Disclaimer: The characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, the plot belongs to me. Chapter thirty-six
Bpov
September 3rd 2007
I was nervously shuffling the papers on my desk around. Today was my first day as an English teacher and I was terrified of screwing up. I had gone in early, to get acquainted with the school and especially my classroom. Edward had chuckled at the idea, but he thankfully hadn't made any remarks to make me feel silly.
The past month had gone by in a blur. The night after my welcome home party, Edward and I didn't get to finish what we had started, because Emma had a nightmare that kept her up the rest of the night. I made it up to him the following day when Emma finally crashed. Emma had nightmares about me getting hurt, or being in the hospital for about two more weeks and it took a toll on all of us.
It wasn't until after Tanya's trial, ending up with her locked up in a mental facility for a minimum of two years, that Emma's nightmares started fading and when we went to Forks for a week to visit my parents in their new home, she stopped having them all together.
We spent some time on the alterations to the apartment and by now it felt like it was ours and not just Edward's. Emma felt right at home and we grew very tight as a family. Our bond had become inseparable.
Edward and I managed to sneak in a couple of date nights, using the a few of the many offers from our family and friends to watch Emma. Last Friday was the most recent and the memory of that night was very dear to me.
August 31st 2007
Edward came back from dropping off Emma at his parents, while I was still in the shower.
"Bella?" he called out from outside the door.
"Yes?"
"I am going to prepare some things for tonight and then I'll come back to pick you up, okay?"
"Sure. How long will you be?"
"I'll be here at seven."
"Okay. See you later. Love you."
"Love you too."
I heard the front door shut a few minutes later. I tried not to get too disgruntled about Edward trying to surprise me. After all these years I still had trouble accepting surprises. It was crazy really, but I just didn't like the unexpected.
After I was finished with my shower, I decided to really doll myself up for tonight. The last two dates Edward and I had gone on, I hadn't had the time to really make a big deal out of it and I wanted tonight to be different.
So I massaged my skin with rose-scented body lotion and straightened my hair. It tied it into a tight ponytail low in my neck, wrapping a strand of hair around the rubber band, so it wouldn't show. When the was done, I walked over to the closet to look for a good outfit.
First I pulled out a set of sexy lingerie I had bought the weekend before when Alice had dragged me shopping. It consisted of a burgundy red, lacy bra and a pair of boy shorts in the same colour and fabric.
But after I had put that on, I was completely lost. I glanced at the clock and noticed I still had an hour before Edward would be back, so maybe I could call Alice. I debated with myself for another few minutes, but eventually gave in and called my fashion guru.
"Hey, Bella! Aren't you supposed to get ready for some ridiculously romantic evening with my brother?"
"Yes, but that's where the problem lies."
"Let me guess, you don't know what to wear?"
"Yep. And to top it all off I have no idea where we're going, so I don't know what's appropriate."
Alice was quiet for a second, most likely doing a mental inventory of my wardrobe.
"Okay, take the knee length grey skirt, the one with the a-line and the string that ties one corner up."
"Got it." I murmured as I pulled it out and threw it on the bed.
"Uhm… Then grab that black v-neck sweater I got you for your interview."
"Okay."
"If I am right you have a deep red tanktop with lace around the edges."
"Yeah, I've got it."
"Put that underneath and make sure it peeks out over the V. Wear the long black boots with the heel and add some jewellery to complete the package, I'm sure you can manage that."
"I can. And thank you so much."
"You're welcome. Now that I've got you on the phone, I wanted to ask you if you could help me find a good cooking class. Now that I won't be travelling as much, I really want to learn how to cook."
"Of course. If you want I'll even go with you. I'm sure I still have tons to learn myself."
Alice squealed. "Really?"
"Really. It will give us some time with just us girls."
"Hmmm. You know, my mom would love to come with us."
"Oh and Rosalie. We can ask her to come too."
Alice giggled. "It'll be great. The Cullen women go on the Cullen-ary tour."
I snorted. "That's such a lame word joke."
"Hey, I resent that."
We talked for a few more minutes before we said goodbye and I hurried to get my outfit on. I put on some silver bangles and a pair of silver earrings in the shape of butterflies. After finishing my make-up, I still had fifteen more minutes before Edward would pick me up, so I decided to call Rosalie about the cooking class.
She was a bit sceptic, but agreed to go with us as long as Esme was coming too. She didn't want to be a spoilsport if we were all going, but she wasn't eager either. I told her I would call her back if I knew more details.
So there I was, ten minutes to go and nothing to do. I texted Alice about Rosalie's answer and she texted back that her mom had been over the moon with the idea. So we decided to get together on Sunday and pick a cooking class.
Five more minutes. I couldn't fathom why I was so incredibly on edge. It was crazy, really, but I felt like we were going on our first date. I was nervous and fidgety and an all out wreck.
"Come on, Bella. You're engaged to the man!" I reprimanded myself.
But I still jumped when there was a knock at the door. With clammy palms I went to open the door, finding Edward outside with a huge bouquet of white roses.
"Hello, beautiful. These are for you."
I took the offered flowers. "Thank you. They are beautiful."
He gave me a gentle smile and told me he'd wait while I put them in water. When I was done, he was already waiting for me, my coat in his hands so I could easily slip it on. I started to get the feeling that Alice was going to be right. He was going to make tonight ridiculously romantic.
We drove for quite a while in silence. I didn't really pay attention to where we were going, I was simply enjoying he view of Edward beside me. When he pulled into a parking spot, I finally managed to tear my eyes away.
"Where are we?"
"Golden Gardens Park. I thought we could have a picnic."
A warm feeling spread through me when I took in his expectant expression. "That sounds perfect."
He gave me one of his crooked grins before getting out of the car and walking around to help me out. He proceeded to go to the trunk and get out a picnic basked and several blankets. He took my hand in his free one and we silently walked through the park towards the water edge. When he was satisfied with the spot, Edward set down the basket so he could spread out the biggest blanket.
He handed me one of the smaller ones before sitting down and starting to take the food out of the basket. I was smiling the entire time he kept taking things out. It was an insane collections of foods.
"Where did you get all this stuff?"
Edward looked up at me with a sheepish grin. "I went to my favourite restaurants and ordered a couple of dishes at each one. I figured you could choose what you liked best and we can take the leftover home. We can reheat it tomorrow when Emma's home."
"You are so adorable," I whispered as I leaned in to kiss him.
We ate, talking about anything and everything we could come up with. About two hours after we arrived, we were both stuffed and out of things to say, so Edward packed away the leftovers and put the garbage in a plastic bag to dispose of later. He sat back down after he put it all back in the basket.
"I have to options for the rest of the night," he said quietly. "First option, you allow me to take you down town for another surprise, or I take you home where we can spend some time soaking in the tub together before curling up on the couch together to watch a movie I rented."
I sighed, really doubting which choice would be better. "We'll go downtown. We can watch the movie tomorrow."
He smirked. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Edward drove us to an Irish pub called Conor Byrne Pub. It was an Irish pub and to my extreme surprise, there was Piano Bar Karaoke night. For a second I was afraid he'd drag me up on stage, but I relaxed when I saw his reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, love," he said close to my ear. "I won't make you sing in front of all these people."
"Stop reading my mind," I joked.
He just grinned and pulled me over to a table that was still available. He told me to keep his chair open while he went to get drinks. He came back with two Guinness beers. We sat and listened to the patrons sing and play for some time, before Edward excused himself to go to the bathroom. I nodded absently, concentrating on the woman on stage.
When Edward didn't return after a few minutes, I glanced around the bar to see if he was at the bar. He wasn't. I slowly got up, scanning the room while my anxiety level started to rise. Just as I was about to get up and check the bathrooms I heard his voice over the speakers.
"Good evening every one. I would like to dedicate this song to my beautiful fiancée Bella. It is for you that I wake up every day. I love you."
He then started playing. It was 'someone like you' from Van Morrison. His voice was deep and stirred something deep inside me. It was like all the world just faded away and it was just me and Edward and him playing this amazing song for me.
September 3rd 2007
The first bell jarred me from me recollections. All of a sudden my nerves were back. The first students filed into the room and I had to focus on my new job. To my intense relief I recognized to children from Edward's music group from over the summer and they both greeted me with eager smiles. It reassured me enough to introduce myself without blushing or stuttering.
With every new hour, my confidence rose a little more and by the time lunch rolled around, I knew I could do this. I was stacking the papers on my desk when I heard a soft knock at the door. I looked up to find my favourite man standing in the doorway.
"Hello, love. How is your first day going so far?"
I smiled. "It's going great. It's a lot easier than I expected."
"I'm glad to hear it. Are you ready to go to lunch?"
"Sure."
After locking the classroom behind us, Edward grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together and we walked down the hallway to the teacher's lounge. The hallways were reasonably quiet, but there were still a few students milling around, throwing us curious glances as we passed.
"You know," I said as another student stared intently at our intertwined hands. "You are going to lose your bet with Emmett if we walk around the hallways like this."
He laughed. "I think you'll still get enough attention for the boys, even if they know you belong to me. Some guys will stop at nothing than a firm no from the woman in question."
I snorted. "Some don't even stop at that."
"True. But I have hope that our students will not cross that line with you."
We had arrived at the lunchroom at that moment and I noted that all eyes were trained on the two of us. Sensing my discomfort, Edward guided me to the table where Garrett and Mike were sitting. The both of them greeted us enthusiastically.
"Hi, guys. Can you keep my girl safe for me while I hunt down something for lunch?" Edward asked, winking at me.
"Sure, sure. You go and leave Bella with us," Garret muttered.
Edward took off after thumping Garrett in his shoulder and warning Mike to keep his hands to himself. Shaking my head at his retreating form I asked: "Is he always this hyped up at work?"
Garrett and Mike looked at each other and then started laughing. "No, Bella," Garret said when he had calmed down enough. "Edward was always serious. I can't believe you don't know how different he is since you showed up in Seattle."
I shrugged. "I've heard stories, but I haven't experienced what he was like before I came here, so I have no reference."
"Understandable. Hey, I meant to ask you. Do you know what happened to the cheerleader couch? That Tanya woman?" Mike asked, looking completely oblivious to my and Garrett's looks of horror.
"Mike," I started hesitantly. "Tanya is Garret's sister in law. Didn't you hear what happened?"
"Wait, you mean she's the one that put you in the hospital?"
Garrett and I nodded solemnly.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to step on any toes. It's just that I expected to see her today and I hadn't put two and two together yet," he rambled, his face beet-red.
Garrett took pity on him and reassured him no harm was done and Tanya was better off where she was. Edward slipped into the chair beside me, blissfully unaware of the sore subject that had just been closed.
Mike mouthed 'I'm sorry'. I shrugged, giving him a sincere smile to show him I wasn't really bothered by it. I would've been more upset if Edward had been there to hear it. He was the one that had been there when she truly snapped and even though he tried to hide it, I knew it still haunted him, so I tried to steer clear of the subject as much as I could.
I only addressed the matter when Edward would start the conversation. He was bothered the most by what had happened, so I let him lead. I gave him space to cope with it on his own terms.
After lunch I had a difficult group. There were some guys who refused to listen to me, they just kept talking and laughing.
"Guys this is your final warning," I said firmly.
One of the boys snorted. "Or you'll do what?" he scoffed.
I stood, walked over to his desk and leaned over him. I pinned his gaze with mine while I took in a deep breath and said in a quiet, but deadly voice: "Or I will make sure you do not get to play one more game this entire school year. I will give you so much detention your social life will bleed to death all on it's own and if that doesn't work, I will not hesitate to involve your parents in getting the message through."
He looked defiant for another minute, but when he realized I didn't waver under his stare, he dropped his eyes to his desk.
"Sorry."
"Just so you know, I will not tolerate this childish behaviour from anyone," I said louder so the rest of the class heard me.
"I can make this class interesting and fun, but only if you all pay attention and focus on the work I need you to do. If you have trouble with the material, I am willing and able to work with you after class until you get it. I am a reasonable person, but not when it comes to this kind of behaviour. I expect you to have some respect for me. If not I won't be able to respect you and I am not above being just as childish and petulant as you."
The room was quiet. I looked around and assessed each face, before I spun on my heel and returned to my desk. It appeared that I had won my first battle of my career as a teacher.
When the bell rang for the end of class, the student I had reprimanded stepped up to my desk.
"Hi, Nick. What can I do for you?"
He bit his lip, clearly embarrassed about what he wanted to say or ask.
"You can ask me anything, Nick."
He nodded. "I wanted to apologize. I was being a dick."
"Colourful language, but you're right."
"About that help."
"Yes?"
"Can you maybe help me with the material?"
I nodded. "What do you need help with, Nick?"
"Uhm…you see…I can't read that good."
"Are you illiterate?"
He shrugged. "Not completely, but I have trouble with it."
"Okay. We'll see how we are going to handle this. What time do you finish tomorrow?"
"Two."
"Me too. Why don't you come to my class when you're done and we can work together for an hour. We'll just see how well you do read and go from there, okay?"
"Okay."
He walked to the door, but stopped just before he was out the room. He looked at me over his shoulder. "Thank you, Ms. Swan."
I smiled and watched him leave. He was going to be a handful, I was sure of it.
A/N: I know you were expecting the continuation of the lemon, but I decided the story needed to move forward a bit. There will be lemons to come, by the way.
Thanks once again for the amazing reviews on last chapter. Every time I get an e-mail with a review alert I get all giddy and happy, so give me some ;)
Love,
Mo