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Twilight does obviously not belong to me, I just love these two too much not to play with them.

Chapter 11: Offline Outing

When I got home, I walked into the kitchen, looking for my spare phone charger. I plugged it in and the device booted back up again, almost vibrating off of the counter because of all the notifications coming in.

I poured myself a glass of water, gazing out the window that mirrored my reflection. My hair was utter chaos and my cheeks held a ferocious blush still. They were all reminders of my night with Edward. My stomach fluttered at the thought of him but my musings got interrupted by yet another harsh tremble, caused by my phone.

"Hi Alice," I greeted my friend, who sighed audibly and dramatically on the other end of the line.

"My God, Bella!" I chuckled at her distressed voice; keeping her in the dark about my night and morning made me feel a little bad. "Where the fuck have you been? Rose and I were worried sick!"

"Calm down, matriarch. I'm totally fine," I said, and kicked off my boots.

"So? Don't you have anything to tell me, Bella?" Alice's tone made it clear she expected a report from me.

"I saw him last night," I said softly as I heard her take in a sharp breath.

"Oh sweetheart, you better not be kidding me right now. Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"Because, my darling Alice, I just got home." I could hear a little squeal, followed by Jasper's voice in the background asking her what was wrong. She shushed him loudly and returned to our conversation.

"Tell. Me. Everything," she demanded and I laughed at her feistiness.

"He's wonderful, Alice," I sighed. "He's such a gentleman, and so fucking heartbreakingly handsome. It felt so natural, like he's always been there."

"Was he good?" she asked, clearly wanting to know every detail of my encounter. I was used to discussing my sex life with her, although now, when it felt like much more than just sex, I felt a little awkward.

Fuck this, she's going to drag it out of me anyway.

"Good doesn't even begin to cover it." I smiled as I told her about his sweltering kisses and steamy touches, while he still remained a perfect gentleman. Alice giggled at the cockblocking delivery guy. She also told me our mutual dorkiness must've made baby Bella combust with happiness.

"I take it the man didn't need any directions?" she said slyly.

"Hell no. I didn't even have to lift a finger, if you know what I mean," I said, the sex-kitten somersaulting around my body.

"You're so reserved about this Warrior-guy, Bells. What are you not telling me?" Alice urged. She seemed to always know what went on in my head. "Do you like him?"

"I like him. Too much. It's too soon for that." I sighed deeply, wishing Alice was here with me in my kitchen.

"Bella," she muttered, her voice soft. "I loved Jasper the moment he first spoke to me, and that was asking directions to the nearest gas station." I smiled at the sweet memory of their first meeting.

"It's too soon, Alice," I repeated, not wanting to upset myself with the probability that Edward didn't feel the same way. Last night and this morning was fun, and nothing more.

"Don't say that, I told you that you deserve this. Don't think so damn much and just enjoy it," she pleaded. I remember back when Jasper showed up for dinner with Rose and me once, and then much more frequently until Alice Brandon became Alice Whitlock and they never were apart again. It wasn't easy for them, both coming from a broken, fucked-up family and their fair share of demons. Although she never lost faith in Jasper or his heart, not even when he got scared and almost ran from her all-but-smothering love. She was right, I did think too much. I should put my brains on a shelf when it involved Edward and just bolt to where my heart desired to be.

With him.

"I need to meet this creature, Bella. I have to see this guy, see what you're like with him," she insisted.

"Alice, hold your horses, we've been on one date," I told her. The fact that she wanted to analyze my behaviour annoying me a little.

"One date? You slept over, had glorious sex and you didn't sprint away after, staying for breakfast. That's no date for Isabella Swan, trust me. That's fate." I snorted at her melodramatic sassiness.

"I have to tell you something else as well," I started and explained the guy Rose had her eyes on was actually Edward's older brother, Emmett. Alice's excitement over the entire situation made me roll my eyes as she kept going on about kismet, destiny and all of her other fancy, love-struck superstitions.

"She came over last night, dressed to the nines and wearing that red lipstick she always used to wear when she was on a mission to seduce a guy. She told me all about the hunk that was Emmett Cullen. I swear, I almost vomited at the little twinkle in her eyes. Puppies don't have anything on Rosalie when she's getting involved with a man." I imagined Rose and the way Alice must've felt when she swooned over her new conquest, probably telling Alice that she didn't even like him.

"An infatuated Rose is a scary thing, I agree," I laughed.

"And it was the same old song again, she hated this and that and didn't need a man. She's happy with her life right now, single and uncomplicated, blah, blah. All the while not being able to shut up about him," Alice told me.

"Edward told me his brother isn't used to wooing a woman. I told him Emmett would need to train his skills if he wanted to be able to ever go on a date with Rosalie Hale."

"Well, they might be exactly right for each other then," Alice swooned.

Cupid's at it again

I said goodbye to Alice, mentioning my date later today in the bistro. She was thrilled to hear that it was still on, telling me it was a sign he had as much of a good time as I had.

It was a little after two when I pulled myself together. I washed my face, applied my usual makeup and managed to tame my hair with a straightener. A change of clothes came next, opting for my best pair of black skinny jeans and a matching oversized V-neck linen T-shirt.

Passing my work tote, I spotted Jane Volturi's manuscript and decided to kill time flipping through it. I chewed my pen in between making notes and reading some passages aloud. The book was good, but her writing was all over the place. It was clear to me the girl had talent and I couldn't wait to show Victoria what I did with it so far.

My enticing breakfast seemed to have worn off and I started to feel a little hungry. Munching on some baby carrots, I checked my phone for the first time after calling Alice.

Warrior: Did you get home safely? I smiled at the unread text message. I'd totally flaked on letting Edward know when I got home.

Sorry, meant to text you earlier but my friend called. Do we have to go in public today? I'd much rather have you here, do all sorts of things to you...

I bit my lip waiting for his response and threw the container of carrots back into my fridge.

Warrior: Baby, I'll break you if we keep up like this.

Try me ;)

I smiled at my phone, jubilant with his playfulness, confident we had a mutual good feeling about last night.

****WOP****

At 3:45 my doorbell announced the presence of Edward Cullen in my hallway. I finished tying the laces of my Vans sneakers and opened the door.

"Hi," I breathed as I took in his alluring appearance. He was still wearing the jeans and shirt from this morning and wore a leather jacket over it, along with some Ray Ban sunglasses, looking like some kind of poster-boy. Edward took off his sunglasses and tucked them into the front pocket of his T-shirt. He didn't answer me but put an arm around my waist, pulling me closer for a soft kiss. It lasted longer than a chaste one, yet it was so sweet and gentle — loving, almost.

"Hey there," he finally said and let go of me. His eyes seemed even greener without his usual glasses; they sparkled when he shot me a smile.

"I like you in glasses, but this is something else." I winked at him and his loud laugh echoed through my hallway.

"Taking you on a proper date involved me probing my eyeballs for about fifteen minutes. Don't get used to this, I'm much too lazy to wear contacts on a day-to-day basis," he joked as I invited him inside my apartment.

It seemed odd to have Edward stand in my little sanctuary. The only guy I'd ever had over was Jacob and I seemed to like seeing Edward here a little too much. He looked around my belongings, his eyes halting on my desk where the notebook and manuscript lay messily.

"Are you working? Because we could do this another time if you're busy," he started but I shook my head before he could even finish that sentence.

"No way, you just told me you were taking me on a date. Work can wait," I said as I caught him staring at my cleavage.

"Isabella, you look absolutely captivating," he said, pulling his green eyes back up to meet mine, smiling. He walked over and grabbed my hands.

"I need to take you on a date. A real one, and I promise to behave this time," he said softly and pressed a kiss on the back of my hand, making my stomach flutter.

"On one condition," I started, gaining his attention.

"Yes Enchantress?" he said, amused.

"You can be a gentleman now, as long as you promise to — what did you call it, break me later?" I said sweetly.

"Oh, baby," he laughed and ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "You're something else."

I had to look away from his intense gaze, imagining the things he could Edward could be doing to me later.

I'm a total lunatic.

I locked up behind me after taking my bag and shrugging on a denim jacket. As we walked over to the elevator, Edward took my hand, entwining our fingers.

He looked at me like he wanted to see if it was okay, but I just let my eyes fall to our joined hands where my thumb caressed the back of his palm. Edward felt warm, comfortable, and every touch we shared weakened my poor heart in his favor. I was falling for a man I've known for such a little time and it scared me shitless.

The air inside of the elevator was hot because of the lack of air conditioning. It made me feel short of breath and clammy.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked kindly as he pushed the ground floor button, setting us in motion.

I nodded, "It's just hot in here. I prefer the stairs in summer."

"Elevators are much better for multitasking," he said, pulling me flush against him. "Such as kissing and moving downstairs at the same time. Can't do that on a staircase." He cocked an eyebrow, his remark making me laugh out loud.

"Come on then, take my mind off of this musty box." The hand in which he held my own snaked around my back, pinning my arm behind me as he brought his face closer. His lips met mine, soft and gentle for a long chaste kiss. I smiled against his mouth when the 'ding' alerted me that we had arrived downstairs.

"You're right, Warrior. I like the elevator a little more now." I winked, pulling him out of the elevator shaft behind me.

"Tell me more about your brother," I said as Edward led me to where he'd parked his car.

"All in due time, baby. I want you to know all of me first, before I aggravate you with the tales of Emmett Cullen," he joked and stopped in front of an impressive, all-black Lexus SUV. I turned to look at him, my eyes wide.

"Wow, impressive. What a beast." I nodded at the car in front of us, my eyes roaming the exquisite black rims and dark, tinted windows as the paint glistened in the afternoon sun. His smile was a cute one as he chuckled. "That's what she said." I bumped his chest with my fist, laughing.

"That's right, but the car is nice too," I said as he pushed the fob to unlock it.

By the clean, neutral smell of the vehicle I could tell he probably hadn't owned it for a long time, the feeling of the luxurious black leather seats making me want to take a nap in them.

Edward started the car, engine roaring to life and we made our way to his brother's café surrounded by the tunes of Island in the Sun by Weezer. I smiled at the upbeat, relaxing song and reminded myself I had to check out Edward's records collection sometime.

Like there was something else I had to love about him.

It was strange to me when we walked into Cullenary Garden together. I'd only just been there, my mind rattling over the stupidities I engaged in on Friday night and unsure of my evolving feelings for the handsome man beside me. Now that we were here, I felt grateful for the night we'd spent together and our growing bond.

"Let's sit outside, the weather is perfect," Edward said as he walked over to a small, round table next to the entrance of the bistro. Seeing as it was Sunday, the place was almost fully packed with customers enjoying afternoon tea or a delicious looking pastry.

I sat down next to him rather than across, wiggling out of my denim jacket and enjoying the warm sunlight on my skin.

Edward pulled his phone out of his jeans' pocket, fingers tapping away on the screen before putting it down on the table.

"Didn't you say you spent Sundays with your family?" I asked him, my eyes scanning the menu.

"Usually, yes. But I texted my mom earlier and said I wasn't feeling so well. There was no way they would let me sit there and stare at my watch, waiting to come pick you up, and not lecture me about table manners," he said, rolling his eyes.

He has to stop being this cute, it's not good for my heart.

"Well, I'm sorry for hogging you, though."

He threw his arm around me, resting it on the back of my chair and kissing my temple. "Don't be. I'll take coffee with you over watching my brother chew any day."

"Hey, Edward," a brown-haired, tall man appeared at our table. The black polo shirt he was wearing was embossed with the graceful 'CG' logo, telling me he was one of Edwards brother's employees.

"Garrett, hi. How are you?" Edward greeted him as the man shifted his gaze from Edward to me and back, a smile playing at his lips.

"I'm good. We're packed but it makes the hours go by even faster." He shrugged. "How are you doing?" he asked, clearly hinting at my reason for being here when his eyes continues to flutter from my face to Edward's.

"Great actually." Edward smiled, his fingers casually brushing along the sleeve of my T-shirt.

"Good to hear, did you guys want to order?" he asked us, taking a notepad out of the back pocket of his pants. I was a little bummed Edward didn't introduce me to this guy. Then it came to me that I had no clue what this was, what we were. Was he my boyfriend? Were we casually dating? Or were we just friends who had spent the night together? I had been in every one of those relationships before, and I couldn't pinpoint exactly how it felt. Edward left me clueless, with his cute persona and sexy kisses.

Edward ordered us both a slice of chocolate cake with whipped chocolate buttercream along with two coffees. When it arrived at our table, I almost drooled on to my plate. The cake tasted wonderful and Edward told me his brother Emmett used old family recipes for almost every dish on their menu.

"So, where did he get the cooking genes from? Your mother?" I asked, chomping down a less-than-graceful amount of cake.

Edward nodded, sipping from his coffee. He drank it black like I did, but added a sugar.

"Mom is well known for her mind-numbingly good food. She barely uses a cookbook, kinda wings it all the time. She makes it taste like an award-winning meal," he said. "It's stress relief for her, she pulled Emmett into it because of his anger-issues in high school. It worked; cooking seems to calm him down." Edward took a bite of cake as well.

"If I ate this kind of food every day, I'd be one calm, slightly-overweight happy person," I giggled.

"Oh, well, Emmett's at the gym daily. As am I. Dad's always on our case about our cholesterol levels and overall health, he can't help himself." Edward shook his head, laughing. "Dad's in Medicine. He's a cardiologist and also teaches at Chicago University. He's pretty much seen too much of what good food can do in a bad way. But my mom manages to keep his nagging to an absolute minimum. I blame the ever-lingering infatuation he has for her"

A highly successful family, so it seemed. I already felt myself flinch, my family tree looking like a rotting bonsai compared to his deep-rooted oak.

"Tell me about your family, please. I'd really like to hear more," Edward urged me on.

I sighed, took a big swig of my coffee, and cradled my mug.

"Dad's in Washington, he's been the Chief of Police in Clark County for as long as I can remember. I was on my own a lot, living with him. That was kind of the reason I got into gaming and writing. It made me feel less alone and kept me busy on the weekends when I didn't have homework. My mom is living her best life over in Phoenix, enjoying her one-true-family," I trailed off, hating the feeling I got every time it involved talking about my mother.

"Yeah," Edward sighed, raking a hand through his hair, his expression apologetic. "You did mention a stepsister. She's getting married?" he asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah, she is. We're only three years apart, but I do think she's getting married ridiculously young to a guy she barely knows." I shook my head as I remembered meeting Bree's fiancé last weekend. My mother made me get on a plane to Phoenix for the wedding shower. I only stayed one night, making the visit as short as I possibly could. Bree was going to marry Diego Tanner, five years her senior. Diego was one of my stepfather's favorite boys on the baseball team he coached. They had met only seven months prior to him proposing, but my mother seemed to love it anyway. I told Edward about the shower, about Bree's obnoxious posse of air-headed socialites and about my neurotic mother who seemed to care only about what her little Bree wanted. She was her favorite daughter, after all.

Edward rolled his eyes when I told him Bree had asked me to be a part of the wedding. Because since she barely got to see me, she thought it would be an 'epic bonding moment.'

"So you got tricked into being a bridesmaid?" he asked me, finishing up his cake.

"If only I could get out of that charade." I sighed dramatically. "But I only have about three months until the wedding, so I'm screwed. Might fake a serious injury or something, though." I laughed.

"Well, you could give your mother a run for her money if you show up with your new editor's job? Maybe throw in a male companion and she could swoon all over her Isabella," Edward said, playing with his napkin, avoiding looking at me. "You'd have a shoulder to either cry on or punch in between bitching, and a way to relieve your tension when the night ends."

I didn't know what to say, really. This came so out of nowhere. "Are you saying you want to go to this wedding with me?" I asked him, shocked. Theoretically, we'd only been on two dates if I added last night and right now separately. I didn't get why a guy like him would commit to such a tedious, very family-oriented event. Most guys I met never said a word about meeting families or friends since none of that was remotely casual.

"I'd love to help you out; I can tell it's a touchy subject. And I don't like to see that frown on your face, baby," he said. I'm pretty sure my heart skipped a beat at his sweet, simple explanation.

I smiled up at him, hating the fact that I couldn't see his eyes behind the dark sunglasses he was wearing.

"Never mind, forget I said anything," he muttered when I didn't reply.

"No, no! Sorry," I started, "I just didn't realize that was something you'd be willing to do, that's all." His smile was back and I reached out for his glasses, pulling them down his nose so I could see into the green orbs hiding behind them.

"I don't like talking to you when you wear those," I said. "I like your eyes too much." Edward took them off, laying them on top of his phone on the table.

"You do realize we are in Los Angeles, right? It's important to protect your eyes from the sun, Isabella," he lectured me while I arched a brow.

"Oh, you're such a dork," I joked.

****WOP****

I started to feel slightly chilly, only noticing we'd been here for hours when Garrett came to collect our empty cups for the fourth time.

"I have to use the bathroom," I announced. My butt felt numb from sitting down for that extended period of time and after all the coffee I'd consumed, my bladder was in desperate need of some relief.

When I got back outside, Edward seemed to be talking to Garrett and smiled when he gave him his credit card to pay the check.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" I asked as Garrett gave him the receipt.

"I'm doing what gentlemen do on dates, Isabella. I'm paying the check," he said, stuffing his wallet into his back pocket. Our waiter looked at me, amused.

"You better have told your brother, or I'll beat you to it," he said to Edward, nodding his head in my direction.

"Oh, you're such a snitch." Edward laughed and stood up, handing me my jacket.

"I'll tell him myself, alright? Just not yet. This was only our second date," he confessed.

"And third, because I'm hungry again and I', taking you out for dinner," I said as Edward raised his brows in surprise. Food wasn't really on my mind, but I thought maybe when I interrupted their conversation, Edward would introduce me and clear up the fuzziness in my brain. Unfortunately, I had no luck with that.

"Well, looks like your lady is not playing around, Cullen," Garrett said and I shot him a smile.

Your lady. I liked the sound of that.

"See you around, Garrett. Give my best to Kate."

"Are you really hungry? I can barely breathe from all the cake we've had," Edward said, clutching his belly dramatically.

"Not for food," I whispered seductively as we sat back in his car.

"Baby, you're really something else." He bit his lip and reached out to the radio, turning the music down.

"You know, I never liked being called 'baby'. But somehow I cannot hear you say it enough." I glanced over at his hands fiddling with the car's sound system settings.

"I must be kind of special then." He looked at me, wiggling his brows.

"You have no idea," I sighed and looked out the window as he put the car in first gear. He drove a manual transmission, impressive since I hadn't been able to figure that out just yet.

We got to my building and I felt sad to let Edward go. I knew that having another night like we had would be out of the question, since we both had to get to work on time in the morning. I didn't want Edward to jeopardize his job because I couldn't control the demon sex-kitten in my pants. Besides, maybe going back to my normal pre-Warrior routine could help me figure this out.

Or maybe that could wait for a couple more hours…

"You could come in for a bit, you know. Watch some TV?" I asked him, hopeful.

He frowned and checked the time; it was after eight by the time he pulled up to my place.

"I can't be out too late, I'm sorry. I have the gym early in the morning and a big meeting for an upcoming project at work," he said, clearly disappointed himself.

"Okay." I smiled at him weakly. I had to wave my new addiction goodbye for the night.

"Come here." His hand reached out to the back of my neck, pulling me in for a kiss. He hadn't made a single attempt at kissing me since the elevator, and it was killing me. The kiss wasn't as gentleman-like as he sought to be today, but needy and heated. He kept his grip in place, trying to get me as close as the center console would allow as my hand rested on the top of his thigh. I whimpered when his teeth nipped my bottom lip and his tongue met mine.

I kissed him back eagerly, wishing I could just climb on top of him and give him something to think about later, but reminding myself that it wasn't fully dark out and we weren't exactly parked in a secluded area. I could hear a breathy moan escape his mouth when I grasped his thigh a little harder and a little higher, feeling the outline of his hardening length.

Edward broke away from our embrace, resting his head against the back of his seat, eyes closed. "I suppose I could stay a little while," he said, his voice low. My smile was wide; I was getting some more time with my Warrior. Alone again. In my apartment. On my couch.

"You really have a nice place, I like it." Edward said once I closed the door and put on some lamps.

"Thank you, yours is so much better though. I love that you're on the ground floor, you even have a little garden." He shrugged a little, and stood there looking awkward. The mood seemed to have changed somewhere between making out like two horny teens in his car and us walking up to my doorstep.

"What's wrong, Edward?" I asked him, pouring us some sparkling water.

"I ... uh, I'm scared I'm giving you the wrong impression, Isabella." He walked over to the couch and sat down, still wearing his leather jacket. His elbows rested on top of his thighs as he cradled his head, tugging at the back of his neck.

Uh oh. See, you and your fucking heart ruin everything. Stop hoping this can be anything more than it had been last night.

I cleared my throat. "What do you mean?" I asked softly, preparing myself and my brittle little heart for the wreckage of his words.

A/N: In with the cliffy! I wonder what Edward has to say to his Enchantress?

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