A/N: I'm still alive! I know I said it would take a while for me to update because I had a lot in school and stuff, but I didn't realize it would take this long, and for that I apologize. The good news is that I only have this week and next week left in school, so I'll be able to update more after that. I hope I haven't lost readers because of this update. The thing about this chapter is that I planned to make it super long, including their entire evening, but then I figured you'd probably want the chapter asap instead, so that's why it's on the little short side. Bella's outfit can be found on my profile. Please review.

Disclaimer: I din't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer owns everything.

The Air I Breathe

Chapter 26

"You're not nervous are you?"

"No!"

"Bella..."

"Fine, I'm nervous!"

"Why?" Alice twirled another piece of my hair around the curling iron.

"Because! We haven't exactly been out like this before. In public, I mean."

Alice's mouth sort of unhinged from her jaw, giving her the appearance of a fish. "You haven't been out on a date before?"

I shook my head slightly, careful not to get burnt by the curling iron. "Not really. Only if you count your Christmas party as a date."

"I can't believe you've never been on a date,"

"I have!" I defended myself. "Remember 8th grade? I went out with Mike Newton and he tried to feel me up in the car before he dropped me off."

"Yeah right, now I remember." Alice's eyes met mine in the mirror. "But you've never been on a date with Edward."

"Nope. Though, if he tried to feel me up at the end of our date, I'd let him," I smirked.

"Well I think this is all very romantic. Taking you to the symphony to listen to Romeo and Juliet, on Valentine's Day? It really can't get anymore romantic than that," Alice sighed, and I could almost see the little hearts in her eyes. She had always been a hopeless romantic.

"When's Jasper coming over?"

"He should be here soon," she couldn't keep the smile from her face.

"Have you decided anything else about the wedding?"

"Not really,"Alice shook her head and picked up the last piece of straight hair and twirled it around the curling iron. "The only thing we've decided is that we want to get married in his parents home in Dallas. Okay, you're all done." She handed me a pink plastic bag. "Here, change into this." I eyed the bag warily, and Alice chuckled. "Come on, it's not going to bite you."

"Okay, okay!" I grabbed the bag and made my way to the bathroom. Locking the door behind me I stripped off Alice's robe and laid it out on the counter. I was actually afraid to look into the bag and see what Alice had bought for me, but when I opened the bag it seemed like my fears were ungrounded. I pulled from the bag a lace black strapless bra, a lace thong, and a garter belt with matching thigh high stockings. I blushed when I imagined the look on Edward's face when he saw me in this getup later tonight.

While I hooked the stockings on, I heard the doorbell and a few seconds later I heard Jasper's voice. I quickly threw on and fastened the robe before flying out of the bathroom to greet Jasper. I hadn't seen him in forever!

"Jazz!" I called out, throwing myself into his arms. He laughed as he caught me, a sound that warmed my insides. It had been too long since I saw him.

"Hey Bells, how are you?"

"I'm great actually. How are you?"

He gave Alice a loving look before answering. "I'm also great."

"I don't really want to break up this because I haven't been able to spend time with both of you at the same time since summer, but Bella really needs to get dressed. Edward will be here in 15 minutes."

Panic surged through me, and I quickly darted into Alice's bedroom, where she had laid out both my dress and shoes. The dress really was beautiful, and I had almost lost my breath while looking at it yesterday. It was made out of a satiny fabric, strapless and was in a redish-purple colour. The dress reached down to just above my knees, and actually made it look like I had curves. The shoes Alice was forcing me into had been a hot topic of conversation yesterday; black four inch pumps which I was convinced I was going to fall down and break my neck in.

Once I was dressed and wearing the deathtrap shoes, I walked out in the living-room, where Alice and Jasper were sitting on the couch. Jasper let out a low whistle when he saw me.

"You look incredible, Bella."

I blushed and carefully sat down next to him. "Thank you."

Alice was studying me, her index finger tapping on her lips, and she seemed very concentrated on something. "Something's missing," she muttered to herself, and then her eyes lit up and she hurried into her bedroom. I heard her going through her jewellery box, and her small shout of triumph when she found whatever it was she was looking for. When she bounced back into the living-room, she held a black clutch in one hand, and an undistinguishable piece of jewellery in the other. "This is going to look amazing with your dress!" She held out her hand, and showed off the diamond bangle.

"Alice, I can't borrow that! What if I lose it?"

She rolled her eyes and reached out to grab my wrist. "Don't be silly. It's only going to make you look even more stunning." She clasped the bracelet onto my wrist, which felt cool against my skin.

Right then the doorbell rang, and I could feel my stomach jitter with nerves. Alice gave me a nudge towards the door, and then she and Jasper disappeared into the kitchen. I took a deep breath, smoothed down my dress, and went to open the door.

I opened the door, and I could feel my lips stretch in a wide smile. On normal days Edward took my breath away, but seeing him in a suit actually made me feel week to my knees.

Edward grinned crookedly. "Breathe, Bella."

I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Hi."

His eyes raked over my body before meeting my eyes. "You look too beautiful for words."

I blushed. "Thank you."

"Bella, invite him in!" came Alice's voice from the kitchen, and Edward let out a small chuckle. I stepped aside to let him in, and as he walked past he took my hand in his. I shut the door behind him and then turned to face him. With my heels on I could almost look him straight in the eyes

I kissed him gently, breathing in deeply the smell of his after shave. "I love you,"

Edward stroked my cheek. "I love you too." He stepped back, and held out a square black box that I hadn't noticed before. "I have something for you." I must have looked puzzled to him, because he grinned crookedly. "Happy Valentine's Day."

I was a bit hesitant to open it, knowing Edward had a thing for buying ridiculously expensive gifts. I opened the lid, and gasped. Inside lay the most beautiful necklace I had ever seen, with a three stone diamond pendant hanging from the delicate chain. "Edward, it's beautiful!" I stuttered, raising my eyes to meet Edward's. "Put it on me?"

"Off course." Edward took the necklace from the box and unclasped it, waiting patiently for me to turn around and lift my hair from my neck. I shivered when his fingers brushed against my neck, and my eyes closed involuntarily. I heard the soft sound of the clasp closing, and then Edward let his hands slide down to my waist. He gently kissed my neck, his lips warm against my skin. I dropped my arms, my hands covering his as I turned around in his arms. His eyes were darker than usual, and I'm pretty sure that my eyes reflected the same feelings.

I cleared my throat before speaking. "We should get going, or else we'll be late."

Edward nodded. "Yes, we should."

Alice and Jasper came out from the kitchen, and Alice squealed when she saw the pendant resting between my collarbones. "It's gorgeous! I knew you'd love it!"

I frowned. "You knew about this?"

She rolled her eyes. "Off course! Edward called me a few weeks ago and asked for my opinion on jewellery." She walked past me towards the closet by the front door, from which she pulled out my black trenchcoat. She handed it to me with a smile. "Have fun tonight."

I smiled back. "We will." I put on my coat and buttoned it up before I took Edward's hand in mine and left the apartment. I tripped on our way to the elevator, and my face turned red as Edward chuckled.

"Don't laugh at me."

"I'm not laughing! I just think you're cute."

"Yeah, right."

We arrived at the elevator, and I pressed the call button. The elevator doors opened almost right away, and we stepped into the empty elevator. The moment the doors closed I found myself pressed up against the cool wall, with Edward's arms around my waist and his lips on mine. I kissed him back with as much gusto, burying my fingers deeply in his hair. I moaned when his hands slid down and squeezed my ass. Panting, I broke away from the kiss to try to get my composure back. I have to admit though, it was not easy when Edward's mouth was latched to my neck. My head fell back and my eyes fluttered closed when I felt his tongue come out and trace my skin. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you want to see it, the elevator doors opened, revealing a middleaged couple. I quickly pushed Edward away, blushing scarlet red as I looked down at my shoes. Edward cleared his throat and through the corner of my eye I saw him raise his arm; probably to run it through his hair. The couple stepped into the elevator, and I raised my eyes. The woman was looking at Edward in a way that made my skin crawl, so I wrapped my left arm around his waist and tugged on his tie with my right one, bringing him down so that I could kiss him.

"So what are we doing first? Dinner?"

Edward shook his head. "I thought we'd eat afterwards, and then go back to the hotel," he gave his panty dropping smile, and my heart fluttered a bit extra. The elevator arrived at the lobby, and Edward clasped my hand in his own before we walked out of the elevator. I stole a glance at the woman, and couldn't help the triumphant smile that spread across my face. Take that biatch!

We walked out on the street, and I shivered a bit in the cool night air. When Edward saw this he pulled me closer to his side, and let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulder instead. I hugged his middle, and despite it being difficult to walk that way, I didn't let go of him until we reached his car.

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