Disclaimer: S.M. owns everything in the land of Twilight. No infringement meant.
Unseen
"Splendid architecture, the love of your life, an old friend... they can all go drifting by unseen if you're not careful." −Ian Mckellen
~…~
Rosalie's POV
I don't know what's possessed me to do this. I feel all but pathetic as I try and squeeze my ass into my favorite pair of skinny jeans. Shouldn't have had that donut for lunch (and the bag of chips), I think, but I had to comfort myself somehow. And eating junk food instead of killing my brother was the preferable choice.
But there's nothing to do now. I pull my silky ruffled shirt over my head and pair it with a boyfriend sweater. As I slip on my riding boots and shake out my long blonde curls, I tell myself this is as good as it's going to get. The fact that I even put in a little effort should make my brother happy.
"Please, Rosie," he had begged, bringing out my nickname. He used it when most desperate. "Be my amazing sister and do this for me. I don't ask many things from you."
And damn him if he wasn't telling the truth. He was more wont to things for me than I for him. Not that I didn't try. Since little, when our father died, leaving it only Mama, Jasper and I, he fancied himself the man of the house, and thus his responsibility to take care of his girls. Sometimes it could get a little annoying, but I loved my brother and knew he meant well ...
Well, most of the time, I remind myself.
The fact that I even agreed to this blind date spoke volumes. But I would swallow my anger at Jasper and go out with his friend tonight. He was worth it, my brother that is.
With his friend just moving in to town, my crazy brother thought it his responsibility to take care of him, valiantly showing him the ropes and making sure he was comfortable after basically moving cross-country. Jasper was quite honor-bound in that respect. He cared and looked out for those he considered his own. But it also left me in the lurch.
Tonight was his and Bella's anniversary, and instead of leaving his friend to fend for himself on a Friday night, brother dearest had volunteered his sister dearest (note the sarcasm) to play babysitter.
So I suck up my anger, grab my keys and clutch before slamming the door to my apartment. Well … perhaps all my anger hasn't abated.
.
.
The restaurant's loud as I try to flag down the "hostess with the mostess". She has quite the "most-ess" attitude as she shoots me a dirty look as I wave at her impatiently. Ten minutes I have been standing here, watching some unashamed guy – with a date no less – checking out my ass (which does look super in my jeans, but that's beside the point). I can hardly hear myself think, not to mention my "date" is running late and nowhere to be seen. I think I'm at least allowed to wave at the hostess a little meanly.
With a scowl marring her otherwise pretty face, miss attitude finally bestows her attention on me. I am use to other girls treating me as such. She isn't the first nor will she be the last. Girls usually reacted badly towards me. They either thought I was stuck-up or too into myself. It is partly true, I take pride in my looks, but I not stuck-up. I'm more introverted and it causes me to be more reserved, thus girls taking an instant dislike towards me.
But again, I'm not going to complain. It's treatment I'm used to: some girls thought me snobby and some guys thought me to be ditzy and an easy lay. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a rocking figure (I had to work my amazing ass off for, thank you very much) came with a price.
"What do you need?" the hostess all but snarls at me. I try not to cringe at her anger. "As you can see, we are quite busy."
I want to snarl back and demand to see the manager. But the evening is already shit and I don't want to make it even more so. After swallowing my resentment, I say evenly, "My table would be nice. Reservation under the name Hale."
Unbeknownst to me, the girl all but blushes to the roots of her hair. I can't understand her reaction, but write it off to the weirdness of this horrid blind date.
"Umm, this way please," the flushed hostess replies. Quickly turning away, the girl starts pushing her way through the massive Friday night crowd. I can't understand her urgency, especially when it's taken me ten minutes plus to even flag down her attention.
Shrugging my shoulders, I all but run to keep up.
Blind dates are the pits.
.
.
Well, mystery solved.
To say I can understand why the hostess all but ran to my reserved table is an understatement. I'm not one to usually judge someone on their looks, having had to put up with that for most of my life, but damn – with a capital D-A-M-N – the guy is good looking. And I wonder if he knows how good-looking he is?
As he studies his menu, I can't help but humorously think if he could feel the hostess studying him just as intently; and probably wondering if he were on her menu tonight.
Without realizing, I must have snickered aloud because the next thing I know, startling green eyes are staring at me, all but seeing through my flesh and bones and into my thoughts. It's an unsettling feeling, as if I'm not wearing any thing, and I'm manifesting my entire body and soul to this unknown man.
"Rosalie Hale, I presume?" Mr. Green Eyes asks. How could a voice sound that cultured without being practiced for hours?, I can't help but think.
"Edward Cullen, I presume?" I'm not one to be intimidated. I grew out of that stage early in my life. Rosalie Hale had quite the outer shell, thank you very much.
"Touché." A small, wobbly smile cracks the side of his lips. Okay, so maybe my brother is out of his doghouse; a little. This Edward's smile is quite adorable and does squirmy things to my belly.
"You're late, you know. I've been waiting here twenty minutes." He turns from me to the overly flushed hostess. "And you can leave now. No need to stare."
Boy crush officially over …
For both "hostess with the mostess" and myself.
.
.
We've been studying our menus for a few minutes without saying anything. The silence is almost deafening; it doesn't matter that we're surrounded by other loud parties of restaurant goers.
The awkwardness is making my skin itch and my stomach turn in dread. I am already over this evening. Order, eat quickly, make niceties and get the hell out of dodge, that's the plan for my evening.
"So, does anything look good on the menu?" I ask finally, trying to break through the discomfort.
Mr. Green Eyes sighs (as if I can't hear him, uck) before taking those vivid eyes from his menu and resting them on me. I feel, once again, as if I'm stuck in his tunnel vision, with no means of immediate escape. It makes me swallow thickly, while badgering myself to grow up. It is never acceptable to become googly over a guy.
"There's no need for you to stay, Rosalie," he says, and it takes me a while to clear the embarrassing guy-fog from my head. The way he says my name is so charming.
"Um … what," is my eloquent response.
That half-smile takes over his lips again, and I find my hands reaching for my condensing water glass. I'm not sure how it got there, but I'm grateful all the same.
"You've fulfilled your obligation to your brother. I'll tell him the evening went well and you were a most charming dinner companion. Your brother will then realize I'm not some hapless kitten who needs to be attended to or looked after. Jasper will agree and life will go on as planned."
I don't know if I should be offended that he'd lie to my brother, expect me to go along with it, laugh at his ridiculous statement or just go along with his plan. I do know I find myself quite intrigued with this guy … this guy that smiles wobbly one minute, but can be rude the next. He is an anomaly I want to solve. And damn if that doesn't appeal to my analytical side.
"You expect me to lie to my brother?" That's what I decide to go with. I feel a little ashamed as I watch my brother's friend turn pink in the face. It clashes terribly with his reddish, blond hair.
"What? … no … I'd never … Jasper's too …" he stutters, trying to look away from me. Oh, he is even cuter now.
"Care to finish one of those thoughts, Edward?" I ask, teasing him unfairly. He paints quite the picture of a ruffled boy with crazy hair, flushed cheeks and overly bright eyes.
Edward stops stammering, studies me with those green gems, trying to suss me out. I take pity on the guy and give him my own playful smile. It's only fair; after the way I've teased him into a garbled mess.
"You're teasing me, right?" he softly asks? Before I go to apologize, thinking I've really offended him, he smiles. "I can see the resemblance to Jasper. You and he are so much alike."
I decide to take that as a compliment, not knowing Edward enough to see if it's an insult or not. "So, the fact that Jasper and I look like twins isn't enough to see the resemblance between us, Edward?"
"There's that too." His cheeks become lightly tinted pink again, as he looks away with a smile quirking his lips. I wonder what makes him flush this time, the thought of my brother's looks or mine …
"Welcome to …" we are interrupted as the waiter's finally come. As the waiter goes on his spiel about the specials and to take our orders, I look at Edward, really studying him. He isn't so bad. Maybe this evening won't be that much of a waste.
.
.
The silence is thick again, as the waiter's left. I begin to play with my water glass, chasing the water droplets as they fall down the glass. I'm not sure where to begin or what to say, finding myself strangely drawn to this unknown person. He seems both shy and reserved. Funny and sarcastic. Broody with moments of levity. He blushes but can be cool as a cucumber. He is quite the conundrum. I'm not sure where to begin, or if I should pick up where we left off. The indecision he causes in me is most unwelcome. I am usually a person comfortable around others, comfortable in my own skin.
Yet this Edward Cullen makes my skin prickle with uncertainty. It's disconcerting.
"So, you're going to stick it out?" I hear spoken softly from across me. I turn to my dinner companion; he sounds almost uncomfortable using common jargon. Perhaps it's just his discomfort with the situation which makes him sound shyly disjointed.
"Would you rather I leave?" My question isn't in jest, but an honest query as to what he wants from me.
"That's not what I meant … you're free to leave … uh, but if you'd like to stay that is fine, too … whatever you like … I …"
Without thinking, I reach over and softly place my hand on his twisting fingers. His fingers are warm and a little clammy, but it doesn't disgust me. In fact, it makes him more endearing to me. It's my turn to flush at my cheeky decision. He may not like to be touched. He may think me forward or even presumptuous.
I remove my hand from his, trying to erase me folly.
"Edward," I say instead, trying to expunge the awkwardness we've both created in the vacuum of silence. "I know what you meant. I didn't mean anything by it. I have a terrible propensity to tease without really realizing. It may be the reason I survey more than interact with those around me."
I try and put some of myself out there, try to make him feel less exposed.
"Oh … well, thanks for that." He gives me a sheepish look from under his thick lashes. My stomach goes into a revolt of squirms. Damn my brother, and his need to take care of everyone around him. I'm too drawn to this Edward Cullen and his quirks.
Enough is enough. I decide to take the weirdness and shove it right out the metaphorical window.
"Let's start over, Edward, yeah?"
I reach out and extend my hand, "I'm Rosalie Hale. This is my brother's bone-headed idea of an actual "good idea". I'm twenty-five, hate long walks on the beach and though I can't understand half of the scientific references on Big Bang Theory, it's one of my favorite shows. I'm a pre-school teacher and surprisingly have no cavities."
Edward's eyes are quite round after I've finish random facts about myself. I can't help but laugh at his comical look. "Your turn," I say sweetly, pulling him out of a stupor.
He reaches for my hand, still extended, and places his in it. His grasp is soft as his fingers curl around mine. The low-grade tickle along my spine increases uncomfortably.
"Right. Let's see …" I want to pull my hand away, but he doesn't seem to realize he's all but holding it. "The name's Edward Cullen. Your brother is quite ridiculous for setting us up, as if we couldn't find our own entertainment if we even required it to begin with. I'm a twenty-seven-year-old aspiring doctor with an odd penchant for playing the piano, something I actually love a lot. I'm an only child, but have a ton of cousins. Oh, and I've don't watch much TV." His last statement seems more of an afterthought, but funny nonetheless.
In keeping with trying to cut the awkwardness out, I ask him politely, "What does an 'aspiring doctor' mean?"
He gives me that half-smile as he goes on to explain how he loves medicine, but has yet to decide where he wants to settle. Though he is now in Trauma and works primarily in the Emergency Room, he'd rather work in a general practice."
I'm quite impressed and stay silent as Edward talks eloquently about the field of medicine, what draws him to it and what he'd like to accomplish long-term.
Some may think it a little heavy for a first-time-blind-date-that-neither-of-us-wanted, but I enjoy his explanations and the sweet cadence of his voice.
And he is still absently holding my hand.
.
.
"… And then, Jasper fancying himself cool and suave, he walks straight up to Maria – and remember she's a Senior to his Sophomore status – and trips over his untied shoe strings. Mama was always after him about tying them," I say around my laughter, remembering Jasper's spectacle in the lunch room.
It occurs to me Jasper may kill me later for telling a string of his more embarrassing moments to Edward, but he only has himself to blame. It was his idea to set me up. Something I am actually happy about, but won't tell him right away.
"So what happened?" Edward asks through his wide smile. I can see he's trying not to laugh at his friend's embarrassment. It is both sweet and makes me try harder to get him to laugh aloud.
"Nothing much Jasper can remember." I wait for a moment, building Edward's suspense. He gives me an impatient look, making me laugh louder. "Okay," I relent, telling him the rest of the story, "Jasper ended up knocking himself out when his head hit the ground. I was actually quite upset at the time, being worried at the idiot. But after watching Maria's Quarterback boyfriend pick up my unconscious brother – bridal style, mind you, and his unresponsive limbs flailing all over – and carrying him to the nurse's office, I couldn't help but laughed a little."
My cheeks are actually hurting from smiling and giggling so much as I look back at Edward, unknowingly playing with his finished plate.
He's since let go of my hand – after apologizing profusely for holding it too long. The guy is so endearing it hurts my heart. It's another thing to blame on my brother.
"Jasper seemed quite cocky in High School," Edward says knowingly. I can only imagine how Jasper was in college.
"He was the same at Dartmouth, hmm?" I tease Edward, already knowing the answer.
"And then some …"
He doesn't need to expound, "Jasper's always been larger than life. Mama always did have trouble keeping that boy in bounds. But we wouldn't trade him in for anything." My brother is one of my best friends, and no matter how out-of-vogue that may be in society, I could care less. Despite some of my brother's questionable decisions, I love him endlessly.
"So … did Jasper ever ask out this older, vivacious Maria again?" Edward waggles his eyebrows, mischievously waiting for my answer. The guy is too cute for his own good. Talk about being larger than life without even trying. I hardly know Edward Cullen from Adam, but I find myself sinking into him.
"Um …" I clear my throat and unappreciated thoughts. I don't have time for relationships in my life. Or more accurately, I don't want the complication. I had enough of that with Emmett and our disastrously failed relationship. "No, b-but he did end up going out on a date with her Quarterback boyfriend."
Edward all but spits out his drink at my comment. It is too comical for me not to laugh at him. As his choking comes to an end and people around us are watching with big eyes, I take pity on the poor guy, handing him a clean napkin, and waving off our staring peanut gallery.
"Are you playing with me, Rosalie?" My skin tingles at the way he pronounces my name, but I ignore the raised goosebumps littering my skin.
"Cross my heart," I say while making an x over my heavily beating heart. "You see, Jasper felt obligated to ask out Maria's boyfriend – Jake Black, his name is – for taking care of him. He told Jake, "I have to take you out, you saved my life, after all." And of course, Jasper did this in the lunch room in front of everyone. "It's only fitting, dude?" he said to Jake.
"And he didn't get his lights punched out?" Edward asks, all but enraptured with my story.
"Oh no. Jake is quite a character himself. He accepted Jasper's date in front of everyone, including Maria who was laughing, and told my brother he expected him to pay for dinner, and that he – Jake – wouldn't put out on the first date."
Edward shakes his head while laughing aloud. My mission is accomplished. And damn, does he look good laughing. His green eyes are all but dancing, his cheeks are so beautifully flushed and his hair is even more in disarray from his fingers. His hands are clutched over his firm chest, making the muscles in his forearms tighten deliciously.
I quickly turn from that thought and focus on his beautiful face. I'm not one to call guys beautiful, but Edward is. And it seems to run more than skin deep, despite my earlier judgment of him.
As Edward's levity subsides, he looks to me and sees that I've stopped laughing. My thoughts have taken a most inopportune turn, and no matter how much I try, I can't turn them away from him.
We both sober and look away, Edward clearing his throat and me fluffy up my hair in a nervous jester.
Thankfully our waiter comes and starts to clear our table, asking us how are meals were.
I take the opportunity to scold myself and my weird reactions to this Edward Cullen. The blind date wasn't supposed to go like this. It was supposed to be short, uncomfortable with our being out of place, an awkward goodbye with Jasper owing me BIG TIME for doing him this favor.
But as things are wont to do in my life, things haven't gone according to plan.
Damn, damn, double-damn.
.
.
It's become awkward again, as I relent and allow Edward to pay for the meal. I wanted to pay for my half; it only fair, seeing it was all my brother's idea, but Edward reassured me he'd get Jasper to pay for it later – one way or another. And for some reason, I did believe him.
With our being outside and the noise level having gone down (not that I noticed it all that much during dinner) it's strangely silent; even the light traffic and steady hum of the city seems to be quiet.
I clear my throat and try shoving my hands into the pockets of my skinny jeans. It's a difficult fit, but I push them in, needing to keep my hands busy for some reason. Edward has decided to keep his hands busy by running them through his strangely beautiful colored hair and over the back of his neck. I guess he is as self-conscious as myself.
"Well tonight was …"
"Um, yeah thanks …"
We both start at the same time.
"You first," we tell each other, laughing at our shared uneasiness.
Like earlier, I take the situation into my hands and decide to push through the weirdness. Sometimes it takes a self-confident woman to take control, and most of the time, I am one of those creatures. One has to be around four-year-olds. If they smell blood in the water, they will attack. The little beasties, I think fondly.
Purposely, I step forward and tenderly wrap my arms around Edward's neck. He is several inches taller than me, but it's comfortable. Unsurely, I feel his arms band about me, all but pulling me into his chest. I feel myself shake with the unsettled sigh I release. The effect Edward has over me is baffling and will take some serious consideration on my part, not to mention a swift smack to the back of Jasper's head for getting me into this mess to begin with.
While trying not to be too much of a creep, I take a silent whiff of Edward and become almost spell-bound by his cologne. I'm not one for cologne, finding most of them off-putting, but Edward's (of course) is faint, and so very pleasant. I'm in such trouble.
My lips, without my permission, find their way to his smooth cheek and places a slightly lingering kiss to his skin. My stomach all but rolls over and clinches at the action. Tingles of wonderful anticipation flutter up my spine, causing me to shiver. Edward simply wraps his arms tighter around my body, returning a lingering kiss to my forehead. I hope my nervous sweat doesn't gross him out or make me taste too salty. I hope he isn't too weirded out by me or my actions. I sound like a complete idiot. A complete ass.
Shut up, I tell my unfettered thoughts while enjoying this odd turn of events and how they make me feel.
I feel a finger under my chin, gently lifting my face up. Under Edward's intense green eyes, I feel almost immobile. So wonderfully captured in his gaze, staring at his beautiful face, his beautiful soul.
When I think I'll die from simply looking at him, he bends down, me still secure in his embrace, and places an innocent kiss to my temple. I helplessly whimper at the innocence of his actions, at the sheer gentlemanliness of his actions. He leaves me breathless.
"I hadn't known what to expect tonight, Rosalie," he says softly into my ear. I shiver as I cling to his waist, adoring him so much it all but hurts my heart.
"Good thing or bad thing, Edward?" I ask, wanting to deeply know, but also wanting his name rolling off my tongue.
"Both," he whispers. When I feel myself start to deflate he continues as if reading my thoughts, "Jasper doesn't do you enough justice, which is surprising with how much he talks about his beloved sister." My heart swells with love for my brother, but also with such wild anticipation for this Edward Cullen. "And a bad thing … because it's taken so long for us to meet, right?"
I can feel his uncertainty as he pulls back to study me. I can see the vulnerability swimming in his green depth.
"I couldn't have said it any better, Edward. You've made an otherwise terrible situation so much the better. Despite our moments of awkwardness, you exceeded all my expectations. How's that?" I ask playfully.
He gives my nose an impish kiss, something I hadn't been expecting. Laughingly, I push him away and pretend to wipe my offended nose.
"May we do this again, Rosalie?" Edward asks me timidly. Funny, considering, he just kissed my nose, an almost stranger. He is just a bag of anomalies. I find myself so intrigued by this beguiling man.
"I think we can arrange it. And this time without my brother's interference."
He laughs low in his chest, making the sound so deep, so fascinating.
As a taxi goes by, I lift my hand to hail it. Like clockwork, it stops with a screech, waiting for me to get in.
Edward's index finger lifts once more and traces the apples of my cheek, both left and right. I'm overcome. His touch is intimate, yet so innocent. Simply intriguing, he is.
He drops his hand, leaving it to rest at his side. I want to touch him in kind, but stop myself. I fear I'd never stop if I do.
"You were an experience, Rosalie Hale. An exquisite one."
I bit my lip, trying to stop myself from whimpering out loud.
I can only nod my head as he opens the door to the taxi and helps me in. On someone else, it would have been corny, but he made it look as if it was a natural extension of his persona. Edward reminds me of old-world gentlemen, black-and-white movie romance, a time long forgotten.
Before he shuts the door, he hands me a thick card. I see his name and number printed neatly on it. "Anytime," he whispers. And I know what he means. It is something I plan on doing, no matter how overwhelmed or breathless he leaves me.
"Edward," I say before the door closes. He gives me a sweet, inquiring look. "Thanks. For everything."
"Welcome, love …"
And with that, the door shuts and the taxi takes off.
"Where to, miss?" The driver asks.
I place my hands over my squirmy tummy, "to happiness" …
As the driver gives me an irritated look, I give him my correct address.
All the while, Edward plays enchantingly through my head.
.
.
I don't knock as I all but saunter into his office. It's not like this is the first time. He'd probably expected this of me. And if he didn't, well I must be doing something wrong.
But regardless, his TA is yelling at me as I pull his door open and take him in. His shoulders are hunched with his hands balled up supporting his head as he leans over his desk, reading what I can only imagine is school work or some research for his thesis statement.
My brother is quite the nerd. And an adorable one at that.
Making sure my face looks stern, I slam the door behind me, successfully stopping the screeching of his new TA Groupie.
"Rose," he says, looking up distractedly, all but glassy-eyed: Enter Rosalie Hale.
He rubs his hands over his face, trying to wipe away some of his sleepiness. He must have had a good night last night.
"Tired?" I ask saccharinely, letting the honey fall from my tongue.
He becomes a little more alert, giving me a slightly confused look.
"Oh, my anniversary …" A natural smirk splits his lips as he leans back and connects his hands behind his head. "Yes, it was quite good." He wiggles his eyebrows, all but grossing me out at the implication.
I need to leave soon before he goes into detail. My being his sister has never stopped him from oversharing. He knows how much his sex life disgusts me.
"How was your evening," he asks, becoming a little distracted as something on his desk catches his eye. PERFECT.
With my most haughty persona, I walk closer to his desk, lean over the mess littering it and lay a smack to the side of his head. I had promised myself I'd do that.
"What the HELL, Rosie?" he screeches louder than his TA. It's actually quite funny, but I hold in my laughs. It would totally ruin my performance.
Without saying anything still, I lean over further, and this time he is warier of my approach, but I let it slide. I cup his cheek in my left hand before laying my lips on his other unshaven cheek.
"Rosie," he all but whines. "What's up?" I lean back and swipe my thumbs under his eyes.
"Thank you," is all I say. He'll sooner or later figure out both of my gestures.
I straighten up, fluff up my blonde locks and turn for the door.
"Rose, what's happening … I don't understand. Did something happen last night with you and Edward? Was he a gentleman? Do I need to kick his ass?" he continues to call after me. I don't say anything, just strut my happy ass out of his office, a mega-watt smile on my face. "Rose … Rosie … I'm going to tell Mama you hit me," he whines, trying to get me to react.
"Tell her I say Hi." And with that I leave his office with his now quiet TA giving me a fearful look.
I feel …
Exquisite.
.
.
Author's Notes: It seems like such a long time since I've written anything. This was like opening up a window and airing out a room that had been closed for too long. And though I'm not terribly happy with this one-shot, it was still nice to write something. To dust myself off a little and spread my little creative wings (is that enough clichés for ya … LOL?).
If you feel so inclined, I'd love to know what you thought. Leave me a little review. Hope everyone is well. Many hugs.