Pick A Pic Challenge
Title: The Wish
Penname: earthprincess4
Banner: 102
Rating/ Disclaimer: M/I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copy write infringement intended.
Summary: All Bella wants is someone to love her. She wishes on a shooting star and the star has one week to grant her the wish. But what if Bella doesn't want the wish anymore and would rather have the star?
To see all the stories that are a part of this contest please visit: www .fanfiction-challenges. blogspot. com

A/N: This story would not be complete without a song for inspiration. I absolutely love this song and think it fits this story so well. There is also a really great R/K video using this song over on youtube so check it out. "When You Love Someone" by Bryan Adams

Thanks sister_liz for helping me out with beta'ing this story and the other at such last minute. You definitely saved the day by getting them done so quickly.

BPOV

"Would you like to come in for a while?" I asked the devilishly handsome man sitting in the driver's seat next to me.

"Uh, I think I'm going to pass," he replied. "It was nice meeting you, Bella. Good luck with all your… research."

"Right," I accepted. It was going to be another night of being alone and lonely. I stepped out of his car and walked to my front door. He didn't even bother to walk me to the door or open the car door for me. The sooner he could get rid of me, the better.

I'm nothing special and I know that. I'm a thirty-six year old, short, frizzed hair, thick glasses wearing, clumsy, frumpy clothes wearing, Astronomer. I study stars on a daily basis. When I go out on the rare date, I always end up talking too much about what I do and men get freaked out by it.

I still have not found love nor had a man tell me he loves me, apart from my dad. I've been doing this online dating stuff for quite a while now, and I have met some of the guys but it never goes any further than the first date. Sometimes there's a guy who is brave enough to come inside my house for a quick roll in the sack, but they don't ever stay or come back. Unfortunately for me, the guy I went on a date with tonight was not one of those brave men. I didn't expect to hear back from him.

I walked in my house, poured a glass of wine and changed out of the ridiculous sweater dress I was wearing. It's summer and I decided to wear a sweater dress on this date. It wasn't just any sweater dress either. It was a long sleeve turtle neck in a dark red. I looked like I was ready for a Christmas party. I don't know what I was thinking.

After I changed into a pair of raggedy old sweatpants and an old t-shirt, I walked out on my back deck and sat down in my lounge chair with a blanket and a good romance novel. I always envisioned myself being one of those women in the romance novels. Some strong gorgeous man would come sweep me off my feet and give me every ounce of pleasure I've ever imagined. Sadly, that was just a fairytale for me. No man would ever look at me and want me the same way the men in the romance novels did for the heroine of the stories I read.

I got about half way through a chapter, when the stars above me began to distract me like they did most times. I'd always loved the stars. The magical, hopeful feeling they left me with as a child is what convinced me to be an astronomer.

I stood from my chair and walked to my simple telescope to look up at the stars. This telescope was nothing like the ones I worked with at my job, but it was still a fun toy for me to use at home.

I looked through the eyepiece, up at the stars and smiled as they twinkled above me. Just as I happened to take my eye away and look up directly at the sky, I saw a shooting star over the mountains. I felt silly for doing it, considering I was a grown woman, but I wished on the shooting star. I wished for a man to fall in love with me.

Afterwards, I opened my eyes and laughed at myself for being so childish. Like a star could make someone fall in love with me.

I gathered up my blanket and book and went to bed for the night.

Since the next day was Saturday, I slept in. I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. I stretched my arms and moaned as the sunbeams coming from my window warmed my face. I slowly opened my eyes to the day, only to see a strange man lying on my bed watching me.

"Good morning, Sunshine," he cooed. I screamed and scrambled out of my bedding, only to land flat on my face. I let out a whimper from the sudden pain rushing through my nose.

"Are you okay, Sweetheart?" he asked, walking around the bed towards me. I crawled to the wall, looking up at him in fear. Who was he and what did he plan to do to me?

"Let me have a look at your nose," he demanded, leaning down next to me. I flinched at his touch. He was so gentle and caring while he examined me though. It took me off guard.

"Who are you?" I asked in a shaky voice.

He smiled in a compassionate way. "I'm your wish, My Love," he answered.

I shook my head. "What?"

"You wished on me last night. I'm here to grant you your wish."

"My wish?" I asked, still confused by what he was telling me. He stood to his feet and reached out his hand for mine. Even though I knew I shouldn't, I took his hand and he helped me to my feet. He walked me back over to the bed and sat me down.

"Your nose doesn't look broken, but you do have a little scrape on your forehead," he informed, rubbing his thumb across the scrape. I stared at him in amazement. He was so beautiful. He shined in a way. I felt magical being in his presence.

"You're here to love me?" I asked timidly.

He chuckled. "No, My Darling," he answered. "I'm here to help you find someone love you. It's what you wished for. As the star you wished on, it's my duty to grant it.

"You're a star?" I asked, giggling at the idiocy of the idea.

"Laugh all you want, Sweetie. I am what I am and I will grant you your wish."

"Stars are balls of gas. They aren't humans," I explained.

He leaned in very close to my face and smirked. His breath against my cheek made me lightheaded. "I'm not a human," he whispered.

"So you're telling me you're a ball of gas?" I wondered.

He laughed. "I can be anything I want to be when it requires me to grant a wish."

"Then tell me your name? Do you have some famous star name I would know?" I asked.

He hummed, lying back against my headboard. "I'm not that big yet. Someday I might get there where the entire galaxy knows my name, but I haven't reached my goal yet."

"How do you reach the goal of becoming a famous star?" I wondered, trying to play along until I could call the cops or maybe even a mental hospital.

"I have to grant a thousand wishes. I'm nowhere near that total."

"How many wishes have you granted?"

"One-hundred-and-nine," he replied. "You will be my one-hundred-and-tenth, if I can complete my task, that is."

"What do you have to do to complete your task?"

"I've already told you. I have to make your wish come true. I have to get someone to fall in love with you and I only have a week to do it."

"So you're telling me anytime someone wishes on you, you come to earth looking like a human and you grant them their wish?"

"Not exactly," he disputed. "This is essentially my first trip to earth. Some stars are able to travel back and forth with no problems, where others will die here on earth."

"What do you mean they die? How does that happen?"

"When we are asked for wishes we can't grant from our home, we sometimes have to come to earth to make them happen. However, once we get here the person who asked for the wish has to believe us and after their wish is granted, they have to wish us home. If the star has no one to wish him home at the end of his task, he gets stuck and will die after his week term is over."

"How sad," I said, feeling bad for those lost stars.

"This is why I chose you as my first earth visit. You know stars and you've connected to the stars in a way most humans can't. You will believe me and want my help. Then at the end of my week, you will send me home."

He had so much confidence in me I really started to feel bad for doubting him at first. If he really was a star, I couldn't let him die. If his mission was to grant me a wish, then I'd let him. What could it hurt, right?

"You still haven't told me your name," I pointed out.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I forgot. This is my first time talking to a human." He sat up and extended his hand to mine. "My name is Edward and it is a pleasure to meet you Isabella Swan. I look forward to granting you your wish."

"You don't have to be so formal," I said, feeling a little bashful at his greeting.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Would you rather I greet you with "hey" or "what's up"?" He became very animated while using those expressions. I couldn't help but laugh.

"No, I guess what you did was fine."

"You do believe me, don't you, Bella?" he asked, sincerely.

"Surprisingly yes," I answered. "I do believe you."

"Great, now that introductions are over, I think it's time we get started, Beautiful?"

"Get started on what?" I asked, nervously.

"Your wish, Silly," he answered. "You asked for something almost impossible. We typically don't interfere in the love lives of the humans when they ask. However, you didn't ask for a specific person, you just asked for someone. So, I'm going to transform you on the outside into the beautiful woman I see on the inside."

He liked to express himself with words of endearment, which tended to make me blush a little. I've never had someone call me beautiful or sweetie. It was a strange feeling.

"Get yourself dressed and grab a credit card. We have some shopping to do," he informed with excitement in his voice.

I did as he asked and quickly dressed myself. We drove into the city and parked at the mall. I sat there, unwilling to move. I hated shopping. I never found things I felt comfortable in and were flattering. I didn't like going into dressing rooms. I didn't like the crowds of people. I especially didn't like shopping with people and here I was about to shop with a man, or well, a star at my side. This was going to be catastrophic.

My car door swung open and a hand was presented in front of me. "My Lady, it is time for us to shop."

I took a deep breath and took his hand. He tucked my arm around his and guided me through the doors.

"Now, where to go first?" he pondered.

"I really don't know how changing my appearance is going to help me find a guy to fall in love with me," I argued.

"We aren't changing you, Love. We are enhancing your already present beauty."

"Okay," I chuckled. "Then I don't see how enhancing me is going to help."

"Trust me. I've watched humans for thousands of years. I know how they think and how they behave. When I'm done with you, no guy in his right mind would ever turn you down."

I shrugged my shoulders. "If you say so," I accepted, with a hint of skepticism in my voice.

We walked into a small lingerie boutique first. I felt so uncomfortable in a place like this. Women who were model types shopped in stores like this. Not girls like me.

"Edward, I don't know," I whined, pulling on his arm.

"Relax, My Dear. You will be fine. I'm right next to you."

I hesitantly followed him in and listened to his instruction on what to look for.

"Do you know how important it is to have a set of black panties?" he asked. My face was bright red. I couldn't believe he was giving me panty advice. "Guys love the black panties."

I felt like I was shopping with a gay man. This was crazy enough and now he's telling me what guys like to see on girls. Could this get any worse?

"Ah hah," he breathed in excitement. "I found the perfect pair." He walked over and handed me a pair of lace, black underwear with a little baby pink bow at the top. "These are sexy, but with the pink bow it makes you appear innocent and sweet, which you are. Thus being the reason they're perfect for you."

"I hope you don't think I'm doing a fashion show for you," I said, feeling mortified.

"No, Silly," he answered. "Not here anyway."

"What does that mean?"

He smirked, raising one corner of his lip into a crooked smile. He leaned into my ear so no one could hear him. "I can watch you from the sky every night."

If I didn't get out of this store and away from him, I was going to die of embarrassment. I ducked into a dressing room and took some long deep breaths. I tried on the panties and thought I looked quite ridiculous. Edward kept dropping more and more things in for me to try on. I had bras, more panties, sexy little nighties, everything you can imagine he was making me try on.

By the time we left the boutique, I had spent nearly five hundred dollars. I couldn't imagine where he was going to take me next.

We walked past the food court and I heard Edward groan. I stopped to look at him. He didn't look well at all.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I don't know. My stomach is making all kinds of weird gurgling noises."

I laughed. "You're hungry," I informed him. "Humans have to eat. Don't you know that by watching us all the time?"

"Yes, but I didn't know this is how you feel before you eat. I feel like my insides are shriveling up."

I laughed again, tucking my arm through his and guiding him to the food. "What sounds good?" I asked.

"All of it," he answered, looking around at all the different choices. "I don't know what's good and what's bad. I've never tasted human food. Well I did once, but it's been a really long time."

"How did you try human food if this is your first earth visit?" I wondered.

"Every ten wishes we grant, we get a wish of our own. For one of my wishes a very long time ago, I wished for chocolate. I'd seen so many humans enjoy it and watched the craze of chocolate, so I wished for some."

"That's an interesting thing to wish for," I pointed out.

"We aren't like humans. We don't wish for impossible things. Most of the time it's material objects or stuff we want to try. We have no use for money or love or miracles, like we get asked for so often."

"Love and miracles are impossible wishes to grant?" I asked. It didn't go unnoticed that he was here to help me find love but he said love was an impossible wish.

"I'm sorry, I know you have a lot of questions but I need to eat," he complained.

I laughed at the way he was rubbing his stomach. "Why don't we walk through the places and when something smells enticing to you, we'll eat there," I offered. He nodded his head, too consumed with the smells of food to give me a better answer.

He stopped, taking in a deep breath and humming at the smell. "This is what I want." I looked at where he stopped and smiled. He chose a pizza stand. I walked to the counter and ordered two slices of pizza along with two cokes.

We found a place to sit down and began to eat. Edward hummed and sighed at the wonderful tastes of pizza and coke.

"We're going to need to get more of this," he announced.

I laughed.

"We can get some for dinner if you like," I suggested.

"I would most definitely like to have this for dinner."

"We can order more when we get home."

After we were done eating, we went to many different stores and Edward picked out hundreds of outfits for me to try on. By the time we were done for the day, I'd spent over two-thousand dollars. I've never spent so much money on clothes at one time.

"Tomorrow is hair and make-up," Edward informed, as we walked through my front door.

"Tomorrow," I whined. "We have to do more of this tomorrow?"

He smiled, setting all the bags down on the floor and walked over to me. "It's all worth it in the end, My Love."

I grumbled and made a face. "I think I'm going to bed then."

"What?" he gasped. "You can't go to bed. What about dinner? Weren't we going to order pizza again?"

"Oh yeah," I was reminded. "I'll order it and you can get the door when it comes."

I made the call and handed Edward the money so he could pay when it came and went to bed.

I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow, only to be awoken a little while later to the sound of chewing next to me. I rolled over, sighing in frustration.

"Edward, can't you go out in the living room or even in the kitchen to eat?" I asked.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized. "I suppose eating on the bed isn't proper is it? Would you like me to go to the table?"

"Don't worry about it," I excused, sitting up in bed.

"Are you hungry? I can get you some pizza, if you would like."

"I'm fine. What time is it?" I asked.

"A little after one," he answered.

"One a.m.?" I gasped.

"Yes, why do you seem so shocked?"

"Have you slept at all?" I wondered.

"I'm a star, remember? I don't sleep at night."

"But you didn't sleep during the day either. Don't you need to sleep at some point?" I asked.

"Why sleep when there's so much excitement going on?" he replied.

"Edward, you have to sleep. If you run on adrenaline alone you will make yourself sick."

"I know. I'm just so excited to be here, I feel like I'll never sleep again."

"Didn't you say you watch us from the sky?" I reminded.

"We do, but it's very different to experience it firsthand than to watch it from afar."

"Please sleep," I begged.

"I'll try," he agreed, curling up next to me on the bed. "Would you rather I sleep on the couch?"

"It doesn't matter, Edward. If you want to sleep here you can."

I turned over trying to go to sleep, but his tossing and turning made it really hard. Finally, he fell asleep and I did the same.

In the morning, I woke up with him sitting up on the bed watching me sleep.

"Good morning, Beautiful," he greeted.

I sighed and sat up on the bed. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Why do you call me Beautiful or My Love?" I asked.

"You are beautiful."

I rolled my eyes. "No I'm not," I argued.

"On the contrary, My Dear, you are the most beautiful human I've ever met."

I scoffed at his reply. "I'm the only human you've ever met."

"It doesn't change your beauty by the number of people I know. If I knew every human on this planet, I'd still think you were the most beautiful."

I scoffed again.

"You don't believe me?" he wondered.

"I just think you're a little misguided."

"We'll see."

"What's the plan for today, Fearless Leader?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Hair and makeup," he answered with a lift of his eyebrow.

"Great." There was hint of distaste in my voice.

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "You'll do fine. Now go get ready."

I took my time climbing out of bed and taking a shower to avoid the inevitable. I really didn't want to get my hair and makeup done. Every time I did, I felt like the hair dresser was afraid to attempt to make me look better.

After I grudgingly got ready for the day, Edward had me drive into the city and stop at a salon he had called to make me an appointment.

I sat there silently as Edward talked to the hair stylist and told her what he wanted for me. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The girl who did my hair, manicure, pedicure, and makeup was named Alice and she was really sweet. She got along really well with Edward too. It's like everything he envisioned for me she could see and make it happen. Edward was very pleased with the end result and I was too. I've never felt pretty, but when I was turned around and shown the creation Edward and Alice had made I was blown away. I literally began crying once I saw myself.

"Do you not like it?" Edward asked, leaning down next to me and taking my hand in his.

I shook my head, trying to wipe my tears away. "I love it. I've never looked this beautiful before."

Edward smiled and kissed the back of my hand. "I told you, you were beautiful. I've always seen it."

"Thank you." I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"You are most welcome, Love."

After I wiped my face and Alice fixed what I messed up, I gave her a hug and paid the bill. I didn't even care about the price, if it meant I could look this good.

Edward wanted to go somewhere to get some lunch so I suggested we try something different than pizza. I took him to a little café I liked to go to. We ate burgers and fries, while chatting about the day. He had high hopes of finding me a guy in the next couple of days. He didn't have a lot of time left to get someone to fall in love with me. He had to work fast. I thought it was an impossible task, but he kept assuring me he'd find someone.

We were just about to leave when a coworker of mine walked in.

"Bella," she gasped.

"Hi Leah," I greeted.

"What happened to you?" she asked with an astonished look on her face.

"I'm just trying to make a few changes."

"Quite drastic changes," she observed. "I almost didn't recognize you."

"Well, I was ready for a change."

"I have to say I like it. You look good. I don't think I've ever seen you this happy. You have this glow about you."

"She does seem to be glowing, doesn't she?" Edward agreed. He walked up from behind me and placed his hand on my back in an encouraging way. I noticed Leah checking him out from head to toe.

"Well I guess I know why the sudden change," Leah insinuated.

I looked towards Edward who had a confused look on his face. "This is actually my brother. He's visiting me for a few days."

"Really," she pondered.

"I'm Edward. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," she said in a flirtatious way, while shaking his hand. I distinctly saw her wink at him.

"We were just getting ready to leave. I'll see you tomorrow at work."

I grabbed Edward's hand and led him out. "What's the rush," he chuckled.

"Did you even realize she was flirting with you?" I asked.

He stared at me strangely. "So?"

"She's a human. I don't think a relationship can work out between a human and a star, can it?"

"Just because she flirts, doesn't mean there has to be a relationship. There's no reason I can't have a little fun while I'm here." He raised his eyebrow and gave me that crooked smile again.

I shook my head and grinned at him. Even a star acted like a typical man.

He pulled me into his side as we walked to the car. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm not interested in enjoying any of the typical human rituals. I'm only here for you."

We drove home and spent the rest of the day on the couch watching cheesy TV shows and snacking on popcorn.

"I've watched these shows from afar for years and I always thought they were so fascinating. Now, I'm almost afraid to walk out the front door. How do you live with this kind of fear in the world?" Edward asked.

"Edward," I laughed. "This isn't real. It's actors telling a story."

"Yes, I know but the people who created this had to see it or experience it somehow. This kind of stuff does happen, doesn't it?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "In some parts of the world, I guess. But it's not something you see in real life on a daily basis."

He pulled me into his arms and held me close. "You better wish on me if you're ever in trouble. I'll come back to keep you safe."

"Is it even possible to be granted more than one wish?" I wondered.

"Sometimes," he answered. "But when I leave, I'll be watching you. If you need me, I'll find a way back."

I grabbed the remote and turned the channel. "Stop watching all these cop dramas and watch something romantic. Then you won't be scared."

"Love," he said, seeing I had changed the channel to a romantic comedy. "Now there's something I'm still mystified by."

"What do you mean you're mystified by love? Aren't you here to help me find love?"

"I know what love is and what it looks like. I've seen humans love and how they behave when they are in love. I just don't understand the concept of it."

"Are you saying stars don't love?" I wondered.

"I guess that's one thing stars aren't capable of. We don't interfere with love because we can't love. We can definitely see human emotions. We just can't experience human emotions."

"You can't love? You can't have any sort of human emotions?"

"No," he answered.

"That's kind of sad. I always looked at stars as being so magical and full of hope. Without love, they don't seem as wonderful anymore."

"You don't think I'm wonderful?" he asked.

I smiled, resting back into his chest. "You are the most wonderful star in the sky."

He breathed in a long pleased breath and rubbed my shoulder.

I thought about what he revealed to me and all the times he'd called me beautiful or love. All his little terms of endearment were nothing more than something he'd picked up by watching humans. It didn't seem as nice as it did at first.

We lay on the couch watching TV until I needed to go to bed.

"What will you do while I'm at work tomorrow?" I asked when I crawled into the blankets.

"You have to work?" he asked. "This is going to complicate my task if you're at work all day."

"I'm sorry, I have to work."

"Then I guess I'll sleep and tonight I'll start doing some more research on finding you a man. Is there anyone you have in mind?"

"I thought you said you don't interfere with love?"

"I can't make anyone fall in love with you. But there's no reason not to set you up with someone you have in mind."

"I really don't know anyone. I've been doing the online dating thing, but it hasn't been very successful."

"Show me to these sites and I'll try to find you a match."

Reluctantly, I gave him the website names and all my passwords, so he could search. I went to bed, hoping he didn't end up destroying my reputation on all those sites.

In the morning, I got myself ready for work and checked in on him. He was still hard at work, checking every guys profile to find the right one.

"I'll see you later tonight," I called. He barely acknowledged me. "Help yourself to anything you like, while I'm gone."

I left for work and spent the entire day worrying about Edward. I called him at least five times before it was even eleven. He finally told me to stop calling because he was trying to sleep. I felt bad for waking him. I resisted calling for the rest of the day, but as soon as I was done I rushed home.

I walked through the door to find Edward waiting for me with a huge grin on his face. I dropped my shoulders and sighed heavily, at what this might mean.

"I have a date set up for you every night this week. It's time to get you ready," he announced.

I slumped even further and fell to the couch. "Edward I just got home from work. I'm not in the mood to go out on a date tonight."

Ignoring everything I just said he went on. "I have chosen four of the best guys I could find. The first guy is named Masen. He's thirty years old, he's an electrician, and he has a dog, and loves Mexican food. Do you like Mexican food? Anyway, he wants you to meet him at some Mexican restaurant. I wrote the name of it down. I'm kind of interested in trying this Mexican food myself."

"Then you go on the date and tell me how it goes. I'm too tired."

He dropped on the couch next to me giving me puppy dog eyes. "Don't you want me to grant you your wish?"

"I don't know anymore. It was just a silly wish. I never expected it to come true. I don't think it will come true now either."

"Yes it will. I promise it will come true. But I can't do it alone. You have to help me out, just a little."

Rolling my eyes and sighing in defeat, I agreed. I got myself ready and drove across town to the restaurant. Edward walked in a few minutes before me to scope the place out and find a good spot so he could watch.

I walked in and in my normal fashion, tripped on the doorstep and fell to the floor. The restaurant wasn't very busy, so the guy I was intended to meet saw everything. My face turned bright red as I got back to my feet. I saw him look over at me incredulously. I could tell this was over before it even began.

I walked over and stopped in front of him. "Hi, are you Masen?" I asked.

"You must be Bella."

"That would be me. It's nice to meet you." I crawled on the stool next to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine."

He didn't look convinced, but cleared his throat and offered to buy me a drink. I ordered a Margarita and tried to calm myself.

We chatted for a while and I thought it was going well. Then he asked the dreaded question. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm an Astronomer."

"Is that like an astronaut or something?"

"No, I study stars and the planets. I use telescopes and satellites to study matter and energy in the universe. It's mostly physics and mathematical equations. I work at the university in the observatory. I'm hoping to someday make it into NASA, not as an astronaut though."

"Oh," he said. I could tell already he was intimidated. It was only a matter of time before he bolted. "You must make pretty good money doing something like that."

Yep, there it was. As soon as he knows I make more money than he does, all bets are off that this will be a serious relationship. Men don't like to be looked at as inferior to women. I'm sure he had high hopes of impressing me with his career and I just outdid him. Since my outer look was better I'm sure I'd get sex out of this date, but it would never go any further than a one night stand.

"I do alright," I answered, trying to downplay my income for the sake of his pride. "I don't do it for the money though. I've always loved stars and been fascinated with them. I learn something new about them every day. Just this week, I learned something I didn't even know was possible with a star and I can't wait to study this new development and find out how it all works. The possibilities of what I've discovered are endless."

"Here I thought I was going to be able to impress you with my master electrician skills only to be shot down by a NASA worker." He complained. He had a smile on his face though so I could tell he was trying to not let it bother him. Or maybe he was hoping I would tell him being an electrician is so much better than what I do. Nervously, I laughed. I didn't know what to say so the best thing was to just laugh it off and hope he didn't take offense. In the midst of my laughing I snorted really loud. His mouth dropped open and an eyebrow was raised. I dropped my head into my hand in shame. I just snorted on a date. He adjusted in his seat and cleared his throat a few times.

It only took about ten minutes more, before he mysteriously got an emergency phone call and had to leave. He did pay for my drink and politely said that he had a good time and maybe we could do it again sometime, but I knew there would never be another time.

Humiliated, I walked over to the booth Edward was sitting at and slumped into the seat across from him.

"It didn't go well?" he asked.

I looked up at him with an unenthused look on my face. "Guys get intimidated by me when I start discussing stars and what it is I do for a living."

"You don't discuss stars with me."

"You are a star. What exactly could I tell you about yourself, you don't already know?" I questioned.

"That's true," he agreed. "What else went wrong?"

"I got nervous and stupidly began laughing only to snort really loud. I think that's what did it. He probably thought I was a nerd."

"You are a nerd," he added.

"Thanks." The irritation in my voice was unfathomable.

"Sweetheart, you can't make a man feel inferior to you if you want to keep him around for a while. You got to let him think he's in control and he can dazzle you for a while. Once he's fallen in love with you, he should be able to accept what you do and not think about how much better than him you are. He won't care. Be a little mysterious at first."

I sighed, taking in what he was suggesting. Maybe he was right.

"As for the snorting," he began. My face dropped in my hands again for even bringing it up. "I've heard you snort before when you laugh and I find it very endearing. Any guy who isn't turned on by a girl who snorts when she laughs is a fool."

I shook my head. "You are such a bad liar."

"Why would you think I was lying?"

"Edward, you can't be attracted to a girl who snorts."

"I'm attracted to everything you do. You are the most fascinating person I've ever met."

"Again, I'm the only person you've ever met."

"Not true," he argued. "I did meet Leah the other day, remember?"

"I do remember. Still, you spent two minutes with her when you've spent days with me. I'm obviously going to fascinate you."

"Should we order something to eat?" he asked, changing the subject. I nodded my head and summoned for a waiter to come take our order.

We ate and chatted for well over two hours before we left. We walked down the sidewalk arm in arm. I suggested we get ice cream, which he absolutely loved. He couldn't seem to stop talking about how great the ice cream was.

By the time we made it home, it was already late and I wanted to go to bed. He had another date lined up for me every night this week.

As the week went on and I went out every night with a new guy, Edward would give me some sort of advice on what I could do better. Present myself better, be more enthusiastic, act like I'm really into him even if I'm not, don't slouch, try to compliment him as often as I can… The list was endless and I really didn't want to date anyone anymore. I was burned out.

Edward was irritated with me, but what did he expect? No man was ever going to love me. It was just something both of us had to accept.

"Tomorrow is my last day here," he pointed out sadly.

"Already," I whined. "You just got here and now you're going to leave me?"

"Bella, you knew I only had one week."

"What happens if you aren't able to grant my wish?" I wondered, sitting with him on the couch. "You don't get in trouble or penalized in any way do you?"

"No. It'll just mess up my perfect record. I've always been able to grant a wish. This will be my first incomplete task. I really wanted this wish too."

"I'm sorry I'm not capable of finding love. I feel horrible you aren't going to be able to successfully complete your task."

"I didn't want this wish for myself, Bella. I want you to be happy. I want you to have your wish more than anything. I've never wanted to grant a wish as much as I do yours. I thought granting you your wish would be so easy. Who wouldn't want to love you? If I was capable of loving, I know I would love you."

I smiled sweetly at his comment. He was definitely the sweetest man I'd ever met, which only left me reminded that he wasn't a man at all. A man could never be as charming and uncomplicated as he is.

Before I had a chance to respond, my phone rang. I sat up and grabbed my phone off my coffee table. I answered the phone to be greeted by an enthusiastic Leah on the other line. She's always been a little reserved and very rarely ever called me. This was a strange call, especially with the way she sounded so excited.

"You know Jacob Black, my mechanic friend who comes by every once in a while?" she wondered.

"Yeah, I've seen him around a little. Why?"

"I was talking to him tonight and he asked about you. He wanted to know if I thought you would go on a date with him." I mentally rolled my eyes. I could tell this was going to be bad. "I told him I would try to set up a double date so he can get to know you better. I thought maybe you and your brother could meet us for dinner tomorrow night. What do you think?"

"I see, this is a ploy to get a date with my brother for you," I accused.

"I'm not going to lie. I wouldn't mind seeing Edward again. But I'm being completely honest, he did ask about you. I just took the liberty of setting up the date. Please," she begged.

I sighed. "Hold on." I pulled the phone away from my ear and covered the mouth piece.

"It's Leah. The girl we met at the diner the other day. She said her friend Jake asked about me and now she wants to know if you and I would be interested in going on a double date with them tomorrow night."

He sat up excitedly. "You have someone interested in you?" he asked. "Let's do it."

"You do realize a double date means you will be on a date with Leah, right?"

"Oh," he stopped, thinking it over for a moment. "Well that's fine. I've observed human dates from afar for so long. I can do this. It's only one night and if it means helping you find love, I can handle it."

"Okay," I accepted. I brought the phone back to my ear and let Leah know we would come. She told me where to meet them and what time.

When I hung up with her, Edward was already buzzing all over the house.

"What are you doing?" I laughed.

"This has to be the best date ever for you. I need to start making preparations. I should call Alice. I wonder if she makes house calls."

"Who are you talking about?"

"The girl from the beauty salon," he answered. "I'm sure if we paid her enough she could come over and help me get you ready."

"Don't you think we should get you ready for your first date ever?" I asked. "This is a big deal for you."

"This isn't about me, I'm just the support."

"Still," I began with a grin on my face. "We need to get you ready. I'm taking tomorrow off from work and you and I are going to go shopping for you."

"Are you serious?" he groaned.

"Yes I am, Edward. You are going to experience exactly what it's like to be a puppet. This is going to be fun."

The following day, I was the one who woke him up early in the morning to get ready. We hit the men's clothing stores to find an appropriate outfit for him. He thought he should wear a full suit but I insisted he go a little more casual since it was summer. We compromised on black slacks, a dark blue button-up shirt, and a black tie. I really thought the tie was a little too much, but he really wanted to wear the tie.

In the afternoon, we grabbed some lunch at a hotdog stand and walked through the park. This was something I wanted him to experience before he left. The thought of him leaving always left my stomach in knots. I didn't want him to go. I got comfortable with having him around. I wished there was some way I could get him to stay.

We stopped to feed the ducks for a few minutes. We got ice cream again from a little ice cream cart. We mostly spent the day laughing and just having fun.

"Do you like being a star?" I asked, while we sat at a bench and ate our ice cream..

"Why wouldn't I like being a star? There's nothing to fear. I can do anything I want. I can make human's wishes come true. I get to meet beautiful women. Being a star is the best thing ever."

"Do you have families like we do as humans?" I asked.

"No," he answered with furrowed brow. "There are young stars and older stars, but we aren't born or created the same way humans are. I don't have a mother and a father or siblings. It's just me."

"What about friends? There has to be someone you have a connection with."

"I told you, we don't have human emotions. There are stars I talk to and know well, but I don't have a connection to them. There just other stars like me," he explained.

"It's still hard to believe you don't have any feelings towards anything."

"I guess that's not entirely true. We do enjoy human indulgences," he pointed out taking a large bite of his ice cream. "But for a star, enjoyment is easy to give up. Once I'm back home, I'll forget all about ice cream and not crave it like humans crave things."

I laughed, thinking it was funny how he could enjoy human food and make a connection with something not real, but he couldn't have that same type of connection with a human or another star. The thing that got me the most was how he said once he goes home he will forget all about ice cream and anything else he's enjoyed while being here. Did he mean me? Would he forget me when he went back home? He said he wouldn't, but I think it was just something he'd learned to say and he truly didn't know the meaning of what it meant. He would forget all about me and move on to another wish.

The last thing I wanted to do was bring him to the planetarium. I wanted him to have a small piece of home, here. I walked him in to the large dome and picked out seats. He seemed a little confused about what we were doing, but I insisted he would like this. The lights went out and I felt his hand slip into mine. I tightened my fingers around his and smiled. As the planetarium show began I heard him gasp. I hoped it was a good thing. I watched his face in the dim light from the screen. His eyes were wide and a small smile spread across his face. That smile alone told me he was enjoying this.

He seemed so overwhelmed when we left. I started to wonder if maybe it wasn't a good idea to bring him there. Maybe this would hurt him somehow.

"Thank you," he whispered as we left.

"For what?"

"The best day of my life."

I smiled and rubbed his shoulder for a moment. "I wanted your last day here to be memorable."

"I'll never forget one moment I've spent with you."

By five, we were back at my house and getting ready for the night. Alice showed up unexpectedly around six. Apparently, Edward had called her to ask if she'd be willing to help me get ready and she agreed to stop by after work, free of charge. I told her the only way I was going to let her have her way with me was if she did something about Edward's hair first. That mop on the top of his head needed to be controlled somehow.

She spent a good hour working on him. She spent more time on him than she did on me. When she was done, he walked out of the bedroom looking more handsome than I thought was even possible. His hair had been trimmed just a little and styled nicely. He shaved, showered, put on the outfit we spent all morning picking out, and had this overwhelmingly dazzling smile on his face. I had never been more attracted to a man than I was in that moment.

"You look absolutely gorgeous. I do believe you are glowing more than you usually do," he complimented.

I blushed and bit my lip. I looked down at my dress I picked out to wear. It was a simple, spaghetti strap, black dress, with a little bit of poof at the hem. There was a small band of silver sequins at the bodice. Alice had fixed my hair up, with a few loose curls cascading down my shoulders. "You don't think it's too plain?" I asked.

"No," he answered. "I think it's perfect." He walked over and gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek, which only made me blush more.

Alice was gathering up the last of her supplies as we were getting ready to leave. "You two have fun tonight. I hope to see more of both of you in the future," she said.

"Thank you Alice. You have no idea how much I appreciate all you've done for us."

"It's my pleasure. This is what I love to do. I would do it for free for everyone if I didn't need to make money to survive."

She gave me a hug before leaving and wished us well again.

Are you ready to fall in love, Milady?" He offered me his arm to walk me to the car. I laughed at his term of endearment before taking his arm and walking out to the car.

We drove to the restaurant and Edward helped me out of the car.

"Please, don't let me fall on my face," I begged.

"I'll never let you fall," assured. He took my arm and led me in. I spotted Leah and Jake across the room sitting at a small table. I walked over to them and introduced Edward as my brother to Jacob. I'd only met Jacob once before, but he seemed nice.

"Thanks for agreeing to meet us," Jake said.

"We were happy to," I replied.

There was an awkward silence between all of us as we looked over the menu and made our drink order.

After drinks were served and our dinner order was made, Leah began chatting with Edward. She was overly flirtatious with him. For some reason, I wanted to smack her in the back of the head. He seemed more than happy to delight her by flirting back.

"So, Bella," Jake began, diverting my attention from Edward and Leah. "You work at the same place Leah does?"

I nodded my head, humming in the response.

"What is it you do there?"

This was the big question. I saw Edward glance my way from across the table. He gave me an encouraging look. "Oh, I mostly just work in the labs."

"What is it you do again?" I asked, putting the focus on him.

"I own a body shop downtown. I'm quite successful. I have many return customers and I've never had anyone disappointed in my work," he gloated.

"That's amazing," I appeased. "It's nice to know you are so successful in your career. I'm sure you must take a lot of pride in your work."

Edward smirked from across the table.

"I do. I enjoy what I do a lot."

Internally, I wanted to gag myself and get the hell out of there. He was so arrogant and he wasn't even covert about it. Why again did I agree to come on this date? Jacob was not my type at all. He hadn't even complimented me in any way like Edward always does.

I decided to try it first and see what happens. "I like your jacket," I complimented, nodding to the dark leather jacket hanging off the back of his chair, which I might add was pointless in my opinion considering it was still fairly warm outside. He obviously only wore it to make an impression.

He turned his head, glancing at the jacket for a moment. His mouth spread into a conceited smile. It's like he expected me to point it out and was waiting for the chance to bring it up. "Thanks, I've had this thing since I was in college. It took every penny I had to buy it at the time, but now I could probably buy a dozen of them without even breaking the bank."

I took a sip of my wine to deflect the rolling of my eyes. I don't know if I was very successful though.

Thinking about how I felt when men would treat me like this on a first date, I decided to be a little nicer. Maybe he was just nervous like I always am.

I tried to listen intently to his tales of starting his own company and how he built his shop from the ground up. It was kind of boring and still very self-centered. He still had not said a polite thing to me or asked me about myself at all. He just continued to talk about himself. But, I continued to pretend like I was interested in what he was telling me.

Every time I caught Edward glance in my direction, he looked worried. I would smile and sometimes even wink just to assure him I was fine.

While we ate, Jacob became a little too friendly. He tried to feed me bites of my food, which I found highly degrading. He brushed his hand across my shoulder and down my arm a few times. I didn't really care for his rough calloused hands against my skin. He insisted on ordering me a glass of wine, he just knew I would love. I didn't. It was the most awful wine I'd ever had. I only took a small sip just to please him and stuck to drinking water for the rest of the night.

Edward, with his naturally charming personality, had Leah swooning. She was practically sitting in his lap.

At the end of the night, Jacob asked if I would like to go back to his place. At first, I thought 'hell no', but then I thought about Edward. He needed this guy to fall in love with me to be able to complete his task at granting my wish. I could get through a night of meaningless sex if it meant this guy would fall in love with me. I wanted Edward to have his wish too.

I forced a smile and agreed.

Before we left, I pulled Edward aside to let him know.

"Jake asked me to go back to his place tonight. I told him I would."

"You're going back to his place on a first date?" he questioned.

"Why not?" I answered vaguely. "He needs to fall in love with me for you to be able to complete your task and get your wish."

"Bella, you don't like this guy. I can tell you don't. Why would you go back to his place?"

"I seem to have him captivated with me, which is more than I can say for any other guy I've ever dated. If I sleep with him, there's a good chance he'll begin to fall in love with me."

"Bella, sex isn't love," he argued.

"It's just sex, Edward. It's really not a big deal."

"You'd rather let some random douche bag of a guy use you for sex than to wait for someone you love?"

"I'm not ever going to find love. It's just not possible for me," I argued. "Look, I'm sure it won't take long. I'll be home in a couple hours. I'm positive Leah will be more than willing to give you a ride home. Who knows, maybe you can indulge in some of those human pleasures with her before you leave."

I noticed there was a small bit of hostility to my voice, which I wasn't sure why.

"Bella," he began, before we were interrupted by Jake and Leah. Jake placed his hand at the small of my back and gestured towards the car. I bid Edward and Leah goodbye and followed Jake to my car.

Leah looked ecstatic to have some alone time with Edward. I really started to wonder if he would indulge in human pleasure with Leah tonight. The thought made me sick. It's not like I had anything against Leah. She was an amazing woman and a good friend, but that was my Edward she was with.

I listened to Jake's directions back to his house and followed him up the steps to his fairly large house. Inside was overly expensive furniture and flashy décor. He offered me a drink, motioning to the large bar he had off to the side of the main room. I laughed for a moment, thinking this guy had to be doing some underground stuff to be able to afford such an extravagant place. No way did a simple mechanic and body work shop make enough money to live this type of lifestyle.

I faked a headache and said I should probably call it a night. He tried to offer me some Tylenol and a bed to rest in. His bed was the last place I wanted to be. I lied to him and told him I'm allergic to Tylenol and had to take a special prescription medication for headaches. He seemed to buy it and let me go home without any more convincing to stay.

I drove back home frustrated and irritated with myself. From now on, I was planning to give up dating all together.

I walked through my front door and kicked off my shoes. Edward was sitting in the dark, lounged across my couch, watching TV. He didn't even glance up when I walked in.

"How did things go with Leah?" I asked.

"Fine," he answered coldly.

"Did she come in at all?" I wondered.

"She asked if she could but I told her since this was your house I didn't feel comfortable inviting her in. She suggested we go back to her place, but I politely declined."

"Oh."

"How did your night go?" he asked, with an angry tone I've never heard from him.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I didn't sleep with him," I blurted. "I walked in his place and felt so out of place. I left after about five minutes of being there."

"Do you sleep with random guys often?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders defensively. "Sometimes I guess. It doesn't mean anything."

"Why do you do it then?"

"If any guy is ever going to love me, I've got to be able to please him. Guys want sex. It's what they think about all day long. I'm obviously not good at pleasing a man though, since none of them ever stick around." I complained.

"Bella, if a man truly loves you he'd be more concerned about pleasing you than himself."

I laughed. "You obviously don't know men very well. What do you think all that lingerie you made me buy is for? It's not for my pleasure, it's for a man. It's what they want to see a woman in to make them happy."

"I know what it looks like when a man loves a woman. I've seen it. I know the things he would do for her to show his love. I know the sacrifices he would make and what he would give up for her love in return. I know he wouldn't use you for sex, like that guy was trying to do tonight."

"What you describe isn't real in this world. Guys want porn stars who can pleasure them with no regard to their own pleasure."

"You don't have to be a porn star to please a man. Men don't need much to have pleasure. A woman's pleasure should be more important to him."

I laughed again and shook my head. "If you're so knowledgeable about how to please a woman, then show me."

"What?" he gasped and stood to his feet.

"I have never experienced the elusive orgasm. I want to know what it's like. You have taught me everything else about how to be on a proper date with all your human knowledge. Show me how to please a man sexually and how to feel enjoyment from it at the same time."

My hands were placed on my hips and I shifted my weight to one leg in a challenging stance. He stared at me with confused eyes for a moment.

In a flash he was standing in front of me, cupping my face in his hands. The breath suddenly left my lungs as I stared up into his bright eyes. I never thought he'd actually do it. Was he really going to do what I asked?

My eyes shifted from his eyes to his lips as he moved in closer to my lips. His warm breath washed over my face. Very gently, his lips pressed against mine. There was this magical feeling I had rush through me as our lips touched. I'm sure it was because he was a star and I was a human, but I've never experienced anything like it before.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood to my tip-toes to get closer to him. His hands moved from my face, down to my hips and around my waist. I was completely lost in his touch. I wanted to be consumed by him in every way possible.

Never breaking the kiss, he reached around and unzipped my dress. He lifted the straps off my shoulders and led them down my arms until the dress fell at my feet in a heap. I looked up into his eyes and saw so much confusion and worry.

I cupped his face in my hands. "Edward, are you okay?" I asked.

His head slowly nodded and he barely whispered a "yeah."

I began to unbutton his shirt. His breath became erratic as he watched me. Slowly moving my hands across his chest and down his shoulders, I removed his shirt. I didn't even raise my head completely before his lips claimed mine in an urgent kiss. I met him with full force. His tongue darted out brushing against my lips. I opened my mouth granting him entrance.

In a quick movement, he lifted my hips so I was straddling his waist. I held on to him tightly as he carried me back to the bedroom. I was laid on the bed so gently. He stood above me for a moment and looked down at me. He still had the same confused look on his face. I wanted to know why.

"Is this okay for you to do?" I wondered.

His eyes shot up to mine nervously. He swallowed hard and crawled over the top of me on the bed. "I'm breaking all the rules now. But you need to know how a man should treat you. I want to show you how a man in love would worship you without regard to his own pleasure."

One finger traced down my body from forehead to the hem of my panties. I breathed a long and heavy sigh.

"Close your eyes, Bella," he ordered. I did what he asked of me. "Now relax as much as you possibly can. Don't move or say anything, just feel. I want you to feel everything I do for you."

I breathed a cleansing breath and relaxed my body. I felt his fingers brush across my cheek and down to my neck. He brushed the hair off my shoulders and continued down my arms. He shifted on the bed and suddenly he was in close vicinity of my half naked body. I felt his lips at my ear breathing warm breaths against my cheek.

"Are you relaxed?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes."

His lips barely brushed against my neck igniting a need I'd never felt before. I wanted him to touch me, but he wouldn't. I held perfectly still, waiting for him to do something.

Suddenly, I felt the most unexpected thing. He began to blow air across my neck and collarbone. At first I didn't know what he was doing, but then it began to feel good. I gasped aloud at the sensation. His slow cool blows spread across my chest and across both of my covered breasts. I arched my back and moaned.

"Relax, Bella," he whispered against my skin. I whimpered at his request. The cool blows against my skin started again, moving all over my body. All I could do to, to prevent from coming undone was breathe.

"I'm going to remove your bra now," he explained. I nodded my head. His hands snaked around my back and unlatched the clasp. He lifted the bra from my arms and dropped it to the ground. He blew soft breaths across each nipple, making them perk up. I felt him take one nipple in between two fingers and gently roll it. I hummed, letting the sensation overtake me. He made a trail of kisses from in between my breasts up to my neck. My head fell to one side while he left open mouthed kisses against my skin.

"Do you feel good?" he wondered.

I moaned, turning my head back towards his. I couldn't make a coherent word so I let my actions do the speaking. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and kissed him. He eased in to the kiss and rolled us over on our sides. His large hand held me behind the neck as our kiss deepened. With his other hand, he brushed the tips of his fingers down my side and to the back of my knee. My leg was lifted over his hip and pulled closely to him. I was a little irritated he still had his pants on. I wanted to feel his skin against mine.

My fingers lightly tugged on his hair and intertwined around his locks. His hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me in close to him. His hand pushed down on my underwear over one ass cheek and squeezed.

I smiled against his lips. "I think you may be enjoying this," I accused.

"You have no idea." His face looked to be in a sense of complete bliss. "Are you enjoying this?" he asked while brushing the hair out of my face.

I smiled and nodded my head. He pressed his lips back to mine and rolled me over to my back. He hovered over me for a moment before speaking.

"I want to kiss every spot on your body. I want to taste the sweetness of your skin." He began at the forehead leaving kisses in every spot of my face, neck, shoulders, and all the way down. I moaned and breathed heavily at every kiss he left against my body. He only made it to my breasts where he sucked one nipple in between his lips and sucked, twirling his tongue around the tip. The other nipple he rolled between his fingers and drew circles around it with his thumb. I could feel the elusive orgasm I never thought I would experience explod inside of me. I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Oh God, Edward that was the most amazing feeling," I cried.

"I'm not done," he warned. I whimpered with excitement to know there would be more. He continued kissing down my stomach and down each arm. I couldn't stop the spontaneous movements of my body and the small whimpers coming from my lips as he continued down my body.

He kneeled in front of me and lifted one leg. He gently pulled my panties off my legs and started with my ankles with the kisses. I watched as he got closer and closer to my middle. He pushed my knees out to the sides asking me to relax once again. The anticipation of feeling him inside of me was driving me crazy. I just wanted all of him.

His fingers opened me up and he leaned down to leave a single kiss against my clit. I let out a loud cry of ecstasy as his tongue darted out and teased my clit. He pulled away a couple inches and blew the cool air across my exposed spot. I bit my lip to hold in the impending orgasm. I couldn't believe he was already going to make me have another orgasm so soon. Just like he did with my nipples, he sucked my clit in between his lips and swirled his tongue around the tip. I screamed so loudly as the orgasm overtook me. What I thought was impossible just happened twice.

"Edward please, no more teasing. I can't take it anymore. I want you now," I begged.

I heard him sigh before sitting up and unzipping his pants. He shrugged out of his jeans and boxers. I couldn't resist looking down to see him in all his glory. A shiver ran through me as he rested between my legs.

I smiled up at him and inched my way closer. He slid inside of me and closed his eyes. He took a big breath in and let it out slowly. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and pulled him close. I wanted him as deep as he could possibly go.

I checked his face for signs of distress. This was technically his first time. He may have watched from afar and knew exactly what to do, but he'd never experienced it.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He groaned and nodded his head. "You just feel so warm and wrapped around me the way you are is sending shock waves through my body."

"That's a good thing," I assured.

He groaned again as he began moving in and out of me. His breath caught in his lungs with every thrust. His face was already contorting into what I imagined was a very close orgasm. I closed my eyes, letting my entire body relax like I had done before. That's all it took. Once my body relaxed I felt another orgasm begin to build. I clawed at Edward's back and bit against his shoulder as the strongest one yet hit me. I looked up at Edward who looked a little pained. His jaw was clenched tight, his eyes were closed, and his nostrils were flared. I placed my hand on his cheek. "It's okay now, Edward. You can come now," I insisted. With one deep thrust, his movements stopped and his face relaxed. His mouth hung open and he moaned as he came inside of me. His eyes rolled in the back of his head and his body convulsed a few times. He collapsed to the side of me out of breath and still a little dazed by what happened.

After a few minutes of coming down from the high he was feeling, he turned his head towards me. He was grinning from ear to ear. "Please tell me you experienced what I experienced. I want to know if you had an orgasm like you spoke of."

I rolled to my side and placed my hand against his chest. "Edward, I had three. I've never felt anything more powerful. Thank you so much for giving me such absolute pleasure. You have no idea how good that felt."

He smiled proudly and sighed. "I was hoping you would say that. You need to wait for a man who can give you the same type of pleasure I did. That's when you'll know he loves you."

I looked down at his chest, bashfully. "I think I know what I'm looking for now."

He hummed and pulled me into a tight embrace against his chest. Completely spent, we were both fast asleep within minutes.

I woke up a few hours later alone in the bed. I climbed out of bed and slipped my robe on. I walked to the living room, thinking Edward was probably watching TV, but he wasn't there. I happened to glance out on the deck and saw him standing outside staring up at the stars. I smiled and walked out on the deck wrapping my arms around his waist from behind. He patted my hands, which rested against his stomach. He tilted his head towards me and I could see a small smile on his face.

"It's almost time for me to go," he revealed.

I took a large breath into my lungs as the realization hit me.

He turned in my arms and cupped my face with his hands. He smiled sweetly at me. "I'll never forget you."

"Edward," I gasped. "I don't want you to go."

"I have to go, Bella. I don't belong here."

"There has to be something you can do. Some sort of loophole to make it possible for you to stay," I theorized.

"Bella," he interrupted. "It's okay. You'll be okay. I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you your wish."

"You did grant me my wish. I fell in love with you and I know you feel it too. I know you love me."

"Bella I can't love. I told you this."

"I don't believe you. I know that what we've shared this week we've been together turned to love," I argued. "Please, Edward, admit to me that you love me. Tell me you feel it too."

"I'll watch over you always," he diverted.

"No!" I shouted. "I'm not letting you go."

"My love, if I stay I will die. The minute that sun comes above the mountains and the stars in the sky disappear, I will die. I've stretched my time out here longer than I should have."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He held me close and sighed into my hair.

"I know you love me," I insisted. "You're just afraid to admit it."

"Maybe I am afraid," he almost agreed. "Maybe I'm afraid of never seeing your beautiful face again or hearing your gentle voice or your silly little laugh or being able to breathe your sweet smell. But it doesn't change anything. I still have to go back. I belong up there. I'm a star and I'll always be a star."

I sobbed into his chest. All I wanted was for him to stay.

"You have to let me go," he begged.

I looked up at him with my tear streaked face. He wiped at my tears with his thumbs and smiled. "Even with tears all over your face you're still the most beautiful woman I've ever met."

"Will I ever see you again?"

"Find me in the sky, make a wish and I'll come back."

"I'll wish on every star until I find you," I promised.

We hugged one last time. I could see the sun just beginning to peak over the mountain.

"Are you ready?" he asked. He pulled me away from him and looked down at my face one last time.

I swallowed against the lump in my throat. "What do I have to do?"

"You need to close your eyes and make a wish for me to go home."

One last time I looked up at him with pleading eyes. He pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead.

"Make sure you keep your eyes closed. I'm going to be really bright and if you have your eyes open you might end up burning them."

I nodded my head and closed my eyes. I swallowed against the lump in my throat and began the wish. "I wish for Edward to go home."

As I said the last word, I felt Edward's lips against mine in one last kiss.

Even with my eyes closed I could still see the brightness. I kept them closed even though I wanted to see him leave. As soon as the bright light was gone, I opened my eyes. I took in a sharp breath and collapsed to the ground shaking. He was really gone. I would never see him again.

I lay on the deck, curled up in a ball and cried. I didn't get up again, until I felt the sun hitting me.

I went back in my house, locked the door and closed all the blinds. I wanted to be in complete darkness while I cried.

At night, I went out on my deck and wished on every star I could. I prayed and hoped I would find him somehow and he would come back. I wanted him to come back even if it was just for another week.

A few days went by and there was nothing. I began to come to the realization the odds of ever seeing him again were impossible. I had to find a way to let him go. I knew during the week we had spent together I had fallen in love with him, but stars weren't capable of loving like a human could. He wasn't coming back.

After a while, I stopped making wishes. I still spent every night sitting on my deck and looking up at the stars. Somehow, I thought there was always a chance he might give me some sort of clue it was him looking down on me. But then I wondered if he even remembered me at all.

Jacob attempted to ask me out again but obviously I turned him down. Leah kept asking about my brother and when she might get to see him again. Eventually, I did admit to her that he wasn't my brother. She was blown away and had a lot of questions about who he was. I never told her the truth. Instead, I told her he was just a really good friend of mine but he had to leave permanently. She seemed upset about him leaving and not even telling her goodbye. I rolled my eyes when she said this. It's not like they were romantically involved. She had one date with him and it really meant nothing to him.

Out of desperation, I bought the strongest telescope I could find. I had to find him somehow.

I searched the skies for nights. I had no idea what I was looking for, but I just kept looking.

Every night I would cry myself to sleep holding the pillow he slept on close to me. I could still smell him on the pillow. It was my only reminder that he was real. He wasn't just a figment of my imagination. I held on to his smell for the smallest bit of hope.

After weeks of trying to find him in the sky and getting little to no sleep, I collapsed. For the first time since he left, I slept through the night. In the morning when I woke up, I curled up into a ball and tried to hide my face with a pillow from the light streaming through my window. It suddenly dawned on me that all my blinds and curtains should have still been closed. There shouldn't be any light streaming through my window.

I pulled the pillow off my face and stared at the window in confusion. I had the strangest feeling someone was watching me. I flipped around on the bed and just like the first day he came into my life, Edward was sitting on my bed watching me.

"Good morning, My Love."

"Edward," I gasped, barely able to breathe. I threw myself at him and hugged him tightly. His arms wrapped around my waist, and I straddled his lap. I kissed him all over the face in excitement. Happy tears sprung from my eyes.

"Bella," he chuckled. "Calm down, Sweetheart. It's okay, I'm here now."

"How?" I asked with a shaky voice.

"Your wish came true and I was granted my own wish."

"My wish came true?" I asked, confused by his explanation. No one loved me. How did my wish my come true.

"Yes, Bella, your wish came true. I fell in love with you."

I gasped at his reveal. His fingers twisted into my hair and held the back of my head.

"But I thought you said stars couldn't love?" I asked, with a shaky voice.

"There's a first time for everything," he answered. "I don't know how it happened, Bella. All I know is I can't stop thinking about you and all those emotions described in books and in movies is exactly how I feel."

I breathed a laugh and hugged him again. His head rested at the crook of my neck and he hugged me in return.

"How did you get back?" I asked.

"I told you, Bella. I granted you your wish completing my one-hundred-and-tenth wish granted. I was given a wish in return for completing another ten wishes."

"What did you wish for?" I wondered. I expected I'd only get another week with him like before. I began to think about what this could mean. Every ten wishes he grants will he wish to come back to see me? How long does it take him to grant ten wishes? Will he still want to come back when I'm old and grey?

He sighed, brushing the tears from my cheeks. "I made the ultimate sacrifice for love," he began. His eyes focused in on mine to continue. "I gave up everything I've ever known to start a new life. I wished to be a human and to love you for the rest of my life."

Tears of joy were streaming down my face.

"I sure hope you plan to love me in return because there's no going back. Whether you want me to or not I will always love you and be a human."

I placed my hands on his cheeks and looked deep in his eyes. "There is no doubt in my mind I will love you for the rest of my life as well."

His arms around me tightened and he pulled me in for a kiss. His head rested against mine as he inhaled and closed his eyes. "I missed you. I'm sorry I didn't admit my love for you the night I left. If I had, I probably wouldn't have had to go back and separate from you for so long. It just took me a while to figure out what exactly it was I was experiencing."

"It doesn't matter anymore," I insisted. "You're here now and we're together."

"Forever," he breathed.

"Yes, forever."

Thank you so much to all who read and voted in the "Pick A Pic contest". This story won second place in the judges choice category. Both of the stories I entered in the contest didn't do too bad in the public vote either. Tkegl is who created both banners I wrote for. Her banner for "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" won 2nd place in the public vote for the banner portion of the contest. She very kindly personalized both banners for me. To check out both banners they are on my profile. :)