Sorry it took so long to update! Sometimes, unfortunately, real life gets in the way of my obsession. Hope you guys like it. Here's a little previously for you in case you forgot!
Ladies first," he said softly. When I looked over at him he was staring at me. Not in a normal waiting-for-you-to-get-in-the-car-already kind of way, but in a I-want-to-stare-so-deeply-into-your-eyes-I-can-read-your-thoughts sort of way. It was overwhelming having him look at me like that. I'm not sure why he was looking at me so intently, but all I knew was that I liked it. I liked it much too much.
Breathe, Bella.
Before I did anything embarrassing like putting my hands behind his neck and pulling his perfect lips to mine, I smiled and said "thanks." My traitor cheeks blushed and I tucked a loose curl behind my ear before stepping into the car.
EPOV
"Ladies first."
Why did I say it like that? Why did it come out sounding so strange, so sensual? The blush that colored her face as soon as the words came out let me know she had heard the tone in my voice. But I couldn't help myself from getting her attention when she seemed so distant. She had sighed and I couldn't tell what that meant, and it piqued my curiosity. Maybe I thought by looking into those deep, chocolate brown eyes I could decipher her thoughts. Why do you care so much, Edward? That's a good question.
I was worried about meeting Alice's college friend at first, because I thought she wouldn't fit in around me or my family. I wanted to have a relaxing night with my brothers and Rosalie without having to put on a fake smile for someone I didn't know. But meeting Bella in person made me realize how arrogant I had been. The more she talked with Rose and the boys, the more relaxed she became. She seemed slightly uncomfortable to be the center of attention, but we all wanted to hear everything about her. Her life is so different than our own that we couldn't help but be intrigued. And her shyness was absolutely endearing. Although, if I were being honest with myself, her body was tempting me as well. I could control the urge for either her personality or her body, but not both at the same time.
For whatever reason I can't take my eyes off of her. The whole time we were eating dinner I kept sneaking glances at her across the table. In the candle light, she was stunning. Her long, dark hair and her creamy pale skin were such a contrast that my eyes kept glancing at back at her. But it made me both happy and anxious that more than once I caught her doing the same to me.
As she stepped into the limousine and I was let free of the trance she put me in, I mentally slapped myself to quit thinking about her so much. Just enjoy being with your family and two new friends. She's just a kid. That was the problem though and the cause for apprehension isn't it? I am nearly thirty and she's at least nine years my junior.
Yes, that was definitely cause for concern.
Promise to self- the rest of the night I will try my best not to look her way or engage her in conversation.
I should have known that was easier said than done. I must have come off rude, which was certainly not my intent, because Rosalie would shoot me nasty glances every once in a while, and Emmett looked at me like I was crazy. I kept my mouth shut though. Alice and Jasper were staring into each other's eyes too much to notice much else going on.
And, of course, after meeting Bella, my mom insisted on getting together with the girls later in the week for dinner to get to know her and Alice better. My parents already adored her, just like my brothers and Rose.
As we were walking into our box my mom whispered into my ear that I should be nicer to Bella and insisted I sit next to her during the show. Before the show started I couldn't help but notice the way she seemed taken aback by all the celebrities that passed our box and chatted with my mother and father. In reality it was just the mayor, a few senators, and wealthy Chicago businessmen. Not one for all the pomp and circumstance I let my parents do most of the talking. I pretended to read over the program while Bella talked to Rose on her other side. Wish that were me. Stop that right now.
I relaxed a little when the show started and my attention was diverted off of the person sitting next to me. I always enjoyed Rent, both the movie and on stage. There was something about it that I thoroughly enjoyed. The music was beautiful, and the story was both tragic and uplifting. It had me completely captivated until I heard Bella quietly sobbing next to me. How could this girl make my heart ache?
As we made our way outside she was a few feet ahead of my brothers and I talking to Alice and Rosalie about how much she enjoyed the show and how she couldn't stop crying. It really made me happy that Rose had taken such a liking to both Bella and Alice. They all clicked instantly and seemed to be old friends by now. They were already making plans for the following night. The other two girls were begging Bella to go to a karaoke bar.
"Come on Bella! It will be so fun. La Push Pub is having a karaoke contest and the prize is like a thousand dollars. We have to go!" Alice exclaimed, before Rosalie added, "I haven't been to a bar in forever. I feel fifty years old some days and not twenty eight. And I'm sure the boys would love a night out that doesn't include a musical." I could tell Bella knew she was fighting a losing battle and, although I wasn't sure if I was invited, I was glad to see she smiled and agreed to go.
I must have been staring at her again because I barely noticed my sister-in-law turn around ask me if I was going to go.
"Are you in, Edward?" Rosalie asked me.
"Ugh…. yeah. Yeah, sure. Sounds, uh, fun" I mumbled shaking my head and fixing my eyes on the ground after Bella's eyes met mine.
When I composed my thoughts I snuck a glance at Bella. She was watching me with the shyest grin on her face. Although I was embarrassed because I think I was caught gawking at her, I grinned a little in return. She quickly looked down at the ground in front of her and her face started to flush. Are we a bunch of sixth graders or what?
"Well, Edward, it was so nice to meet you! Can't wait until tomorrow night. I'm picking the songs for everyone to sing by the way, so don't worry about which one you'll be performing!" Alice said while giving me a quick hug and kissing me on the cheek.
"Wait- what?"
"Yeah! The contest at the pub is actually guy teams versus girl teams and I know the perfect song for both of our groups. You, Emmett, and Jazzy versus us girls," she explained.
Before I could insist that I would not, in fact, be participating in the actual singing Emmett cut me off by saying "That's not a bad idea. Can't wait to see my sexy Rose dancing all over the stage!" which was followed by a playful slap by her to his shoulder.
"Great! Tomorrow night at 8 p.m. at La Push Pub on 108th Avenue. See you guys there and thanks so much for dinner and the show" Alice replied, again effectively cutting me off. She turned and gave Emmett and Rose quick hugs before throwing her arms around Jasper's neck and kissing him deeply.
Emmett pulled Bella in for a hug, followed by Rose giving her one also. "Thank you all for a great night. Although I'm not excited about making a fool out of myself in front of an entire bar tomorrow night- I'm really glad I will see you all again so soon" Bella said. I felt like the words were meant for me because she stuck her hand out for me to shake during her last sentence.
As soon as our skin touched, just like earlier in the night, an electric current shot through my body. Before I could think or object to what my mind was directing my hand to do, I curled my fingers under hers to hold them and brought her knuckles up to my lips and kissed them softly.
She turned the same shade as earlier. I really like that. I haven't seen anyone blush since high school. Which wasn't that long ago for her, sicko.
THE NEXT MORNING
With Bella still on my mind when I woke up I decided to go for a jog to try and become distracted by the city waking up. I should have known I'd have no such luck. What is with me and this girl? Everything around me reminded me of her. I wondered if she'd like the coffee shop on the same block as my brownstone that I stopped at every morning while headed to work. Or if she'd enjoy the art show I saw a flyer for posted at the coffee shop. I allowed myself to think about her until I caught sight of a girl who's hair resembled Bella's and I nearly broke my ankle when I was running backwards to get a better look. To clear my head I blared my iPod and after another two miles I decided to head home to shower and get ready to go to Emmett's.
An hour later I was in my Volvo headed to have a nice, relaxing day with my brothers. But "Sex on Fire" came on the radio before I was even a block from my home and I had to finish the car ride in silence to keep those brown eyes from haunting me the whole drive.
This is going to be a long day. And night.
Sorry if there's a lot grammatical errors. And I know that you're probably thinking- "get on with it already!"- but I really need one more chapter to set this story up the way I want and then things will really start happening. Review and let me know what you think! My birthday is next Sunday [this big 21!] and I'll be on vacation that week [flying to Denver to see my dad] so I will post the next chapter by at least Saturday [when Alabama football season kicks off! yay.]
Also- if you've never heard "Sex on Fire" by the Kings of Leon it is one of my favorites and you should download it. It has that Bella/Edward sexual electricity feel to it.
ANDDDD, one more thing, you guys really need to check out Brotherly Devotion by goldentemptress if you haven't already!
