Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight
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Bella blew Angela a kiss and headed to her car, knowing she had plenty of time to spare. She enjoyed the feel of the sun on her face and the freedom of being out of work with so many hours ahead of her. The early time made for far less traffic. When she arrived at the store, she was relieved to see a nearly-empty parking lot. With weekend shopping, she was used to pushing through crowds. With nothing amiss, Bella felt no rush and only excitement for the night ahead. She grabbed a shopping cart and pulled her list up on her phone before she set off. She had time, but she would run out of it if she went about her task too leisurely.
Walking through the produce section was easy. It was the first section she came to upon entering the store, and she knew just where to find what she needed. After she'd grabbed a few things, the sprayers went off, refreshing the fruits and vegetables just as Bella's hand moved away. A younger version of herself would have stuck her hand back under the spray. She refrained from doing so, but smiled to herself, knowing that if Edward were there, he'd be letting himself be sprayed.
Looking at her grocery list and then up at the aisle labels overhead, Bella cursed under her breath. She had plenty of time for a quick stop at the grocery store, but she didn't have time to search the store for ingredients she didn't usually buy. Not sticking to her usual items and her usual route through the maze of products, had her feeling like she had veered off the trail in the middle of the forest. Edward made stops for ingredients all the time on his way home from work. He was the adventurer, and Bella was not. She made a mental note to ask him to be her tour guide the next time she decided on an exploratory shopping trip.
There may not have been a crowd of customers, but many of the aisles were filled with carts full of merchandise ready to be stocked. There were no employees in sight, and Bella had to turn around a few times. It had seemed like a great time to shop when she'd first arrived, but as she was met with blockade after blockade, she wondered if the restocking was in the way of the items she needed to find.
All that time she'd thought she had was dwindling. She stepped into the frozen-food section and opened the door of the first freezer she came to. She stood there a moment as if doing so would freeze time as well.
"Ma'am, are you finding everything okay?"
Relief washed down Bella's shoulders. "No, not really," she said, eyeing his name, Tyler, on the nametag on his vest.
She rattled off what remained on her list. He proved to be the compass she needed, as he was able to give her an aisle number for every single thing. She took off through the store as if she was on a game show. If she was fast enough and set up the evening just right, she knew there'd be a prize.
She only had to Google what an item on her list looked like once, and the empty store worked in her favor when it came to checkout time. Keeping an eye on her watch, the moment Bella had the receipt in her hand, she knew she didn't have a moment to spare. Time wasn't something she'd waste the next time she had a plan.
~Red Charade~
Before heading up to their apartment, Bella stopped at the front office to pick up her delivery. Once upstairs, Bella dropped the groceries on the counter and took a knife to the tape that sealed the box. She was lucky that the delivery had shown up earlier in the afternoon. The food was important, but the outfit was the most crucial aspect for what she had in mind. Once dressed, she took thirty seconds in front of the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair and applied fresh gloss to her lips.
Back in the kitchen in a frenzy with the mere minutes she had left, she placed items on the counter to make it look as if she was in the middle of something. She had just gotten the grocery bags put away when she heard the front door open. She had perused Edward's Pinterest account for dishes to practice for their upcoming Super Bowl party. Angela had helped her choose the ones that were simple and could be walked away from without setting their place on fire. If everything went as she hoped it would, the food items would be forgotten in no time along with a reprieve from the looming stress of revealing their marriage to their families.
Bella knew Edward could see her, but she continued on with her task as if he wasn't there. After opening cream cheese, she removed the packaging and let the brick fall onto the middle of a platter with a clack.
"Cullen," Edward said from just a few feet behind her with humor in his tone. "What are you doing?"
Bella glanced at the directions on her phone but didn't read them. Looking over her shoulder, she said, "I'm just nervous about this party. It's a lot of pressure. I want Emmett to like me, ya know? For you and for Rose."
"So, all this is for Emmett?" he asked as he leaned against the refrigerator with his legs and arms both crossed.
Bella fought back a smile as desire ignited her body at seeing him in his work clothes. She was used to seeing him in the morning when he was fresh and iron-pressed, but this was him with his sleeves pushed up and a few buttons undone from loosening his clothes as the workday went on. By the time Bella got home from her normal hours, he was changed out of his work clothes and into something casual. "It's for you and Rose and everyone else, too. What if I can't get this cream cheese to look like a football? This is the first impression we're making as hosts. I need to make sure I can get this right."
"Shouldn't you be practicing that dip we're bringing to Angelica's then? We're eating at their place tomorrow night, right?" Edward asked.
Bella tried to think of an excuse. Practicing that dip would have made sense, but it required the oven and using the oven would have ruined her plan. "You know what? You're right. I'll try making that next."
"Okay. You do that." He laughed as he glanced down at her bare legs. "Is this what you usually wear when you work on your culinary skills?"
Bella refrained from looking at her attire. The fabric was heavier and thicker than her usual clothes. She couldn't be more obvious that she was up to something even if she'd been standing in the kitchen naked. "Oh, this is nothing. I just threw this on." She turned back to the food, realizing that most of the other steps involved a knife, and she hadn't thought of that. She didn't want to burn the place down, but she didn't want one of them to accidentally cut themselves, either.
"Is that right, Cullen?" Edward's voice grew louder as he moved to stand behind her. Bella knew he wasn't calling her Cullen because she'd gotten her name changed. The shift from calling her Swan to Cullen hadn't happened. After they'd come clean with their friends about their relationship, Edward had taken to calling her Wife. He ran his hands over the letters on her back. "Cullen."
"That's me." She swiped her index finger on her phone until she'd reached the final steps of the recipe even though she had yet to accomplish the first few.
"Were you trying to turn me off with this?" he asked. "Because it's not working. Did you forget who ordered this for you?"
His lips found her neck, and his hips pressed against her backside. Through the layers of their clothing, she could feel how turned on he already was. He pulled up the sides of her red Cardinals jersey, fingers skimming her skin as he groaned when he discovered she'd worn nothing under it. His hands made a slow descent back down, causing her to whimper just before he discovered with his fingers just how turned on she was by his attire as well.
Bella's head fell forward as she braced herself against the counter and tried to form coherent speech through the feel of his moving fingers. "Why would I ever try to purposely turn you off?"
"Reverse psychology, probably."
She started to protest when he took his hand away, but stopped when she heard the rustle of his belt buckle and shifting clothes behind her.
Her stance widened, and she helped hold the jersey up—pleased with herself as her plan hadn't taken long at all.
"But the food," Bella said, pretending to protest the interruption even as her hips shifted to help line her body up with his.
"Can wait," Edward said and lifted one of her legs as he found his way inside of her.
She gasped and found her balance. With every movement they made against each other, he showed her that a red Cardinal's jersey couldn't turn him off when there was nothing underneath, especially one with their last name written across her shoulders.
~Red Charade~
Bella held her hair up as Edward fastened a strand of pearls behind her neck. As she let her hair fall, he laughed. "What?" she asked.
"Are you sure we have to dress like this?"
Bella looked down at her navy, knee-length dress and then up to Edward's gray sweater vest. "What's wrong with it?"
He pulled on the sleeves around the wrists of his button-up. "She's your friend, not your business partner. Even if one of my co-workers had us over, I wouldn't dress like I was attending a work meeting."
Bella sat on the end of their bed and huffed. "I need you to not ruin this. I thought you were nice. I don't feel as if I even know you when you talk to me like this."
He crossed his arms and leaned down, looking at the expression on her face. "Wife, no. Are you serious?"
Holding her breath, Bella tried to push down her worry. "I don't know. I'm nervous, and now I don't know if I'm overdoing it."
"Well, I don't know Angelica, but I think we need to wear something casual."
Angela wasn't a formal person, but Bella didn't know how Angela would view the dinner at her home. It wasn't a barbeque or a movie and pizza evening. She didn't know what Angela planned to make, but how casual could the evening possibly be?
"Okay, you're right." Bella pulled her dress over her head. "Let's do something in between. Take off the vest and change into jeans."
Edward did as she asked while Bella found a flowy summer dress that she could pair with a sweater. Before Bella could fret over her hair, the timer above the oven dinged, telling them the appetizer they were bringing was ready, and it was time to leave.
~Red Charade~
"They're not going to care. Do you want to be late? I'm sure they have bowls," Edward said as soon as he'd found a free parking spot that wasn't assigned to a resident of the apartment complex.
Bella stepped out of the car, frustrated with herself that she'd brought a bag of chips to go with their artichoke dip, but she hadn't thought to bring something to serve them in. She'd been so excited to find an appetizer recipe Angela had stated she'd always really liked, and when she tasted their efforts, Bella and Edward were both surprised at how good their results were. Neither had tried the dip before, though, so they couldn't be sure how it compared to others. Edward walked beside Bella, holding the dish with a hand towel because they hadn't the slightest clue how one would normally transport a hot dish.
As the bag crinkled in Bella's hands, she wished she'd just brought a bottle of wine instead. The apartment building was nice with a front doorman and a fancy entrance.
"Crown molding," Bella said. "They have crown molding. We shouldn't have changed our clothes."
Edward gave her a tight smile and followed her into the elevator.
"And now you're not talking. Of all the times to not talk, you choose this one. I'm not sure you're understanding how much I need this to work."
Edward brushed his lips against her cheek. "It's going to be fine. You eat lunch with her five days a week, and you still like each other. If she's married to him, then I'm sure we'll get along with him, too.
Bella's nerves were only mildly set at ease. She knew Angela, maybe not outside of work, but the two weren't formal with each other in the office. Angela was the silliest person she'd ever met.
Their forward motion stopped when they reached the door. Edward's hands were full, and Bella wasn't ready to knock.
"C'mere," Edward said as he leaned over and then captured her lips with his. "Relax, okay. We've got this."
Bella nodded and let out a slow breath before lifting her hand. As soon as Bella's knuckles knocked against the door, Angela flung it open and pulled Bella into a hug. The bag of chips dangled from Bella's fingers as she hugged her friend and tried not to crush them.
"You look so pretty," Angela said, looking up and down at Bella's dress. "I want to look pretty. I'm going to change."
"Don't. You look great," Bella said, eyeing Angela's jeans and tank top. "This is Edward."
"So it is," Angela said, turning her smile to Edward. "Hi, Edward."
"Hi, Angelica." He nodded in her direction with his hands still filled with the hot dip as they stood in the hallway.
At Angela's puzzled expression, Bella said, "Sorry, I forgot to tell you he does that."
"Angelica it is," she said and took the dip from Edward's hands. Ben came into view, drying his hands on a dish towel. "Ben, that is the husband, this would be him."
Edward chuckled at Angela's phrasing, causing Bella and her both to grin.
"Nice to meet you both. Maybe we can let them in, Ang?"
"Sorry," Angela said and moved away from the door, so they could step inside.
When Ben reached for Bella's hand, she was surprised to find he was several inches shorter than her, and her height was similar to Angela's. As he smiled, Bella forgot about the height difference. His demeanor was warm and genuine. She could see how they would be a couple. With his laidback personality and her silly ways, they made for a nice balance from what Bella could tell already.
"Okay," Angela said when she returned without the dip, interrupting Edward and Ben's greeting consisting of, "Hey, man, what's up, and nice place you have here." Angela took the bag of chips from Bella and handed them to Ben. "You two go be cookers. I'm going to go show my Bella all the things."
"All of them?" Ben asked with a grin.
"Tis what I said." Angela pulled on Bella's arm, leading her away from their husbands.
Bella giggled at the look on Edward's face. She may not have explained well enough to him just how silly Angela could be.
"I want to live here," Bella announced as they reached the double doors leading to the master bedroom.
"That would be perfect," Angela said as she led Bella through the doors. "When is your lease up?"
"I … well … May." Bella had made the statement while in awe, but Angela's excitement at the idea had her backtracking. "This place is probably out of our price range. We want to save to buy a house someday, but I would love to live here if we could. This place is amazing."
"Maybe it's not as much as you think," Angela pulled her phone out of her back pocket and typed some things in. When she handed it to Bella, the screen showed the complex's rental rates.
While the number wasn't as high as she had imagined and there was the fact that they were no longer paying for her studio, Edward was far better with math and long-term financial goals than she was. Bella smiled at Angela as she handed her back her phone. "Let's see if Edward loves it here as much as I do."
As they made their way down the hall, they stopped short when they heard the two men talking.
"No, I'm serious," Ben said. "Come check out the patio."
Angela and Bella looked at each other and clapped their hands over their mouths to stifle their laughter.
As soon as the patio door closed, Angela said, "Let me show you the kitchen, and I want to try your dip. I've been dreaming about it all day."
As Angela moaned and rolled her eyes back upon tasting the dip, Bella took in the kitchen with its island and barstools. It looked like a great place for both cooking and entertaining. Plus she couldn't help but imagine the romantic evenings they could have when Angela showed her the lights could be dimmed with a sliding switch.
Angela and Bella both stood still and quiet when they heard the patio door open and heard Edward as he said, "So how much does this place rent for?"
Bella's mouth dropped, and Angela's eyes widened before they waved their arms and danced in silent excitement.
~Red Charade~
"Well, that was different," Edward said as they settled into the car with their empty dish. The bag of chips was long gone.
"I know," Bella said with a huge smile. "Angela's eating habits are surprising, and the things she says take some getting used to, but she's great, right? Did you think she was great? And you seem to get along with Ben, too."
"Yeah, they're great, but I was talking about you," he said and tapped her chin.
"Because I was nervous before we got there?" she asked. "You were right about the casual, but that kind of nervousness is probably going to be common with me from time to time. I'm sorry that I was snappy with you. I'll work on that."
"All right, but that's not what I was talking about, either." At Bella's furrowed brow, he continued. "I've never seen you act so damn goofy before." He turned the key, put the car in reverse, and pulled out of the parking spot.
Bella's smile fell. "Is that bad? Was it too much? I swear I'm not always like that."
"Oh, you're not?" Edward looked past her, checking for other cars as he made his way out of the parking lot, but he still gave her a glance and a slight grin. "That's good, because I was wondering how I was going to keep up with you." As he pressed the brake at a stop sign, he reached over and shook Bella's knee. "I know you're not always like that. I've never seen you act that way. But it's cool. It was funny. Ben, on the other hand, I'm pretty sure he sees Angelica act like that all the time."
"Probably," Bella agreed. "And their place is amazing."
"I know, right? I think we could swing a one bedroom, but I don't know, by the time our lease is up, maybe we'll be looking into getting two bedrooms."
"Maybe," Bella said and turned her gaze to the window. The baby talk had been pushed back, and it had slipped from her mind, but apparently, it was still present in his. The idea made her pulse race, and if that was good or bad, she didn't know. As the night went on, Edward didn't bring it up again, but Bella found herself wondering what she'd say if he did.
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A/N:
Hi, thanks for reading. Sorry to take forever. I've been doing a lot of writing, but not a lot of going back and editing. I'll try to be faster with the next chapter.
YourVixen and urmylyfnw are amazing and quick prereaders. Many thanks to them and to Fran for being awesome and betaing this for me.
If you haven't read my Secrets and Lies contest entry, Cracking Cullen, it's now posted, and I plan to continue it with hopefully weekly updates very soon.
Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, and I'll be back with another one much sooner.