Happy birthday Miss Maggie!! This one is for you!
"So, why is he not picking you up?" Alice asked again as she watched me getting ready. "If this is a date and all, shouldn't he be picking you up?"
I loved Alice, a lot, but she was annoying the shit out of me. I groaned when I accidently stabbed myself in the eye with my mascara wand and decided to just let it be. I hadn't ever been a whole lot of makeup kind of girl, and Edward could just deal with it.
"Because if this thing goes to hell in a hand basket I want to be able to get out," I basically growled at her. I didn't handle anxiety well, especially when I had less than two hours of sleep the night before. I took a deep breath and started over. "I just… I want to drive myself."
Alice sat on the bed next to me and grabbed my makeup bag. "Close your eyes."
I did what she said, and after a few seconds she had my makeup applied and thankfully was going to meet Jasper downstairs. This was their first official date, and I really wished she could be just as nervous and borderline hysterical I was. It wasn't right that she didn't have to be all freaked out.
"Have fun," she said while patting the top of my head. I rolled my eyes and watched her leave.
I fell back against my bed and sighed. Why did I even agree to this? Seeing him in class had only made me more nervous, and even though he was being nice, that damn smirk of his still irritated the crap out of me.
Dinner and a movie, that's all this was. I kept telling myself that, hoping that it would make me relax. I even started muttering it like some sort of mantra while I drove to his apartment, but I still felt all wound up.
I parked and looked up at the apartment building that Edward supposedly lived in. It didn't really seem like the kind of place that an eighteen year old college student would live, but I double checked the address and just went with it. Worst case scenario would be that I had the wrong address, and then I could just leave and go home. The worst case scenario was looking pretty good.
After making a complete idiot of myself with the security guard downstairs I practically ran into the elevator as soon as it opened. How the hell was I supposed to know that I had to "check in" before I went upstairs? I leaned back against the wall as the elevator moved slowly. This was not turning out how I wanted, but at least he had confirmed that Edward did live here.
When the doors slid open I nervously looked around as I walked out into the hallway. This apartment building was like something you saw in movies, with its long carpeted hallways, expensive paintings and artwork. I stared around and felt entirely out of place.
I walked down the hallway until I found Edward's door. I stood there staring at it for several moments, mentally debating if I should stay or go. Mumbling to myself, I decided I looked both pathetic and crazy, and made my mind up to just leave. I could pretend I was sick, and we could redo this whole damn thing later. I had taken a couple of steps back towards the elevator when his door opened.
"Bella?" I heard him ask with a laugh and I froze. "Are you leaving?"
I took a deep breath and turned around, I should have just denied it and told him I got lost or thought I had the wrong door. But the second I saw him, every rational thought I had in my vanished.
"Um, no… I just… I thought I left my keys in my car," I mumbled and after a few seconds realized why he was laughing. I was nervously fidgeting with the keys I was holding in my hand. Yeah…I needed to learn to lie better.
Edward smiled, and even though he hadn't verbalized a smartass remark, I knew he had one and was just holding it back. Instead of saying anything though, he stepped aside and invited me in. I jumped when he shut the door behind him, and ignored his slight chuckle. I walked through the entryway and stopped when I entered the living room.
This place was huge, and by huge I mean that you could probably have fit three of our dorm rooms just in the living area. I looked around at the furniture and gawked when I saw a piano sitting behind the sofa. What the hell kind of eighteen year old kid has a full sized piano? Where was the cinderblock entertainment center and crappy furniture? I turned around and saw Edward watching me.
"Do you live here?" I asked and waved my hand at the space behind me.
"Yes," he answered with a laughed and moved past me. He asked me for my coat and I shrugged out of it and handed it to him.
"So you live with your parents then?" I asked while he took my coat and put it over the back of one of the chairs to the dining table.
"No Bella, I live here alone. Why?"
I sighed and looked back around the room, "How the hell does an eighteen year old live here?"
Edward smiled and leaned back against the table and crossed his arms across his chest, still fucking smirking at me, "My parents bought this apartment for my dad." I must have been staring at him like an idiot because he just laughed and explained further. "My dad is a cardiologist. He used to work a lot of different hours, and instead of driving all the way back home, he would just stay here. They kept it and now I live here," He said and shrugged after pushing away from the table. "Do you want something to drink?"
I shook my head and kept looking around the apartment. "So your dad plays the piano then?"
"No, that's actually mine. I've been playing since I was a kid." He smiled and watched me as I walked over to the piano and looked at it. Its black surface was so shiny that you could see your reflection in it. "Do you… I mean would you like me to play for you?"
I felt my eyes get wide and I watched as he walked past me and sat behind the piano, smiling at me. He motioned for me to join him, and I slowly made my way over. "You don't have to," I muttered.
He looked up and again gave me that same damn smirk. Without even thinking I just snapped. "Okay, what the hell is with your fucking smirking all the time?" I basically yelled.
"What?" Edward asked, looking confused.
"You just… You always have this smirk when you're looking at me. And I can't tell if it's because you hate me… or if you're making fun of me. I just… I hate it!" I yelled at him. I might have felt a little bad, but when I saw him still smirking I felt totally justified. "See you are doing it right now!"
"Bella, I don't hate you," he said and stood up.
"Well then what is it? Because I know I am not that damn funny." I crossed my arms across my chest.
He watched me for a second, then the normally cocky expression that he always had faded into something else. It was a look I hadn't ever seen on him before; it was almost intimate in a way. His eyes seemed softer, his smile more affectionate. It was almost endearing.
"Bella," Edward said quietly and took a step closer to me. "I just…" He sighed and ran his hands through this hair until they were resting on the back of his neck,
"Just what?" I asked.
"It's you," He said and gave me a small and pathetic sort of smile.
I didn't know what to say I just stood there.
"I told you I couldn't do this anymore, and I meant it," Edward explained and took another step closer to me. Making it to where I had to look up to meet his gaze. "I am so nervous around you, and it's like I have no idea how to act."
"You're nervous? Because of me?" I asked him, not even trying to hide the skepticism in my voice.
He nodded and after a few seconds of looking at me, sat back down on the piano bench. "I tried to pretend like it wasn't anything special, tried to just ignore it… but… I can't. And I don't even want to now," he said softly as his fingers trailed over the keys.
"Why?" I asked while being shocked at the fact that he could actually play.
He smiled and I could have sworn I saw him blush slightly. "I was such an ass to you in class…"
"Well the Forks joke was kind of lame," I muttered in agreement.
Edward sighed and looked up at me, the music stopped and the blush on his cheeks was more obvious. "I did everything wrong. I was trying to act nonchalant and like I didn't have these feelings for you. I ended up making a huge ass of myself," he said quietly while looking up at me. "I'm sorry."
"You have feelings for me?" I asked, louder than I meant to, and when he started laughing I knew it was now my turn to blush.
"Since the first day of class," he nodded. "Then that night outside of the lab, I just… I knew I couldn't hide it anymore."
The night outside of the lab, the night he had caught me when I was about to fall. Just thinking about that night I could remember the feeling that had coursed through my body when he touched me.
"You felt it too?" I asked in a hushed voice.
He looked at me, his eyes roaming over my face, and after a few seconds nodded and said, "I felt it. And it scared the shit out of me."
"Me too," I admitted quietly and tried to ignore the way my heart was pounding.
"Then you send me that message about going out to some bar, and having all of those men trying to hit on you. I figured I should make my move before you found someone else," he laughed quietly and started playing again.
"I did not say it was more than one male Edward, I said it was a dirty old man," I corrected him and sighed. "And it isn't like I have a line of prospects just waiting to date me."
The music stopped again and he looked back up at me.
"Just me then?" he asked and I swear my heart stopped beating.
"You… You want to date me?" I asked him quietly.
Edward smiled; the same endearing and soft smile from before, and stood up. He walked over to me, again making me look up to see his expression. Without saying anything he held both of my hands in his. His long fingers curved around mine, and just like before, that strange sense of familiarity and longing ran through my body.
"You feel that?" He asked quietly, and all I could do was nod. "Does it answer your question?" Again I nodded, not really sure how to respond. I mean, three days ago I pretty much hated Edward, and now we were discussing the two of us dating?
"It doesn't have to make sense Bella," he said, interrupting my internal debating.
"You aren't messing with me are you?" I looked up at him and then back down at our hands. He laughed softly before telling me no. I looked back up and saw him smiling, a genuine smile. "Hmm…"
"What?" He asked and pulled me back to the piano.
"I just… this is really embarrassing to say, but you have a really nice smile when you actually mean it and you're not being a smart ass," I said and sat next to him on the piano bench. He laughed loudly and I couldn't help but smile as I watched him.
"I will keep that in mind," he said with a nod and once again the apartment was filled with the sound of the piano.
For six hours I watched Edward play while the two of us talked. We talked about everything and nothing, life, music, cartoons from the eighties, and even what our favorite cereals were. I learned a lot about Edward in those six hours, mostly that he wasn't as big of a jackass as I had originally thought. He was a very talented musician who loved to laugh and was probably a little too mischievous for his own good.
He refused to let me drive home so late at night, and the entire time he drove me back to my dorm I was freaking out about the idea of him kissing me goodnight. Did I want him to kiss me? Did he even want to kiss me? The entire night he had given me little touches, and each time the same feeling had ran through my body. I couldn't even imagine what kissing him would be like, but I had a feeling that it would be my undoing. He pulled into a parking space and I slowly took my seatbelt off, watching as he looked up at the building in front of us and then back at me.
"I'll walk you up to the door," he said with a smile and took his own seatbelt off. I said okay and started to open the door but he stopped me. "I'll get the door."
I nodded and laughed when he shut his own door and basically ran around the car to open mine. I got out and shook my head at his goofy smile.
"Where were these manners the day you hit me in the head with a frisbee?" I asked and pulled my coat tighter around me. He sighed and shoved his hands into his jean pockets.
"I was just trying to get you to come and talk to me," Edward muttered and I laughed a little too loudly. He turned and looked at me with an eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face.
"Well for future reference, instead of hitting me with a frisbee, just say 'hey Bella'. It will be much more effective for you and a lot less painful for me," I said and smiled when he held onto on of my hands.
"How about we just forget about how much of a jackass I was?" He asked with a smile and looked down at me. "Let's jut focus on how nice of a guy I will be in the future."
I laughed and agreed but only if he promised to answer one more question for me. He said he would, and when we reached the steps leading up to the door I stood on the second one so that I would level with him.
"Why did you finish the lab report without me?" I asked and watched as his head dropped a little before he looked back up at me.
If this was going to be something that lasted, there was no way Edward could just continue to do my assignments for me. We still had nearly two months worth of classes and a final together. He would have to let me learn and be patient with the fact that it was going to take some time for me to understand everything.
"Um," he said hesitantly and kicked the toe of his shoe against the step I was standing on. He sighed and then looked back up at me saying, "I felt bad. You had said that you were up 'til all hours of the night trying to figure it out, and I just didn't want you to be stressed out about it anymore."
"So you were trying to be nice?" I asked quietly.
"Your notes were basically correct. I mean I only had to fix a few things," he explained and shrugged his shoulders while his hand held tighter to mine.
"Will you promise me something Edward?" I asked and smiled when he looked up at me.
"Anything," he agreed.
"Don't do that again," I said and narrowed my eyes at him in a sarcastic manner.
He smiled and nodded his head before leaning towards me. My heart broke out into a sprint and I closed my eyes. I waited for his lips to touch mine and when they didn't I opened one of my eyes and frowned when I saw him looking at me.
Edward smiled and leaned in, he kissed my forehead before smirking and telling me goodnight.
"What?" I asked and grabbed his hand. That was it? That's all he was going to do was kiss my forehead?
"Oh I'm sorry. Did you need something?" He asked sarcastically and tried to look all angelic while he stood there looking up at me.
"You are a tease," I muttered and pulled my keys out of my pocket. I turned around and was walking up the last few steps when Edward's grabbed my shoulders and turned me back around.
He looked at me for a second then leaned forward so that his head was next to mine. My eyes closed as his cheek brushed against mine and when he started whispering I bit my lip.
"I am not a tease," he whispered against my ear, making goose bumps erupt along my neck and back. "I just don't kiss on the first date. Goodnight Bella."
He pulled away from me after kissing the top of my head. He winked and let go of my hand before he walked back down the stairs. I blinked a couple of times before unlocking the door and letting myself in.
** *** **
"Hey beautiful," Edward said before he kissed the top of my head and pulled his chair out and sat down next to me. "How was the test?"
"It was good," I answered and smiled when the librarian shushed us. I looked at Edward and whispered, "I got an A."
I watched as Edward's face lit up with a smile before he leaned over and kissed my cheek. "That's great Bella!" He whispered excitedly.
I told him thank you, but internally grumbled that he still hadn't kissed me. We had been dating for nearly a month and still no fucking kisses! I starting to wonder if there was something wrong with me, like if maybe my lips repulsed him or something, but every time I asked him if that's what it was he would tell me I was being ridiculous.
I didn't buy this whole "you can't fake a kiss" bullshit he was trying to get me to believe. He would kiss any other part of my body, my head or cheek. Hell he had even kissed my neck and shoulders a few times! Why was kissing my lips such a big fucking deal to him? I fought back the resentment I was feeling and tried to look happy.
"So are you ready to go? Tonight's the night." Edward said as he leaned his elbows against the table and watched me while I shoved my stuff back into my bag. "I finally get to meet The Alice."
I laughed at the nickname he had given her and nodded. Alice was basically foaming at the mouth the meet Edward, but I had been reluctant to let that happen. Alice could be a lot to handle, and up until recently I wasn't really sure Edward was up for it. Alice might be little, but she could be intimidating as hell.
He obviously knew about her, and about Jasper. And after hearing several stories about some of the antics we had pulled when we were younger, Edward had started calling her The Alice. When I told her this, she seemed to think it was hysterical and I was actually a little relieved that it seemed like the two of them would get along.
"Do you not find it a little odd that I know more about your best friend than I do your family?" Edward asked while I gave him directions to Jasper's apartment.
I shrugged, hoping he would drop the subject. The last thing I wanted was Edward meeting my family. They would make a big ass deal out of it, and I knew I wasn't ready for that. We actually hadn't discussed family that much. I knew his dad was a doctor, that he was an only child and that his parents lived just outside of Seattle, but other than that I didn't know much else. I figured sooner rather than later I would be meeting his parents since he had already told them about me.
"You aren't from a family of circus clowns or anything, are you?" He asked seriously and I shook my head at his question. "Oh good, clowns freak me out."
I knew he was bating me, but I chose to just skip over it.
"Alice is like family to me," I said and pointed for him to turn left. "She is basically a sister to me."
"Do you have a sister? Other than The Alice?" He asked and reached over to hold my hand.
I shook my head and just gave in. "I have a brother."
"Older or younger?"
"Older," I answered.
"Oh great, an older brother," he said with a laugh and gave my hand a squeeze.
"You know, I've told you all of this before," I teased and looked over at him.
"You did not," he argued but I kept nodding. "When was this?"
"The first day of class when we did that survey thing and you didn't pay any attention to me," I answered.
"Now see that is just a lie," he said with a laugh and pulled into the apartment complex I had pointed out. "It wasn't that I wasn't paying attention to you. I was just paying too much attention to parts of you that I shouldn't have."
I felt my mouth fall open. "What?" I asked loudly.
Edward laughed and shook his head as he pulled into a parking space. Instead of answering me he just decided to ask his own question, "What does your dad do?"
"I am not telling you," I said childishly and pulled my seatbelt off.
We were walking through the apartment courtyard when Edward stopped me. "If you tell me, I'll tell you what I meant in the car," he bargained.
I groaned but gave in. "He's the police chief in Forks," I muttered and laughed when I saw how Edward was looking at me. "What's wrong?"
"Your father is a cop? And you have an older brother?" He asked in a serious voice.
"Yes," I nodded and laughed when he sat down on a bench and leaned down so that his head was between his knees.
"Suddenly The Alice doesn't seem so scary," he muttered.
I pulled him back up and wrapped an arm around his waste while we continued walking.
"Oh no, trust me. Alice is way worse than my dad and brother," I reassured him.
He tried to weasel his way out of telling me what he had meant in the car, but as we were walking up the stairs he finally gave in.
"I'll give you a hint. It had a lot to do with this," he said quietly before slapping my ass. I turned around; looking shocked when he just shrugged his shoulders. "You're the one that asked."
Before I could say anything a door to the right of us opened and Alice stuck her head outside.
"Are you two coming? Or are you going to stay out here and flirt all night?" She asked before walking up to us. "You're Edward?" She looked Edward up and down and then smiled at me.
"Edward Cullen," he said politely before shaking Alice's hand. "And you're The Alice?"
"I am Alice," she nodded and shook his hand. "And just so you know, you break her heart I will break your jaw. Got it?" She asked while smiling innocently and batting her eyes.
"Alice!" I yelled and immediately apologized to Edward.
He nodded and smiled at her. "I got it."
"Good! Now come inside and meet Jasper. I have some margaritas ready…" She walked back inside, and I shook my head as she continued to rattle on about everything they had ready inside.
"I am so sorry Edward," I apologized again but he shook his head.
"I'm glad to know you have such a good friend," he reassured me and led me inside Jasper's apartment.
Alice behaved for the most part, although she did throw in a few embarrassing Bella stories, but it was Jasper and Edward that shocked me. It was like the two of them were long lost brothers or something. They hit it off immediately, and Alice and I had to pull them both away from Jasper's record collection so that we could eat.
"So you don't want to play music professionally?" Edward asked Jasper while we all sat around talking.
"I love playing," Jasper said but shook his head. "But, I think that as an artist you can be limited by what you can and can't creatively do, especially in today's music industry. I want to open a studio and produce. Just let artists come in and do what they want, play what they want, just let them be themselves you know? Have a place where they can totally uninhibited."
Alice smiled and winked at me.
"What about you?" Jasper asked and leaned back, draping one of his long arms around the back of Alice's chair. "Architecture, right?"
"Yeah," Edward nodded and played with his glass.
"Did you always want to do that?" Alice asked and I looked at Edward. I was curious about that myself.
"No, not always, I wanted to be a doctor for a long time," he said and leaned back in his chair.
"Like your dad?" I asked and he nodded. "So then why the change?"
"I honestly think I changed my mind just to annoy my mother," he said with a laugh and the rest of us joined in. "She really wanted me to be a doctor, but it was just in the last year or so I just realized it wasn't what I wanted. I like architecture; it's creating something that will last, something that could be a landmark someday. I mean imagine thirty years from now, having something you created still standing. And being able to show your children and grandchildren, telling them that was your idea."
I watched his face as he talked about the career that he had chosen to pursue, and even though he didn't look upset, I could just see that something about his demeanor had changed, like he was defensive about his choice. I reached over and held onto his hand and smiled when he looked at me. He squeezed my hand and smiled back.
"My mom wants me to be a Stepford wife," Alice said with an exasperated sigh. Edward and I looked at her. "We can be disappointments together Edward."
They all laughed, but I frowned and watched Edward, wondering if that was true. I wondered if his mother really would consider him a disappointment because he had chosen not to become a doctor.
Deciding to file that question away for another time, I started to help Alice clear the table. Jasper tried to stop me while Edward tried to help, and eventually there were just too many people in the small kitchen.
"Okay, anyone in this room with a penis needs to leave!" Alice yelled above the laughter and joking. I smiled and watched as Jasper tried to argue with her, but like always Alice won.
Thirty minutes later we had everything put up and I was glad that Alice had made the boys vacate the area. It had given us a chance to talk about Edward and it made me extremely relieved that she seemed to approve. I didn't need her, or anyone else's approval to date Edward. But I knew it would make things a lot easier on all of us if they didn't hate each other.
I was folding a dishtowel while Alice started the dishwasher when we heard a loud banging noise. I followed Alice into Jasper's bedroom and laughed when I saw Jasper throw a folding chair at what I assumed was the bathroom door.
"Uh. What the hell?" Alice asked, making Jasper jump from surprise.
"Edward's locked in the bathroom," Jasper explained and I laughed.
"Not funny Bella!" Edward yelled through the door.
"So why can't we just unlock it?" I asked the obvious and Alice nodded.
"These are old apartments, the lock is on the inside," Jasper explained and again I asked the obvious.
"So why can't Edward unlock it?"
"I've tried!" He yelled again and we all looked at the door then back to Jasper.
"You can still the lock with a button on the inside of the door," He explained while Alice and I stared at him. "I had it to where you couldn't even lock it, but I guess someone hit the button and now it's stilled in the lock position."
"Wait, inside the door?" Alice asked while looking confused.
"You know, by the latch," Jasper tried to explain but she wasn't getting it.
"You mean the little part that sticks out and then goes into a hole in the door frame part when you shut the door?" I asked, and when Jasper nodded Alice caught on.
She covered her mouth and her eyes got as wide as saucers.
"What?" Jasper and I both asked at the same time.
"I think I locked it," she whispered.
"What's happening?" Edward yelled again and Alice shook her head.
"I was cleaning before they got here and I decided to lemon oil the doors and I think I might have hit the little button thingy," she explained and I shook my head.
"You lemon oiled a door?" I asked and she glared at me.
"Out of this entire situation I don't think that me lemon oiling a door is what you should be focused on."
"Oil what?" Edward yelled and I couldn't help but laugh. "Bella, this is not funny!"
"Okay! Okay!" Alice yelled and everyone stopped talking. "How do we get the door off? Can you not kick it in?"
"I've already tried, that thing is heavy oak," Jasper explained and rubbed his shoulder.
"Jasper, why do you have a tambourine in your bathroom cabinet?" Edward asked, making Alice and I look at Jasper and then start laughing hysterically when he turned bright red.
"Well most people read…" I laughed and Alice tried to stop from laughing, but failed miserably.
Ignoring all of us, Jasper started looking at the door and trying to think of a way to get it open. An hour later Jasper and Edward had finally gotten the door off of the hinges. It had taken a lot of cuss words from the boys, and Alice and me several tries to throw a screw driver up to the tiny bathroom window so that Edward could unscrew his side. The tambourine wasn't mentioned the rest of the night.
Later that night I waited patiently while Edward walked around the car and opened the door for me. I let him help me out, and as we walked back up to my dorm I prayed that tonight would finally be the night, that hopefully Edward would finally just freaking kiss me!
"I had fun tonight," he said and I nodded as I walked up to the second step, just like always. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
"We have to study tomorrow," I reminded him and he only groaned in response before pulling me into a hug. "You promised me I could have all day tomorrow to study. Our final is in two weeks, you know that don't you?"
I wrapped my arms around his waist and again prayed that tonight would be the night he would finally kiss me. I tried to be all flirty and nuzzled my face against his chest but it didn't work.
"No I know, but I promised my parents I would go to lunch with them. Some family friends are in town, and my mother is insisting that I go with them," he said before kissing the top of my head and letting me go.
Again with the freaking head kissing.
"Oh, well I can come over later in the day, or we can do it Sunday," I offered as an alternative and tried not to look disappointed.
"Do you really think I want to go an entire day and not see you?" He asked before kissing my forehead and lacing his fingers between mine.
I snapped.
"Okay Edward, why the fuck won't you kiss me? We've been together for almost a month! I mean… if you're just stringing me along then tell me now because this is frustrating the shit out of me!" I yelled and pulled my hands out of his.
"Bella I told you…"
"You can't fake a kiss! Yeah I got it, but you know what? At this point I don't care if it's fake or not!" I interrupted him.
"Well I care," he said reasonably and ignored my exaggerated sigh. "Bella I promise you that I will kiss you. It won't be tonight and it might not be tomorrow night, but I promise you, when the time is right it will happen."
"I can't even have a peck?" I groaned and he shook his head.
Alice called it romantic, but as I once again headed up the stairs to our door with nothing more than a hug and a kiss on the cheek I was one hundred percent certain that Edward Cullen was a prude.
You all know whats next! Happy New Year!