A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all the love! Special thanks to Mel and my fabulous prereaders!

I was steps away from the man who both excited and terrified me. What a juxtaposition!

As he stood before me, Edward put his hands in his pockets and waited for me to speak first. I guess an explanation was in order.

"I'm sorry I left," I said earnestly, buying myself time to formulate what I wanted to say, seeing as how looking at him made my brain turn to mush.

Edward's green eyes bore into my own. "You promised. I can tell this isn't your scene, but I really thought you were having a good time. At least you looked like you were." He trailed off, shrugging.

"I was!" I stressed, reaching out to touch his arm. I wanted to emphasize how my running away had nothing to do with him, but where did I even begin.

Taking a deep breath, I hung my head in shame. There wasn't much I could say to explain myself without revealing parts of my past I wasn't ready to divulge yet—if ever.

"Hey," Edward whispered as he gently raised my chin so I could look at him. "It's okay."

He was too damned nice, even feeling bad he might have upset me by calling me out for leaving.

"Thanks." I smiled sadly. "It's just—right now, my life is messy. I'm messy." I shook my head. This was all shit you didn't say to a hot guy who chased you down. But they said honesty was the best policy, and this was as honest as I was able to get right about now.

"You don't look messy to me. What are you a hoarder? Closet filled with sparkly shoes?" He gestured down to my Manolos. Edward was correct: At my brownstone, I did have a walk-in closet for my shoes.

Speaking of shoes, I was reminded of my running because my feet were throbbing with pain. I ignored it, like I typically did with things in my life.

I pursed my lips. "Something like that. I am actually living out of boxes in a hotel. The Plaza to be exact," I corrected, but then I bit my lip, thinking I shouldn't be telling a near stranger where I was living.

But there was something different about Edward.

"Fancy-pants. I should have known," Edward joked, giving me a smirk. If only he knew…

I got lost in his eyes and my thoughts for a moment.

As the air around us grew quiet, he looked down pensively, like he was contemplating something.

"So…" he started, his hands in his pocket once more.

Now he was playing shy. The happy-go-lucky bartender was now playing coy.

I couldn't help but think how many before me had the pleasure of having the moves put on them by him.

My mind wandered to Vic. Was that his type? Was she an ex? Or someone in his rotation?

Edward didn't strike me as a guy with a rotation though. He seemed way too straightforward and genuine. Damn those green eyes.

"So," I repeated, narrowing my eyes playfully at him.

"Come back to the bar. We close in about two hours. We can hang out until then," he offered, taking a hold of my hand. "You can also try not to run away again. Maybe even give me your number so I can get a hold of you if you do." Edward laughed at his own candor, caressing my hand with his thumb. His touch was so gentle yet manly.

"I promise, I won't run," I insisted and broke our hands apart so I could pull out my phone as a show of good faith.

"Oh no!" He groaned. I looked at him questioningly and he continued. "You promised again. That didn't work out so well the last time," he explained, a teasing look on his face.

I swatted his arm, gently. "Ow," he complained, clutching his arm as if I did irreparable damage or something.

"I'll come back with you. But just promise me something in return." I gulped, a little worried about what I was about to ask of him.

"Sure," he replied simply as he waited for me to speak again.

"Promise, whatever you do, don't Google me."

There I'd said it.

Silence. Edward's eyebrows practically reached the top of his head, but somehow he didn't say anything to make me feel uncomfortable.

There were many aspects of my life that were not normal to others. Sometimes it was very difficult for me to discern what would fall into that category. This was not one of those times.

I could acknowledge how weird of a request this was. This was not a typical conversation to be having.

Explanation time.

I inhaled sharply. Here goes everything. "I'm Isabella Swan." I peered over at Edward to scan his face for any recollection but came up short. Okay.

He furrowed his eyebrows and waited for me to continue. He didn't look disgusted or amused, or even scared.

This could mean he had no clue who I was or what I'd done. If Edward had, he would have run away and fast.

"I was a socialite of sorts. Sometimes a model, sometimes a party girl," I said sheepishly, still not able to look him in the eye. "I have been in the public eye basically since have loved exploiting every nitty gritty detail of my personal life. One Google search could tell you everything about who I was." I paused, a little overwhelmed.

Edward reached down and grabbed my hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. He pulled away too quickly for my liking.

The small gesture gave me the confidence I needed to continue. "The thing is that I'm not that person anymore. I'm not sure if I ever really was that person to be honest. I'd prefer if I could tell you about myself as we go. There are some things which I'm not even ready to process, let alone explain to anybody else. Nobody seems to understand this concept…" I wrung my hands but was quickly cut off by Edward grasping my cheek and crashing his lips to my own.

Fuck, I was right! Bartender knew how to kiss.

A real man.

He inched his body closer, wrapping one arm around my waist while the other caressed my cheek. His mouth moved with mine. I loved how soft his lips were, but yet how assertive he was with his kiss. I loved the way he tasted. Fresh, like peppermint, properly from those mints atop the bar, but also bitter, probably from the shot we took. His tongue grazed my lips, seeking entry, and I let him. After a small tease of what might be to come, Edward pulled away.

I batted my eyelashes at him and pouted a little. I'd never been so disappointed in my life, yet for some reason, I couldn't wipe the smirk off my face. Once I'd come to my senses, I apologized, "Sorry I babble a lot, if you hadn't noticed."

Edward chuckled and nodded. "I have, hence me shutting you up." He matched my smirk and reached down. I could have sworn he was going to adjust his crotch, which I usually loathed when guys did that, but I would have made an exception for this man in front of me. Instead, Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. His flip phone, to be exact.

"Good thing this relic doesn't have Google," he joked and reached for my hand once more.

How did he do that?!

With just a simple touch, he made me feel so safe and calm.

"Wow, they still make those things?" I gasped, playfully.

"I'll have you know, this dinosaur is dependable and the reception is great. Whereas your fancy touchscreen phone will die quickly and have you saying 'what' more than anybody with a hearing aid." Edward tickled my side, and his nose did a little scrunch.

I was a goner.

I swatted his hand away and tried to catch my breath. "Okay, okay! A dinosaur for a dinosaur, got it." I stepped away from him, sensing he was going to tickle me again.

"Oh you better run," he warned, eyeing me like animals stalk their prey.

We burst out into laughter, doubling over at our ridiculousness.

Once the giggles subsided, Edward grabbed my hands in his. As soon as I met his gaze, he began to speak. "I want to get to know you. Whoever that might be. I have a feeling she's pretty great. Whenever you're ready to share something, share. I promise to do the same."

Wow, if he didn't impress me with the banter and his kissing abilities, Edward definitely had me awestruck by how compassionate and understanding he was being.

I nodded and started, "So…"

"So?" he questioned, pursing his lips.

"Your place or my hotel?" I blurted, as I resisted the urge to cringe.

I closed my eyes, afraid that my bluntness would scare this beautiful man away.

"Bella?"

"Yes," I whispered, wanting to melt into the concrete sidewalk.

"I don't sleep with people on the first date," he admitted, groaning a little. Warring with himself, no doubt.

"This isn't a date!" I corrected, a little breathless at the way he looked at me.

"All the more reason to wait," Edward pointed out. His morals were strong, I'd give him that.

I pouted for a minute, and then he leaned in to peck me on the lips before he whispered, "I'm worth the wait." Edward smirked. Damn those lips.

Edward turned back in the direction we came from and took a few steps. "I have a bar to close. Come with me?" he called, outstretching his hand for me to take.

I nodded and closed the gap between Isabella and Bella.

XxXx

Edward was slinging drinks behind the bar, chatting with customers.

I was sitting in the corner, next to Vic and James. Jake was trying to talk to Vic, but she didn't want any part in it. She looked over at me, in an attempt to get Jake off her back. I smiled, sympathetically.

He really didn't know when to stop. It was shocking to see how much of a success his bar was, despite his lack of self awareness.

A whistling sound came from the other end of the bar, and I turned to see Edward giving Jake a warning look. "Knock it off," he called out.

Jake laughed and went to whisper something to Seth.

"Asshole!" Vic muttered, as James excused himself to the bathroom. He was very quiet compared to her. If they were a couple, they made an interesting match. I just really hoped she wasn't Edward's ex.

"I just wanted to apologize if I was rude before. I'm not used to all this." I gestured to the atmosphere around us.

People were laughing, taking shots, playing pool, eating bar food, shooting darts. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, and everyone was pretty friendly for the most part.

Vic waved me off. "No apology necessary. We can be an overwhelming bunch." She smiled, politely. "I've known Edward my whole life. Jake too, but he's an asshole. Half the people in this bar are like family to me. My dad used to own it. It was his pride and joy." She beamed while speaking of her father.

Must have been nice to have a father. My dad wasn't one to parent. He enjoyed dropping in and being able to give us back when things got too difficult.

It was also reassuring to know that she considered Edward family. I didn't want any competition when it came to him.

I nodded to Vic. "Does your dad still come here and hang out?" I inquired, trying to make conversation. These people were definitely different from my normal circle.

But different could be good, even if it meant wearing fake designer goods. I felt like telling Vic I'd give her one of my old Louis just to get her to stop using that horrible fake.

She shook her head in response to my question. "My father passed away a few years back. Liver cancer. Occupational hazard I suppose." She laughed, with no humor to it.

"I'm sorry," I said dumbly, feeling a little uncomfortable having just met Vic and her discussing such a sensitive topic with me.

"You talking about Harry?" Edward piped in. I didn't even realize he was back on this side of the bar. "How about a toast to Harry?" He winked at me. "On me."

"I'll drink to that," Seth interjected, sliding a pizza down to Edward. Seth was now wearing an apron that had a bikini splashed across the front. I guess he doubled as kitchen staff?

"Nice beach body," I commented, as Edward reached for my hand. He placed a kiss on my palm and handed me a shot glass.

"To Harry!" Edward toasted, holding up his glass. "To Harry," a crowd surrounding us chanted.

I couldn't help but laugh at how different things were on the Upper East Side. People were more refined, or was it stuck up? Jane would agree with the latter. It was refreshing how different the mannerisms were. There was a carefree element to Bar. A comfort. Nobody seemed to care how you were dressed, where you summered, or who did your latest nose job.

A vast difference, indeed.

The biggest difference was this attentive man with the breathtaking smile and kind heart who I'd just met. I was used to growing up with "help" like our housekeeper, chef, and nanny. I was pampered in ways that some would never experience or understand. But I wasn't used to being cared for and looked after. Edward's eyes always seemed to find me: when he was making a drink, when he was chatting with Jake, when he thought I didn't notice. Just that alone made me swoon. He wanted me for me.

A/N: Let me know your thoughts! Btw-Bella's not the only one hiding something;) Thanks for the support!