12

The Hunk

Edward shares dinner with Bella in her doorway for a few weeks—that is until today when she texts him while he's at work, telling him that she wants to do something a little different tonight.

His imagination gets the best of him, and he sincerely hopes she doesn't try her hand at a vegetarian recipe again. Just thinking about the vegetarian chili Bella made last week causes his stomach to roll.

He tried really hard to swallow that first bite and failed miserably. He didn't want to hurt her feelings. It wasn't until Bella tried it that she realized the texture and aftertaste left something to be desired.

She threw out the chili while Edward ordered a pizza, and they laughed at the puzzled look on the delivery driver's face at the two of them. People eat at the threshold of townhouses all the time, right?

Rosalie boxes up some Wednesday special for him, tying a pretty pink bow around the soft yellow cardboard.

Bella told him that she doesn't imbibe, and he isn't much of a drinker, so Edward picks up a two-liter of vanilla Coke. He also grabs a small bouquet.

He lives to see Bella smile. She has the most beautiful set of dimples. He's seen a lot of those dimples over the past few weeks, and they still take his breath away.

He drives home and takes a quick shower because he had a mishap with a sack of flour and a sharp corner of one of the prep tables.

After changing into a pair of jeans and his favorite band tee, Edward practically skips down the stairs.

He grabs his pillow, the flowers, and the two-liter bottle before he stands in front of Bella's door and knocks his special knock.

It takes Bella a few minutes to answer the door, and when she does, his mouth waters.

Not because of the scent of roasted chicken wafting through the door. It smells great and all. No, he's almost drooling because Bella's wearing the sweater she made the day they first had dinner together. And nothing else.

Her legs are as bare as her feet, and her toes are painted bright purple.

She's got legs for days.

"Hey," Bella says, shifting uncomfortably underneath his gaze.

"Sorry." He shakes his head. "Sorry. You look great, Sugar."

Bella blushes and looks down at the items in his hands.

"Uh, I brought you flowers. I hope you like them." Edward all but shoves the bouquet in her face.

"Oomph. Thank you, Honey," Bella says, sniffing the flowers. "They're beautiful."

He wants to tell her that she's beautiful, but Bella doesn't like compliments. Her self-esteem isn't so great.

It's something he's been working on, but so far, it's been a slow process.

"I also brought you the best bottle I could find. Vintage." He holds the soda over his arm like he's presenting a fancy bottle of wine. "Very exclusive. Dating back to ..."

Edward looks for the expiration date. "Sometime around April maybe?"

Bella smiles his favorite smile and throws her head back, laughing. But then she gets a very serious look on her face.

"Okay. So, I had this idea, but I'm nervous."

"Please tell me it's not vegetarian?"

"God, no. Never again. I promised, remember?" She bites her lip, hard. "I was thinking ... maybe ... you could have dinner with me. If you wanted?"

"Um, Sugar. I don't know if you know this, but what we've been doing for the past few weeks? I think that's what most people would consider dinner. We've been doing that together so …"

Bella shakes her head.

"No. I meant to ask if you wanted to have dinner with me. Inside."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean you don't have to or anything. No pressure. I just thought because we sit on the floor for so long my legs go numb, and I have a perfectly good table and chairs." She takes a deep breath. "You know what? It's a stupid idea. Let me grab my pillow, and I'll plate up dinner. You like cauliflower, don't you?"

"Bella, I would love to come in and have dinner with you. But only if you're sure."

Bella stalls for a moment, and Edward sees the internal dilemma she's having. He lets her take her time and tries not to look too surprised when she steps to the side, inviting him in.

Her home is warm and very tidy. An exact mirror to his but entirely different. The walls are light gray and everything accentuates nicely. Instead of hardwood floors, she has blue-gray carpet. It's homey, with pictures hanging all over the walls, various prints of works of art that are probably hanging in museums somewhere.

"Dinner is ready. Let me just warm up the potatoes. Can you grab glasses and ice?"

She isn't ready to leave him alone in her space. He understands that.

Silently, he follows her into a kitchen that looks nothing like his.

"Where the heck did you find vintage appliances?" he asks, watching her stir something on the stove.

"They just look that way. My sister, Alice, found them when I decided to renovate." She looks up from the pot with a proud smile. "I did all the cabinetry and tile work myself."

"That's really impressive," Edward says, running his hand over the marble backsplash.

It's literally made out of marbles.

"The only issue I ran into was the delivery of the appliances. I went upstairs and let Alice handle the installation."

Edward can see that she's uncomfortable with the direction the conversation is going.

He holds up the Coke.

"Cups?"

Bella points to a cabinet, and Edward can't help but laugh at the Coca-Cola glasses that fill the shelves.

"Yeah, so I'm sort of obsessed with the soda that's really terrible for you, if you think about it. I mean, you can clean the toilet with it." She laughs. "I started drinking seltzer water to curb my addiction, but ever since we started having dinner together, I've been imbibing. You're a terrible influence on me."

Bella carries the potatoes over to a small table and sets them on a doily.

"Hey, now, don't blame it on me. You never told me that you had a problem with the stuff." Edward chuckles. "I've been enabling you for weeks. Practically pushing Coke at you like some kind of slimy drug dealer."

They laugh as he places the cups filled with ice on each side of the table.

"It smells delicious."

"I hope it tastes as good as it smells." She shrugs, taking a seat.

They tuck into their meal. It's delicious, but then again, aside from the chili, everything Bella makes is great. Edward finds himself groaning after each bite while Bella takes every compliment with a shy smile.

He's proud of her.

Inviting him inside her home is a big deal.

Asking him to stay after dinner is huge.

They sit on the couch and talk for hours about anything and everything, stopping only when Edward remembers the dessert his sister gave him. He rushes next door and returns to present Bella with the special of the day.

Brown-Eyed Blondies

Bella blushes and nibbles before yawning loudly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize how late it is," she says, standing up. "You have to work in like four hours. You're going to be dead on your feet."

"It's fine. I should get home though. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Same time. Same place." Bella smiles and walks him to the door.

The next day isn't terrible for Edward.

Sure, he's tired, but nothing can stop the pep in his step because of the progress he's made with Bella. That, and he can also thank Rosalie for her almost-deadly espresso. It's so strong Edward has to wait for it to cool and take it like a shot. He's had four.

He's practically vibrating when he gets home but is surprised when he sees a dark-skinned woman exit Bella's house, followed closely by her sister.

Both women look like they've been through hell.

And they have.

Alice all but falls into his arms, sobbing when he asks her what's going on.

"Major set back. I don't think she realized what day it was. It's bad, Edward. Zafrina had to sedate her."

"Why?" Edward pleads.

"Today is the two-year anniversary of her wedding day."

What the hell?