Chapter 7
BPOV
When I got home from classes late Monday night I threw down my books and went back to the painting. It was looking good, but I had some ideas. I opened a new bottle of wine and went back to work. It was nearly midnight when I finally felt it was what I wanted; I put down the wine and stepped back. Yeah. That was better. Now the pregnant girl's eyes and hair matched my own dark brown hair, right down to the chestnut highlights. I'd changed the shape of her face to look more like mine. I put it back on the wall. It was done. It was right. It was beautiful.
XXXXX
I found out on Tuesday morning what Rosalie planned. She texted me at work to tell me we'd be making dinner for Edward and Emmett Wednesday night at their house. Alice had a night class on Wednesday, a senior seminar in theater design, or else she would have brought her along too.
I tried to beg out, but Rosalie wasn't having it, and to be honest with myself I really wanted to go, to be near him in a "normal" way. As if anything I was doing in regards to Edward could be normal.
At about ten am, I turned to the next customer to find Edward looking at me calmly across the counter. The surprise took my breath away a little. He had a faint smile on his face.
"Miss Swan," he said in that velvet voice. I could have melted into the floor. His face was calm and smooth but his eyes were burning me wherever they touched. I felt heat crawling up my neck. He looked at my neck, and I was sure he was watching my blush grow. I wondered desperately if the sprinkler system would be activated if I got much hotter.
"Good morning, Mr. Cullen. What can I get for you today?" My voice was barely a gasp.
"I'd like a Large Columbian with a shot of Espresso and a sesame bagel, please." He seemed so calm and collected. Just his presence was making my heart thud loudly. I wondered if he could hear it.
"Coming right up."
Edward waited calmly, watching my every move as I filled his order. I had to move slower than usual to keep from dropping anything or scalding myself. When I pushed his coffee and bagel across the counter he lifted his intense gaze to my eyes.
"Thank you, Miss Swan."
He picked up his order and turned away with that half smile that made me melt. I watched him walk out, admiring his tight ass in khakis. I beat the lust back in and turned back to work.
XXXXX
"I guess we're finished here, I'll see you all on Friday," Ben said, putting away his notes and leaning back. Although I could see the point of the study group, I wanted to get away and eat lunch. My stomach rumbled as if to make my point and Jasper, sitting beside me, laughed.
"Hey, Bella, I'll race you to lunch," he said. Jasper, Ben, and Angela made up my Literature discussion group and our study session for mid-term was over, for this week at least. I was sure Ben was going to want to schedule another one for next week, now that he had found a time slot we were all available. Jasper was the most light-hearted of our group. He was the only non-Comp Lit major, so he wasn't nearly so wound up about this class.
"Sure, Jasper, I'm sure I'll beat you there!" Angela gave me a smile as I packed up my knapsack and slung it over my shoulder.
"Take care, Bella, we'll see you later."
Jasper picked up his books and walked beside me out of the study room and out of the library, instead of actually racing me to the food court.
"How are you feeling about the mid-term?" Jasper asked, sweeping his wavy blonde hair out of his face. If I weren't so madly lusting after Edward, I would have considered Jasper quite attractive. He was tall and muscular and had a casual charm and the sweetest hint of an accent.
"Fine, but Ben is making me nervous. It's not like it's the Spanish Inquisition." I made a face and Jasper laughed at that. I had an inspiration.
"I'm meeting some friends for lunch, would you like to join us?" I asked. I couldn't imagine Alice and Rosalie minding Jasper joining us.
"Sure." He smiled sweetly.
I lead him over to the bench under the pine tree where I usually met up with Rosalie and Alice. They were already there and watched us as Jasper and I strolled up. Their eyebrows lifted.
"Hey, girls! This is Jasper; can he join us for lunch? Jasper, this is Alice, and Rosalie." Alice bounded to her feet and put out her hand. Jasper smiled and shook it, his eyes lighting up as he took in her pixie face and spiky hair. Alice was all lit up, too, smiling up at the blonde man towering over her.
"Sure, Jasper, join us for lunch," Alice trilled.
"It looks like you already brought a snack," snarked Rosalie into my ear as she stood up to follow Alice and Jasper to find lunch.
We got our food and found a table together. Jasper made small talk with all of us but his eyes rarely left Alice.
"So, Jasper," Alice asked shyly as we were reaching the end of our meal. "Are you a Comp. Lit major, too?"
"No, I'm in the sculpture department. I mostly do metal sculpture, but also some wood and stone."
"Really? Can I see your sculptures sometime?
"Sure, Alice, are you busy after lunch?"
Rosalie shot me a significant look. Jasper and Alice were becoming totally unaware that Rosalie and I were even at the same table. Rosalie sighed and directed her next statement to me.
"Bella, I'll pick you up at 6 and we'll head over to Emmett's house. We can swing by Trader Joe's on the way and pick up everything you need to make dinner." My stomach suddenly twisted. The dread and anticipation hit me again.
"I'm cooking?"
"Well, of course you are, Bells, you're the best cook I know," she huffed. "I'm lucky to know how to preheat the oven."
She had a point there.
"So what am I making?"
"How about Chicken Parmesan with Marinara sauce?" Rosalie's favorite. I mentally began tabulating what we would need, and how much time it would take. We'd need at least 3 pounds of chicken breasts. I was sure that Emmett could polish off a whole pound by himself. The planning helped me calm down from the flutter of anticipation at seeing Edward, of being in his house.
"Okay, we can get everything there. I'll be ready." It would probably be the most awkward meal ever, but I didn't want to tell Rosalie the truth and have her kill Edward or me. I thought about trying to come up with a plausible reason not to go along with Rosalie's plan, but again I was overcome by the stronger compulsion to spend more time with Edward. And that compulsion reminded me of something else. I took the last bite of my sandwich and crumpled up the wrapper.
"Rosalie, I have to get going."
"I thought your class wasn't until 2."
"It isn't, I need to talk to my Biology teacher and his office hours are at 1." I stood up.
"Still crushing on Mr. Hottie? I thought Edward would have purged that."
I smiled. "Not quite."
We didn't bother saying goodbye to Alice and Jasper, they were talking about Berthold Brecht. Some theater thing. Rosalie left me at the front of the Union, muttering about the library. With a wave to Rosalie I rushed to the Life Science building.
I hoped I had guessed his intention correctly. He wanted to talk to me, I felt sure.
I had been to Edward's office once before, buried in the basement of the building a hundred yards from the lab classroom. It was smallish and crowded with books, notebooks, and jars full of fabric. I peeked in. Edward was sitting at his desk, hands on the keyboard of his laptop. I could see his perfect profile, the aquiline nose and strong chin. His eyebrows were knitted in concentration. He typed a bit, looked at something on his desk, then typed some more. He is so beautiful. I am such an idiot. His fingers moved fluidly over the keys and perhaps I sighed.
"Come in, Miss Swan," he said, not looking up. I stepped in hesitantly.
"How did you know it was me?" My heart was starting to pound
He looked up and ran his hand through his hair with a grimace. Even the grimace was adorable.
"Maybe I'm psychic. Maybe I was expecting you. I did suggest you come to my office to discuss the class. I don't often get students coming down to my crypt." He gestured around his windowless office.
I nodded. He ran his hands through his hair again, and waved me to a wooden chair beside his desk. I sat tentatively.
"I wanted to ask you to consider changing to another section of the lab, Miss Swan."
Change? Why would I want to change? Then I wouldn't see him any more, he wouldn't be my teacher… oh. He wouldn't be my teacher. He wanted to get me away from him. As I'd expected, Edward was running fast and far. I sagged and looked at my feet.
Besides the sadness of rejection, it wasn't possible with my work and class schedule to move to another lab class. When I'd signed up for classes his was the only one with room in it that I was able to fit with a full time schedule of classes and working four days a week. The only other open sections had been on Tuesday mornings when I had to work or Friday mornings during my Comp Lit class. It wasn't going to work. I shook my lowered head.
"I can't fit anything else in, Mr. Cullen. All the sections that worked with my schedule were closed. I'm sorry."
"I may be able to convince someone to let you in," he muttered.
There was a long silence and I continued to study my hiking boots. He leaned forward so his head was just inches from mine.
"You didn't tell your friends anything, did you?" It was more a statement than a question. I shook my head.
"I told them that we didn't sleep together, and I didn't tell them you're my teacher." He released a deep breath of relief. Even though I couldn't see his face I could feel his closeness like an electrical charge. I felt as if my very skin was reaching out towards him.
"Thank you," he said, so softly it was nearly inaudible.
"They know that you know I'm… Tanya." I couldn't help the way the name twisted in my mouth. How could something so easy go so very wrong?
"Yes." His warm breath stroked my throat and I shivered. His head was down, right beside mine, our cheeks nearly touching. I wanted to close that distance, but I resisted. I didn't think he would appreciate it if I touched him.
"You can trust me, you know," I said. He didn't say anything to that, just sighed again. Part of me wished he would back away so the temptation to touch him would be gone. We sat close, just breathing for a long moment.
"Please look at me," he said. I looked up right into those electric green eyes. My breathing stopped completely. I was frozen. He licked his lips and my eyes followed his tongue hungrily.
"I trust you." His words unlocked me and I took a jerky breath.
"Did you tell anyone?" I asked.
"No. Our secret." His voice was husky.
"Did you mean what you said?" I asked so softly I wasn't sure he would even hear me.
"Did I mean what?" he whispered. I was having a hard time concentrating. He was so close to me I could smell the warm, manly smell of him.
"You said…you called me … beautiful."
Abruptly Edward leaned away from me. I was startled, worried I had overstepped the boundary he was trying to construct, but a moment later a man in a lab coat walked in. Maybe Edward was psychic, how else had he known there was someone coming?
"Hello, James," Edward acknowledged the newcomer. He seemed perfectly composed. I was trying to control my breathing but Edward looked totally calm. I was a wreck when he was near and he seemed so cool. Obviously the electric current I thought flowed between us was all in my head, because he wasn't affected by my presence at all.
"Hey Edward," the newcomer acknowledged Edward as he sat at the other desk in the office. He looked curiously at me then turned back to Edward.
"Do you have that presentation ready for this afternoon's meeting?" James asked. "Banner wants it done before we fly to Phoenix tomorrow."
Edward sighed. "It's nearly finished, James." He turned back to me. "I appreciate your honesty, Miss Swan, and I will consider your situation. Are there any other question you have for me?"
"Um, no, I suppose nothing that can't wait."
"Alright, then. I'll see you in class Monday." I'd see him a whole lot sooner but I couldn't say that now in front of another person. Edward turned back to his laptop as I scooped up my knapsack and headed out. I glanced back as I went out the door. Edward was already bent over his computer but James was watching me with a strangely feral smile.
