A/N: I don't own this. We all know who does. She doesn't write epic a/n's like I do. That's probably the only thing I do better than her. Oh, and it's my birthday. I'm 29 … again. :D

I wrote this for a contest. It didn't win anything. I figured I'd save you all from having to endure it again. People begged and bugged me about it. I gave in. Sorry if it sucks. There were a few really good stories in the contest, though, so check those out. The "May to December Romance" contest. It's in my favorite author list on here. Look for "As One Does" and "The (Wet) Dream Girl" and "Vinyl" and "Star Shaped Heart" and "ROI". Those were some of my favorites. What can I say, I like OlderElla and YoungerWard stories. :) Like I said, lots of good stuff. :)

Thank you to Alice's White Rabbit for betaing this twisted thing when my regular girl, Mariahajile went off and judged for the contest. It's not Iris' fault, she didn't know I was writing this. She says she liked it. I'm pretty sure she lies to make me smile. :) Anyway, Sally, you're wonderful and brave and I owe you for fixing my ...'s and other problem areas. You kept this from getting disqualified based on grammar and punctuation alone, so thanks for that. :)

Thanks also to Belle Clementine, EdwardsBloodType, and for prereading this and telling me what parts sucked and what parts needed serious help and what parts weren't fit for public viewing. Belle, you're amazing and so flippin' thoughtful and deep. Dang, girl, you made made me think and actually try to make this better. Thank you. :) Steph, you're smarter than me and pickier than me and I'm so happy you reminded me that Bella would have gotten fixed up to see Edward. And that body parts don't love things on their own. I'm old, I forget that kinda stuff. Stacy, you're my biggest cheer leader and always so supportive. I don't know what I'd do without you. :)

This is broken up into six chapters since being faced with a 14,950 word story is a lot now days. I tried to spare you that much mediocrity in one chunk. Hopefully this way it's a little easier to swallow. :D

o*O*o*1*o*O*o

The music in the bar is loud. Like, way too loud. Like my-ears-are-ringing-and-may-start-bleeding-at-any-second loud. Or maybe I'm just too old to be in a place like this. That's probably more likely. I wish Alice had included earplugs in the birthday party kits she gave all of us at the beginning of the evening. At least, most of the music's good, even if it is too loud. Or maybe it's the strobe lights that are giving me this headache.

"Bella! Let's dance!" drunk Alice slurs to me as she leans across the table and grabs my forearm. She's had more than her share of drinks tonight, but apparently, it's worth it since she only turns 30 once. I know she's pretty over the edge when it comes to crazy, but tonight's an eye opener for sure. It's no wonder her husband Jasper arranged for the limo to pick us up sharply at midnight.

"I don't even know this song," I tell her, trying to smile and act like I'm having a good time. Truth be told, I'd rather be getting waxed than sitting here with drunk college kids all around us. And of course, the thirty-somethings who are trying to be cool by the pool tables. If the dark-headed guy in the studded leather jacket winks at me one more time, I'm calling a cab and going home. I'm sure there's something decent to watch on Netflix.

Alice just laughs, throwing her hands up in the air before she grabs Jessica and pulls her onto the dance floor. At least, Jessica's only 25. She still fits in with this crowd.

It's been ages since our waitress has been by to see if we need anything. My second beer bottle's been sitting here empty for at least 15 minutes. Looking at my watch, I realize something—if I'm gonna make it another hour and a half, I'm gonna need more alcohol. And something stronger than a Bud Light.

It's like pushing through a really thick forest to get to the bar, except that trees don't "accidentally" grab your ass or graze your chest. Of course, each of the guys apologized, but when they asked for my number afterward, it kinda made it seem like they meant to do it. Whatever. It's not like I'm gonna hook up with anyone. That's Lauren's department, and she's already hooked her dick for the evening. She's been grinding all over some drunk college guy all night. I'd be willing to bet money she won't be riding home with us.

The wood bar top is thick and smooth, though in the shine from the overhead lights, I can see a few sticky patches where drinks have spilled since the bartenders last wiped it down. Once I see an open space, I lean up against it, avoiding the available bar stool to my right. There's a creeper sitting on the next stool over, and I won't be encouraging him. Not even I'm that desperate.

"Hey," the guy behind the bar says as he moves to stand in front of me. "What can I get for ya?" When I look up at him, I'm kinda struck dumb. He's gorgeous. Like, smokin' hot. His hair's all over the place, and his eyelashes are longer than most women's I know. His lips are pink and perfect, and his smile slowly grows as I stand there saying nothing, feeling like an idiot. Then I notice his shoulders, and his chest, and his arms, and his waist. Then he laughs.

"Um," I mumble, looking back up at his eyes. His green, sparkling eyes. Damn.

"Hi. Do you know what you want?"

Well, if that isn't a loaded question, I don't know what is. And by the way he's smiling at me, he knows it, too.

"Oh, um, a drink." Great, now I seem like a complete imbecile. Then it hits me—as if it matters what I seem like. There's no way he'd ever be interested in someone my age, especially not with all the cute blonde college girls with their giant boobs on full display. I let out a long breath then grab hold of the bar's edge. "Liquor. Something strong enough to get me through the rest of my friend's birthday celebration."

His smile grows, and I think my girlie parts just went up in flames. "Okay, so something strong, huh? But no preferences?"

I like his voice. It's smooth, and soft, and it's kinda deep, yet not. I don't know, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting more drunk off him than I am from the beers I've already had tonight.

"What do you like?" he asks.

"What do you mean?"

"What kind of liquor? Is there anything you love, or anything you hate?"

"Um, I don't think so."

He laughs a little as he lays his forearms down on the bar top and leans closer to me. I really like his laugh. Damn. Again.

"What flavors do you like? Peach? Raspberry? Mint?"

"Oh, I like cherry."

I can see all of his teeth as his smile gets the biggest I've seen so far. "Cherry, huh?" He nods. "Yeah, you're cherry for sure. You trust me?" I'm just about to nod when I see his hand reach forward and his index finger starts to rub over my fingertips. I'm pretty sure my heart stops because I can't feel anything.

"Uh huh," I manage to get out as I try my best to nod my agreement. He's way too handsome for his own good. Way, way too handsome.

"Okay. I know exactly what you need."

With that, he moves away, grabbing a couple of bottles and a shaker. He scoops some ice into the metal cup, pours a little clear liquid in from one bottle and a little white liquid in from the other, and then he puts the lid on and starts shaking it. Once he's done, he gets a cocktail glass and drops one maraschino cherry into it before he slowly covers it with the liquor in the shaker. The drink is white, except for the red cherry at the bottom of the glass, which slowly turns the liquid that covers it to a light pink. It's kinda beautiful. When the glass is almost filled to the top, he stops pouring. He sets the shaker off to the side and grabs a square white napkin, placing it on the counter, then sets the glass on top of it before sliding it toward me.

"One Angel's Tit," he says with a smirk on his face.

"A what?" I ask, certain I must have misheard him.

"An Angel's Tit. Try it. I think you'll like it."

The way he's looking at me makes me feel brave, and since I know he's probably just gonna go home to some gorgeous girl with a huge rack and an ass he could bounce a quarter off of, I don't feel like I need to impress him. I grab the glass and take a drink. It's delicious.

"Wow, this is amazing. How much do I owe you?" I ask, grabbing for the cash in my jeans pocket.

"Nothing. It's on the house."

"Wait, what?" I ask. I'm confused.

"It's on me. You're my one free drink for the night. You like it, right?"

"Yeah, but I—"

"Good. I'm glad."

With that, he turns and moves to the guy next to me, asking what he'd like. I just stand there dumbfounded, noticing him glance over at me a couple times while he pops open half a dozen beer bottles. Once he's collected the money and made change, he turns back to me.

"What's your name?" he asks.

"Bella."

"I'm Edward. Take your drink and go back to your table, Bella. Unless you see something else you want behind this bar," he says, with a smile as he winks at me.

Incoherently, I nod then grab my glass and hurry back to the table. All my friends are out dancing, but I sit here on my chair, sipping the creamy cherry drink Edward made me. Over the next hour and a half, I can't keep my eyes off the bar, and I'm shocked when I realize how often he looks over at me. Maybe it's a bet or something. There are about five different guys working the bar tonight, and they're all young and good looking. I kinda wonder if maybe they try to see who can flirt with the oldest woman in the bar each night. Sounds like something hot bartenders would do to make their night more fun.

"Oh shit, it's almost midnight," Alice says as she stumbles back to the table and drops down onto her chair. "My birthday's almost over."

"The limo will be here soon," I tell her as I pick the cherry out of the bottom of my glass and plop it into my mouth. It's good, and automatically, my eyes wander back to the bar in search of Edward. But he's not there.

"Can I get you ladies anything else?" I hear from behind me as someone leans their chest against my shoulder, reaching around me to place a tray on the table before grabbing for the empty bottles we've been collecting. It's Edward. I already have his voice memorized, but now, I'm busy realizing just how good he smells.

"Hi!" Jessica calls from across the table with a smile, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Hey," he says. I can feel his breath on my neck as his hand that isn't currently placing the empty bottles on the tray comes to rest on my waist. The weight of his skin isn't heavy, but his fingers rest in the sliver of space between my shirt and jeans, pressing into my flesh a little, and it feels like heaven. I lean back just a bit, pushing more of me against his chest.

"You're new here, huh?" Jessica asks. "I would remember you."

He laughs lowly as he tightens his grip on me. "Yeah, pretty new. You girls here for a birthday?"

"Me!" Alice yells from next to me. "It's my birthday for ... ten more minutes!" Then her face falls. "The car's coming soon. I don't wanna go home yet."

"You're leaving?" Edward asks, and I feel his posture stiffen just a bit.

"Um, yeah. We have a limo picking us up. Alice's husband set it up for us. So, yeah," I say, turning my head to the right so I can see him. His eyes are staring into mine.

"How'd you like that drink?" he asks.

"It was good."

"So you didn't see anything else you wanted while you were over there?" His eyes drop to look at my lips, then a little lower. Now I'm wondering just how much cleavage I might be flashing. And I'm wondering just how much liquor was in that drink and how drunk I am because he almost seems interested in me. There's just no way.

"Well, I mean ..."

He nods. "I get it. It's cool. You ladies have a nice night. And happy birthday."

With that, he takes his hand off my waist, picks up his tray, and heads back to the bar. I miss him as soon as he's gone.

He doesn't look back over at me the rest of the time I'm there, and when Alice's phone buzzes, telling us the limo's waiting, I sigh. The sense of rejection I feel is stupid. Edward would never want someone like me. Not that I'm old enough to be his mother, but I'm pretty sure there's probably at least five years between us. That might not be a lot when you're in your 30's or 40's, but when he's most likely in his 20's and I'm in my 30's, it's like a hundred light years in time. Still, I can't shake the missing him I already feel.

The girls stumble their way toward the door, and I grab Alice's arm. "I need to go pay for my last drink. I'll meet you outside," I tell her then turn toward the bar. Edward's down on the opposite end, so when some other guy asks what he can get me, I tell him I need to talk to Edward. After a few moments, he makes his way toward me, and his eyes get a little wider before narrowing as he slides up to the counter.

"Can I help you, Bella?"

"You asked if I saw anything behind the bar I might want."

He nods. "Yeah?"

I'm not even close to drunk, but I feel brave. "I did. I do."

He watches me for a few seconds before leaning toward me as he did earlier. "What do you see?" he asks. His voice is soft, but raw and hungry.

"You." I swallow down the laugh that's threatening to break through. The ridiculousness of this situation is finally making itself known to me. I feel like a fool. "But, I know you'd never be interested in someone like me. It's silly to even entertain that idea, and I'm sure it's some kind of old lady flirting bet you make with the other guys, so I'm just gonna go. But thank you for the drink earlier. It was wonderful. Goodnight."

I turn and hurry out the door, feeling the cool breeze on my face once I'm outside. It's late August so it's not really cold, but it is Forks after all, and it was really warm inside the bar. I let out a deep breath as I start toward the waiting limo. My cheeks warm from the humiliation that's starting to grow within me. What was I thinking? As if someone like me would ever stand a chance with a guy like Edward. Clearly, I'm losing my mind. And I can't even blame it on the alcohol because I'm not drunk. Not the slightest bit.

"Bella!" I hear from behind me. Suddenly there's a hand on my arm, turning me around. "Why do you think I wouldn't be interested in you?" Edward asks as he pulls my body toward his. I can smell him again. Everything about him is stunning.

I keep my eyes focused on his collarbones, which are just peeking out of his shirt. "I'm too old for you."

He laughs and brings his free hand up to my cheek. "You're what, like 25?"

"No," I say, shaking my head. My voice is quiet, shy. Almost ashamed. "I'm 31."

He tilts my head up until he can see my eyes. He stares into them for what feels like forever before finally leaning down and touching his forehead to mine. "You don't look it."

I'm frozen when his lips press against mine the first time, and the second time. By the third time, I press back then wrap my arms around his waist. Our lips are moving together, and this is crazy, but when I feel his tongue lick against my lip, I snap out of it and pull away. But not completely away. Just my lips from his, and I'm breathing hard and fast.

"I have to go."

"Come back. Next Friday night. Please?" he asks, his lips lightly kissing my cheek as he waits for my reply.

"Okay."

"Bella!" Alice yells from the car, and then I hear her and Jessica giggling as they make kissy sounds.

"I have to go."

"Friday," he says just before he kisses me once more, and then he lets me out of his arms.

I nod. "Friday." As I walk away, turning around several times to glance back at him, I smile. Holy fuck, he's hot. This is totally not my life.

o*O*o*1*o*O*o

A/N: There's a banner for this on my Facebook profile. You can find me under Bee Lynn, thanks to the FB Name Police. Whatever. Also EdwardsBloodType wanted Bella to be 41 instead of 31. I said no, that would be icky. That'd be like me dating one of my son's friends. Ew. :D And the drink Edward makes is real. There's a picture of that on my FB, too. It's kinda pretty. :)