BPOV
Like every other Thursday night, I was getting ready to go downtown with my friends. The start of the weekend was being celebrated with the dance music blasting and the shots flowing. I thought it was going to be like any other week, dressed in a black skirt and a bright blue tank top, completely normal for going to the bars. Alice was busy rummaging through our closet trying to find the perfect pair of heels to match. She loved to treat me like a life sized Barbie doll. I have to give it to her though, she does a pretty good job. I think I am a pretty average looking girl. Brunette, brown eyes, average height and skinny. I never felt like I stuck out but when I let Alice dress me guys always made a point to come ask me to dance in the bars. Sometimes I would but none of them were whom I wanted.
Like every other girl on campus and probably half the world, I had my eyes set on the beautiful Edward Cullen. He is the star quarterback, Heisman trophy prospective and did I mention gorgeous? Never have I talked to him in my life. He is always surrounded by a group of girls and I am way to shy to go up and talk to him. He would never want to talk to me. I'm not like the blonde bombshell cheerleaders always hanging on his arms or the president of the top tier sorority he was rumored to be dating last semester. Alice always says that I don't give myself credit and he would love to date me especially because I knew football like really knew football. I grew up with my dad, Charlie, who would make me sit with him all day Saturday and watch college football then all of Sunday was spent on the NFL and dinner every night was in front of the TV watching SportsCenter. Aside from what I already knew, I was here at college studying Sports Communications so I could go into sports reporting. I worked for the college newspaper, The Tiger, on the sports section and I loved every second of it. I got to interview so many players and do write-ups on all the volleyball and basketball games but I had not gotten to interview him yet.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Alice's screamed pulled me out of my Edward thoughts. I didn't get too concerned when she screamed anymore. After living with her for the past 2 years I knew she screamed at least 30 times a day over anything she found exciting which was basically everything.
"Here put these shoes on tonight and I will do your make up to match them," Alice demanded. I learned a long time ago that it was much easier to just do what she said than argue. I sat down to put the shoes on and let her finish my make up so we could get out of the room some time before midnight. If you got downtown much later than that it took forever to get inside. While I was waiting for her I took another shot while Rosalie laughed at me.
"Someone's gonna get lucky tonight. Bella's drinking hard," Rose joked.
"Shut up Rose when I have I ever gone home with random guys?"
"Never" yelled Alice and Rose in unison.
"I think tonight's gonna be the night for you Bella, I just have this feeling something good is going to happen tonight and you're finally going to let that guard down," said Alice.
"I hope you're right Alice! I'm down for a crazy night that will be unforgettable," I wished.
"If you keep taking shots like that Bella there's no chance you'll remember it even if it's the best night of your life!" Rose laughed as Bella stuck her tongue out.
Fifteen minutes later we were walking towards the music coming from downtown. As we got closer I could tell it was going to be a busy night. There was a line forming outside of every bar in sight. Tonight Alice had decided we were going to start at TD's. Luckily, it did not take too long for us to get inside. We walked up to the bar and orders some drinks. Before we even had them in our hands Rose was talking to three guys that had approached her. She was drop dead gorgeous and we could not go anywhere without people staring at her. Just enough reason to feel completely average. I rolled my eyes as they all tried to be the one to pay for her drink as Alice and I paid for our own. We laughed to ourselves knowing that none of them were attractive enough to hold her attention for more than a few minutes and walked away letting her have her fun leading them on.
"Bella don't turn around but you're never going to believe who is looking at us right now!" Alice excitedly whispered.
"Who? Who?" I replied expecting the creepy guy from their math class or some old hook up of Alices.
"Edward Cullen!" Alice said trying to keep her voice down so he wouldn't know that we were talking about him. I laughed assuming that she was just messing with me because he wouldn't be looking at us. "Bella I'm serious! Try and take a peak without being too obvious," I slowly looked over my shoulder while Alice looked in another direction and she was serious. His godly face was looking directly at me and smiled. Edward Cullen smiled at me. My heart was racing, probably beating so hard out of my chest that you could see it moving. I nervously smiled back at him and turned around as fast as I could before I did something embarrassing.
"Alice why did he just smile at ME? Why is Edward Cullen even looking at my when he has his pick of any girl in the whole bar? And it isn't even to get through to Rose like usually because she isn't around!" I rambled way too fast and breathless. Edward had the effect of making me sound like a bumbling middle schooler. Hopefully if I ever got the chance to even say hi to him I wouldn't sound so ridiculous. I downed my drink because I didn't know what else would calm me down from the most amazing smile I had ever received in my life while my best friend laughed at me.
"Bella take a deep breath! I don't think he will want to talk to a girl hyperventilating or passed out on the floor from lack of oxygen." Alice joked with me but she was kind of right. I was acting ridiculous.
"I need another drink," I said as I turned and walked towards to bar for some more liquid courage. A million thoughts were running through my head of what I would say to him on the .00001 percent chance that I got to talk to him when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Assuming it was Alice I turned around to ask if she needed another drink too but instead I was looking into the chest of none other than Edward freaking Cullen! My breath caught in my chest and I just looked up into his perfect face and stared when he smiled down at me.
"Hi my name is Edward Cullen, let me get that drink for you," he said to me as I still stood speechless up against the bar. The most I could manage to do was nod my head. God I am such an embarrassment to female kind.
"I didn't catch your name," Edward said knowing quite well I hadn't said anything but he was too polite to call me out on being so awkward.
After the words sunk in for a few seconds I managed to get the word Bella out of my mouth.
"Bella," he repeated and I died a little at the sound of my name coming out of his perfect lips, "that's very fitting for how you look in that blue top tonight." Was I making things up in my mind or had Edward just complimented me?
"Here's your drink Bella. Would you like to move away from the bar to somewhere in here a little less crowded so we can talk?" he asked me in the sweetest voice I have ever heard in my life.
"Okay" I squeaked nervously and I mentally slapped myself for how star struck I sounded right now. I was making a terrible first impression. I couldn't believe he wanted to keep talking to me. I needed to get my shit together real quick on this walk over to wherever he was going and NOW PULLING ME BY THE HAND! Edward Cullen was actually touching my hand. If I died right now, which would not be too far fetch from a heart attack or the sorts from the way I was feeling, I would die one happy girl. I noticed Alice out of the corner of my eye literally jumping up and down and a few of the girls that had been trying to occupy Edwards time before he came up to me giving me some of the dirtiest looks I had ever seen. I had barely realized that we had stopped walking my mind was in so many other places.
"Where are you from Bella I don't hear a southern accent?" Edward asked knocking me out of my thoughts. Okay Bella this is an easy one you can manage an intelligent answer here.
"Yeah I'm not from down here I'm originally from Washington state but I lived in Arizona for a long time too." I replied so relieved that I sounded like a normal person for now.
"I've never been to either of those places but hopefully I will end up there someday." Edward said smiling down at me. I would never get tired of seeing that and it would be permanently etched in my mind. Alice had been right this night was turning out to be incredible.
"I'm sure you will when you're in the NFL you'll have games out there some time especially depending on which team you end up on." I said then regretted bringing up football already because I didn't know how he felt about people fangirling him.
"So you knew who I was before I introduced myself?" he asked me and I laughed.
"I doubt there's a single person on this campus that doesn't know your name Edward." I said and he smiled at me again but it was a different smile and I couldn't quite pin what it was. "Besides that I plan to make a career out of sports, not in the same way as you of course but I know my fair share."
"A pretty girl that can talk sports? I sure did hit the jackpot tonight ma'am," Edward drawled and I had to hold in a moan when he called me ma'am. That southern accent coming from him hit straight between my legs.
"Well thank you," I blushed. "I grew up with my dad and if we weren't talking sports or watching a game then SportsCenter was on or he was reading me a newspaper article or whatever else he could find," I told Edward who couldn't stop smiling."
"I think I owe your father a big thank you for raising you right. What's your favorite sport?" He asked as he crossed his fingers right in front of me obviously hoping for the answer I was about to provide.
Laughing, I replied, "Football of course why do you think I came all the way down here? No one does college football better than the south."
"Yes ma'am you sure got that right!" as he stepped closer to me. "It's loud as hell in here tonight I hope you don't mind if I get a little closer so I can hear what you're sayin' cause I sure am glad to be talking to you." And there goes another shot right between the legs.
"Not at all you're completely fine."
"Do you live on campus?"
"No I live in an apartment not too far from here. I walked here with my two friends, Alice and Rose. They're somewhere around here."
"I hope they don't mind me stealing you away from them," he chuckled really not feeling sorry at all.
"I think they'll forgive you Edward," I laughed and he gave me that same smile again when I said his name that I couldn't quite figure out. Edward pulled out his phone and handed it to me. I looked at him assuming he wanted me to put my phone number in and I thought I must be dreaming.
"Can I have your number please Bella?" he asked as I shakily put myself into his contacts. I handed the phone back to Edward and he smiled and just a few seconds later I felt my own phone vibrate. I looked down to a text that read "Hey Beautiful" and my stomach erupted into hundreds of butterflies. Edward Cullen just texted me and called me beautiful. I died and went to heaven. I racked my brain for something good to say back to Mr. Perfection and settled on "Hi MVP."
Edward looked down at his phone and his face lit up. He blushed. I made Edward Cullen blush. How is that even possible? I must be a legend.
Putting his phone in his pocket Edward said, "I'll save the texting for later I would rather hear your voice while I have you here with me." At this point we were basically screaming at each other because the bar was so loud. He pulled me in close and spoke in my ear, "I don't know if this is too soon to ask but I really want to talk to you somewhere that isn't so loud. I swear that's my only intention. Will you go somewhere quieter with me?"
As my heart raced a million miles a minute I whispered, "Yes of course." And was led out of the bar by Edward Cullen, with all eyes in the bar on us as we headed to the door.