A/N: Hope you're all having a good New Year, so far! I just wanted to say thank you for all the reviews, and of course the British snow for snowing me in today so I could finish this piece. Enjoy!
Bella sighed as she got into work. She wasn't used to getting up this early – it was six AM on a Sunday. Her hair was slightly dishevelled and even though she managed to have a shower, she was far from looking her best. She caught sight of herself in the reflection of the coffee machine and grimaced. She looked like death warmed up.
As she got her apron on and attempted to fix her hair a little better, she thought about what had happened the day before.
Him.
He was far from any other man she had ever met before – even though she hadn't exactly met many people. There was something strange about the man, and the way she felt around him; it was as if there was a magnetic force trying desperately to put them together. She guessed that was the logic behind a strong attraction; perhaps people had the same effect as the poles on magnets.
Alice remarked on the way Bella looked as she walked into the area by the counter. "Rough night?"
"A little. I couldn't sleep very well," Bella replied.
Alice laughed. "Too busy thinking about Mr. Cullen, I think!"
Bella laughed back as if it were all one big joke. Her stomach jolted when she heard his name and then squeezed her again when she realized that Alice had guessed completely correctly. Bella had always had trouble sleeping, but that night seemed to be especially worse. Just as she would be drifting off, she'd suddenly see his face, that pretty-much-perfect smile and then she would have to wait half an hour before she felt tired again. It was sort of pathetic.
"So is he coming to collect the cake next Saturday, then?" Alice asked.
"Yeah, I think that's what he said," she retorted, although truthfully she had been so captivated by his emerald eyes that she couldn't even remember a word he'd said. She remembered the perfection of his face, although slightly jaded from the broken look in his eyes. She remembered his smile and then shivered. Again, it was sort of pathetic.
She picked up the cake that he had chosen the previous day and put it on the top order shelf, just as she was instructed. She smiled as she looked at it; he had made a good choice. She couldn't wait until he returned to get it though, and hoped it wasn't in the week when she wasn't working. She was almost sad when it occurred to her that he may just come back for it another time.
Just then, it was as if her prayers were answered. Ruffled, slept-in and certainly jaded, the first customer entered the shop. His eyes were completely intent as he gazed upon her, and Bella even heard Alice gasp as he walked in. The fire returned to her as it had done the day before and she was shocked. She wasn't quite sure what to do; should she run to the back and hide and wait for the fire to burn out? Or should she simply give into what she was currently being taken over by, and just jump on the man whose eyes were eagerly awaiting her response? Luckily, she chose neither and remained quiet, but let the fire stay ignited.
"Hello again," he whispered in that wonderful velvety voice that she was glad she hadn't imagined.
"Hi," she squeaked.
He smiled at her and she froze. The fire was getting even hotter and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. It was stunningly crooked and full of mischief. She just wanted to smile back; and she did.
Alice sneakily left the room again leaving the other two to continue. Only then, when they were really alone, Bella realized that the tension was back. She felt weak at the knees again and uncontrollable. If she hadn't been so nervous and reclusive, then she was sure that she would have jumped on him by now. It was absolutely ridiculous.
"What can I…" her voice trailed off. Her throat felt as it did when she was about to cry, or if she'd eaten something the wrong way. How was it, that one human being could make her feel like this? She wasn't sure whether she liked it or not, but she didn't want it to stop.
He continued to smile at her. He like d how nervous she became when she was around him, although he sensed that she was a timid person from the start. "I've come to pick up my cake, Isabella," he murmured, whilst still holding her gaze as if he were enchanting her. She noticed how he had elongated her name to Isabella – which was a little strange – but she liked it.
She plucked up the courage to smile back and talk. He may have made her a nervous wreck, but ultimately he was bringing out the best in her. She wasn't a confident person but he made her want to be. At least she was trying. "Yes, I will just go and get it for you."
She turned around the top shelf and then saw how high the cake was placed. Alice had used a ladder to place it there originally, but the step was nowhere to be seen. She became a little flustered as she wondered how she was going to get it down, the klutz that she was. After all, he was watching her and she knew that she would completely keel over and die if she did anything stupid in front of him.
"Alice?" she called, but no one answered.
Suddenly, she was interrupted. "Do you want me to help you there, Isabella? I think I am a lot taller than you." He laughed and then she gulped. In any usual circumstance, she would have welcomed the help but after last time, when they stood near each other and she experienced that electric shock, well, she was scared that it would happen again. Especially today when he looked so…mouth-watering.
Her mouth and her body betrayed her, however, and turned to him and said, "Thank you; that would be great."
He walked around the side to help Bella, but this time he was entering her territory. He was careful not to touch her after the mutual shock they both received last time, but some part of him secretly wanted to remember what that felt like. Instead, he gave her a strong yet tainted smile as he stood by her side. She gulped.
Bella watched him as he turned to reach up to the top shelf. She stared as she regarded the innovative way his body was formed, how he was lean yet incredibly muscular and as he reached even higher, Bella's breath hitched as his t-shirt revealed an exquisite bronze trail of fluff that went from his navel right down to his…
"This is harder than I thought," Edward said as he looked back at Bella. However, she was still occupied with the anatomy of this incredible being that was right in front of her. Suddenly, she shook her head and out of the trance that Edward seemed to set her in. Her fire was burning her up now, and she was beginning to question her control.
"I know," she murmured back. "I guess you could step on some of the catalogues that we have behind the counter, since I can't find the stepladder."
Bella smiled inside at her maintenance of control and the confidence that she never knew she had. Perhaps she was stronger than she thought.
"That sounds practical," Edward retorted and then Bella turned to retrieve her makeshift ladder. She wasn't aware, however, of Edward's stare after her.
He considered her for a little while, and couldn't help analysing the way she moved. She looked a little timid, but not hunched. She still walked with a slight sway of the hips, which suited how modest she seemed. Although he couldn't see much of her body, the way her pink apron and black polo shirt clung to her was, for lack of a better word…nice. He felt himself smiling at her as she turned around. She awkwardly smiled back.
Bella bent over to put the magazines next to Edward's feet. Edward had to remind himself that Bella was far too young for his thoughts to run like they were as he watched her ample bottom as she set the paper on the floor. "Dammit," he cursed under his breath and got back to concentrating on how he was going to get the cake down.
I could have just called Alice and asked where the step ladder was, Bella thought. Then it would have saved me all this awkward silence. But the reason as to why she did not just simply call Alice was suddenly brought into light again as Edward reached up to bring the cake down. Bella's fire was burning out of control; she couldn't even breathe properly. She just wanted to reach out and touch him, trace his belly fluff and see where it ended…
"Got it," Edward exclaimed as he pulled the caked down. It balanced on the palm of his hand as it was still slightly too high to get a proper grasp on it. Bella was too engrossed on Edward's stomach and trail to even notice that one of the magazines was slipping underneath his foot.
In one swift movement, Edward's body slipped from Bella's view and onto the floor. In a massive panic attack, Bella tried to retrieve the cake as it came down, but it came down just as swiftly as Edward before Bella could prepare to catch it. Half of the cake came down on one side of Bella's face, slipped down to her shoulder and her chest and then the rest fell on Edward who was lying in an awkward position on the floor.
Adrenaline pulsed through Bella as she rushed to Edward's side. "Are you okay, Mr. Cullen?" She asked, concern running through every tone of her sentence. She didn't care about the cake which was covering most of her face and half of her body, she just wanted to make sure that Edward was alright.
"Yeah, I'm fine thank you, Isabella," he said as he attempted to sit up. "I'm not usually that clumsy."
"I am," Bella stuttered. "Maybe I'm just rubbing off on you."
Edward laughed, and his laugh sang like one thousand angels. Bella just felt completely compelled to laugh with him.
"You're so mucky," Edward said as he pulled a piece of cake out from Bella's hair. She froze a little bit, but her fire re-ignited. "I'm sorry." The sincerity returned to Edward's voice.
Bella backed away a bit, scared a little of the human contact. She wanted so desperately to let him keep touching her…but that terrified her; she wasn't used to anyone even talking to her, let alone playing with her hair. It was something that she had seen on the television, read about in books and then certainly dreamt about, but it caused her to flinch – the fact that it was actually happening.
Edward removed his hand from her hair and Bella gave him a weak smile. He resisted the temptation of reaching out again and touching her face through the cream and the sponge that was currently enveloping her beautiful visage. He wanted to wipe away her pain.
They stared at each other for a moment, just as they had done the previous day. Their connection was again, extremely evident to the both of them. However, their beautiful moment of silence was suddenly interrupted by a shocked looking Alice.
"Oh no! What happened here? Did you drop Mr. Cullen's cake, Bella?" Alice squealed, rushing around the mess that had gone everywhere.
"No, it was my fault. Isabella tried to help me," Edward explained.
Alice regarded the catalogues that were laid all over the floor and covered in cake mess. "Why didn't you just use the step ladder, Bella? It was just round the corner."
Bella blushed profusely as Edward smirked at her. He must have thought that she had done it on purpose, just so he would come round to help her. That wasn't the case, but it may well have been.
Alice looked flustered and bothered. "Tanya will be here any minute; I have to get this cleared up. Look, Bella, go and get you and Mr. Cullen sorted out in the bathroom before she gets back. I'll clean up in here."
"Are you sure?" Bella asked, worried that she would be left alone in a small confined space with Edward. It wasn't even because of the awkwardness that may occur anymore, Bella just didn't know whether she could take anymore feeling to her lower stomach without exploding. What was this feeling? It only happened when she was around Edward, except the time she read one of her father's books that turned out to be a bit more adult than it on to be.
"Yes, just go, quick," Alice demanded as Edward began to walk to the bathroom.
"Are you sure you don't have to be anywhere, ?" Bella asked him, hoping for one more try.
"No, of course not. I don't work on Sundays," Edward explained. He then gave Bella a dazzling grin and she almost melted on the spot. "And please, call me Edward."
"Okay…Edward," Bella smiled.
They moved to the bathroom which was rather poky and small, much to Bella's disappointment. She reached up into the cabinet whilst Edward followed her, and watched her intently as she fumbled around for some cleaning components.
Edward looked down at his t-shirt and noticed that he was just as covered in cake as Bella. He laughed a little at the situation – despite embarrassing himself extremely and ruining his daughter's potential birthday cake, he was having fun. It was something that he hadn't witnessed in a very long time.
As Bella searched, she was feeling the same way. Why couldn't she stop smiling? This was an opposite reaction to what she usually did; it was more usual to try and force a smile out of her. It was what her father often said: "Bella am I going to have to force a smile out of you?" No Daddy, was what she would reply, and do her best to give him a mere and slight grin. Not now.
"I can only think of wet wipes," Bella explained after she had searched through the cupboards. Most of the other stuff in there was detergents – nothing for cleaning cake of amazingly tantalizing humans.
"That's fine. They work for everything, I should know," Edward replied. Bella looked at him, cocking her head slightly. "My daughter gets messy a lot," Edward explained, and Bella smiled as she saw Edward's eyes momentarily light up as he spoke of her.
Bella pulled out some wipes and handed a large handful to Edward. They began cleaning themselves up and as Edward had predicted, they were pretty useful. Luckily Bella had been wearing her apron, or otherwise her shirt would have surely been ruined. She couldn't say the same thing for Edward's garments, however.
"Your shirt is ruined!" Bella regarded.
"Don't worry about it, Isabella. I've got about a hundred of these at home," Edward grinned. Bella could see Edward's perfectly sculpted torso more easily through his shirt now that it was slightly damp. Her breathing went up a notch as she saw his visible left nipple. Stop it! She told herself. It was unusually out of character for her; she never looked at guys like that.
She laughed at Edward's remark and went back to cleaning herself up. Edward gazed at her simultaneously as she worked the wipe on her shoulder and her chest. He felt himself wishing she would move the cloth a little to the side, but then his conscience brought him out of his reverie. She's at least ten years younger than you, Cullen. Get a grip of yourself! However, he kept staring but kept his wishing to a minimum.
Bella tried to reach over her shoulder, noticing that it had spilled down her back, too. She tried as hard as she could to reach to the bottom of her shoulder blade but flexibility was hardly her forte. Edward noticed that she was having trouble, and contemplated whether he should ask her if he could help her. Perhaps it was too soon; he saw her reaction when he touched her hair, and he knew that he himself was finding it overwhelming to feel so fascinated with anyone how he had used to previously with his wife.
On the other hand, he was so interested in her and he just longed to touch her. Not predominantly in the way that was feral to him, it was just a feeling that was overcoming him. It wasn't a question as to where, he just wanted to feel that electricity again. He wanted it; he needed it. His body spoke before his mind.
"Do you want me to help you there, Isabella?" Edward asked. She adored how he used her full name – no one had used it since…her mom. Instead of it being painful, it sounded…right. She liked the sound of Edward's voice and her name came off his lips like a song.
She didn't know the truth to her feelings. Part of her was saying No! I'm not ready for you to touch me, yet. But part of her, especially her lower regions was saying Yes! Oh God, yes! She mentally cursed her personality for changing so much around this man.
"Yes please, Edward," she murmured. Even saying his name was giving her shivers.
He walked around the back of her to the problem area. "Wow, you have more cake there than I thought; it must have hit you at full throttle!" He laughed and Bella returned with a giggle. They loved being in each other's company despite the lack of knowledge about each other. All they knew was that the pain in their eyes was mirrored in the other, and it meant that they could relate, that they had chemistry, that something was happening between them: a revelation, perhaps.
Edward's cool fingers touched the flesh that was showing just past her neck and leading to her shoulder. The fire burned until it was almost giving her third degree burns and Edward's heart was beating harshly but steadily. It seemed impossible that they had such an effect on each other. Bella tenses as Edward slowly moved his finger tips to her shoulder.
"So you're the chief's daughter…" Edward began as his fingers descended sensually. He couldn't stop himself, and Bella didn't want him too, either.
"Yes," she breathed and then closed her eyes as Edward slowly wiped the cream away.
"How come I have never heard of you, then?" He asked, curiously.
Bella felt at ease with him; like she could tell him everything. Her lack of confidence slightly held her back, but she still answered him as truthfully as she could.
"I…haven't been out much," she explained.
Edward slipped past her shoulder blade and further into the center of her back, just along her bra strap. It wasn't meant to be sexual, so Edward moved his hand slightly further up. He wanted her to feel at ease.
"Me neither," he replied. "Not in the past three months, anyway."
Bella felt inclined to carry on the conversation, a surprisingly normal thing to do. "Why is that?"
Edward paused and stopped the process of removing the sponge. "I'm sorry if that was too intruding," Bella apologised.
"No," Edward said, calmly. "It's a perfectly reasonable question. I just work a lot…and any free time I get, I spend with Honey," he explained.
"Your daughter," Bella remembered.
"Yes, Isabella." He continued to wipe at an unusually slow pace. Edward hoped that Bella hadn't realised that he was taking a lot more time and care that was needed. Bella just thought that she was overanalyzing the whole act, so dismissed it.
"So why Crumbs, Bella? Are you not still at school?" Edward anticipated that Bella was still in school, but some part hoped that maybe she wasn't, so that maybe he could justify this odd obsession that he was starting to have with her and the effervescent attraction for her that was currently consuming him.
"My dad got me the job. He thought it would be healthy for me to do something else other than just going to Forks High," Bella retorted. She noted how much more she wanted to speak to Edward which was pleasantly surprising. Maybe stepping out into the real world wouldn't be as hard as she originally thought. She'd even considered spending the rest of her life as a mute.
"Are you enjoying it so far?" The wipe Edward was using casually brushed Bella's neck and she shivered.
"Yes," she whispered.
"I think you're doing great," Edward said, with a low and gruff tone to his voice. Bella was almost scared with excitement that it caused.
"Thank you," she murmured and her heart raced unbelievably fast as she felt Edward's cool breath on her skin. Please, she begged unexpectedly inside her head, please move your lips closer. She closed her eyes and smiled as she felt him breathe.
"Right," Edward stated. "That's you done, clean and proper." Edward turned Bella around and smiled at her. Bella felt shaken that it had ended so quickly and that perhaps he was merely just helping her take the cake off. But he didn't stop looking at her.
There was a silence as Edwards hands were still placed on Bella's arms and her muscles all tensed up as she stared back into his eyes. She could get lost in them, for sure. And in fact, that was happening at that very moment. She was melting. She wondered what the hell was wrong with her. Edward pursed his lips as if he wanted to say something. Bella didn't.
"I want to know your story, Isabella," he whispered.
Bella couldn't say anything back. She broke the gaze as she heard footsteps coming around the corner. Edward released his loose grip on Bella's arms and they turned away from each other as if to disguise what had just happened. Bella's knees felt wobbly with adrenaline and…desire.
"You okay, now?" Alice asked. "I've got everything covered outside and Tanya rang to say that she would be another ten minutes to we're safe. Don't know what to do about that cake, though. I think she might notice."
"Don't worry," Edward said. Bella was sort of surprised to hear him speak so casually after what had just happened; she could barely move. "I'll still pay for it."
"That won't be necessary, Mr. Cullen," Alice told him.
"Seriously, it's absolutely no problem. It would probably give me another excuse to come in here again," Edward said without thinking.
Alice paused and looked from Bella to Edward. "Right, okay. That's fine. I'll just go and sort it out on the till."
She left them on their own in the bathroom once more. Edward shifted a little and Bella looked at her feet. Bella nervously giggled, and Edward couldn't help to the same – except it wasn't nervous. He longed to laugh with her; anything to keep him happy. He looked into her eyes once more.
"I don't want to sound too forward or weird, Isabella – I haven't done this in an extremely long time but – do you have a number I could reach you on? You know, just in case I need your advice on a cake again," he grinned.
Bella hesitated. She had never once in her life owned a cell phone – she didn't need to. She'd been asked for her number plenty of times before from some of the tools at school, but it just seemed like a big practical joke. However, Edward was clearly not joking. Her heart soared but came to a halt when she didn't have a number to give him. "Um, no I don't, sorry," she replied.
"Oh okay, I understand, I get it," he said, astounded and looking even more broken than usual. "First time I do this again and I get rejected – of course."
Bella didn't know what to say. She wanted to leap into his arms, wrap her own around his neck and tell him that she would never ever reject him. Instead, she thought of a practical way to save her backward impression and his dignity. "I have an email, though?"
Edward's eyes lit up again, and Bella smiled when happiness swept over his face. It's the simple pleasures, she thought. "Here, I'll write it down for you if you go and see Alice, she's probably waiting for you."
Edward's eyes twinkled. "Okay, Isabella." Oh that word on those lips.
He turned and went into the main bakery room to join Alice and pay for the cake that was no longer there. Bella walked into the tiny hallway just in front of Tanya's office and grabbed a piece of scrap paper and a pen that was lying on the table. She wrote her email address down; being careful to make sure her handwriting was well written enough for Edward to appreciate.
After writing out the fifth copy, she came into the bakery room, removing her apron in the process – it was too sticky. She folded up the piece of paper neatly in her hand and then walked over to the counter where Edward was waiting for her.
She handed him the note and he flashed her his incredible grin. He finished with Alice and then looked at Bella, still smiling. "I'll get in touch," he said. And with no further adieu, he turned and walked out of the shop, quite casually.
What Bella didn't know was that he was a mixture of emotions that couldn't be displayed on his face. He was happy, happy that he had met someone like Bella, someone who could make him happy with no intention and made him easily forget. He was intrigued, intrigued about what would happen next with this wondrous being he had just encountered. And last of all, he was sad, sad that he was leaving and turning away from the beautiful cake girl; oh how he had loved touching her shoulder.
And what Edward didn't know was that Bella was feeling exactly the same.
A/N: Please review, I will love you! And tweet me: bondgirrl xxx
