Author's Notes: Hooray for the weekend being here again! Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! Who's excited? I'm not. HAHA. Not to sound bitter towards the holiday, but I don't have anyone special to celebrate it with. It's okay though, I think I'm just going to stay home and watch romantic movies and eat lots of food. LOL. So anyways, thank you all so much for all of the reviews! Almost at 400! Yippee! Also, many thanks for 35,000+ hits, 200+ favorites, and 400+ alerts on this story! I know it doesn't seem like much compared to the other authors who have thousands upon thousands of reviews and whatnot, but all of this is good enough for me. I love you all. :)
Special thanks to: bab1067, luvscullenboys, ReachingAsIFall, TwiDi, Music Rainbows, bella-books, SakuraAngel2001, crazy wolf em, Shanda, Lillie Cullen, and missmaj! Oh gosh that list is super duper long. HAHA, also! Kudos to Delaware forever for being very clever and finding out something I didn't think anyone would catch! Thank you RaCullen for never, ever failing to make me blush at your amazing reviews! Many thanks to mj twilighter for making me scream in excitement at the compliments, Michelle M. Marie for staying up late to finish reading everything I had posted up and whenpoetryrises for reviewing more than I think she needed to. I appreciated it so much though, so thank you thank you!
Also, all the love in the world to Erica (aka IcelandGirl812), who is my shoulder and my support through this story. We both have a big secret that I can't wait to reveal sooner or later! Right Erica? :) Thank you for another one of your long reviews that I enjoy reading so much. You're the best! Love, love, love ya!
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Please stop reminding me.
Hello, Stranger
Chapter Ten
Killing Me Softly
Summary: AU, all human. A college class has everyone pairing up as married couples for 28 days. But how hard would it be to focus on passing the class when you're paired up with your worst enemy's girlfriend? How much worse when you actually started to fall for her? ExB
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Edward Cullen
Can I kiss you? I couldn't believe I finally spit it out. Something inside of me was telling me she still needed time to heal, that I'd be rushing things if I tried to kiss her. But, I was sick of waiting. I couldn't deny how badly I'd wanted to kiss her just once and now was my chance. I wasn't about to let it slip away.
Her eyes fluttered closed with a slight nod of her head and I knew that was her way of saying yes. I closed the distance between us and felt her sigh softly at the feel of our lips finally touching. I pressed one of my hands on the small of her back and moved the other to cradle the frame of her face, parting her lips with mine. The feeling of her warm breath against my mouth was beyond words. Our lips moved heatedly against each other as I felt her twine her fingers in my hair and I have to admit, I really liked how it felt.
That was the first time we had kissed. I was hoping for a second one that would be just as great, but we were rudely interrupted when a loud knock came at the door. I had Bella in my arms, her pouty swollen lips just begging me to kiss her over and over. "Ignore them?" I suggested playfully as I buried my nose into her strawberry-scented hair. "Who would it be at nearly midnight anyway?"
She laughed lightly and pushed the cup of water and unfinished slice of bread at me. "Even though you're pretty much sober, finish it. It will help you not have a hangover tomorrow."
I fought back a smirk when she went to answer the door as I took a sip of the water like a good boy. If only she knew I wasn't nearly as drunk as I made it seem. I honestly just wanted a reason to sock Jacob in the face since he deserved nothing less. As bad as it seemed, I knew I'd get cut more slack if everyone thought my anger was strictly because of intoxication and nothing else. Plus, I got Bella to take care of me, so it worked out in my favor anyway.
"Leah?"
That caught my attention as I peeked over her head and saw none other than Leah standing there with a drunk, bloody-nosed Jacob hanging on her shoulder. I practically spit my water back out and immediately felt my anger flare up.
"What... are you doing here?" Bella asked, sounding as shocked as I had looked.
Leah fidgeted a little and sighed softly. "He wouldn't shut up about wanting to come here to talk to you. He threw such a fit that I had to U-turn at an intersection where it wasn't allowed."
I wasn't prepared for Bella's response.
"Do I have some kind of a flashing sign outside that says I'm a drunk caretaker or something? No! No, I don't want to deal with Jacob right now, YOU handle him." Bella hissed in a tone I hadn't heard her use before. But then again, it was Leah Clearwater and Jacob Black on the other side of the door. The cheater, and the woman he had cheated on Bella with.
"Bella, I know you're more than upset with me which is understandable, but Jacob--"
"--is the one who started all this by running his mouth."
Leah sighed. I was getting impatient and Bella looked like she was about to shove her foot into Leah's face.
"I know you probably don't like me, at all," Leah started. "but I didn't come here for me, I came here because it's what Jacob wanted. He's drunk and he's bleeding and he's hurt and I don't know what to do."
"Tylenol, ice, and a bucket for him to throw up in, goodbye Leah." Bella grabbed the handle of the door to close it but Leah stopped her.
"Are you mad about the kiss?" she asked. Goodness, her audacity surprised me. I just wanted to yell out, 'No Leah, she doesn't like the color of your hair, that's why she's making it very clear she doesn't want you around. It's your hair, dammit.' Instead of causing more trouble, I bit my tongue and kept quiet.
Bella's eyes narrowed and her grip on the door handle tightened. "Please leave."
"He initiated the kiss, Bella... He was the one telling me we should try it out, him!"
The whole room went silent before Leah spoke again.
"And I couldn't help it, Bella. I... I like Jacob, and I know it doesn't make it okay that I agreed to kiss him, but he assumed you had already cheated on him with Edward anyway. I was just trying to let him know I was there for him if you weren't going to be."
That's when I had had enough. Both Leah and Jacob's mouths seriously just had minds of their own. At least Jacob was drunk when he was spewing nonsense, but Leah hadn't drank at all. "Leah, I think Bella has made it clear that she doesn't want to deal with either of you right now. Respect her wishes and leave, please."
Leah sighed. "Please don't turn your back on him when he needs you most."
"You don't know anything about what's been going on between us," Bella spat, and I knew her patience was wearing very thin.
"Okay, Bella, he cheated on you. So what? Big whooping deal. He's been trying to make up for it every single day you guys have been apart. He still wants you, but you're just too preoccupied with Mr. Bronze Boy over there to realize how much he loves you. Open up your eyes and try to recognize the difference between love and lust, would you?"
"You're just as confusing as Jacob!" Bella's grip tightened on the door handle. "You say you really like him, yet here you are! At his ex girlfriend's house. Just which direction are you planning to head in anyway? I'd like to know so I don't keep getting caught up in the middle!"
"I just want him to be happy." Leah admitted, holding Jacob closer to her. "And obviously what makes him happy is you, so there. As much as I want him, what else can I do if you're the one his heart is calling out to?"
"He kissed you, Leah. You said so yourself, he initiated the kiss. That means he wanted to test his feelings for you. During that time, he wasn't thinking about my feelings at all otherwise he wouldn't have done it. Don't you think that means something?"
"Why do you keep pushing him away, Bella?!" her voice rang out loudly, making me wince a little since my head was still hurting just a bit. "He loves you! He loves YOU. Get over your godforsaken high school crush and just realize how much he cares! Do you really think what you may possibly feel for Edward will even come remotely close to how you felt about Jacob? You already know Edward will never be half the man Jacob is! Stop treating him like dirt because of one mistake! Bella--"
"Just fucking LEAVE!" Bella growled and slammed the door shut, giving Leah no chance whatsoever to finish what she had to say. The click of the lock was heard as she screamed out in frustration, stomping into her bedroom to fall face first onto her queen sized mattress.
I groaned as I followed her and ran my fingers through my messier than usual hair. I didn't have a "So your ex boyfriend and the woman he cheated on you with appeared at your front door" for dummies speech ready in my head. I seriously had absolutely no clue what to say. With a soft sigh, I shut her door and sat next to her on the bed, rubbing her back. "Bella, are you alright?"
She hissed something out but I couldn't understand it since her face was buried deep in her pillow. I pushed her shoulder lightly so she rolled onto her back with her eyes glued to the ceiling. "What did you say?"
"I said, I hope she slips and falls into a goddamn puddle!"
I laughed at that and brushed the hair out of her face, glad to see there were no tears streaming down. "Would it help if I said you're pretty hot when you're pissed?"
Her eyes narrowed at me. "What is it with guys and thinking the weirdest things are hot?"
I shrugged because honestly, I didn't know either. I just knew it was true. "Bella, don't let what she said get to you. It was ignorant of her to say something like that."
She placed her hand over her face and sighed. "It annoyed me, that's all. I just... feel bad."
"Feel bad?" What the hell? Feel bad for what?
Her hand stayed over her face. "Things, I guess, were beginning to look up for us. Or, that's what I thought. And then Leah had to come here and ruin it. She makes it seem like I have so much emotional baggage that comes along with being with me. I just hope it doesn't scare you off."
Of all things... I pulled her hand off her face and lost myself in her deep brown eyes. "Bella, I'm not going anywhere. Well, not like I could because if I left, then I'd fail the assignment.." She pouted at me as I chuckled and traced the outline of her bottom lip with my thumb, continuing, "The last thing I want to do is rush through any of this. The kiss, that was plenty enough for me. I know you just got out of a relationship and I know you still care about Jacob in one way or another. What kind of a person would I be to rush you to get over something like that?"
Bella closed her eyes and sighed, her breath warming my thumb as she exhaled. "But what kind of a person would I be to make you wait for me?"
"Hasn't anyone ever told you some things are worth waiting for?"
Her mouth dropped open a little as I gave her a crooked grin and kissed her forehead softly. I didn't think anything else needed to be said between us. "Get some rest, Bella. It's really late and you have class in the morning." I got up and headed towards the door. It'd be a good idea if I got some sleep, too. I had a long shift awaiting me at 7 AM.
"Edward?"
I turned my head towards her before I opened the door. "Yes?"
"I don't know how to thank you for everything you've done for me. I was supposed to be taking care of you tonight, not the other way around."
"I'd hardly consider that as me taking care of you," I chuckled, remembering Bella slam the door in Leah's face. "I just think of it as me being the shoulder for you to lean on."
She smiled and brought her knees up to her chest. "You're too sweet for your own good."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Bella smiled at me once again to reassure me she would be okay, and blew a kiss with a pink tint staining her cheeks. I knew this time it wasn't to tease me, so I caught it and put it in the front pocket of my pants. "Good night, Bella."
"Night, Edward."
I pulled the door closed behind me so she could change into her pajamas and get washed up. My eyelids were beginning to get heavy and it didn't occur to me until then how tired I was. The cappuccino's affect had worn off a long time ago. I kicked off my shoes and unbuckled my belt, not even bothering to get dressed because I was seriously beginning to feel very sleep deprived. My body crashed down onto the sofa as I exhaled and let myself mold into its softness.
My insides warmed a little at the thought of Bella and I taking another small step in the right direction. I was more than happy with where we were at and I could settle for it for however long I needed to. The last thing that floated through my mind were those soft, full lips I'd kissed earlier and how badly I wanted to be graced with the pleasure of being able to kiss them again sometime soon.
I woke up to my phone vibrating next to my head as my alarm, noticing the sky outside was still dark. I groaned quietly and stretched out my arms, feeling a blanket roll off of me as I looked down surprisingly. Bella's head was on the sofa cushion and her body sprawled out on the floor. Had she slept in that awkward position just because she wanted to make sure I was warm enough? I couldn't help but smile at her gesture and pulled her into my arms as gently as I could to prevent waking her. I walked into her room and placed her on the bed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders as she snuggled into the softness.
She looked so peaceful and I couldn't help but stare. Bella was, without a doubt, so incredibly beautiful to me. With a heavy sigh, I bent down and kissed the crook of her neck, knowing if I looked at her sleeping form any longer, I'd never be able to leave. Grudgingly, I hopped in the shower and got ready just in time to toast a piece of bread for my sad excuse of breakfast. I finished it in a few bites and dusted the crumbs off my scrubs, grabbing my keys off the counter. My hair smelled like Bella's, and I knew Emmett was bound to make some crude remark and ask if I slept with her.
The drive to the hospital was irritatingly long. Every stop light I had gotten to always turned yellow or was already red, people continuously cut me off, and a handful of dim-witted idiots failed to put their turn signals on. I hated how stupid drivers were sometimes. When I pulled into the parking lot, I clipped my work badge onto the front of my shirt and headed inside. "Good morning" greetings were passed along as I continued down the hall, seeing Emmett once again at the vending machine.
"Why don't you just give up on that thing already, jeez." I groaned, running a hand through my hair that was still just a little damp.
Emmett turned towards me, a big grin plastered on his face. "I'm not buying anything yet. I have a plan, Edward."
I raised a brow. "A plan?"
"Yes. I keep wasting quarter after quarter trying to get my Doritos. But, I've decided," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter that had a string somehow attached to it. "I'm not going to waste any more money!"
I stared at him through narrowed eyes. "Exactly how did you get a hole through a quarter?"
"A power drill."
My brother was an idiot. He found enough time in his day to drill a hole through a quarter so he could try to outplay the vending machines? It made me wonder what Rosalie must have said when she saw that. "Emmett, you went through all that trouble for your Doritos?" I shook my head. "You do know there's a gift shop here that sells that huge bag for about fifty cents more than what you waste on this machine, right?"
Emmett crossed his arms and let out a big booming laugh. "Oh, my dear, brother. You're so naïve."
I didn't understand how exactly that was me being naïve, but I just decided to let it go. It was his money anyway.
"Hey, you smell like a chick!" he pointed out once he was close enough to get a whiff. "Ooh Eddie, this is awesome. Give me details. Did you guys bubble bath together? Eh? Eh?!" He jabbed my ribs with his elbow lightly with that big stupid grin on his face again.
"We switched off, so we're staying at Bella's place now. There's nothing more to it than that."
"Tell me you guys at least sleep in the same bed."
"If she wanted me to, then she'd ask. But so far, I'm on the couch and I'm fine with it."
His mouth dropped. "And I had some sort of crazy idea you actually liked this girl."
"I do," I admitted. "Just because I haven't slept with her, doesn't mean I don't like her. We've kissed, and that's enough for me now."
Suddenly his face regained composure as he wagged his eyebrows at me. "There we go, that's what I wanted to hear! What was it, a hot and heavy make out against the wall?"
I groaned and slapped my forehead. His testosterone level must have been sky rocketing. "More like an innocent, non-French kiss."
"That's it?" he asked, astonishment written all over his face. "Jeez, you guys have been underneath the same roof this long and all you've done is kiss like you're both in middle school? What's the matter with you?!"
"Emmett," I growled, getting irritated.
"Okay," Emmett sighed, crossing his arms. "I want you to know I'm here for you. And that I feel bad and that I'm sorry you're not a MAN!"
I knew that was coming. He always told me that every time I failed to hit home base, or any base, with a girl. There was one time where I'd decided to date the receptionist's sister because she had been eyeing me for quite a while, or so Kate (the receptionist) said. Her sister, Tanya had come to meet Kate for lunch once and saw me going back and forth trying to get everything done. She asked Kate about me and Kate played cupid. It was okay for a while, maybe because I liked being in the company of a woman. We went on a few dates but never went any farther than late night kissing. Eventually, I got tired of her pushing me to be in a relationship with her and we simply stopped seeing each other. It didn't matter to me at the time since it seemed all she wanted was the physical bonuses of being in a relationship.
There was much more to it than that. There was how your heart felt every time you were around the person. Or how many butterflies you had prior to seeing them and the way you could seem to lose yourself in their eyes. There was being able to talk about anything and everything that would come to mind, and just enjoying being in one's presence.
"Are you spacing out again?"
My head snapped up at Emmett's loud voice. I didn't realize I was in my own world again.
"I don't see what's so interesting about that chair. You've been staring at it for the past couple of minutes."
"Sorry." I mumbled, walking away. I heard Emmett saying something but my phone distracted me as I pulled it out, "Hello?"
"Edward,"
My brow raised a little at hearing her voice. "Bella, good morning. I'm sorry I left without saying anything but I had to get to work and I didn't want to wake you."
"Oh, yeah, it's okay. I was just about to ask you that, actually." she laughed, and the rustling on the other end sounded like she was pulling her clothes on. "I was just wondering where you were is all."
I smiled to myself and grabbed a clipboard one of the nurses had handed to me as I passed by. "What time are you out of class today?"
"11." she answered.
That would work nicely. "Would you mind if I picked you up around noon to have lunch with me?"
"Aren't your breaks usually around 1?"
"I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I took it an hour earlier."
She was quiet for a second before she answered. "Well, okay then. Lunch sounds great, actually. You'll come get me at school or should I go to the hospital?"
"I'll get you in front of the B building."
"Alright, I'll see you at noon then."
"I look forward to it," I replied and smiled when we exchanged our goodbyes. Once we had hung up, I pressed a number on my speed dial and waited while it rang.
"Hello?"
"Alice? It's Edward."
"Edward?" her voice sounded surprised.
"I need you to do something for me."
Noon came faster than I thought since things at the hospital were a bit slow. I felt bad once I pulled up in front of the B building, already seeing Bella standing there with her book bag slung over one shoulder. I didn't know how long she must have been waiting but once she caught a glimpse of my silver Volvo she smiled and waved. She pulled open the door and put her bag in the back, buckling in herself in as I reversed the car and made my way back onto the road.
"I'm sorry, were you waiting for long?" I asked, putting my left turn signal on.
"Not at all. Maybe like two minutes, don't worry about it." Bella smiled and leaned back into the passenger seat. "So, where are we going?"
"You'll see," I held back a laugh at the face she made.
"Last time you said that we were jumping off trampoline-lined walls. I'm not dressed for something like that, Edward."
"We're not going to Sky High today, Bella. Just be patient."
She stopped asking after that and instead I asked her about her class. She turned in the essay she had been writing all weekend and said she thinks she did really well on it. I told her about Emmett and his stupid quarter trick and she laughed, saying Charlie had caught kids doing that all the time. It never worked, apparently.
Once we got to where I wanted to be, I parked the car and made my way to the other side to open her door.
"Where are we?" she asked, looking around confused.
I left her confused as I motioned with my head for her to follow me. We were at the Washington Park Arboretum I'd gone to a lot when I needed time to myself. Trees surrounded the grassy area of the park and people were walking with dogs or jogging for exercise. Once we got to a certain area, I smiled at the couple.
"Hi Bella!" Alice waved from where she was and gave Bella a hug once we were close enough. "Tell Edward to stop hogging you. I want to hang out with you sometime, too."
I shot her a look as she stuck her tongue out at me and giggled. "Oh, and Bella, this is my boyfriend, Jasper. Jasper, this is Bella, Edward's partner for Peterson's assignment."
"Ah, Professor Peterson's marriage assignment." Jasper chuckled, his southern drawl clear in his voice. "Hello there, Bella. Pleased to meet ya."
"Nice to meet you too, Jasper."
They shook hands and Alice smiled knowingly at me. "Jasper and I are finished here, so we'll see you again sometime, okay?" She shoved a basket at me and put her hand in Jasper's, waving at us. "And Bella, we are going to have a girls day sometime soon, alright? I can see it." She tapped her head with her index finger and winked as I rolled my eyes.
"Alice is very..." Bella started after they left.
"Pushy? Over ambitious? Annoying?"
She laughed and swatted my arm lightly. "I was going to say friendly! She's nice and I like her."
"She likes you, too. I guess I'll have to agree to her hanging out with you because if not, I'm pretty sure I'd feel her wrath."
Bella smiled. "I suppose there'd be no harm in hanging out with her. She seems friendly enough."
"You haven't seen her at a 50 percent off sale at the mall. She's small but she can definitely kick your ass if you mess with her when it comes to shopping."
She laughed again and eyed me suspiciously as I yanked a picnic blanket out of the basket, laying it down on the grass. I patted the spot next to me as she smiled shyly and sat down. "I wasn't expecting a picnic! You're always full of surprises!"
I gave her a crooked grin and handed her a sandwich from the deli I had asked Alice to stop by. "I always come to this park whenever I want to relax. I asked Alice to help me out since she lives right around this area. It's nice, isn't it?"
"It's beautiful," she admitted, taking a bite into the sandwich.
I nodded in agreement and took a bite from mine, inhaling the fresh air. "Are you impressed?" I asked with a chuckle.
"Oh so impressed. You always sweep me off my feet!" she swooned jokingly, brushing the hair from my eyes. I always liked it better when she tended to my hair. Every time I tried to do it, it always ended up in a messier array than it was in before. Alice said I was hopeless when it came to my hair and I was beginning to agree with her. "This was a very clever idea for our first date."
I raised a brow at her and laughed. "Are you kidding me? You think this is our first date?"
"You mean it's not?" she asked incredulously. Did she really think our first date would be a simple picnic at a local park?
"Of course not, you silly girl." I chuckled. "I've got something much better in mind for our first date."
She smiled excitedly. "I'm looking forward to it. You're going to have to do something pretty amazing to top the Italian dinner, Sky High, and this picnic though. I think you're setting the bar a little too high for yourself, Mr. Cullen."
"If you thought that was good, you just wait and see."
We finished our food and stayed where we were since we still had plenty of time. I asked her if it was okay if I held her for a little and she agreed, blushing slightly when she situated herself in my arms. Her back was against my chest and I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, liking the feeling of her so close to me. "This isn't pushing it, right?" I asked.
"Of course not." she shyly replied, leaning into my chest. "I like this. It's, comforting."
"I'm glad."
We stayed that way a little while longer, watching as people passed by with their dogs, strollers, and everything else imaginable. To everyone who caught a glimpse of Bella and I, it might not have seemed like much. But, it was enough for me. And it was enough for her. That's all that mattered to me.
Eventually though, I did have to get back to work, so I drove her back to school.
"So when are we having that first date?" Bella asked once I'd pulled up into the parking lot.
"Tomorrow, after Peterson's class. You're not working are you?"
She shook her head and unbuckled her seat belt. "Nope."
I smiled in relief. "Good. You'll be okay getting back yourself, right?"
"My truck may be old, but it still runs, so shut up." Bella laughed and stuck her tongue out as she grabbed her book bag from the back seat.
"Be sure to call me if you get stuck in the middle of the road, alright?"
"Thanks for caring, Edward." she joked, slamming the door. "You're so sweet, anyone ever tell you that?"
"All the time, Bella." I joked back as she giggled and waved goodbye.
I sighed and ran my fingers through my disheveled hair once I was back on the street towards the hospital. Tomorrow needed to come already.
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End of Chapter Ten
Author's Notes: Yay for the introduction of Jasper, even if it was really short. I promise you'll be seeing him a lot more though. And more yay for Edward and Bella's first date next chapter! Oh, and to anyone that wants to know, I live in California, not Washington. I have no idea what Seattle looks like or what's around there, so I just base the places in this story off what I find on Google. Bear with me!
To everyone who wants to know more about the Cullen/Black drama, I can't tell you all just yet. It will be revealed soon enough, so please be patient :)
Guess what? The second voting round of the SMC contest has begun! If you liked my second entry, Mr. And Mrs. Cullen (a one-shot based along the storyline of Mr. And Mrs. Smith), please vote for it! It'd make me super duper happy!
Please review! I'd be happy to answer any questions if there are any. So until next week then! Happy early Valentine's Day everyone, I hope you enjoy it!
--Burrberry Bugsy