Chapter 4: SHE – Insecurities
Her first date surpasses all of her expectations.
For the next three hours, she progresses with her date with Edward with seemingly endless conversation. Aside from talking about school, they touch on subjects about their families, friends, and personal interests. Even though they've known each other for this long, there were still many aspects they didn't know about one another.
They munch on egg salad sandwiches and fruit cocktail and sip from Pacific Cooler flavored Kool-Aid. The nerves she had all week about today gradually disappear as every minute passes. Their conversation flows naturally with very few moments of silences.
At six o'clock PM, after she educates Edward about her extensive knowledge of Pokemon, they watch with amazed eyes as the sun sets at the horizon. Before today, she has never witnessed a sunset firsthand, much less one at a beach with a boy she has fallen for. Now, she's experiencing a few firsts her high school self never had the opportunity to go through.
First date. First witness of a sunset. First time wearing a leather skirt. For all she knows, with the way the date is going, a first kiss.
At six-thirty, the pair clean up and head to the bus stop to wait for a bus to take them back home. While they wait, she decided to bring up a question she wanted to bring up earlier.
"What would you consider to be your biggest insecurity?"
She notices his body go stiff. She bites the inside of her cheek. Maybe she shouldn't have asked that question. That question could have been saved for another day.
"I-I'm sorry," she stammers. "Forget I asked. You don't have to answer that." She internally facepalms. "God, I have absolutely no verbal filter sometimes."
"No, it's fine," he reassures her, his body relaxing. "I was just caught off guard."
"You still don't have to answer my question."
"I want to." He sighs. "My height. Compared to my college classmates, I feel like a short stack of pancakes."
"You're not short! You're… what? 5'4"?"
"Close. 5'5"."
"See? That's not too short. If anything, I'm short. And chubby." She frowns. "My body is my insecurity. It doesn't help that I'm also short. Compared to most girls, I don't exactly have the body guys drool over."
"You're making me drool. And I don't think you're chubby. You have curves. I like that. I like having something to hold on to." He lets go of her hand and shifts his body so his arms could wrap around her waist. The feeling of their chests touching makes her blush for what could be the hundredth time today.
"You like my body?"
"Absolutely. Whoever doesn't can go to hell."
"Damn, Edward. I didn't think you had it in your to use that sort of language." She never heard him swear him in high school, so to hear him say something remotely close to profanity takes her slightly aback.
"But it's true, right? And it's their loss for not appreciating how beautiful you are, inside and out."
"You think I'm beautiful?"
"As beautiful as the sunset we saw earlier. As beautiful as your name says you are." Their faces are inches away from each other. One little move and their lips would touch. "Can I kiss you, Bella?"
All she could do is move her head in an up and down motion. The moment their lips touch, the world falls away. She closes her eyes and loses herself in the kiss. In the back of her mind, she questions if this is his first kiss too. He did tell her she's the first girl he ever went on a date on. But she read enough novels to know that people can have first kisses without first dates in context. Like spin the bottle.
"W-wow," she stutters out when he pulls away.
"Took the words right out my mouth," he breathes out in response.
"First kiss?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Ditto."
"Was it good?"
"More than good." She beams. "I'm mindblown."
"Thanks." The engine of an incoming bus makes them pull back and look at the bus that has arrived. It's their bus.
"Just so you know, I'm expecting more of that in the future," she tells him cheekily as the doors of the bus opens.
"Oh, don't worry." He hugs her close to his side. "You won't have to wait too long for the next one."
And an hour later, a few blocks away from her house, as they say goodbye for the night, he makes good on his promise.
Ah, first kiss. And their insecurities. I kinda wanna go on a beachside sunset picnic date now. xD