Author's Note:

I've been working on this chapter for a while. I hope you all enjoy it. It's been a bit tricky to get out and I've had to hold myself back a bit. I'm a slow writer but I love this story. It makes me want to write it all day, every day BUT I need to get things done as well. I'm just having to set myself allotted times to write so it doesn't take over my life.

To those who left reviews: Thank you so much! It's so encouraging to get feedback and comments.

To everyone else: Thank you for reading/favouriting/following! Please consider leaving a review. If you're reading it consistently and enjoying it, I'd love to know what you do/don't like.

Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own Twilight. I'm just playing with the characters a bit…

Chapter 6:

"God, Bella," Edward moaned, "this is amazing."

Bella had been desperately trying to concentrate on her food for the last five minutes. The sights and sounds Edward had been producing while eating his lasagne were utterly sinful. As if the sight of him licking his lips in anticipation hadn't been enough, the constant moans were provoking all sorts of inappropriate thoughts.

Faaarking hell, Bella thought, does he even realise what he's doing? It's a damn good thing he can't read my mind…

Attempting a few pointed looks hadn't been enough either. Edward had just continued eating, seemingly oblivious to Bella's discomfort. He was far too enraptured by his food to notice anything going on around him.

Alice hadn't noticed either. Apparently this was normal behaviour. Bella knew the Cullens loved their food but Alice certainly didn't make such sensual noises while eating. At least, if she did, Bella didn't notice.

Snap out of it and focus on your food, Bella.

"So, Edward, tell us more about Jasper and Rosalie." Bella asked, hoping to distract him from his food so she could get her thoughts together.

"Well," Edward started, "Rose has a lot of the same interests as you, Alice…" He paused to think before continuing, "as far as fashion goes, at least. She's a total car nut too – even more so than Emmett."

"Wow." Both girls responded. Knowing how much Emmett loved cars, they were very impressed by this revelation.

"Yeah, it definitely took me by surprise at first." Edward chuckled. "But that's more of a hobby anyway. She studied marketing to pursue a career in fashion – just like you, Ali."

Alice nodded in approval.

"What else…?" Edward continued thoughtfully. "She can be a bit vain – shallow, I guess. Then again, I guess those traits can help in modelling. It probably helps buffer the negativity..."

"Oh, so she's a model too?" Alice asked, curiosity in her voice as she set her empty plate on the coffee table.

"Yeah, Rose and Tanya work for the same modelling company these days. They met in school – back when Jasper and Rose moved over there – and they've been close ever since. Their modelling contracts don't run out for another week though so they were planning on coming over the week after next." Edward replied and finally, with one last mouthful, he finished his food.

Letting out a mental sigh of relief, Bella returned to her food. Since Edward had stopped making such ridiculously hot noises, she was able to actually consume her food without her mind running wild.

"So she's the one in all those photos with Tanya on Facebook?" Alice asked as Edward nodded. "And what's her deal? She doesn't have a boyfriend back there?"

To the surprise of both Alice and Bella, Edward laughed.

"No, Rose is very picky when it comes to dating." Edward explained as he chuckled. "She's dated a few of the guys she met through her modelling but it's never been anything more than a few dates. She's very specific about what she wants."

"Hey," Alice defended, "you can't blame a girl for being picky. There are some real sleazes out there."

"It's true." Bella agreed, nodding. "And, if those photos are any indication, she can afford to be picky. She's absolutely beautiful."

"True." Edward agreed, nodding as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "And this is Jasper. They've got some pretty damn good genetics." He commented as he opened Facebook and showed the girl Jasper's profile picture.

"Holy shit!" Alice exclaimed, causing both Edward and Bella to laugh.

"So, tell us about Jasper." Bella chuckled as Alice took the phone from her brother and proceeded to flick through more pictures.

"Well, he has a really relaxed personality and presence. He gets along with everyone." Edward explained. "He's always a hit with the patrons at the bar… Especially the ladies. He's single though. He's been on a number of dates since I've known him but it's never been anything serious. He seems to think he'll know 'the one' when he sees her." Edward chuckled, shaking his head.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with believing in true love." Alice defended, handing her brother's phone back.

"Of course there's nothing wrong with believing in true love, Ali. I know better than to argue with you over that." Edward replied. "Love at first sight just seems a bit much."

"We'll see. You might change your mind about that one day." Alice replied cheerfully before continuing in a teasing tone. "So, is Tanya your true love, Edward?"

At that question, Edward became visibly tense and glared at his sister.

"Tanya and I are happy and you know I don't like to talk about that sort of thing." He replied tersely. "Weren't you seeing someone anyway, Alice? Why are you so interested in Jasper?" He queried.

Bella noticed, since Edward had managed to successfully divert the conversation, he had relaxed back into the couch. He was quite deliberately listening to Alice's recollection of her recent dating failure. He was asking prompting questions, very effectively encouraging Alice's chatter about the man who was a wonderful guy but he wasn't "The One."

There's something he's not telling us. Bella thought. He's deliberately keeping something about his relationship to himself. It's none of your business though, Bella. You only just met him. His relationship is none of your business…

"– not like some of the guys Bella's been unfortunate enough to date though! You've got to raise your standards, girl!" Alice teased, bringing Bella back into the conversation.

"Oh, really?" Edward looked at Bella with a teasing smirk. "Do tell. This sounds entertaining."

"Come on, Alice," Bella rolled her eyes, grinning, "they haven't been that bad."

"Really?" Alice replied in disbelief. "I know Mike wasn't bad to begin with but he was a real dick by the time you ended things."

"Yes, Alice." Bella replied, playing along with the teasing, "If you recall, the cheating and general arsehole behaviour were the reason I ended things." As Bella rolled her eyes again, she chanced a glance at Edward who was grinning at the exchange.

"And there's no denying the creepiness of Eric…" Alice continued.

"Oh! That's not fair!" Bella remarked before turning to Edward, "That's not included. I only ever went on two dates with Eric. He seemed nice to begin with but when he suggested a threesome with the waitress, I ran the other way." With that revelation, Bella laughed along with Edward and Alice.

"Wow, Bella." Edward continued to chuckle as their laughter died down, "Alice might be right. You should probably raise your standards." He teased. "It sounds like those guys need a lesson in class."

"Oh and I suppose you could teach them?" Alice teased her brother.

"Of course I could!" Edward defended, playing along. "Our parents raised me to be a respectful gentleman. I could show those guys a thing or two about the way a beautiful woman should be treated."

At the words, "beautiful woman," Bella decided she needed to change the topic. We're either moving into dangerous territory or – more likely – they're no longer talking about me, she thought.

"OK, maybe I should raise my standards." She commented, trying to maintain a joking tone. "But, Alice, you know full-well that I haven't even attempted any dates with random guys since the Eric incident."

"You're right, Bella…" Alice replied thoughtfully. "And now there's Jacob… He's an improvement…" She said, looking at her friend and trying to determine her reaction.

The topic of Jacob was one that was rarely discussed but Alice could see the way it pained Bella. While Jacob hadn't said it so many words, Bella and Alice knew he had wanted to escape the "friend zone" for a while. Bella, however, wasn't sure if she wanted to pursue the kind of relationship Jacob wanted but she also wasn't sure that didn't want to. Her biggest concern was that she was running out of time and, either way, she feared she would lose one of her oldest and dearest friends.

"Jacob?" Edward asked. His voice sounded politely curious but Bella noticed a frown on his face as his gaze darted between them in search of an explanation.

"Jacob is…" Bella began to explain before pausing to take a deep breath. "I've known Jacob since I was little. When he moved here, I sent him in Emmett's direction. He works at the gym with him now." She paused again, wondering how to explain things. "He's a great guy – genuine and loyal – but now he wants more than friendship from me and I'm not sure what to do."

The light tone of their earlier conversation had quickly vanished and been replaced with the concern Bella had felt whenever this topic came up. The same concern was extended in Alice and Edward. Although Edward had just met Bella, it was clear from her tone and the sudden change in mood that she was upset about the issue.

"You don't want to lose your friend." He asked rhetorically as Bella's eyes met his and she nodded.

For the second time, the seriousness of the topic meant that Bella wasn't overwhelmed or intimidated by Edward's gaze. His eyes weren't full of lust, desire or even amusement this time. Instead, they were full of concern. She couldn't be sure but his expression – combined with the frown on his face – made her feel like he was concentrating on something. Like he was trying to figure out what she was thinking.

"It's not fair of him to put you in this position, Bella." Alice said, her eyes full of concern too. Her voice, however, was tainted with frustration. Not frustration with Bella but with Jacob.

This topic had been playing at Bella's mind for some time and Alice was growing weary of Jacob's selfishness. While he hadn't said anything, he had managed to make his intentions clear and the chance of losing him was tearing Bella apart. Alice hated seeing the way it affected her friend and she desperately wanted to be able to help her. How? She wasn't sure.

"It's not his fault, Alice." Bella replied. "He can't help how he feels and what he wants."

"But what do you want, Bella?" Edward asked, his gaze still one of concern and concentration.

Well, that's a loaded question, Bella thought. Especially coming from him… What do I want?

"The way I see it… I'm running out of time." Bella explained. "Soon enough, he'll actually say something or try something and I don't want to risk losing him…"

"Is that your only concern? Saying 'no' and risking the loss of your friendship?" Edward asked gently. "What do you want? Do you want to be with him? Do you want to say 'yes'?"

"I honestly don't know." Bella replied thoughtfully. Edward was asking her everything she'd been asking herself for months. The difference was, when he asked, it didn't seem so complicated. "I feel like… Maybe I should give it a chance. Maybe we've been friends for so long for a reason. Maybe we owe it to ourselves to give it a shot…" She let out a small laugh. "I feel like I'm talking myself into it."

Alice and Edward let out small chuckles of their own.

"Sometimes you just need to think out loud." Alice commented. "We all do it."

"Yeah," Edward commented, "it's tricky and there's no such thing as overthinking things in this situation but I'm sure you'll be OK in the long run… No matter what you decide."

"And, whatever you decide, I'll be here for you." Alice concluded, placing a comforting hand on Bella's leg before giving it a little, playful shove, successfully breaking the tense mood. Bella chuckled and gave Alice a small shove back before giving her a thankful smile and wrapping her arms around her.

Breaking out of the hug, Bella smiled at her friend and looked to Edward. His expression, though he was still frowning, had lightened after seeing the playful interaction between the two girls.

"Thank you, both of you." She said, looking at Alice and Edward. "Hopefully I'll be able to figure this mess out soon."

Before Bella was able to dwell any further on her Jacob issue, they were interrupted by a ringing phone. Knowing it was an unfamiliar tone, Bella and Alice both looked to Edward who was reaching into his pocket to retrieve his mobile. As he glanced at the screen and saw the caller ID, he looked up at the girls, grinning, before accepting the call.

"Emmett, brother, how are you?"

AN:

Sorry it got a bit heavy there. I'm hoping the next one will be a lot lighter… and I'm pretty sure it will be since Emmett will be involved.