A/N: Huge thanks to smexy4smarties and rodeomom_95 for sorting out my appalling comas and making it readable.
Sorry it has been a while since I last posted. I've now written several chapters ahead and planned a few more so I'll try and be more regular in future.
There is a glossary at the bottom for any confusing British words.
Alas, Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and not me.
EPOV
I hadn't seen Bella for ten hours. That was the longest I had gone without seeing her since I met her. It was too long. Despite being tired and needing to be well rested for the start of rehearsals, I woke up early. I itched to see Bella. The previous day had been wonderful, even with the jibes we faced from Emmett and Jasper. I couldn't wait to see her.
I had channelled my nervous energy into choreographing our first dance routine. We were doing the Viennese Waltz, which we had already danced so she wasn't starting from scratch. I hadn't got very far into my choreography because I couldn't decide which song I wanted us to dance to. In an attempt to decide, I had made a playlist of all the choices on my iPod, and I was planning to run them past her before choosing.
It was unprofessional, but I could choreograph as we went along.
Whilst scrolling through my iPod, I had come across a very apt song, Here Today by The Beach Boys. The whole song could have been written for me and Bella,
"You know you ought to take it slower but you just can't wait to get to know her… Keep in my love is here today and it's gone tomorrow. Its here and gone so fast."
The advice hit the right note and steeled me for seeing Bella. I would take it slow even if it killed me.
I pulled up in front of Bella's hotel half an hour early and was surprised to see her already waiting outside. She was dressed in exercise clothes and was half-heartedly writing in a notebook. Every few seconds her eyes would dart around the front of the hotel looking for me. It didn't take her long to spot me.
"You're early!" she exclaimed as she got into my car.
"You too. I couldn't sleep. I was too excited to start rehearsals."
"I was, too! I was going stir crazy in the hotel room and had to get outside."
"I'm glad you can't wait to get started, but before we go there're is a problem I need your help with."
"Are you okay?" Bella asked, looking concerned.
"I'm fine, just indecisive. I've put together a list of possible songs to dance to, and I want your input. If you have any other suggestions, please do say. The producers want us to dance to some more modern songs, so they aren't all the usual ballroom style songs."
I pressed play and At Last by Etta James came from the speakers. I handed Bella the iPod to peruse and we set off.
"I love this song, it's so beautiful. I can only hope to feel that much love one day," Bella commented. "It's a bit of a cliché though, but a good one."
She skipped to the next song and Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel came on. "Another beautiful cliché."
Let it Be by The Beatles was on next. "Oh, unusual choice. But shouldn't a waltz be a love song?"
"Not necessarily. But I like to think Let it Be is a love song, although one sung between friends rather than lovers. It's mainly on there to help relax you on the show. Perhaps Mother Mary will come to you…"
"'… speaking words of wisdom let it be'" Bella finished for me. "Alright, still a contender." Once again Bella skipped to the next song. "Another Billy Joel song? Some may consider that a tad embarrassing."
"Billy Joel is a legend. She's Always a Woman is genius and a great Waltz song."
The song that came next surprised Bella. "Why Mr. Cullen, what eclectic tastes you have."
"Girls Aloud are awesome."
Bella laughed. "They certainly have their moments, and I'll Stand by You is one of them. Not sure I can see this as a Waltz, though doesn't feel right."
"Fair enough. One discounted so far. We're doing well!"
As A Million Love Songs by Take That came on next, Bella laughed even harder, "You have to stop with the clichés. I'm becoming allergic!"
"Really? Are you getting a rash?" I teased.
"Seriously, can we please choose a less tacky song?"
"In that case you probably want to skip the next song."
"Why?"
"It's Father and Son by Boyzone."
Bella groaned in response. "The song does have good advice, but I'm going to ban boy bands."
"In that case, you'll need to skip to the last two songs."
She rolled her eyes as she obeyed and Moon River rang throughout the car.
"Really? We could dance to this?" Bella said excitedly.
"Yes, if you want to, but I think you should listen to the last one before you decide."
Yet again she skipped forward, and Shining Light by Ash played from the speakers. I had chosen it because it was the second song we ever danced to and the first time she began to believe she could dance.
"This one. It has to be this one. Firstly, I will be well and truly showing Pete that I can do this. Secondly, it isn't a cliché. It is perfect."
"Excellent. The only thing is that because of the upbeat pace we'll have to be twirling quite fast during the chorus. In the pub I was twirling us too slowly. It isn't the easiest thing to do."
"I don't care. It will take me back to dancing in the pub, and it will be well worth it for that alone."
We spent the next few minutes listening to the song. I began to choreograph it in my head.
As we pulled up in front of the dance studio, I remembered to check on Bella's well-being. "I forgot to ask how your feet are."
"A little sore, but not too bad."
"Well, I've got something that will hopefully help keep your feet happy."
I got out of the car, opened Bella's door and retrieved a box from the boot. I handed it to Bella, who looked confused.
"A foot spa?"
"They work miracles on sore feet. I thought it might help."
"Thanks so much! That is such a thoughtful present. I don't know how to repay you."
She gave me a big hug and I answered, "That is repayment enough. Come on, I'll show you to the dance studio."
I walked Bella to the gym that housed the studio we'd be using. We took the lift up a few stories, and I led her to the large studio that had big windows overlooking London.
"Is this where the magic happens?" Bella joked.
"Here's hoping."
I formally taught Bella the basic steps, and we spent a few hours trying to perfect them before Bella started huffing. She had been getting increasingly fed up, but it seemed like she finally snapped.
"I'm sorry Edward but I need a break. The repetition is driving me insane."
"Do you want a coffee? Or to go for a walk?"
"No, I think I need a kitchen dance."
"You've lost me."
"Remember when you walked in on me dancing in my kitchen to Red Dress? That was kitchen dancing. When at home, I only ever dance in my kitchen. It is impromptu and almost deliberately bad. It's dancing like nobody is watching. It helps me to relax." She walked over to my iPod and paused the Waltz that was playing in the background. "The music must be upbeat. And I can promise you it will be crap but therein the beauty lies. Forget about your dance training and just let loose. Have fun. And try not to watch me."
Dancing with Myself by Billy Idol came from the speakers that were positioned around the room. Bella had her eyes shut and was dancing with abandon. She was waving her hands above her head and jumping, twisting and turning in time with the music. A few minutes previously she had been tense, bored, and fed up, now her body was completely relaxed. I started to dance as well, and I have to admit that it felt good. Letting go was something I didn't do often and it was very liberating. It was fun. Kitchen dancing was something that would have to be incorporated into our rehearsals.
"That is a rather interesting Viennese waltz, Edward. Rather unconventional. The judges will be speechless." I opened my eyes and saw Tanya standing in front of me. "I've got the neighbouring studio as usual, and I heard music coming from here so I thought I'd check out the competition. I don't think I need to be worried."
"We're kitchen dancing," piped up Bella, whose blush gave away her embarrassment. She had her arms wrapped around her waist in a defensive stance and appeared timid. She stepped towards Tanya and introduced herself. "I don't think we had the chance to meet yesterday. I'm Bella."
"Tanya. Nice to meet you." She held up her hand towards Bella and they shook hands. Tanya's eyes were looking Bella up and down appraisingly, and she sneered slightly as she did so.
In front of me I had both my past and my hopeful future. Tanya was gorgeous but was very vain; despite only having to rehearse, she was wearing lots of make-up for the cameras. Bella was the opposite; she was wearing old yoga trousers, a tight t-shirt and not a scrap of make-up. There was no doubt in my mind who looked more beautiful.
Bella gave Tanya the once over and she looked more intimidated by the second. It was almost as though Tanya made her feel not worthy to be here. I needed to put a stop to this.
"Tanya, it was nice to see you but I'm afraid that we need to get back to practising."
"Enjoy your kicking dance," she sneered.
"Kitchen dance," I corrected.
"Whatever. See you soon."
She walked out of the room, and I turned to Bella who looked depressed.
"Want to go spy on her?" I asked.
"No, I'm not stooping to her level. I would, however, really like to beat her. Can we practice some more?"
We spent the next hour getting the basic footwork right before actually learning the dance. Midway through the afternoon a camera crew came to film our practice. At first Bella felt really self-conscious, but after she concentrated on the dancing instead of the cameras she was fine.
After a while Bella got her posture dead on, but the fast spinning made her feel very dizzy.
"You've got to fix a point on the wall and focus on it; it will stop you feeling dizzy."
"But I keep moving. I can't always see one spot."
"Each time you turn around, fix your eyes on it for as long as possible. It's called spotting."
"I think I might puke on national television."
"You won't puke."
"I will. Or I'll faint. Or both. Fuck. Why am I doing this? It's all Angela's fault. Fucking Angela." Bella paused. "The cameras are still here, aren't they? I just swore on camera. Shit."
"They'll edit that out and you'll be fine. You will not puke or faint when we are dancing. Ever. I'm willing to put in as much time as necessary until we get this right. You can do this. We can do this." Bella looked doubtfully into my eyes. "We can train for twelve hours a day if necessary."
"Really?"
"Really."
Despite spending the afternoon focussing on it, Bella didn't grasp the technique of spotting and ended up feeling thoroughly ill. However, overnight I had a brainwave. When Bella arrived for practice -she had insisted on taking the tube to the studio from now on- she was greeted with a picture of the front cover of her new novel on the wall.
"What is that doing here?" she asked.
"I figured you needed something specific to focus on. I decided that the best thing is the reason you're here in the first place. So, every time we turn I want you to focus on your future best-seller. Can you do that for me?"
"Yes. Yes I can." Bella smiled at me and stood a bit taller. "Thank you so much, Edward; it was really thoughtful of you." She came up to me and gave me a big hug.
"My pleasure." And I meant it. I'd do anything for her just for one hug.
"By the way, I finished Back to Basics last night. It is amazing. Your best novel yet. It should sell itself."
Bella blushed. "I'm glad you liked it," she replied modestly and blushed slightly.
Focussing on the novel worked wonders. Bella was no longer feeling sick or dizzy, and we were able to learn the dance in earnest.
By mid-afternoon, Bella got a bit bored and abruptly walked towards the iPod dock. She unplugged my iPhone and plugged in her iPod. MIA's Paper Planes came on, and Bella started bobbing to the music and walking towards me, miming the words. She was word perfect and put on a perfect performance of MIA. She mimed shooting me during the chorus, and I reacted like I'd been shot, my body jerking backwards for each of the shots. She came up next to me, put one hand around my waist and carried on pretending to shoot from point blank range. When the male rap part started, I took over the miming and Bella walked around me slowly until she burst out laughing.
"What? Does the idea of me rapping amuse you?"
"Edward, as talented as you undoubtedly are, rapping is not one of your gifts."
"How dare you suggest that I is not fly, innit?" I replied in a south London accent replete with home boy hand gestures.
"You rap like a ballroom dancer," Bella laughed with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Ya get me?"
"You is disrespecting me."
"No I neva."
"Fo shizzle my nizzle."
"Me babber don't know nutting."
"Eh up?"
"Oh Edward, Edward, Edward, Edward." Bella shook her sadly and patted me gently on the cheek. She walked to the iPod dock, switched back to my iPhone and the music once again returned to the more familiar territory of waltzes. "Shall we return to your comfort zone?"
Occasionally, time seems to disappear. That afternoon was one of those occasions. I vaguely registered the sun going down, but it wasn't until I heard Bella's stomach rumble that I checked my watch and discovered that it was nine o'clock.
"I'm so sorry! We've literally danced the night away."
"I wouldn't call it the night, more the afternoon and evening," Bella responded.
"Still, I shouldn't have kept you this long."
"Don't worry about it, it's not like I've got loads to get back to my hotel room for. I didn't even realise I was hungry. When I get busy, I forget to eat. When I'm writing, I sometimes only have one meal a day."
"Still, will you let me take you to dinner as way of apology?"
"Only if you let me pay as way of thanking you for the teaching."
"I couldn't do that! I'm getting to dance with you and getting paid. That's repayment enough."
"Dutch?"
"You want to go to a Dutch restaurant? Do they even have those? What would they serve anyway? Hash brownies and edam?"
"No, how about we split the bill?" Bella said, bemused.
"Oh. I'd prefer to pay, but if that is the only way to get to have dinner with you, then it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make."
"Good."
"We could try and find a Dutch restaurant."
Bella laughed and turned the lights out as we left the studio for the first time in twelve hours. "Come on, I'm hungry."
Twenty minutes later, I pulled up in front of a restaurant that I'd never even heard of but had discovered thanks to a hasty Google search as we exited the studio.
"Well, you said you wanted to go Dutch."
"London actually has a Dutch restaurant?"
"London has a restaurant for every kind of cuisine, and Google will tell you where it is."
We feasted on herrings, pancakes and chips with mayonnaise. She was looking tired and slightly dishevelled after the day's hard training ,but still looked stunning. I had to keep telling myself that it wasn't a date. But I wished it was so much. Being with Bella was so easy, so right. We spent the next hour and a half laughing and slowly drinking Dutch lager.
Bella had left her phone on the table while she went to the bathroom and it had started to ring. I decided to answer it for her.
"Bella's phone."
"Hello. Who is this?"
"I'm Edward, Bella's friend."
"Are you Edward Cullen?"
"Yes, that's me."
"So it's true? Bella's on Strictly?"
"Yep." I had no idea who I was talking to.
"Well you'd think she'd have at least bothered to tell her own mum. I'm Bella's mum, Renee."
"She didn't tell you?"
"No. First thing I hear about it is when Brian comes in for his shift squealing like a girl and flapping a copy of Closer in my face. He is so excited to know one of the celebs."
"Oh." I think she was talking about one of her employees at the bar she ran, but I was confused.
"I'm so proud of my Bella. I love the show. Could I see it being filmed?"
"Bella's likely to be a bit nervous. She probably won't want family there."
"She won't mind me being there. Probably won't even notice me. I should be allowed to watch my only child dance."
"Well…"
"Please get me two tickets. Bella will appreciate the moral support."
"Well you know her better than I do…"
"Is that a yes? Thank you! See you Saturday!"
Bella returned just as her mother hung up. She saw me holding her phone. "Find anything incriminating?"
"What? No. Your mum called and I answered."
"What did she want?" Bella asked dubiously.
"She wanted to know if Closer magazine was correct in you being on Strictly. She was a bit annoyed that you hadn't told her."
"Oops."
"And she wanted tickets for the show."
"Please tell me you turned her down."
"Well… she's quite persuasive…"
"Oh, you didn't. She's so embarrassing."
"You sound like a teenager," I laughed.
"See what she does to me?"
"Sorry, but I'm sure it'll be fine. How embarrassing can she be?"
"She owns a Scouting themed gay bar."
"Good point. But I'm not refusing her tickets. She scared me a bit."
"She scared you?"
"She kept talking and talking. I couldn't get a word in edgeways."
"You should be used to that. You grew up with Alice."
Bella was missing the crux of the problem, and I couldn't point it out to her. You never get on the bad side of the mother of a girl you like. She could potentially become my future mother-in-law. I wasn't about to cross her.
"Too late now anyway. It's done. It'll be fine and she'll be really proud."
Somehow Bella forgave me, and we changed the topic and carried on chatting until we were interrupted.
"Ahem, sir," the waitress coughed, "I'm sorry, but we are closing now. Here is your bill." I snapped out of my Bella-induced-trance and noticed that all around us the chairs were upside down upon the tables. The staff had prepared for closing without us even knowing. I reached for my wallet and pulled out the requisite cash leaving a big tip as way of apology.
I stood up to go and helped Bella put her jacket on.
"I thought we were going Dutch," Bella complained.
"We did. We went to a Dutch restaurant."
"That's not what I meant."
"Well I'm afraid that it's as Dutch as I get. Get used to being treated like a lady."
"You didn't have to."
"I know. I wanted to."
"Well thank you very much, Mr. Cullen."
"The pleasure was all mine, Ms. Swan."
"Oh no, on that at least we went Dutch."
The next day passed by in a blur of practising. Normally I would be sick to the back teeth of the dance by this point, but Bella had made it bearable. Scratch that, she'd made it enjoyable.
On Thursday we had costume fittings at Television Centre and so I met Bella there. She didn't seem to be her usual self.
"Are you okay?" I asked her, "Did the dress scare you?"
"Of course it scared me; it's a ballroom dancing dress. But that's not what is bothering me. I'm feeling a bit homesick."
"Missing Avebury and your lovely cottage?"
"Yes, but I'm missing my kitchen more."
"I'm sorry. You've lost me."
"I haven't cooked in almost a week. I'm really sick of supermarket sandwiches and restaurants."
"Oh. Well I have kitchen. Want to come over tonight and make use of it? We could cook together."
"Thank you that would be wonderful."
As we made our way out of the main entrance we ran into Alice.
"Edward! Bella!" she exclaimed as she kissed us on the cheeks.
"Why haven't you been returning my calls, Edward? I've been worried. I had decided that I was going to come to your studio if I hadn't heard from you by this afternoon."
"Sorry, we've been busy practising."
"Really? That doesn't sound like you at all. Usually you do the least amount of rehearsal with your celebrity partners that you can get away with."
"We've been working really late into the night perfecting it all," contributed Bella.
A cheeky smile spread across Alice's face as she looked me in the eye. "Glad to hear it. Would it be possible to end your rehearsals earlier than usual tonight? I'm missing my brother."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Bella is missing cooking so she is coming over to my place to cook tonight."
Alice pouted slightly at Bella, trying to guilt her into inviting her over. I prayed that Bella wouldn't fall for it.
"If you're missing your brother why don't you join us?" offered Bella. Damn.
"Thank you, Bella, that would be lovely. It has been far too long since I went to a dinner party. Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and I will be at Edward's at seven thirty."
I groaned. The last time we'd had a dinner party, Rosalie had burnt the food, and we'd had to order Chinese. Somehow we ended up playing drinking games and getting trashed. Emmett had passed out on Alice and Jasper's sofa naked, and we hadn't been able to move him. I really didn't want a repeat of that tonight.
As Alice sauntered off to the costume department and we walked towards my car, I tried to dissuade Bella from the dinner party idea.
"I could just call the whole thing off. A dinner party takes lots of preparation."
"It doesn't have to take too long. I was thinking that we could make a paella; that doesn't take too long to make. Oh, and some tapas as well – green beans and chorizo, pan com tomate, olives, cheese, almonds…" I have to confess that I zoned out as Bella reeled off a long list of dishes. "… with red wine and sangria of course."
"We have to practice as well as cook today."
"With the both of us cooking I think we can do it in two hours with ease. Obviously we'll have to go shopping as well."
"I'll do you a deal. We can do the dinner party provided we train extra hard in the time that we've got. No kitchen dancing."
"Can we kitchen dance in the actual kitchen?" Bella asked innocently, pouting slightly.
"I'm not sure if my kitchen can handle it…"
"I think your kitchen can handle it," Bella said. She was standing very close to me and looking up at me through her lashes, pouting her lips like she was about to kiss me.
"I-I think kitchen dancing in my kitchen might be acceptable," I stammered, and against my better judgement, I bent my head towards hers. I could resist her no longer. This woman would be the death of me.
"Good!" Bella exclaimed as she dodged my kiss by abruptly skipping away from me whilst smiling broadly. "We better get a move on. Which way to your car?"
She already had me wrapped around her finger, and she knew it. Bollocks.
We spent four hours in solid rehearsal, and I knew we were completely ready for the live show. For week one, our dance was excellent. I knew the judges would be impressed.
As I held Bella in my arms for our final dip position, I once again regretted that we were having a dinner party. It meant that I wouldn't spend as much time with Bella in my arms as I wanted to.
"We'd better get going to the market before they close."
"Market! We get to go to a proper market?" Bella asked excitedly.
"You don't think I'd force supermarket bought fish onto you, do you? As luck would have it, there is a farmers market on today on the way to my place. Come on."
As Bella spoke knowledgeably with the stall holders about how bright the fish scales were and how mature the cheese was, I stood back bemused. I liked food but was not a foodie. It was becoming very clear that Bella was most definitely one. Three quarters of an hour later, I dragged Bella away with our arms full of seafood, cured meats, olives, cheeses, rustic bread, fresh fruit and vegetables. Bella was smiling from ear to ear and itching to get into the kitchen. I loved seeing her so passionate about something.
She had never seen my flat before, but she walked straight into the kitchen without being told where it was like she had a homing signal. Looking around the rarely used but spacious kitchen with granite worktops and stainless steel appliances, she smiled and walked towards me.
"Thank you so much!" Bella enveloped me in a big bear hug and started jumping up and down. After a few seconds of undisguised joy she stopped, stood tall and still and asked, "So, where does my iPod go?"
An hour later, we were chopping, sautéing and preparing. With Bella as head chef and me as sous, we were a great team. We were getting things done much quicker than expected but still managed to dance whilst doing it.
I poured two glasses of red wine and handed one to Bella. "The chef needs a glass of wine."
"She does indeed."
Bella was chopping up chorizo, and it looked delicious. I went to steal a chunk only to have Bella slap my hand away. "Ow!"
"You'll ruin your appetite. They'll be here in half an hour anyway. Can you please slice the bread into one and a half centimetre thick slices and prepare the cheese board?"
I followed Bella's instructions until I Want You Back by Jackson 5 came on. I cha cha'd over to her and came up behind her. I took the knife out of her hand and whispered, "Kitchen dance break I think," into Bella's ear.
"A kitchen dance break is definitely required," Bella agreed, turning around.
We boogied away to the song, didn't stop when Billie Jean came on afterwards. We were still dancing half an hour later when the bell rang.
"Is it seven thirty already?" Bella asked. "I'm not ready yet!"
"I'm sure they can wait a bit. They've got plenty to nibble on anyway."
I opened the door and let Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie in.
"Michael Jackson, nice," Jasper commented on the music choice.
"Wow that smells good Bella. I'm starving!" exclaimed Emmett.
"I'm afraid it'll be a bit longer. We got distracted. Sorry," apologised Bella.
Our guests all raised their eyebrows at me. "By dancing. We were distracted by dancing," I explained and quickly moved the conversation on. "Can I get anyone a drink?"
After receiving four requests for a glass of wine, I dutifully retrieved one of the bottles of wine that I had opened to breathe and four glasses. I then popped back into the kitchen and grabbed a tray full of the tapas that we'd prepared.
"Am I allowed to eat now?" I asked Bella.
"Only because you asked nicely," she joked. "I've just got to pop the paella into the oven. I'll be in soon."
I carried the tray into the dining room and set the tapas down in the front of my guests. Emmett dove in immediately and was very vocal in his appreciation.
"This is amazing," Emmett said with a full mouth.
The others ate rather more daintily but were all very complimentary.
"So, dish up. How is it going?" asked Jasper.
"The dancing is going well. I think we'll do fine."
"Glad to hear it, but that's not what he meant and you know it," said Emmett. "Have you fucked her yet?" Unfortunately, I happened to have taken a sip of my wine as he said that, and I almost choked on it.
"Subtlety, Emmett; let's be subtle. Are you getting to know each other?" asked Alice as she patted me on my back to help me recover from the choking.
"That's too subtle Alice; he has to have at least done that. Otherwise Emmett has already lost the bet," commented Rosalie.
Before I could try and discover what this bet was, Bella saved me from further humiliating questions.
"Here are the last of the tapas. The paella will be ready in twenty minutes." Bella sat down next to me and dug into the pan com tomate. "Mmm, this is good. I think I might be quite a good cook."
I was amazed at how well Bella and my family and friends got on. Within an hour we were all eating the scrumptious paella, and it was like she'd always been there.
"So, we're in the middle of the American Smooth in the under 16s final, and Emmett has his arms around me and then spins me out. Suddenly I hear a big rip. Emmett was standing on my dress, and the whole skirt has ripped off! I was standing there in just a top and knickers," said Rosalie.
"What did you do?" Bella asked, fascinated.
"The show must go on! We won."
"Not sure if we won because of the dance or the sight of Rosalie dancing semi-clad," quipped Emmett, "You know, baby, we should recreate that sometime…"
Before any of us could shudder at that thought, we were interrupted when "Yo! I'll tell you what I want…" blasted from the speakers.
"Oh yeah!" Alice screamed and started impersonating Posh Spice. "It's been way too long since I heard this."
"God bless shuffle," commented Bella as she pretended to be Baby Spice. Rosalie did a passable impression of Ginger Spice.
They all danced on my sofa as Jasper took on the role of Sporty Spice and Emmett became Scary Spice. I was terrified by the spectacle but could not turn away as they sang the chorus, "If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends. Make it last forever; friendship never ends."
It was remarkably apt. Bella had certainly fulfilled that criteria tonight.
Rosalie jumped over to Bella's iPod as Wannabe ended and put 2 Become 1 on. "Shuffle has its moments, but now I need The Spice Girls. Care to dance, baby?"
Rosalie and Emmett and Alice and Jasper started generic slow dancing to the awful song. I looked at Bella and realised that I wouldn't care if the music was awful if I had her in my arms. But I didn't. This dance was way more intimate than anything we'd ever danced to before, and as much as I wanted to, I didn't ask Bella to dance.
"Want a drink?" I asked as I chickened out.
"Please!" said Bella too eagerly. I handed her a large glass of wine, and she started drinking it quite quickly. She seemed very tense and uncomfortable.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"I just don't particularly like this song."
"Well it's your iPod. Why not change it?"
Bella didn't seem keen on doing it herself, so I walked over to the iPod and changed it myself. I'm a Believer by The Monkees filled the room.
"Better?"
Bella instantly relaxed and grinned. "Much."
"What happened? I was enjoying that," moaned Alice.
"My ears were beginning to bleed," I answered.
"So of all the bands in the whole world, you chose The Monkees? I think you need to get your head looked at," commented Jasper.
I dad-danced over to Bella and asked for the dance. We boogied on down to sixties classics until we forgot about time altogether.
"Dude! Its' one a.m. I'm meant to be training from eight. Shit."
"Eight a.m.? On Friday week one? That is desperation. She must be awful," said Jasper.
"She is fine, thank you. Just finds it a bit difficult to concentrate."
"Or turn up for rehearsals," added Rosalie.
"We better get going. Thanks so much for having us," said Emmett. "The food was fucking awesome, Bella."
As I showed Emmett and Rosalie out, Emmett drunkenly appealed to me. "I love this woman, Ed. She is intelligent, funny, hot and most importantly, she can cook. I need that cooking in my life. Marry her, please, for me."
Jasper and Alice left soon afterwards, and Bella and I were left alone.
"Would you like me to drive you to your hotel?" I offered.
"That is a kind offer, but it's illegal. You're bound to be over the blood-alcohol limit; I can't let you drive. Is the underground still running?"
"Even if it was, I wouldn't let you use it."
"I'll call a taxi."
"Bella, that is ludicrous. Why don't you let me repay you the kindness you showed me last week? Stay here tonight," I offered, before hastily adding, "in my spare room."
"Really? I hate to impose."
"You're not imposing. I'll even drop you at your hotel tomorrow before the dress rehearsal so as to avoid the walk of shame."
"Thanks."
"Want another drink?"
"I would love to, but I want to appear reasonably refreshed tomorrow. One drink will inevitably become several, and we'll end up talking until four."
"You're probably right. I'll set your bed up."
I went to sleep that night knowing that Bella was only separated from me by a thin wall.
I slept well until five when I woke up needing a drink. I almost sleep-walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. I found Bella in there as well. She looked shocked to see me.
"Um, Edward, I don't know how to put this. Um… you're naked."
I froze and looked down. When getting out of bed I had clearly been on auto-pilot and had forgotten that Bella was here. I hadn't even put any pants on. I was stark, bollock, naked. I moved my hands to cover my modesty as fast as my drunk state would allow.
"Sorry," I apologised as I worked out how to exit the room without revealing more of myself to a stunned Bella. Was it best to back out or to turn round and let her see my arse?
"No, I should be the one apologising. It's your flat and I'm imposing. See you tomorrow," whispered Bella as she fled. It was almost pitch black, but I could still see her fluorescent blush. Fuck.
I was awoken by the smell of a fry up and coffee. I made sure I was fully dressed and I hesitantly made my way into my kitchen. Bella looked completely at home there until she noticed my presence and turned around.
"Morning, I've made us breakfast," mumbled a bright red Bella. She was looking everywhere except at me.
"I'm so sorry about last night. I was half-asleep and forgot that you were here. There is no excuse. I can't apologise enough."
"Nothing I haven't seen before," joked Bella feebly.
The thought of Bella seeing another man naked was one that I did not want to contemplate, so I quickly repressed it.
"So, what is the plan for today?" asked Bella in an attempt to halt an awkward conversation.
Bella set breakfast down in front of me, and we sat down and ate talking very formally about our timetable for the day. Uncomfortable silences were aplenty. After I finished the beautiful breakfast, I decided to do something about it. I could only think of one way to make her laugh and put this behind us. I opened up my laptop and plugged it into the speakers. Using Spotify, I found Its Getting Hot in Herre by Nelly. Bella was finishing her breakfast, but I stood next to her and danced as badly as I could. I even mimed "I am getting so hot, I'm going to take my clothes off," Bella physically stopped me before I could do anything other than expose my abs.
"You're hot, but I've seen enough of your body for at least twenty-four hours. Please keep your shirt on," she pleaded.
I had to confess that I was very pleased that she admitted to finding me attractive. I knew that I was a handsome man, but hearing Bella call me hot was fantastic. I struggled to keep the grin from my face.
"Now you've seen mine, can I see yours?" I asked jokingly.
Bella hit me on the arm. "Twat," she laughed, and just like that, the awkward atmosphere broke.
We spent the morning in the studio fine tuning the routine. Provided Bella trusted herself and didn't get stressed, we would easily get through.
However, I began to get worried when Bella saw the set for the first time. After taking one look around the large studio, she started shaking and having difficulty breathing; she was having a panic attack.
"I'm sorry. I can't do this, Edward," Bella called as she ran out of the studio.
"Bella!" I called to her as I caught up with her.
"I'm so sorry, Edward. I can't do this. I really can't do this," cried Bella.
"Yes you can. We've worked really hard on the dance, and it is very good. It is honestly better than any of the other first dances I've had on the show."
"Really?"
"Really. Come on let's have another look at the studio."
Just saying the word studio made Bella freeze. "No. Sorry." And she fled.
Rather than chase after her, I decided to change tack slightly.
I went in search of Ben, one of the cameramen, who I was sure could be of assistance to me.
"Ben, your fiancée is Bella's publicist, right?"
"Yep."
"Bella is having a really bad case of stage fright. I need Angela's help. Can I have her phone number?"
An hour later I was having coffee with Angela in one of the cafés in Television Centre.
"I need your help. How did you ever convince Bella to agree in the first place?" I asked Angela.
"I got her drunk as a stoat."
"Not sure that tactic will be wise when she needs to be co-ordinated. Dancing and alcohol don't mix. Any other suggestions?"
"I also guilted her into it."
"How?"
"Saying how helpful it would be to both our careers, etc."
"Not sure that would work. I think we need to change tactics entirely. I'm going to bring in reinforcements."
Ten minutes later Alice joined us.
"I knew something was up. I can predict the future."
"If you could see into the future, you would have seen this coming months ago. You only knew something was up because Bella and I missed the briefing," I retorted.
"No. I knew something was going to go wrong before that."
"Then why didn't you call and tell me?"
"You wouldn't have believed me."
"You're right there."
"Can we please get over the brother-sister spat? Back to the matter at hand: how are we going to solve our Bella problem?" asked an exasperated Angela.
"Well, I foresee a two-folded approach. First I take her to the salon for a pedicure; her feet will be crazy sore after all the dancing this week, and we get her nice and relaxed. Secondly, we blindfold her and bring her back here where you dance with her in the studio without her knowing. Once she has done it once she'll be fine."
"Good plan in theory but I see one gapping hole – how on earth can we blindfold her and bring her to the studio?" asked Angela.
"That would be where Edward uses his manly wiles."
"I have manly wiles?"
"You have them in spade loads and you know it."
"Will that actually work?" asked Angela.
Alice rolled her eyes, "I thought you'd seen them together. Yes, it will work. Bella would do anything he says."
"Except dance in front of an audience," Angela pointed out.
"Yep, except that," I groaned.
Alice tracked Bella down and then whined at Bella until she submitted to her will. I was told to steer clear of the salon until Alice text me whereupon I would be expected to ambush and blindfold Bella.
I went home and got dressed in a smart suit. I picked up a big bunch of flowers as well. I then waited in my car until I Alice text me, "Go go go go!"
I swiftly made it to the front of the salon and was surprised to see that Bella had a lovely new, choppier haircut and I assumed she had got a pedicure as well.
"Wow. You look gorgeous."
"Thank you. Got a date?" Bella asked as she took in my appearance.
"Well that depends. Would you come to dinner with me?"
"It's only four o'clock."
"I like to start my dinners early. So, is that a no?" I asked, pouting slightly.
Bella seemed a bit flustered. "I'll come," she squeaked.
"Excellent. These flowers are for you." I handed them to her and Bella blushed slightly.
"Thank you. They are beautiful. You shouldn't have."
"That is only the beginning of it. I've got a whole surprise planned for you. In order to make it the best it can be I need you to be blindfolded. Do you mind?"
"No, I trust you. Just don't mess my hair up, it looks good for once." She saw my look of surprise. "What? I can care about how I look. Occasionally."
I laughed and carefully tied a silk scarf that Alice had surreptitiously handed me across her eyes as I whispered, "Your hair always looks good."
Bella giggled and blushed. I felt a bit guilty about leading her on but it was for her own good.
I successfully got her into the car and made it to Television Centre. Now the trouble really started.
Thankfully Alice and Angela had 'foreseen' this problem and turned up to keep any questions at bay and to try and get Bella there without her being any the wiser. Somehow she seemed to trust me and was completely oblivious to any ulterior motives on my part. She just held my hand and followed me. We were close to the door of the studio and she was about to realise that her trust was entirely misplaced.
I opened the door and we walked into the large studio. The camera crew and band were waiting for us I led Bella straight to our starting position.
"I know that you don't want to dance tomorrow and I respect that." I gulped at the huge lie. "But I would like one more dance before we go out separate ways. Is that okay?"
She nodded removed her blindfold. She blinked and froze once she had realised where she was.
"You lying bastard. Did you think lying to me and making me think you liked me would make me more likely to dance with you? I can assure you that the opposite is true. Excuse me." She pushed past me angrily and walked quickly to the exit. I stood with my head in my hands. How had I let Alice talk me into this?
"It's my fault. Not Edward's," Alice called out and Bella stopped.
"What?" snapped Bella as she whirled around and looked venomously at Alice.
"It was my idea. It's all my fault. I talked Edward into it. He thinks you've got a really good chance of doing well. He doesn't want your hard work to go to waste. And, between you and me, he likes hanging out with you and doesn't want it to end. Please at least dance with him. Give it a go. Don't run away."
Bella looked at me and I hung my head in shame. I was about to lose someone who I thought I really cared for. I couldn't bear to watch.
Suddenly someone held my hand.
"That's not your starting position."
I lifted my head up and saw Bella holding my hand. "Come on."
I numbly followed her and we stood in our starting positions. I nodded to the band and Shining Light filled the room. Bella danced far better than I had ever seen before. She practically glided. If I could persuade her to dance the following day we were bound to wow the judges.
I held her in my arms for the final position. "Thank you. Thank you so much," I said, "You did it and you were fantastic. There is absolutely nothing for you to worry about."
"You're just saying that."
"He's not. You were excellent. Check the filming," said Alice as she and Angela walked towards us.
"It was filmed?"
"Forget about the cameras. You were brilliant," said Angela.
Bella looked very doubtful and I thought that the film could be of benefit to us. I had a quite word with the producer and a few minutes later we were sat in front of the producers screen watching our dance. It was good, for a first week it was bloody fantastic. I just hoped Bella could keep her nerves in check tomorrow.
As Bella watched she looked dumbstruck, her mouth was slightly agape and she wasn't blinking.
"Is that really us?" she whispered.
"Yep."
"We're quite good."
"We're excellent."
"Do you think we can do that tomorrow?"
"We can do even better."
She finally looked away from the screen and grinned at me. "Thank you so much." With that she enveloped me in a tight hug. I think I was forgiven.
A/N: Is there a song you think that Edward and Bella need to dance to? I'm open for suggestions for ballroom dances, kitchen dances and everything in between. Classics are preferred but I'm also open to more obscure songs. I particularly seem to be lacking in songs sung by men…
Have a look on my profile for a link to my Spotify playlist of all songs used and yet to be used in Publicity Shy and information about the places mentioned.
Glossary
Babber: A friend/baby (doesn't suggest that the person is a baby…). A Bristolian term of endearment.
Bollocks: Literally means testicles. However, more commonly used to mean damn (as it is here).
Dad-dance: To dance like a father would at a wedding. Very badly. In this case it is ironic.
Foodie: Someone who is obsessed with good food.
Fry up: A full English breakfast. Eggs (usually scrambled or fried), sausages, bacon, baked beans, toast, fried mushrooms and black pudding (blood sausage).
Pants: In the UK pants are underpants, not trousers. This could get confusing for the non-Brits reading…
Spotify: An online music library available in the UK. Like iTunes but free. If you can't access it you should be jealous. It is awesome.
Tad: A bit.
Tube: British slang for the London subway system.
Underground: The London subway system.