A/N: A huge thank you to my awesome pre-reader mamadog93 and my patient Beta missrebecca. No infringement intended.
I pull up my instant messenger and immediately start debating what to say to Edward. I feel so excited and nervous at the prospect of having an actual conversation with him. I briefly contemplate that it seems odd that he is affecting me this much and I don't even know what he's like or what he looks like.
Bellabird: Hi, Edward. I noticed you were still online after I read your email and thought it'd be nice to get back to you right away.
PianoMan23: What a pleasant surprise. I'd love the opportunity to chat with a beautiful, intelligent woman before my show tonight. Maybe you can be my muse? I have about 15 minutes before I have to get ready for work. I would ask you how you are doing but that seems rather boring so instead I will ask you what you are listening to right now?
Bellabird: Hmm I don't know that I have ever been a muse but it sounds promising what are the job requirements? How did you know I was listening to anything? Right now I am enjoying the soundtrack to the movie Donnie Darko. Have you ever seen it?
PianoMan23: Yes, I think that movie has an excellent sound track. What made you pick that to listen to this afternoon? Muse requirements demand no extra effort from you as you already have captured my attention quite completely.
Bellabird: You made me blush but I'm glad I'm not the only one . After I read your email I remembered that I have not listened to a soundtrack in a while. That one's my favorite. Speaking of favorites what are your favorite movies?
PianoMan23: I love a girl who blushes. I would have to say Fight Club or Eyes Wide Shut. As you can probably tell from my email I really enjoy watching movies, it is one of my favorite pastimes.
Bellabird: I have never seen Fight Club; I will have to add it to my Netflix cue. Obviously anything Kubrick is a winner, although I found A Clockwork Orange a bit much.
PianoMan23: Not that I am sticking up for a movie about rapists but I loved the punishment in that movie. Pavolvian conditioning to make his most loved thing (Beethoven) tortuous. I hope that does not make you get the wrong idea about me.
Bellabird: Don't worry; I won't let that comment skew my opinion of you too much. ;) It is nice to be able to talk about movies with someone that seems to love them as much as I do.
PianoMan23: Whew. I'm glad I did not manage to turn you off to the idea of speaking to me all together. Unfortunately, I have a show to get ready for. I am looking forward to your email lovely Bella.
Bellabird: Break a leg. I will get to work on that email before bed tonight.
PianoMan23: Signed off
How is it that such a short conversation, with a man I don't even really know can make me so happy? I decide to start reading Cat's Cradle before I write Edward back. I don't want to seem too eager and scare him off. He really seems like an intelligent and sweet guy. I hope a face to face meeting or a phone call is in our near future.
OoOoOoOoOo
After being thoroughly surprised and captivated by Cat's Cradle, I decide enough time has passed and I can now respond to Edward's email.
Edward,
I hope your show went well tonight. I'd like to one day be able to see you perform. I have never been to a Dueling Piano bar but it sounds like a lot of fun. I must admit though that I am very much enjoying our virtual courtship. My favorite movies are Donnie Darko (no surprise there, I'm sure) and The Good Girl. I wanted to let you know that I started reading Cat's Cradle today and I am totally engrossed in it. I have already made it halfway through and will probably finish it tomorrow since I find myself having a difficult time putting it down. I am not writing anything in particular currently but I do jot down poems and short stories as they flit through my mind. It is mostly just for my own benefit at this point , since I'm a little shy about sharing my work. I like Clair De Lune as it reminds me of my mom. She used to play it all the time when I was growing up. I understand your critics about the White Stripes and their lyrical short comings; however, sometimes it's fun to just get lost in a great guitar solo. I really enjoyed our conversation earlier and hope we might be able to do it again sometime. What is one of your favorite childhood memories? I look forward to your response and getting to know you better.
Until then,
Bella
After I send my response I decide it is probably time for bed so I get myself ready. I lie in bed thinking about how happy I am that I got over myself and signed up for that dating site. I am glad to finally have something to look forward to besides class and work. It is with these positive thoughts that I drift off into a peaceful night's sleep.
OoOoOoOo
The next morning I don't have enough time to check my email for a response from Edward. I have to hustle to get to my first class on time. I am happy to see that Alice, the girl from the trendy store in the mall, has saved me a seat. I chat with her briefly about clothes, of all things, before the professor rushes in and delves right into his lecture. Alice and I decide to have lunch together after class. I am pleased to learn that we seem to get along so well. It would be nice to have a girlfriend close by to hang out with and vent to. Alice seems like she might just be that girl. We say goodbye after lunch and Alice makes plans to meet me for lunch on Saturday so she can "get the dish" about my date with James. I express my excitement to see her then before we part ways. The rest of the day seems to float by without me paying much attention to my lectures. I can't seem to help myself from thinking about my date tomorrow and my possible waiting email response from Edward.
Once I get home I rush up to my room after a brief "hello" to Charlie and a promise to come down and fix dinner shortly. He mumbles something unintelligible about teenage girls as I race up the stairs. After getting my laptop booted up I am pleased to find Edward responded to my email and I have a few other initial emails from the dating site from other people who have seen my profile. I quickly contemplate taking it down as it seems I have plenty on my plate for the time being. I decide to doing that before bed tonight after reading my email for Edward and perusing the couple other emails I have gotten from other possible suitors.
Dearest Bella,
I was happy to see your email when I got home from my gig tonight. I found myself thinking about you often during my performance and I think I'd enjoy having you watch me perform at some point in the future. I am also enjoying our virtual courtship much more than I thought possible and feel as though I'm really starting to get to know you. I have seen and liked The Good Girl and Donnie Darko and have gathered that you must really enjoy movies that make an observation about society. Perhaps one day we can critique a movie together? I'm glad to hear you are enjoying reading my favorite book. You will have to let me know what you think the statement Vonnegut is making about our society in that one. It is so refreshing for me to be able to find someone who shares some of my tastes in music, literature and film. I thoroughly enjoyed our brief discussion about Kubrick earlier and I would love to take you up on your offer for another chat. I will plan to be online Sunday around 3. I'm pretty free on Sunday afternoons and should have more time to talk. Let me know if that sounds agreeable to you. You don't have to convince me that sometimes it's just about the music. I agree. Do you play any instruments? One thing about music I love is how closely associated with memories a song or artist can be. Hopefully, one day I can create music that memorable. I know you wrote that you are pretty private about your writing but I would love to read something you wrote. As you are clearly an intelligent and thoughtful person I can only imagine that your writing would be insightful. As a good faith measure, I have included an MP3 of me playing a song I composed in honor of my mother, Esme. Hopefully, through my music a little bit more about me will become unraveled for you. A favorite childhood memory is the yearly trip my family would take to Alaska to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins. It is so beautiful and pure there. I love the fresh smells and the large expanses of untouched land. Now I must ask, care to also share a favorite childhood memory? I'm looking forward to your response and hope you are available on Sunday for our e-date.
Edward
P.S. In keeping with the virtual courtship do you think texts could count? If you think this would be acceptable leave me your number in your next email so I can text you occasionally. Hopefully, this is not too forward of me. If it is, please forgive me.
Wow! How it is that Edward has the ability to make me turn to mush and I don't even really know him. As much as I love our courtship, I am finding it hard to be patient and not suggest meeting. I don't want to seem overly eager or push too hard and make Edward uncomfortable. I wish I had more experience with this whole dating thing. I listen to Edwards's composition he included and I'm completely captivated. It is beautiful and intense. I can feel his adoration for his mother in the music and do feel like I have gained more insight into his life by him sharing this piece of himself with me. I contemplate what piece of my writing I could share with him. I will have to look through my journal later. Right now I have stroganoff to make.
After a rather uneventful dinner with Charlie, I figure I better follow through on my plans to inactivate my profile on the dating site. I want to see where my current prospects lead me before I have to juggle anything else. I also quickly check the handful of emails I have received and decide none of them are worth responding to. Especially the second email I received from Aro in which the sexual innuendos were very obvious and completely disgusting. I decide to write Edward back in the morning as I realize I should probably attempt to get a good night sleep before my date with James tomorrow. I really don't need to add sleep deprivation to my certain nervous and awkward state. With that comforting thought, I drift into a restless sleep.
A/N: So things are starting to get exciting! Please review and let me know what you think.