CHOICES
A/N: I think you like the shirtless piano-playing as much as I do!
Beta duties were handled by the ever-awesome DeviKalika. It's a good thing I let her hold Edward's towel - I think I saw her drooling a little. This story would truly never have been what it is without her. J
Translation expertise was provided by vamosrafa07. Thanks for the help!
Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I own a Twilight Soundtrack Songbook signed by Sam Bradley and all the Men. :D
One Short Day – Original Broadway Cast of 'Wicked'
Chapter 9
BPOV
'These are a great excuse to go to the garage.'Bella packed the Pfeffernusse cookies in a plastic container and the brownies she had just made in another, putting both in a paper bag. She marked the bag 'Jake's Cole Slaw'. She chuckled as she did it, but she knew if she wrote what it really was, Quil and Embry would make them disappear before Jake even knew they were there. She took another sip of her coffee. She could hear Bert thumping around in her bedroom and she smiled. 'Stupid how attached I am to that dumb thing,' she thought.
Holding her coffee, she wheeled herself to her desk in the living room. The computer monitor glowed softly as a screensaver of falling snow flickered across it. She ran her finger over the thumb pad and the screen brightened to a wallpaper of the beach at La Push. She sighed as she glanced at it and opened a browser window. La Push meant Jake, and Jake wasn't what she wanted to think about right now.
She reached across the desk to the CD tower next to the stereo and pulled out her new Anthony Masen disc. She had already listened to it three times straight through and she craved it again. The music spoke to her soul, unearthing emotions and longings for which she had no name.
She placed the CD in her computer and saved the music to her hard drive, then copied the whole thing to her MP3 player. 'Good. Now I can listen to that beauty wherever I am. It'll be nice to listen to in between classes and exams this week. Also, I can listen when I'm with Jake and I don't have to hear him complain about it.'She would never understand why Masen's music bothered Jake so much. He said it irritated him. 'How can he hate it? It's so beautiful.'
Moving to the stereo, Bella dropped the CD in, pushed PLAY, and closed her eyes as the first melody swept over her. There was nothing like an Anthony Masen composition. Complex and dense, the melody floated on the harmonies like elusive butterflies in a canopied rainforest. The textures and rhythms were so varied, she almost felt as though she could smell the rich loam of the forest, the freshness of the humid air, and the raindrops pattering leaf to leaf.
The concerto ended and Bella opened her eyes. She was surprised that she was breathing heavily as though trying to draw in the scent of the music through sheer lungpower. She grinned to herself and sipped her coffee. The music was lovely. She hadn't realized how much she missed hearing it.
She began her love affair with Anthony Masen's compositions when she was at Berkeley. Bella roomed with a Music Performance major, Rebecca McQuade, a feisty, green-eyed redhead with a beautiful complexion as pale as Bella's own. Rebecca always included Bella in her social calendar. She knew about Jake and had met him a couple of times when he had visited, so she didn't try to set Bella up with anyone. She just made sure her roommate didn't spend all of her time on the computer or in the library.
Each week, the Music Department held a recital for the performance majors to have the opportunity to build their repertoires and hone their presentation skills. These were always free and open to non-majors, so Bella went to as many as she could. At the end of each semester, the graduating seniors gave a concert in which they performed with faculty and graduate students. The pieces for these were usually more difficult than the weekly recitals. It was during one of these concerts that Bella heard her first Masen piano concerto.
She had been spellbound by the layers in the music, intricacies and counterpoints that touched something deep in her heart. Rebecca told her later, "Masen is awesome to hear, but he's a bitch to perform. Shit, it's as if he expects the pianist to have extra hands, the way it's written. That's why it's usually played as a piano duet." Bella was surprised. She had enjoyed the two grand pianos playing with and against each other, but would never have imagined all of that music was written for just two hands.
Rebecca was full of Masen trivia: He had been a student at Berkeley in the 1940's and rather a campus celebrity. He had been well-liked by faculty and students, though he roomed off-campus and kept to himself. He had been quite prolific during his years there, turning out concertos, symphonies, arias, minuets, and odes. He wrote for voice, piano, string quartets, full symphonic orchestra, and odd duets. One that was still marveled over for its quirky humor, as well as the mystifying way it somehow 'worked', was a duet for oboe and harp. That one was still used as an example in Composition and Theory classes. Rebecca was a harpist. She was thrilled to be able to play that piece at her senior concert.
Masen had been a relative loner, preferring the company of his manuscripts to crowds. Modern rumor held that he was probably gay and repressed; certainly he had been eccentric. Bella didn't care either way. She just knew that the man who had written such moving pieces had to have been passionate. Sadly, there had been no time for him to fulfill whatever promise his future might have held. A fraternity which had been courting him for years took part in a sailing regatta in San Francisco Bay. Masen had sailing experience and agreed to help. There had been some drinking on board and the others were much too inexperienced to handle the sudden squall that blew into the bay. No one knew exactly what happened, but Masen went overboard and was drowned. His body was never recovered.
Attempts were made to locate family but no one had ever heard him speak of any and the college had no record of a next-of-kin. Among his papers was a rough will, drawn up in his second year of school, leaving any worldly goods still in his possession at the time of his death to the college. Several thousand dollars in a savings account and royalties from his compositions added up to quite a bequest. The only odd stipulation in the will had been that no vinyl recording ever be made of his music. He had once said, "Music should be experienced live. Recordings are only echoes of the life the musicians give it."
Bella pulled herself out of her reverie as the CD ended. 'Oh, Anthony, beautiful as ever. You got your wish - your music never made it to vinyl. Thank God you had no inkling about digital storage!'
She chuckled to herself and checked her watch. 'Better get moving to the garage. Then I guess I have to go find four ugly ties for the guys and an atrocious planter for Leah.'Gag gifts between the friends were common, but Bella also always managed to find something special for each of them that fit their personality perfectly. That kind of shopping took dedication and time, but she didn't feel as if she had much of either lately. 'This Christmas might have to be ordered online.'
She washed her coffee cup and put it away, then tossed on her hoodie and poncho. Wallet, phone, and cookies safely tucked in her book bag, Bella headed out into the morning. The wind whipped her hair and she grabbed it into a ponytail, tucking it into her hoodie. She scuffled in her poncho pocket for her gloves and pulled them on, then turned her chair towards Jake's shop.
Bella unlocked the shop door and hit the auto-open button. As she rolled through, she couldn't help but think of the Volvo in the garage next door, and its owner. She mentally thunked herself in the head. 'As if I ever really stop thinking about the owner.'His face appeared in more than her nightmares lately. In the past few days, she'd caught herself actually daydreaming about him.
'What's that about? I'm no teen with a high school crush. Not that he isn't crush-worthy, he's gorgeous.' Jake's opinion of him was quite low, however, and she had not had a chance to form much of one herself.
She stuffed her gloves in her book bag before heading behind the counter. She shuffled through the stacks of papers on Jake's desk. 'He's fairly organized - where would it be? Oh, the clipboard!' She lifted the clipboard from its hook on the wall and flipped a few pages back. There it was: Edward Cullen, with a cell phone number and a hotel. Bella's eyes widened.
'The Fairmont? Guess Jake wasn't joking about the 'rich kid' part then. I'm not calling his cell phone. That's a little creepy. I can call the hotel and see if he's in.'She looked up the Fairmont's number and dialed, asking the receptionist if Mr. Cullen was in his room. The operator informed her that Mr. Cullen had checked out of the hotel on Wednesday night.
Bella slowly put down the phone. 'Jake probably called to tell him the car will be ready Wednesday, and he'll be back then. I can be here when he arrives and talk to him then. No, dammit, I have exams Wednesday! Ugh. I have to figure out some way to see him.'
She rolled out from behind the counter and crossed into the break room. She put her book bag on the table and pulled out the bag for Jake. She was not surprised, and only mildly disgusted, to find half-eaten takeout containers from who-knew-when cluttering the small refrigerator. She peeked into some and tossed most of them into the trash. She would have to take the garbage out when she left so it didn't sit there until tomorrow.
While she was leaning over in the refrigerator, Bella thought she heard the bell on the shop door. 'I must be hearing things. I locked the door when I came in.' She sat up and listened. 'Did I lock the door?' She quickly tossed the bag of snacks into the refrigerator and closed it. Turning around, she wheeled slowly out into the shop.
There was a tall man standing at the counter, his back to the break room door. Bella stopped, hardly daring to breathe. He had beautifully messy bronze hair. An expensively-cut camel trench coat hugged his shoulders and torso, draping over his slim hips to his knees. Dark jeans encased his calves and a pair of low boots was on his feet. He stood silently gripping the counter with his long, slender hands. Bella remembered those hands, gripping the lab table in Biology in just the same way.
Her eyes roamed from his hands, to his back, to his hair. He hadn't moved. She could see the tension in his shoulders. 'Will he look at me the same way he did the other two times I saw him? Will I have to face the disgust in his eyes?' A small sob escaped her throat at that horrible thought and he flinched. He seemed to take a deep breath and then turned around.
Bella's mouth dropped open. It was him, but he was not what she expected. He was different. Instead of dark and angry, his gaze was warm and a smile played crookedly across his full lips. He took a small step towards her and spoke.
"Hello. I'm Edward Cullen." His voice was soft and deep as velvet caressing her ears.
She nodded wordlessly, her thoughts scattering as his golden eyes filled her vision. 'He still looks so young, how can he… what's with his eyes? They were dark before. Holy cow, he's talking to you, dummy! Pay attention!' Bella yanked herself back to the moment and the man in front of her.
"Um, yeah, I'm Bella," her voice shook and she cleared her throat. "Jake's not here today. He'll be back tomorrow. They're not open today," she finished lamely, a blush building slowly in her cheeks as she winced internally at her repetitive statement. He smiled at her and she was lost. His eyes, his crooked smile, that jaw… he was beautiful. She felt lightheaded and realized she wasn't breathing. She gulped a lungful of air and reddened. He had to see she was staring at him. His smile widened and he took another step towards her.
"I see," he said. "Did Jake leave you in charge? I was wondering if there had been any progress on the repair of my car." Bella straightened.
"No, I'm… Jake didn't leave me 'in charge'. I just stopped in to put some snacks in the fridge for him."
He smirked; it was cute. He looked down at the floor before looking up at her through his dark feathery lashes. Her heart pounded in her ears and she gasped.
"Snacks? Are you Jake's…" his eyes raked across her hands then met her own again. "…fiancée?" His words shook Bella.
"Fiancée? No. Not at all. Why?" He looked pointedly at her left ring finger and raised an eyebrow. Bella stared at the small sapphire and diamond ring on her hand as if she had never seen it before. "Oh. No, that was a present for my twenty-fifth birthday." She blushed again. Why was she telling him that?
"Ah, I see. Not a fiancée, but definitely someone of importance, since your photograph is on the desk back there." He inclined his handsome head towards the counter, never taking his eyes from her face.
"No, we're just old friends…" Bella frowned. What was he talking about? Jake didn't have any personal photos back there. She glanced at Edward as she wheeled past him to go to the desk. His eyes glowed with golden humor as he leaned on the counter.
'Damn. He's right. When was this? Oh, Thanksgiving.' Quil had taken several candid shots of all of them throughout the day. This one captured Bella, wine glass in hand, laughing at something out of the frame on her right, as Jake watched her from across the table on her left. Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were pink.
'Looks like I was on bottle three there,' Bella mused.
She glanced up and was startled to find Edward was leaning over the counter, much closer than she had expected. Her cheeks flamed again. He was watching her with a curious expression. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Bella felt it tickle across her face. He smiled at her again and looked at the photo.
"It's an excellent picture of you. You must have been having a very good time," his velvet voice purred.
Bella stared at his mouth, watching the way his lips formed the words. He stopped speaking and the lips curled upward. She followed the curl with her eyes to his cheekbone. It was nice. The cheek lifted slightly and a small crinkle appeared at the corner of the eye above it. She liked the crinkle and the liquid gold of the eye it edged. Bella suddenly realized he was watching her stare at him and heat seared across her face. She wheeled backwards quickly, bumping into Jake's computer chair. Her wheel tangled with the office chair arm and she was momentarily stuck. She ducked her head and hid behind her hair as she worked to free herself. As she pushed the office chair away from her, she heard a low chuckle. Her eyes flashed to his face, angry and hurt that he was laughing at her, but he was looking at his phone. Bella realized she had heard a small chirp while she was fighting the chair. A funny message then. From whom, she wondered. A sudden twinge shot through her.
'A girlfriend, of course. Well, obviously! Someone who looks like him would have a girlfriend, probably some slim, cool blonde who wears Gucci when she's slumming.'Bella fought to keep a scowl from her face. What did it matter to her? He was just Jake's customer.
'And your worst nightmare,'she reminded herself.
She came out from behind the counter and glanced at him again. He was looking at her with a small crooked grin, leaning casually against the counter. Bella swallowed. There were things she had to ask him and she had no idea how to begin. She couldn't just blurt out, -"So back in high school, why did you hate me so much you had to leave town?"- No, she would have to work up to that, but how? And it had to be soon. Jake would be done with the car by Wednesday.
'He asked about that, if I knew anything about his car. That would be someplace to start.'Bella realized.
"You asked about your car," she said slowly. He raised his eyebrows and listened politely. "Jake has the parts ordered and they are supposed to be here Monday… tomorrow. He expects your car will be ready by Wednesday."
'Wednesday. Wednesday.'Her heart thumped to the rhythm of the word. She was beginning to hate that word.
"Wednesday," he repeated.
'Oh, God, never mind! It's beautiful when he says it,'Bella felt a chill.
"Wednesday," she whispered eyes wide.
"That doesn't give me much time, then," he murmured, his eyes on her face. Something hummed between them.
"What?" Bella shook herself and blinked at him. "Time for what?"she asked, instantly regretting it. That was too forward. Not her business.
"To get to know you."
The blood rushed to her cheeks so quickly, Bella felt faint. He grinned at her crookedly.
"I already know I like this about you," He stretched one long pale finger towards the flame on her cheek, stopping just inches away. He hesitated and pulled his hand back. Bella wanted to lean in, to have him touch her.
'What's wrong with me? I should be demanding answers from him, not mooning like a love-sick cow.'She felt hot and realized she still wore her hoodie and poncho. It was suddenly very warm in the shop. She looked up at him again, just as her stomach grumbled. He smirked at her and ran his hand through his hair.
"Did you eat breakfast?" he asked, cocking one eyebrow at her.
'Damn, that's sexy,'she thought, then instantly berated herself. 'What do you think you're doing, thinking he's sexy? He haunted you for years. He made you wake up screaming from the nightmares. Sonot sexy.'
"No, I had some coffee…" she trailed off. He clucked his tongue at her and she shivered.
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know," he admonished with a smile. Bella could only nod. His eyes were pools of amber and she wanted to swim in them forever.
"Could you possibly let me into the garage? I need to get something out of my car. Then perhaps you would allow me to take you to lunch?" he said. Bella nodded, unable to speak for a moment, unsure suddenly to what exactly she was agreeing. She turned to the garage and unlocked the door, opening it so he could go through. Instead, he held it open for her, smiling at her and making a gentlemanly bow. She giggled.
'Oh, really, giggling now? Grow up, Bella. He's insanely good-looking, polite, well-spoken, oh, and funny, but get real,'her mental monologue chided. 'There's at least one girlfriend, and she'll have allher parts in working order, so don't even go there.'
Bella unlocked the key box and took out the set for the Volvo, clicking the fob to unlock the car. Edward opened the driver's door and sat down inside, opening the CD compartment. His hand reached for the CDs, then hesitated.
Bella held her breath and her heart pounded. She thought she had put them back just the way he had them. He pulled out several, and then the whole stack was in his hands. He got out of the car, cradling the music. Bella hit the fob again and locked the keys away. As they came back out of the garage, she stared at his hands wrapped around the plastic cases.
"Would you like a bag or something to carry those in?" she asked.
"A bag or something would be welcome, thank you," he smiled at her. She maneuvered behind the counter again, avoiding the desk chair to get a sack for him. "Are you ready?" he asked, his topaz eyes twinkling at her.
"My bag," she said, heading into the break room for her book bag. The garbage sat on the floor in front of the refrigerator where she had left it when she had gone out to meet him. She pulled her book bag into her lap and reached for the trash, but a pale slender hand beat her to it. She gave him a hard look.
"I'm not helpless," she stated crossly. He grinned at her.
"No, I don't imagine you are," he sassed back. "I just thought you might not want whatever is in here dripping on your clothes." He held up the trash bag to show her a small tear with something grey oozing from it.
"Ew. Okay, you're right. You win that one," she conceded. Outside, he deposited the trash in the dumpster she indicated, and then stood watching her as she locked the shop.
'Alright,'Bella thought as she turned the key, 'he's obviously got better things to do than go to lunch with me, but I don't know when I'll get this chance again. I'll go to lunch, bring up high school, and if he freaks out, well, I'll just be out an afternoon. At least maybe I'll get an answer or two first.'She turned to find him gazing at her and she caught her breath. He smiled.
"There are a lot of restaurants close by. What type of food do you prefer?" she asked. The gold in his eyes flickered and he chuckled. He ran his hand through his hair.
"I'm not really hungry. I just wanted to spend some more time with you," he admitted sheepishly.
'Damn! Why does he have to be so adorable?' Bella flushed again.
"Fine. I am hungry. There's Jack's Mainly Chinese Tapas over on the Ave," she stated as she turned her chair to go.
The five block trip was the shortest Bella had ever experienced. Lunch was delightful. Edward must truly have not been hungry. Bella had more on her plate than she could eat, but she couldn't tempt him with one bite.
The conversation was light and easy. Somehow, the questions that bothered her for so long seemed much less pressing. They discovered a mutual affinity for old movies and older books. Edward was intrigued with Bella's teaching position at the university. They had a lively conversation about one of the courses she taught: 'Austen, Bronte and Shakespeare- Fate vs. Choice in Classical Romance'. Darcy, Heathcliff, and Romeo were dissected by Edward and resurrected by Bella. They threw quotations at one another like darts, tangling the authors and books until they were both gasping with laughter over the Romantic Hydra they had created.
Afterward, they wandered the streets of the university section, deep in animated discussion. Occasionally something in a shop would catch one of their eyes, begging for exploration, but soon they were back on the sidewalk, off on a new tangent. Bella was intrigued by Edward's intelligence and wit, and impressed with his grace and charm. Whenever he spoke more than a sentence or two, she caught herself watching the glory of his face, and the sculpted cheekbones and jaw moving beneath his pale skin. She wanted to touch him.
Seattle grey turned to Seattle rain and the afternoon grew dark. A musty antique shop offered the nearest refuge from the cold shower. Inside, they discovered a corner of old clothes and, like kids, egged one another into playing dress up. Bella was wearing some dove grey opera gloves, a Day-Glo orange boa with a good third of the feathers missing, and a red silk kimono. Edward had donned a chartreuse Nehru jacket, mirrored sunglasses and a lace jabot. Bella crowed triumphantly when a battered box turned up a beautiful silk top hat, complete with a bedraggled bunch of artificial violets pinned to the band. She held it up to Edward, eyes sparkling. He grinned and bowed low before her, allowing her to set it on his tousled hair. He straightened and stepped back.
"What do you think?" he chortled. Bella tilted her head and tapped her finger on her lips.
"I think you are channeling Gary Oldman in 'Bram Stoker's Dracula'," she giggled. Edward stared at her for a moment over the top of the sunglasses and then broke into laughter.
"You may be right, Madame Butterfly. Let's see," he said and tilted a nearby mirror so they could see themselves. Bella gaped in surprise. She was almost unrecognizable. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were bright. The garish colors of the clothes were a far cry from the sensible navys, creams and browns she usually wore. She decided she liked wearing color and determined to add some to her wardrobe. She looked up at Edward's reflection standing slightly behind her chair. His eyes were dancing as well, peering over the sunglasses, an impish smile on his face as he watched her take in his bizarre attire.
"Quite the pair, aren't we?" he said. Bella laughed and nodded.
"My students would never know it was me. Just some crazy lady in a wheelchair, not their teacher!" she joked. Edward's smile seemed to shift and an odd expression darkened his eyes. Bella smiled at him in the mirror and reached back to touch his hand where it rested on the grip of her chair. Before she could, he moved and came to stand in front of her. He removed the top hat, his hair falling charmingly into further disarray, and swept his arm into another low bow. He tilted his face up to hers and his topaz eyes were sparkling.
"Mademoiselle," he breathed in his softest velvet,"dineriez-vous avec moi ce soir?"
"Breathe, Bella," was the next thing she heard, accompanied by a low chuckle. She did as the voice bid her and suddenly realized she was starved for oxygen. She gasped once or twice as her vision cleared and she saw his exquisite features mere inches from her own. Concern fought with laughter in his eyes.
"What happened?" she asked as he stood up from where he had knelt on the floor next to her chair. Amusement won, and his eyes crinkled in that way that she liked.
"I believe I asked you to have dinner with me tonight. Unfortunately, my French must be atrocious, because you swooned." The crooked smile was back.
"Oh, no," Bella covered her face with her hands, mortified. She could feel the blush raging all the way to the tips of her ears. Edward chuckled and gently pulled her hands from her face.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't think about the power of my lace jabot when coupled with a bit of French," he teased. "Please don't be upset. It might have happened to anyone." He smirked as he smoothed the lace at his throat.
"Oh, stop!" Bella giggled, her embarrassment almost appeased. "Your apology is unnecessary. I wasn't expecting… this has all been a bit overwhelming," she raised her eyes to his, gesturing between and around them.
'Whatis'this'?' Bella wondered. 'The day has been wonderful and he is a delight, not at all the spoiled brat Jake implied.'
Jake. She realized he hadn't crossed her mind since they left the garage this morning. A small wave of guilt ran through her, but she shook it off. 'Jake and I are best friends. We do a lot of things together, but we are not a couple. He won't be back until late tonight, anyway, and I still haven't been able to ask any of those questions yet.'
Bella watched Edward as he removed the jacket, jabot, and sunglasses, and put his trench coat back on. He was so beautiful. She felt a euphoria that was as thrilling as it was frightening every time she looked into his eyes.
'There is no harm in dinner between new friends. Jake will just have to get a grip about Edward: he is charming, intelligent, witty, and sweet. He also speaks French divinely. Jake can't top that one!' She put the boa in her lap. She slipped the kimono from her arms and felt it being lifted off of her shoulders. She looked up into the mirror she still faced to see Edward folding it as he watched her. He silently put his hand out for the boa and she placed it in his palm. He draped it over a chest and reached again for her right hand, his eyes locked on hers in the mirror. Bella felt a little dizzy and took a deep breath. A small smile danced across his features as he leaned forward and brought her gloved hand to his lips.
"Miss Bennet, may I escort you to dinner?" he whispered. She shivered as she felt the movement of his lips through the soft leather covering her hand.
"I would be delighted, Mr. Darcy. Thank you," she managed to say. Edward's angelic face lit up at her response, whether due to her answer or the fact that she had joined in his little joke, she wasn't sure. All Bella knew was that she wanted to see that smile again, and often.
They were almost to the door of the shop when Bella realized she still had on the gloves. She started to take them off, but Edward stopped her.
"No," he said. "You should keep those." He quickly pulled a bill from his wallet and dropped it on the counter. "Keep the change," he said to the woman behind the register as he looked back at Bella. The myopic owner blinked at him and smiled, waving the two of them out the door as she placed the money in the till.
"Edward! I can't accept these. You shouldn't have done that." Bella was uncomfortable and cross as they continued down the street. The gloves hadn't been expensive, but she had seen the bill he so casually tossed down. That 'tip' was triple the cost of the gloves.
"Why not? Don't you like them?" Edward asked her, a smug look on his face as he sauntered down the wet street.
"Of course I do; they're lovely. But I don't need opera gloves. I have nowhere to wear them. And you spent too much -" Bella stopped, startled, as Edward stepped in front of her chair. He studied her face for a moment, and then reached down to pick up her still-gloved right hand.
"I am afraid that I find fault with your objections." His tone was serious but a smirk wasn't far from his lips. "Every woman needs a pair of opera gloves. She also should have the opportunity to wear them. I see that your social life has been sadly neglected in that department. I should like to rectify that myself." He looked down at her small hand in his and Bella felt her cheeks burn.
"As for my having spent 'too much', I disagree. I would have spent twice that for you to keep them. These aren't just any gloves, you know." His eyes blazed as he looked at her. "I placed a kiss on this one." Bella felt his fingers move softly across the back of her hand. "How could I allow them to be sold to someone else?"
Bella waited for the smirk but it didn't appear. Instead, a small smile tugged at Edward's eyes. Bella shivered and her heart trembled.
"What are you thinking?" he asked as he watched his own fingers trace her knuckles through the buttery-soft grey suede.
"Dinner means cheeseburgers, I hope," Bella stuttered. Edward had already bought her lunch and then the gloves. He didn't need to spend his money like this on her.
Edward didn't move his head but he raised his eyes, looking at her through his thick lashes. Bella's heart pounded. A tiny muscle twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"No. We shall have a proper dinner, with plates, cutlery, and tablecloths. Darcy would never forgive me otherwise."
"Then I suppose I need to get home and clean up a bit if I am going to a 'proper dinner' with you, or Miss Bennet would never forgive me," Bella said shyly. Edward laughed.
"Touché. I'll see you home, if I may? Then I will know where to pick you up this evening." His golden eyes were warm.
"That would be lovely," Bella smiled. "Thank you."
All too soon, her door closed and she was alone in her apartment, the memory of his voice and footsteps echoing around her. She felt a bit giddy. On her way into the bathroom, she again glimpsed herself in the mirror. What a difference! Only Friday she had looked frightful after a restless night of dreaming. Now she had color and sparkle, and a goofy grin that she just couldn't erase, even if she had wanted.
Twenty minutes later, Bella was staring into her closet, frustration on her face.
'Something is happening to me. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but this is the first time I have ever been invited someplace and had absolutely nothing to wear!'She checked her watch. If she hurried, there was still time to hit her favorite consignment shop a block away. Surely they would have something, anything, with color.
A/N: Does anyone else hear Etta James singing "At Last"? So, the ice is broken. Comments, rants, questions: please send them all! I want to know what you think.
bandmum
