Hi guys! Still super busy, but I'm working on my stories whenever I can. Hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm not 100% happy with it, but I'm also exhausted and I have to work tomorrow, so here you go :)
Edward
She had the softest lips of any woman I'd ever kissed...of course, I'd only kissed a few women, and one of them had been a surprise, albeit a much less pleasant surprise than this one. It wasn't a passionate kiss...it didn't even last very long. Almost as soon as I managed to unfreeze and respond to her touch, she pulled away, face bright red as she stepped away from me. Her own eyes were as wide as mine...apparently she hadn't planned this. My mouth opened and closed, no sound escaping, and I wondered if I looked like a fish. Was I allowed to kiss her again? I wanted to cry foul…I barely got a chance to really enjoy it! I want a do-over! But one look at her face and I berated myself for being so selfish. She was suddenly pale, all blood having drained from her face, and she was backing away from me, biting her lip.
"I'm...I'm so sorry. I didn't...I...I'll go..."
'Speak.' I told myself sharply, unable to move. 'You're about to lose her! MOVE!' Jerking myself out of my stupor I managed to reach out, catching her wrist just as she turned to flee, then berated myself and let her go immediately when she flinched a little.
"No!...I mean...I'm sorry. Please don't go. I don't...please wait." She paused, looking at my chest instead of my face, and I moved closer, placing a hand on her arm. She was frightened...of me, or of what she'd done, I couldn't tell. Either way, I hated that she thought she had to be afraid. "I don't want you to leave." I murmured. "Please stay. We can stay here for a while...if you want."
"You don't mind?" Her voice was almost a whisper, and I shook my head so hard I almost felt my brain rattle.
"Of course not! I'd love for you to stay." I assured her. 'I'd also love to kiss you again.' Of course, I didn't say that aloud. Instead, I gestured for her to sit down on the couch and I joined her, wondering what exactly I was supposed to say.
All my life, I'd been a bit awkward with girls. Emmett thought it was hilarious. My mother assured me that I was very handsome and sweet and any girl would be lucky to have me. Alice thought that was hilarious. Either way, I'd never been one for dating very often, and never had I sat down with a woman who had just kissed me to have a chat about our relationship status. But one look at her told me how frightened and uncomfortable and embarrassed she was, so I had to take the lead. Wanting to put her at ease, I smiled gently. "You know, I've wanted to do that for a little while now." I told her, enjoying the flush that spread on her face once more. This time, she met my eyes, a tiny smile tugging at her own lips.
"Really?"
"Mhm." I nodded. "I was afraid it would scare you away."
"You wanted to...kiss me?" She blushed even darker as she said it, and I chuckled a little.
"Quite a bit, yes." I watched her face carefully for signs of discomfort, and when I found none, I went on. "I can't tell you how much I worried when you left that first day...I drove all around town looking for you. And then...when I saw you at the shelter..." I shook my head, smiling gently when she looked sad. "I'm glad you found Rose's shelter...that you have a safe place to stay."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I understand." She bit her lip, and I realized that, even if I had an idea, I didn't really understand. I could't possibly...especially since I barely knew anything about her life before living here. "I mean to say, I understand why you wouldn't want to stick around. You didn't know me."
"I knew that you were a doctor." I felt my ears heat up when I caught her little smirk, and I had to laugh.
"Of course." For a moment, there was another awkward silence, and then I managed to gather my courage. "Bella...can I...would you like to go on a date with me?"
Despite the fact that she'd kissed me only minutes before, she seemed taken aback, and for a moment I thought she would refuse. Instead, she folded her hands in her lap, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
"You really don't have to." She murmured, and I shook my head, wanting to nip that in the bud right away.
"I want to. I've wanted to for a while...I just didn't want to push you...especially given your current situation. But I want to take you out. On a date. A romantic date." I clarified, not wanting there to be any confusion. "I'll admit, I'm rather new to this, and I rarely get a full day off, but I hope you'll let me take you out."
She seemed taken aback at my little speech, and her hands remained folded tightly in her lap. "You really want to go out on a date...with me?" She asked quietly. I flinched at her tone...as though, for some reason she wouldn't be worth a date...as though she wasn't beautiful and brave and smart...one again, I felt a wave of hatred for the man that had hurt her. He'd made her feel this way.
"I do. Very much so." She flushed once more, only this time, there was a tiny smile on her face, and her eyes brightened a bit. "So...what do you say?"
"Okay." I couldn't help reaching out, taking her hand lightly. She allowed it, resting her hand in mine, and I reveled in the warmth of her tiny hand, her body close to mine. "Yeah. I'd like that."
I was grateful that we were both so new at this. It wasn't just me who was awkward, even if she had a better excuse than I did. I wondered if it would be too much to ask her to kiss me again...or rather, to ask if I could kiss her. She was so lovely...her face was still a little flushed, and she seemed at a loss for words. Deciding that it would only make things more awkward if I were to ask, I tried to think of a safer topic. I certainly wanted to get to know her, and I didn't want to have to wait for a date to do so.
"So...have you kissed many guys?" I could have shot myself in the foot. Really. Right in the foot. Cripple myself for life. For a minute, I imagined the look on my father's face as I tried to explain. 'It was the only way out! I've never put myself in a more awkward situation in my life. Briefly I wondered how much damage a BB gun would do. I had one in the closet. Surely, that would distract Bella from the fact that I was, in fact, the biggest idiot on the face of the planet. What on earth would have made my brain ask such a stupid, idiotic, ridiculously inappropriate question!? Why couldn't I have just told her I was a doctor again!? She was staring at me as though she didn't quite believe I was serious, and I gave a heaving sigh. "I am so sorry." I told her, deciding to be honest. "Apparently my brain disconnects from my mouth when I'm nervous."
At that, she did give a tiny smile, and her cheeks heated up a little. "No, I haven't actually." She answered my idiotic question before I could assure her that I didn't expect her to. "You?" I chuckled, grateful for her apparent ease with my ridiculous babble.
"No, I can't say I have kissed many guys." I tried to joke, and to my unending surprise, she giggled a little. "Nor have I kissed many girls. I suppose you could say I haven't kissed many people." I continued, then cautioned myself to quit while I was somewhat ahead. "I meant to ask something a little more appropriate...like maybe your favorite color."
She laughed again, making my own smile brighten, and seemed to relax a little on the couch. "It changes every day."
I rolled my eyes playfully. "What's your favorite color today?"
"Brown." She answered decisively, and I had to lift a disbelieving eyebrow. "Brown is warm." She explained simply, and I thought about it for a moment. She was from Arizona. It made sense that she was cold here...she obviously missed the warmth of the southwest. I nodded.
"You're right. Brown is warm." Looking into her chocolate eyes, wide and expressive without a hint of makeup, I had to agree. Brown was warm. The color was growing on me. "Okay...favorite book."
"Impossible." She told me simply, shaking her head. I leaned in, waiting for her reasoning. "I love books...all of them. There's no way I could decide. In high school, it was Wuthering Heights. For a while, I loved Pride and Prejudice, then Emma, then Jane Eyre."
"I'm sensing a pattern here." I teased. She snorted, a sound that I had never imagined could be attractive. Somehow, she managed it. "So you love the classics."
"Most of them." She agreed. "But now I like modern literature too. I was kind of a classics snob in high school." I chuckled, remembering going through such a phase. "The last really good book I read was The Hobbit...even if I don't usually like fantasy. I like Charles Dickens too." Suddenly she seemed to realize that she'd been babbling a little, and her cheeks turned red. I smiled, wishing she would go on. I loved hearing her talk.
"Favorite song?"
"Carry on Wayward Son." She answered immediately, then smiled a bit at my surprised look. "Well, this week anyway. Last week it was Claire de Lune." I chuckled. Apparently eclectic didn't even begin to cover it. Before I could ask another one, she leaned in. "Now wait a minute. You're not the only one that gets to ask questions." I grinned.
"Brown, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and almost anything classical." She hummed, nodding her head.
"Brown, huh?"
"It's warm." I told her, gazing deep into her eyes, and I grinned when a hint of pink dusted her cheeks. For a moment, we were comfortably silent, and I wondered what she was thinking. Did she really feel comfortable with me? Did she know I was nothing like the last man she'd been in a relationship with, whatever that relationship was? What exactly was this relationship? Did I dare ask? Instead of letting myself blur that question out, I went with tact. "So about that date?" Maybe not.
She laughed again, smiling up at me so brightly that I forgot to breathe for a second. "Yeah?"
"How about tomorrow?" I had to work tomorrow...during the day. But I could take her out in the evening. "Dinner? A picnic? An evening at the opera?" She snorted again.
"Maybe just dinner."
"It's a date." She bit her lip, smiling up at me. "I'll pick you up..." I cut myself off before carrying on. I'd been about to say, 'at home.' "….at the shelter...around 6?" She nodded, the light in her eyes dimming for just a moment. She'd caught my slip. She didn't have a home. She lived in a homeless shelter. I sighed, forcing a smile, and she returned the gesture, clenching her hands in her lap. Once more, we were left in silence, only this time it was a little more awkward. I cleared my throat, glancing up at her every few seconds only to find her staring at her lap still.
On the floor by her feet was the water bottle I'd handed her. It was still half full. I couldn't exactly ask if she wanted anything else to drink. We had been talking about my family, and then she'd kissed me. And then I'd interrogated her. What exactly was I hoping to accomplish here? Glancing up at her again, I realized that, even after taking her out to dinner and having her out of the shelter, she still looked a bit tired. "Would you like to go out somewhere else?" I wondered. "Or would you like to watch a movie? Or TV?" I offered, leaning back against the sofa. She trusted me. She was in a room alone with me. She'd kissed me. Maybe she would like to cuddle as well. I would be more than willing to oblige.
"A movie sounds good." She agreed, lighting up a little. She looked tired. After a break down just a few hours ago I could imagine that she was incredibly tired. And possible still frightened. I stood, reaching for the remote, and turned on the TV. She shifted a little, getting a little closer to me. I resisted the urge to drape an arm around her shoulders. That could wait. Instead, I flipped through the on demand movie listings, finally selecting a comedy that Bella mentioned never seeing before. Settling in as the opening credits began, I reached back, grabbing a blanket and draping it over her. She shifted closer once more, and only a minute and a half into the movie, I gave in. I moved so that I was sitting right beside her, keeping an eye on her as I placed an arm around her shoulders. For just a moment, she stiffened, then leaned against me, her head on my shoulders as her legs curled up beside her, feet hidden by the blanket.
It was divine. I had no idea what was going on in the movie...I was too busy focusing on the girl under my arm, curled up at my side. She was so tiny and warm and comfortable...I glanced down toward the end and chuckled softly. Apparently she hadn't been paying much attention either; she was sound asleep, breathing deeply into my shoulder. As the movie went off, I kept perfectly still, turning off the TV and closing my eyes. I just wanted to hold her for a while. She was comfortable with me. After what she'd been through, that meant more than anything. She shifted a little against me, her nose scrunching, lips turning down, and I frowned, checking the clock. It was getting close to six pm. I would need to call Rose...no. I would need to wake Bella. I couldn't keep Bella here overnight, especially not without her knowledge.
"Sorry." I glanced down at her, moving so that I could see her face. Her forehead was tight with lines. "Sorry." She murmured again, shaking her head a little. "I didn't...sorry." I squeezed her shoulder gently, rubbing my thumb along the side of her arm, which turned out to be the wrong move. She jerked awake with a cry, throwing her body away from me, cowering on her side of the couch. "Sorry." She cried again, her eyes still tightly shut, even if she was obviously awake, and it took a long moment for her to open them, turning to look at me where I remained frozen and horrified on my side of the sofa. Had I done that to her? "Oh...Edward..." I could tell she was about to apologize, and I shook my head.
"No. It's okay. I'm sorry...I didn't mean to frighten you. I was about to wake you up, but you were having a bad dream." She nodded, her eyes veiled from me. Something told me it hadn't been just a dream, but that was another one of those things she could tell me about whenever she was ready. Her medical file had only given me a fraction of her past, and I had a strong suspicion that it was going to be incredibly difficult for her to talk about anything more than what I already knew. She'd been forced to have a relationship with a man that abused her. That was all I needed to know. "Are you alright now?"
She nodded slowly, regarding me for a minute before sitting up with a sheepish smile. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."
"You were exhausted. I'm glad you got some rest. I just hope you'll be able to sleep tonight."
"I'm sure I will...I'm still tired." She yawned widely at that moment, as though just talking about it made her sleepy again. "What about you?" She wondered. "Do you have to work tomorrow morning?"
Yeah, I get off at 1."
"Wait...what time do you have to go in?"
"Five." I murmured, suddenly sheepish, and she stared at me in sudden horror, jumping up.
"You have to get up in..." She glanced at the clock, doing some quick math. "Nine hours. I should go…"
"You don't have to." I smiled gently, jumping to my feet as well and reached out to her, catching her arm. "I'm used to not getting much sleep. But I'll drive you back home." I told her, purposefully using the word 'home' instead of 'shelter.' I wanted her to feel normal...to know that I didn't see her living arrangement as any kind of problem or weakness. She smiled faintly, seeming to appreciate the gesture.
"I can walk."
"Not a chance." I told her, hoping my voice sounded gentle and not commanding. "I'll drive you. It's not a problem. Are you ready?" For a moment, she seemed ready to argue, and then she nodded.
"Thank you."
"Of course. I wouldn't let you walk alone." I reminded her, gesturing for her to go ahead. I followed her out the door, stepping out into the night, and noticing how she glanced back and forth down the street, and I stepped closer to her, making sure she knew I was right there. I wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt her. She paused when I opened the passenger side door for her, and I had to chuckle at her confusion. "It's called chivalry. My mother taught me that a gentleman always opens a door for a lady." She smiled softly at me, blushing a little as she moved past and sat down in the car.
"I wouldn't know. I've never met one."
"We'll have to change that. Emmett's the same, and you haven't met a true southern gentleman until you've been around Jasper." She laughed, dropping her head back agains the headrest, and I tried to fight the urge to take her hand. The urge won. The soft blush once more covered her face, but the tiny pleased smile on her face was worth it.
It hadn't been much of a date...I'd never even said that it was a date, even if I had bought her dinner and watched a movie with her. Still, it's not a date unless both parties agree. Whatever it had been, I'd enjoyed it. It had been incredible to spend the evening with her, and I told her so as I stood outside the front door of the shelter with her. "I'll pick you up tomorrow. Six o'clock?"
"Okay." She was suddenly shy, which was both frustrated and endearing, as she'd been the one to kiss me first. Just as she was about to go in, I reached out, touching her arm, and decided to try and return the favor. She didn't hesitate or pull away...instead, she met my lips with her own, placing a hand on my shoulder as one of my arms went around her waist. She was so beautiful and soft and warm...I wanted to keep her in my arms forever, which was ridiculous as I'd just met her a few weeks ago, but it was so hard to keep the kiss chaste.
"Okay kids, break it up." I could have punched Emmett in the throat. Bella jumped, squeaking softly as she jumped away, and I sighed, running a hand through my hair and giving him a murderous look as he regarded Bella carefully, making sure she hadn't been too startled by his teasing. While she almost glowed red under the porch lights, she didn't seem too upset, just embarrassed.
Bella mumbled something along the lines of 'see you tomorrow' and fled, hurrying past Emmett and into the shelter while my brother grinned brightly at me. "I hate you." I muttered, making him chuckle.
"Oh come on, Eddie. My baby bro's got a girlfriend. I can't let this opportunity pass."
"Have you considered who my girlfriend is?" I snapped, glancing at the door to make sure she wasn't listening. It was shut, and the light from inside revealed an empty hallway through the blurry glass in the door.
"Of course I have. And I figure, treating her as normally as possible will help with her recovery. Teasing you is normal for me." He reasoned with a grin, reaching out and ruffling my hair. Noticing my grim look, he softened a bit. "It did her good, being out with you today. You going out again tomorrow?"
"Yeah. I was going to pick her up here."
"No problem. If you have any problems, just call me, okay?" He was being dead serious now, and I smiled, appreciating his offer. He would do anything to protect her...to protect anyone.
"Thank you."
He grinned. "You got it. See you tomorrow." I waved as he turned, heading inside. "Have fun at work."
"Yeah, you too. Tell Rose hi for me. And Emilie." With that, I was off, jumping into my car to head home and get some sleep before my shift. Reaching into my pocket just as I stepped inside my house, I pulled out my cellphone, dialing the only person that could help me plan a perfect date for Bella tomorrow.
"Edward, I'm in the middle of a 48 hour shift and I have exactly thirty minutes left to sleep. What do you want?"
"I need your help." There was an unimpressed silence on the other end. "I have a date with Marie tomorrow." I flinched at the squeal on the other line, unable to suppress my grin. This was going to be perfect.
Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it.