I don't know if you know the song Edward sings in this chapter so I put links on my profile for it. Listen while reading if you want.
Bella POV
"Edward," I gasped. "I can't do this"
"Bella. I know you can. I have faith in you. " Edward stared into my eyes, the way he did when he was trying to distract me. He was trying to dazzle me into submission. But I was frozen.
Since Jasper had taken it upon himself to announce another singer, all the people around us were staring. Waiting for someone as good as Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie and Alice who had gone on already. How disappointed they would be. The MC from earlier spoke up, saying that they were waiting for someone to come up on stage. I could barely hear him over the ringing in my ears.
I shook my head frantically. My mouth was too dry to speak, no words would come out. But something in my eyes made Edward see I was serious and his smile faded to understanding. But that didn't solve the more immediate problem of at least fifty people waiting from someone from our table to get up and sing.
Edward took a deep breath, gave me a small smile and stood up. He was saving me from humiliation yet again. As he walked up to the stage I let out a breath I hadn't even realised I was holding.
"What happened?" asked Alice. "I was sure you weren't going to change your mind."
I could only shrug my shoulders at her. Jasper looked to be concentrating intensely, probably trying to work out the mixed emotions I was emitting. I could see Edward at the side of the stage, flicking through the song choices.
"Jasper," called Emmett, gesturing to the money on the table from the bet. "Double or nothing he sings Like A Virgin?"
Jasper gave him a dirty look. I was fuming on Edward's behalf, trying to hide the fact that I thought that was a little funny.
"He's not." replied Alice. Then she looked at me. "You're going to like this."
Edward stood at the mic then. Bless him, I could tell he was a little nervous. That was ridiculous, he was good at everything. Since the last four singers had been good as professionals the crowd was very quiet in anticipation of his song. I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat with suspense. A few piano notes rang in the air and the room fell silent. I had heard Edward sing before, along to the radio or softly while he played piano. But this was different. And when he opened his mouth I was not disappointed.
You do something to me, something deep inside
I'm hanging on the wire, for love I'll never find
You do something wonderful, chase it all away
mixing my emotions, throws me back again
The song was soft, melodic, and worlds removed from the cheesy music we'd been hearing all night. Edward's voice was rich and soft at the same time, even more alluring than when he spoke. It felt like the rest of the room melted away and he was singing only too me. I forgot everything but the sound of his voice and way his eyes smouldered in the dim light.
Hanging on the wire yeah, I'm waiting for my change
I'm dancing through the fire, just to catch a flame
feel real again
Hanging on the wire, said I'm waiting for the change
Oh I'm dancing through the fire, just to catch a flame
feel real again
By now, I had stopped breathing, stopped thinking. I had forgotten all about my previous fears. I just listened, in quiet disbelief that this amazing creature on stage was singing to me.
You do something to me, somewhere deep inside
Hoping to get close to me
a peace I cannot find
Dancing through the fire yeah, just to catch a flame
Just to get close to, just close enough
To tell you that...
You do something to me - something deep inside
When the song came to an end, for a spilt second the entire bar was silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Then suddenly there was rapturous applause. Even Edwards family looked impressed. He had managed to dazzle an entire crowd and I couldn't help but feel smug that he was only interested in me.
He smiled graciously before casually loping back to the table. He looked more then a tad pleased with himself when he wrapped his arm around me again.
"Wow" I breathed. I couldn't think of a better way to describe his performance. No compliment could have done it justice.
"Damn Edward," exclaimed Emmett. "I bet you're sorry now that you didn't get in on the bet because you would have won." Jasper was hastily pocketing the money as he spoke.
Edward smiled modestly at him. The knowledge that he was better was enough to satisfy him. "Are you alright?" he whispered in my ear.
I nodded in reply. It was easier than telling the truth or letting him hear the emotion in my voice. It wasn't his fault that he was beautiful and talented. He didn't need to know that the sight of him on stage made my heart ache a bit. It didn't matter how much Alice dresses me up or how Jasper made me feel. I could never in a million years compare to him.
Even the song I had initially picked was stupid. Edward had sang something that was original and meaningful and seared deep into my soul. All I came up with was 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' . A ridiculous power ballad that would probably have hurt him if I sang it. That was the real reason I chickened out. The 'bright eyes' lyrics had reminded me of him. I hadn't considered the other lines until it was too late. And yet again Edward had to come to my rescue. I was angry at myself but I wouldn't tell him any of that. It was better for him to think it was a simple case of nerves.
After Edward sang, the atmosphere took a more serious tone. No-one else, not even the now extremely drunk bachelorette party, were willing to follow him. Alice asked me again if I wanted to have a go at singing but I declined vehemently. No-one pushed the issue.
It was time to go.
The drive back to Forks was quiet. Edward gazed out the window while I rested my head on his chest. I kept my eyes closed. I'm sure he knew I wasn't asleep but he didn't try engage me in conversation. I was glad of that. I needed a chance to wallow in my self-doubt for a little while.
I was surprised however when Emmett stopped the car outside my house. I had expected to go straight to Edward's. For a second I thought he was only dropping me off. But he helped me out of the giant car. He quietly bid goodnight to his family. I waved half-heartedly when they spoke to me.
Inside, we went straight up to my room. It was stuffy, suffocating almost, after being closed up all day trapping the heat of the sun. I threw open the window to let in some night air while I went to the bathroom to get changed. I washed the heavy make-up off my face. The cold water was invigorating and I used a tissue to wipe the black streaks from under my eyes. I brushed the hairspray out of my hair and tied it into a ponytail. I felt like myself again.
Edward was lying on the bed and I got in beside him. I snuggled against him, letting his icy skin cool me down.
"Bella?" he asked softly. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." I replied. "I'm just tired."
"Did you have a good time tonight?"
Though he had picked up on my bad humour he didn't seem to grasp that I didn't want to talk.
"Sure," I replied.
Silence.
"Bella?" he asked again. I waited to hear what he would say. I knew one more question in his velvet voice would tip me over the edge and make me spill all my insecurities. Then he would blame himself. I got the impression he wanted to say something else, something more, but he just said good night.
"Good night, Edward. I love you." I answered.
"I love you too. Pleasant dreams."
But I couldn't get to sleep. I tossed and turned. I was too hot and couldn't get comfortable. My mind was racing, full of everything and nothing, and I couldn't clear it. Even hearing Edward hum my lullaby didn't work. After what seemed like a long time, I sighed loudly, flung my head back onto the pillow and kicked off the covers.
"What's wrong?" asked Edward.
"I can't sleep!" I was unable to keep the exasperation out of my voice.
"I can see that. Why can't you sleep? Do you want me to get out of bed?"
"No." I shook my head wearily. "Of course not."
"What do you want then?"
"I don't know."
I knew I couldn't stay in bed though. So I jumped up and pulled a pair of jeans over my shorts.
"Let's go for a drive." I suggested. Maybe that would clear my head. Edward went along with me and we went out to my truck. It felt strange to be able to use the door and not the window. I got into the drivers seat and he didn't even protest. I drove aimlessly out of Forks.
"Talk to me Bella." Edward said after several minutes of silence. "I can't help you if you don't know what's wrong."
"I'm angry." I blurted out, finally putting into words the frustration I was feeling.
"What did I do?" he asked.
"I'm not angry at you! I'm angry at myself." I clarified.
"Why? You didn't do anything."
"That's my point. I didn't do anything. I never do."
"Is this about tonight, the singing? Bella it's ok that you didn't want to sing. Your shyness is one of the things I find most endearing about you."
"I know that but I'm still mad. Do you think I want to be like this?"
"You're perfect the way you are love."
"But I'm not! I wish I could be like other girls. That I could be confident…and fun…and able to walk without tripping…"
"Turn right," he instructed .I did as he asked without thinking and continued with my rant.
"..and not blush fifty shades of red over the littlest thing and not be so stupid!"
"Bella." Edward spoke sternly and he covered my mouth with his hand. "You are not stupid. I never want to hear you say that again."
"But.." My voice was muffled against his hand.
"No buts Bella. You are smart and beautiful and wonderful. I wish you would stop doubting yourself. If I knew this night would have affected you like this I would have insisted we stay at home."
"No, I enjoyed it…mostly."
We were quiet for a while longer. I paid little attention to where I was driving. I remembered our conversation in the Jeep earlier and was afraid he was going to ask me what I had been thinking about.
"Did you really want to sing?" he asked suddenly.
"At the time I did." I answered carefully.
"Would you do it again if you could?"
"I guess." I wasn't sure where he was gong with this.
"Pull over then."
I did as I was told. Had we really been driving that long? Across the street I saw the same bar from earlier. But now it was completely dark. Edward led me to out of the truck and towards the back of the premises.
"What are we doing?" I hissed. He smiled at me and with a flick of his wrist opened the lock. He must have broken it.
"This is breaking and entering! It's criminal."
"If this is the worst thing you ever do with me you'll be dong well. Besides no security, no alarm. This place is just crying out to be broken into."
My heart was pounding again but there was no way I could back out now. We couldn't turn on the lights so I followed him blindly to the small stage so I could flick through the options on the karaoke machine.
"I'm still not sure…" I faltered after I had found the song.
"You can do it." he spoke from the darkness. "There's no-one else here. I've heard you sing before, in the shower and the car. You have a lovely voice. Do it for me Bella."
Damn, he knew I couldn't say no when he asked me like that.
It was surprisingly easy to start. I knew no matter how perfect he was, Edward wouldn't judge me. In the dark, I could forget I wasn't alone. So I opened my mouth and let the words come out, hoping he would see some significance in them.
When the night falls down, I wait for you
And you come around, And the world's alive
With the sound of kids, On the street outside
When you walk into the room, You pull me close and we start to move
And we're spinning with the stars above, And you lift me up in a wave of love...
By now my voice was sounding stronger. In the darkness I could see the flash of Edwards white teeth as he smiled and his golden eyes positively smouldered. It spurred me and made my confidence grow.
Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth ?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We'll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
When I feel alone, I reach for you
And you bring me home, When I'm lost at sea
I hear your voice. And it carries me
In this world we're just beginning
To understand the miracle of living
Baby I was afraid before
But I'm not afraid anymore
Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth ?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We'll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
By the time I reached the last chorus I couldn't keep the smile from my lips. And as soon as the last word left my mouth, Edward appeared beside me on the stage. He swept me into his arms and spun me around. I couldn't contain the delighted peals of laughter.
Somehow, he managed to clap while he was spinning me and when he set me down he whispered in my ear.
"See, I knew you could do it."
"I'm still in shock," I admitted. "I'm sure I sounded awful."
"Not at all. You sounded wonderful, heavenly. I think you should sing at our wedding."
"That's pushing it" I said sceptically.
Edward laughed and pulled me into another kiss. When he broke away I was breathless.
"We better go before we get caught in here," he said. I stumbled over a wire in the darkness but Edward grabbed me before I could fall.
"Ok," I was still high from singing. I never thought that was something I could do. Then a thought occurred to me. "Imagine if Larry turned up to arrest us?"
"God forbid," he replied. "I don't think I could control my temper if I ran into him again."
We crossed the deserted road to the truck. But I wasn't quite ready to go home yet.
Edward noticed my hesitation.
"Are you tired yet?" he asked.
"Not at all." I was feeling too happy to go home and sleep now.
"What do you want to do?"
"Let's just stay here and look at the stars for a while." I suggested.
"Fine with me. I'll mostly look at you anyway."
In another incredibly quick movement, Edward picked me up and jumped in the back of the truck. We lay down in the truck bed, looking up at the unusually bright night sky.
Everything was beautiful, serene and perfect. Until Edward turned and asked me
"Do you remember the promise you made me earlier? I think it's time for you to share what you were thinking about."
Well, this was going to be interesting.
A/N: The song Bella sang is 'Heaven is a Place on Earth' by Belinda Carlisle and Edwards song was 'You Do Something To Me' by Paul Weller (link on profile).
After I wrote this I realised that it actually wasn't out in the 80's but lets just pretend it was.
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