Chapter Two – Strangers when we Met

The room was beautiful. It was the biggest hotel room that Bella had ever stayed in, with a huge picture window that overlooked a field, smooth with snow. As you walked in, a bathroom was to your left, complete with a bathtub with Jacuzzi jets and a separate shower stall. Everything was pure white, apart from the plumbing fixtures which were bronze.

The room itself was a combination of tan and deep burgundy. The big comfortable king-sized sleigh bed had a cabernet colored coverlet with tan pillow shams lying plump at the head of the bed. The walls matched the pillow shams, except with a border of burgundy floral designs floating along the top. The woodwork and furniture were all a cherry color in a colonial style, while the carpet and the curtains matched the coverlet on the bed.

Directly across from the bed was a huge flat-screen TV, although Bella could not imagine needing it when in such a place. In another corner sat a couch, a loveseat, and an armchair, all the same color of tan as the walls.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to come along after all, she thought as she sat at the edge of the bed. She quickly decided that after a long day of traveling, she needed a shower and a nap before dinner.

Bella let the hot water sooth her tense muscles before a large yawn broke her reverie. Quickly, she finished rinsing off and grabbed one of the softest towels she ever felt and wrapped it around her.

Opening her suitcase, she quickly fumbled around for her pajama pants and a loose t-shirt, but stopped when she heard somebody fumbling with the lock on the door. She quickly ducked behind a wall and only let her head show around the corner as the door slowly opened and the most handsome man she ever laid eyes on walked through the entrance.

Her loud gasp only elicited one of his own as he caught her peeking around the corner. They both stood in silence for a moment before Bella finally found her voice.

"Excuse me, but what do you think you're doing in my room?" Still wrapped in a towel, she showed herself. The quick appraising look from the piercing green eyes did not escape her notice.

"Your room? This is most definitely my room. I just checked in."

"And I checked in an hour ago."

Edward, clearly annoyed, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, this must have been some double-booking mistake. I'll go downstairs and get this fixed." He looked Bella up and down before adding, "And you can get dressed."

Frustrated at such a disastrous mistake on part of the lodge, Edward quickly made his way downstairs and to the front desk. He explained the problem, but the employee didn't have a good answer for him.

"It says here that the room is in both of your names, sir. That's how it must have been reserved."

"There has to be a mistake," Edward contradicted. "I don't even know this woman. How could the room be reserved for both of us?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Well, are there any other rooms available?"

"I'm afraid not, sir."

Edward let out a small growl, which only managed to frighten the poor employee. "Sir, let me go talk to the manager and see what we could do."

Impatiently, Edward leaned against the counter, drumming his fingers on the top. He couldn't believe this happened. He knew he shouldn't have come on this trip, and this complication just confirmed it.

"Sir?" He turned towards the woman's voice. "I am the manager and Mark here told me about your predicament." Edward nodded. "It seems that the room was put in your name as well as a Ms. Bella Swan by the person who made the reservations."

"Who was that?" the bronze-haired man's eyebrows furrowed.

"A Ms. Alice Brandon."

Edward closed his eyes and put his hand to his forehead. He should have known. It was all a set-up. Bella must be one of Alice's friends that she and Rose dragged along on the trip.

"Sir?"

Edward slowly opened his eyes and met the manager's eyes.

"Is there anything we can do?"

He shook his head curtly. "No, I have all the information that I need."

Now Edward had to decide what to do. He couldn't kick Bella out, and he couldn't find another room, so there was no choice except to share. He noticed a large couch in a corner, and ever a gentleman, he figured he could sleep there and let the woman named Bella have the bed.

He was angry, but knew he had no reason to be upset with Bella. She obviously was as shocked as he was, demanding that he get out of her room. Knowing his friends, he knew this was a secret plan to get the two of them together. He had all the knowledge of his friends, especially Alice and her matchmaking tendencies, to know that Bella probably was kept in the dark

No, there was no reason to blame the stranger, but he wondered if she was the type who liked revenge.

Because revenge was what his friends needed.

Knocking on the hotel room door to make sure that Bella was decent, he waited for the soft "come in!" that allowed his entrance. As he walked in, Bella, now dressed in pajamas, looked at him expectantly.

"Well?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Well, there was no mistake."

"What do you mean?" Her face took on a quizzical expression.

"We've been set-up."

Bella's eyes went wide as she threw her hand to her mouth. "Alice!" she hissed.

"The very woman who made the reservations." Edward confirmed.

"Well, are there any extra rooms?"

"Nope," Edward popped the "p." "They are booked straight through New Years."

"So we're in here together?"

Edward's eyebrows furrowed, "If that's alright. I guess I could torture Emmett and Rosalie, or better yet, Alice and Jasper and crash in one of their rooms. Or I could find another hotel…"

"No!" Bella stopped him before he could come up with any more plans. "We can figure this out. After all, we share the same group of friends and we are two mature adults. I trust my friends enough that they wouldn't set me up with some psycho."

"Yeah," Edward smirked as he went to sit on the couch. "They aren't that mean." He paused before continuing, "I figured that I could take the couch and you could have the bed."

"But you're so tall! The couch isn't long enough for you," Bella objected.

"I can sleep anytime, anywhere," he consoled. "It'll be okay."

Bella nodded, biting her lower lip. She sat down at the edge of the bed and shook her head. "I can't believe they would do this. I've never been set-up like this before. And now you must think I'm some desperate woman who can't find a man."

Edward chuckled, "Hey, I am in the same situation. Apparently they thought I was pathetic enough too." A moment of silence passed before Edward realized that she didn't even know his name. "I'm Edward by the way. Edward Cullen."

"I'm Be…"

"Bella, I know. The person at the front desk told me who you were."

"So you're a Cullen then? Are you related to Emmett?"

Edward nodded, "I'm his cousin."

"Oh."

"So how do you know Alice and Rose?"

"We grew up together. Our families have been friends since college. I really consider them to be like my sisters."

"That's nice," Edward smiled. "Do you have any actual siblings?"

Bella shook her head, "No. It's just me. So having Alice and Rose around all the time made my life a lot better. How about you? Do you have any siblings?"

"No," Edward answered. "Emmett is as much as my brother as anybody could be, though."

"Hmm."

Awkward silence filled the room. Neither party knew exactly what to say. They both were thrown in an awkward position that would last about a week and a half as they were staying through New Years. However, Bella and Edward didn't necessarily have to spend much time together during the day. Perhaps the only time they would be in the room together was during the sleeping hours.

All of a sudden, Edward asked a question Bella never expected. "Do you believe in revenge?"

Bella let out a loud chuckle that Edward surprised himself by liking very much. "Revenge?"

"Yeah, against our interfering friends," Edward gave a crooked smile. "I think they deserve some type of comeuppance."

Bella smiled. "I think you may be right. What did you have in mind?"

"Well nothing physical," he answered. "Something that messes with their minds."

"Like playing with them with our so-called relationship?"

"Yeah. The way I figure is we even let them think their plan worked or that it totally backfired," he explained.

"Or," Bella smirked. "We have them wonder what is going on as we flip-flop back and forth between the two extremes."

"Oh, I like it," Edward smiled. "I wouldn't mind some revenge that put their plans as couple time on the backburner."

Bella grinned. She wasn't exactly sure what it was about Edward's demeanor that put her at such ease, but she could not complain. If she was to spend a week and a half with him, she might as well enjoy the time.

What she did not realize, however, was that if Edward's friend saw his expression at that moment, they would swear he was a different man. Within fifteen minutes, his expression had changed from brooding to one of relaxation and enjoyment. Edward himself noticed, but he could not pinpoint the exact moment when it changed, nor the exact reason. However, he was as sure as Bella that the next days would be extremely entertaining.

As their eyes met again and they both burst out in laughter, the feeling of sweet revenge crackled in the atmosphere.