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Thank you to Pattinlethr, Iris, MidnightCougar, and SparklyMeg for their help as always.

Chapter 8

The rest of the week passes uneventfully. I don't hear from Edward, and I don't know whether I'm happy about that or not. Given the situation, I know keeping my distance from him is the right thing to do, but there's still a small part of me that doesn't want to. In a couple of months, it won't even matter; he'll be married and we'll have been through the biggest wedding of the year. Hopefully, everything will take off and I won't have time to even think about Edward Cullen.

When Friday night arrives, I find myself looking forward to drinks at O'Neills. I even suggest to Jess that we finish early — well, on time — for a change. She covers her shock well and packs up quickly, and then we're sitting at a table with a glass of wine each before 6:30.

"There's nothing quite like a good glass of wine on a Friday." I sigh after taking a large sip. "Especially after a tough week.

Jess looks at me confused. "This has been a tough week?"

I run my finger along the top of my glass. "Tough is probably the wrong word. Long. And it's not even over yet." She watches me for a few moments, shaking her head, but doesn't comment.

Alice joins us shortly after, and we order food. With Angela and Ben out of town and Jasper at a boys' night at his friend's house, it's just the three of us. Without anyone to tell us how boring we are to talk about work, our chat soon turns to the Turner wedding.

"I mean, I've done some extravagant cakes in my time, but Tanya's just being ridiculous. A seven-tier cake I can do. But I'm waking up to daily emails with her changing the style, the flavoring, and even the damn size of the tiers." I've never known Alice to have a bad word to say about her clients, bridezilla or not.

"Is she the same with you?"

I shake my head. "The opposite actually. I haven't heard from her."

Alice shakes her head. "You just wait. She's luring you into a false sense of security."

Jess and I both laugh, but then Jess looks at me. "You think she's right?"

I finish off my wine and stand. "I'd be shocked if someone like Tanya Turner isn't a bridezilla." I grab my purse. "Another bottle?"

They both nod and I make my way to the bar. Tonight, the open mic night has been swapped for some up-and-coming band. I've never heard of them, but it's attracted a large crowd, which fills the place.

I find a spot at the bar and slip in between the other customers. I put our empty wine bottle on the top, and when I have the bartender's attention, I gesture for another one.

"Bella?"

Edward's voice right at my ear startles me, making me drop my purse, which send everything scattering across the floor. I duck down, gathering my stuff as quickly as I can without embarrassing myself further. He crouches to help me, passing me some make-up, coins, and my hairbrush.

"Sorry," he mumbles.

I stand, shaking my head. "I wasn't paying attention." I pay the bartender and take the bottle of wine.

"Well, it was good seeing you." I smile and push past him, stopping when he takes a hold of my wrist. Even this simple touch sends my heart racing, and when I glance up at him, I know he feels it, too.

"Bella—"

"What do you want from me, Edward?"

"I... I… don't know." He steps closer to me, setting every nerve of my body on edge. "It's complicated."

I wait for him to explain, sighing in defeat when he doesn't. This game of tag is draining. This man has me in a tailspin, and constantly going back and forth with him is making me dizzy.

We stand in silence, the music fading into the background and people maneuvering past us, occasionally pushing us closer together. Each time, neither of us moves, instead focusing only on each other.

When the music stops, I step closer so there isn't a gap between us. His body is firm and warm against mine, but I only enjoy the feeling for a second.

I lean up on my tiptoes so I can speak in his ear. "Well, let me uncomplicate things for you."

Without looking back, I walk away from him.

ooOoo

"Stop looking over there."

"I can't help it. He's really good looking."

"Not helping, Alice."

She shrugs. "Sorry."

"Do I need to remind you he's also engaged and to one of my clients?"

"I know, I know. I'm just looking."

"Well, can you stop? It's awkward enough without you drooling over him."

"I'm not drooling." Alice sighs and looks over my shoulder. "He's looking over here, you know."

"Your point?"

"I'm just saying…"

"Well, don't."

"So, things are clearly going well with him being your client."

I pour the three of us a glass of wine each and take a drink before I answer. "As well as it can, I suppose. I mean, it's been awkward since that Friday night—"

"And awkward since she likes him…" Jess cuts in.

I glare at her. "I don't like him."

"Please," she says. "I've yet to see you take an interest in any guy. You've turned down guy after guy claiming you're too busy to date, but the night you meet him, you dance with him and almost kiss him."

"So? He's good looking. I admitted that. Then we found out he's engaged. End of story as far as I'm concerned."

"Right. So why is he still looking over at you?"

I sigh. "I have absolutely no idea. Can we just forget about it and enjoy our night?"

ooOoo

By the time the bar's ready to close, I've managed to avoid Edward all night. As much as I tried to fight looking at him, I couldn't help myself; his close proximity wreaked havoc on me. Each time I did glance over, I was met with his intense gaze, which I both loved and hated.

"Call me when you get home, okay?" Jess asks as both she and Alice climb into a cab.

I nod. "I will. I promise."

"You could always share with us, you know."

"There's no point. We live in opposite directions. Look—there's one coming now. Just get in and I'll see you Monday."

"Okaaay…" She glances over my shoulder and laughs softly. "Just make sure you go home alone."

I turn and watch as Edward approaches, almost hesitantly. He smiles at Jess when she waves at him before focusing his gaze back on me.

"Call me," Jess giggles, closing the cab door before I can reply.

"Bella, wait." Edward appears beside me before I'm able to get into the cab I flagged down, putting his hand on the open cab door. "Why does it feel like you're always running away from me?" He leans into the cab and passes the driver some bills, telling him he's not needed.

"What're you doing?" I ask.

"We need to talk."

"Now? Edward, it's almost 2 a.m."

"Oh." He looks at his watch. "Tomorrow? Thirty minutes tops."

I wave down another cab without answering him. I shouldn't meet up with him, but at the same time, I don't want to turn him down. No matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, I'm drawn to him.

I get into the cab and roll the window down. "Okay, but thirty minutes at the most." He goes to say something, but I cut him off. "It's nothing against you. I have an appointment in the afternoon."

He grins. "Okay. Where?"

"Banana Split?Around eleven?"

He laughs a full laugh that makes me smile in return. Just like everything else about him, his smile is beautiful.

"Ice cream in February?"

I look at him, shocked. "You know it?"

He smiles and leans in through the window. "It's one of my favorite places. See you tomorrow, Bella." He stands up and hits the top of the cab a few times. I close the window and give the driver my address. Turning in my seat, I see Edward standing in the middle of the road, watching as I disappear out of sight.

ooOoo

Thank you for reading. See you next Sunday!

Fic Rec: If This... Then by Bled Dry - If you have chemistry, you only need one other thing: timing. But timing is a bitch.