Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Thanks to my beta Hayz for all of your encouragement. Also, a huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed or subscribed to this story. I have tried to thank everyone who has reviewed personally and if I have missed someone, I apologise. Enough of that, onto the next chapter!

December 16th

When I rolled out of bed in the morning, my heart was light and my face was plastered with the biggest grin. I had spent what was probably the sweetest night I had ever experienced with Edward. From the moment he first took my hand, everything onwards just felt so… right. Although the urge to grab him and kiss him wildly never left me, I felt more comfortable just being with him. From what I could tell, the feeling was mutual for Edward. Every move, every gesture, every smile that he gave me told me how much he loved me still, and I tried my hardest to return that emotion to him.

We had walked out of the theatre hand in hand, feeling every bit like the teenagers that we were being treated like by our friends. We laughed as we recalled the funnier parts of the movie, and I blushed as I remembered how he had held my hand close to his heart through all of the romantic moments. Just thinking about the look in his eye now made my heart beat faster, if ever there was a time that I felt well and truly adored by him it was then as he stared deep into my eyes. It was as if he was gazing deep into my soul, telling me all the things he couldn't say out loud, at least not yet.

The movie had finished well before curfew, so we decided to grab some drinks from one of the small cafés we had passed on the way in. We settled into a small table, away from the rambunctious adolescents who had taken over nearly half of the coffee shop. After ordering, the conversation fell quiet between us, with a little bit of the former tension we had before the movie returning. I had guessed that it was easier when we had something to talk about other than ourselves, since we weren't sure what we could or couldn't share; and also because it was difficult to pretend to not know a person when you in fact did. We stammered our way through half a cup of coffee before my eyes fell upon the arcade across from the café. Edward saw the glint in my eye and insisted we go over and play a few games before he had to take me home. Although I acknowledged that my 'friendship' with klutziness would probably make some games rather difficult, I purposefully made my way to the arcade. After all, I was supposed to be pushing us out of our comfort zone, and that meant me as well.

Edward decided that we should start out on something easy, so we played a couple of games of Skee Ball. My hand-eye coordination was atrocious, and it took me forever to get any of the balls into the holes. After Edward won the first round by a milestone, he came over to give me some pointers about throwing, he knew all too well about me and sporting abilities.

"Here," he said, coming up directly behind me and placing his palm underneath my hand. "Curve your arm and aim with your fingertips. When they reach where you want the ball to go, release it."

As he spoke, he moved my hand in motion with his words; bringing my arm back and swinging it up until it was aligned towards the hole with the highest points. He then placed a ball in my hand and told me to try it for myself. As he released my hand, the tips of his fingers ran lightly up my arm until it reached my shoulder. Even through my sweater I could still feel his touch and it left a trail of tingles in its wake. I tried to focus on the ball in my hand, and mentally applied Edward's words to my movement. Curve your arm.. I pulled my arm back.. aim with your fingertips.. I swung my arm forward in an arch and watched carefully for just the right height… release it.. I threw the ball and watched as it flew in a downward curve towards the hole, missing the highest mark but hitting the second highest. I clasped my hands together in amazement as Edward whispered in my ear:

"See, it's not so hard is it?"

The shivers that travelled down my spine at the proximity of his voice made my breath catch and I fell slightly backwards onto him. I sighed as I realised that this was the closest that I had been to Edward in days, and I didn't want to move an inch. I could feel his silent laughter as my back pressed into his chest, and he suggested that I give it one more try before we play again. I leant forward again and took another ball. After a deep breath I played the steps through my head again, and threw the ball with gusto. It hit its target and went in. I squealed with delight and spun around to embrace Edward, pleased with my success. A moment later I realised that I had my arms wrapped tightly around his neck and my head was pressed into his chest, while he snaked his hands around my waist pulling me closer. Rational, or could possibly have been irrational, thoughts flew from my mind, and I had to scramble to try and recover myself. I had missed this, being this close to Edward, being able to hold him; and being restricted from the smallest of intimate gestures made this moment so special to me. I willed time to stand still so I could cherish it just that bit longer, but the nagging 'Alice' thoughts in my head told me that holding on any more would be considered inappropriate. Begrudgingly, I pushed myself away from Edward, allowing my hands to run across his chest before they returned limply to my sides. When I peered up at his eyes, there was a momentary sadness in them before he smiled. He took my hand and pulled me along side him.

"Shall we play another game?" He asked. I nodded in response.

We hit play on our machines and starting throwing like mad. It was harder to throw accurately when I had to do it quickly, but I kept repeating Edward's words over and over in my head, and started to get better each time. By the time that we finished, Edward had still won, but not by as long a shot as our first round. I suggested that we give it one more try and we began all over again. It was difficult to not glance at Edward's score, but I noticed that his wasn't that far ahead of mine, which spurred me on further. We were neck and neck by the final ten second countdown, and I threw as fast as I could, not worrying about the accuracy any more. When my machine announced me as winner, I threw my hands in the air and jumped around, screaming "I won, I won", while Edward laughed with amusement. I grinned at him, and was tempted to hurl myself at him and hug him again, but I thought it was best not to push it too far for the night. After I finished my little victory dance, I glanced around for more games to play. A lot of the other ones that interested me were taken by other users, so when my eyes settled on a pair of motorcycles for a racing game, I asked Edward if we could try them.

"Are you certain you want to try that game?" He questioned, with his eyebrows raised.

"Yes!" I exclaimed with a new found enthusiasm. I had never thought that I could have fun playing games like these, but the euphoria of winning gave me encouragement.

We walked up to the motorcycles which were bolted down to steel frame, but were slightly elevated so they could move whilst the game was in progress. One was red with a black stripe down the side, and the other was identical with a blue finish and a white stripe on it. My limited knowledge of bikes told me that these were modelled after the sportier motorcycles. I told Edward I wanted the red bike, and attempted to move the rear wheel by running my hand over it. I was disappointed when it didn't budge. I came to a slight dilemma when I moved to jump onto the bike. Regardless of the fact that it was stationary, the seat was still higher than my hip, which meant that swinging my leg over to hop on was going to be a difficult task. Edward seemed to notice my predicament, and came over to my side, resting his hands on my hips.

"Let me help you," he offered.

Once again his closeness to me did not go unnoticed, and I gasped as his hands curled around my sides. I gripped the handlebars and lifted my right leg to throw it over the seat. I almost got halfway before Edward lifted me from the ground so that I could extend my leg fully over to the other side. When he was certain that I was steady, he moved back towards his bike, and I ducked my head, trying to hide the blush that I could feel rising on my cheeks. I quickly read the instructions that flashed across the screen, and selected the automatic gear shift; leaning on the bike to turn the corners would be hard enough on top of braking and accelerating, so I figured the easiest option would be best for me. To make it fair, I told Edward he should choose the automatic option too. When the start screen came up, I tested the accelerator on the handlebar, twisting it and listening to the sound of it revving. There was some satisfaction in the noise, and I bent forward in anticipation.

"Three, two, one, go!" The machine yelled, and I wrenched back on the accelerator, watching as the bike on the screen in front of me sped forward down the animated road.

I concentrated as hard as I could on keeping the bike on the road, taking a few corners to get used to the tilting of the bike without nearly slipping off. I forgot that I was in a race, and instead began to enjoy the experience, imagining I was on a real bike. When the last long stretch of road came in sight, I leant as close to the handlebars as I could, and pulled right back on the accelerator, zooming as fast as I could to the finish line. It took a moment for me to realise that my screen was flashing "first place" over and over. When I did I let out a loud "ha" and turned to see Edward's sour face. I could tell by his disappointment that he hadn't just let me win, and I felt very satisfied knowing that I beat him first try.

"I won again!" I exclaimed.

"So it would seem," he responded.

I laughed, "Maybe I should take bike riding lessons for real, I might be this good in real life."

Edward's face grew into a grimace which made me laugh a little more. Reality hit me however when I attempted to get off the bike. I swung my leg over, clipping the back of the bike and sending me flying onto my back. A very amused Edward came around to check if I was alright, holding out a hand to help me up.

"I'm not too sure about those lessons. You may have to take some in walking first." His voice was light-hearted, and meant the words as a joke, but they still upset me a little.

I huffed as I dusted off my bottom and glared at him a little. He broke out his crooked smile to soften me up, and despite my stubborn resolve it worked. I pouted and drew my mouth downwards, so he cocked his head to the side and offered an apology.

"Sorry Bella. Well played game, congratulations on winning. Would you like to play another one?"

I checked my watch and groaned. I informed him there was just enough time for him to get me home before curfew, so we unwillingly left the arcade, and sped off into the night.

Edward walked me to the door when we reached the house, and told me how much of a wonderful time he had. I grew coy at his words, and I dipped my head in embarrassment.

"So, did you have any plans for tomorrow night?" He asked me.

I glanced up at him from underneath my eyelashes, watching as his green eyes sparkled in the moonlight. "No. I don't have any plans."

"Well," he said, inching closer to me. "Maybe I could take you out to dinner, someplace nice?" His voice was hopeful, which was irrelevant since I could never refuse him.

"Of course, I would love to go to dinner with you Edward."

His mouth turned upwards into a soft smile, "Wonderful. I'll pick you up at seven."

I nodded and returned his smile, then felt my expression fall as I came to terms of another night without Edward lying beside me.

"What is it?" He asked, his tone laced with concern.

I couldn't tell him, because I wouldn't be telling him this after a second date, so I shook my head and said "Nothing."

He must have understood my predicament, because he grasped my arm and pulled me forward before wrapping his arms around me. I hugged him back, relishing the closeness again. A voice from inside the house shot through the darkness:

"Curfew Bella!"

I groaned at Alice's words and reluctantly felt Edward pull away from me. He stopped before removing his arms from my waist entirely, but allowing some distance between our torsos. I watched as he drew one of his fingers up to his mouth, pursed his lips and kissed it before reaching across and placing the finger upon my lips. I kissed his finger back, and lifted my hand to guide it back to his mouth, where he kissed it again. He slid his hand out from underneath mine, leaving the tips of my fingers resting on his lips. I curled my fingers towards me so that he could kiss the lengths of my fingers before closing my eyes and letting my hand drop. I wasn't sure if this would be considered kissing, but since our lips hadn't met yet, I felt assured that we hadn't done anything wrong, and either way, I wasn't going to argue.

He removed his other hand from my waist, and lifted my chin. "See you tomorrow," he said before brushing his hand across my cheek.

I stood there motionless, savouring the sensation, and felt my heart drop when he mouthed 'bye' and walked away. I waited until he was in the car before opening the front door and dragging my feet to my room. The next date couldn't come soon enough.

The sound of my message tone ripped me from the moments of the night before that I had been replaying in my head. I snatched my phone from the night table and saw that the message was from Edward.

Good morning beautiful. I can't wait until I see you tonight. I have the restaurant booked and am counting down the hours. Wear something as gorgeous as you are.

I threw my head back onto the pillow and sighed. It certainly would be a long day. I texted him back telling him I couldn't wait either, and replaced the phone on the table. Halfway through changing for work I had a mild panic attack, and ran to Alice's room.

"Alice! Alice! You have to help me, Edward is taking me out to dinner tonight and I have to wear something fancy and I didn't pack anything and I don't have time to shop and-"

"Bella stop!" Alice demanded, watching as I continued to flail my arms in alarm. "I will have it sorted by tonight, just leave it with me."

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you," I exclaimed, running over to her and kissing her rumpled spiky hair.

"Ew Bella, get off! I don't know where those lips have been! Oh wait yes I do," she said laughing. "They haven't been anywhere!"

I pouted and wisely made the decision not to tell her about mine and Edward's kissing but not kissing the night before. She stopped guffawing when she saw my face fall.

"Oh I'm sorry. I only mean well Bella, and besides you'll have fun tonight. I'll bet on it!"

She gave me a quick hug before telling me to leave so she could get dressed and I stumbled back to my room, relieved that I wouldn't have to worry about finding a dress at short notice.

The day dragged on frustratingly slowly. I couldn't concentrate on something for more than a minute at a time before my thoughts returned to Edward. Jacob had to ask me the same question several times over before my glazed eyes returned to focus and I acknowledged his query. It was the same for the rest of my colleagues, and after a short while, they left me to it, realising that they weren't going to get a straight answer out of me. Jacob kept glancing at me concerned, but I waved him off without an explanation, I was too preoccupied to come up with a good one. The only things that kept me sane were the messages that Edward kept sending me throughout the day. I could only imagine what my expression looked like when I read them, I probably had the goofiest grin on my face. Towards the end of the work day, about an hour before I was due to finish, my phone rang.

"Edward!" I exclaimed a little too loudly as I answered it.

All of a sudden everyone's attention was on me, some eyes were questioning, and others were amused. I quickly ran outside so that I could have a little more privacy.

"Hi Bella," he said chuckling. "I'm glad to hear your voice too."

I smiled into the phone. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

I heard a long sigh on the other end of the line before he spoke. "I have some bad news Bella." My heart sank. "I won't be able to make it to our date tonight. Something came up at work and I have to stay back. I'm so sorry."

I stood there in the hallway, silenced, not knowing how to respond. If there was any normal day, I wouldn't be so crushed, knowing that I would see Edward when he arrived home. Today was different though, I wouldn't see him, and it was devastating because our dates were the only time when I would. I swallowed the lump that was beginning to become lodged into my throat and said:

"That's ok Edward. I understand." I understood all too well. That was one of the downsides of his job.

"I rescheduled with the restaurant already, we can have our dinner date tomorrow."

I just wanted to simply nod, but since he couldn't see me I whispered 'ok'.

"I'm really sorry Bella, I really wanted to see you tonight. I'll make it up to you I promise." There was pain in his voice.

I was aching to just tell him that I loved him, but knowing I couldn't, I held back.

"Listen Bella, I have to go, but I'll try to call again tonight when I get home."

"Ok Edward. Don't work too hard." I love you. "Bye."

"Bye Bella."

I heard the disconnect tone and I stared at the phone in my hand. I tried to reason why I was feeling so disappointed, and I figured it was because I had been building myself up all day. Not to mention I was fuelled by the text messages that Edward had been sending me. I leant against the wall and banged my head against it. Typical luck, just when it was going well, a spanner is thrown in the works. I had to talk myself out of becoming mopey. 'You'll see him tomorrow, you can hold and kiss him then' I thought to myself. Then it hit me as the thought ran through my head. The kiss! I wouldn't be able to kiss him until tomorrow. That did it. I slid down the wall and held my head in my hands. I would have to wait another day and it was going to kill me inside. I wondered if Edward was struggling internally as much as I was. I sat there for at least five minutes until I heard Jacob calling my name.

"Bella," he said softly. "Is everything alright?"

I raised my head and saw his eyes lined with concern. "Yeah Jacob, everything's fine," I forced the words out as honestly as I could, no point in getting other people worried over a small issue. "Just some bad news is all."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I said getting to my feet. "Don't worry about me. I'm just going to go to get a drink."

I walked in the opposite direction from which he came so that he couldn't question me further.

The remaining three quarters of an hour at work were a bit hazy. I had tried to think about anything else but Edward, but it was difficult since he had been on my mind all day. Jacob and a couple of my other work friends attempted to cheer me up, but by the time I left I still felt mopey.

Alice bombarded me as soon as I got back to her place. Rushing at me, and hauling me towards the bathroom, while she rambled.

"Thank goodness you're here Bella. You've given me just the right amount of time to get you ready. Now, it took me a while to decide which outfit would be best, sexy but not too overt. I wanted it to look a little classy as well seeing as I don't know where Edward is taking you. So, first you'll have to…" Her voice trailed off as she caught a glimpse of my face. "Bella, what's wrong? What happened?"

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath, "Edward had to cancel. He has to work tonight."

"Oh no! Oh Bella," she said, wrapping her tiny arms around me. "I'm sorry. What are you going to do then?"

I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't feel like doing anything. I just wanted to lie on my bed for a few hours. Or devour a whole tub of ice-cream.

"Well, how about coming with me tonight? I have the stall all set up to sell my cookies, and Jasper is there now. He was going to cover for me while I helped you get ready."

Her eyes were wide with question, which crinkled her petite forehead. I knew I shouldn't be this miserable, and figured that the only way to break myself out of this mood was to do something distracting and possibly fun, so I agreed.

"Sure. What do you want me to do?"

Alice's face lit up and she clapped her hands. "Go and have a shower, and I'll get some clothes for you to change into."

I was wary that I wasn't going to be wearing my clothes for such a casual event, and became concerned that Alice was going to dress me up in some costume. My fears proved correct. When I came out of the shower there was a green dress lying on my bed, which had a red collar, belt and netting sticking out from underneath the hem of the skirt. There was also a matching hat that had elf ears on it, a pair of black stockings, and a pair of black boots with a golden clasp on the side and bells hanging from it. I shook my head, wondering if Alice had ordered a costume in my size deliberately. I was mortified when I put the dress on and looked in the mirror, my reflected appearance showed a pale elf with long black stick legs coming out from the bottom of the dress. I was minutely relieved that it was long enough to cover my rear, but cringed at the thought of having to bend over in it. When I was completely dressed, and feeling like an absolute idiot, I wandered out to the lounge where Alice was wearing an identical outfit.

"Ooh, you look so adorable!" She announced excitedly, and snapped a photo.

"Alice! Don't take photos!" I exclaimed.

She giggled in response, "I have to have evidence for later otherwise no one would believe me."

I groaned at the knowledge that she would show the photo to other people. I just hoped she kept it within our circle of friends. Now that I thought about it, I hope that I didn't see anyone that I knew at the stall, but seeing as it was at a small event in the town centre my chances for that not to happen were slim.

"Do I have to wear this costume Alice? It's so embarrassing."

"Yes, it's all part of the Christmas spirit. Now let's get going before it's too late." She said, dancing past me and slapping me on the butt.

I winced, grabbed my coat and walked out to the car.

Poor Jasper was up to his eyeballs in customers by the time that we had got there, and I saw instantly that he hadn't escaped Alice's costume fixation. He was wearing another identical outfit, except instead of a dress, it was a shirt and shorts. It was amusing watching him pass out cookies to people and wish them a 'Merry Christmas' when he was dressed up like an elf, and I felt slightly less awkward.

The stall was in the middle of the town centre, surrounded by other stalls of handmade dolls, cars, rugs and clothes, as well as other food delights. It was an annual attraction that allowed the townspeople to show off their wares and help a good cause at the same time. Most vendors only gave a certain percentage of their earnings for the night to the charity, but I knew that Alice would donate everything. She had the biggest heart like that.

A massive pergola enclosed the area where the stalls were, keeping the vendors and customers safe from the snow. There were fairy lights strung all around the posts and the roof of the pergola, making it bright enough to not need any other light. The effect of the lights and the snow falling lightly outside of the pergola, mixed with the smell of cookies, cake and other indescribable food smells, made it seem extremely magical. I took in a large gulp of air and smiled to myself. This moment reminded me of how much I loved Christmas.

Jasper had already sold over half of Alice's stock, so we took over, encouraging people to buy more. Alice had bagged up the cookies in red, green or white cellophane, and attached blank gift tags to them, so that people had the option of buying them as presents. As long as they were stored correctly they would last until Christmas. One small blonde haired and piggy-tailed girl asked Alice if she could give them to Santa to eat when he came to visit her house. Alice thought she was so adorable that she gave her an extra bag, and told her to keep one for Santa and one for herself. The smile that lit up the girl's face in awe made the gesture more than worth it. By 9 o'clock we had completely sold out, and Alice presented her earnings to the charity chairman with delight. He told her she was always welcome at their events, and that he would even consider creating a permanent volunteering position within the company for just for her. She beamed with pride at his words, and thanked him, telling him she would like that very much.

It took all of fifteen minutes after we had arrived home for me to remember what the night had initially been about, but I was in too much of a cheery mood now to let the devastation take me again. Instead I gave Alice a kiss on the cheek, and expressed my gratitude for her helping me tonight.

"Any time Bells," she replied, giving me a kiss back before heading to her room.

I threw off the outfit, glad that only a few people I know had seen me in it, put my pyjama's on and crawled into bed. My last thoughts were of Edward before I fell asleep, wondering when he would get home, and if he would still call me when he did.

A sharp, piercing noise disrupted my sleep. I sleepily opened one eye and told the noise to go away. It stopped a moment later, so I rolled over and attempted to go back to my dream. When the noise started again I realised that it was my phone. I threw the covers back and lunged across the bed towards the night table, seized my phone and hit the answer button.

"Hello?" I whispered.

"Bella, it's Edward."

"Edward?" I asked confused. I rubbed my heavy eyelids and glanced at the digital alarm clock readout. It was 11 o'clock. "Did you just finish work?"

He laughed at the sound of my croaky voice. "Yes, but I couldn't go home without seeing you first."

I furrowed my brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm waiting outside the front of Alice's house for you."

At his words I flew out of the bedroom to the front door, wrenched it open and peered out into the darkness. There were clouds hiding the moon tonight, and the streetlight was dim, making it difficult to see.

"Where are you?" I whispered into the phone. I could barely make out the outline of his car.

"Right here," said a voice next to me, and it took all of my courage not to scream at his sudden appearance. I didn't want to wake Alice.

I hit him lightly in the shoulder, "Don't scare me like that Edward!"

He merely chuckled in response, and pulled me close, linking his hands around my waist.

"I missed you," he said in a tone that made my heart melt.

"I missed you too."

"My sincerest apologies for not making it to our date tonight, but I promised I would make it up to you."

I shook my head and ran my hands up the sides of his torso before clasping my hands behind his neck. "You don't need to make it up to me, you being here now is enough for me," I said in a low voice.

"Nonsense," he replied and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "Today would have been our third date."

I nodded solemnly, knowing exactly what he was implying.

"I still say it's our third date," He whispered, closing the space between our heads.

I peered up at him, trying to read what he was thinking. "How do you mean?"

"You said there were twelve days until Christmas when this started, twelve days of dates. If we truly postpone tonight, then the twelfth day won't be until after Christmas."

My mouth fell open a little as I took in what he was saying. He was right, in a way. Regardless of the fact that we had missed our date tonight, we would still have to consider it as the third day.

"You've been thinking about this a lot haven't you 'Mr. Lawyer-to-be'?"

He nodded, resting his forehead on mine. As we spoke, he had begun to rock our hips slowly in time together, side to side, as if we were dancing.

"So, what does this little revelation mean?" I questioned.

He tilted his head down until he was looking right into my eyes. Slowly, he brought one hand up and embraced my cheek with his palm, then followed with the other hand. With his eyes still gazing deep into mine, he whispered 'this', and without warning he leaned in and planted his lips on mine.

I reacted instantly, using my hands which were still around his neck to pull him closer to me. He tugged me nearer still, with one hand returning to my waist and the other finding its way through my hair. I gently nibbled at his bottom lip and angled my head so that I could kiss him better. He took my lead and opened his mouth, allowing me to kiss him deeper. I unclasped my hands and slid them gently up his neck before tangling them into his locks. I could feel the hunger of his kiss, as he gripped me tighter, refusing to let me inch away even in the slightest, so I pushed myself nearer to him, aligning my body with his. What had started out as slow, tantalising kisses were fast becoming steamy, breathless ones. A small part of my brain connected with the intensity of our exchange and I knew that if I didn't knock it down a notch, it could easily head in a direction that would break at least one of the other rules. While I was sorely tempted to let this continue, I knew for the sake of the rest of the dates that I couldn't. It would crush all meaning of Edward's present. So I gently removed my tongue from inside his mouth, and kissed him once, twice, three times on the lips, before flitting small pecks across his cheek and neck. I lowered my head and pressed my face to his chest, while he continued to hold me close and played with my hair. I wanted to know if his grin was as big as mine, so I drew my face back to meet his. His expression was laced with adoration and I wondered if he could see the blush in my cheeks in the dim light. Overcome by embarrassment at throwing myself at him on what was to be considered the third date, I started to giggle. Quietly at first, but when I couldn't stop it became louder. Edward watched me with amusement, and warned me that Alice might wake up. Those were the calming words that I needed, and gave me the ability to stop myself. We were both grinning at each other like idiots by this stage, and I watched as Edward ducked his head again to lightly place a kiss on my lips again. This time there was sweetness to the kiss as we allowed it to linger. I could sense him pulling away when suddenly a voice made us both jump, and a light flickered on overhead.

"Isabella Swan! What-do-you-think-you-are-doing?" Out came Alice's rushed words.

A guilty smile swept across my face. "Nothing," I said innocently.

"Don't tell me 'nothing'! You were kissing Edward just now weren't you?"

I could feel Edward laughing as he tried to hide his head in the crook of my neck. We still had our arms wrapped around each other, and were standing awkwardly so that I could see Alice in the frame of the front door that I had forgotten to close.

"Yes," I admitted, watching as a scowl crept onto her delicate features.

"You're in a lot of trouble Miss! You too," she screeched, indicating Edward who was still hiding his head.

She stormed forward and grasped my arm, attempting to haul me inside. Edward stood upright at her movements and glared at her, holding me in place. Not wanting to create another argument between them, I placed my free hand on Edward's chest and indicated that he should let me go. His eyes never left Alice as he leaned down and brushed his lips against my forehead, making sure she saw him do it. A noise which sounded almost like a growl came from her direction. I gently tugged at his face when he pulled back, so he could look at me one last time.

"See you tomorrow Edward," I said, and smiled at him.

He returned my smile and released me. Alice pulled me behind her and told me to go back to my bedroom while she spoke to Edward. Her face was scathing, and I only hoped that his explanation worked on her as well as it did on me.

Hope you enjoyed that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, or even if you didn't, let me know; reviews are my motivation. Next up, the dinner date. :)