EDIT: Look at my new banner by LizziePaige! She's wonderfully kind and so talented! Thank you, Lizzie, I love it!

So... confessions: I know I should be writing for my two other stories that I have going right now, but this one just, like, fell out of my fingers. I typed it during one of my own excruciating days of Zoom conference calls.

I intend it to be short, probably less than five chapters. I probably will update sloooooowly, focusing mostly on my other two stories. But if you like it, follow it, and I'll get to it when I can't stand to look at the other stuff I write.

Thanks! Enjoy...

A soft bell-like sound drew my eyes up from the notebook where I had been doodling swirls in the margin. It was a little after nine in the morning, and I was already on my third cup of coffee as we listened to Mike, our CMO and my direct overseer, describe his vision for next quarter.

It was Tuesday, so the whole company was working from home. What had begun as a necessary adaptation for the 2020 pandemic had evolved the work week into a pleasant balance of home and office. We spent Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in our cubicles, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays I got to work from the calm of my living room office.

The bell sounded again. I minimized the video conference window for a moment, searching for the source of the noise. Ah. The tab that was open to my email was blinking to tell me that I had an instant message waiting in the chat feature.

New message

One guess as to who it was from. Of course. Edward freaking Cullen. Again.

I caught myself before I rolled my eyes. I was still on camera, after all.

E: "Delineation"?

E: Damn, Swan.

I grit my teeth. I had used the word in my brief presentation a few minutes ago, and now he was mocking me for it.

I: Don't fret, Cullen. Here you go

I sent him a link to the word on Dictionary-dot-com.

E: Wow. Harsh.

I pulled up the video conference window and scrolled through the dozens of faces until I found the box with his picture in it. He was smirking in that obscenely sexy way he always did- one side of his mouth hiked up higher than the other, his hair disheveled as fuck. He probably wanted to look like he had just rolled out of bed. I scowled, and he must have been watching my screen, too, because his smile grew wider.

Ugh. He was so infuriating.

Edward Cullen was some sort of financial genius who worked out of the Zurnips Chicago branch. Rumor was he held multiple PhDs, even a medical degree, but he had decided being the golden boy at Zurnips Web Domains was more fun than a hospital. He'd flitted his way up the ladder to somewhere just beneath upper-level management. No one was really sure what he did for the company, but everyone knew they were supposed to kiss the ground beneath his genius feet. Unfortunately, he also happened to be as hot as hell.

I hated the way the other women fawned over him. You could see it in the way that they smiled at the mention of his name, or the way they giggled when he spoke, or the way they spelled it out to me plain as sin between sips of cheap margaritas during happy hour. I refused to be like that. Edward Cullen could flirt as hard as he wanted, but I wouldn't bite.

The tiny bell sounded again, making the top of my browser flash. I pulled the video conference window smaller so that I could have it side-by-side with the open chat screen. (And so what if I left Cullen's face in view? Screw you.)

E: Five-dollar word if I've ever heard one.

His hand was pressed over his mouth now, holding in a laugh. I quickly googled "five-dollar word" and frowned in annoyance.

I: It's not pretentious, it's educated

E: Okay ;)

I narrowed my eyes, and he shook with silent laughter. That stupid winking face. He used it every time we talked like this. I clearly remembered the first time he had messaged me. It was early on in the pandemic. I had heard his name, of course, but I had never seen his disgustingly perfect face until the first time we conference-called. Just like tonight, the little bell had announced his message.

Your pothos needs water, he had told me out of the blue, referring to the sad houseplant that lived on the shelf above my desk. And me, in my incredible awkwardness, had blushed six shades of pink while he smirked that stupid sexy smirk. And then he sent me that stupid winking face.

I watered my plants thoroughly before the next call, a few weeks later, and he had noticed. It's still alive? he had written. I'm shocked ;)

That time I had responded, and- rest assured- it was something very witty and mature: Screw you, Cullen.

But my eloquent speech had only made things worse. He had laughed behind his hand for the rest of the meeting.

He messaged me again the week. Why does the inside of your house look like an Instagram filter?

I had squinted at the little thumbnail with my video in it. True, it did look more artsy than some of the other houses I could see, especially next to Paul, who was calling in from his orangey, wood-paneled basement. In reality, the dreamy look was just the morning sunlight diffused through my sheer white curtains.

Why does the inside of your house look like you just pledged a fraternity? I had fired back.

It wasn't entirely true. His house had looked neat and modern, more like an IKEA showroom than a frat house, but there had been a red Solo cup on the counter behind him, and I hadn't been able to resist the jab. He had looked around until he spotted it, and then he laughed.

Good one, Swan, he had written back. Care to see my pothos? ;)

I hadn't bothered to answer what was definitely some kind of strange innuendo, but a moment later, Edward had rotated his computer to show an enormous, lush, viney plant hanging from a macrame hanger.

Plastic? I had asked with a smirk of my own.

Edward had grimaced, a hand over his heart. Damn, baby. You sure know how to wound a man.

I had nearly growled. You've never known a wound like the one I'll give you if you call me "baby" again.

I pulled my attention back to the present just in time to nod when Mike said my name. "Isabella, can you follow up with that on all of our social media platforms? I'd like to have the ad running by next week."

I gave him a thumbs up and made a show of jotting some bullshit down onto my notebook. I'd have to call him later and figure out what he was talking about. It was probably shitty of me, but I knew Mike wouldn't mind the extra phone call, even if it proved I hadn't been paying attention during the meeting. He had been hinting for months that he wanted to take me on a date, but as my boss, it would be inappropriate. I was secretly glad for the barrier. Mike was a nice guy, but I felt nothing towards him.

E: You guys have a Kroger out there?

I frowned at the strange question, bracing myself for the punchline.

I: Yes?

Edward: They sell sunscreen in aisle 2. You're looking a little pink today.

Well, he wasn't all wrong. My sleeveless blouse left my sun-kissed shoulders on display. I had gone kayaking with Jake over the weekend, and he'd laughingly called it a "date", though it wasn't. That was kind of his way of coping with things. He preferred to make light of his heartbreak rather than stew over it.

I had known Jake since high school, nearly a decade, and he was one of my closest friends. It killed me that he wanted more, but what could I do? I couldn't fake feelings for him. I had told him over and over again that I wasn't interested, but he continued to hold out hope that our friendship would blossom into something deeper. As long as he was clear on my stance, I didn't mind his presence in my life. He was harmless, and a good buffer between me and guys like Mike.

I: What are you, like a doctor or something?

He was, which was why I made the comment. The arrogant prick would probably love to tell me all about his degrees. I watched his face while he opened my comment. On cue, his smirk crept up his lips.

E: You have a thing for harmful UV rays or something?

I: Actually, yes. It's hardly ever sunny here. I'll take the sun damage whenever I can get it.

It was true. Seattle was gloomy for ninety percent of the year. I only lived here because it was within driving distance of Forks, where Charlie lived.

E: Did you have a nice weekend?

Alright, so this was different. My eyes narrowed suspiciously as I typed a reply.

I: Yes.

I didn't elaborate. Take that, Cullen. I have to admit, it was thrilling to watch him react to my messages. His eyes danced with amusement as he leaned forward to type his response, and it was that moment that I realized that they were green. I didn't know any guys with green eyes. My stomach rebelled, fluttering around like a bowl of goldfish. The dots rolled across the speech bubble by his icon, indicating that he was typing.

E: Normally the questionee elaborates when the questioner asks such a thing, and then etiquette states that the roles reverse and the same question is presented to the opposite party. Are you familiar with this ritual?

I: Sounds like a midwest thing.

I watched him laugh, and I couldn't help a small smile myself.

E: Would you like to play a game?

I: ?

E: I must warn you, it might pull our focus from the meeting. Is that living too dangerously for you, Swan?

I rolled my eyes at the camera, praying that no one other than Edward was paying attention to me. A laugh danced over his face again.

E: Alright. We'll take turns asking questions, but you must also answer whatever question you ask. No topic is off limits. Answer as honestly as you dare. If one of us would like the other to elaborate on an answer, you forfeit your next turn.

I raised an eyebrow as I typed my response.

I: If you get pervy, I'm out.

More laughter.

E: I can't believe you would think me capable of being "pervy" ;)

I tuned in to the meeting for a moment. Josh, the CEO, was talking now, and he had already launched into the next section of his presentation, delving into topics that were not pertinent to my position as the director of social media marketing.

I: I get the feeling you're pretty damn capable

E: Haha ;) My weekend was also nice. Your turn.

I chewed on my lip as I tried to think of a question that I wouldn't mind answering myself.

I: Okay… What did you do?

E: I visited my parents in Marseille and reread the sixth Harry Potter book on the plane.

I grinned. Harry Potter? And his parents live in France?

I: Are you messing with me, Cullen?

E: No? They keep a summer house there. Ostentatious, I do realize.

I: I wouldn't have pegged you for a HP fan

E: I'm a complex creature, Swan. Now you have to answer the same question.

His fingers flew across his keyboard, even after his message went through.

I: I went kayaking on the Skykomish River

Edward leaned closer to his screen, squinting, and his smirk dropped by an inch.

E: With your boyfriend?

I: Are you forfeiting your next turn already?

His jaw clenched together, and I giggled.

E: I was hoping you had forgotten the rule… Yes. I am forfeiting.

I: Fat chance of that. And he's not my boyfriend

I don't know why that was so satisfying to type. It wasn't a lie. Jake really wasn't my boyfriend, but I liked the idea of Edward knowing that I was enjoying the sunshine with a shirtless guy. And really, Jake was at his best when he was shirtless. I mean, c'mon. His abs? I might not be in love with the boy, but I wasn't blind. He was a walking fantasy. Maybe I'd send Edward the photo Jake had posted on Instagram last night.

E: Ugh, you're killing me. But I refuse to forfeit again. Next question.

I: Best Harry Potter book?

E: Six, of course, which is why I was reading it again. Any other answer is wrong.

I: False, Azkaban is the best, followed by Hallows, and THEN Prince.

E: What a shame, I thought you were smart. Dropping hoity-toity words like "delineation" and all.

I twirled my hair as I laughed. Who even says "hoity-toity"?

I: You'd better keep your Half-Blood Prince preference to yourself. If Josh finds out, you'll never find another job.

Edward grinned and rubbed his stubble thoughtfully for a moment before his hands disappeared again.

E: Does he call you "baby"?

I: Harry Potter? No, he doesn't even know me. But if he did… I mean, Ginny who?

I laughed as his eyes narrowed tighter and tighter as they swept over my message.

E: You know who I meant. The guy who's "not your boyfriend".

I: No, Jake does not call me "baby". Does he call you "baby"? You have to answer, too.

E: You're the only one allowed to do that. ;)

I: I'm sure I wouldn't be the first

E: True. But it's been awhile.

I: Right, you haven't seen your mom in like two days

I took great pleasure in watching him react to that one. He laughed and shook his head, that stupid crooked grin sending warmth to my belly.

E: Damn, Swan. You've got your knives out today.

I: Sorry, baby. I'll go easy on you. What's your favorite color?

E: Mm... Mint green.

He sent me an Instagram link to the very photo I had just considered sending him, the one of Jake and I at the river on Saturday. We had just climbed out of our kayaks and shed the matching bright yellow life preservers we had rented for the adventure. Jake had pulled my back to his chest and pressed his cheek against mine for the photo, one toned arm wrapped around my stomach, and the other stretched in front of us to hold the phone. His teeth were blindingly white against his gorgeous russet skin, and droplets of water clung to his hair. My smile matched his, and my hair was popping out of my braid in thick, messy chunks. My shoulders already looked pink in the photo, making my mint green bikini top stand out all the more. I loved that bikini. It was edged with little wooden beads, and Jake always remarked on the way the color made my eyes sparkle. My cheeks warmed at Edward's compliment.

E: It's a new development.

I: Wowwww you stalked me? How did you find me?

E: Well, it's not like you made it difficult. You like all the Zurnip posts, and your name is in your handle. Plus, your profile is public. Who does that?

A moment later, a notification lit my phone. Normally, I ignore the ones from Instagram, but this one caught my attention. It read, "studward85 commented on a post you're tagged in". I tapped on the banner and it took me right to the photo. There were only two comments. The first was from Jake's sister, Rachel, who had left a heart eye emoji. Right beneath that, Edward had written, "Sunscreen, aisle 2". I chewed my lip, trying not to smile. Jake would go all caveman on me about another guy commenting on his post.

Another tap, and I was on Edward's profile. I rolled my eyes at his username. His page was pretty sparse. He didn't post much, but most of his tagged photos were him posing with various women, drinks in hand. His profile picture was of him and a beefy guy (whose chin dimple matched Edward's so perfectly, they could only be brothers) in hiking gear, framed by a sunset. I requested to follow him.

E: Wow, we're getting serious now, aren't we? Instafriends and all...

I: Dude, Jake's going to give me so much shit for your snarky little comment

E: Well, he's not your boyfriend, so... ;)

Josh's tone changed, pulling my attention back to the meeting. "Alright," he was saying, "we'll reconvene on Friday. Any questions before we sign off?"

Everyone bid their silent farewells. Edward smirked as he waved to the screen. I waved, too, aiming it just towards him. The window closed, leaving me staring at our chat. The bell sounded again, and another message popped up.

E: You never told me your favorite color

I thought for a moment. I didn't really have a favorite color. It changed depending on my mood. My mind drifted to that stupid sexy smirk and his shiny copper hair and the way his eyes glinted green when he leaned close to the camera.

I: I think it's green today

E: Today?

I: It changes

E: The color of my pothos, huh?

I: Hahaaa mine is green, too

E: No, yours is yellow. This time you're overwatering.

I looked up, and- sure enough- it was yellow. Shit.

I: Woww, f you, Cullen

E: Bye, baby ;)

Thanks for reading. I would love to hear your feedback.

Like I said above, I'll update slowly. But make sure you follow if you want to see more :)