BLEEDING LOVE

Tell me do you think it'd be all right
If I could just crash here tonight
You can see I'm in no shape for driving
And anyway I've got no place to go
Tomorrow we can drive around this town
And let the cops chase us around
The past is gone but something might be found
To take its place...Hey Jealousy
And you can trust me not to think
And not to sleep around
If you don't expect too much from me
You might not be let down

--"Hey Jealousy", Gin Blossoms

Chapter One

The door slammed with an angry crash as Bella stalked into the apartment. She shook off her snow-tracked boots and kicked them to the side, her backpack dropping to the ground with a loud thud. Her jaw set in clenched anger as she surveyed the state of her apartment. Dishes were piled high in the sink, there was a half-empty carton of milk was sitting out next to a plate of half-eaten food and filling the air with a sour stench, books were strewn across the living room, there were dirty socks thrown over the side of the couch, a pair of jeans and a T-shirt lay discarded in the hallway and was that…a bra?

She exhaled in pent up anger. That most definitely was not her bra. She was officially sick and tired of his shit. Kicking the clothes out of the way, she marched through the hallway and knocked furiously on his door.

"Edward! I need to talk to you…I don't care if someone's in there with you." She could barely see straight she was so pissed off.

There were a series of muffled noises from inside the room and she heard low mutterings from where she stood. The wait only made her fume even further. She tapped her foot impatiently on the floor and was fully prepared to knock much more rudely this time when the door burst open, revealing her disheveled and extremely hung-over roommate.

His face was a mixture of annoyance and exhaustion. "What do you want, Bella?"

Before she could respond, a petite blonde quickly popped out from under his arm and hurried into the bathroom. It was obvious she was wearing his T-shirt and also equally hung-over. Bella didn't even try to stop the eye roll that followed when she turned back to Edward.

She sighed and shook her head. "I'm not doing this anymore, Edward."

His brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"You skipped class again. I had to cover for you again. I had to take notes for you again. I'm done with it. It's not my responsibility and it's not my fault that you can't balance the club and school at the same time."

Edward sighed in exasperation and ran a hand through his messy bronze hair. He rubbed his temples and she didn't care that he obviously had a headache. They were going to get this straightened out if it killed her.

"What do you want me to do, Bella?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "How should I know? That's for you to figure out. All I know is that I'm not covering for you anymore. And I'm not going to clean up after you guys anymore either. I'm not your mother and I'm not your fucking babysitter."

He bit his lip in frustration. "Calm the hell down. It's not that big a deal. I'll figure it out. Besides, if you remember, I only asked you to cover for me that one time. I never said anything about after that. You did it on your own."

"You're right," she said through clenched teeth. "But I'm not going to do it anymore. So you'd better get your shit together or else you're going to flunk out of school altogether."

He sighed again and shook his head. "Whatever, Bella."

He pushed past her and stumbled over to the bathroom. He raised a fist to knock but, following a string of curse words, he changed his mind and just opened the door. Bella heard a muffled laugh and a few clunks around the bathroom and decided she had heard enough. She shuffled grudgingly into the kitchen and began the search for some lunch. She found a carton of leftover Chinese food and sighed. It was better than nothing. After propping herself up on the counter, she opened it and started eating.

Several minutes later, the petite blonde, now fully dressed, emerged from Edward's room again and she hastily made a beeline for the door. She waved politely to Bella as she passed through the kitchen and shut the front door with a hurry. Bella bit her lip in a feeble attempt to hide her laughter, but it didn't work. It never failed. Every Thursday and Friday night, Edward and his band, New Moon, played at a club called The Twilight Club, and every night he was at the club, he brought a different girl home with him. She figured it was easy and most of the time, they were drunk and falling all over him. Bella had to admit, the sight of Edward on stage with his messy hair hidden by the beanie he only wore on stage, singing with that husky voice, and playing guitar would be difficult to resist. Especially if you had had a few drinks. Just the sound of his voice would be enough to turn a girl on. Still, she was getting sick of the revolving door that seemed to be attached to his bedroom. And she was beginning to feel bad for the girls who fell into his trap. She knew for a fact he never called them, never did the gentlemanly good deed and at least offer to take them out on a date. Edward didn't date, period. He just brought girls home after a gig. Sometimes, the same girl came over a few nights in a row, sometimes it was over the course of a few weeks, but it never lasted, especially since it was just sex, and then there would be a new girl in his bed. She doubted he even knew this last one's name.

As if on cue, Edward, now fully dressed, sauntered out of his room and into the kitchen. He refused to make eye contact with her as he searched the refrigerator. She heard another exasperated sigh as he stuck his head further inside the refrigerator. He finally took a glance her way and rolled his eyes. It was obvious he had been looking for the very same carton of Chinese food she was eating out of.

"Mind if we share?"

Her eyebrows raised in mock surprise. "What…are you talking to me again?"

He rolled his eyes again and launched himself next to her on the counter. He dug a fork into the carton in her hand and piled the cold noodles into his mouth.

"So…who was your 'friend'?" She asked slyly.

He just laughed and rolled his eyes again.

Her eyes narrowed and she bit her lip to hold back a laugh. "Do you even know her name?"

He just shrugged and kept eating; now Bella couldn't help but laugh.

"Geez, Edward, you could have at least walked her to the door…"

He shrugged again. "What's your point?"

Bella shook her head and laughed heartily. "Nothing."

They continued sharing the now almost empty carton in a slightly uncomfortable silence. Finally, a realization made her break the silence.

"Hey, have you seen Jake? I didn't see him this morning when I left for class…"

"Last I saw him was at the club before close…speaking of which… are you getting up on stage tonight?" He asked casually.

Bella groaned and grimaced under her breath. "Do I have to?"

He nudged her playfully with his elbow. "Oh come on…everyone loves it…you didn't do it last night and it gives me a chance to get a drink and take a little break…"

She rubbed her temples and exhaled loudly. "What song am I singing tonight?"

He grinned widely, knowing he had won, before taking another mouthful of noodles. "Whatever you want."

"Surprise me. I trust you…I guess."

Edward laughed again and placed an arm across her shoulder. "Don't worry…Jasper and Emmett will think of a good one for you…hmm…do you feel like country? Maybe a little "I Love Rock and Roll" instead?"

She shook her head and didn't even try to stop the huff that escaped her lips. "I did that one last week, remember?"

"Oh yeah, that's right…well, we'll think of something."

It never failed. Somehow they always managed to convince her to sing at least one song during their gig at the club. Ever since that horrible drunken night at a karaoke bar where she had not only danced on their table, singing along at the top of her lungs, but had serenaded the entire bar for nearly an hour…they had started talking her into singing with their band. While Edward was the lead singer, she usually served as an intermission of sorts, singing one or two songs while Edward took a quick break. It didn't help the fact that she usually was at the club whenever they were on and that just made her an even easier target. But, she reasoned with herself, it was the only time she was able to get away from school and homework. It was more like a girls' night out for her than anything because Alice and Rosalie were always there as well to support their boyfriends. She sighed as she thought of the long history they all shared.

They had all been friends for longer than she could remember…Emmett was Edward's older brother and also played the drums in their band, Alice was the youngest Cullen…Jasper was Edward's roommate their freshman year of college who also played bass and keyboards in the band and was now dating Alice, much to Edward's chagrin…Rosalie was Jasper's older sister and also engaged to Emmett…and Jacob, though he hadn't gone to high school with them, had been a friend since they had been in grade school and was also the bartender at The Twilight Club. The Cullens, the Swans, and the Blacks were family friends so it was only inevitable that their children would become lifelong friends as well.

Still, just because they had been friends for longer than she cared to admit didn't mean that she was going to put up with his behavior. To be honest, the way he treated women was getting old really fast, not to mention down right offensive. He skipped class all the time and she had no idea how he was managing to pass. And she was done babysitting him…he was a big boy and was going to have to start taking care of himself.

The door slammed shut, jolting Bella out of her revelry. Both she and Edward whipped around to see Jacob, who was angrily shaking the snow off his jacket.

"Hey Jake!" Bella yelled out happily, but when she saw his furious expression, her face fell. "What's wrong…"

The dark expression on his face softened a little as he turned to face them. "I got my Anatomy test back today…"

Bella hopped down from the counter and was at his side in less than a second. She took his backpack from it and set it down next to hers. "I take it you didn't do as well as you thought?"

He nodded, his jaw clenched tightly. "I studied for weeks for that stupid exam, Bells…I can't believe it…"

Bella bit her lip and grimaced. She hated seeing Jacob this way, he was always so hard on himself and he really had no reason to be. "What did you get?"

He shot her a frustrated look before answering. "I got a B."

Bella rolled her eyes and she could hear Edward's laughter coming up behind them.

"Oh come on, Jacob," Edward said between laughs. "A 'B' isn't bad. I would commit murder to get a B, let alone on an Anatomy exam."

Jacob shot Edward a fierce look. "Yeah, but I actually study for exams…you wouldn't know what studying was if a book hit you upside the head."

That comment only got more laughter from Edward and Bella, who placed a comforting arm on Jacob's shoulder, could only scowl at Edward as she too tried to hide her laughter.

"Come on, Jake…a B is great…" She managed through her smile.

Jacob just rolled his eyes and exhaled. He plopped himself on the couch and switched on ESPN. Edward followed suit, grabbing the Chinese carton as he went and handed it to Jacob as he sat next to him on the couch.

Before long, they were engrossed in sports and Bella realized that if she didn't say something soon, she was going to end up cleaning up the apartment on her own. At least she was smart enough to wait until a commercial.

"Hey guys?"

Nothing…they were too wrapped up in talking sports to even notice she had said anything.

"Guys?"

Still no answer. She decided to pull out the big guns and moved from behind the couch to standing directly in front of the TV just the show they had been watching came back on.

"Bella!" They cried out in complete unison.

She shook her head, not giving in. "Sorry guys. This place is disgusting and since it's not my mess, I'm not going to clean it up. Can you guys just do me a favor and clean it up before you leave for the club tonight? I mean this place just…smells like rotting food and unwashed boys…"

Edward raised his eyebrows, knowing instinctively that her last comment was directed at him.

"Yeah, that's right, Edward…you smell like stale beer and body odor." No one ever said she had to fight fair.

His jaw clenched in anger and frustration. "Would you just stop it, Bella? Get off your fucking high horse…"

That only sent her deeper into a rage. "Don't even get me started, Edward. You don't want me to say what everyone's thinking…you and your one night stands, night after night…"

In a flash, he was on his feet and dangerously close to her face. "I don't think that's any of your business. Back. Off."

He took another step closer to her and was now looming over her with malice etched on his face. Instinctively, she quickly backed away from him.

"I don't care, Edward. You make me sick sometimes, you know that?"

His eyes narrowed and neither even noticed Jacob carefully creep off the crouch and flee the living room.

Edward moved into the space she had abandoned and she could practically see the vein that threatened to pop in his forehead pulsing with fury. "See the funny thing about that is…I don't give a flying fuck what you think of me, alright? I can do whatever I want and you know what? So can you. If you don't want to see the way I spend my nights then find somewhere else to live and don't show up at the club every night. I have no problem with the way I live my life. I don't see why you should either…"

He pushed past her and stalked through the hallway, slamming his bedroom door shut with a furious crash. Bella stood in the living room on weak legs, feeling as though he had slapped her. For some reason, tears welled up in her eyes and she fought as hard as she could to stop them from falling. She jumped when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned abruptly and sighed. It was just Jacob.

"Hey, Bells…you really shouldn't egg him on like that…you know he has that temper. You were just asking for it back there."

She just nodded as he wrapped an arm around her. She leaned into him and wrapped her arm around his waist, smiling into his shoulder. He always knew what to do to make her feel better and to tell the truth, she couldn't ask for a better friend than him. Whenever something was bothering her, he always found a way to reassure her and help her pick up the pieces. That was way more than she could say for him.

She sighed again as Jacob released her. She had no idea what had gotten into her. Lately, everything Edward did annoyed her to no end and today had been no exception. The messy apartment, the frustration she had felt for having to lie to their professor again for him, seeing him use another girl like that…had just been the last straw for her today. He was just so…infuriating. Right about now, she felt like she could kill him. Just go into his room and strangle him with her bare hands. At least it might make her feel better.

Resigning herself to her misery, she muttered "See you later" to Jacob and locked herself in her room. Hell, if he could do it, then she could too. With an exhausted sigh, she flopped down on her bed, now extremely grateful she had spent the extra money on her down comforter, and fell into an angry, frustrated sleep.

It wasn't until several hours later that she heard the front door to their apartment slam followed by a quiet knock on her bedroom door.

"Hey, Bells…I'm leaving for the club now…Edward just left. So…see you there, right?"

She pushed her face even deeper into her pillow and muffled out: "Yeah, I'll be there later."

She really didn't want to go there tonight and the last thing she wanted to do was put herself in a position to see things she really didn't feel like seeing. And she really, really, didn't want to be dragged up on stage tonight. But still, it was Friday night and she was positive that Alice would be calling or texting her within a matter of minutes to make plans. Besides, she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to her.

As if on cue, her phone buzzed above her head. It was Alice. Of course. With an exasperated exhale, Bella picked up the phone and quickly winced when Alice proceeded to talk her ear off before she could even say hello.

"Alright, alright, alright…just give me fifteen minutes. No, nothing's wrong. No am I not going to listen to that crap…Alice, fine, fifteen minutes. Yeah, I'll just come down when I'm ready. Fifteen minutes, promise."

She snapped the phone shut and jumped out of bed. What to wear…what to wear…everything in her closet just seemed like crap to her at that moment and for a split second, she wished she had the fashion prowess that her friends both had. Surely Alice and Rosalie had much better options than she did…but she didn't have any time to waste either. For some reason, she felt like she needed to look pretty tonight. After all, it was a Friday and who knew who was going to be at the club? Maybe, finally, some guy would take pity on her and actually ask her out. For the most part, it seemed like the fact that she had two boys as roommates scared off any potential suitors, but this night could be different.

After five minutes passed, she gave up trying and threw on the first top she found with the first pair of jeans she saw. She hurriedly applied a few swipes of mascara, a little bit of lip gloss and reached for her flats. She shook her head and dug through her closet until she found the only pair of black high heels she owned. She would most likely live to regret the decision but she was way past caring.

A quick glance at the clock told her she was already running late and she knew instinctively that Alice and Rosalie were already downstairs waiting impatiently. After a string of curses and near collision with the floor as she rushed to the door, she made it to Rosalie's car in one piece.

"Bella! We're going to be late now because of you…they probably already started…" Alice whined.

"Groupies…" Bella muttered under her breath as she got in the back seat.

"Hey…" Alice shot her head around to look Bella square in the eye. "It's not our fault that we're head over heels in love with two of the band members…not to mention family…and it's not our fault that you can't be on time to save your life. By the way, Bella, you look extremely sexy tonight."

Bella scoffed and instinctively looked down to survey her appearance. "Whatever, Alice…you're just saying that to play nice."

"No, it's true, Bella." Rosalie called from the driver's seat. "I'm very impressed. You are going to have all the guys there positively eating out of your hand tonight. I can't wait!"

Bella just rolled her eyes. "Geez, guys, it's just a black tank top and some heels."

"Yeah but Bella…I can see your cleavage." Alice giggled scandalously, then her face fell into shock. "Wait…did you say heels? You're wearing heels? Oh my god…I never thought this day would come! Did you hear that, Rose, our little Bella's all grown up now!"

Alice continued to squeal with excitement while Rosalie just laughed, smartly keeping her eyes trained on the road. Before long, they pulled up to the crowded parking lot of The Twilight Club. None of them were surprised, since New Moon always seemed to draw a crowd whenever they played. For the most part, it also seemed that the biggest draw was Edward. Not that Bella could blame the girls that flocked into the club every Thursday and Friday, ready to get tipsy and ogle the lead singer, each one no doubt wondering if they would be the 'lucky' one to go home with him that night.

They entered the front door and the bouncer just waved them in, not needing to see any ID. Music coursed through the walls of the now too crowded club and Bella tried to make out the song they were playing. It sounded a little like "Glycerine" by Bush but she wasn't completely sure because of the added noise the girls in the front were making. The three girls pushed their way through the crowds of people, and Bella was quickly beginning to regret wearing heels. She quickly gripped Rosalie's arm and grimaced.

"How are those heels treating you, Bella?" She yelled over the noise.

Bella just shook her head, her eyes lighting up when she caught sight of her favorite bartender. Jacob waved when he saw them and gestured for the people standing in front of him at the bar to move so they could get through.

"Hey guys! I'm glad you were able to get in…it's insane here tonight!" Jacob tried to yell over the noise.

He immediately started fixing them each their poison of choice and before long, Alice was sipping on a strawberry margarita, Rosalie a Long Island Iced Tea, and Bella a Captain and Diet.

As Bella settled into her seat, she finally allowed her eyes to wander to the stage. Emmett has pounding away furiously on the drums and Jasper was bopping his head harmoniously to the beat coming from his bass guitar. And Edward…was the same as usual…seated on a stool in the center of the stage, the same brown beanie covering his hair that seemed to drive girls crazy with lust, and he was strumming away on his acoustic while his husky voice rasped finished out the lyrics to "Glycerine".

"My monkey man…" Rosalie exhaled as she clapped her hands furiously when the last chords were played. She immediately started pushing her way through the crowd to get closer to her fiancé and both Alice and Bella rolled their eyes. They usually lost Rosalie pretty quickly and most of the time, she was right up front with all the other groupies, most likely salivating at the mouth and making sure to stake claim on her man.

"Oh…Jazz looks so hot tonight…" Alice yelled out.

Bella just rolled her eyes at Jacob and he laughed while he finished the drink he was making.

"They are so pathetic, aren't they?"

He just shook his head and bit his lip, handing a drink to a customer. "Aww…let 'em be, Bells…they're just blinded by the wiles of musicians…"

She continued to laugh before another song started. This time, she caught the chords easily as Edward strummed out the first chords of "Addicted" by Saving Abel. That was quickly becoming the most popular song they played…most likely because of the content of the lyrics.

She rolled her eyes a few girls near the front let out a muffled cry as Edward began crooning out the first lines:

"I'm so addicted to all the things you do
When you're going down on me
In between the sheets
All the sounds you make
With every breath you take
It's not like anything
When you're loving me."

Bella could only shake her head as the cries from the girls in front only heightened as the song played on. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. In a split second, Edward's magnetic emerald eyes locked on hers and they darkened immediately at the sight of her. She quickly looked away and turned back to her friend, who was now screaming almost as loud as the groupies in front.

"God, Alice…seriously?" She shook her head at her friends.

"What?" Alice mouthed, having given up on trying to yell over the crowd.

"Bella's just still sore at Edward from earlier today," Jacob interjected before she could respond to Alice. "They really got into it today…can't say it hasn't been a trend lately, though…"

Alice's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Really? Hmm…go figure."

Bella chose to ignore her and moved back towards Jacob. "Well, I was right though, wasn't I?"

Jacob just shrugged and went back to making drinks. "Just leave me out it, Bells."

Her brow furrowed in confusion but decided to let it go as Alice descended on her.

"So what were you two fighting about this time?"

Bella exhaled with obvious annoyance. "I'm just sick of him."

Alice didn't even try to hide her devious grin. "Uh huh. Let me guess…he brought another girl home with him last night and you heard them having hot monkey sex all night?"

Bella rolled her eyes and tried to act horrified by her comment. "No…come on, Alice. He was with someone last night and no, I didn't hear anything…but there were clothes everywhere, the whole place just stinks right now and I'm just sick of it…alright?"

Alice's eyes widened with mock surprise. "Ok, ok…don't get your underwear in a twist over it…"

That got a real reaction from her and she playfully slapped Alice across the arm. "You can be a little bitch sometimes, you know that?"

Alice's laughter rang in her ears and she hit Bella back. "I don't care. When I'm right, I'm right."

"Whatever."

Bella was about to make another snide comment when she stopped short as Edward's voice rang through the club.

"Alright, guys…now it's the time of the night when I get to actually have a drink and take a breather…without further adieu, Bella Swan!"

Loud applause erupted through the room and that made Bella feel a little bit better.

Bella sighed as Alice squealed: "Yay! My favorite part! What are you singing tonight?"

"I don't know…whatever Em and Jazz picked for me I guess." She called as she made her way to the stage. As soon as she was on stage, Edward handed his guitar to Jasper and jumped off without even looking at her.

She gripped the microphone with shaky hands and turned to Emmett. "What am I singing tonight?"

Emmett grinned like a Cheshire cat and held up his drum sticks to start the count off. "How bout this one, Bells?"

Jasper started strumming the opening chords on Edward's guitar and Emmett followed in with the drums; before long, Bella recognized the song and turned to the face the crowd, who were already dancing and clapping to the music.

She started singing:

"I'm waitin' on the sun to set cause yesterday ain't over yet
I started smoking cigarettes there's nothing else to do I guess
Dusty roads ain't made for walking, spinning tires ain't made for stoppin'
I'm giving up on love cause love's given up on me."

She gripped the microphone a little harder as her nerves began to give way and she just enjoyed the music and the stage. Her eyes rested on Edward, who was watching her carefully and taking a long drink of his beer. Her eyes flew away from him the second a girl wound her arm seductively around his neck and Bella just lost herself in singing:

"Forget your high society, I'm soakin' it in kerosene
Light 'em up and watch them burn, teach them what they need to learn HA!
Dirty hands ain't made for shakin', ain't a rule that ain't worth breakin'
Well, I'm giving up on love cause love's given up on me."

The song faded out and the crowd, again, erupted in applause. She heard a loud whistle coming from the bar and she threw Jacob a grateful grin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Edward jump back on stage and took that as her cue to exit. He waved to the crowd as a few girls cried out at the sight of him and gingerly took the microphone from Bella's hand. He offered her a small smile and said: "Bella Swan everybody! Thanks…Bella, I needed that break…now, let's get this party rolling!"

A few more cries echoed throughout the club as Bella stepped down from the stage and she pushed through the crowd yet again to resume her seat next to Alice at the bar. By that time, the boys had already begun knocking out "Lithium" by Nirvana.

Before Bella could even sit back down, she was accosted by her best friend, who threw her arms around her in a tight hug.

"That was awesome, Bella! I wish I could sing like that too!"

Bella just smiled and laughed. "Hey, maybe if you pout enough, one of them will give in and let you give it a try for once."

Alice looked horrified. "Oh no…no, Emmett says my singing sounds like nails on a chalkboard and as much as I hate to admit that my brother's right…well, my brother's right."

The girls laughed at that and then turned their attention back to the music as Jacob continued to mix them their drinks. After about an hour or so, the night was starting to wind down and the crowd was finally beginning to clear. The last song, "Name" by the Goo Goo Dolls, finished up, Edward made the last call to help clear the crowd.

Bella and Alice took a quick shot and were working on finishing their last drink when Alice nudged Bella forcefully in the side.

"Ow! What, Alice?" She cried out in more surprise than pain.

"That guy…he's walking over here. He's been staring at you all night Bella. And when you were on stage, God, I thought he was going to combust he looked so hot for you!"

Bella's brow furrowed in confusion and she worriedly looked to Jacob, who just shrugged his shoulders, his jaw clenched tightly.

"What? No…he's not coming over here for me, he's probably just getting one last drink or something…" She trailed off as the guy Alice had been talking about stopped directly in front of her and held out his hand. Alice was gone in a flash.

"Hello," he began smoothly. "I'm James."

She took his hand cautiously and shook it. "Hi…I'm Bella."

He grinned widely at that and gripped her hand a little tighter before releasing it. "Yeah, I knew that already. You know, you were really fantastic up there. I wish you would have sung more than just one song."

She felt her cheeks flush, not at all used to compliments from guys. "Yeah, well…one song is all they can really talk me into."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? You're a natural up there. I was singing along the whole time and usually, I absolutely hate country."

She laughed and nervously ran a hand through her hair. "Everyone says it's a good change of pace from the type of music they usually play here so…"

He nodded and bit his lip in thought. He looked like he was about to say something when his eyes shifted to something to the side of her. Bella turned and groaned when she saw all five, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and…Edward, walking towards them. She tried not to look at Edward but couldn't miss the leggy blonde clinging to his neck.

"Hey, Bells…who's your friend?"

Bella grimaced. Ugh. Leave it to Emmett.

James stepped forward and quickly reached out to shake Emmett's and then Jasper's hand. It wasn't lost on anyone that he all but ignored Edward.

"Hello," he introduced himself. "I'm James. I was just talking with Bella about her amazing performance tonight."

"Well, she is pretty amazing." Alice chimed in, looking completely pleased with this new development.

"Yes, she most definitely is." James replied, now looking down on Bella.

Alice didn't fail to notice the look and she quickly shooed the rest of the group away. Although he tried to hide it, Edward turned his head to the side and sent James a dangerously dark look as they walked away. He quickly turned his attention back to the blonde when she started trailing her lips up and down his neck.

"Well," James began again, throwing Bella from her thoughts. "Since it looks like your friends want to leave, I…uh…just wanted to ask if I could take you out sometime."

Bella blinked in shock. She opened her mouth to speak but was too surprised to form any coherent words. "Um…sure…"

After the brief exchange of plans, he quickly kissed her cheek and waved goodbye to her four friends at the bar before exiting the club. As soon as he was gone, a loud cheer erupted from the bar.

"Yeah!"

"Way to go, Bella!"

"Ooooooo!"

Bella's blush only deepened at this. "Aw, come on guys…he just asked me out…it's not like he asked me to marry him or anything…"

"Whatever, Bella…did I not tell you this was going to happen tonight? It's all about the heels." Alice chirped happily.

Jasper's brow immediately furrowed with a mixture of confusion and shock. "Bella's wearing heels? Since when?"

Alice smacked the back of his head playfully and stood on her tip toes to bit his ear lobe. "Don't tease her, Jazz…she'll never wear them again if you don't and then I'll be very angry and I don't think you'd think it when I'm angry…"

He grinned widely at her and gripped her waist a little tighter. "Oh, really?"

"Ok stop!" Bella interrupted desperately. "Enough of that crap. I just want to go home."

"Alright, Bells. Just give me a minute and I can drive you." Jacob offered as he finished wiping down the bar. Both couples just shrugged and said their goodbyes before leaving the club. Bella pulled up a stool up to the bar and plopped down in exhaustion.

"Have fun tonight, Bells?" Jacob asked warmly.

She shrugged her shoulders and rubbed her arms, suddenly cold now that there weren't people in the club anymore. "Yeah, I guess."

The front door opened and both turned to see Edward and his soon-to-be one-night stand stumble over to the bar arm in arm.

"Hey Jacob, do you think I could have one more beer before our cab gets here?"

"Yeah, why not?" Jacob replied easily and slid one over to him. Edward and the leggy blonde pulled up two bar stools and he sat down right next to Bella, facing away from the bar.

He cleared his throat and turned his head slightly to ask her tensely: "So are you really going to go out with him?"

Her head whipped to face him, a mask of anger enveloping her face. "What do you care anyway?"

"He's an asshole, Bella."

She scoffed and turned back to face the bar. "How would you know that?"

He shook his head. "Trust me on this one, Bella."

"I can take care of myself." She bit out through her clenched teeth.

The blonde snaked her hand through Edward's hair and forced him to look back down at her. "Come on, Eddie…I wanna go back to your place now…"

He smiled back at her, knowing exactly what she had in mind. "We will, don't worry babe."

Without another glance her way, Edward took the blonde by the arm and led her outside. Bella just rolled her eyes and barely noticed when Jacob came up behind her.

"Ready Bells?"

She sighed with relief that the night was finally over. "Yeah, get me the hell out of here."

He laughed and led her out into the cold.