Chapter 2
Sticky
The alarm on my microwave went off as I recalled what had happened in the break room earlier today. I recalled the embarrassing moment of spilling my scalding hot coffee on Edward. Hmm…Edward. I liked him a lot not just because of his looks but because of his personality, which was so likeable. I wasn't sure but something about him glowed from within that made your mind just want to stop, freeze and then never sign back in. It was a weird analogy but it was the only metaphor I could conjure up to explain it.
I walked over to my comfy sofa and flicked on the tv. I settled on watching re-runs of the Nanny and ate my chicken and rice dinner. Home-made I might add. I pulled my Harry Potter plush blanket over my lap and snuggled in. By the time my side ached from hearing Niles say "Oh shake it Ms. Babcock" it was way past 10:30 and I was going to have to get up early. I sighed as I dragged my sorry ass to my room. I promptly fell asleep after showering and completing my nightly rituals. My dreams however, were filled with a green-eyed bronze haired guy whose name started with E and ended with ward.
I woke up the next morning and grabbed my coffee fix from Starbucks. I managed to flag a cab and make it to the delivery wing in good time. I spent the greater part of my morning tagging babies and making sure we didn't send the wrong one with wrong parent. I finished tying the tag on the current baby I was holding. I absolutely loved kids. Especially babies and was most likely the reason I had chosen this specific field.
I placed the baby back into its crib while it slept oblivious to the world and the dangers it held as I crept to the next one when a voice I recognized interrupted me.
"You're really good at what you do. You know that right?" A soft chuckle followed that heavenly voice. I turned to face Edward and I smiled.
"I always had a sneaky suspicion." I said trying not to sound full of it. I clipped another tag on yet another child and placed a girl named Marielle in her crib.
"I've never seen anybody so concerned with the lives of little ones. You make the anti-abortion war going on ten times more convincing than it already is. I mean who wants to kill innocents like these?" He gestured to the room filled with several cribs of sleeping children.
He had practically stolen my thoughts right out of my brain because that was exactly what had been going through my head not a moment earlier. I was again distracted from my thoughts when Edward spoke again.
"I know I don't know you very well, but I was wondering if maybe you might want to join me for dinner tonight?" The first emotion that came to my mind was surprise and then the later emotion was defiance. Did he seriously think he could just ask a question like that and expect me to have an answer within twenty seconds of having been asked the question beforehand. Clearly he could because I found my mouth speaking before I could comprehend what it was saying.
"Yes. I would like that." I even threw in a smile for his benefit. He smiled in return and I noticed for the first time that he looked kind of nervous. I hadn't noticed before but the constant fidgeting and running his hands through his hair was a dead give-away. I almost laughed at my blindness. I felt a sting of chagrin as I thought about how not a moment earlier I had even thought about saying no. This man was clearly well intentioned and he seemed to be a gentleman. At least that's what I thought.
"Oh and by the way when I ask people to dinner it's usually P.Y.O.B. Pay your own bill." And he smirked at me. I was even more surprised by this comment than when he had asked me to go dinner in the first place. I stood there like a fish out of water for all of about five seconds when I retorted with
"Oh I see how it is…you are so bad in the dating department that you have to scare all the girls off in hopes that no one will realize your weakness. Good luck with that pal." I said as I turned away from his shocked expression. "I might be tender and sweet but don't mess with me, Dr. Cullen. If you do you might just find you're the one whose caught in the trap."
I was being dead serious. I wasn't some one who could be toyed with and then tossed to the side. No. I might be frail and weak looking but I was resilient and I wouldn't let anybody take advantage of me…even hot doctors like Edward.
I turned again at the sound of a chuckle from Edward. "I was kidding Bella, but for the record that's not why I say it." I waited for him to continue as I stared into his emerald green eyes.
"I have to say that or I wouldn't be able to walk down the streets without being mobbed by a bunch of screaming girls." He flashed a devilish smile at me and exited the room leaving me confused and somewhat unsure of what had just taken place. I continued to stare at the tile where he had been standing as a million different questions raced through my head.
Was I still expected to go to dinner with him? I didn't want to look like an idiot and ask him. That would just be awkward on too many levels. And were we even allowed to 'date'? Wasn't there some sort of dating policy between co-workers? And the other pressing questions: was Edward really that obnoxious or was he only joking? All the time I had been here, he had never acted arrogant in the slightest, but the Edward I had just seen was the opposite of what I knew. He was definitely different from the kind one I had spilled hot coffee on and I wondered about the change in attitude. Maybe he was just trying to lighten the mood. I shrugged it off and made my way back to my seat at the front desk.
I said hi to Angela as I sat down and I didn't notice that there was a sticky note on my computer screen until twenty minutes had passed. I pulled the yellow peace of paper off the screen to read it closer.
Would you like to meet me at the St. Regis at 5?
-Edward
I stared at the note flipping it over to make sure that it didn't say anything else. I smiled to myself. How bad could it be. I thought. It's not really a date, I convinced myself, just a friendly dinner between two colleagues. I quickly scribbled on a pink sticky note my reponse which read.
It would be my pleasure.
-Isabella
I took the note and deposited it on his computer screen making sure that he was nowhere in sight as I slipped into his office. I left and made my way back to my desk taking a round about way to divert any suspicion just incase somebody had been watching. To my dismay when I reached my desk there was another sticky note.
Great. See you there.
P.S. You should work on your covert skills.
-Edward
I looked around, smiled and stuck the note into my drawer. How did he even do it? I sighed and picked up my pen to finish filling out some paper work and the smile never left my face.
Lalalala. Oh hello there! Are you guys enjoying my story? I hope so… *Looks around in doubt*. So I worked really hard on this chapter and I hope everyone likes it and that lots of people will review? Give me ten? S'il tu plait? Bitte?
-TTFN Marie Cullen 12
