Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended.
Beta'd by HollettLA - the amazing HollettLA
ENJOY!
~~~Bella~~~
Talking to Edward was surprisingly easy. I felt like such an idiot for being so nervous around him. He is a human being, after all. He breathes and needs oxygen, just like the rest of us. Right?
Okay, so he's easily the most beautiful man I have ever seen.
My initial impression of him was that he must date supermodels. That was something I definitely wasn't. Sure, I'm pretty, but he is most certainly out of my league. He's on the phone with you, talking to you!
Putting my insecurities on hold for the time being, I covered the receiver of the phone with my hand and jumped up and down, squealing in excitement. He wants to go on a date with me, ME!
He is so sweet to move up here just to be close to his family. They lived in Chicago until he was sixteen and had to move to New York City, when his father was offered a position at New York Presbyterian.
Edward graduated high school and was pre-med at Columbia University, staying in New York City. He decided to follow in his father's footsteps and attend Mount Sinai School of Medicine. His family was some sort of legacy at Mount Sinai, having had past generations graduate from there.
When his sister, Rosalie, married Emmett, they decided to move to the country, as he called it. His mother, Esme, was sick of the city and wanted to move to someplace quiet. And when Rosalie found out she was pregnant that all but sealed the deal. His parents moved up here as well, leaving poor Edward alone.
Edward was offered a position at Mount Sinai; however, city life was getting to him too and he also missed his family. So when he finished his residency, he came up here to establish himself. His father is all too thrilled to have him at the practice. Having a father/son practice was always Carlisle's dream, as per Edward.
"Do you realize how long we've been on the phone?" he asked. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was 6:33 PM. Holy crow! We've been talking for over two hours.
"Wow, sorry, I hope you have unlimited minutes," I laughed.
"I do, but listen, I'm still at the hospital. Can I maybe call you later? I'm leaving now." Sure, Dr. Cullen, you can call me anytime. No, I can't say that.
"Sure... I mean if you want to-" Was my elegant reply.
"Of course I want to. Let me grab something to eat and then you'll be hearing from me." My breath caught in my throat.
I have no idea why, but when he said that I had an epiphany. What would Alice do? She would invite him over. She always took chances, never afraid of rejection. She was always so brave and I, well...wasn't. But I used to be, before the whole Jake mess, and back then I was practically a child. What's the worse he can say? No?
"I don't want to sound overzealous…I uh am…only making macaroni and cheese, but if you would like to join me, you are more than welcome to-" I crossed my fingers.
He teased me a bit, but otherwise assured me that he would be happy to join me. Quickly, I gave him my address and hung up.
I ran into the bathroom to give myself the once-over. I grimaced as I realized that I was still wearing his sweatshirt. I didn't want to part with it, but thought he might think it creepy if he saw me wearing it. Peeling off the sweatshirt as I walked into my bedroom, I noticed that my apartment was a bit messy.
Focus! One task at a time.
Skimming through my drawers, I found a fitted, long-sleeved, green t-shirt that would go well with the black yoga pants I was wearing. My clothes from today were already in the hamper. Shit. I think he liked the shirt I was wearing before. But I'd just like to think that he likes what's underneath it. Hehe
I stuffed the sweatshirt into the same drawer. For later, of course.
While I was cleaning up the living room, my thoughts found their way back to Edward. He had the cutest crooked smile that made my tummy ache and wild bronze hair – wild bronze sex hair, to be specific. It always stuck out in unruly tufts. I had an overwhelming urge to run my fingers through it to tame it. Or kissing him senseless, while I tugged at it to make it a little messier. Either way, I just wanted to touch it.
When we were just talking, it was so easy. How should I act around him? What if I get so nervous I shut down? Like I usually do. The truth was that I never really dated anyone, besides Jake. Jake and I started going out so long ago, I forgot how to do this dating thing and I forgot who I was all together.
During the course of our relationship, we had many compromises. Mostly, I compromised. For example, I listened to the music he liked, watched the movies he liked, and stopped doing the things I liked. My fault, of course. Sure, over the years I had some male interaction, but never had I interacted with a true Adonis. Dr. Edward Cullen! Sex-on-legs personified. He makes my crotch ache – in a good way. Crap. I'm so screwed. If I can make it through tonight without throwing myself at him, I'm good.
To me, Edward was everything I never knew I wanted. These past few months I have been so happy just being me, just being alone. I have been contently existing; Edward made me want to live. I wanted to take a chance on Edward. Good, bad, or indifferent, I am going to go for it. While I do that, I will channel the inner Bella and just be myself. Never again will I compromise who I am for someone else. Not even Edward. Never again.
What drew me to him was the initial attraction. What keeps me drawn to him? I have no idea; I have never felt this way before. I feel instantly excited when he is around. You forget your own name, for Christ's sake.
I was brought out of my reverie by a knock at the door. I gasped. This is it. He's here! Just be yourself and speak in comprehensible sentences. I chastised myself.
Smoothing my shirt and gazing around my place once more, I went to let him in.
"Hi-" I said shyly.
"Hey, um... you know Jake's across the street," He pointed behind himself. But I didn't care about that. He looked amazing. He wore a long-sleeved dark blue oxford shirt and khaki pants. WOW!
"Bella?"
"What?" I asked.
"Are you going to invite me in?" He smirked and leaned towards me.
"Oh, yeah... sorry. Please come in-" I opened the door wider while he entered.
"Did you hear what I said? About Jake? He's across the street. I went over there to see what he was doing here, but he's asleep in his car-" He had an intense expression on his face.
"Well, I haven't seen him since this afternoon, with you. He hasn't bothered me, so I don't know why he's here," I shrugged. Meanwhile, I was a little freaked out. No, I will not let this ruin our time together.
"While I am glad he hasn't harassed you. I'm still concerned; you should really talk to your dad about him. I understand Middletown may be out of his jurisdiction. But I am sure he has some friends in the local precinct." I went to sit on the couch and he followed, sitting on the opposite side. I thought it best not to get too into this. Waving it off sounded great; although, Jake was still outside. I fought a shiver at that thought.
"I'll call the police and explain that there is a suspicious car outside. They'll send someone over." Picking up my cell phone, Edward reached into his pocket, retrieving his own.
"I'll call," he insisted. I gave him the number and quietly listened while he told an officer about the current situation. He sounded very professional and polite. Plus, he didn't go into too many details. Thank God! Charlie did have a few local cop friends; I didn't want it to get back to him that his daughter's ex-boyfriend was stalking her. Two quiet months, that's all I got.
Edward ended the call, took a deep breath, and glanced around.
"Nice place you have-" he admitted.
"Thanks," I looked around, following his gaze. My apartment is relatively bare. Jake took nearly everything. I had to go to the Salvation Army and get a cheap living room set. My apartment is still pretty empty, which I still manage to mess up.
We were met with an uncomfortable silence until he reached over and grabbed my hand, lifting it up to his lips. He placed a kiss on my knuckles. I inwardly swooned.
"Thank you for having me over," he whispered. I blushed and took my hand back, standing erect, heading towards the kitchen.
"Right, Mac & cheese. I should boil some...um…water-" I said pointing. He took my hand once again and pulled me down to him. I was sitting right next to him. His scent was heavenly, he smelled of his cologne and a hint of tobacco.
"Why do I feel like you're always running away from me?"" he asked, releasing my hand and stroking my cheek. He proceeded to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I immediately felt flushed as all the air exited my lungs.
""Hmm?"" he asked as he touched the tip of my nose with his finger. Answer him!
""I don''t run-"" I said, shaking my head. ""We haven''t exactly had time to-"" I waved my finger between us.
""No, you ran from me earlier. When we bumped into each other and now..."" He trailed off. I was instantly saved by his stomach growling. I giggled.
""I. Am. Not. Running. You''re hungry, let me feed you-"" I took a leap of faith and ruffled his hair, playfully. Damn it''s soft. He chuckled and I noticed a hint of a blush playing on his cheeks.
""There are DVDs over there. Why don''t you pick something out for us to watch?"" I pointed to the entertainment center.
After setting the water to boil, I nervously ran my fingers through my hair. Opening the refrigerator, I called out to him.
""Do you want something to drink? I have iced tea and water?"" I definitely need to go to the grocery store.
""Iced tea is fine."" I went back into the living room with our drinks and noticed Edward flipping through a photo album. He lingered on my prom photo. I cleared my throat to announce my presence.
""See something you like?"" I asked. Very bold of me. He stared intensely at me while I placed our drinks on the coffee table.
""With you in the room, always."" I couldn''t help myself. I laughed.
""I''m sorry-"" I rasped out.
""No, no. That was really corny."" He chortled with me. I took a deep breath to compose myself and we both sipped our drinks.
""Did you decide on a movie?"" I asked.
""Even better-"" He grinned. I grinned back like a fool and I watched as he bent over to pick up a box by his feet.
""Twister? Where did you find that?""
""The shelf underneath the DVDs, there''s Monopoly, too. But I never played this before,"" he admitted.
""Never?"" He was about to answer me, but I noticed the water was boiling.
""Hold that thought-"" I said over my shoulder, as I bolted into the kitchen.
After I accidentally put too much milk in the macaroni and cheese concoction, I settled for serving it. We ate in silence and I put the dishes in the sink. When I came back into the living room, Edward was moving the coffee table over to the side.
""You''re serious about this, huh? Now tell me why you''ve never played Twister."" He shrugged his shoulders and rolled up his sleeves. I gaped at his muscular forearms.
""Just never did, now come on. It''ll be fun."" I gulped, tearing my attention away from him and looking at the cable box. It was going on 8:30. From the lack of sleep last night and the stressful day I'd had, I was very tired.
Buck up! Twister with Edward will be fun! Yeah, you might even get to touch him.
""Okay,"" I agreed.
Twenty minutes later, I was on all fours and he was as well. Only we were side by side, in opposite directions. Trying not to cross over one another. To an onlooker, I would imagine we looked like dogs sniffing each other's asses.
I giggled at that thought.
""What''s so funny?"" he asked.
""Nothing."" I shook my head. ""It's your turn."" He flicked the arrow and I felt the need to call out his next move.
""Left foot blue"" He lifted his foot over me, landing it on its destination. Now he had his crotch against my butt. This could be interesting. I took my turn, landing on right foot yellow. I had to turn over, whilst underneath him. It was very difficult.
""Stop wiggling!"" he shouted through a chuckle.
""I can''t help it, I''m uncomfortable-"" I snapped back. ""Your turn."" He landed on right hand yellow and had to reach between my rear and my leg to get an available yellow spot. I was stretched out, having my right foot in the farthest yellow spot.
""I said stop wiggling."" He chuckled again. I laughed and moved around some more. That is when I felt it, the hardness of his arousal. I became flustered and immediately enticed. Really, Bella? Hoo-ha out of the gutter. Losing my train of thought immediately, I was immobile. He let out a cough startling me.
""Earth to Bella, it's your turn,"" he called. I landed on left foot red and decided to throw the game. I purposefully kicked his hand out from under him. He stumbled but regained his balance, rendering me on my ass underneath him. I landed with a light oomph.
""I''m sorry, I didn''t kick you or anything, did I?"" he asked. I giggled.
""No, but I lost. Remember your butt can''t touch the mat."" Still on the mat, I brought my legs up to me, wrapping my arms around them. He came and sat beside me and nudged me with his shoulder. I smiled.
""That was fun, we should do it again sometime-"" I admitted.
""Yeah we should."" He nodded.
Then he reached over to lift my chin to look at him. We stared into each other's eyes,. His were mesmerizing, a deeper shade of green, they were so vibrant. He leaned forward and I did the same. He lightly brushed his lips against mine. My heart soared. There you go getting poetic again.
In that moment. My whole body felt alive. My heart was threatening to beat right out of my chest and I had this tingly feeling all over, while butterflies invaded my stomach. He opened his mouth and licked my lower lip before he nibbled it softly.
Embarrassingly, I moaned into his mouth. He deepened the kiss and our tongues met, playing gently together. His hand grasped the small of my back and pulled me toward him. My hands seemingly had a mind of their own and found a home in his hair. When he pulled away from me, I felt a loss. My lips were throbbing. Before he pulled completely away, he placed a chaste kiss on my lips. He cupped my face with his hands, brushing my lips with him thumb.
""You're so beautiful-"" he said, leaning his head back towards mine.
""So are you-"" I said shyly, tilting my head to meet his. We kissed again, this time more forcefully. Minutes later, we broke apart, panting like dogs in heat, gasping for air. Why did he stop? He pulled away first. Although, I was glad he did. I have no qualms fucking his brains out on a Twister mat, all before the first official date. That would be like some sort of record. I blushed furiously at the thought. He smiled at me and reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell.
""It''s getting pretty late, I should go."" No, please don''t.
He stood up and pulled me up along with him, embracing me in a hug. I buried my head into his chest and breathed deeply into my nose. God, he smells wonderful. They should bottle his scent. Eau de Edward. He let go and I walked him to the door.
He walked out and left me in the doorway for a second.
""Jake''s car is gone-"" Oh, I forgot all about that. ""If he comes back or bothers you in any way, you have to tell someone. I don''t trust him-"" He had that intense look to him again.
""I will, but seriously, he''s harmless-""
""No, Bella, this has to stop. It''s not normal. I get that he''s heartbroken and wants you back. But he acts as if you''re a possession-"" I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He looked so serious, like he was genuinely concerned. I just stared and memorized his features.
""Are you listening to me, Bella? Call your father, get a restraining order or something."" He was nearly shouting and I winced. I did not want to call Charlie.
Edward enveloped my hands into his own while an apologetic expression masked his face. "Look, Bella, I—" I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell, but I just feel very protective of you- I know I haven't known you long- but- if anything happened to you-" He looked at our feet.
I squeezed his hands to get his attention. "Look at me, Edward." He raised his head and met my stare. "Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise." He raised his hand and cupped my cheek.
"You can't promise me something like that. Although, you can promise me that you will call your father and have this taken care of," he pleaded.
"I will, tomorrow," I answered in defeat. If Edward asked you to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, you'd do it.
"Good-" He inched closer to me. "I had a great time tonight," he whispered in my ear. I shuddered as I felt his lips against my lobe.
"Can I call you tomorrow?" he asked, leaning back. I grinned.
"You don't have to ask me, just do it!" I demanded, and he chuckled.
"Then I will talk to you tomorrow. Sweet dreams beautiful." He leaned in closer and lightly kissed me.
"Night." I waved while he walked to his car. When he pulled away, I closed the door and leaned against it, sinking to my bottom.
Covering my mouth, I let out a muffled scream of excitement, which turned into a horrified one, when I heard a knock on the door. Calm yourself! He probably just forgot something. I picked myself up off the floor and swung open the door.
"Did you forget some-" I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed that Edward wasn't behind the door. I came face-to-face with Jake. My body took action before my brain could. Quickly, I went to close the door, but not before he stuck his foot in, keeping the door open a few inches.
"Bells, just let me in. I just want to talk to you-" he begged.
"No, go away or I- I'm calling the police." Jake started to push the door.
"Like you did earlier? Or was that your boyfriend's idea-" He seethed.
"Why are you doing this? You're really scaring the shit out of me!" I started to blink back the tears building in my eyes, while it took every muscle in my body to keep the door from opening. I let out a strangled sob and Jake ceased pushing.
"Do you really think that I would hurt you? I just really want to talk. You haven't given me any other choices here, babe-"
"Your actions say otherwise-" I said nervously. I relaxed against the door a little. At the same time, Jake, pushed the door back forcefully. The corner of the door hit me on the forehead and I stumbled back.
"Jesus, Jake!" I screamed.
"Let me see-" I backed away from him toward the coffee table.
"Don't touch me, get away." In a not so subtle way, I picked up my cell phone. I had every intention of calling the police, but Jake stopped me. He took the phone from my hand and threw it against the wall. I watched as it fell to the ground in two pieces. At that moment, I felt all the blood drain from my face.
"Why can't you play nice? This was your fault anyway-" he said gesturing to my head. I could tell he was getting angry by the tone of his voice. I felt something warm trickling down the side of my face. Lifting my hand to see what it was, Jake took a step closer.
"Get away from me," I pleaded, pushing out my hands, defensively.
"Bells, you're bleeding-" He took a step closer and I'd had enough.
"WHY?" I screamed. "Why are you doing this to me? I don't want to be with you, there's nothing to talk about, please leave," I pleaded. "I moved on, well, I-I am trying to. You should do the same." My words did nothing but feed his anger. He turned from me and punched the wall, leaving a fist-sized hole. I was so stupid. He was concerned about my head for a minute. Yet, I had to add fuel to the fire. Stupid Bella.
He let out a frustrated scream and came stalking stealthily towards me, seething. I bent down and covered my head with my hands. I never thought Jake would be capable of laying his hands on me, but right now I wasn't so sure.
"Look what YOU did. Now I'm bleeding-" he shouted, showing me his hand.
"I hate you-" I whispered.
"No, you love me," Jake picked me up from the floor by my shoulders and crushed his lips to mine. My eyes widened as I felt intense fear dash through me. I kept very still, unsure of what to do. My mouth closed. He took his uninjured hand and squeezed my jaw so tightly my lips parted. Jake's tongue invaded my mouth, assaulting me. His kiss was angry. There was nothing passionate about it. When Jake kissed me times prior to this, it was always very sweet. This man before me wasn't the man that I once loved, or thought I did. What the hell is wrong with him?
"Tell me you didn't feel that-" he whispered, breathing in my ear. I started hyperventilating as a shiver ran down my spine.
"I did-" I squeaked out, lying. He smiled and trailed his hand through my hair.
"See, I knew we could work it out. We can do it slowly-" he crooned. Stiff with fear, I tried to think of a response to that. I felt his hand, raggedly ghosting along the side of my body, stopping to cup my ass and pull me flush against him. I felt his erection on my stomach. How far would he go? How far would he force me? I didn't want to find out.
"Baby-" I said, suppressing a sob. "It's late. I-I'm tired- I had a long day." I let out a shaky laugh, using the old excuse which I used to get out of sex in the past. He blinked his eyes and for a second I saw the sincere Jake that I once knew. That man has gone insane.
"I guess you're right; you do have work in the morning. Get some rest and I'll-" He laughed, letting me go. "I was going to say that I will call you tomorrow, but I guess I can't-" He pointed to the pieces of my phone on the floor.
"I'll call you," I promised as he placed a kiss in my hair.
"Slowly, my Bella. We can work things out-"
I nodded, treacherous tears still streaming down my cheeks.
"Don't cry. We're going to be fine-" He roughly wiped my tears away. I cringed away from him.
"You should go," I rasped. "You know how I feel about you driving at night." I brought up shit that used to bother me while we were together. Familiarity seems to soften him, I guess. He smiled.
"I can just stay the night."
I gulped. "No—slow. Remember," I said softly.
"You're right. Goodnight." He gave me a chaste kiss on the lips and walked out of my apartment, closing the door behind him. As soon as I heard the familiar click, I collapsed to the floor. I dry heaved and ran into the bathroom, spilling the contents of my dinner into the toilet. Without thinking, I grabbed my toothbrush, purse, and my keys. I ran outside.
Peering into the distance, I saw that he wasn't around. The coast was clear. I made my way to my Jeep and pulled away.
Speeding down the familiar highway, I wiped the tears from my eyes. Eventually, I'd have to pull over, to calm down. I didn't want to have an accident. For now, I escaped. Now, I just needed to make my way to my parents' house in one piece. I needed to see my daddy. We had to have a long talk and I just needed to feel safe.
Thank you for reading.
