I hate grocery shopping," I whined, pushing the cart behind Rose as we walked down the aisle. "Why can't we get it delivered or something?"

"Because." She paused and picked up two cans of soup, comparing ingredients or something.

"Because? That's all I get?"

"Yep." She tossed one of the cans in the cart and put the other one back on the shelf. She started down the aisle and I made a face at her back.

"But why do I have to come? You know what I'll eat, why can't you just buy it and I'll pay you back?"

"Because you need to get off your ass once in a while. Besides, this way I get the pleasure of your company. Stop sticking your tongue out at me."

I froze and slowly pulled my tongue back in. How did she do that? I pushed the cart behind her sullenly. When she wasn't paying attention, I pulled out my cell phone and called up my email. I was scrolling through it when she snatched it out of my hand.

"No email, no phone unless you're calling someone. You are spending quality time with me, dammit."

I scowled at her. "Are we at least almost done?" I demanded.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, we're done. Lead the way to the front, oh whiny queen bitch."

I stuck my tongue out at her again and started for the front of the store. It wasn't crowded, luckily, but unluckily there was only one register open. I got in line behind a couple of guys buying beer, chips, and toilet paper and an old woman who looked like she was paying for everything with quarters. I tried to grab my phone back for some entertainment but Rose stuck it down the front of her pants.

"Don't think I won't go after it," I threatened.

She grinned. "I know you won't, Bella."

I stamped my foot. "This is so unfair! I was in the middle of something!"

"And it's still waiting for you."

"You stopped the creative juices flowing."

"They'll start again," she said absentmindedly, picking up a TV Guide and leafing through it.

I sighed and craned my neck to see the front of the line. No movement. I clucked my tongue impatiently and turned to the magazine rack.

All the covers had Edward Cullen's face on them. He'd just finished filming something apparently and was now making the talk show and magazine rounds. I picked one up and snorted. It had a picture of Edward and his costar, Jessica Stanley. They were dressed up and she was hanging all over him at one of the premiers.

"'Our love is forever'" I read aloud. I turned to Rose. "Can you believe this crap? Who buys this garbage anyway?"

She narrowed her eyes at me and held up a different magazine with Edward's face on it. "I do."

I stared at her in shock. "Seriously? Why?"

"Because I'm nosy, that's why."

I stared at the magazine and shook my head. "I don't get it. I mean, why him?"

"Are you kidding me?" she demanded with a laugh. "Have you seen him?"

I sighed. "Ok, yes, he's every girl's wet dream and he's not a bad actor, but for crying out loud, let the guy live his life. Do I need to know his underwear choice or what he eats for breakfast? No. Nor do I need to know the intimate details of his sex life."

"Oh god, if they had intimate details I would die a happy woman."

I gave Rose a look. "Put yourself in his shoes," I continued. "You're already gorgeous, what if you got discovered or something and became famous. Would you want to constantly be answering questions about who you're dating or running down the street every time you get a cup of coffee or constantly defending your right to put on a couple pounds?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "No," she said sullenly.

"Exactly." I tucked the magazine back in the rack. "I say let him be."

Rose looked at the magazine longingly before sighing and putting it back. "I should have left you at home."

I grinned triumphantly and turned back towards the front of the line. One of the guys was grinning at the other one. Obviously he'd been listening in on our conversation.

"Do you agree with me?" I asked, bringing him into it.

He laughed. "I guess, but fans like to know what's going on in their idol's life."

"But as the idol, wouldn't you want to be able to keep things private once in a while? I mean, seriously, how often do you think Edward Cullen gets to go to the grocery store and buy beer like you two are doing?" I pointed to the two cases in their cart. "He probably has to hire people to do it for him."

"Or wear silly disguises," said the second guy dryly.

I laughed. "Yeah, sure, that too. I guess he could hide his hair under a wig or a hat, but isn't his face pretty recognizable?"

The first guy laughed again. Clearly there was some joke here between the two of them since the second guy kept shooting the first guy dirty looks. The first guy stuck out his hand.

"I'm Emmett," he said with a grin.

I grinned back. "I'm Bella, this is my roommate Rose."

Rose reached past me to shake Emmett's hand, leading with her boobs. I rolled my eyes and stepped out of the way. I looked up at the second guy who was the same height as Emmett, but with a leaner build.

Both guys were obviously athletic in some way, but Emmett looked like a football player and the other guy looked like a soccer player or something: muscular, but leaner. They were both wearing jeans, t-shirts and jackets and the second guy had a baseball cap pulled down low over his eyes, some tufts of bronzy hair sticking out around the edge.

"So what's your name stranger?" I grinned.

He rolled his eyes. Emmett stepped forward then to check out as the old lady slowly made her way out of the store. "I'm Anthony," he said, holding out his hand.

I shook it. "So are you two having a party or something?"

"No, just thirsty and craving salty snacks."

"Priorities. I like it."

He grinned. "You look like you're just stocking up for the week."

"Something like that."

He nodded and stepped up to stand with Emmett. Rose and I started to unload our cart onto the belt while Anthony pulled out a credit card to pay for their things.

"Have you ladies eaten dinner yet?" asked Emmett suddenly.

I jerked my head up with surprise. "Seriously?"

He shrugged. "Sure, why not? We'll go someplace well lit if you want."

"We'd love to," said Rose quickly. I turned to stare at her.

"We're buying perishables, Rose, we need to go home."

"So we can meet them later." She beamed up at Emmett. "I know a great little café near here that's open late."

Emmett beamed back. Anthony and I exchanged annoyed glances.

"Great. What's your number?" Emmett pulled out his phone and Rose pulled out hers. They exchanged phones and punched in their numbers. I looked at Anthony.

"I'd offer you my number but my phone is in Rose's pants."

Anthony grinned and shook his head. "I don't have my phone on me anyway. I keep it in Emmett's pants."

I laughed. I was starting to like Anthony.

"You know," said Rose suddenly as she rummaged through her purse to find her wallet "Bella, you and Anthony could go on to the restaurant while Emmett and I went back to the house to unload all the groceries."

I shot her a look. "If we're splitting up, Anthony and I are going to the house."

"Why?"

"Because I won't stop for a quickie."

Rose's jaw dropped and Emmett's face turned red. Anthony threw his head back and roared with laughter. I looked up at him.

"Interested in taking a complete stranger back to her house to put her groceries away and then go to dinner?"

"Sure, why not. I've got nothing else of interest going on this evening." He grinned at me and there was something oddly familiar about his face. I stared at it for a bit and he quickly looked away.

Emmett and Rose had loaded everything into one cart at this point and were pushing their way out of the store. I was looking up at Anthony curiously while he pointedly looked straight ahead. I turned to double check I wasn't about to face plant into anything and my eyes caught another magazine with Edward Cullen's face on it. My jaw dropped and I looked up at Anthony again.

"Ho-ly shit," I whispered.

A muscle in his jaw worked. I walked along side him in silence for a while, going over the few things I knew about him from Rose's obsession. I glanced up at him with a sly grin.

"Has anyone ever told you you look a hell of a lot like Edward Cullen?"

His step faltered and a grin spread across his face. "No, actually."

"It's uncanny," I continued, hugging my chest against the cold as we stepped outside. "I mean, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were him. You could get into the impersonation business, show up at parties and shit."

He chuckled and nodded. "I'll have to look into it."

Rose and Emmett were loading everything into our car, talking animatedly. They were really hitting it off. Rose turned as we strolled up.

"Ok, you go to the house, we'll be at Magnolia, ok?"

I nodded and held out my hand. "Can I have my phone now?"

She rolled her eyes and shoved her hand down the front of her pants, pulling it out and handing it to me.

"Ooo, warm. Just how I like it." I stuck it in my bra and laughed at the expression on Emmett and "Anthony's" faces. "Come on, Tony, let's go to my place and then go get some food."

He nodded and started for the passenger side while I dug the keys out of my purse. He buckled himself in and I adjusted the seat for my height from Rose's Amazon size and started off.

"So are you going to tell people?" he asked when we were on the street hurtling towards the house.

I grinned. "I totally should. All my girlfriends are obsessed with you."

He grunted. "And you're not?"

I smiled. "You heard me in the store, right? I think you're good looking and all, but I like to think I don't have an obsessive personality."

"I believe the phrase you used was 'wet dream.'"

"Eavesdropping, wow, I would not have pegged you for that."

He grinned. "I couldn't help it, you were talking about me like I wasn't there."

I laughed. "Well, I guess I'll have to double check my surroundings when I begin discussing my opinions on celebrities from now on."

"I guess you will."

I pulled up to the house then and into the driveway. I cut the engine and we piled out, grabbing bags and hurrying towards the door. It was starting to snow and I hated being out in the cold and snow more than just about anything. I quickly put the perishables away, even making space in the fridge for the beer.

While I was rearranging and putting things away, Edward shrugged out of his jacket and took mine, hanging them on the hooks by the door. He then wandered around our living room, looking at the pictures on the walls and mantle, perusing the books and DVD's on the shelves.

"So whose copy of Army of Darkness is this?"

I laughed. "That's mine. One of my all time favorites."

"Really?" he looked at me with a grin. "So what is your all time favorite?"

I flushed slightly. "It's probably the last thing you'd ever guess."

"So not something girly then."

"Nope." I opened a carton of milk and sniffed it. It was definitely bad. I set it on the counter to dump.

"Do I get a hint or do I just have to look at all the movies on the shelf and take a stab at it?"

I laughed. "I doubt you'd ever guess it so I'll just tell you. I adore Jaws."

He came into the kitchen then. "Seriously?"

I nodded. "Yeah. First time I saw it was in high school and I just loved it. I can hear a snippet of music and maybe dialogue and tell you exactly where you are in the movie."

"That's a gift."

"It really is," I grinned. "What's your favorite?"

He groaned. "I don't want to say."

I turned to face him full on. "Oh, now you've got to tell me."

"It's not manly."

"So? You're known for your sensitive and brooding roles, not your hardcore badassness."

He grinned and took the cap off the milk and started pouring it down the drain. "I really love Much Ado About Nothing, the Kenneth Branaugh version."

"Shut up, really?"

He nodded. "I would love to do something Shakespeare someday, but I'm not sure I'd be that great at it. I'm great at brooding, all you have to do is furrow your forehead and look like your dick is in a vise. Shakespeare takes skill."

I chuckled. "I think you could do it. If Keanu could do it, you could too."

"Thanks…I think."

I grinned and stood back to survey the fridge. It was definitely full now. I couldn't remember the last time it had been that full. Probably last time one of our moms had visited.

He wandered into the hallway, poking his head curiously into the first bedroom, mine. "Who lives like a slob?

I squeezed past him and pulled the door shut. "Are you always this nosy?" I demanded, flushing slightly. I hadn't cleaned my room in a while so there were piles of clothes on the floor and some dirty dishes on the desk and dresser.

"Sometimes." He grinned down at me. "So I'm guessing that's your room."

"It is," I replied, pushing him back towards the living room. God, he had a great feeling body under that shirt.

"Embarrassed?"

"A little."

He laughed. "Don't be. My rooms are always trashed. I'm generally too exhausted to do anything but sleep and eat after work."

"That's sad."

He shrugged. "That's life."

"Are you going to take some time off anytime soon?"

"I'd love to, but Emmett says I need to keep doing things while I'm still hot."

"So, what, you're going to turn into an ogre if you stop working?"

He grinned. "Something like that."

"So Emmett is your manager I guess?"

"Yeah, basically. He's my people."

I grinned. "I need some people."

"I'll be your people."

I looked up at him, caught off guard. "Is that some kind of double entendre?"

He shrugged. "Could be. Or, I could just be wanting a friend in town."

I grinned and grabbed our jackets; tossing him his while I pulled mine on. I flipped all the lights off and we headed out.

"So why beer, chips and toilet paper?" I asked curiously as we carted the chips and tp back to the car with us.

He laughed. "What else does a single guy need for a few days? I'll order in actual meals when I need them."

"So you're living here now?" I asked confused.

"No. Well, yes. Temporarily. I'm shooting a movie here."

"Where are you living?" I asked, pulling out the keys and unlocking the car.

"An apartment downtown. It's got an awesome view."

I grinned. "I'll bet. Do you like seeing the train tracks?"

"Highlight of my day. Texas is different from what I'm used to."

"It's different from what a lot of people are used to," I laughed. "Especially small town Texas." I climbed back into the car and shivered, cranking the heat back up to high as Edward climbed in, too.

"And, in case you were wondering, I wear boxers and typically eat Lucky Charms for breakfast. As for intimate details of my sex life…there hasn't been any in a while."

I grinned into the darkness. "None at all?"

"None at all."

"What about Jessica Stanley?"

He groaned. "See, after all that talk about letting me have a private life, you do want to know."

I laughed. "Oh come on, you just told me there hasn't been any in a while and yet all the tabloids are printing pictures of you two all over each other in various cities across the world. I have to believe that if you needed a little roll in the hay, she'd be happy to oblige."

He grimaced. "Oh, believe me, she would. I just can't stand her."

"Really?"

"She's a total bitch. She's got this whole good girl persona but she prides herself on the fact that she's slept with every costar she's had since she was 14."

"Shit."

"No lie."

"Does that include you?"

He sighed. "Not one of my prouder moments, but yes, that includes me."

"See, that doesn't really make her a bitch, just a slut."

"Well, she's a bitch too, believe me."

I grinned. "So when the series is all over you think you'll ever see her again?"

"Sure, in my nightmares."

I laughed and pulled into Magnolia's parking lot. "Well, I want to say now that your secret is safe with me, Anthony. I won't tell anyone about this. I'll let you have an evening of normalcy."

He smiled at me. "Thanks, Bella. That's really human of you."

I shrugged. "I try to be a credit to my species. Sometimes it works out."

We climbed out and started in to the restaurant. Emmett and Rose were already inside, leaning closer to each other than was really necessary. I made a face and headed towards them.

"Took you long enough," grinned Rose, sitting back slightly from Emmett. "Are you sure you didn't stop for a quickie?"

"I'm pretty sure. I think I'd remember it anyway. Tony, did we have sex?"

He scratched his chin thoughtfully as he sat in the dark corner. "I'm thinking not. Unless…wait, what do you call that thing where we took off our pants and you sat on me?"

"Oh, shit, yeah, that's totally sex." I tossed a balled up napkin at Rose and grinned. "So did you order already?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I got you your regular and Emmett picked out something for Anthony. And stop it with the ridiculous jokes. You're being a bad influence on Anthony. I'm sure he's probably completely normal when you're not around."

"Probably, but who wants to stay normal?" I asked, sipping my water.

Emmett was dying, he was laughing so hard. "I like you, Bella," he grinned at me.

I grinned back. "You're not so bad yourself, I guess. What do you do?"

"I'm a manager," he grinned, sitting back in his chair. "I take care of whiny people."

"Hey," protested Edward. "I'm not whiny."

Emmett shot him a look. "Sometimes you are."

Edward glared at him but sat back and stabbed the table with his fork. "Only cause you instilled in me unreasonable expectations. I think I need Bella around to keep me grounded."

Rose looked confused. "Emmett manages you, Anthony?"

There was an awkward pause. Apparently Emmett had figured out that I knew who Edward was, but Rose had been so caught up in Emmett she hadn't noticed Anthony was Edward Cullen. I raised my eyebrows at Emmett and Edward who exchanged glances.

"Um, yeah," said Edward finally. "He keeps me on task."

"So he's your boss."

A slow grin spread across Emmett's face. "I like the sound of that."

"No," Edward sounded annoyed. "I'm in charge; he's kind of like an overpaid personal assistant."

"I do a shit ton more than answer phone calls and make appointments."

"Yeah yeah." Edward glanced at the menu absentmindedly.

"So what do you do, then Anthony?"

I grinned, settling back in my chair. This could be interesting.

"I'm an actor," said Edward easily.

"Oh? Are you any good?"

I snorted into my water. Edward kicked me lightly under the table.

"I'm alright," he said, shooting me a look.

I grinned and shook my head. It would come out in a little while anyway, I wasn't totally sure why he didn't just come out with who he was already.

Rose looked back and forth between us confused. "What?"

I leaned across the table, glancing over at Edward and asking permission with my eyes. He sighed and nodded, crossing his arms over his chest and staring down at the table.

"Rose, who is your current celebrity crush?"

She looked even more confused. "Edward Cullen."

"Rose Hale, meet Edward Cullen," I said quietly, gesturing towards Edward.

He raised a hand in greeting as Rose stared at him. Her jaw dropped as the connection was made in her brain.

"Ho-ly shit," she breathed.

I nodded. "My sentiments exactly."

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

Emmett grinned. "He's shooting a movie. I'm in town to check up on him and he had jack shit in his house to eat. Lucky for me." He reached over and squeezed Rose's hand.

She was still gaping at Edward when our waitress came a few minutes later. I nudged Rose with my foot and she shook herself, sitting back and staring down at her plate of food like it was something she'd never seen before, even though she ate this at least once a week.

Emmett was grinning the whole time. Edward looked slightly uncomfortable and incredibly embarrassed. I was more along the lines of Emmett, enjoying the absurdity of the entire situation.

"So, you're Edward Cullen," Rose said finally. "THE Edward Cullen."

Edward nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich. "As far as I know, the only one, too."

"And you're here, at dinner, with me and my crazy ass roommate."

"Hey," I protested. She shot me a look and I sighed. "Ok fine."

Edward grinned. "Yes."

"Well tie me up and hose me down. This is probably the coolest thing that will ever happen in my life."

Edward choked on his sandwich. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Hey," she leaned forward, ignoring his question "you're British. Where's the accent?"

"I knew there was something else," I said triumphantly. "It's been bugging me that there was something off about you."

Edward grinned. "Yeah, I use my American accent when I'm incognito."

"You should develop a Texas twang," I grinned. "Then no one will suspect it's you. Plus, you could be a cowboy."

"What does a twang sound like?" asked Emmett curiously. "I guess like the Texans on TV?"

"Dude, go to the stockyards for an afternoon," laughed Rose.

I grinned. "No lie."

"Do you girls have it?"

Rose looked offended. "No, I'm from South Carolina. I have a Southern accent. It's more genteel."

"I'm Texan through and through," I grinned "but my mom's from the north and my parents spent a lot of time up there before I was born so my dad kind of lost his. I grew up without it in my natural speaking but I can slip into it."

"Oh really?" Edward looked intrigued. "Prove it."

I grinned and cleared my throat. "Well, today I went down to the Wal-Mart and got my ahl changed." I spoke with a flawless Texas drawl.

Edward stared at me blankly while Rose giggled and Emmett looked unsure.

"Ahl?" repeated Emmett.

I nodded. "Yeah, its whut makes the car werk."

"Oil!" said Edward triumphantly.

I grinned. "You are one smart cookie, I tell you what."

He grinned. "I like your Texas accent."

"Thanks." I laughed, slipping back into normal. "I can do a lot of accents, actually. Helps with my job."

"What do you do?" asked Edward curiously.

I grinned. "I'm the puppet master."

Emmett choked on his chips. "The puppet master?"

Rose pushed me lightly. "She runs the puppet program at the library. She writes little shows and creates the puppets and all that."

"That's pretty cool," Edward looked impressed. "Do you come up with original story lines or what?"

"Sometimes," I admitted. "I was in the middle of writing one when Rose dragged me out to the grocery store."

"You're welcome," Rose grinned.

I rolled my eyes at her and took a sip of my drink.

"So what do you do?" asked Emmett curiously, turning to Rose.

"I'm a teacher," she grinned. "Kindergarten."

"That's pretty cool."

She shrugged. "Sometimes it is. Other times I'm ready to knock some heads together."

Emmett laughed. "So no kids of your own?"

"Nope." Rose grinned at him and I made a face at Edward. He grinned.

"So you're both single then?" asked Edward casually.

"Painfully so," Rose laughed.

I shot her a look. "I'm not in any pain over it actually. At times, I quite enjoy it to be honest. I don't have to shave or put on make-up or do my hair if I don't want to. It's great."

"Sounds like you need a man who doesn't mind if you don't do that stuff," Emmett chuckled, glancing over at Edward who was looking down at the table with a small smile on his face.

I looked between them. "What?" I demanded.

Emmett grinned. "He was complaining in the grocery store about high maintenance women. He said he was ready for a girl who wanted to stay home and watch TV and eat grilled cheese sandwiches or something while wearing comfortable clothes but who could also clean up well."

Rose looked torn. I could tell she really wanted to claim that status for herself but she hated sitting at home all the time. She also hated grilled cheese. She looked over at me and started laughing.

"What?" I asked self-consciously, wiping at my face.

"You. Emmett just described you."

I frowned and looked down at myself. I was wearing my pajama pants, Capri length black sweat pants and a long sleeved pink t-shirt under a white hoodie.

"These are my working clothes," I said defensively, crossing my arms over my chest. "If I knew we were going out, I'd've changed into jeans or something."

"You had time at the house," she pointed out.

I clucked my tongue impatiently. "I'd already been seen like this, what's the point of changing?"

"Exactly," she said triumphantly.

I stared at her, confused. She reached over and lifted up my plate. "And what's this you're eating?"

I snatched my plate back from her. "Four cheese grilled cheese sandwich," I grumbled.

Edward was laughing now, shaking his head as he looked down at the table. "You sure seem to fit the mold for the first part, but do you clean up well?"

"Oh yeah," Rose pulled her purse into her lap and started rummaging through it.

"No, don't do it Rose," I warned her.

She ignored me and pulled out the photo she kept in her wallet strictly to embarrass me. She grinned triumphantly as she passed it to Emmett and Edward, both of whom raised their eyebrows and looked up at me quickly.

"This is you?"

"Great, thanks."

Edward laughed. "You look nice."

I sighed and reached across the table for the picture. It was the wedding of our third college roommate, Alice. Rose and I had been bridesmaids and had worn gorgeous red silk dresses. In the picture, our hair and make-up was still flawless so we looked phenomenal. It was later after hours of dancing and bride attending that we'd sweated off a lot of the make-up and tendrils had come loose. I smiled at the picture then handed it back to Rose.

"Why do you carry that thing around anyway?" I grumbled, breaking off a chunk of my sandwich and popping it in my mouth.

"Because you always dress like a frump and I like to remind myself that you can look nice."

"I do not dress like a frump," I protested. "I dress comfortably."

"Potato, potahto."

"Shut up."

Emmett and Edward were laughing again. I checked my watch and reached for my purse. "It's getting late, we should probably get going," I said, looking at Rose pointedly.

She looked at her watch and grimaced. "Yeah, I've got school tomorrow." She pulled out some money and dropped it on the table with mine. Edward and Emmett reached for their wallets but I waved them down.

"We've got you," I grinned.

"Are you sure? We can afford to pay for ourselves, you know." Edward winked at me.

I chuckled. "You're on my turf, home skillet. Next time I'm on your turf you can take me someplace fancy and pay."

He laughed. "Deal."

"What is your home turf anyway, Emmett?" asked Rose curiously as she pulled on her jacket.

"I'm from DC, Eddie here's from Chicago."

"Yeah, I know." She immediately flushed and cast a sidelong glance at Edward who grinned and reached over, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. I thought her head was going to explode.

"You know we're coming home with you, right?" he murmured in her ear.

Her eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, he left his underwear on the ceiling fan," I said, pulling my keys out of my purse.

"And I really hate going commando. It chafes."

Rose sighed. "You've corrupted him, Bella. He's now ruined for other women."

"Then my work here is done."

Emmett was laughing again. I wondered if he was ever unhappy. We piled into the two cars and headed back towards the house.

"So have I really corrupted you?" I teased as we pulled out of the parking lot.

Edward shook his head. "No, though you have definitely entertained me tonight."

"It's what I do. Really, it's what you do. You should entertain me for a change."

"How so?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Do you have any skills other than acting?"

"Well I'm a musician in my down time."

"Really? What instruments?"

He looked at me with surprise. "You don't know?"

"I'm not a stalker. I'm sure Rose does, though."

He chuckled softly. "I play piano and guitar."

"Are you any good?"

"I guess. They put a couple of my songs in the last movie."

"That sounds like you're good."

"Do you have a piano or a guitar at the house? I can perform an impromptu solo for you. Make it up on the spot even."

I laughed. "I have nothing. I can't play anything but the radio. Oh wait, I have a kazoo. I think it's broken. Can you work with that?"

"Are you kidding? I'm the kazoo master."

I grinned. "Awesome."

We pulled up in the drive beside Emmett's car and we all hurried inside out of the snow. I took the jackets and hung them up while Rose headed into the kitchen to get drinks. I moved past everyone to start cleaning up in my room a little.

I shoved dirty clothes into the closet and gathered up the dirty dishes. I carried them into the kitchen and dumped them in the sink then headed back to my room to pull the blankets up on the bed.

"Cozy."

I jumped and turned around. Edward was standing in the doorway looking around with interest, a beer in hand.

"You saw it earlier and commented on the mess," I pointed out.

"Yeah, I feel awful about that."

"Liar."

He shrugged and settled on my desk chair, picking up a framed photo of Rose, Alice and I from college. "Who's the pixie?"

I laughed. "She'd punch you if you called her that. Her name is Alice and she is the third in the Three Amigas."

"Cute."

"Married."

"Got it." He set the picture down and looked around my room. "You like red, I see."

"It's my favorite color." I stood awkwardly in the doorway. I was 25 years old, but I wasn't used to having men in my room. Ever. Well, at least not in a long time.

Edward didn't seem to notice my discomfort. He stood up and crossed to my bookshelves and started looking through them. "Interesting collection. Classics, mystery, romance…" he paused and pulled a book out. "Sex with the King?"

I grinned and crossed to stand next to him. "It's about royal mistresses throughout the ages. It's pretty interesting, actually. There's a companion to it, Sex with the Queen." I pulled it out and handed it to him. "You can borrow them if you want."

"I kind of do. Thanks." He grinned at me. "Is this your subtle way of ensuring that you'll see me again?"

I grinned back. "Maybe. You were the one who said you wanted to keep me around. I'm trying to help you out."

"You're my favorite Texan."

"Well, that's not saying much. I'm probably the only one you know."

"Details." He piled to books on the bed, then sat on the floor, his back against the bed, as he continued to look through my books. He pulled out a couple more to add to the pile on the bed. I sat next to him and rested my head back against the mattress, exhausted. I'd been up since 5 am helping Rose with some last minute class stuff. My neck was hurting in that position so I automatically rested my head on Edward's shoulder. After a minute, I realized what I was doing.

"Shit, sorry," I muttered, sitting up and rubbing my face. "I forgot you're not one of my boys."

He chuckled and put his arm around my waist. "Go ahead, its fine."

"Are you really this nice or are you just buttering me up so I don't sell your story to the tabloids?"

"You'll never know."

I rested my head back on his shoulder and closed my eyes. "How long are you here for?"

"A month."

I nodded. "So will you come around or are you going to call in some Hollywood hotties to keep you company?"

"I think I'll come around if I'm invited."

"Sure. Just know that we have to tell Alice. She'd kill us if she found out later you were here and we didn't tell her."

"Is she a screamer?"

"No. Well, I don't think so."

He chuckled again and I subconsciously scooted closer to him for warmth. His arm tightened around my waist. "Are you really this cuddly?"

"I am," I admitted. "Whenever I share a bed with someone I totally invade their personal space."

"I can't imagine many guys complaining about that."

"Oh they don't. The girls do."

He laughed. "So what if I stayed the night?"

I froze and sat up, looking at him. "Seriously? I'm not that kind of girl."

"I meant just sleep. I'm pretty sure Emmett and Rose are in for the night."

I grimaced. "Yeah, probably." I chewed on my lip. "I guess, being the celebrity, you can have the bed and I'll take the couch."

"I can share," he laughed.

"Or I can drive you home," I offered.

He rolled his eyes. "That too."

I yawned and stood up. I crossed to the window and peaked out. Everything was covered in a blanket of white and I could see the road shining icily in the street lights. "It looks like the roads are bad and I'm a shit driver in snow. I'm too tired to try to drive you home." I turned to him. "If we share, you keep everything to yourself, got it?"

He saluted me. "Aye aye."

I nodded and started towards the door. "I'm going to check on them."

He nodded and stood up, too. I headed into the living room. No one was there and I could see the door to Rose's room was closed when I passed it. I made a face at it and headed back to my room.

Edward was pulling his pants off and he froze when he saw me in the doorway. "I prefer not to sleep in jeans," he explained.

I nodded and flushed, turning around. "I'll give you some privacy then."

He laughed. "Probably the only one who would."

I listened to the rustling of fabric as he climbed into the bed. I peeked over my shoulder and he was sitting propped up against the headboard, reading one of the books from the pile. I toed off my shoes and pulled my bra off without taking off my shirt. Edward Cullen or no, I hated sleeping in a bra. I draped my hoodie on my desk chair and crawled in on the other side.

"I apologize in advance if I dry hump you in the night."

He raised his eyebrows. "That might happen?"

I sighed. "According to my last boyfriend, yes. So…be warned."

"What do I do about it?"

"Just push a pillow at me. I'll be fine."

He laughed. "Yeah, but will I? I don't think I've ever been accosted like that before."

"There's a first time for everything." I settled down in the covers, pulling them up over my shoulder, and tucked one pillow between my legs, hugging the one under my head. "Good night, Edward Cullen."

"Good night, Bella…what's your last name anyway?"

I laughed. "Swan."

"Good night, Bella Swan. Do you mind if I read?"

"Read away."

I was exhausted, but my mind was racing. What the hell? Edward Cullen was IN MY BED. I felt like I was living in some kind of fucking fairy tale or something. Either that or a poorly written romance novel. Shit like this didn't happen in real life.

I listened to him reading, quietly turning the pages and shifting slightly in the bed periodically. I was so glad I'd gotten a queen when we moved in. it was big enough we didn't have to touch, but not so big we were half a world apart. I groaned inwardly that I was this excited about being so close to Edward Cullen. I tried to convince myself it was just because of the lack of male attention for the past two years other than the fact that it was Edward Cullen in my bed.

Eventually, he set the book down on the nightstand and flipped off the lamp. He shifted in the bed and I could feel the heat radiating off his body as he settled down beside me. We lay in silence for a bit before:

"You're still awake aren't you."

I sighed and rolled over, facing towards him in the dark. "Yes."

"Is it because I was reading?"

"No."

"So it's because I'm here?"

"You're accent is back."

"You're avoiding the question."

I laughed softly. "Maybe."

"Are you scared of me? You're the one who's going to jump me in the night."

I laughed again. "I'm just freaking out a little that you are who you are and you are where you are."

"I'm just a guy, Bella. Maybe a little better looking than others, but still just a guy."

I sighed. "You're just a guy, sure, but you're also a fucking international superstar/heartthrob/sex god. And you're in my bed in your underwear."

He laughed then. "Yeah, this evening did not turn out how I thought it would. I rarely end up in bed with a woman while wearing underwear. If there's a woman in my bed, typically we're both naked."

"Thanks for that mental image," I grumbled. "Or I guess for that put down."

"No, I didn't mean it that way." He sighed and I could see his hands moving to his head in the dim light from outside. "I respect you too much to try to sleep with you hours after meeting you."

I snickered and he chuckled too at his choice of words. "Ok, have sex with you, happy?"

"Sure." I closed my eyes and thought for a while. "So what kind of girl do you not respect enough to have sex with her?"

"Girls like Jessica Stanley."

I laughed and pushed his chest slightly. "Goober."

"Hey, that's the kind of girl you find all over LA. Really, that's the kind of girl I meet all the time. You've been a refreshing change. I don't often meet a puppet master with a wicked sense of humor who is basically my ideal girl in nearly every way."

"What ways do I fail?" I asked curiously.

He was quiet. "Well, I don't know about your family and we had a great time tonight, but who knows, if we continued, further on down the road you may turn out to be a raving lunatic."

"This is totally possible."

"In spite of that, I want to ask you something."

"Ask away." I opened my eyes and looked up at him curiously.

"Would you be interested in getting coffee or something sometime? Just the two of us?"

I grinned. "Sure."

He grinned back at me. "So only having met me a few hours ago doesn't weird you out?"

I shrugged. "No, plus how do you know I'm not some crazy stalker who knew from the very beginning it was you but I'm really just an incredible actress and am hiding my insanity?"

"Ooo…good point. I think I'd like to take my chances, though."

I laughed. "Then chance away."

Tali: So, this is something new and I hope y'all like it. It's been playing in my head pretty much since I started writing fanfiction. I'm not dissing anyone who reads tabloids, so don't get your panties in a bunch. I read Us Weekly and Entertainment Weekly … weekly. I've got a couple more chapters written up and have an end in sight that I'm hoping to write today or tomorrow. Let me know what you think!