Edward.

"I'm terribly sorry about that," I apologized to both Alice and Jasper who were staring at me, startled– – their mouths slightly agape, "Please forgive my rudeness."

I did feel quite bad about my ill-mannered behavior. Though I did feel remorse, the smile on my face did not falter, even as I was apologizing. Masking my emotions used to be almost effortless for me. It was uncomprehending that I could not act on my usual talents at such a dire moment.

"No problem," Jasper reassured me, wonder in his blue eyes. Of course he would be amazed– – he had probably just witnessed what was possibly the most barbaric outburst of humor, coming from a grown man, in an upstanding restaurant, no less. I was still too amused to feel embarrassed. Or ashamed, for that matter.

"Did something happen?" Alice inquired, cocking her brow at the woman beside me who was burning a brilliant shade of red.

At that moment, I was overwhelmed with a sudden urge to protect Bella. It was strange, but I couldn't stop my words from trying to defend her, "Bella was just being inadvertently funny," I informed them. My smirk broadened when I turned around to see a pink-faced Bella glaring up at me.

She really was kind of cute when she was angry.

"And what happened to your purse, Bells?" Alice asked, staring down at the empty purse in Bella's hands, then at the many cosmetics we were holding. Well, she was holding. The items that I had originally been carrying had fallen upon the table at my sudden outburst. That caused another chuckle from me.

"Would you happen to have an extra bag on you, Alice?" Bella asked, her voice hoarse. She turned away from me to look at Alice, who look amused rather than surprised, at her friends sudden question.

"Mm," Alice confirmed, reaching down and grabbing her own purse. She rummaged through the large black bag, causing a ruckus that made everyone question the contents of it, and suddenly pulled out a white purse like a magician pulled out a bunny from a magic hat.

When she noticed that everyone was staring at her, obviously curious as to why she brought two purses, she shrugged and said, "I had a feeling that a spare might me needed."

I looked at Bella who was now smiling, though the flushed color still hadn't abandoned her cheeks. She stuffed her belongings into the purse, including the purple tampon which she furtively tried to slip in, and zipped it shut sharply.

She was just too funny.

"Well, sit," Alice ordered, gesturing us both with a wave of her hand, "I'm starving here!"

Jasper let out a chuckle as Bella and I sat down at the white, circular table, our seats right next to each other.

At that moment, it was as if someone had summoned the waiter.

"Would you like your menu's now?" A man of Spanish-descent asked, carrying four long and skinny books in his hands.

"Yes, please." Alice replied, moving her hands from off the table so the waiter could place the burgundy menu in front of her. He left immediately when all of us had received one, but not after reminding us that his name was, 'Georges', and that he would return in five minutes.

I opened the menu, curious to see the type of cuisine this restaurant served, and smiled at the recognition of the foods. French and Japanese; A weird combination, but ultimately, my favorites. I had assumed that this place served Greek cuisine, since it had statues of Greek Gods. Even the name was nationally off; 'Mis amas vin' was Esperanto for 'I love/like you', last time I checked.

It took me no longer than a minute to scan through the menu, and probably another minute to decide on what I wanted. As I closed the book shut, I looked up to see if anyone else had already finished deciding. They had not.

"I don't know what any of this stuff is," I heard Bella mutter. Her face looked absolutely troubled.

"I don't either," Alice admitted. Though, unlike Bella, she looked almost excited at the sudden challenge that lay before her, "How about you, Jazz?"

We all looked at Jasper, who peeked up from his menu, and smirked.

"The French menu," he said, calmly, "I've been to France on quite a few occasions, so I'm pretty familiar with their food. As for the Japanese items on here…." He shook his head, perfectly stumped.

I peeked at Bella from the corner of my eyes. She looked astonished.

"Is that what this stuff is? Japanese?"

I almost snorted.

Coincidentally, she must have noticed.

"I expect that you know what this stuff is," She accused, her tone annoyed.

I shrugged, casually. "I've also been to France a few times. And I'm very interested in Japan, so…"

She didn't look convinced.

"Then what is this?" she challenged, turning her menu over to face me. She pointed at an item under the "Yakimono" section, and smirked. I figured she wouldn't dare attempt the pronunciation of it.

"Unagi Yakisoba," I told her, "It's grilled eel on fried noodles."

She looked surprised for a second, and then her expression turned curious.

"Eel? Really? Is it any good?"

I smiled despite myself, "Sure. If you're into fish."

Her eyes turned puzzled and she asked, "You don't like fish?"

I shook my head, and found myself scowling, "I don't make it a habit of eating things that swim in their own feces."

She frowned at me. But, the curves of her lips suddenly rose into a smile, and a light laugh escaped her. Did that really surprise her?

"Well, I like fish," she told me, her eyes still gleaming, "so I'll let you decide on what I should eat."

Raising an eyebrow at her, I asked, "But wouldn't you be better off ordering something less exotic? Like Veal or something…?"

"I want to eat something new," she shook her head stubbornly. Unintended, my eyes flickered to the pout of her lips. I had to admit, they were gorgeous. Full and pink, with a slight shimmer of shine from the lip gloss, they puckered out adamantly. They were very much unlike Tanya's, whose lips were always covered in red paint. Tanya's lips were too skinny. She tried to make up for it with her experienced tongue, but it failed miserably with the lack of plump flesh, nonetheless.

"What are you staring at?" Bella's voice sent a bolt through me. I stared at her, dumbly, for a minute, and when I had finally mustered up the words, lied, "I was daydreaming. What were you saying?"

Her look was bothered again, but she let it go.

"So, have you already decided what I'll be eating?"

"Do you trust me enough for that?" I smirked, raising a brow. I couldn't help the feeling that washed over me at my own words. Was it….pleasure?

She mirrored the expression.

"Well, I'll advise you now that anything I don't like will assuredly end up on that dashing gray suit of yours." Her voice was teasing and– – was it my imagination– – flirty?

"Bending the rules to suit your approval is a foul move indeed, Bella." I duplicated her tone, smirking.

She grinned at me, a stunning, mischievous grin, that almost made me breathless.

"No one said anything about playing fair," Bella reminded me, "I'm not commanding you, either. It's only mannerly for me to warn you of what could happen to that expensive-looking suit of yours."

What was with me today? No, what was with Bella today? She was almost… captivating. Could it be her sudden change in attire? Or the fact that I was still flustered from laughing? Whatever it was, it was almost as if I couldn't take my eyes off of her…

I pinched my arm, hard, from under the table. What was I thinking, believing that I was attracted to such a woman? Didn't I say that I would never fall for her?

I bit my bottom lip at those words. 'Fall for her'? I couldn't possibly. There was just no way! Just because a person thought another woman looked absolutely stunning one day out of, probably, the whole year, didn't mean that they had fallen for her! That was just ridiculous.

My own feelings were adverse. The only reason I decided to stay at that agency was because I felt my manager was entertaining. She was different; a fun tease. Had something changed?

"Fine," I reasoned, still bothered by my current thought, "I'll accept your challenge."

There was no way that I could possibly come to like such a coarse, common woman. I would prove that. You cant, after all, make the woman you loved– – though that was impossible– – feel bad. I would ascertain. I had to.

When I turned away from Bella, I suddenly felt the stare of someone's eyes on me. Looking up, I saw Alice's eyes boring into mine as they did before. I immediately felt uncomfortable.

I dropped my eyes to the table, averting her gaze.

Why was she looking at me like that again? And why did it make me feel so unsettled?

"Are you ready to make your orders?" The same waiter appeared, unnoticeably. I almost jumped in alarm when he suddenly appeared at my side. His inconspicuous movements were amazing.

Jasper was the first to speak, "I would like a 'Blanquette de veau' and a 'Gougère'." He spoke the name of the foods with such fluency that I was utterly amazed.

The waiter turned his eyes to Alice.

"A 'Bouillabaisse' and a 'Hamachi Kama' for me." Alice chirped, passing her closed menu to the waiter. The way she pronounced everything was a little off, but it sounded almost plausible with her cute voice.

"And you, ma'am?" The waiters eyes wandered warily over to Bella, who in return, turned to me with a grin.

I almost reciprocated it. Almost, if my lips would have been able to.

"She'll be having an order of 'Motsunabe'– – " I struggled to retain a frown, "– – 'Tonkatsudon' and a side order of 'Gyouza'– – "

As soon as he finished jotting it down, I continued, "– – I'll be having the same, minus the 'Motsunabe', and with 'Omu-soba'."

He nodded, scanned the note pad in his hands, and then asked, "And drinks?"

Each of us went around calling out our beverages of choice in the same ordering sequence.

"Long island iced tea, for me."

"Umm… A large coke, extra ice, with two slices of both lime and lemon each, topped off with a cherry."

Bella, in turn, answered for herself this time, "I would like a sprite."

When the waiter finally looked at me, I blurted out one of the two drinks that I had been previously debating on.

"Sake."

The waiter, Georges, nodded to us one last time and disappeared just as quickly as he had come.

"Did you see that guy?" I heard Alice mutter aloud, "He moves in and out so quickly! I would swear he was a vampire or something."

Jasper laughed at that. It wasn't even really that funny; well, not enough to deserve a laugh. Looking at his eyes though, you could tell that he felt almost anything Alice said was amusing.

"What was it that you ordered for me?" Bella asked, skeptically.

I bit my lip to calm the gnawing anxiety I felt, "You'll see when it gets here. Aren't you the impatient one?"

I watched as she rolled her eyes.

"So, Edward," I heard my name being called from across me, the same emphasis on it as the last time, "Are you a model?"

I started at Alice for a while before replying.

"I'm just starting my career." Simple. Unexplainable.

"That's interesting. I didn't take you as the modeling type, though."

'What did it matter to her what type I was?'

I thought, defensively.

"You seem more like a company president or something. From your conduct, that is."

I shrugged. I was the son of a company president, after all. A few things were bound to rub off on me.

But Alice didn't just stop at that.

"How old are you? Twenty? Nineteen?"

I frowned and cocked my head. It was rare for others to guess my age correctly. No matter how you looked at me, I seemed at least twenty-two."

"I'm nineteen." I affirmed, still frowning.

"Huh," She said thoughtfully, "And is Bella your manager?"

I was confused as to where these questions were headed, "Yes, that's right."

"For how long?"

I frowned again.

"How long what?"

Alice rolled her eyes impatiently, as if it were obvious that I should know.

"How long have you been working with Bella?"

'Oh.'

"For about two weeks… I guess." Alice was doing it again; Making me feel awkwardly constrained.

"And do you have a girl friend?"

I opened my mouth to question her, when my attempt was interrupted by Bella's shocked voice.

"Alice," she hissed, her eyes wide, "What do you think you're doing? This isn't 20 million questions!"

Alice stared back at Bella defensively, and muttered, "Fine." before crossing her arms over her chest, stubbornly remorseless.

Everyone remained quiet until out waiter arrived with our meals. Though it was hard to tell, he looked almost confused at the tension that just recently encircled our table.

I was only wishing that he suddenly dropped the tray to the floor. Or just Bella's food, at least.

It wasn't until after the waiter slipped away, that everyone unfolded their napkins and removed their eating utensils.

"Cullen," Bella's voice called from behind me, an edge of uneasiness in it, "What exactly is this stuff?"

I wanted to ask her, 'Why do you still insist on calling me by my last name'? It wasn't that I wasn't fond of it. If anything, I almost worshipped the name 'Cullen'. It was my fathers, after all. But it bothered me that she called me that.

I pondered it for a while. Did I want her to call me Edward? Why was I so perverse on having her call me my by first name, when I was never in the least concerned about others doing the same? Was it because it because it made me feel like a fool, calling her by her first name, though she refused to call me my mine? Or anger because she never addressed anyone else by that informal title? There was the possibility that she felt it improper to call me by my first name. Or perhaps, on the other hand, she didn't want to address me like that? Because she didn't feel comfortable. Or she didn't like me….

I shook my head furiously.

Why would I care whether or not she liked me? As long as she was there to relieve me of my boredom, why should I care of the formal name in which she addressed me?

This train of thought brought up another valid point. Why should I care if she was eating something that would cause her to have a heart attack– – possibly– – if she knew what it was? Why was I even caring at all?

"Umm… Edward? Are you alright?" Bella asked, concerned.

'Why was I acting like such an idiot?'

"Yeah.. Um… so you wanted to know what you're eating?"

She nodded her head vigorously, and I laughed. But it wasn't the booming laugh that had exploded from me before. It was flat. Guilty.

"Don't be nervous," I said in between culpable, fake chuckles, "it's meat and vegetables, basically." There. It wasn't as if I were lying.

I nearly broke a sweat at the incredulous look she cast in at me. 'Why was I feeling like this?'

"Then what's this?" she pointed at the Motsunabe, "and why aren't you eating it?"

She was as observant as ever.

"You see that green stuff flavored all over the meat," I said, pointing at the obvious layer of green that was sprinkled everywhere, "that's mixed with leeks."

She waited. Her expression clearly said 'So what?'

"I'm deathly allergic to leeks."

'That was a good response',

I thought to myself, as her chest heaved up and her mouth formed a round "O".

'Maybe she wouldn't want to eat it after that?'

"I mean, if you don't want to eat it now…" I implied, my tone hopeful.

"No, that's fine." Bella snapped, tearing her eyes away from me and back at her food.

I watched from the corner of my eye as she stuck her silver fork into the center of the Motsunabe, stabbing it into a thick piece of meat. She stared at it for a while, studying it with cautious eyes, and then popped it into her mouth.

'Crap.'

The sight of her chewing didn't sit well with me.

As I watched her chew with uncertainty, a knot formed in my stomach.

Once again, I felt guilty. 'Why?" I nearly snapped at myself, trying to ignore the irritating pang in my stomach. I was supposed to find it funny. Hilarious, even, at the sight of her eating cow intestines. A prank, on my part, to tease her again.

I initially planned to let her eat at least half of it, and then finally spill the beans that Motsunabe was something much more than just meat. That was the plan, anyways.

I was almost as shocked as she was when my hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her wrist, preventing her from popping in another piece of it.

"What are you doing?" She asked, confused.

'Really, what

was

I doing?'

"U-um…." I stammered, trying to find some excuse to stop her from eating my guilt. I was fully aware of both Alice and Jasper's eyes on me. 'You're such an idiot, Edward!" I snapped mentally.

"You really shouldn't eat that."

And the words were out before I could stop them.

Bella's eyes bulged open in horror, and her eyes made a terrified glance between me, and the food on her fork.

"W-what… do you mean?" Her voice was soft, shaky with nervousness.

I gulped.

"A fly…" I lied, quickly, using the first thing that came to mind, "just landed on that food."

Bella breathed a sigh of relief, and closed her eyes.

"Oh, was that all?" she asked, apparently worn out.

'Was she serious?'

"Umm… can you let go of me, now?" She asked, her eyes focused on the hand that was gripping her wrist.

"Are you still going to eat it?" I asked, disbelieving.

She started at me as if there were nothing wrong in doing so.

"Do you know all the different kinds of bacteria one little fly could carry? How many diseases?"

Bella's eyes turned hard, and she spat, "So what's it to you? I'm not a child; Don't tell me what I can and cannot do!"

I was almost furious at her. My eyes narrowed and I could feel the heat welling up within me. And here I was trying to warn her…

"Look, just don't eat it!" I snapped, tightening my hold on her.

"No," she returned the tone, but her voice remained quiet "And get your hands the hell of me!"

"Not until you say that you wont eat it."

"No."

I groaned, desperately, and whispered, "You really shouldn't eat that. Why wont you listen to me?"

She rolled her eyes, and made an attempt to pull her arm away, "I'll do whatever I want and if you want me to stop eating it you'll have to find me a damn good excuse not to!"

When I opened my mouth to argue, she snarled, "Something better than a fly!"

"Why are you being so pig-headed? Just stop eating the damn thing!"

"No!"

Though our heated exchange was a fevered one, it was quiet. I prayed the volume would remain that way, as well.

"Damn it, Bella, just listen to me!"

"Damn it, Cullen, I refuse!"

"Ugh! That's why I hate girls like you! Just throw the damn dish out!"

"Make me, you ass!" She nearly yelled.

My hopes of a quiet argument shattered at her current volume. I, in turn, grew loud.

"Bella, don't make me– – "

"Make you what?"

"You're pissing me the hell off, woman! Just don't fucking eat the meal!"

"Why the fuck not?"

"Just don't."

"Why the hell not?" she repeated, darkly.

"Because it's fucking cow intestines, that's why!"

Both of our eyes popped open at the same time.

I slowly released the grip on her wrist, and watched as the fork in her hand dropped to the table with a clank. Tiny pieces of food splattered over her dress, but she didn't appear to have noticed.

Bella sat there, frozen, as if her mind could not….would not process correctly after the sudden news.

"Bella…?" My voice was soft. Concerned. Slightly afraid.

When I grabbed the napkin that was placed beside my own meal, and made an attempt to wipe the bits of green and orange from her dress, Bella shook her head at me, and then clamped her hand over mouth fiercely.

I watched in horror as she bolted up. Kicking her shoes off, she sprinted away in the direction of the bathroom. Or so I hoped… was the bathroom.

I stared after her figure until it had completely merged with the crowd; disappearing from my line of sight.

"Ugh!" I groaned to myself, miserably, dropping my face into one of my hands, and running my fingers through my hair with the other one.

'And that's why I told her not to eat the damn thing!'

I moaned to myself, disgustedly.

I peaked through my fingers to see Alice and Jasper staring at me in wide-eyed bewilderment, their mouths open wide enough to fit a handball inside.

I tightened my fingers shut and groaned again.

This was definitely the worst.

And in more ways than one.