An Introduction to Swirl and Daisy

by m81170

A first kiss, a first dance, a first curse word shared between best friends. This is the tale of a boring, young geek and the social pariah who thought the world of him. A tale of growing up. A tale of a Non-Romantic Romance.

2. The First Time They Danced

An Introduction to Swirl and Daisy: The Non-Romantic Romance

Betas: xsecretxkeeperx, acciodanrad9

Chapter 2: The First Time They Danced

. . .

09/12/01

Dear Diary,

I, Bella Swan, on this day, the 12th of September, declare that I am in love with Edward Cullen. At least I think it's love. It's definitely more than a crush, though. All I know is that I dream about him, I think he is totally cute and handsome, and he has a very sexy voice (at least from what I've heard – he hardly ever really talks and most of the time he's whispering).

You're the only person (thing) I can tell this to. I used to go to Renee for boy advice, since she has managed to marry two great guys (my dad and Phil). But I called her the other night to talk to her about Edward and she said some really weird things to me. I was telling her about how Edward and I would just stare into each other's eyes for a few moments every day, and she laughed at me and told me that was called "sexual tension."

She explained to me that "sexual tension" is when two people are deeply attracted to each other but are too young or too stupid to do anything about it. My mouth practically fell open because she used the s-word (and by s-word I mean sex, not the other s-word).

She started talking about how she and Phil had so much chemistry and "sexual tension," but she was still married to my dad so they couldn't do anything about it. I honestly hate when Renee talks about how she left my dad when I was young. I mean, I love my mom with my whole heart, and I really like Phil, but I also love my dad.

Speaking of love, Edward was wearing a baby blue shirt yesterday with jeans. And then last night I had a dream that he snuck into my room and he was still wearing those clothes. I woke up and asked who it was, and Edward said he thought I was cute and hot and that he wanted to kiss me, and I was going to let him. Then I woke up.

This isn't the first time I've dreamed of him. There was another dream that my father and I went sailing and he came with us. And there was one about him talking to me and he said that he liked me. Never in my dreams have we ever actually kissed, though. Do you think that's a good or bad sign? What if it's just a sign telling me I'm crushing really badly on him?

I know I've only known him for like a week, but I really feel as if I KNOW him. And I think he may like me, too! The reasons why I think so are listed below:

-He told me I was pretty when I blushed

-He talks to me (well, mostly sends instant messages in class) even though I asked him if he was gay

-He gave me his card (and apparently I'm the only one)

-He looks at me A LOT

-He doesn't really talk to anyone else (that I know of)

-He didn't object to me being his assistant photographer

-He asked me to the dance tomorrow night!

Well, he sort of asked me to the dance tomorrow night because, since I'm his assistant photographer, I have to help him take pictures. So, we won't actually be dancing, but I'll be spending the entire night with him!

And what makes it even better is that tomorrow is my birthday. I can already tell that it is going to be the best day of my life. I can just kind of feel it; Renee always tells me to listen to my heart and feel things.

I have to go to bed now. I need to make sure I look really good tomorrow night. I'm not sure what I'm going to wear, but I'm definitely not going to look skanky like Rosalie, Alice, and the rest of their little clique. It's disgusting how much lipstick they wear. If I ever kiss Edward I want to actually be able to feel his lips on mine.

Edward… he is the boy of my dreams. My prince charming.

g2g,

Bella Swan

P.S. I can't believe I'm going to be thirteen when I wake up tomorrow morning!

. . .

COMP520072: This is Edward Cullen to Bella Swan.

I couldn't help the smile that spread over my face when he typed those words. Edward was perfect. I still didn't really understand why he liked to IM me instead of just talking to me, since I was sitting right next to him, but I wasn't going to complain. Any type of contact with Edward was good contact.

COMP520073: This is BS to EC. Wats up?

COMP520072: Nothing much.

COMP520072: You?

COMP520073: just chattin with u and lookin thru photos

COMP520072: Cool.

COMP520073: yeah

COMP520072: Yup.

COMP520073: um hum

COMP520072: :-D

COMP520073: :-)

COMP520072: Cool face.

Oh. My. God. Did Edward Cullen just compliment my face? I felt the blood rush to my cheeks and my breathing start to accelerate. That is, until I realized he was complimenting the stupid smiley face in my IM.

COMP520073: thank u. i think so too. urs is very nice too

COMP520072: Thanks.

COMP520073: no prob

COMP520072: Be Right Back.

Edward walked over to the teacher, and I sighed inwardly as I tried to subtly check out his backside. Turning back to my computer, I couldn't help but feel giddy over how well our IM conversation was going… even if he was complimenting my smiley face instead of my actual face. What he didn't know was that when I said, "urs is very nice too," I was actually talking about how handsome he was in real life. It made me a little sad that he wouldn't know that.

I quickly wiped the smile off my face as Edward headed back over to our computers, trying to look nonchalant, as to hide my feelings for him. I wondered if he could ever possibly love me as much as I loved him.

COMP520072: Bella, there's something I've been meaning to ask you over the last week.

Oh. My. God. This was it. Edward Cullen was finally going to ask me out. I tried to get my breathing under control. I was a little disappointed that he was going to do it over IM instead of asking me in person, but I would take whatever I could get.

COMP520073: ok, wats up?

COMP520072: Do you know what BS even stands for?

I blinked a few times at the computer. That was so not the question I thought he was going to ask me.

COMP520073: Um, yeah. I think it's kinda obvious that it stands 4 Bella Swan.

I heard a quiet chuckle from beside me and my head snapped to find Edward's amused eyes staring at me.

"I mean, do you know what it really stands for?" he quietly asked me.

My first instinct was to lie and tell him that of course I knew what it stood for; however, I was a horrible liar and knew he would easily catch my falsehood.

I was also an idiot. "Of course, I know what it stands for, Edward. I'm not an idiot."

I'd never heard Edward laugh out loud before. It was beautiful. "Oh, really? So you know what it stands for, and yet you insist on using it synonymously with your name?"

I felt the heat rise up on my cheeks, and I quickly turned away from Edward. This wasn't the conversation I was hoping for on my thirteenth birthday. "What's it to you anyway?"

There was a small pause before Edward said, "I just like to see you blush."

My eyes lifted to his, and we sat there staring at each other for what felt like an infinite amount of time before Edward finally broke eye contact and went back to sorting pictures on his computer. I followed his example.

It was really fortunate timing, too, because Ms. Evans came strolling over to us to check on the progress we were making.

"Are the two of you ready to take pictures at the dance tonight?" she asked with a wide smile on her face.

Edward's face seemed to turn a little pink, and it appeared he had absolutely no intention of answering that question so I spoke up for him. "Yes, Ms. Evans. I'm pretty positive we have everything under control. We'll make sure to take a lot of pictures tonight."

"That's fantastic, but Bella, make sure you don't get stuck behind the camera the entire night," she said, before crossing the room back to her desk.

It seemed a little awkward between Edward and me as I turned back to my computer. Maybe Edward felt as awkward about the dance as I did (I could only hope).

It took me a few minutes to get back in the groove of sorting through the pictures of sporting events that Edward had taken earlier in the year. He seemed to be as focused as I was doing the task at hand, which is why it surprised me when another instant message popped up.

COMP520072: My mom was wondering if you would like a ride with me to the dance. It just seems more practical that way since I have all the camera equipment and my parents are actually chaperoning the dance, so it wouldn't be a problem for them to swing by and pick you up. I completely understand if you would rather have your dad take you, so please do not feel obligated to accept my invitation.

I stared at the screen in shock; it was the most I had ever heard Edward say (or seen Edward type) since I had met him. He was rambling almost as if he was nervous. A thrill of excitement shot through me at the prospect of driving with Edward to the dance.

It's almost like a real date! Except that his parents would be there. And he hadn't technically said the word date. But it really was the same thing if you thought about it.

I decided to play it cool with my response. I definitely didn't want to let on how excited I was for our sort-of date.

COMP520073: cool. Wat time?

COMP520072: Is 6 PM too early? The dance starts at 6:30 and I want to get there a little early.

COMP520073: nope, sounds perfect.

And it really and truly did.

. . .

By 6:01 that evening, I was sitting in the back seat of the Cullen's car mentally scolded myself for thinking that Edward's father was good looking. This was the boy I imagined spending the rest of my life with, which meant Mr. Cullen would be my father-in-law, my family, and I was practically wiping the drool from my chin. (That was a figure of speech 'cause I would never actually drool in front of Edward. That would be gross.)

I had always prided myself on not being a "floozy," as Renee put it, and had only ever crushed on one boy at a time. It hadn't really been an issue after the whole debacle with Aiden, until I met Edward and Edward's father. I knew I shouldn't have been thinking about him in that way because he was married and I was sitting right next to Edward, but being in a small, compact space with the two most handsome men on the planet made me slightly flustered. I am blessed.

Speaking of handsome, Edward did look delicious tonight. Did I just refer to Edward as delicious? I swore my jaw nearly fell from my mouth when I'd opened the door and there he stood in smooth slacks and a shiny tie, feeling a flood of relief wash through me that I had decided to wear a (modest) skirt and didn't feel over-dressed.

I was expecting Edward's mom to pick us up so I was really surprised when his father stepped out of the car and opened the back door of his Mercedes for me and Edward to climb into. Apparently, Mrs. Cullen was at the school early setting up for the dance.

Besides Edward introducing me to his father, Carlisle (though I secretly preferred to call him Dr. Cullen), there hadn't been much conversation on the way to the dance. That was all right with me, seeing as it allowed me to focus on keeping the drool inside my mouth and fight the overwhelming urge to snatch Edward's hand from across the seat.

When we reached the school, Edward quickly hopped out of the car and raced over to my side to open the door for me. My heart fluttered wildly as I realized exactly how much of a true gentleman he was. We went to the trunk of the car to get the digital cameras and set off towards the school.

When we walked into the gym, Edward immediately started to take pictures. That was a little odd because we were the only people there besides the chaperones and the DJ. The gym looked pretty much the same, except for a few lame streamers and balloons that were hanging up, and I honestly couldn't bring myself to care about any of it because this was my date with Edward, and I was going to make the most of it.

Students eventually started filling up the gym and by eight, both Edward and I were in full swing taking pictures. Though I was more than a little disappointed when Edward asked me to stand next to the DJ and take pictures of the couples and cliques that wished to pose in front of him, I was relieved that he didn't actually expect me to dance with him. Not only did I have no sense of rhythm, but the students looked like they were trying to mate on the dance floor – and not doing it very well. It was really quite disturbing watching boys who still hadn't hit puberty grind against girls twice their size in what I assumed was supposed to be a sexy manner.

I did feel a little jealous, though, when the slow songs came on and everyone coupled up, looking all sweet, dancing with their partners. I daydreamed about what it would be like for Edward to hold me as we slow-danced and sing the lyrics of a romantic song in my ear.

Around nine the dance was beginning to wrap up, and I had filled the memory card of my camera with as many good pictures as I could. I really wanted to impress Edward and give him a good selection of pictures to choose from. I was about to walk out of the gym to get a drink of water when I spotted Edward across the room. And he was staring at me. Like, really looking at me. The crackle of energy between us as he began to walk towards me was hard to miss, and then I felt it. I mean I really felt it.

Sexual tension.

My breath picked up again, and I tried to swallow as much air as possible so I wouldn't drown in the "sexual tension" flowing between my body and Edward's. Just as he reached me, Brian McKnight's "Back at One" began playing from the DJ's booth.

Oh. My. God. I loved this song. And, oh. My. God. It was a sign from heaven that Edward and I were meant to be together, because the lyrics captured our relationship perfectly. It was undeniable that we should be together. And Edward was a dream come true – my dream come true.

I stared into his green eyes intently, willing him to ask me to dance with him. He hesitated for a rather long moment, and I began to think he was actually not going to ask me. And I was partially right because he never did ask me. He kind of just put his hands around my waist and pulled me to him, silently pleading with me to not reject his advances (at least that is how I interpreted it).

I immediately complied, awkwardly wrapping my arms around his neck and leaning against his shoulder as the lyrics played softly over the sound system. Edward didn't really know how to dance either; we were kind of just swaying back and forth, and that was all right. Blissfully wrapped in Edward's arms and drinking in his Edward smell (which surprisingly smelt similar to my dad's Old Spice cologne), nothing and nobody could ruin this moment.

Except Alice Fucking Brandon. I gave myself a mental slap on the wrist for thinking the word "fuck," but really, what the fuck was she thinking?

She tapped me on the shoulder, and I hesitantly removed my head from Edward's chest. "Do you mind if I cut in," she asked a little too sweetly. The bitch knew what she was doing. I internally slapped myself on the wrist again for thinking the word "bitch," but really, what was that bitch fucking doing? Was she purposefully trying to ruin my moment with Edward?

The smirk on her face told me that the answer to that question was an easy yes. Edward looked more than a little surprised; however, the surprise on his face didn't reflect the repulsion I had hoped to find there. He didn't look opposed to dancing with Alice with her mini-skirt and her fake face and her slutty shirt that showed off her non-existent cleavage – he was merely surprised.

I knew what that meant… he didn't feel for me the way I felt for him. He probably thought this was one big joke. He'd probably handed out business cards to all the girls in school and was laughing with all of them at stupid Bella Swan who fell for his cheap tricks and witty banter.

There was only one thing I could do in that moment—that was to protect my heart. I knew what I had to do.

I plastered a smile on my face, hoping that it didn't look as fake as hers. "Sure, Alice. Have at it."

I unwrapped myself from Edward's embrace and found that he hesitated in letting me go. That was odd. I looked up to gauge his reaction. His brow furrowed and his eyes were dark as if he were mildly offended or confused. Was it possible that I had been wrong? I wanted so badly to take it all back, but then he clenched his jaw and turned towards Alice. "Fine, Alice, let's have at it."

His tone bit with sarcasm. I shook my head to clear my mind of vindictive but hopeful thoughts. Pathetically, I wanted Edward to be disappointed and hurt by my dismissal so I could further my illusion that he might actually feel something for me. But he deserved to be with the girl he really wanted, so I stepped away.

Turning my back on the happy couple, I quickly walked towards the exit, attempting to keep myself composed long enough to make it to the girl's bathroom. I was so caught up in my anguish that I almost didn't notice that Dr. Cullen was dancing closely with Ms. Evans.

Oh great, the icing on top of the shitty cake. Just rub all of my crushes in my face with other girls! I mentally slapped my wrist for thinking the word "shitty" but really, this was the shittiest fucking birthday of my entire life.

. . .

09/13/01

Dear Diary,

I hate my life. I'm such a fool thinking Edward could ever fall in love with me. He didn't speak to me for the rest of the night after he danced with Alice, and I couldn't bring myself to even look at him the entire ride home because I was scared he'd see how red my eyes were from crying in the bathroom.

I should have known he'd fall for a girl like her. And the worst part is… I still love him after all of it.

I don't know what to do. I really don't want to change myself, but maybe if I look and act more like Alice he might like me back again. Love is about compromise after all.

At least that's what Renee says.