Author's Note: First and foremost, thank you for reading :) Second, I've been asked about the story timeline; the story started right before Bella's birthday in September and it's currently March. Lastly, all the dresses and places in this chapter are real and are posted on my profile.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

Eleven

The shrill ringing of the phone woke me from my pleasant Edward-centric dreams; I was taking a nap after having been up most of the night talking to him. I rolled off the couch, trying to land on my feet and not the floor. I walked into the kitchen to grab my phone. "Hello?" I sounded groggy from sleep. The television was on low, some sitcom was playing.

I heard a high pitch squeal. "They want me!" Alice yelled and then squealed again.

"Huh?" I ran my hand through my hair.

"Fashion Week! New York City baby!" She paused for reaction, but I was still getting caught up. "Bella," she spoke slowly, enunciating her words, "I am going to have my own show at the Spring 09 Fashion Week at Bryant Park in New York!" I could hear her clap her hands together.

Her excitement woke me up. "Alice! That's so great; oh, I'm so happy for you!" She was so overjoyed; it was rubbing off on me. I sat at the kitchen table. "So, what do you know?" A small part of me felt the sting of jealousy, when was the last time I was that happy about anything? You won't let yourself be.

"Ok, so I'll be in one of the smaller tents, but I'm going to work with a show producer to design a theme and everything! I'll need about twenty brand new pieces to show and I'll have to go to New York in August to work with the producer and fit models and everything. Oh, Bella, I'm so excited! Let's all do something tonight to celebrate! Oh, also, you guys are coming with me."

I heard her last sentence echo in my head; you guys are coming with me, to New York, where Edward lived. I was going to New York. "We are?"

"Yes, of course! You, Rosalie, and Emmett; I'll have to go out earlier, but they can fly you guys out when it gets closer."

"You asked that already?"

"Well yeah! I'll know more when the time gets closer. Anyway, we're all going out tonight, so get up and get ready! Wear the Gucci!" She was referring to the obscenely expensive dress she'd gotten for me the first time we were in New York, although I had to admit it was a gorgeous dress (to look at). It was a long slender column of light green silk, with a very deep V neck and almost no back, plus a pattern that shined lightly and went around it from the top to the bottom. Alice informed me she bought it because I "simply had to have a nice dress" and apparently I didn't have to wear heels with this one. "I have to call Rose! Bye!" She hung up without waiting for a response.

I was so happy for her, but all I could think about was – I'm going to New York, Edward's in New York. It was playing on a loop in my head. Should I tell him? Would that scare him away? We'd only been talking for about six months or so, but on the other hand, I wouldn't even be there until August or September. That was plenty of time to get used to the idea, wasn't it? Or was it just plenty of time to worry about it? And why was I thinking so much about this to begin with? I should be basking in the excitement of my friend. Ok, I thought to myself, I was going to put my questions on hold for a night and enjoy myself. Or I was going to at least try.

I got in the shower, trying to get excited for that night. I put on my favorite lotion that made my skin almost gleam and let my hair dry in waves down my back. Alice told me to be ready by seven thirty; she said she'd pick me up so I was a little surprised to see an older man in a suit at my door at seven thirty on the dot. I finished putting on my shoes, a pair of flat dark bronze sandals that criss-crossed part way up my calf under the dress; I would never ever have bought them, but Rose said they matched the dress so she bought them for me. The man at the door told me the rest of my party was waiting, so I followed him outside. He opened the door for me and I slipped inside.

"Bella, you look hot!" That was Emmett, the pinnacle of subtlety. Rose smacked him on the arm. He looked at her, "what?"

I smiled uncomfortably as I sat next to Alice, who was pouring me a glass of champagne. I took it and swallowed deeply. The dress suddenly made me feel more naked than when I actually was. "You guys all look great," I said, looking from person to person. At six months pregnant, Rose looked gorgeous in a short, loose fitting taupe sequined dress that showed off her slim mile long legs. Alice was in a navy blue dress made from something that shined brightly; it had a big bow at the waist. She looked like a little present. Emmett went for the standard black slacks and a white dress shirt, the top button undone. The slim fit made him look even bigger.

"I wanted to wear my fedora, but Rose wouldn't let me," Emmett pouted.

I laughed, "your fedora?"

"Yeah, I'm taking out three lovely ladies, I had to look the part," he grinned mischievously. He told me that it was him that had rented the limo to surprise Alice. After a little while, we pulled up in front of Il Cielo, a place I'd normally never set foot in. It looked like I was doing a lot of things I'd never done tonight. The restaurant had a façade covered in flowers and bougainvillea; twinkle lights were on amongst them.

We were seated immediately; I noticed inside that the restaurant seemed to have no ceiling; I could see the stars outside, and everything inside had a warm candlelit feeling to it. I don't know how Emmett was able to pull this off, but by the starry look in the hostess' eyes I didn't think it was difficult. "That guy just checked you out." Alice nudged my side.

"Ow, what?" I looked at her as we were led to our table.

"Your two o'clock, he's looking at you like you're on the menu," she was grinning. Automatically, my head turned in that direction. "Bella! You're not supposed to look!"

"Sorry, what am I supposed to do?"

"Ok, he's tan, dark hair, black shirt, sitting alone, you can look now." I don't know why, but she nudged me again. I glanced over quickly as we passed near his table. He was pretty cute, sort of tall, dark, and handsome only less intimidating. He looked up from his menu like he knew I was checking him out. I swiveled around only to bump into Alice hard enough to knock us both off balance. She grabbed my arm, "alright there?"

I nodded and hurried to the table behind Emmett. Alice pushed me into a seat that faced the man, much to my chagrin. I held up my menu over my face while Emmett ordered champagne. Rose looked at me from across the small round table and raised an eyebrow. Alice leaned forward, "she doesn't want to be checked out by Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome over there," she shifted her eyes to the right.

Rose looked over in a much smoother fashion than I had and nodded in approval. "Want to send him a drink?"

"Send who a drink?" Emmett asked loudly; Rose smacked him on the arm again.

"Bella has a secret admirer." Alice smiled.

For some reason that made me think of Edward; I had forgotten to tell him I wouldn't be around. I bit my lip; my phone didn't have internet access. "Does anyone have a phone with the internet?"

"Mine does," Emmett reached into his pants pocket.

"No way lady," Alice reprimanded, "don't worry about Edward tonight. We're celebrating, remember? No internet."

I sighed, "alright." I felt like I was going to ruin everyone's night if I didn't lighten up a little, what happened to my rule about enjoying myself tonight? If I felt too guilty, I could just ask for Emmett's phone later anyway. I sat up straighter and joined the conversation.

The night passed in a haze of drinks and laughter; Alice was positively beaming all through dinner. When we were finished, Rose and Emmett decided to call it a night, but told us to keep the limo for as long as we wanted. We were driven even deeper into Los Angeles. Alice had decided on a club in Hollywood; she said not to worry about getting in.

I'm not sure how she did it, but after a couple of minutes with the bouncer he waved us both inside. The bass was pounding from all directions, but I'd had enough to drink at this point that I didn't mind. We were in a huge room with very high ceilings; the DJ booth was elevated above the crowd on a stage across the room. There were several large screens set up around him showing shots of the crowd and the two dancers that flanked the stage. It was totally dark except for lights set up in the front that flashed across the people dancing.

I was a little intimidated.

"C'mon, let's get a drink!" Alice pulled me toward the bar. I didn't argue.

I never got a chance to use Emmett's phone and I couldn't help but feel that I'd stood Edward up. For Alice's sake, I pushed the feeling aside. I drank something red and very sweet; I was starting to get fairly tipsy. I was inebriated enough to know that I was, but not enough to do anything stupid, I hoped. I could tell Alice was a goner. "Uh…let's dance." Why did I say that? Oh yeah, I wanted to get away from the bar. Maybe she didn't hear me.

"Ok!" She grabbed my hand and dragged me behind her. Once she found a space in amongst the people, she started dancing. I stood there for a second, unsure of what to do, and then I started dancing too. The alcohol and the huge mass of people had loosened me up and I found I actually was enjoying myself. The song switched to one I liked and I raised my arms over my head, forgetting about everyone else.

I felt a hand snake around my waist and a warm body pressed up against me. "Hey," he said in my ear. His voice was deep and gravelly.

I opened my eyes; I hadn't realized I'd closed them. Alice was still dancing, but now looking at me wide eyed, a smile playing at her lips. "I saw you at the restaurant." I could tell he was smiling.

I turned to face him; both of his hands were at my waist now. It was Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome; he pulled me a little closer and I let him. "What's your name?" He asked; it was so loud he had to practically shout at me.

"Bella," I shouted back.

"Well, Bella, I'm Jacob, would you like to dance?"

"I think we already are."

He grinned and brought his hands down to my hips; he had a woodsy scent. I glanced back at Alice who apparently had found her own guy to dance with. He was very tall and fair haired; she had a thing for blondes. I turned back around and tried to enjoy myself. Jacob was very handsome and after a while I began forgetting about everything else in my life and when he pressed his hips closer, I had a flash of going home with him. He was a really good dancer. After a while, he brought his mouth to my ear. "I think your friend is having a little too much fun."

I spun around to see what he was talking about, to compensate for the height difference Alice's partner had picked her up and now he was making a meal of her neck. I looked at Jacob, "I should get her." I pulled back from his arms and walked over to Alice, tugging on her arm. "Hey, we should get going."

She looked at me and seemed to come to her senses; she patted the guy on the shoulder and he put her down. "Your turn now?" He smiled wolfishly at me, reaching for my waist.

I pulled away, "no, it's past our bedtime."

He shrugged and looked at Alice, "it's not past your bedtime, is it?"

She made a face, "yeah, we need to get going." She was trying to be civil.

He touched the both of us on the arm, stepping closer. "Want some company?" He smiled part way, I could tell he thought he was really attractive.

"No," Alice said, taking my arm. We turned to walk away, but he followed. Alice faced him, "listen, we don't want to be pursued. Good night James, thanks for the dance." She said the last part with an edge of sarcasm. I could see his eyes darken as he felt the rejection; I could also see that he wasn't going to give up that easily.

He went to take another step forward, but someone was blocking his path. "Hey man, leave the ladies alone," I recognized Jacob's deep voice. He was much bigger than James and wasn't going to let him pass. James looked up at him, trying to maintain his swagger. He raised his hands up in mock surrender and looked around Jacob, grinning at us before walking away.

"I feel like I need a shower," Alice muttered. She pulled out her phone to call our limo driver.

Jacob turned to face us, "hi, I'm Jacob," he said to Alice when she was off her cell. "Do you guys mind if I walk you out?"

Alice smiled graciously as Jacob extended his arms for us to take. "Well aren't you a knight in shining Armani tonight," she took his arm and I followed suit.

He led us out and was a little surprised to see our limo waiting at the curb. "Nice, anyway, it was good to meet you Alice." He looked at me and grinned, "Bella." He bit his lip, "do you think I could have your number?"

I hesitated; I could see Alice smiling brightly next to me as she watched the exchange. "Ok," I consented. I took the cell phone he offered and put my number into it.

Jacob looked like I'd just crowned him king of the manor. "Thanks, well good night you guys." He gave us a little nod before walking in the direction I assumed his car was in.

Our driver opened the door for us and we stepped inside. "Good work, Bella," Alice smiled.

I shrugged; I doubted I would ever see him again and I wasn't sure if I really wanted to. I was starting to feel really guilty about leaving Edward high and dry; I think I missed him too. It was unlikely that he would be awake by the time I got home, but I knew I was going to check anyway. "Can I stay over?" Alice interrupted my thoughts. "Like a slumber party?"

I smiled tiredly, "sure."

"I have bad taste in men," she rested her head on my shoulder.

I rested my head on top of hers; I was more than a little dizzy. "You're not the only one, my friend."

"I don't know, that Jacob guy seemed pretty nice to me. Plus he's hot which is like a bonus."

"Yeah, we'll see I guess."

When we got back to my apartment; we cleaned off our make-up (well, just mascara for me); Alice used my mouthwash while I brushed my teeth. She left for a second and when she came back, she had slipped into a pair of my flannel pajamas and was holding my clock, the cord trailing behind her. "Look at what time it is!"

I looked at it, but the screen was blank. "There is no time, is it broken?"

"No, it just said it was 3:37…a.m!"

I furrowed my brow, "that's really late." It reminded me of Edward. While she used the restroom, I ran out to the kitchen table to check for Edward. Of course he wasn't online, but he'd sent me an e-mail.

Dear Bella,

Did you have a hot date with someone else tonight? Anyway, I should be around all day tomorrow if you want to hang out. Hope you had a good night.

Yours,

Edward

I quickly typed out a response (which I hoped made sense) apologizing for basically standing him up and hit Sent. When I got back to my bedroom, Alice was already asleep under the covers. Despite everything, I was asleep within minutes.