Author's Notes: It's the weekend! Thank you all for the reviews and for adding it to your favorites, alerts, etc. I love you all. I don't have much to say other than that this is a really long chapter, and I've been having a bad week. I'd love it if you guys could review and tell me something happy. It can be anything! Anything that made you smile will probably make me smile too. I really need the pick-me-ups right now. Sigh.
Special thanks to: SakuraAngel2001, addicted2vamplit, ferguy505, chibi-dorkette, ReachingAsIFall, AliceD82, luvscullenboys, Lillie Cullen, brytam, laceyndom, Michelle M. Marie, TwiDi, and whenpoetryrises! And to everyone else who reviewed! You're all wonderful! If I could find a better word, I'd definitely use it but I'll have to settle for that, I suppose.
Thank you Delaware forever, for always making me feel so special with your heartfelt reviews! To mj twilighter for making my day with just being the random, sweet girl that she is. To RaCullen for always giving me new feedback that never fails to make me blush. And of course, all the love in the world to my shoulder and support, Erica (aka IcelandGirl812) for being there to help my work progress in the right direction and for letting me vent to her about my personal life. I've got a story to tell you, Erica! No good news, sadly. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. :(
This chapter is dedicated to every person who reviewed, every person who added this to their favorites/alerts, and to every person who takes the time to read my chapters. I hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or the song "More Than Words" used in this story.
Hello, Stranger
Chapter Eleven
More Than Words
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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Bella Swan
The words that were coming from Professor Peterson's mouth seemed to just be going through one ear and out the other for me. My mind was heavily focused on one thing and it definitely wasn't anything he was talking about. I stole a glance at Edward and saw that he was fully composed and seemed to be giving his full attention to whatever Professor Peterson had to say. Was I the only one who was overly excited about our first date, or was he just really focused on what he was talking about?
I looked down a few rows to where Leah and Jacob sat. None of them had tried to talk to me again after Monday. I was pretty sure they had decided on officially dating since they seemed a little more comfortable with each other than they used to be. Honestly, I didn't care. Not anymore. This whole assignment opened my eyes up to a Jacob I never knew existed.
Leah surprised me as well. She had her heart broken by Sam a few years ago, so she knew how much it hurt when the one you loved wanted someone else who wasn't you. I'm not saying I was in love with Jacob, but it did hurt when he did what he did. She knew how it'd make me feel once I found out and she still agreed to it anyway. I'm guessing it was probably just because she wanted to be happy, she was looking out for herself this time and no one else. She had gotten hurt in the past and wasn't going to miss out on a chance with Jacob. I guess that was understandable.
Kind of. Sort of. Doesn't change the fact that she was a total bitch for showing up at MY apartment at midnight to tell me Edward isn't half the man Jacob is.
I should've slapped her. I wanted to, actually. I don't know why I didn't.
"So how about some of you tell me how you've been feeling throughout this whole experience?" Professor Peterson asked, leaning his elbows on the podium in front of him.
Someone raised their hand. "My partner takes all the hot water and I hate it! She's selfish and never shares anything!"
"Well it's my house, so I own whatever's in there! It's not my fault you still live with your parents! If you were financially stable enough to be on your own, you could have all the hot water you want!"
The two started bickering angrily as Professor Peterson tried to calm them down. "That wasn't what I meant when I asked you guys to tell me how you feel about this assignment! This is an Anthropology class not couple therapy! Resolve your issues outside of class, please!"
Edward chuckled softly next to me. "Do I hog the hot water at your place?"
I turned to him. "I think I'm more of a water hog than you are."
"Well if I do anything inside of your apartment to piss you off, you'll tell me right?"
I nodded my head and turned my attention towards Professor Peterson again since he had called on another pair of students.
"Well... Rachel and I have really been enjoying this assignment. At first we were both skeptical about it, but we've been getting along well and I even asked her to be my girlfriend last night at dinner. It's weird to feel this way about someone I never expected, but it's nice. It's really helping me learn a lot."
Professor Peterson was beaming. "Ah, now THAT'S what I like hearing! That's wonderful Mr. Hurley, Ms. Anderson. Anybody else have similar feelings towards the assignment?"
My eyes focused on the back of Leah's head when her hand shot up.
"You feel the same way, Ms. Clearwater?"
She nodded. "Jacob and I never expected this, but it's a nice turn of events. I'm really glad."
"No problems, Mr. Black?"
"No problems, Professor Peterson. I'm really enjoying myself and this experience, to be honest."
I wanted to hurl my book bag at the back of both their heads. It was just the day before yesterday when Leah came to my place because Jacob had wanted to see me, apparently. It annoyed me beyond belief at how often those two changed their minds. Before my temper flared up even more, I felt Edward's hand give my knee a gentle squeeze as he smiled at me reassuringly.
"Don't let it get to you, Bella. Put it in the back of your head."
I smiled back. "I know. Thanks, Edward."
"Anybody else have anything to comment on?" Professor Peterson asked.
It surprised me when Edward started speaking out loud.
"Bella and I are enjoying this assignment a lot as well." he spoke and my eyes caught Jacob and Leah turning their heads to look at him.
"Ah, yes. I think you're keeping her in check, Mr. Cullen. She's been on time ever since you two started the project together."
"She's a bit difficult in the mornings, but I wouldn't trade her for any other partner."
I felt my face become hot with embarrassment as Jacob's busted lip pouted out and his brows furrowed. He obviously wasn't too happy to hear that and I wanted to hold up a big sign that read 'I DON'T GIVE A HOOT'.
"Leah isn't too difficult in the morning. Actually, she isn't difficult at all. She gets ready fast, too. That doesn't happen often with a lot of girls." Jacob spoke without raising his hand.
Edward's brow raised as he crossed his arms and directed his voice a few rows down, "That's nice and all, Jacob, but who asked for your opinion anyway?"
Jacob turned his head to glare at Edward. "No one had to ask my opinion, I was just stating a fact."
The discussion had taken a whole new side of immaturity. I felt my insides boil as Edward tightened his grip on my knee to restrain me from stomping down there to kick my foot into Jacob's groin. He deserved nothing less.
"Mr. Cullen, Mr. Black, please settle down."
"I'm sorry, Professor Peterson." Edward apologized as he tried to calm his tone. "That was rude of me."
"Yeah, Professor. Edward's just an arrogant prick who steals people's girls, don't mind him." Jacob snorted, as small gasps and oooh's came from the audience.
I was ready to rip his hair out. He was so unceasingly irritating and immature. I saw Leah whisper something to him as she gripped his shoulder and then patted small circles into his back.
"And Jacob is just an idiot asshole who cheated on his girlfriend because he didn't have enough balls to tell his father the truth about his relationship status."
"Enough!" Professor Peterson hollered, slamming his hand down on the podium in front of him. "You two, leave my class right now! I'm not going to tolerate foul language and your attitudes! If you have something to say to each other, say it and come to class next week without all the personal drama for all our sakes. Both of you, out."
Without another word, Jacob grabbed his backpack off the floor and walked out of the classroom with Leah following right behind him. Edward was gathering his things as well and I decided since roll was already taken that it'd be better if I left, too. Professor Peterson ignored us and went on with asking everyone their opinions on the assignment as we walked out of the room.
"Okay, what the hell was that about?" I asked, trailing behind him as we walked down the staircase. "You're usually more composed than that, Edward. What's gotten into you?"
"Jacob, obviously." Edward replied as he ran his hand through his hair. "He pisses me off. I can't stand his audacity."
My brows furrowed as I placed a hand on Edward's arm. "Didn't we already establish that Jacob is a complete idiot? You don't have to make yourself look bad just because you're annoyed. Promise me next time you'll think before you say something like that to get yourself in trouble!"
"There won't be a next time, don't worry." he said, kissing the top of my head once we'd reached the parking lot.
I felt my cheeks go hot at the small gesture and sighed in relief since there wouldn't be anymore "Jacob is a douche" rants.
"Are you happy now, Cullen? Was that enough for you to feel good about yourself?"
Both of us stopped in our tracks at the voice that came from behind us. I guess I had spoken too soon. I felt the muscles in Edward's arm tighten as he turned his head to meet with Jacob's glare. "Did you forget that it was you who started it?"
"Edward," I pleaded, not wanting their rivalry with each other to become a public event. All I wanted was to get out of there and go on our date, to just leave all thoughts of Jacob and Leah behind. I was looking forward to today for what felt like forever and I wasn't about to let my dumb ex-boyfriend ruin it for me or for Edward. "Please, let's just go."
"I'm not gonna pop him in the face again, Bells, don't worry. I'm sure he's suffered enough. I just wanna talk to him." Jacob said, smiling at me as I sighed in annoyance. He was the one with the busted lip and injured nose and yet he still had enough in him to act as if he was the triumphant one?
"Everything you tend to pester me about is never of significance to me, Jacob." Edward spat bitterly. I knew he was pissed at himself for letting his infuriation get the best of him.
"Aw come on, Cullen." he laughed as his arms crossed. "I just want to chat."
"I'll pass." he replied. As soon as those words left his mouth, he was walking again without bothering to give Jacob a second glance or listen to him calling out to come back.
I groaned and turned to Jacob. "What is your problem anyway, Jacob? Have you always been such a hot-headed idiot these past few years?"
Jacob chuckled and came closer to me, opening his arms for a hug. "Edward's the hot-headed idiot."
My eyes narrowed and before he could encircle his arms around me, I slapped the side of his face. I didn't put any force into it, I just wanted to get my point across that I didn't want him touching me.
"You slapped me." he breathed, completely shocked.
I rolled my eyes. "I didn't slap you. I simply gave your face a high five. If it was a slap, you'd feel the difference." I heard Leah spewing some kind of nonsense at me, but I didn't care. They were the last of my concerns so without saying goodbye to either of them, I chased after Edward and slowed my pace once I was side by side with him again. "If it makes you feel better, I slapped Jacob just now."
Edward's scowl disappeared as he chuckled softly. "Good."
"Don't let it get to you." I repeated his words from earlier, hoping they would work with him just as well as they did with me.
He turned to me and smiled that crooked grin I liked so much. "I'm not going to let him put me in a bad mood. Tonight is our night, not his."
The way he had said "our night" sent me on a whole new daze as I fought to keep the blush that wanted to stain my cheeks away. Did he always have to be so dazzling? Nothing else needed to be said, so I just nodded my head shyly as we walked in silence to the student parking lot.
My eyes roamed over to a beaming Yellow Porsche that was right next to Edward's silver Volvo. It was beautiful and was shining like it had just gotten waxed.
"It's nice, huh?"
I turned to Edward, my mouth wide open in shock. "Don't tell me you know the person who drives that car?"
"I know her very well, actually." he chuckled as he walked over to the driver's side of the Porsche, pulling the door open. "Thanks for agreeing to this, Alice. I owe you for all the favors you've been doing for me."
The short, spiky haired pixie came out and pulled her big sunglasses off, smiling brightly at me. "I'm not doing this for you, Edward. I'm doing it for Bella." She trotted over to me and gave me a hug as she always did whenever I saw her. How did I miss this car when we had gone to Sky High that one day? It was gorgeous to say the least and I seriously felt myself practically drooling over the sight of it.
"I told you we'd be hanging out soon! I'm so excited you decided to go shopping with me!"
Hearing that made my eyes narrow and I suddenly wanted to burn a hole into Edward's forehead. "Shopping?"
"I thought you'd like to find a new outfit for tonight? And who better to ask than the shopping guru herself, Alice Cullen?" Edward explained innocently, holding his hands up in defense. "Plus, she's been bugging me like crazy. She's been wanting to hang out with you."
"It's not my fault I like making friends." Alice argued.
"You mean being psycho?" Edward corrected, laughing when she launched her small fist at his arm. "You should have seen her when she first met Rosalie. She almost scared her off entirely with her crazy behavior."
"Rosalie was just... surprised at my enthusiasm. We're good friends now!" she hissed at him.
"You could have very well been the reason why Emmett and Rosalie split back then." he laughed and flicked her forehead with his finger.
She huffed and crossed her arms. "If you're done teasing me, I'd like to get going. You didn't really give me too much of a heads up and now I'm going to have to rush in order to get her back to you in time."
"I have faith in you, Alice," Edward cooed jokingly, taking the strap of my book bag off my shoulder. Before he took it away I managed to grab my wallet and shoved it into the front pocket of my jacket. "Have fun, Bella, I'll see you in a few hours."
I couldn't protest even if I wanted to. Without even getting a word out, Alice shoved me into her beautiful Porsche and skipped around to the driver's side. I could see Edward wave to me outside before he hopped into his own car as we drove off in different directions.
"So, Bella," Alice started with a perky smile on her face. "You and Edward, huh? How's that going?"
I blushed a little at the simple question. I honestly really didn't know to answer that. Edward and I weren't an official couple, but we didn't seem to be "just friends" either. I couldn't say I didn't have any feelings for him because I knew I did and he obviously felt the same way. "We're... well, I don't know. It's hard to explain."
"Don't feel awkward around me, okay? I know it must be weird since we don't know each other at all, but I promise I don't bite and I'm very friendly." she flashed her pearly whites at me and it was as if she had some kind of hypnotic spell behind it. You couldn't not like Alice.
It didn't take her long to squeeze out every bit of information about Edward and I she could get. Once I got started, I just couldn't seem to shut up. It wasn't like she minded though. She actually seemed to really enjoy hearing about the side of Edward she hadn't known existed.
My cheery mood seemed to dissipate as soon as I stepped foot inside one of the stores. Alice immediately went to the racks and began picking things out before I even had a chance to blink. She knew she was short on time and had a job to do - and quick.
"Alice," I started once I finally reached her. "do you know what Edward has planned for tonight?"
She smiled at me. "Of course I know. How would I be able to coordinate an outfit for you without knowing what you two were doing?"
"Can you tell me then?" I asked excitedly. The suspense was killing me! I knew Edward had to have had something incredible up his sleeve but after all the places we'd been, I couldn't think of anything that could top it.
Alice continued to look through the racks and didn't look up at me. "It's a secret."
She left no room for an argument and dragged me to the fitting room. With her small hands, she shoved the piles of clothes at me and pulled the curtain closed. I didn't have any kind of choice so I grudgingly took off the clothes I had on to replace them with the ones she had chosen. "Is it something good at least?" I asked as I pulled the pair of jeans on.
"Of course! It's very... Edward." she giggled. "Well, I wouldn't have known it was something Edward was capable of before you told me about how he's been with you. He's more romantic with you than he ever was with Tanya."
Tanya? I had never heard anything before about a woman named Tanya. "Who's that?"
"Oh. Edward never mentioned it to you?" she questioned, slightly baffled. "She was kind of like.. his unofficial girlfriend, you could say."
I thought about that for a minute as I pulled the grey turtle neck down. "He's never said anything about her."
Alice hummed in thought. "I guess he wouldn't. Don't worry about it, she wasn't really his girlfriend. In fact, he actually was really turned off because she kept pushing him to be in a relationship with her. Edward works with Tanya's sister. That's how she met him."
"I see," I mused quietly, smoothing out the wrinkles of the turtle neck sweater. I grabbed the black jacket she had picked out off the hanger before speaking again, "How long were they dating?"
"I think maybe a month or two. He didn't talk about her much. It was more of Emmett always telling me all about it. But Edward seems to try harder with you, and you guys have only been in this whole marriage thing for a little more than a week right? I'm more than sure he has pretty strong feelings for you, Bella."
My heart skipped a beat at her words as I wrapped the white scarf around my neck and sighed softly. I kept forgetting it had only been a little more than a week. It felt like so much longer. It made me wonder if I was rushing into dating him too soon. Jacob and I had broken up recently and as much as I was already over it, I couldn't help but wonder what all my other friends must have thought about me.
Before I knew it, Alice had the curtain open and smiled approvingly. "I'm a genius. It's simple and it still looks good! Edward's going to love me more than he already does."
I laughed and turned around in a circle so she could get a better view of her outfit choice. "Will you please tell me? I'm dying to know!"
"No can do, Bella. Sorry." she laughed and shoved me back behind the curtain to change back into my clothes.
I gave up on trying to figure it out and just went along with what Alice had planned. She ended up paying for the outfit for me no matter how much I told her I could do it myself. Since I didn't have shoes that would go along with the outfit, she helped me find some suitable ones that I paid for before she could pull her credit card out. I was glad I grabbed my wallet before Edward took my bag away because if not, Alice would have paid for the stylish black boots, too. I didn't even know her that well and she had handed over almost two hundred dollars like nothing for an outfit I might not have even wore again. How much money did she make working at Sky High anyway? I made a mental note in my head to ask her before our time together was over.
After we left the mall, we pulled up to a small townhouse in the area of that park Edward had taken me to the day before. Alice's eyes seemed to light up as she pulled into the driveway of the quaint-looking home. Someone was inside of the garage, clad in motorcycle gear. Once she had her Porsche parked, she opened the door and squealed, "Jasper!"
As I got out of the car, I saw her petite form rush towards her boyfriend's welcome arms. They were so unbelievably cute together and I felt like I was intruding on something special.
"How am I supposed to give you a kiss with this hunk of material on your head?" she giggled, pulling the helmet off his head so their lips could finally meet. "Don't tell me you're leaving?"
"Only for a bit, darlin'. I just need to go pick up my paycheck and then I'll bring us some food for dinner. You craving anything in particular?"
Alice shook her head and ran her small hands up and down his geared chest. "Surprise me."
"Will do," he replied, kissing the tip of her nose. "Oh, Bella! I didn't even see you there!" Jasper chuckled, waving to me from the garage. "Are you staying for dinner also? I can always order more."
"No need for that. She's just here so I can doll her up since Edward's taking Bella on their first date tonight." Alice teased as my face turned red. They both laughed at the color of my cheeks and I couldn't help but join them. I didn't know why I was still acted so shy whenever it was brought up.
"Well that sounds like fun. I hope you two have a wonderful time tonight," Jasper said with a smile. He was such a gentleman. He reminded me of those cowboys in old Western films that would always greet women politely with a tip of their hat.
My thoughts were interrupted by his loud chuckling that Alice seemed to be the cause of. She was tip-toeing atop his actual feet while attacking his neck playfully. "Alice, quit it! I've got to get going!" Jasper yanked her off his neck and lifted her off his feet, giving her one last kiss. "I said only for a bit. I'll be back before you know it." Before she could attack his lips again, he shoved the helmet down on his head, "HAH! Beat you!"
She huffed playfully as he hopped up on top of the black Ducati 1098 and revved the bike to life. "Love you, Jasper."
"Love you, too!" he replied. I could barely make it out over the sound of his motorcycle. Once he had waved to us both, he drove down the driveway and down the street until he was out of sight.
"Want me to let you in on a secret, Bella?" Alice asked with a smile as she pulled me inside the house.
"Sure." I answered, my eyes wandering all throughout the beautiful interior of her home.
"Jasper and I have been together for a while now, can you tell?"
I nodded. "Seems like it."
"Yes, 3 years and counting." she beamed, sitting me down on the sofa in her living room. "Do you think the both of us are happy?"
I raised a brow and wondered why she was asking questions with such obvious answers. My eyes followed her as she disappeared into the bathroom for a quick second and came back out with what looked to be a cosmetics bag. "I'm pretty sure the two of you are very happy with each other."
Alice smiled at my answer and unzipped the bag, pulling out some foreign looking objects which I was sure was make up. "I know you heard me say it earlier, but do you think him and I are in love?"
I opened my eyes, immediately getting smacked on the arm. I forgot she was working her magic and had probably messed her up. With a sigh, I closed them again. "Yes, Alice. Anyone with eyes could see that you two are in love. It practically radiates off your guys' bodies."
"Yeah? Well, it started with Professor Peterson's assignment." I opened my eyes again in shock and Alice literally screamed. "BELLA! Look what you've done!" She walked into the bathroom again and I took the mirror inside her bag to look at what happened. There was a black line going up the middle of my eyelid and something smeared underneath so I looked like a raccoon. I couldn't help but laugh as she huffed and wiped it all off with makeup remover to start over.
"Wait, really? You two have had Peterson's class before?" I asked, keeping my eyes glued shut this time.
"Yeah. I took the class during my first semester. I thought the idea was absolutely insane at first. When I found out my partner was Jasper Whitlock of all people, I was kind of happy because I always thought he was super hot." she giggled and started working on my other eye. "I was 18 at the time and he was 20. I was one of the youngest ones in the class since everyone doesn't usually take it until after they've gotten used to college. But I figured, hey why not? The sooner, the better, right?"
"So you and him together... That all started with the assignment?" I asked, still shocked.
"Yup. After the assignment was over, we turned in our essays, and he walked me to my car. He said he was really going to miss having me around and that he was really glad to have me as a partner. It made me really sad, so I gave him a hug and told him to keep in contact with me. I told him I wanted us to stay close and before I could realize what was going on, he was kissing me!" she sighed dreamily and I laughed softly. "Jasper said he didn't care that the assignment was over and that he wanted us to stay the way we were. So, he asked me to be his girlfriend and since then, we've been inseparable. Crazy, huh?"
I nodded slowly. "Why did you decide to tell me that all of a sudden?"
She giggled and said I could open my eyes. "Oh, no reason. I just thought I should tell you. Sometimes, I like to think Professor Peterson's secondary job is being a matchmaker. He always seems to pair the right people up together."
My cheeks went hot at her words as she laughed and helped me up. "But, that's just my opinion, Bella. Now let's get your hair fixed and dress you up so you can get to that date already!"
After another half an hour, Alice was finally done. She had thinly lined the tops and bottoms of my lids with eyeliner, put a bit of mascara, a touch of eye shadow and a hint of blush. She said I didn't need much at all, which was a good thing. She left my hair the way it was, just brushed it and put a tiny spritz of hairspray to keep my natural waves intact. I changed into the grey turtle neck and pulled the jeans on as quickly as I could since she said we had to hurry. I slipped into the coat, tugged the boots onto my feet, and threw the scarf around my neck as I jumped into her yellow Porsche. Alice sped down the streets and I was surprised there weren't any policeman hightailing it after us. After what seemed to be like an eternity of speeding, her car came to a halt in another area I was unfamiliar with.
"Well, Bella, this is where we part. I had a lot of fun today and I hope you did, too." Alice waved as I got out of the passenger seat. "Let's hang out again sometime, okay? I miss having girl time with other girls."
I laughed and shut the door, leaning down as she pushed on the button to let the automatic window roll down. "I'd like it if we could hang out again, Alice. I had a great time."
She smiled brightly. "Tell Edward I say hi, alright?"
I nodded and as I turned away, I remembered something I had to ask her. "Wait Alice!"
She stopped rolling the window up and stared at me curiously. "Yeah?"
I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. I wasn't too sure if it was too much to ask since it might've been personal. "Well... I was just wondering... Your house is really nice. And so is your car. Do you really make that much at Sky High? Because if you do, I wanted to know if..."
Her tinkling laugh caught me off guard as I looked at her strangely. "What?"
"Oh, Bella. Silly Bella." she mused. "Sky High is pocket money. I don't make much there at all. It's just that I adore kids and I love that place. I'm a personal shopper, so I tend to have a lot of time on my hands when I'm not buying outfits for people."
It now made sense as to why Edward decided on giving Alice permission to get me a new outfit. It was her job. "So you're a personal shopper, an employee at Sky High, AND you go to school?"
"All in a day's work!" she piped, starting her car up again. "Oh, and this pretty baby? It was a graduation present."
With all my questions answered, she rolled the window up and sped off in the same direction she had came in. I really did like her a lot. It made me happy to bond with her since she was close with Edward. If I had any siblings, it'd definitely be a plus if he got along with them. I was hoping that would earn me some bonus points.
"Hello, stranger."
I turned around and sighed in relief, glad to see that it was only Edward. "You scared me half to death!"
He chuckled softly and handed me a single red rose. "You look beautiful."
I couldn't fight the butterflies or the smile that crept onto my face when he said that as I held the flower up to my nose to get a whiff. "Thank you. You look pretty good, yourself." He was wearing a coat similar to the one Alice had bought me earlier, but his was a little longer and all black. Underneath his jacket was a white and charcoal grey patterned long-sleeve that seemed to fit him perfectly, and he was wearing jeans as well. I was honestly a little glad our date might have been more on the casual side.
Edward grinned. "Shall we?" He offered his arm and I gladly put mine through, leaning my head on his shoulder slightly as we began walking straight ahead.
"So, what do you have planned for tonight?" I asked. The sun had set about an hour ago and the dark evening sky was all around us. Stars were twinkling millions of miles away and even though it was a bit chilly, I loved it.
"This is the first part of our date." he spoke, pulling a pair of black gloves out of his front pocket. They reminded me of the ones you'd wear when you played in the snow.
I arched a brow at him as he handed them to me. "Why would we need these for our date?"
He smiled and pointed behind him. My jaw dropped at the beautiful outdoor ice skating rink a few feet away. The ice looked so clean and everyone skating atop it looked like they were having a blast. Some of the windows of the buildings surrounding the rink were lit, illuminating the perimeter. A giant arch was in the middle of the ice, which was the main source of light as everyone skated underneath it. I didn't even know such a rink existed!
Reality sank in as I sighed heavily, turning back to Edward. "It's absolutely gorgeous, believe me, but I don't think this is a good idea. Don't you have something else a little safer up your sleeve? I'm an accident magnet."
Edward chuckled and pulled me to the entrance of the rink. "You said that when we went to Sky High, too."
"So?"
"So," Edward paid for both of us and pulled me toward the skate rental. "You didn't get hurt last time. I told you I wouldn't let you get hurt." He said something to the man behind the window as he pulled one of his shoes off and turned to me, "Bella, your shoe size?"
I blinked at him as I followed what he did and took off my left boot, "6 1/2."
He repeated it to the man and exchanged our shoes for ice skates. I cringed at the sight of the blade on the bottom of the shoe as he sat me down. "Edward, I haven't ice skated in years."
"You need to relax, Bella. Would I really take you to such a place if I had any kind of thought that you'd leave in an ambulance strapped to a gurney? You'll be fine."
I sighed in defeat as he handed me the skates to put on. I laced them up and turned to him once I was finished. "If I die, I want a pink coffin. And colorful flowers."
Edward laughed loudly at that, raising a brow at me curiously. "A pink coffin? Really? Do they even sell those?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. But everyone would remember me as the girl with the pink coffin and not as the clumsy idiot who died while ice skating."
"You are unbelievable sometimes, do you know that?" he joked, pulling me to my feet. I wobbled slightly once I got up, not at all used to the feeling of being about half an inch taller while balancing my weight on the thin blade beneath the skate. "You'll be fine. I won't let you fall, alright?"
My eyes narrowed at him as we walked over to short wall that separated the ground from the ice. "Coffins are expensive. I'm telling you right now, I will haunt you in your sleep and pants you at work if you don't get me a pink one."
He laughed again and stepped onto the ice, looking as graceful as ever as he stood perfectly balanced atop the frozen water. "Alright, alright! I'll buy you a pink coffin if you die, you silly girl. Now, come here."
I stayed right where I was, holding onto the sides for dear life. "Do you have a first aid kit in your car?"
"Bella!" he groaned, skating towards me. "Please, just try. I don't want our date to be you watching me skate from the sidelines the whole time. Would you just trust me?"
I couldn't help but feel defeated at his puppy dog eyes and his pouted lips. I knew I was going to end up bruised and bloody but if it would make him happy, I guess it was worth it. I took a deep breath and moved my right foot onto the ice, followed by my left. I hadn't even been on the ice for five seconds and already I lost my balance. I could've sworn I was going to fall straight on my butt, but Edward skated to me and caught me in his arms before I could hit the ice.
He chuckled heartily and straightened my posture as I grabbed the sides to balance myself. "Bella, you're too tense. You need to ease up and just have fun."
"Easy for you to say. Balance isn't a problem for you. Sometimes I think I inherited some kind of jellyfish gene. My legs don't deserve to be called legs." I inched down the ice with the help of the wall. Kids younger than half my age raced past me like pros as I groaned in frustration. "Look at that! Eight year olds are passing me up, that's horrible!"
Edward rolled his eyes and grabbed each one of my hands, holding them tightly as he pulled me away from the wall. "Here, I'll help you out. But you can't be so stiff."
I was glad the ice rink was so cold otherwise he would've known I was blushing again. He was skating backwards better than I could skate forward! It wasn't fair. I looked down at my feet and he held my hands tighter. "Please, just try to relax. Tonight is supposed to be a night to enjoy, remember?"
I bit my lip and sighed with a slight nod, moving my feet the way I remembered moving them years ago. It felt like I might have been getting the hang of it by the time we got to the center of the rink, right underneath the huge lit up arch. My hands were still in his as he smiled and lifted one of them above my head to spin me slowly. I squeaked quietly as my body made a full 360 and I could've sworn I'd open my eyes to being sprawled across the ice.
He gave me a crooked grin. "I told you. You're doing fine."
I smiled back and released his hand, skating on my own in a circle around him. I didn't look nearly as graceful as he did but I was doing it on my own which was good enough for me. "I think I can do it on my own now."
"You sure about that, Ms. Accident Magnet?" he joked, running a gloved hand through his hair. "I don't want you to hurt yourself and blow a huge chunk of my savings away for your coffin, you know. I'd much rather prefer you alive and well."
I finally loosened up and skated freely with him. It was easier than I thought, it just took some getting used to. Skating around the rink was more fun that I had ever imagined it could be. I thought it was beautiful from a distance, but it was so much better up close. The lights from the surrounding buildings and from the arch above us made us look like we were glowing.
It wasn't until three kids came zooming past us that I had lost my balance again. I had to push all my weight onto one side so I could avoid them crashing into me. Edward didn't see that, so I bumped into him slightly on accident as the kid dove underneath his legs to slide on his belly. Completely taken aback by the action, Edward slipped and fell right onto his back. His leg kicked mine as I tumbled down atop him.
People didn't seem to care that we had just fallen like idiots since it probably happened all the time. I looked down at him, his green eyes shining brilliantly. I grinned and began laughing, pounding his chest with my fist lightly at how funny I thought it was.
He didn't last much longer and he, too, began laughing with me. "Bella, please get up. My butt is cold. We're on ice, you know."
My eyes felt like they were tearing from laughing so hard and I suddenly felt a twinge of guilt since the makeup Alice had worked so hard on was probably ruined. I pushed myself off of Edward and stood up, offering a hand to him. He took it willingly and dusted the ice that had gathered on my elbows. I couldn't help but giggle again as I did him the same favor and brushed the ice off his back.
"Well, that wasn't supposed to happen." Edward groaned with a chuckle. "I was trying to impress you and I end up falling on my ass. That's just great."
"Did it hurt?" I asked, watching as he messed up his hair even more. I made a note in my head to tell him he could probably go bald from doing that so much.
"No, I'm fine. It's my ego. I'm kind of embarrassed." he shook his head and smiled, grabbing my hand in his. "Maybe we should just stick to skating like this, if you don't mind."
I didn't mind at all, actually. I smiled to reassure him I was fine with it and from then until the rink closed, we skated hand in hand underneath the starlit sky. Surprisingly like he assumed, we never fell another time that night.
We skated until our time was up and went to one of the most popular Japanese restaurants in Seattle called Mashiko. The restaurant was casual with red walls, colored lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and a sushi chef at the bar, crowded with people of all ages. Thankfully, Edward had made reservations and we even got to sit in a booth where it wasn't so crowded.
"They've got the best sushi in town," Edward promised, putting his menu down. "I've ordered us the course meal, so don't worry about choosing something."
I put my menu down as well. "A course meal for each of us?"
He stared at me, baffled. "Are you joking? If someone could eat the course meal on their own, I applaud them. It's five different courses, meant for two people to share."
My mouth made an "o" shape as I shrugged out of my coat and put it to the side. "Sounds expensive."
"It is, but it's well worth it, trust me." he grinned. "Everything we get is the chef's choice, not ours. But every time I've come here, I've never been disappointed."
The waitress came and placed two beautifully decorated small cups in front of us as I stared at Edward quizzically. "And this is?"
He smiled and picked it up. "For ten bucks more, each person in the party gets a sake shot. I couldn't resist."
I picked up my cup as well, wondering how it tasted. I'd never tried sake before or seen a shot glass that was so pretty. We toasted to each other and downed the shot. It was chilled and went down smooth. Surprisingly, I actually liked it. "That just made me hungrier."
"Trust me, you'll need to unbutton your pants by the time we leave here." he chuckled, running his fingers through his bronze hair.
I wasn't sure if Edward was just exaggerating. I honestly loved sushi and couldn't wait to attack the five-course meal awaiting us.
"Oh. My. God." I groaned, stepping out of his Volvo when we finally reached his apartment complex. He said he needed to pick some stuff up and then we'd go back to my place after. "I'm so full."
"I told you." Edward laughed, helping me up the stairs to his apartment. "You liked it though, right?"
"Loved it," I corrected him. "I'm going to go back sometime soon."
The meal was, without a doubt, the best Japanese food I'd ever had. Our first two courses were appetizers of the chef's choice, which was grilled salmon salad and vegetable tempura. The course after that was a spicy crab nigiri roll with spicy mayo on top. It was delicious and I seriously couldn't believe it when Edward told me we still had more to come. The main entrée was as beautiful as it was tasty and was twelve pieces of assorted sushi. I was done by that time, but they took away our plate and replaced it with a dessert plate. It was something I'd never seen or heard of before, a slice of green tea tiramisu. It didn't disappoint me at all when I took the first bite. It was heaven in dessert form. It was light, creamy, and not too sweet. I wanted to take pictures of the edible art we called dinner, but I didn't have a camera. Edward paid, tipped well, said thank you to the chefs, and we were on our way back home about two hours later.
"I'm going to lie down and try to breathe." I mumbled once we got to the door, leaning against the frame. I felt like I had gained ten pounds in one sitting.
"After you," he said once he got the door open. I mumbled my thanks and stumbled in, immediately stopping as I looked around at the drastically different surroundings of Edward's living room. Red, pink, white, and yellow rose petals were scattered all about his floor with tea light candles lining the perimeter and soft music echoing throughout the room. My mouth dropped open as I stood where I was in shock. How did he manage to find the time to do all this?
He walked past me to the table and grabbed a plate with chocolate covered strawberries, "I hope you're not too full to pass some of these up?"
I blinked repeatedly and felt tears welling up in my eyes, shaking my head.
"Oh, crap. This is too much, isn't it? I'm sorry, Bella. I just wanted our first date to be special. I know this is pushing it a bit--"
I placed my hand over his mouth and sniffled quietly, smiling up at him. "I love it. I'm only getting emotional because I never would have expected something so... extravagant. I'm not used to this. I thought it only happened in movies."
Edward chuckled and wiped under my eyes carefully to avoid smearing my makeup. "You can thank Alice and Jasper. This is their doing, I only came up with the idea."
I laughed in realization as I looked around the room. "So, that's why you had to make an important call so suddenly during dinner!"
He nodded and held the plate of chocolate covered strawberries out to me, "Would you like one?"
I looked down at the delicious looking pieces of fruit and grabbed one, holding it in front of his mouth. "Only if you have one first."
That signature crooked grin was there again as he put the plate aside and held one out to me. "How about we have one at the same time?"
I couldn't help but blush as he bit into the strawberry I was holding. I knew very well he wasn't trying to look as sexy as he did, it was just natural for him. It wasn't fair. The strawberries were fresh and the chocolate used was so decadent that I couldn't help but eat more than one even though I was already beyond being full.
We finished most of them and I watched as Edward put the rest in the fridge to give to Alice and Jasper as a thank you.
"Edward," I called out from the sofa, smiling at him as he sat down next to me. "Thank you so much. For the ice skating, for the dinner. For this. It's all too much."
"I told you it'd be good." he chuckled, brushing the hair away from my face.
I nodded in agreement. "The best date I've ever been on."
"I'm glad."
"Well everyone, we're gonna be taking it back a couple of years. This song is an oldie, but definitely a classic. If you remember it, grab a loved one and sing along, why don't you? Your hour of uninterrupted music begins now. I'm Pam and this is KRTP 103.7, enjoy!" the voice over the stereo called as a song began playing.
Saying I love you is not the words I want to hear from you.
It's not that I want you not to say, but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel,
More than words is all you have to do to make it real.
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me,
cause I'd already know.
A smile crept onto Edward's face as he stood up and held his hand out, "Dance with me?"
I stared up at him, wondering if he was serious. "Really? Right now?"
"Why not?"
My lips curved into a smile as well. I took his offered hand and stood up, placing one of my hands on his shoulder as he wrapped his other around my waist. "You're quite the romantic, Mr. Cullen."
He grinned and pulled me closer, swaying our bodies to the gentle and slow beat of the song.
What would you do if my heart was torn in two?
More than words to show you feel, that your love for me is real
What would you say if I took those words away?
Then you couldn't make things new just by saying I love you
More than words
Now that I've tried to talk to you and make you understand,
All you have to do is close your eyes and just reach out your hands and touch me
Hold me close, don't ever let me go..
I felt my heart thudding in my chest as he pulled my chin up to meet his gaze. He didn't need to ask my permission this time. I tip toed and closed my eyes as our lips met in a gentle kiss. He released my hand and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me even closer so our bodies were molded against one another.
My hands traveled up to the messy array of his hair, running my fingers through its silky softness as he parted my lips with his. I sighed softly into his mouth, glad to know that there was no way this kiss was going to get interrupted. I felt a whole new surge of electricity run through me at the caress of his tongue against my lower lip. Shakily, I granted him access and met him halfway, feeling his grip around my waist tighten. I shuddered softly at the feeling of his tongue finally touching mine, noticing that his mouth tasted like the chocolate and the strawberries we had just eaten. Edward's hands ran slowly up and down my back, his lips suddenly becoming more urgent and passionate against mine.
I was slightly surprised when my back hit something flat, not even noticing that Edward's hands were now pressed up against the wall behind me. I sighed again and took his lower lip into my mouth, suckling gently and that was when he pulled away. Part of me was actually glad we stopped since we weren't together... officially.
Our breathing was ragged and I hadn't even noticed the song ended when his eyes locked on mine. "Best kiss, ever."
I couldn't help but laugh at his selection of words, feeling my face get hot with how close we both still were. "I agree."
Edward smiled and kissed me again softly, brushing the hair from my face. "It was the perfect way to end our date, in my opinion. Now, get some rest because you have class in the morning."
I nodded and figured we weren't going to be heading back to my house. I still had clothes inside Edward's room so I didn't mind too much. The room was dark when I walked inside, so I flipped on the light switch and changed into my tank top and pajama pants I found from a few nights ago lying on the floor. Once I was changed, I brushed my teeth and washed the makeup on my face off. Quietly, I crept back into the living room and saw Edward blowing each and every one of the tea light candles out. I smiled and spoke, "So, why the multicolored petals?"
He turned towards the sound of my voice and chuckled softly. "The colors have different meanings. You didn't know that? Red means beauty and perfection. Pink symbolizes admiration. Yellow is for joy and friendship, and white symbolizes new beginnings. All of which I think were perfect for tonight."
I smiled and felt the butterflies swimming around in my stomach again as I bent down to pick up one of each color. I wanted to remember just how wonderful he had made our first date. "I'm going to keep some of these."
"Good luck keeping them like that. They're going to turn brown soon." Edward laughed, finally finished with blowing out the candles. "Go get some rest now, Bella."
I nodded and blew him a kiss, smiling when he caught it and put it in his pocket. It had become something I got used to doing after seeing Esme. It was a simple, yet meaningful gesture that had grown on me and I found myself doing it each and every time Edward and I had to say goodbye to each other. "Thank you again for tonight."
"It was my pleasure." he replied.
I walked back into his room and shut the door, putting the petals on the night stand by his bed. I pulled the covers off and before I got in, I thought of something that not only brought a blush but a smile onto my face as well. I walked back into the living room and saw him lying on the couch in black flannel pants only. I felt another blush stain my cheeks when I realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Edward?"
His face lifted off the couch as he stared at me curiously. "Something wrong?"
I shook my head. "No, nothing's wrong." I hesitated with the words and had to make sure it came out right. "I don't want to sound forward or anything... but would you like to sleep, with me... tonight?"
He stared at me and I stared back, immediately regretting the way I said it. "I meant! Just in the same bed. You know, because it's your apartment and..."
Before I could finish my sentence, he walked past me and straight into his bed, sighing in relief. It finally hit me that he hadn't slept in a bed in almost two weeks.
"Come here," he said softly, opening his arms to me.
I closed the door behind me and walked over to the bed to lie next to him, shocked when he wrapped his arms around my shoulders to pull me close to his bare chest.
"If you want me to put a shirt on, just say so."
I laughed quietly and snuggled into the warmth of his body, wrapping my arms loosely around his waist. "No, it's fine. It's your house and your bed, so you're free to do whatever the hell you want."
He leaned down and gave me a soft, goodnight kiss, humming some sort of a lullaby in my ear so I could fall asleep faster.
That night, I dreamt of having another date just as wonderful and realized just how much I wanted to be more than Edward's friend, how much I didn't care anymore about Jacob hurting me, and how much I really, really wanted to be Edward's official girlfriend.
.
.
.
.
End of Chapter Eleven
Author's Notes: So this, is OFFICIALLY the longest chapter to date of Hello, Stranger. Yay! Did you guys like it? I hope it was romantic enough. There are pictures of Edward and Bella's outfits, Jasper's bike, the skating rink, and more on my profile page! I'm going to start adding pictures so you guys can get a better concept of what I'm trying to portray :) Oh, and please check out the new banner I made for this story! It's on my profile as well!
By the way, the sushi place I described is an actual sushi place in Seattle, WA! You should go check out their website, it looks fantastic! www(dot)sushiwhore(dot)com, and seriously that's the name of the site. HAHAHA! The ice skating rink though, does not exist. Not in Seattle at least. Like I've mentioned before, I live in California and not in Washington so please don't get mad if I get something wrong.
I should just get Bella and Edward together already, huh? Teehee, don't fret! It's coming up soon enough!
Sorry if I didn't reply to some of your guys' reviews this time around, I'm super swamped with school right now. I'd love to hear from all of you though, so please make me happy and review? Until next time then!
--Burrberry Bugsy