BPOV

“Hey Bella, its Alice… look, I just wanted to let you know I’m going to be out late tonight. Jasper finally asked me out, so don’t wait up!”

I chuckled as I hit the delete button before my friend's message could continue, cutting over the excited tone in her voice.

My dear friend and roommate hadn’t had much luck in the romance department, but then again I wasn’t one to talk. She seemed incredibly excited about going out with Jasper tonight, after stalking him around our office for weeks. Hopefully one of us would have luck in the ‘action’ department.

I bit my lip as I looked around our apartment, trying to narrow down the activity I hoped would take up most of my evening.  Laundry Alice left on the couch for me to fold, or the articles I had to edit by Wednesday?  Decisions, decisions.

Company had never been a need for me to occupy myself, which I owed to the absence of parenting when I was younger. Ever since my mom left when I was ten, I felt like I was on my own. My dad chose to indulge himself in work rather than spending time with me.  As soon as I hit the legal age of eighteen, I was gone, suffering little repercussion from my abrupt leaving.

My father had called me once, about a week after I had arrived in New York, but that conversation didn’t get very far.  I didn’t mind though, as I was quickly swept up in the rush of the city.

Alice had rushed into my life my first day in New York, with the same flurry of excitement she always had. I remembered I was running to try to catch the train and tripping over my own two feet, causing my body to slam into hers as she boarded.

“You okay?” she asked, a smile on her face as she helped me up.

“I’m fine. Feet are pesky things,” I chuckled as I gathered the various toiletry items that had spilled out of my bag.

“Don’t I know it,” she chuckled as she handed me some things she managed to gather up off of the floor. “Where are you headed?”

“Manhattan, I think,” I shrugged casually. “I haven’t quite decided.”

“Manhattan would be safer then anywhere else.  That’s where I live. Did you just move here or something? I could show you around!”

Whoa, I thought.  That’s a crap load of energy.

“I just moved here, kind of on the brink. I don’t really know where I’m going, honestly.”

“Well, why don’t you come with me? I know you don’t know me or anything, but it would give you a place to hang your hat so you don’t end up wandering around the city all night.”

I looked at her, her brown eyes wide with excitement. She seemed innocent enough, leaving me to think that her tiny, pixie-like frame couldn’t cause me too much harm. Besides, she did have a point. Wandering around a busy and unfamiliar city looking for a place to stay may not be the smartest way to go about doing things.

“If you don’t mind, that would be great.”  I decided finally.

After that night, I never left. Alice turned out to have a rather nice and spacious apartment in Manhattan, which led to me taking up the large spare bedroom across from hers. It turned out that Alice and I had a lot more in common than I thought, both sharing a love for the arts and a strong want to incorporate that love into our work.

She ended up finding me an editing job at the New York Times, where she had been working for the past three years as a photographer. I had settled in quickly, having been provided with the first sense of ‘home’ that I had had in years.

So why did I feel so antsy? I bit my lip as I paced back and forth across the hardwood floor of our dining room.

The shrill ringing of the phone erupted from its cradle in the kitchen, slicing through the silence of the empty apartment.

“Alice?” I asked as I hit the answer button.

“Bella, what are you doing right now?” Alice shouted into my ear, trying to make sure she was heard over the loud music playing in the background.

“Standing in the dining room, trying to figure out what to do with myself. Why?”

“Come down to ‘Bella Italia’ with me! There’s a wine tasting going on here tonight, and they have some amazing desserts.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be with Jasper?” I cringed as she continued to shout in my ear.

“I still am! We met up with Emmett and Rosalie. I think his cousin is coming too and…”

“Wait a minute, is his cousin male?”

“I’m not sure?”

“Sure you're not.”  I rolled my eyes. “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to fix me up with him so he won’t be there by himself, am I right?”

“Look Bella, I’m just trying to get you out of the house so you wont be sitting there working all night. Don’t tell me that you’re not, because I know you’ve got your work spread out all over the place right now.  Just come out.  You don’t have to hang around him or pretend to like him or anything. Just come out and visit with me!  Besides, when was the last time you saw Emmett?”

Ah, Emmett McCarty, my other welcomed surprise when I moved here.

Emmett lived two blocks away from our building, managing a small record label that took up the entire bottom floor of the two floored building he bought.

Alice had known him ever since she started her very first piece with the paper, covering a piece on upcoming influences in the art community. I could have sworn Emmett was hoping we would get together during the first couple of times we had hung out; he was resorting to shameless flirting and cheesy pick up lines. I had found him completely obnoxious at first, thinking of him as one of those ‘party boy’ types. He proved me wrong- after I had clearly laid down the law with him- by providing me with the strongest friendship I had ever had, with the exception of Alice of course.

“You had to play the Emmett card, huh?” I sighed.

“Of course. I knew you couldn’t say no to your other best friend.” I could almost hear her smiling from her end of the phone.

“Fine, I’ll come. What kind of place is it?”

“You’ll need to borrow one of the dresses in my closet; it’s kind of a ritzy place.”

I groaned loudly. Alice and I may be great friends, but our style of clothing couldn’t be any more different. I preferred jeans and Chuck Taylors; Alice preferred dresses and Jimmie Choo’s.

“Stop it!  They won’t let you in here with jeans and those damn sneakers on. There’s a dress code. Wear the black one.  There’s a pair of heels right below it in the closet that’ll match.”

“Alice…”

“Bella, I’m not arguing with you.  You need to get your tiny hermit behind out of the house. You will look fine, and I swear no one will stare at you.”

She always seemed to know what I was going to say before I said it, and frankly it scared me sometimes.

“We're already here, so hurry, okay?”

“Alright, alright! I’m going!” I huffed and hung up.

Great.  I frowned as I sat the phone down on the kitchen counter, then headed through the apartment into Alice’s room.

I tried not to panic as I slid my comfortable clothes off and inched the black dress Alice had already chosen for me over my skin.

“Oh Alice, please don’t make me do this,” I said to my reflection as I looked myself over in the mirror.

Yet, if I didn’t accept it, I could only imagine the wrath of shit that Alice would lay upon me when I either didn’t show or showed up in my usual.  So with one last look at myself in the mirror, I ventured out the front door and onto the city streets.

Luckily the subway wasn’t far from where we lived, which made it easy for me to scurry across the busy street and down into the subway tunnel. Part of me was really dreading this evening; not only did I have absolutely no idea what Alice had in store for me… but I had to deal with that uncertainty completely out of element. The short ride on the train didn’t provide any comfort, I was already getting looks from some of the guys scattered through out the train car.

As soon as the doors opened I bolted, making sure I got away from that uncomfortable atmosphere as quick as possible.

“Bella, you’re here!” Alice exclaimed as I walked towards the restaurant. “You look fantastic!”

“Thanks,” I said as I tried to not to pull the hemline of my dress down.

“Stop fidgeting.” she said as she pulled me into the restaurant by my arm.  "Wait until Emmett sees you! He so didn’t believe that I got you in a dress!”

“Oh, that’s nice,” I groaned. The thought of the ridicule that would ensue wasn’t sitting well with me at all.

“Bella Swan! Is that you?”  Emmett McCarty pulled me into a tight hug once we approached the group, his large arms almost squeezing the wind out of me.

“The one and only,” I smiled as I squeezed my friend tightly.

“You remember Rosalie?” Emmett motioned to the gorgeous blonde beside him.

“Of course, how could I forget?” I said as I hugged her as well. “It’s good to see you again.”

“You do look gorgeous, Bella.” Rosalie smiled as she let go of me. “Don’t let this big lug tell you any different!”

“Thanks, it’s nice to know that someone has my back.”

“You need anything at all, you just tell me,” Rosalie said as Emmett pulled her close.

“Alright, where in the hell is that cousin of mine? I’m ready to eat!”  Emmett grinned as his chocolate brown eyes darted around the restaurant.

“He had to make a phone call,” Alice frowned.

“Well, whatever then. We will just have to get started without him.”  Emmett shrugged and led us inside the restaurant.

It was absolutely beautiful inside. Bowls of votive candles sat at the center of each of the tables, illuminating the cream colored clothes that covered the mahogany tables. The walls were a dark mahogany color, creating a sharp contrast to the light colors spread throughout the room.

“Nice, isn’t it?” Alice asked as she came up beside me, guiding me towards a round table in the center of the restaurant.

“It’s beautiful. Thanks for inviting me out.”

“Oh don’t thank me yet... wait until you see Emmett’s cousin.”  Alice winked at me and went to go sit on the other side of the table with Jasper.

She isn’t going to stop is she? I groaned as I took the seat next to Emmett.

“Edward! Over here!” Emmett shouted, causing me to almost jump out of my seat as he stood up.

He had to show up eventually, didn’t he? I bit my lip nervously as I looked up.

It was all over at that point; the minute I laid my eyes on him I couldn’t take them off.

He was tall and skinny, his skin pale and his hair a dark brown with brilliant streaks of bronze highlights throughout it. A white collared dress shirt covered his chest, the well-built muscles pushing against the fabric. A grin crossed his lips as he noticed my staring, his green eyes never leaving mine.

“Bella, this is my younger cousin, Edward.”  Emmett’s hand rested on my shoulder, shooting me out of my daydream.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bella.”  His voice flowed smoothly from his lips; the husky tone sent chills down my spine.

“Same to you,” I replied, my eyes still wide as I managed to shake his hand.

“Emmett’s told me a lot about you.”  He smiled as he looked down at our still intertwined hands.

“Yes, Bella is quiet the journalist,” Emmett chimed in, causing me to come out of my trance.

“Not really, I just edit articles for the Times,” I said as I dropped his hand quickly. Not too quickly, I hoped.

“Well, we all have to get our start somewhere," Edward said as he sat down on the other side of Emmett. “Isn’t that right, Emmett?”

Emmett nodded as he rested his arm on the back of Rosalie’s chair. “Edward just moved here. He’s going to be helping me get the business up and going. He and Jasper are working on a marketing idea to help bring some clients in.”

Impressive. I nodded.

“It’s going to be huge,” Jasper said from across the table. “We are definitely going to put Emmett on the map.”

“I don’t doubt it; you’ve always been good with that stuff, Jasper.” I managed a smile, trying not to look over at Edward.

“You’re one to talk.” Jasper nodded in my direction. “Bella is a creative genius all in herself. She’s going to run the whole paper one day.”

“Well, I don’t know about that.”

“Hey, don’t ever sell yourself short,” Edward said as took a sip of the wine the waiter poured for us. “You can do it, especially if you really want to.”

“I don’t know if I like the idea of working for someone else, though," I said honestly. “I want to run my own magazine one day. Or at least run my own column. All I do all day is sit there and edit everybody else’s stuff... I get so many ideas, and they end up going absolutely no where. It’s incredibly frustrating.”

“I know the feeling.”  Edward smiled. “I actually left a law firm in Seattle to come here.”

“You did what?”

Edward chuckled at my shocked expression, pausing so I could pick my jaw up off the floor before he started talking again.

“I actually graduated from Washington State with a Bachelor’s in Law, and ended up getting an internship at one of the best law firms in the country.”

“And you left it?” I asked again.

“It wasn’t the right fit for me. I knew that the minute I walked in the door there.”

“That’s amazing,” I said as I leaned closer to him, completely disregarding Emmett, who sat between us. “I can’t believe you had the guts to do that.”

“Sometimes you just have to take that leap of faith and hope it comes out okay.”

“I wish I had guts like that.”

“You do. They’re in there somewhere.”  He grinned at me. “Sometimes it’s buried in there; you just need the right motivation to find it.”

“I guess I just haven’t come across the right thing to inspire me.”

“Or maybe you haven’t met the right person?”

I stared at him, nervousness taking over me as I fell quiet. What a flirt!

“So Edward, have you had a chance to take a look around the city yet?” Alice piped in.

“Not really. I just got here a few days ago, and I’ve spent most of that with Emmett.”

“Well, we need to fix that! If you guys are going to make it big in this city, you should know where your way around!”

I didn’t like where she was going with this.  Alice always got that smile on her face when she was up to something.

“Bella could show you around,” she grinned.

You sly bitch, you.

 “If she wouldn’t mind, I think that sounds fantastic.” Edward smiled at me, almost causing me to melt onto the floor.

“She wouldn’t mind at all. Would you, Bella?”  Alice smiled at me, making her question seem to be more of demand than anything else.

“I…I guess,” I stammered, looking away from him quickly.

I couldn’t believe it. My best friend of two years had betrayed me, hooking me up with my friend’s cousin, without leaving me much of a choice. My mind raced all throughout dinner and the wine tasting that followed.

The room around me began to swirl as I downed the samples of wine in an effort to calm my overworked nerves, going through probably a bottle's worth of samples in the hour that we walked around. Everyone else seemed to be following suite; although they settled on a bottle instead of hording the samples. I didn’t see Edward amongst them though, which left me curious as to where he might have gone.

Why did I care?

Somehow I managed to keep myself upright as my hands pressed against the wall of the restaurant, in an effort to guide myself to the door. It was too god damn warm in there.

“Whoa, where do you think you’re going?”

Oh god, it was him again.

“It’s hot in there,” I slurred.

“I bet it was,” Edward chuckled; he reached out to stabilize me.

EPOV

“You smell good,” she said to me as I wrapped my arms around her waist.

“Thank you,” I chuckled as I propped her up against me. “You know you aren’t supposed to drink the wine right?”

“Oh, is that how you do these things? I must be doing it wrong,” she huffed, and tried to push herself off of me, her hands grasping at my shirt as she stumbled forward.

“I don’t think you should move too quickly.”  I frowned as I reached to catch her once again.

“I’m fine,” she huffed again, and pressed her hands against my chest firmly, managing to start walking away from me.

“Forgive me, Bella, but I don’t think that you are.”

God, she’s stubborn.  I sighed and ran to catch up with her as she stumbled down the sidewalk.

“Edward, just let me go home,” she groaned as my hand caught her arm in an effort to get her to stop. “I didn’t want to be here, and you’re just making it weirder for me.”

“Me? Why would I make it weird?”  She continued walking, even with my arm wrapped securely around her waist.

“Because, I know what Alice is trying to do, and frankly I want nothing to do with it," she slurred as her body heavy leaned heavily against mine.

I had to admit, having her this close was intoxicating. She smelled sweet, like strawberries. Her hair was soft against my cheek, her skin soft and warm.

Focus, Edward.

“What is Alice trying to do?” I asked finally.

"She wants me to get out more, and get some action.”

I chuckled at the exaggeration of the word ‘action’ as she spoke, receiving a rather irritated look from her.

“It’s not funny. I’ve had plenty of action in my time. Just because it’s been a while doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen again. Don't you think so?”

“I…I…I guess not…”

“Oh god,” she interrupted. “I need to lay down.”

“Let me get us a cab, you need to get home.”

We didn’t have time to grab Alice or anyone else; she was growing greener by the minute.

I struggled to keep my grip on her as she fell heavy against my body, her eyes drifting closed.

“Come on, damn it!” I huffed as several yellow cars rushed past me, choosing not to stop even with me waving my hand in the air like an idiot.

Finally, one of the taxis slowed to a stop in front of us, turning the light off on top of the car as soon as I managed to get us both inside.

“Is she okay?” the cab driver asked as he peered back at us through the rearview mirror.

“She’s fine. Can you take us to Fourth and Jefferson, please?”

The cabbie nodded, taking the tone in my voice as a sign for him to back out.

I sighed and let my head rest against the back of the seat, Bella still unconscious in my arms.

What a beautiful mess she is. I smiled as I looked down at her, my arms firming their grip around her.

She seemed so confident when I had met her earlier, standing her ground against my cousin. And the way she carried herself in that dress… god, I couldn’t stop staring. The black fabric clung to every curve of her body, accenting her chest as the strapless gown hugged her tightly. Yet it seemed that there was something unsettling beneath her beautiful surface.

It wasn’t any of my business though, was it? I was just supposed to get her somewhere safe where she can sleep it off, right? Then why in the hell were we on the way to Emmett’s loft?

“We’re here, sir,” the cab driver grunted as he pulled up in front of Emmett’s building.

“Thank you,” I said, and shoved a couple of bills out of his hand before helping Bella out of the cab.

I scooped her up into my arms once we were free from the car, deciding it would make life a lot easier for us both if I did all of the waking. A groan escaped her lips as I pulled her close, hugging her to my chest as I freed one hand to grab my keys out of my pocket.

The path inside was not an easy one, leaving me with juggling the door and taking two flights of stairs before we finally made it inside Emmett’s apartment. I managed to flick the lights on with my shoulder as I shut the door behind me, causing Bella to stir in my arms.

“Where are we?” she groaned, using her hand to shield the light from her eyes.

“We’re at Emmett’s,” I said as I made my way to the couch, and lay her body down across the soft cushions.

“I don’t live here.”

“I know,” I smiled. “I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go.”

“I don’t feel good,” she said as she squinted up at me.

“I bet you don’t.  You had way too much wine tonight.”  I sat down on the floor next to the couch, leaning my head against the arm. “Do you want me to get you anything? Some water maybe?”

“No,” she frowned as she looked over at me. “Anything else that I take in is only going to come right back out.”

“Alright then, no water it is.” I leaned over her and pulled the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch over her.

“Thank you,” she whispered as she pulled the blanket close.

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m sorry I acted like this.  I definitely didn’t want this to be your first impression of me.”

“You’re perfectly fine,” I whispered as I reached up and stroked her cheek. “Everybody gets nervous sometimes.”

Her eyes closed as my fingers touched the warm skin of her cheek, her head tilting in the direction of my hand.  A content sigh escaped her lips, her breathing becoming smooth and steady.

“Where are you going?” she whispered as I started to stand up.

“I was going to call Emmett so they don’t go looking for either or us.”

“Don’t leave me,” she pleaded. “Talking to you is distracting me from the room that’s spinning…”

I smiled and sat back down on the floor, resting against the couch as she scooted across the couch towards me.

“Thank you for being so nice to me,” she whispered.

“I enjoyed spending time with you this evening,” I said as my voice grew almost as quiet as hers.

“Goodness, even through my drunken stupor?” she asked as a gentle smile spread across her soft pink lips.

“Don’t worry about that. Everyone drinks more when they’re nervous.”

“I am never drinking again,” she sighed. “Do you think Emmett is going to come back tonight?”

“Probably not. Rosalie lives a lot closer to the restaurant than we do, and he’s been pretty damn smitten with her lately.”

“Oh,” she said, and groaned as she rolled over on her back.

“I know that couch isn’t the best in the world.”  I frowned.  “I can take you home if you want.”

“No please don’t move me.”  She chuckled lightly as her hands rested on her stomach. “The room just stopped spinning, but every time I move it’s like the nausea comes back in full force.”

“OK, no moving then.”  I yawned as I stood up. “You can take my bed, if you want?”

“You don’t have to do that.” She sat up slightly as she began to protest, but fell back against the couch cushion as her face went green again. “Don’t trouble yourself because of me.”

“You’d never be any trouble to me, Bella.”  I smiled down at her. “Now come on, let’s get you comfy.”

“No, you don’t have to…”  She quietly ended her sentence as I scooped her up in my arms, and held her close as I carried her into my room.

Her arms reluctantly slid off from around my neck as I sat her down on the edge of the bed, her brown eyes looking up at me.

“Are you okay?” I asked, my body still only inches from hers.

“I’m fine,” she said, and looked away from me quickly.

I nodded and walked into my closet, returning only a minute later with two articles of clothing.

“These might be a little big on you, but you should be able to sleep comfortably in them," I said quietly as I handed her the clothes.

“Thank you.”  She ran her fingers over my navy blue sweatpants.

“If you need anything else, let me know," I said, shoving my hands in my pockets as I walked to the door.

“Edward, wait,” she said suddenly, causing me to turn back around. “Would you mind staying? I just… I feel more comfortable when you’re here.”

“Whatever you need, I will provide.”  I almost shocked myself by the other meanings that came along with that sentence.

“I’d like that, just so I have someone to talk to, so I won’t pay attention to the nausea.”  She stared at me as I stood in the doorway. “Although I might need some privacy so I can get changed.”

“Naturally…” I blushed slightly and headed out the door, shutting it softly behind me.

I had no idea what had come over me.

A frustrated sigh escaped my lips as I leaned against the doorway, running a hand through my unruly hair.

I didn’t normally handle situations like this in the manner that I was, but then again I had never been in this situation. It wasn’t a one night stand, no matter how much of an attraction I had towards her. It seemed like something much more genuine then that. It felt like she had a genuine want to have me there, like I was providing some sort of comfort by just being around her.

I couldn’t deny it though… I was incredibly happy to hear that she wanted me around longer. I was guilty of the same thing, that same nagging want to be with her. But what was that feeling? And why was I feeling that way towards someone I just met?

“Edward?” Bella called and pulled the door open, causing my support to give way behind me.

A groan escaped my lips as I fell back, my body eventually meeting the carpeted floor of my room.

“I am so sorry!” Bella exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands.

“It’s okay,” I chuckled as I hopped up quickly. “That wasn’t exactly the best place to stand.”

“I still feel terrible,” she said as she bit her lip nervously.

I smiled at the vulnerability of her nervousness. Her habit of biting her lip was oddly attractive, which only added to attractiveness of seeing her in my clothing.

“Are you okay?” she asked as I continued to stare.

I nodded, looking away from her once I realized I was caught.

“Maybe you should lay down,” she smiled as she climbed onto the bed.

God, don’t say that.

“Hey, I’m here to take care of you, remember?”  I grinned and climbed onto the other side of the mattress.

Bella was already underneath my blankets by the time my head hit my pillow, the maroon fabric tucked close to her body.

“How are you feeling?” I asked as I rolled onto my right side so I could see her.

“As long as I don’t move too quickly, I’m okay.”  She yawned deeply.

“It’ll pass by morning,” I said, my fingers brushing a stray strand of her hair out of her face.

She smiled at me and moved closer until our faces were only inches apart, her eyes closing once her body was comfortable.

I continued to run my fingers through her hair as I watched her slowly drift off to sleep, a content sigh escaping her lips as her breathing became calm.  As I found myself becoming overtaken by sleep, the events of the night slowly began to catch up with me. My eyelids grew heavy, making it harder and harder for me to keep them open. I smiled as my eyes caught one last glimpse of Bella sleeping beside me before my eyelids closed for the last time that evening.

And what a beautiful mess this is turning out to be.