A/N: Hello to all of my old and new readers. There's so many more of you since Redtini was so nice to rec my story in her A/N's. I'm really excited that so many of you seem to enjoy what my twisted brain has come up with over the last couple of months.

Now on to the chapter. I'm a afraid that some of you will feel the need to slap Bella in the face at some point during this. What I ask of you is to keep an open mind because she has her reasons for being the way she is, and I promise you'll learn about the reasons soon.

Before I can let you read the chapter though, I need to give credit to the people who were essential in making it what it is. Thanks a lot to my betas evelyn-shaye and EdwardsMate4ever from PTB. They challenged me to take it a lot further and going into more detail than there was in my original draft. I also want to thank my pre-readers Vampgirl79 and Thepurplebookworm for encouraging me and assuring me that what I'm writing is worth reading.

So, now it's time to unveil the new chapter. Enjoy. See you at the bottom.

Disclaimer: Twilight is Stephenie Meyer's and only hers. I'm just so glad she gave me and many others a way to unleash our imagination.

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Chapter 9 – Resistance

Tapping her fingertips on the tabletop in an impatient manner, Alice was waiting for me at the restaurant. I should have met her there ten minutes ago.

"Hi, Alice. Sorry, I'm late," I apologized, still a little out of breath from hurrying to get there. We hugged each other hello.

"Hey, Bella. You look like you've been running all the way here. Were there problems with the shoot?" She sounded concerned, and her brows were furrowed as we sat down.

I took a sip from the glass of wine Alice had already ordered for me.

"No, everything went well. I just had to work a little overtime. Edward came over and needed a picture for the company website," I said casually while I studied the menu.

"Uh-huh." She smiled at me knowingly. "That explains why you're looking a bit worse for wear. Seeing the look on your face, it must have been worth making me wait." As usual, when Edward's name came up, she was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Alice, please." I hid in my menu, embarrassed by her ability to read me like that.

"Come on, I just want you to be happy. And I've never seen you as happy as you are right now, at least not for about ten years." She said the last part very quietly — almost as if she were talking to herself.

"It's not like that. We have fun together, and we like to hang out, but there's nothing romantic about it." I frowned slightly, unnerved by her constant insinuations.

Fortunately, the waitress came and interrupted us to take our order. Alice continued as soon as the waitress was out of earshot.

"Maybe on your side, but what about him?" I sighed, having hoped that Alice would drop the matter after the break in our conversation.

"Do you know about Tanya?" I asked tentatively, unsure of how much Jasper knew and had shared with her.

"Tanya? I'm not sure. I know Edward had a long-term girlfriend, and they broke up," she offered. "Was that her?" She seemed unsure of where I was going with that.

"Yes. They were together for five years, and he'd wanted to marry her before he found out that she'd been cheating on him from the start." Maybe my voice sounded a little hard, but I was angry at the woman I didn't know for hurting him like that.

"Oh my, that's bad." Alice's tone was sad and her usual sunny smile had turned into a frown. She appeared to be really sorry for Edward.

"He kicked her out and never saw her again. Do you know how long ago they split?" That question had been on my mind since he told me his story. I didn't dare to ask him, though, afraid I would appear to be nosy.

"About one-and-a-half years ago, I think. Why are you asking?" Alice quirked her eyebrow in confusion.

"He told me he's been drinking extensively and bed-hopping ever since. So you see, no feelings on his end, either." Satisfied that I had proven my point, I took a sip of wine and sat back.

"But what you're forgetting is that he doesn't drink that much anymore, and at the moment, he's only hopping through your bed, figuratively speaking." She smiled at me smugly.

"I made it clear that I'm not doing relationships, and he didn't object. End of story." I folded my arms in front of my chest, staring at her defiantly.

"We'll see," she answered in a know-it-all voice, sounding too confident for my taste, before changing the subject.

The rest of the evening was nice; and at least for a while, it took my mind off Edward. Alice told me about the new product line she had ordered for the department store she worked for as chief purchase manager. She always knew about the latest fashion and had a very big closet at home, as well.

We talked a bit about our plans for the holidays that were soon to come, and after dessert, we said good-bye and drove home.

After we had left the uncomfortable discussion of my friendship with Edward behind us, the evening with Alice had been fun and relaxing. With her positive attitude she always managed to make me look at things a little more openly myself. I was very grateful to have a friend like her who, although she could be a real pain in the ass, always had my back.

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"Two martinis and two beers, please," Jasper ordered. The four of us were standing at the bar in TheDark Room. The music was good, as always, and we'd already had two rounds of drinks.

Although Edward had only kissed my cheek saying hello, neither of us missed a chance to touch each other coincidentally.

Alice and Jasper were arguing about the new piece of furniture she had bought without asking his opinion first. I hated to see them fight, but when they eventually made up, I always felt jealous of the connection the two of them shared.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow night?" Edward asked me out of the blue.

"Do you have another room to paint? Or do you still need help unpacking?" I teased, giving him a knowing smile.

"Nothing like that. Someone told me about a restaurant I should check out, and I don't want to go alone. Would you like to join me?" He said it casually, but my heart started to race, and my hands became clammy.

There it was; he was officially asking me out. My mouth suddenly felt dry, my throat constricted, and I had trouble breathing. I couldn't go on a date with him.

I didn't want to hurt him by rejecting his invitation, but I couldn't go with him, either. We would be heading in the wrong direction if I did. It would be misleading him to let him think I wanted us to be a couple when I couldn't want that.

"Bella? I asked you something," he pressed.

"I … I think I have something to do tomorrow. Sorry."

Afraid to see the disappointment in his eyes, I turned to find out how our drinks were coming. Suddenly, there was an awkward silence between us. It felt like a stab in my gut to know that I had hurt Edward, but I was sure it would be better in the long run. If I didn't let him believe that there was a chance for us becoming a couple, then maybe we could go on being friends. And I definitely wanted that.

He turned to talk to Jasper and Alice for a while, which would have given me the opportunity to calm down, but it didn't work. A few minutes later, a tall, blond guy, roughly my age, came over and stopped in front of me. "Would you like to dance?" he asked with a suggestive grin.

"Sure," I answered, a fake smile plastered on my face. His attention was exactly what I needed right now, as I was feeling totally shitty for the damage I'd done only minutes before. And I needed to get away from Edward, to show him again that we were not together and never would be.

The guy grabbed my hand, and I followed him to the dance floor. When I turned back to catch a glimpse at my friends, I found three pairs of astounded eyes. I looked away at once, starting to dance with the blond guy, who introduced himself as Mike.

For some time, we moved to the rhythm, facing each other. He was not a good dancer — not like Edward. I immediately pushed that thought away. When the song changed, he came closer, dancing around until he was standing behind me. I felt him move in, gyrating his hips and forcing mine to do so, as well. I played along, even though I wasn't really into it. I felt weirdly uncomfortable but tried not to let it show. The whole time, I could sense Edward's eyes on me, although I worked hard not to let my gaze stray in his direction.

Then Mike put his hands on my hips as he began to kiss my neck. He rolled his hips, making sure I felt his erection. I closed my eyes in discomfort. I didn't like any of it, but I let him be. I had to prove a point.

I avoided letting him kiss my lips, although, on a normal night, I might actually have gone home with him. Tonight, I felt like throwing up at the thought of his tongue in my mouth.

When the music changed again, his hands started to slowly move up my sides. Suddenly, just before Mike could reach my breasts, a menacing voice made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Get the fuck off her!" A strong hand grabbed my wrist, and a furious Edward dragged me with him, away from the dance floor, past the restrooms, until we were outside. When we were standing in the pouring Seattle rain, he let go of me and whirled around, his angry, green eyes burning into mine.

"What do you think you're doing? You have no right to drag me out here!" I shouted at him.

Without another word, he took hold of my wrist again and pulled me with him to the parking lot, opening the back door of his Volvo.

"Get in the car," he commanded as he gestured toward the back seat.

"What? You want to fuck? Now? Here?" I asked, bewildered. Not that I would mind. I was mad at him, but his anger caused my traitorous body to crave his rough touch all over my skin.

"If I wanted sex with you, I wouldn't care about the time and place, but no. I want to talk to you, and standing out here, we'll be soaking wet in no time. So, get inside." His stare was intense, while his words sounded calm. But I could tell that it took him a lot of effort.

I glared at him in frustration. Not only was he ordering me around, but he was basically rejecting me right now. Feeling the rain saturating my hair, I caved in and got in the backseat. He sat down beside me then closed the door.

After a long moment of heavy, awkward silence, he started to talk.

"Why, Bella? Why did you let that loser hit on you and touch you like that?" he asked in a harsh voice.

I was still angry because of the way he dragged me out like a naughty child. So I just continued to stare at him instead of answering his question.

"Everyone could see that you were not into him. Fuck, Bella, why did you let him grope you, then?" He pressed for an answer. I didn't know if his tone held worry or jealousy.

"Because that's what I do. And it's none of your business," I snapped at him.

"What do you mean, that's what you do?" He looked appalled now.

"It's the only thing I know how to do. I hook up with random guys and go home with them," I confessed. My voice was defeated and hurt. As I looked down at my hands, I realized that my fury was suddenly gone.

"What happened to you, Bella?" Edward's tone was soft now as he moved closer to me.

Again, I didn't answer him. I had never told anyone other than Alice about the worst night — or rather nights — of my life. I never wanted to talk about it again. My breathing was loud in the silence of the car.

"Please, Bella, tell me what made you become like this," he begged me in a tender voice. He probably expected I wouldn't answer him.

Another minute passed as I deliberated what to tell him. Then I closed my eyes and started to talk.

"Only Alice and Jasper know this." I took three deep breaths while my fingers nervously fidgeted with the hem of my skirt. "I was kind of a late bloomer, you know? I was still a virgin at nineteen."

As I started telling him my story, my mind went back to the summer eight years ago …

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A/N: More than ever I want to know what you think. Did you want to punch Bella for dancing with Mike while Edward was watching? Or do you think Edward overstepped by dragging her out and demanding an explanation? I promise that you'll understand Bella a lot more after reading the next chapter. The whole thing is going to be a flashback, so, I know you'll be disappointed, but there will be no Edward in it. To give you something to look forward to though, there's going to be all that more Edward in chapter 11. I think I rambled on enough, so here's the usual teaser:

… For a moment, I wondered whether I should tell Jacob I was a virgin or not, but I decided to keep it to myself, unwilling to ruin the mood. …

Yes, the whole Jacob mystery will be cleared up next week. Can't wait to hear your thoughts. See you all next week.