towards me once she heard me and glared.

"I'm a bit rusty," she said. "But I'll be better with practice, get over here we need all the time we can get."

"Where's Alice?" I said, making my way over to her.

"She ran out to my car for a second, she'll be back."

"Oh."

After about ten minutes of dancing, it seemed I was only getting worse.

"OUCH!" shrieked Rose, after I had stepped on her foot for the sixth or seventh time. Its go right then step back!" she scolded, reaching down to rub her toe.

"Ugh, I'm sorry Rose, this is hopeless, I obviously have no coordination whatsoever." I felt my face growing hot, and I was just about to suggest we call it a day when the door to the gym creaked open again.

Alice came in, followed by Edward, Jasper and Emmett. What was she doing?

"Hey girls," she said happily. "The guys are going to teach us a few dance moves; I told them how you needed help Bella."

"Oh thanks Alice," I muttered, but gave a small smile to the boys at the same time. I looked down to see Alice carrying a small CD player. She walked over to the wall and plugged it in. Jasper came over, pulled a CD out of his back pocket and handed it to her. She smiled up at him, grabbed the CD and popped it in. A low beautiful song came out of the speakers. The whole gym echoed with the melody, and we all listened closely for a minute.

"Wow," I said a little breathlessly, "That's beautiful. Who is that?" I asked, turning to Jasper.

"Not too sure," he grinned. "I found it lying around my house." But after that, he picked Alice up off the floor and began to twirl her effortlessly around the gym whispering something to her under his breath.

"May I?" said a velvety voice. Edward was bent over with his hand behind his back. I grinned widely. I loved how I didn't feel embarrassed with Edward. And I was sure he was a great dancer, I had the distinct feeling that he was probably good at everything.

"You may," I agreed, placing my hand in his. I jumped a little at the temperature that I felt radiating off him. He must have just come from outside, because his hand was unnaturally cool. The second he had a firm grasp on my hand, he pulled me close until I was flush against his hard body.

I held my breath, shocked at the sudden closeness. I looked into his face, only to see him giving me the widest smile I had ever seen from him. But before I could gather my thoughts, I felt myself spinning and gliding across the gym floor. Edward kept me close, and he gave a whole new meaning to the idea of being swept off your feet. I could tell my toes were barely grazing the floor, he must have been holding at least half of my body weight.

After a couple minutes, I began to relax and enjoy the sensation of being this close to him. He smelled so unbelievably good once again, and his whole aura was just so masculine and every time I looked up, his eyes were on me. I felt myself spiraling toward submission by his touch. At this point, he probably could have danced me out of the school and across the parking lot and I wouldn't have noticed. All thoughts of the dance and of Gentleman were lost.

"See," he breathed into my ear softly after a few moments. "You're a natural; you just needed a little experience."

I tried not to close my eyes at the soothing sound of his voice. What was with this boy? I felt like I was being seduced in the best way, and I liked it. I definitely had never met anyone like him. I swallowed and glanced back up into his eyes.

"You're doing all the work," I told him. I felt him pull me closer.

"This isn't work," he answered. I didn't know if that required a response, so I stayed quiet, melting back into him, suddenly wanting to stay in this moment more than anything.

I vaguely saw Alice and Jasper, laughing in the corner of the gym, practicing some more upbeat dance moves. I laughed quietly in Edward's shoulder. To my right, Rosalie and Emmett were dancing as well, although they weren't moving around as much. When we passed by them, I caught a small bit of their conversation.

"See," said Emmett in a soft deep voice. "You're a great dancer, you were built for this."

I guess Rosalie didn't hear him because I heard her ask. "What did you just say?"

Edward spun me away and I didn't catch the rest. It felt like hours passed before we finally stopped. It was probably more like twenty minutes, but dancing with Edward made me forget all about unimportant things like time. To my displeasure, Alice shut the music off abruptly.

I reluctantly released my hold on Edward and stepped back shyly.

"Thank you," I told him, meeting his eyes. "I needed that."

He smiled warmly in response.

"It was my pleasure." We stared back at each other for another moment before walking back to Alice, who was flipping through an assortment of CDs. Rosalie came over a moment later with Emmett closely behind.

Edward cocked his head towards Emmett has he approached, and I watched as Emmett shrugged in response smiling.

Rosalie walked over to me and gave me a huge hug. I stumbled back, chuckling at her enthusiasm. "What's that for?"

"I'm just…so happy." She turned back to Emmett. "Emmett is an… amazing dancer," she finished hastily.

"Well I think Edward could give him a run for his money, I didn't step on his toes once!" I joked, smiling back to Edward. Rosalie didn't seem to hear me. She was staring at Alice, but once she saw me looking she spoke.

"What are you putting on now?" she asked.

Alice smiled. "One of my favorite songs. We need to practice, so I figured that we should try and lead the boys this time. Just to see if we learned anything."

Learned anything, I thought. I definitely didn't learn a thing. The whole dance was just a blur to me now. My mind was completely muddled the whole time; I didn't think I needed to remember anything.

I turned to Edward guiltily. "I'd watch your feet if I were you."

He threw his head back and laughed loudly, but followed me back on to the dance floor anyway. I held out my arms, trying to look professional, but I ended up just causing both of us to laugh. He stepped in and put my arms in the proper place.

A low haunting beat came out the speakers, echoing loudly across the gym. I smiled when I realized I knew the song. But when I stared up at Edward he suddenly looked a little sad.

I've been, watching your world from afar

I've been, trying to be where you are.

And I've been, secretly falling apart…unseen.

To me, you're strange and you're beautiful

You'd be, so perfect with me, but you just can't see

You turn every head, but you don't see me…

I gave him a questioning look. But when he noticed it, his face broke into a smile, and he swung me down until my head almost touched the floor. I was scared for a moment, but I realized it was impossible not to feel safe in his arms.

"So, you're practicing for the dance?" he asked me, as I struggled to lead him around the floor.

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm not really much of a dancer though."

"You're doing fine," he told me. "You're a quick learner."

"I don't know about that. But my mom always told me I was perceptive, maybe since you're so good, I'm just picking up on it." I smiled.

He raised one eyebrow and smirked, looking devastatingly sexy. "Perceptive?" he repeated.

I shrugged. "That's what she said." HA, I can't write that phrase without laughing.)

"I see," he answered, swinging me around. A question suddenly bubbled to my lips and before I could stop myself I asked him.

"Are you going to the dance, did anyone ask you?"

"No one asked me," he replied, not meeting my gaze.

I suddenly felt mad. Why the hell didn't anyone ask him? He was a great guy. If I didn't already have a date with Gentleman I would definitely ask him to go. We had become pretty good friends this past week. Oh yeah, the past week. He was in a social comatose before that. Maybe it was his choice; he really didn't like to bother with anyone. Yeah, that must be it. Besides, I knew he could find a date easily if he wanted to go, so it must be his decision.

I let it go.

"So," he continued, breaking me from my thoughts. "Is it a formal dance?"

"Yeah," I answered. "We bought dresses this weekend specifically for it. I'm not much of a shopper, but Alice found me a really nice black and gold one."

"Black and gold?" He mused, still spinning me.

"Yup, so I guess now all I needed were these dancing lessons. So thanks Edward, I appreciate it."

"You're welcome Bella."

"Hey you two!" said a loud voice from across the gym. We turned to see Alice bent over the CD player again, lowering the volume. "We got to get out of here before the volleyball team comes in."

I couldn't help but notice that I felt disappointed. I was having fun with Edward, and didn't want to leave yet.

"Right," I said, walking over to the bleachers to grab my backpack. Once everyone got their things, we headed out into the hallway towards the parking lot.

"Wait, I'll be right back," I said, wanting to check my box again. Alice and Rosalie nodded, and I gave the boys a wave.

I made a quick right to go the mini gym, and opened the door to get inside. I spotted my box from a mile away. For there were 11 roses sitting inside, filling it to capacity. I shook my head smiling as I lifted the entire bouquet out. I grabbed the one from this morning from my side pocket and placed it with the others. A dozen roses. Wow.

Immediately my entire mind went back to Gentleman.

Whoever he was, he sure was sweet.

Author's Note: Okay 2 things…

YES, Bella has indeed picked a black and gold dress. I decided, well at least in my world, she is capable of other colors! Haha. I think were all well aware that she looks GREAT in blue! But she has turned into a fan fiction blueberry, and frankly, she needed to try something new.

The song I used in here is called Strange and Beautiful by Aqualung. It a lovely song! And perfect for the story, so I recommend you download it while you read the chapter! )

That's all! Review )