All recognisable characters belong to SM. I just own the plot.
Thank you to A Jasper For Me for whipping this into shape.
I've been adjusting to my new RL schedule so I apologise if this chapter is late. I'll do better, I promise. =D
Here you go peeps, enjoy!
The night air was a little chilly and I tightened my coat around me. The way Edward moved around the building meant he was more than familiar with the place. The rooftop was illuminated and I could see a pavilion built on the center of it. I could feel Edward's hand around my back, ushering me forward. We had said little since we arrived in this place, and I was dying to know what he was thinking.
The pavilion had timber frames and what surprised me was the stone fireplace built inside. There were panels of white cloth hanging down from the ceiling banister to the floor, affording the occupants of the pavilion some kind of privacy. The set-up felt like one was on a secluded beach somewhere.
I turned to chance a glance at Edward … to see what had made him think to do this – this over the top, sweet gesture. He was making an effort to woo me, he had said as much, but I never thought I would like the idea so much.
His eyes were fixed on me, and I felt another fluttering in my stomach.
Settle down, Bella.
"What do you think?" His voice was low, but his expression expectant.
"This is amazing, Edward," I gushed.
He seemed embarrassed all of a sudden, and I was confused. This unexpected dinner was in a way … expected. Having known Edward from before, he had a tendency to do things with such grandeur and opulence. Perhaps having unlimited resources enabled him to do just what he wanted, when he wanted.
This building was located in one of the upscale areas of the city and there was no doubt this establishment catered to the rich and famous. I didn't want to ask who owned it, but curiosity got the better of me.
"This place … it's beautiful. How did you find it?"
He smiled, showing me his pearly whites. "I have a friend, Rosalie. She owns this building. She has a club downstairs but I hired her to close it up tonight."
"Is that so?" Definitely an invite-only club; his sort of crowd.
"Yes," he answered. "I didn't want any kind of interruption."
There was no need to ask what he meant by that statement. He had made his intentions clear, and when Edward wanted something he went all out to get it. I did promise him I would give him a chance. Perhaps re-establishing our friendship first would be good. Thinking beyond becoming more than friends with him was something I didn't want to do.
As I stepped inside the black painted pavilion, I saw pillows scattered on the big red rug on the floor. There was a low table on the center, making it obvious we would be eating Japanese style.
I turned to see Edward and he had this tentative look on him that made me want to reassure him this was just fine. I gave him a shy smile, which he reciprocated with one of his own.
He sat down on the rug first and I followed suit. Before I could even ask him anything, there was a waiter who brought a picnic basket. He started to kneel to remove the things inside the basket when Edward motioned for him to leave it there.
"Your Highness," the waiter said. "Miss Rosalie-"
"It's okay. I'll do it myself."
The man nodded and left the basket beside Edward.
"Are you hungry?"
Edward had folded the sleeves of his shirt and I could see the hairs on his forearm. I could feel my throat dry, and I licked my lips.
"Bella?" Edward's eyebrow was arched in amusement. He had caught me staring at his arms.
"Yes, I'm hungry."
"Well, let's eat then."
He proceeded to remove the containers inside the basket. There was even a bottle of Merlot. I caught the smell of my favorite steak and knew the royal chef prepared the meal.
"You remembered," I whispered in awe. From the look and smell of the dishes, there was no doubt they were prepared somewhere near, maybe in this same building. There was no way Giana cooked these meals in the Palace. It was a two-hour drive from there to here. It meant just one thing – Edward had borrowed Giana from his parents.
Oh my!
"Of course, I would. I requested Father to lend me Giana just for a few hours," he said before he turned his back to me to retrieve more food. "I wanted to make a good impression and I thought this would do the job."
He handed me one of the plastic containers, a fork, a knife and a napkin. I held all those things as I watched him, wondering what to do with my renewed amazement of him. I might have been staring for too long because he nodded for me to eat.
It was when I took a bite of the steak I realized we were facing the Seattle skyline. The view was amazing and suddenly, Edward's idea of a picnic made sense to me. Although I didn't want to admit it, eating while gazing at the amazing view was romantic.
Pushing aside my silly thoughts, I focused my attention on cutting my meat into small pieces and taking a bite. The taste was familiar and so delectable … and addicting I had to have another taste.
"Still delicious?"
"Yes," I answered through a mouthful of meat in my mouth. "Giana's still the best chef I know."
I glanced Edward's way and saw him just looking at me, his container of food was unopened.
"Why aren't you eating your share, Edward?"
"I like watching you."
"Watching me eat won't satisfy your hunger."
"It will." There he was again, making my stupid heart skip.
"The steak's delicious. You should dig in," I insisted, ignoring his earlier statement.
I stopped eating and turned to look at him. He had his eyes fixed on me. It looked as if he was all too happy to keep on watching me eat and it was unacceptable. I reached for his container on the table and started to open it. He tried to help and amidst our fumbling hands, mine accidentally landed on his thigh. I heard the sharp intake of his breath and I quickly removed my hand, like I was burned.
I returned to my own food and ignored my now thundering heart. I could tell his eyes were still on me, but I was too scared to meet his gaze, afraid I might see something there I wasn't quite ready for yet.
The rustling beside me signaled his move to start his dinner. We ate in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable; it was actually kind of nice.
"What are you doing on Thanksgiving?" he asked as he set his fork and food container aside.
"Alice is sponsoring a party and she demanded my attendance," I replied, loving this light atmosphere between us.
He nodded his head, but there was a look of disappointment in his eyes. I knew then he wanted to ask me to be with him on Thanksgiving. It was a good thing I had that party for an excuse because I wasn't sure if I was ready to spend all my time with him. Small steps. Hanging out with him alone was a risk in itself. I didn't want to jeopardize whatever was left between us by rushing into things. He had promised we would take it slow and it looked like he was sticking to his word because he didn't mention anything more about Thanksgiving. We finished our meal in silence.
He offered his hands, pulling me up when I took them. We moved forward, where it seemed the night sky became clearer and the scenery in front of me brightened. We stood side-by-side, so close but never touching. The heat of the fireplace not a match to the heat he radiated. The fear of getting burnt again overshadowed by the possibilities. I wanted to see where this would lead us, even if we ended to just become friends. He was confident in his belief that he still loved me, but I had doubts, even if my physical reaction to him was so strong.
"I never thought it would be this pretty," I whispered, hoping my mention of the beauty in front of us would momentarily stop the raging internal war in me.
"Then you haven't been with me for long." Although the statement could be taken in many ways, I was certain he wasn't talking about the past. "Don't worry Bella, I'll show you as many amazing places you never thought existed …"
I turned to face him.
"… if you let me."
I contemplated, not really sure what my appropriate response should be. "We'll see."
"Okay."
We stayed silent, just enjoying the easiness of this date and the beautiful skyline.
"Did you enjoy dinner?"
"Yes, thank you." I answered. I had always loved Giana's cooking. He knew this.
The night had been interesting even with its simplicity. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Maybe I needed to loosen up.
I felt his hand wrap around my wrist and I turned to face him again, my eyes questioning.
"Are you still up for a movie?"
I had no class and no duties at the hospital tomorrow, and even though I was tired I wanted to know what Edward had planned for the entire date.
I nodded.
"Good."
He led me down a flight of stairs to a room. It was a small movie theater equipped with chairs and a big wide screen in front. He motioned for me to sit while he turned off the lights. Once the room was bathed in darkness, I felt him sit down beside me. The screen turned on and the light reflected the small smile on his lips.
I was about to question him, but he shushed me and pointed at the screen. The movie had started and when the familiar scenes unfold, I gasped.
The Little Mermaid.
It was one of my favorite movies. Even before I turned to face him, I could tell he had his eyes on me. The question as to why he chose this movie was probably clear on my face because he just shrugged like it was not a big deal. It wasn't. When we were together before, he had caught me watching this movie numerous times. He had teased me about my penchant for princess Ariel and Sebastian, but still he had watched it with me. Perhaps it was his way to get on my good side after his relentless ribbing.
We said little during the entire movie. I felt his hand cover mine when the credits started to show, and I squeezed.
"So, was that good?" His eyes were soft … caring.
"You know it was."
"I always thought Sebastian looked more dashing." He was teasing me, and I humphed. "Even more than the prince."
"Don't start, Edward," I warned, but my tone was light. It was ironic of him to talk about the prince in the movie when he himself was one.
"Did you like the ending?"
Of course I did. The little girl in me would always love the ending of Ariel and Eric, even though things like this didn't happen in real life. I turned to face him and he had this expectant look on his face. His question confused me, and I was certain he could see it on my face.
"You know I do. I love that movie."
He was quiet for what seemed like half a minute before he spoke. His words were soft, but the sincerity was there. "You're gonna have your happy ending, Isabella. And I only hope I'm gonna be in it."
I didn't expect him to say that. I bit my lip, uncertain now.
He reached to remove my lip from my teeth. "I told you I'm gonna make you fall for me again, Bella. Just give me time."
He leaned forward and rested his forehead on mine. I could feel his warm breath on my cheek.
"I think we need to go," I said, hoping he didn't hear the quiver in my voice.
Edward had always been headstrong, going for what he wanted and what he believed in, even to a point of recklessness. His hastiness to achieve his goals, most times, would get him into trouble. It was one of those things I had loved and hated about him. If he continued to push, I knew I would cave. It was impossible not to. I hated the fact he still had a hold on me, but I had come to terms with it during the few days I had tried to rationalize why I had agreed to have anything to do with him. My willingness to be with him wasn't the question it was my readiness. I didn't want to regret anything about him … about us, whether we end up as friends or so much more.
I heard him take a deep breath before he pulled away from me. "Okay." He ran his hand through his hair, and I could see the hunger in his eyes.
Yep, we definitely needed to go.
Thoughts?
Thanks for reading.
xoxo