A/N:
G'day! Hope everyone is well!
Here's chapter eight, out relatively quickly! Thanks to Dolly Reader for all her pre-reading help, she picks up things I miss and suggests things to make the chapter better. And thanks to Kitty Vuitton for her supreme betaing skills, it is hugely appreciated.
Thanks to everyone who read, alerted and reviewed. I'm floored I made it over 100 reviews! That's so cool!
We're getting there slowly; this chapter is all Bella's POV, but our two favorite characters spend some time together getting to know each other.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the songs mentioned in Duet. I don't sing or play the piano so some info comes from Google. I also don't know anything about renovations. I'm married but not an expert in weddings either. You get it - 'insert default disclaimer here'.
~Bella~
"I don't think that one is going to work either," Edward said and stopped playing again.
I huffed, "I know, I was just giving another one of Alice's suggestions a go." Alice certainly had interesting taste in music. I leaned back against the side of the piano, my back to Edward, and looked at the list I had saved on my iPhone again.
We'd been playing around with songs all morning and had yet to come up with anything suitable to play at the wedding. It seemed Jasper had good taste in music but Alice... Alice had weird taste. There was only so much you could do with some of her unusual suggestions. Some things just didn't sound right played on the piano and even with Edward's expertise and superior piano playing skills; we couldn't possibly perform some of them at the wedding. And others just had lyrics that didn't fit; songs about breaking up we're vetoed straight away.
"Surely you have something decent in mind, Bella." His deep voice was closer to me that I expected and I turned around to find him standing at the piano leaning over trying to read over my shoulder.
I nodded, "Actually I do, but I'm not sure what Jasper will think, He'll think I picked some of these songs because they are my favorites, rather than for their wedding. Plus I'm not sure how some of these songs will translate to piano with a female vocalist. What do you think of this?" I pressed play on my music player and held my phone out to him.
Incubus' Dig played through the tiny speaker. Edward looked at the ground concentrating on the music, his eyebrows pulling together as he listened. I was nervous as to what he might think as Incubus were one of my favorite bands and I had been hoping to sneak one of their songs into the wedding somewhere, even if I had to sing it a cappella.
"If you don't like that song, I have a couple more of theirs that might be suitable," I added. Really, I loved all their songs and would do a whole set dedicated to them if I could.
His green eyes met mine and he gave me a crooked smile that lit his whole face up. "Might was well play them for me first, then we can decide."
I nodded and found the next song and pressed play, then handed my phone back to him, our fingers brushing as he took it.
As he listened, I took a good look at him, taking my time to examine him closer. It's funny how I'd known him for a couple of months but because he spent more time running away from me I never really got a chance to look at him, like really look at him, until now. I was familiar with his back and the top of his head as he looked down and scampered out of the room, but now that I had it I took the opportunity to check out the parts that had been hidden from me before. He always seemed to look at the floor when he listened so I didn't have to worry about being caught.
The first thing that always caught my attention when I looked at Edward, other than the fact that he was really tall, was his hair. It was a crazy brown/red/bronze color and it stuck up in every direction. He wore it cut quite short at the back but on top it was longer and just a complete mess. It suited him though; it made him look like he didn't care about how he looked and also 'sexed him up' a bit. I liked his hair a lot.
Okay, maybe that's the second thing I noticed about him. He was really quite gorgeous, especially close up. He had a strong square jaw that had a couple of day's growth on it, and I vaguely wondered how it would feel to touch it, a straight nose and the brightest green eyes I'd ever seen. I'd seen the photos of him online when I Googled him, but it always made me think of someone else. He'd often be wearing a suit in the photos and since he'd been here I don't think I'd seen him in anything but jeans and flannel shirts, maybe a plain white t-shirt. He was a lot scruffier in real life compared to his professional life. He had an air of confidence about him, which probably came from being in the public eye for as long as he had, but came across as though he wasn't trying to impress anyone.
He took a deep breath and then ran his hand through his hair, and I watched the movement of his hand attentively. It was still covered in paint from the work he'd been doing upstairs and I swear he had the nicest hands I've ever seen. His fingers were long and his nails well manicured. And jeez his hands looked huge! I could only imagine how much bigger they were than mine.
Edward cleared his throat and my eyes flicked back to his, he was looking at me with his eyebrows raised and a hint of a smirk on his face. Oops, I must have zoned out thinking about his hands. I laughed to myself and found the next song on my phone and pressed play for him.
It's funny how I found myself quite comfortable in Edward's presence so quickly, only a day or two after telling him my story. He was different after I told him. It was like he was less anxious or angry or something. And he didn't avoid me so I was happy that he didn't seem to hate me anymore. I'd seen him a lot since then and we'd even had a fun time last night with the rest of the gang after Twilight closed. He'd played some more songs for us and I sang a few times. I even almost got Jasper to pull out his guitar but he chickened out at the last minute. We'd had a great time as a group and it was the first instance I could think of where Edward had hung around with us and looked like he actually enjoyed himself. I wanted to include him again, not because I loved the feeling of singing with him while he played, which I did, but he made me want to get to know him more.
"These songs are good," Edward said, snapping me out of my thoughts again. "I could do something with a couple of these."
I smiled and did a little jig where I stood. "I'm so glad you said that, they are my favorite band."
"What about you, do you have any suggestions? You've known Jazz a long time, any songs he might have liked that would suit?" I asked. "Might as well get them all on the table."
Edward nodded, "yeah a couple. I'm wary of lyrics though so I might need your help there but it'll make a list."
He looked me in the eye for a minute and I couldn't tell if he was thinking or just staring at me. I held my breath and just as the electricity in the air between us was increasing he opened his mouth to speak,
"Shall we go get some lunch and then come back and work some more?" He asked. "You don't have any plans for this afternoon do you?"
I shook my head, "no, only some laundry but that can wait." Edward smirked and I blushed a little thinking back to the 'laundry incident'.
We left the bar waving at Rose as we went and made our way down the block to a local cafe. Edward opened the door for me when we got there and ushered me in, his proximity close as we stepped inside, making my heart flutter.
I knew the hostess, her name was Jessica and she often came into Twilight on the weekends, so I made small talk with her while we waited to be seated. She immediately noticed Edward and her eyes kept flicking back to him behind me as she spoke. He stood close to me and didn't say a word.
When we were seated at a table near the back we took our seats ordered our drinks.
"So," I started. I really wanted to know more about him. About his family, his career. I didn't even know where he was staying while he was in Seattle. "How are you liking being back in the states? Is it strange? You were in Europe a long time weren't you?"
"Actually I really like being home," He smiled. "I thought it would be strange but being around Jasper and my brother has been great. I didn't realize how much I missed them until I got back."
"What about your parents? They must have been excited for you to come home?"
His face contorted into a grimace. "Ah, I haven't seen my parents yet," he admitted quietly.
"Oh shit, Edward, I'm sorry."
He shook his head frowning slightly. "No, there's no problem. I should have gone to see them but I've been putting it off." he stopped again to gather his thoughts. "You see... I don't exactly get on with my father..."
"Oh"
"Yes, he was hard on both Emmett and I growing up, I think he wanted one of us to follow in his footsteps and when neither of us did he was disappointed and didn't know how to deal with it. So now I feel like I'm always getting the third degree when I see him. My mother is great; she just smothers us as a compensation for my father's distance. That's probably another reason why I have avoided them so far."
"I'm sure your mother just misses you and hates to see you fight with your dad," I said.
"Maybe," he sighed and ran his hand through his hair again. "I do feel like shit for not seeing her."
I didn't want the whole lunch to be ruined by me asking something I shouldn't have so I stayed quiet for a while, giving Edward time to pick the next topic of conversation. We sat quietly looking over the menu.
It was surreal to be having lunch with Edward and chatting like we were friends when 3 days ago he was literally avoiding me. That was one topic I wasn't going to bring up... not yet at least.
Our drinks arrived and we ordered our food.
"What about you. Are you close to your parents? You said the other night that your dad was a cop," Edward asked when our waitress had left.
"Ah yes." I nodded and tapped my feet in time with the music in the background, "my dad is the Chief of Police back in Forks. He's just a real manly man and not forthcoming with words or talking about feelings. Having a daughter who was so painfully shy probably didn't help. I think he feels partly to blame for my disorder but really there was nothing he could have done. I speak to him often but I really should visit him more. The thing is, he's always so busy, and if he's not working he's out fishing with his buddies. He'll be down for Alice and Jasper's wedding and I can't wait."
"What about your Mom?"
"My mom, let's just say she is flighty and kinda forgetful. She's a fun person, but not the most supportive. She's kinda unreliable; I have no idea where she is even living right now; she moves that often."
"Wow," Edward shook his head in disbelief.
"Yeah I know. It's something I got used to quite early in life," I shrugged. It didn't bother me, she just wasn't around a lot and I was used to it.
Our food arrived and we dug in. I was starving.
"So what's Europe like?" I asked between bites. "I'm sure you have some great stories of your time there?"
Edward chewed slowly as if contemplating what he was going to say. "Yes it's a great place, a lot of culture and so much to see, but the truth is I didn't experience a lot of it."
"What? Why?" I asked shocked.
He laughed at my reaction. "My life there is really different to life here, Bella. I'm a musician and I guess I'm quite popular to a certain crowd. I'm usually really busy and I travel a lot so I'm not in the same place for very long. It's pretty lonely actually. Sometimes, I don't see anyone but my agent and manager and I have an assistant that sometimes helps with things. And of course if I'm playing with an orchestra I might see them, but there's lots of rehearsal and work involved. I might spend a month or two in one place, but might only ever see those same people every day for that month."
"There's the other stuff I do, including as benefits and such, they aren't too bad. It gets me out and amongst other people, but there's always a down side..." he trailed off.
"Sometimes," he continued "I'm a featured artist and invited to perform with someone, so there are always the people who will do anything for me. Bella, you don't understand what it's like to have someone wanting to do everything for you every day of your life. I haven't had a permanent address since I moved over there and hardly any time off. "
"Oh," I said. I guess it's a pretty sad life. Maybe that's why he had been so angry all the time. I felt bad for having brought down the mood to our lunch again. Edward's life was so unlike what I thought it would be. I hope he enjoyed his time here in Seattle; hanging around Twilight Tavern was never lonely.
"So is it worth it?" I finally had to ask.
"Yes", he answered straight away. "The music is what counts. I know you must understand that being a performer yourself." I nodded. "When you produce something that makes so many people happy, then you get something out of it. And I love to play; I don't think I could go very long without playing piano." I smiled wistfully knowing exactly how he felt because I felt the same way about my singing.
"So what next?" I asked. "Do you have any plans while you're here? When do you go back?"
"Nope, no plans yet," He shrugged. "I told my manager that I won't be available until after the wedding. I haven't even spoken to him since I've been here. He probably has something lined up, he usually does."
I leaned back in my chair and patted my stomach. "Well, I'm sure you'll be off overseas soon enough. I've seen you play; I bet there are heaps of offers out there."
He nodded, "maybe. I'm starting to think that I might want to hang around here for a little while longer." He smiled shyly and looked up from under his lashes and my heart fluttered again.
The waitress chose that moment to come and clear our plates and asked if we'd like anything else. I declined, too full to barely move, but Edward ordered another drink.
We sat in silence for a minute. I fiddled with my iPhone and tried to sort out my sing list. We'd have a little bit of time when we got back before Alice appeared and Jasper was still working upstairs so he wouldn't be able to hear us clearly. I wanted to have at least one song that was a surprise for them on their day.
"I'll write out some song names for you to look at," Edward nodded towards my phone as he took a sip of his drink.
"Cool," I answered. "I think we should do a few songs, maybe play them after the wedding dance. What do you think?"
"Sounds good. If we can find that many songs," He laughed.
I folded my arms across my chest. "You doubt my skills? Don't worry; I've still got a few surprises up my sleeve."
He laughed even louder, a sound I found myself thinking I could get used to hearing more often, "alright then, let's go see what genius you have to offer." He pulled his wallet out his back pocket.
I started to shuffle through my jeans pockets for some cash; I swore I had some money around here somewhere, when Edward put his hand out to stop me. "It's okay, I've got this." I smiled in thanks.
"I might just duck into the bathroom." He nodded while messing with his wallet.
When I returned from the bathroom, I found Edward at the front of the cafe looking uncomfortable as Jessica, the hostess, was talking animatedly and touching him on the arm. A wave of annoyance ran through me; she should keep her hands to herself. He was looking around frantically as though he was about to flee, a look I was very familiar with. When he spotted me he looked relieved, he pulled his arm from her grasp and stepped towards me.
"Shall we?" He asked, gesturing towards the door. I grinned and nodded as he placed his hand on the small of my back as we made our way out onto the street. My heart fluttered again at his touch.
We wandered back towards Twilight. It was a really nice day and I was annoyed I hadn't brought my sunglasses. Edward had pulled out some black Ray Bans and was sporting them like a rock star. They made him look sexy, and I forced myself not to stare.
"I had a great lunch, Bella. I just wanted you to know." He smiled crookedly and his hand brushed my own as we walked making my heart flutter yet again, only this time butterflies in my stomach joined it.
"Me too Edward."
Song from this chapter:
Dig by Incubus
http:/www (dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?vnMsZ6wkZWhA&obav2n
(my fave band, so expect to see a couple of their other songs in further chapters!)
xx
