The Tale of the Brokenhearted

Chapter 20: Not Now, Not Ever

Bella's POV

I sat looking at my overly anxious Edward. He was most definitely not the type to want to go to a bar, but here he was looking at me anxiously awaiting my answer. "Why do you want to go?" I frowned and he shrugged.

"I just thought you'd want to spend you some time with Alice and this seemed like a good opportunity."

"Edward, did you see how those girls where dressed? I'm in jeans and a tee shirt; I'm not dressed for that kind of thing." He grimaced and crossed his arms.

"I personally think they were over and under dressed at the same time, but if you insist on matching we can find something for you in Alice's closet." He offered me his hand once more. I was hesitant because I knew he was hiding something, but the only way to figure out what it was was to oblige him in this. I took his hand and he led me to Alice's room.

After a few minutes of looking, we settled on this hunter green and black halter dress. He left me to change in privacy, and my mind began dissecting the scene that had played out in front of me earlier. Leah had most definitely changed her opinion of vampires since I'd left. She seemed almost as if she had been adopted by the Cullens.

I worked to tie my dress in the back, and thought about Edward; he seemed awfully protective of her. I needed to know why Had he begun to look at her as a sister because she hung out with them so much? The look he'd given her as she came down the stairs was not that of a brother. I had to dismiss this notion. I smirked at my reflection in Alice's mirror. This dress was really stylish. I wasn't usually a fan of dresses, but I was surprised by how much I liked it.

I stepped out of the room to see Edward placing his cell phone back into his pocket. He looked me up and down, then approached me and placed a kiss at the top of my head. "You look beautiful," he said as he took my hand. "You ready to go?" I nodded and he led me downstairs and out of the house.

We entered the bar, Mystic Sliver. It was much more than a bar it carried more of a club experience. It was dark, lit with lights of white and purple streaming across the ceiling of the building. The furniture was very modern and square; the seats, the cups and everything was square, and strategically placed. Edward scanned the room, I thought he was looking for a place for us to sit, but it was soon evident that what or who he was looking for. We quickly shuffled through the crowd to Alice, Rose, and Leah at the bar surrounded by men. Leah was in the center of it all, she was smiling and chuckling as she held a square cup up to her lips. Alice noticed as we entered the bar and approached them. She placed a smile on her face, but for some reason I had a feeling she wasn't displaying her true emotion.

"Hey," I said, hoping that I was loud enough to be heard over the music playing.

"Hi Bella, Edward, what brings you down here? I thought you had plans." Rose asked with an air of indifference as she passed Leah another drink.

"We decided that are plans weren't as interesting as what you had planned so we decided to join you," Edward explained. I sidled closer to him. It suddenly felt like he was the only person that wanted me there.

"Cool the more the merrier!" Alice said as she pulled me into one of her famous hugs. She patted my back a few times then released me. "You wouldn't want a drink would you? These guys have been very accommodating and I'm afraid Leah can't drink them all."

"No, I'm fine, thanks." I turned my attention to Leah, who was staring daggers into me. She didn't seem very happy. Was she scowling at me or was she just observing me very closely? "Hey Leah," I muttered softly. She tapped her glass and nodded.

"Hi Bella," she said dryly. It seemed like she didn't want to talk to me, or even look at me for that matter. I knew that before I'd left, she didn't like me because of my involve me with the 'cold ones', but now she was just as much a fan as I was, or it seemed that was the case to me. Why did she still hate me?