"These tests were horrible!"
Edward Cullen yelled at his Art History class. They looked at him like he was an alien. He knew they didn't care about his class, he knew that they were all there to just slack off. Art History was a dying breed, and nobody cared.
"Out of twenty-two students, only two of you passed! It was an open book test! How can you fail an open-book test? So here's the deal. I am going to give you guys the test again! But, Isabella Swan and Alice Brandon are exempt from taking the test, and do you know why? BECAUSE THEY FUCKING PASSED!"
He said, throwing the papers down on the desks of the students that failed. He passed Bella's desk and put the papers down on her desk gently. He smiled at her, and she looked at the papers. She smiled, satisfied that her grades were still up. She saw his note at the bottom of the page.
"Meet me, four pm. I've got a surprise for you."
She smiled and looked at her watch. It was three-thirty and then she glanced over at Alice. Alice had no idea what was going on between her and Edward. Bella raised her hand and waited until Edward saw her hand in the air.
"Miss Swan?"
"I'm sorry Professor Cullen, I have a meeting I have to get to. May I be excused?"
"Yes ma'am."
He said, watching her gather her books swiftly. She shoved them in her backpack and walked gracefully out the door. Bella looked back into the room and made sure only he could see her. She blew him a kiss and he smiled back at her and she walked away. It was their two year anniversary, and she knew this was his last class of the semester. She knew that she should tell Alice what was going on, but she couldn't bring herself to tell her that she was dating their Art History professor. She got into her car and drove off campus to the apartment that they had shared. She walked into the bathroom and took off her clothes and took a shower. It wasn't a long one, but it was enough to make her cool down. She knew Edward had a surprise for her. He'd been eluding to it all week. He'd been picking out things for her to do when she left class early. She smiled at whatever it could be. She put on the red and black lacy underwear set that he'd laid out for her. She slid into them and then found the jeans and tank top he loved on her so much. She put them on and then went into the living room to wait. She was under explicit instruction from Edward to make sure this day had gone smoothly. She pulled her book off the end table and waited for Edward to come home. She had just finished the chapter when she heard the key in the keyhole and the door open and close.
"Edward?"
"Hey honey!"
"Hi babe! So, what's our plan?"
"No, not yet. Will you come out here for a minute please?"
He called to her. She got up off the sofa and walked into the foyer of the spacious apartment they shared. He was standing in the foyer with peach and pink roses. Her two favorite colors. She gasped and smiled at Edward. He'd remembered. She took the roses from and hugged him and he pulled her tightly against him. He almost lost her once, because she was in a bad car accident. That was when he realized just how much he truly loved her.
"Isabella, my darling. This night is all about you. I don't care about me, I care that you're happy. So, first thing's first. Take these into the kitchen, and put them in some water, while I go set up our night."
He said, kissing Bella and letting her go. He walked into the bedroom and sat on the bed. He pulled out the box that the rose petals were in, and thought back to the day, a year ago today, that he got the phone call…
One year previously
Edward had been planning to ask Bella to marry him. He hadn't heard from her in a couple hours, but it didn't take that long for her to get from their apartment to the library. He was a little bit nervous though, because when she didn't answer after the third hour. He had just put his cell phone down, when his apartment phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Is this Doctor Edward Cullen?"
"Speaking."
"This is Doctor Lorelai Rasmussen. I'm a doctor at Seattle General. You're the emergency contact for Isabella Swan."
"That's right, I'm her fiancee. She has no other family."
Edward said, lying smoothly. This was true. Charlie had been killed three and a half years ago by a stray bullet in a gang shooting, and Renee was in a car accident, so it was just Edward and Bella.
"Doctor Cullen, Isabella was in a horrible car accident. She is injured, but not badly."
"I am on my way."
Edward said, not knowing the prognosis of his Bella. He drove on autopilot to Seattle General and asked for Doctor Rasmussen. He waited in the waiting room until Doctor Rasmussen was able to come in. He saw this short woman with red hair and glasses standing in front of him. She introduced herself as Doctor Lorelai Rasmussen and they sat down and talked.
"Doctor Cullen, Isabella suffered a concussion and a few broken bones in the accident. She's got a broken orbital socket in her face, so it may be difficult to look at her. Her arm is broken, but not bad. That will heal by itself. With your permission, and hers, we will go in and surgically repair the orbital socket."
"Yes. Can I see her?"
"Sure. She's down the hall. She's been for you."
Doctor Rasmussen said. Edward ran down the hall until he found Bella's name on the door. He poked his head in and saw her face was swollen. He walked over to her and kissed her forehead softly.
"Edward?"
"Shh baby, don't talk. You're in the hospital. You apparently had a car accident."
"I'm hurting…"
"I know honey…they're going to operate soon to fix your face. Okay? I told them it was okay. I love you so much baby, so much."
"I love you too, Edward. I'm so….sorry about….today."
"Shh…just relax love. Don't worry about things here. It's just another day. As long as you're safe, okay…"
He said, kissing her forehead again. And then he watched as the anesthesiologist came in to put her under. He was a nervous wreck for the whole six hours that she was under the knife. When she came out, he relaxed. But he realized just how close he came to losing her, and realized he wouldn't be able to handle it if he did.
Present Valentine's Day
"Edward! Now what?"
Bella asked. Edward finished scattering the rose petals on the bed and the surrounding area, so he walked back out to the living room. He smiled as Bella sat on the floor with her legs crossed. He smiled at her and sat down in front of her. He took her hand and pulled a velvet box out of the end table drawer and smiled at her.
"I love you, Isabella."
"I love you too, Edward."
"Good, now that we have that out of the way…Isabella. I love you. I love you in several different ways. I love you so much that what I'm going to do right now, I was going to do last year. When we met, I knew you were different. I knew that you were more substance than fluff. I knew that you cared about your studies. You didn't hesitate when I asked you to dinner. You weren't afraid of what people would say when they found out we were dating. And now, I need you to know that you're everything to me. Isabella Marie Swan, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"
He asked, opening the ring box to reveal a square cut pink diamond on a platinum band. Bella gasped and looked at Edward. Tears sprang to her eyes as she watched Edward slide the ring onto her finger.
"Yes. Yes Edward, I'll marry you!"
She said, jumping into his arms and kissing him softly. He grinned happily and picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He lay her down on the bed and he looked down at her. She noticed that there were rose petals scattered everywhere in the bedroom. She smiled warmly at him as he produced a tray of pasta and set it in front of them.
"Just like Lady And The Tramp."
Bella said, leaning into Edward and kissing him softly. This was shaping up to be the best Valentine's Day ever. And considering she'd been in the hospital for the last Valentine's day this was a step up. Edward took a strand of pasta and put it in his mouth, then watched as Bella did the same thing. Then they sucked on it together and then they kissed. Bella giggled and Edward laughed.
"Romantic."
"Simply. Thank you, Edward. For making this Valentine's Day amazing."
And Edward smiled, looking forward to spending the rest of his life topping this Valentine's Day.
-The End!
A/N: Thank you to my AMAZING beta, Erin! The check's in the mail, Kid! Happy Valentine's day E&B fans!