A/n: Oh dear, stupid Edward's back. This kid needs to get his act together.

Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine in any way, shape or form.

Chapter 7

Bella POV

My thoughts ranged between a simple 'what the hell?', and the more complex, 'what on earth is going on here?' as I stood in the store cupboard, having shoved my dress back on. I looked at the closed door that Edward had ran out of, and wondered what I was supposed to do now. I had no idea why he even stopped. From the stories I'd heard in the restroom, I'd been positive that Edward had taken at least three girls in this room. Why didn't he continue with me. It couldn't be the place…and nobody had interrupted us, but as soon as he'd managed to get my clothes off, he'd bolted. I had no idea what I'd done wrong.

My first thought was that I wasn't as attractive underneath my clothes, as I was with them on. Maybe he thought that I was really unattractive in my underwear? Maybe my underwear wasn't very nice? Maybe….maybe he just realised, once again, exactly who he was about to do, and decided that I wasn't appealing…again.

After ten minutes or so of worrying, I headed out of the back room, and back into the store, to take my turn at the counter. I took over from Jessica, who glared at me, because I was late, and spent the rest of my day dealing with customers, and customers with problems. I ate my lunch quickly out in my truck - deciding to bypass the staff break room for the day, just in case Edward was there, and gave me a 'look'.

I wasn't sure I could take his disgust twice in one day. By now I'd decided, of course, that it was definitely disgust that he'd felt before he left me. There was no other reason for him to flee so fast. No distractions…no, nothing. Just us two. And there was nothing wrong with him - I'd felt him against my belly as he pressed against me. Obviously, there was something wrong on my end. I just wished I knew what it was, so I could fix it.

Nowadays I was even more unsatisfied than I had been in the past. Now I had a slight idea of what I was missing, I missed it all the more. Real Edward had managed to take me far further than fantasy Edward had ever managed to.

Obviously, despite being a best selling author; my imagination was lacking.

I was beginning to feel more and more my fifteen year old self, when she walked into a Seattle bookshop shortly after arriving in Forks, and seeing that the cashier was the most attractive man…ever. She'd not seen him since, but had gone back many times to see if she could spot him. Unfortunately, she'd never seen him again, as he hadn't been serving. And eventually the shop shut down, and he was lost forever.

Come to think of it, he looked a bit like Edward. Just younger, and a lot more awkward. Plus, that kid had glasses, I was sure that Edward Cullen didn't wear glasses, since I'd never seen him in any. Surely contacts would ruin the intense green of his eyes if he wore them?

Obviously, they were not the same person.

They were both, however, two people in a very short list of men I'd ever liked in a romantic sense. Rosalie had always thought I was a little bit strange, or that my libido needed some serious oiling (she related everything to cars), since I seemed to have a non-existent sex drive. Of course I had no sex drive; I'd never had sex. The closest I'd ever been was blowing my prom date, hoping to get something in return.

I got nothing.

Unless you count some far-too-rough groping in the front seat of his car before he dropped me off.

Of course, we never saw each other again. To be honest, I never even wanted to go to prom; but my dad was 'worried' that I never got out of the house, so I'd given in to Mike Newton's ever-common advances, and told him I'd go to the bloody event.

At least he had fun.

I never saw him again after that, thank god, I had reason to believe that I might have ended up loosing my virginity to completely the wrong man. Rose gave me a different view of this, and told me that at least I would have lost it, and that that was a good thing. Personally, I thought she'd just lost her virginity to the wrong person, and was taking it out on me. But hey! That's what friends are for.

Besides, I was only too happy for Edward Cullen to take my virginity, if he ever managed it without running away. Until then I was quite happy…relatively happy…happy to be a twenty three year old virgin.

However, I'd decided a long while ago that twenty five was going to be my limit.

Maybe Rosalie was right, and I should start going out with her more; after all, I had once wanted to be engaged by this point in my life. I looked down at my hands and registered the lack of a ring…any ring. Hell, I was twenty three, and I didn't even have anyone I wanted to consider as being my boyfriend. There was nobody who wanted me; and the only person I wanted, was one I'd had a hopeless crush on for the last three years of my life, and who definitely didn't want me.

Save for a couple of kisses and gropes.

To be honest, I didn't even know why I ever wanted him to lust after me. I always knew that even if he did, there would be no feeling there. But, as with all girls, I supposed that I just wanted to feel wanted by him.

I thought I would be different.

"Don't we all", came a soft voice from before me, and I suddenly realised that not only had I become lost in my thoughts whilst serving a customer; but I'd also just spoken out loud.

I blushed bright red.

"Ah, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed quickly, and looked down to find a pile of books that needed to be racked up. I immediately got to work, noticing in passing that they all had a common theme: Fashion. I looked up to find a tiny woman in front of the till. Her hair was cropped short, and black locks were sticking up in all directions. Her eyes were large, and blue; rimmed with impossibly long lashes. She had a wide smile spread across her face, and she was absolutely stunning.

"No problem", she said, smiling so wide that I got a glimpse of her shiny white teeth. "I'm Alice."

I smiled back at her slightly, my blush dying down.

"Bella", I told her, "nice to meet you, Alice".

"You look really pretty today", she carried on to say, "your new clothes and hair really suit you."

I felt my jaw slacken a little, before smiling brightly and genuinely back at her. I suddenly realised that I'd seen her before, around the shop. I was…flattered that somebody had noticed the change.

"T-thank you", I muttered back, stuttering a little. "I didn't think anybody would notice."

A high pitched giggle erupted from the woman's lips. It sounded like wind chimes, and I was reminded of Edward's musical laughter.

"Oh I hardly think that's the case", she replied, with a small smile, that looked almost like a smirk from an angle.

"Oh?" I questioned. Nobody else had mentioned my new look all day.

"Sure they have", she replied, twisting a short lock of hair around one of her tiny fingers. "Edward, for example, cannot take his eyes off you."

She gave me a wider smile, and beckoned me closer. When her lips were by my ear she muttered,

"not that he usually can or anything, but today he looks particularly enamoured with you."

The look on her face seemed genuine, but I couldn't help but laugh at her, muttering a quick 'sure', before handing her the bag of books.

"That'll be forty three dollars fifty", I told her, standing back, and thinking to myself that she was obviously an awesome liar.

And she was definitely pretty enough to be an actress.

"I mean it you know", she said, more seriously this time. "Unfortunately, my brother has never been very good at expressing himself. Good afternoon."

Then she turned on one of her ridiculously high heels, and left, turning back with a smile and a wave, as my mouth hung open wide enough to catch flies for a few moments, until,

"How attractive", a blonde woman said loudly as she waited for me to come to my senses. My jaw snapped shut, and I looked at my next customer.

"Sorry", I muttered, and quickly racked up her books; noticing that all of them contained the word 'sex'. Classy, I thought, before looking up and having a sense of Deja vouz as I recognised the woman from the day before. I smirked at her, noticing that she was looking around the store for something.

She's got to be looking for Edward. I thought, and smirked harder as I remember what he was doing to me yesterday, when she last came in. At the time, I'd been to distracted to pay too much attention to her, but she'd obviously come to look for him.

She huffed at me when I announced the price, before shoving some money at me and flouncing out of the shop.

Soon after the blonde left, I realised with dread that since I was to be the last one on the counter, I would have to take the earnings for the day into Edward's office…to Edward.

When the time came, I unlocked the till and took out the money tray, and then started my journey towards the third door on the back corridor; where the man was located. I stood outside of his door for several minutes, before I knocked and waited to be called in.

"Come in", I heard a velvety voice call, and I walked in quickly. I was shocked to see Edward at his desk, with his head in his hands. He looked distraught.

I walked up and placed the money on the desk before him, and stepped back.

"Are you okay?" I asked him quietly, suddenly very worried about my boss. I began to wonder whether maybe it wasn't me that was turning him off, but something completely unrelated. Edward rarely looked stressed or unhappy. The last time I'd seen him frowning was earlier this year when he bet his brother he could give up getting laid for lent. He'd made it, but only just.

I'd wanted to meet his older brother ever since. Unfortunately, according to Edward himself, his brother was not the 'bookish' type.

"I'm fine", I heard Edward croak. He didn't look up. "Have a good evening, Isabella."

I decided to take my leave. Obviously, I was not welcome in his office. So I quickly stepped out and walked back to my truck.

I decided to spend the evening with Rose.

A/n: Awhh, poor Edward is all sad and unhappy. What's going on there? And poor Bella, all confused and lonely. And YAY Alice is now in the story…what on earth is she going to get up to? Review?