Author's Note: Thanks for the wonderful reviews, guys!

CHAPTER 8: The Block Party

"You still can't be mad at me?" he asks exasperatedly.

I know he's not serious about his apology from the smirk he's still trying to hide every time he thinks about it. Rolling my eyes, I look away, continuing to walk down the narrow street behind our two other companions. He'll be receiving the silent treatment from me until further notice, I tell myself adamantly. Even Alice and Jasper has stayed quiet about the matter, but I wasn't letting them off the hook that easily for not telling me the rest of the ingredients in that drink! Luckily, I turned my head at the last second and spat it out on the ground. If I hadn't, Alice would have been on the receiving end of it. I kind of wish it happened because then she'd get mad at her brother—not me. I think? Still, having Alice upset about the whole thing is worse than me pouting about it. She can really put on the dramatics when she wants, which could most likely have ruined her plans for tonight with Jasper. Oh, well.

Edward kept apologizing during our early dinner and I told him it was okay—bitterly—but I haven't really forgiven him yet. It was really embarrassing, especially since he was the cause of it. The entire patio outside was staring at me like I was some sort of circus freak when it happened. Our waiter came rushing to the table in a panic as if I was possessed by a demon. The excuse Alice gave was that they didn't know I was allergic to tomatoes and that's why I couldn't contain it. It was a great excuse and all, except that I took a bite of the buscetta she ordered that had tomatoes in it and was completely fine. I was silent for most of the time drinking my raspberry mojito while Jasper talked with us about his travels.

When we finally had our fill, we decided to walk around the city before the festivities started. They were already putting up some of the lights and mini-lanterns and tables as we pass by the area. I'm slowly starting to get excited since I never really fully enjoyed it because Aro always had me retire early before it got too crowded. He didn't think it was appropriate for someone of my age at the time to be up that late partying with the adults. I inwardly smile knowing that is no longer the case! He's become less over-protective but still has Jane on hand in case an emergency with me came up if he was busy.

"Wow! What a great view!" Alice exclaims. She briefly looks back at us with her child-like smile and turns back to Jasper, pulling him closer to her. He places his arm around her tiny shoulders and kisses the top of her head. They walk on ahead to watch the sun slowly start to set over the mountains that is sparkling over the calm water by the seaport. A lot of the locals are mixed in with the tourists as everyone is gathering to witness the sun fade into the background. There are several boats out in the distance doing the same thing. I was told that no matter how many times you witness the sunsets in Volterra, it is still breathtaking every time, even if you've lived here all your life.

Jasper let go of Alice and starts taking pictures with his camera of the beautiful view. Alice got in a few of the shots, posing like a real tourist. I have forgotten she's never really been to Volterra before. Italy, yes, but Volterra is somewhat out of the way from the bigger cities where the fashion industry is more prominent. I really consider this area as the countryside of Italy.

"C'mon, you guys! Get in the picture!" she calls over to us. Edward and I both look at Alice with blank faces. I guess Edward was lost in his own thoughts. He was leaning against one of the buildings with his hands in his pockets, staring absentmindedly at the paved streets. We both make our way slowly over them at her request. Jasper asks another American tourist to take a group picture of us who was a plump-looking fellow, wearing a fedora hat with a grey mustache.

I feel awkward standing next to the couple since they look so lovey-dovey beside us. "I need you come in closer," the man says, motioning with his hands for us to condense our space. Edward unexpectedly stands closer to me and I can feel him against my right shoulder. He then boldly places his arm around my waist and pulls me in even closer! I briefly look at him, shocked, as he ignored my surprised expression and grins for the picture. I kept my hands to myself and put on the happiest, relaxed smile I could muster. Once the picture is taken I move away quickly before he gets the chance to actually let go of me. The area where I felt his touch is still tingling, sending my heart racing for the hills. I am not able to think clearly for a few minutes. My body aches to be near him after that experience, which I have to stop thinking about. I fall silent again and try to focus on the mellow waves.

Jasper takes his camera back to view the snapshot of us. "Thank you," he says to the man.

"You're such lovely young couples," his wife comments, smiling at us. My face goes pale. They think me and Edward are a couple?

"Thank you!" Alice is flattered, of course. "I think you two are adorable! Are you here for your anniversary?"

The man takes his wife's hand into his. "Been married for almost 40 years today," he smiles lovingly at her.

"We grew up in two very different worlds but that never stopped us. Once your heart finds the right person for you, hold on to them tight!" his wife chuckled. "But I think you four will do just fine," she smiles again, right before they leave.

"Aww, I want to be like that someday," Alice gushes over the elderly couple.

"You're young, Alice. There's still time," Edward teases. She rolls her eyes at him and snakes into Jasper's arm again, who is softly laughing with her brother. They are the perfect couple so I'm not surprised if Alice got her wish. Jasper has a lot of patience as opposed to his girlfriend who always wants to get things done right away. They complement each other well and I think Jasper is the only one who really understands Alice's needs and vice versa.

Edward's already looking at me by the time I attempt to glance his way. He grins immediately. I wish I had the ability to read minds so I knew what he was thinking every time he did that. He was gorgeous beyond belief yet he has his little ways of getting on my nerves. If he only knew the kind of power he had over me, I'd crumble instantly at his feet. I sigh and go back to drowning my thoughts toward the sea.

We all separated for a while to take in the view of the seaport. Alice and Jasper went one way and I went the other. Where Edward was heading, I didn't really want to know. Or cared. I need to clear my thoughts of him since he's all I can think about. My crush on him is becoming too much for me to handle. I'm sure it was like this with all the other girls drooling over his godlike features. I wouldn't be surprised if I accidentally blurted, "Edward! Have my baby!" out of dumb impulse. I shake my head at how pathetic I am.

It was darker now, the lights from around the streets reflecting off the water like little fireflies. People once in a while asked me to snap a few pictures, mostly couples—of course. I notice there aren't really any families here that were on vacation, mostly people my age or the older folks celebrating their anniversaries like the couple we met earlier. Volterra, the City of Love, as it is known. I guess this is where couples rekindled their love or came here hoping to find the 'one' to spend the rest of their life with. I wonder how many people came here every year that actually had that come true for them. It was a fun, fairytale idea of falling in love in a small city like this, but the love gods were never on my side. I never experienced real love before and who knows if I ever really will.

"Umm…mi scusi," a man who appears to be in his late-20s approaches me. "Puoi…prendere, uhh…le nostre…foto?" he asks. I can tell he's not Italian from the horrible pronunciation he has. At least that much I can tell.

"I speak English," I smile.

"Oh, good!" he looks quite relieved. "I knew I should have brushed up on my Italian before we got here. Was it that obvious?" he laughs.

"A little," I chuckle at his shaking head.

"Would you mind taking a picture of us?" he holds out his camera. The pregnant female he's with smiles at me.

"Sure." I take the camera from him as he runs to stand next to her, placing a hand on her bump. I see a ring on both their fingers guessing they're still newlyweds with a baby on the way. "Smile!" I say, right before I take it.

"Good shot," someone says over my shoulder. Slightly turning my head, I find Edward smirking at me.

"Thanks," I mumble. What's he doing here?

The man runs back to us to get his camera. "That looks great. Thanks! Did you…" he looks at me then at Edward, "want me to take a picture of you guys, too?"

"Oh…we—"

"Would very much appreciate it," Edward finishes my sentence—taking a small camera out of his pocket and handing it to him. I'm about to refuse the offer when he cuts me off. "Smile," he whispers into my ear. His breath tickles me as he slinks his arm around my waist again.

"Ready?" the man asks. I'm able to get enough courage to place my arm around Edward also so that I didn't seem so timid like I have been living on a deserted island by myself and wasn't used to being around people. It's such a nerve-wracking experience but I am proud of myself for pulling it off.

"Here you go," he hands him his camera back.

"Thanks." Edward looks at the picture and smiles, satisfied. "See…that wasn't so bad," he shows me the snapshot. He's even more handsome in pictures but, of course, nothing compares to the real thing. I look so plain beside him, but at least my smile looks happy. We almost did look like a real couple. Oh, I wish.

"That's…nice," I try to play it off like I wasn't that interested in it, even though I want a copy of it so badly! I walk away savoring the faint smell of his cologne on me. I also want to take my cardigan and just inhale it like fresh cut grass on a rainy day, but that would make it seem like I'm smelling myself. I make a face at the idea. If I'm lucky, his scent will still linger until later on tonight so I can remember this moment.

"Bella, wait," he catches up to me. "Where are you going?"

"Around," I shrug, looking at everything else around me but him. "There's still a good hour before the party starts."

He suddenly runs ahead and blocks my path. I have to abruptly stop or I'd collide into him. "What are you doing?" I give him a weird and somewhat annoyed glare.

"Why are you trying to avoid me?" he looks directly into my eyes. His question catches me off guard. Am I really that obvious? Well, duh, I mentally hit myself. "Have you really not forgiven me yet?" he tries his use his charms, showing off those beautiful green eyes of his and turning them into an adorable puppy dog gaze.

"Well, it wasn't funny," I look away, trying as hard as I can not to blush.

"I'm very sorry," he bows like a gentleman. "What can I do to remedy the situation?"

There are a few lustful things I can think of but none he'd probably agree to. Those thoughts send another wave of red to my face. "Nu—nothing. Forget it," I start walking again. He appears to have disappeared when I look back so he must have gotten the hint that I want to be alone right now. I'd see him later anyway. I need to calm down first.

"Miss Isabella…" I hear my legal name and wince. I take my time facing Edward, unmotivated to tell him to go away. When I finally face him a small gasp escapes my lips. He is holding a flower in his hand. "For you," he gives it to me. "I know you still hate me right now, but I hope you can accept my little peace offering. I'm sorry it's not a rose," he chuckles, embarrassed, "but I'm hoping you'll still accept this nonetheless." It is a beautiful stargazer lily, one of my favorite flowers that I haven't mentioned before. "I'll see you in an hour by the seaport with Alice and Jasper," he proceeds to leave, his hands automatically in his pockets. He looks like a guy down on his luck as I watch him walk away, which makes me feel like a horrible person, although I know I'm not at fault for anything.

Even if he was just acting, trying to get the best of me, it was working. "Wait…Edward," I call out. He spins around with a blank expression on his face. "You can drop the act," I roll my eyes, "I forgive you…"

That ever popular crooked grin of his returns as he makes his way back over to me, "So, I'm forgiven?" he asks like a happy little boy.

"I guess," I sigh. "But, don't think for a second that I didn't know what you were tying to do."

"Huh?" he looks at me quizzically. "Are you suggesting that I had some sort of hidden intention with my apology?" he looks appalled.

"Whatever," I roll my eyes again and look away so he can't see me smiling. Edward's laughing softly, wanting to get a good look at me while I keep my face hidden, but there is no point in hiding my flushed cheeks now since we're both laughing out loud. "Okay! Okay!" I finally give up and wipe the strands of hair away from my face.

His laughing dies down with mine as he steps closer to me. He smiles once more as if he's thinking about something and removes a strand of hair from my forehead that I missed and tucks it behind my ear. "It's nice to finally see you genuinely smile again."

That sends my body temperature through the roof! I present a nervous smile, eyes looking elsewhere. My heart begins to thump in my chest again and I can feel my hands getting clammier. "Umm…thanks for the flower," is all I can think of to say.

"You're welcome," he finally puts some distance between us. "C'mon, let's walk around some more before we meet up with Alice and Jasper." Edward's smile is lighter like that serious, intense moment never happened just a moment ago. He's back to being his carefree self as a group of children ran past us with different trinkets in their hands for the party. I watch them having fun while he talks to a street vendor. "Sì…due per favore. Grazie!" I hear him say. He hands the man some money in exchange for two items in his hands. "Here," he gives me one of them.

"What…is this?"

"A festival mask, what else?" he laughs. "I hear they are really popular during block parties."

"Thanks…"

"Here, put it on." He takes it from me and ties it behind my head. He also puts his on, making a goofy face at me. I playfully shove him and run away laughing. He stands there for a moment and runs after me after he realizes what I have done. "Oh, you'll pay for that," he grins mischievously, fixing his mask that I pulled off and make lopsided on his head.

"Where have you two been?" Alice asks when we finally meet up with them. She's in her usual stance with her hands on her hips. We still have our masks on and sugar lollipops, laughing along the way. "I see you guys are in the festival spirits," she raises an eyebrow at us.

"Cool masks," Jasper appears from the crowd. "We got ones, too."

"Bella, where'd you get that flower?" my little friend notices. I'm glad I'm still wearing the mask so Alice can't see my pink cheeks. I really need to get a handle on blushing so easily! It is such a curse aside from being a klutz.

"Umm…Edward gave it to me," I answer quietly.

"Really?" she looks at her brother who merely smiles at her. "Interesting you gave her that particular flower, Eddie. It's also one of her favorites." I mentally shot daggers at the Hobbit. Why did she have to go and tell him that!

"Oh, yeah? Well, I'll be sure to keep that in mind," he gives her a casual reply. I didn't understand how he can switch from acting like a big kid to acting all cool and suave in the same second. I guess it's all a part of being an actor and prepared for any kind of role.

"Hey, guys!" A girl with three other people greets us. It's Jessica Stanley, the lead female in the movie, along with Riley, Angela, and Mike. I remember them from dinner.

"Hey, Bella," Mike waves. He looks a lot happier than he did earlier today.

"Hey, Mike," I half-smile.

"Are you guys here for the block party, too?" Jasper asks casually.

"You know it!" Riley looks enthused. "This will probably be the last night we'll get to do something like this before we start filming and having the media all over us to where we can't be out in public anymore."

"Well, in that case, let's make this a memorable night!" Edward says with everyone in agreement.

After the other actors get their masks, we walk around listing to a live band on a loud speaker playing a mixture of Italian melodies and festival music. It really feels like a big open circus minus the animals. There are jugglers on unicycles and others juggling lit torches, magicians for the children, mini-street plays, and food vendors. We are lucky to find tables to fit all of us near the water by the small beach side of the seaport where a wooden platform is placed on the sand so people can dance.

We pull two round tables together with Edward on one side of me, Alice on the other, and Jasper next to her. Mike is sitting on the other table beside Edward with Jessica, Angela, and Riley. Most of us order beer and wine and just people watch, breaking off into different conversations. Jasper is having a good time with Alice, taking pictures of practically everyone and anything he finds interesting. They get up from the table so Jasper can take a closer picture of the people on the dance floor that are wearing a variety of vibrant costumes.

Edward smiles at me and takes a good swig of his beer. I glance over at Mike who is looking a little glum. His mask is hanging on the side of his head. Most of us have taken ours off so we can see better and it wasn't like we were really participating in anything. Edward's phone sitting on the table suddenly rings. "Excuse me," he says and gets up to answer it. I quickly glance at the caller ID and see it is Emmett calling. Probably has to do with business. He sneaks off in a corner somewhere listening to his agent with one hand in his pocket. He is truly beautiful even if he isn't doing anything but standing around.

"Hi…"

I spun my head back to the front, totally unaware that my body is half-turned watching Edward. I clear my throat trying to hide my embarrassment. Edward briefly glances at me right before I refocus my attention to the dancers.

"Hey, Mike…" I half-smile again at the boy who has scooted over into Edward's seat. I take a chance and look back at Edward once more who appears to be scowling. He isn't talking, just listening to Emmett, so I'm uncertain if it's something Emmett is saying that he's not too happy about or if it's something else because he's staring intently in our direction. I dismiss the change in his expression and try to genuinely smile at Mike. He has placed one arm around the top of my chair.

"How do you like the block party so far?" he asks with a boyish smile.

"I like it. It's really nice and…exciting," I nod. "I've been to these before when I was younger and but this is the first time I've really gotten to see this much of it."

"It's kind of…romantic, too…don't you think?" he quietly says, his gaze briefly falling downward.

I never really thought of the block parties by the seaport as 'romantic' before. "Yeah, I guess so? There are a lot of couples here..."

Back then, all I wanted to do was watch the fireworks and play the games before Aro told me it was time for bed. I was always disappointed that I couldn't stay up past 10 p.m., the time when most of the children went home for the night. I was about 14 when I stopped coming here then travelled back with Jacob and my friends at 17 as a graduation gift from Aro.

"Can you see yourself falling in love here?" Mike's question is surprising. He sees the look on my features and quickly adds, "I just meant—isn't this the City of Love? It's called that by people for its love powers or something like that, right?"

"I wouldn't really know," I smile a little, tucking loose stand of hair behind my ear. "I didn't come here looking for love."

"Me, neither…but, you know, anything can happen in a place like this don't you think?" he laughs nervously.

"Sure…" I subconsciously take the flower Edward gave me and slowly twirl the stem in my hand. The gift from him puts a smile on my face without even putting in any effort on my part.

"Who, uhh, gave that to you?" he now looks concerned. "Was it Edward?"

"Oh, umm," I blush, "yes…" I put it back down on the table. "It was a peace offering."

"A piece offering?" he asks curiously.

"It's nothing," I shake my head. I really don't want to explain to him why Edward gave it to me because it was still too embarrassing to tell.

"You don't like…roses?"

I look at Mike, somewhat confused. "Roses?"

"Well, yeah," he shrugs. "Don't girls usually like…roses? I would think that a guy like Cullen would give a girl some roses," he slightly scoffs, mumbling something else under his breath. "I would." He gazes at me then looks back at Edward. His expression didn't look too happy either.

"Edward isn't really the type to give roses," I reply. "But, I kind of like that. It's nice getting something…unexpected."

"Oh…" Mike sounds disappointed. But, he quickly perked up, "Well, hey, your glass is empty. I'll go get you more wine." He grabs the glass and leaves the table in a hurry before I can even respond to his gesture. Mike is really one strange guy—cute, but strange.

And as soon as he leaves, Edward returns to take his rightful place beside me. "What did Newton say to you?" he asks out of nowhere, looking toward the direction Mike had headed.

"I didn't know you two were on a last name basis," I say, ignoring his question. If it wasn't Mike acting weird, it was Edward.

He chuckles for a second, shaking his head. "Forget it."

"Was that…Emmett on the phone?"

"Yeah, I have an early interview with a magazine based out of Chicago tomorrow. He wants to make sure I'm not late for it since it's an important magazine company. They were the first to publish an article about me that helped get my name out there, so I kind of owe my career to them."

"Are you…leaving soon then?" my voice sounds more disappointed than I want to let on.

Edward stands up. "I'm leaving now actually…"

"Oh, I see…" I can't look at him because then he'd see my sadness.

"But…" he leans toward me, which causes me to look at him even when I don't want to, "not before I get a dance out of you," he smiles his perfect smile and holds his hand out to me.

I shake my head in horror. "Me? Dancing? Yeah, not a good idea!" I will most likely destroy his feet because my brain and my movements never get along.

"Yeah, well…I'm not taking no for an answer," he pulls me up and drags me to the dance floor. The small band starts to play a slower melody.

"You must be related to Alice," I roll my eyes. He looks back and smirks at my comment. "Getting me on the dance floor is dangerous to your health. I'm just warning you."

"I think I can handle it," he chuckles again. We are now facing each other, the mood around us suddenly changing, even Edward's eyes appear to be different as he stares at me. Neither one of us has our masks on so I can't hide the pink on the surface of my face. He grins at my nervousness, placing his left hand on my waist and taking my hand in the other, while my left hand rests comfortably on his shoulder. "Ready?" he asks.

"No," I answer truthfully, which seems to amuse him. We start out slowly as I concentrate as hard as I can on our steps. His eyes, his nose, his lips, everything about him are such distractions. My brain is fuzzy trying to multitask. Accidently, I step on him—several times, in fact. Edward grimaces at the pain. "I'm sorry! I told you this wasn't a good idea." I stop dancing and frown.

He laughs it off, picking me up onto his feet. I feel like a little girl with my feet on his as he dances for the both of us. "See, you're dancing."

"Cheater," I suppress a smile. Both his hands are on my waist now with my hands around his neck. I still feel nervous being this close to this handsome being but somehow it feels right. Something in his smile this time looks so gentle and I can't help but return it. We dance like this until we hear the other couples around us clapping. Neither one of us notice the song has ended. I step off his feet and thank him for the dance.

"My pleasure," he laughs softly, "even though I was the one doing most of the dancing."

"It wasn't like I really had a choice," I roll my eyes again more playfully.

Edward takes my hand and kisses the back of it gently. "Oh, but you did," he winks. "Please explain to everyone why I left in such a hurry." He smiles once last time and jogs off the wooden platform and onto the beach, disappearing into the dark.

I stood there speechless.

Author's Note: Aww, their first dance lol. Hope you liked it. Please review!