When my world is flipped right-side-up again and I'm finally out among the living, I return Angela and Jessica's texts. I invite them to hang out with my friends and me, and they easily fit in. Another reason to be thankful for that whole mall fiasco. If it hadn't happened, I might not have met them. Jessica, with her lack of verbal filter, is fun-loving and reminds me that I sometimes take things too seriously. Angela is a calming influence, always ready with a compliment or a shoulder to lean on.
After a few months, I think maybe I'm ready to get out on the dating scene again. I meet this guy named James, who's good for a good time every now and then. We go to movies, clubs, dinner, and just once, back to his place for the night. I don't want to be anybody's girlfriend again for a long time, but I have no qualms about going out with a guy every now and then.
That's why, six months after the mall thing, I agree when Alice suggests a big get-together at a club called Ruby's. As I dress to go to said gathering, however, I start to feel apprehensive. Why did I say yes to a trip to a country bar? Country music and line-dancing don't exactly sound like my cup of tea.
As I stand in the bathroom of the small restaurant where I work, I waffle between wanting to go out and wanting to go home. It's been a long day at work. Instead of trying to zip the ridiculous skinny jeans Jessica convinced me to buy, I can just plop down on the couch under my Snuggie.
"Bella Swan, you promised," Alice admonishes me over the phone when I call to tell her I'm tired and my back hurts. I can practically hear her rolling her eyes. "Besides, it's going to be fun. And once we get a couple of beers in you, your inner Dancing Queen will come out in no time. Trust me."
I somehow doubt it. But the list of things I wouldn't do for my bestie is a short one.
Alice Brandon and I have been best friends since sixth grade. We've shared so much over the years—teen angst, bad hair, first loves, broken hearts, and other general growing pains. I don't know what I'd do if Alice weren't in my life. As cliché as it sounds, we're soul mates.
I sigh and finally relent. "Fine. I've got to finish closing up shop if I'm going to meet you on time."
"Eleven sharp. I'll meet you out front. Love!" she sings, and then hangs up without waiting for my response.
I quickly change my top and touch up my makeup before dashing around the restaurant to make sure everything is clean and tidy for the next day's lunch shift.
At eleven on the dot, I pull into the parking lot at Ruby's to find Alice standing outside as promised. She's holding up a compact mirror and mussing her new pixie cut. She's had long hair for as long as I can remember, but last week, she decided it was time for something different and chopped it all off. I was shocked she walked through our front door that evening, but I have to admit that she pulls it off really well. Her petite frame and high cheekbones make it look feminine. Striking, even.
"Bella, you look amazing!" she exclaims as I carefully maneuver the curb in my heels. "I love those shoes. Where'd you get that top?" she asks, looking impressed as she hooks her arm in mine.
"Your closet," I say. "You make it sound like I've never gotten dressed on my own before."
"I'm sorry. I'm just excited to see you make a real effort."
"Ouch."
"Sorry," she repeats, "but it's true. By the way, I hid your favorite PJs so you wouldn't be tempted to go home and be lazy. So don't bother trying to bolt, because you'll never find them." She cackles at her own evil ways and grabs my hand to pull me inside the door.
We flash our IDs at the bouncer and stroll into the vast room. Our friend Rosalie waves eagerly from across the bar, and we hurry over to join her.
"What's up, buttercup?" she says as I hugged her. "You're looking lively."
"Thanks—" I say, but I'm interrupted when Jake wraps his arms around me and lifts me off the floor.
"Lookin' good, Bells. Doing okay?" he shouts over the music.
"Thanks," I say. If anyone can eviscerate a bad mood, it's Jacob Black. "And yeah, but I'll be even better once I have one of those in my hand." I indicate his beer with a nod of my head.
"Bellaaaah!" Rose's boyfriend Emmett exclaims as he deposits an armful of beers on the table. He's a big guy, a bear of a man with the bluest eyes and the most sincere smile. Anyone who doesn't know him might be surprised to find out that he's a second-grade teacher and not a bodybuilder. He puts a paw on each of my shoulders and kisses my cheek. "You look nice tonight."
"For Pete's sake," I mutter. "Do I normally look like a hobo?"
His eyebrows furrow momentarily, but I smile and thank him as I kiss him on the cheek.
Angela and Jessica arrive just after Alice and me, and I pause to greet each of them before I make my way to the bar.
When we finally have our drinks, Alice gives me the chance to down about half of my beer before she drags us all out onto the dance floor to do the Electric Slide. This I can do, I think even as I stumble my way through it. Watching Emmett wiggle his hips and turn on his toes makes me giggle and distracts me from the thought that people might be watching and laughing at my fumbling steps.
"Was that so bad?" Alice shouts as we leave the dance floor. I shake my head and grin.
When I survey the room, I see a welcome sight swaggering my way. James.
We've been out a couple of times, as I said, but it isn't anything serious. One rather, er, passionate make-out session is all that's come of it, really. Now, as he saunters over, I can't resist ogling him for longer than is socially acceptable. He looks very devil-may-care in his leather jacket, with his chin-length blond hair pulled back in a low ponytail.
I'm drawn from my trance by Alice's voice in my ear. "Unf. I want to lick his face!" she says.
"I'm not sure whether that's funny or disgusting," I reply.
He reaches us just as the band switches to a slow song. "Bella," he says by way of greeting, reaching out to touch my arm. He nods at Alice, who squeaks, before he turns back to me. "Wanna dance?"
I nod, and he pulls me toward the floor as I cast sexy eyes at Alice, causing her to giggle and poke Jake in the arm. I can't be sure, but I think I see Jake's eyes narrow as he watches us approach the dance floor. He spins Alice around and leads her to the floor as well.
Two beers later, I'm feeling good. Alice and Rose even mange to coax me to attempt some crazy-complicated line-dancing with the bar's regulars. Big laughs are had at my expense, but I don't care much. I'm having a good time.
"Alice," I say later when we we're waiting in line for the restroom. "Is something going on with Jake? He gave me a weird look when I was dancing with James, and he hasn't really spoken to me since."
"You noticed that, huh?" She sighs. "He really doesn't like James."
"Why the hell not?" I ask incredulously.
"He just doesn't. He has a bad feeling about him."
"That's just silly."
She shrugs. "I guess. I don't get it. Maybe he's jealous."
"Jake's just my friend," I insist.
"Yeah, but he's very protective of you."
"James is great. He's fun."
"It's just that nobody wants to see you get hurt again," Alice says seriously. "We all hated to see you hurting so much after—"
"Yeah, I know. It's okay. I'm not investing anything in this. I just want to do him." I smile at her slyly.
She snorts and then bursts into laughter. I'm a slight bit more than buzzed, I realize, as we lean on each other and giggle.
But my heart drops as we make our way back to our table. James is on the dance floor with some redhead, who simpers at him in the most annoying way. Oh well. It's not like I have a claim on him. He can dance with whomever he wants.
But then James is suddenly kissing the redhead. And it doesn't seem like a first-time thing. His hands roam her body, one cupping her ass as the other rubs her back. I try to get Alice's attention, but I can't speak a word. I squeak instead and tap her arm.
"I know," she says murderously. "I'm watching."
James and the redhead continue to bump and grind on each other for the rest of the night. To be honest, I forget about them completely. Okay, maybe not. My stomach twists a tiny bit every time I see them. He meets my eyes once but looks away quickly.
Two can play that game.
Alice nudges me and jerks her head inconspicuously toward two guys sporting cowboy hats. Normally, I might run away from a guy who wore such an atrocity. But Alice just dances her way into the middle of their group, so I follow, even though I feel like an idiot trying to copy my best friend's dance moves. She makes it look natural. I feel like a spasmodic mess. One of the guys in a cowboy hat eyes me with the cutest crooked grin plastered on his face.
I tear my eyes away from the ridiculous white hat he wears to see that it caps the most gorgeous face I've ever seen. And his Led Zeppelin t-shirt, which hugs his chest in a mouth-watering way, instantly makes up for the thing on top of his head. He's a walking contradiction, and it's all at once endearing and…well, hot.
James who?
The cowboy reaches forward and pulls me to him as the music slows again, giving me a cute smile that sort of creeps up higher on the right side than the left.
I guess I should be annoyed when he grabs me like that, but I can't find an ounce of indignation in me. He pulls me nearer as we dance, and never in my life have I wanted to be this close to someone I just met.
I'm…dazzled. Stupefied by light green eyes and a strong, slightly stubbly jaw.
"Hi," he says. "I'm Edward." His voice is so velvety and smooth that I melt a little bit in his arms. When I don't speak for a second, he asks for my name.
"Um…my name's Isa—er, uh…Bella. Bella Swan." Way to go, Einstein, I chastise myself.
He just keeps smiling and leads me around the floor, his right hand at my waist, my left arm around his shoulder as his other hand holds mine close to his chest.
I clear my throat as I felt a hot blush spread over my face. "So, cowboy, what brings you out this fine evening?"
He laughs. "Aw, just kickin' up my spurs, ma'am," he says in a horrible imitation of a southern accent. He winks, and I flounder for a clever response. As he spins me around, I spot Alice dancing with Edward's friend.
"You?" he asks.
"Oh, same here. Kicking. Spurs. You know." I grin like an idiot.
"Ah," he replies, and I shrug.
"My friend Alice dragged me here tonight. I worked until ten, and it's been a long week…and I'm afraid I'm not much of a dancer. But I'm glad she did. Drag me here, I mean. I've been having a great time." I want to kick myself for being so awkward. "And I'm really sorry about that word vomit."
He laughs again. "No problem. It's cute. Where do you work?"
I hesitate, think it over for a split second, and decide that I don't care if he's a stalker. "A restaurant called Thai Kingdom."
He nods like he knows the place. He's certainly never come in during one of my shifts. I would've remembered his gorgeous green eyes and unique grin.
"Well, I'm glad your friend managed to convince you to come," he says. "And you're doing just fine with the dancing."
I laugh. "That's because you're leading me. I can't dance at all left to my own devices."
"You seemed to be holding your own a little while ago." His green eyes glint, and all I can do is stare. "So is that Alice dancing with Jasper over there?"
I look in the direction he indicates and smile. "Well, if Jasper is your fellow cowboy, then yes. That's Alice."
The music speeds up, but Edward holds me close for just a bit longer than necessary. He takes my hand then and leads me back to where our friends are mingling.
"Thank you kindly for the dance," he says, using that fake drawl again as he tips his hat to me.
"You're welcome, kind sir," I reply and bat my eyelashes in a goofy way. Normally, if Alice were flirting in this corny manner, I would kick her under the table. But Edward is charming and endearing, and I don't care how silly I'm being. And have I mentioned how gorgeous he is? He winks at me and joins his friends in their trip to the bar.
Alice runs over and grabs my hand. "Bella, he's so cute!" she gushes.
"I know." I sigh, watching Edward's tall figure move farther and farther away from me. I might even sneak a peek at his butt. Okay, more than a peek.
"He wanted to know everything about me, and he said my haircut was adorable. Then he asked for my number!"
"I—wait, what?" My attention snaps back to my best friend. "Oh! You mean Jasper."
"Of course. Who did you think I was talking about?"
"Nothing," I say, but she's too busy gushing about Jasper to hear me.
A while later, as I nurse my last beer of the night, a shadow falls over me. I look up to see Edward grinning that crazy adorable grin at me at me again. I try to swallow my swig of Guinness, but it goes down the wrong way. I sputter and cough, my eyes watering.
"You okay?" he asks, his expression somewhere between concern and amusement.
I nod and wave a hand around as I clear my throat and thank my lucky stars I didn't spit beer all over him. "Sorry. That was embarrassing."
Emmett reaches over and pounds me on the back. "You all right there, champ?"
I roll my eyes and blush.
Apparently unfazed by my spastic episode, Edward chuckles and holds out his hand. "Dance?"
"Of course."
Dancing with Edward is as natural as anything. We chat every now and then, but mostly we just sway back and forth to two slow songs in a row. It's just so…comfortable. As if I've known him forever. Like Mike and James and all the other jerks never existed.
The song ends, and Edward spins me around and dips me as we laugh.
"Thanks for the dance," I say.
"No, Bella, thank you," he answers. "You made my night." I blush as the house lights come up and the bouncers start to clear everyone out. Edward leads me back to our intermingled friends, who are chatting animatedly as they make their way toward the door. "I was having kind of a crappy night until you shimmied your way into it."
He winks, and my knees melt a little bit. Because I don't know what else to say or do, I reach up, grab the hat from his head, and plop it down onto my own, grinning up at him in a goofy way.
"Smile, Bella!" someone calls. I turn toward the voice in time to see Rose snapping a picture with her phone.
"So, cowgirl," Edward says with a chuckle. "Would it be okay to ask for your phone number?"
"Yes!" I say a little too enthusiastically, wincing internally at my eagerness.
He hands me his cell phone, and I enter my number and hand it back to him.
"Can I walk you to your car?" he asks as we walk out of the bar into the warm, clear night.
"Well it's just over there—" I start.
"It's late, or early, I guess. And it's really dark. I'd feel better if I knew you at least made it to your car okay."
Swoon. "Okay." His hat is still perched on my head, and as we walk, I admire his gorgeous head of hair. It's shaggy and rugged, the perfect, effortless bedhead I can never achieve no matter how long I work at it. And under the street lamps, it's the most fascinating shade of brownish-reddish with hints of golden blond glinting throughout. I'm not sure if I've ever seen anything like it. It's so sexy.
We find Alice and Jasper, who are also busy exchanging numbers, and the four of us stroll through the parking lot, not really wanting the night to end.
"This is me," I tell Edward when we reach my car.
"Well, it was a pleasure, Bella," he says, taking my right hand and squeezing it gently. "I hope to see you around sometime soon."
He starts to back away slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. It occurs to me that the constant eye contact would be creepy from any other guy. But I'm completely mesmerized by Edward. Even when Jasper joins him and they turn their backs to us, I can't stop staring. My daze is only broken when a giggling Jessica runs past me, followed by Jake, who's driving us home in my car.
I've barely moved two feet before I hear James' motorcycle and see him speed past us. I'm a little surprised that the redhead isn't perched on the back of the bike. Or more likely straddling him as he steers down the street. I briefly wonder why she's not with him before a flash of gorgeous green eyes invade my thoughts. All thoughts of James vanish as I contemplate the crooked smile that has me weak in the knees. Good riddance, I think to myself as the too-loud motorcycle screams its way out of the parking lot.
And the whole way home, as Alice babbles on about Jasper and Jake laughs at her, Edward's touch lingers in my right hand.
EPOV
I'm in trouble. That's all I can think as I drive home. My friend and roommate Jasper is singing in the passenger's seat, and our friend Tyler is already snoozing in the back. Soft, expressive brown eyes. Long, wavy hair. Beautiful pink lips. Damn. Rein it in, Cullen, I tell myself. I'm. In. Trouble.