I would like to warn you about this chapter.

The fluff at the end of this chapter is so strong, it might give you diabetes.

With that in mind, carry on.


Tyler couldn't give her a ride on Friday since he had a dentist appointment. Eric had to stay behind to work on the school newspaper. Luckily for Angela, football practice was cut short due to the coach's family emergency and that freed Mike to give her a ride. Mike's car was one of the newer cars in town, a red Toyota Corolla, that he took great care of. It had really good heating which she appreciated.

"I forgot that you are always cold," Mike said. "Maybe you should move to the West Coast, Angie."

"And leave you behind, Mikey?" Angela shook her head. "Never."

She realized how much she missed him. It had been some time since she and Mike hung out by themselves. Angela and Mike spent many summers together growing up as their dads were best friends and brought them camping or to the beach. Their mothers were also good friends and were in the same Book Club so Angela used to came over a lot to play video games with Mike.

"It's been a while since it was just the two of us," He remarked. "I don't think we've hang out like this since…"

Since before high school rolled around and they were both too busy. The trips to La Push were the most they would see each other. It made her sad. She always made time for Lauren and Jessica. She couldn't believe she didn't even notice. Then again, if anything she'd learned after finding out about the Cullens, she missed a lot of things.

"Let's hang out," She offered. "It's Friday and I don't have any plans. Unless you have a date?"

"There is no girl more important to me than you, Angie." Then he added, "Except maybe Megan Fox."

"Michael Newton!" She slapped him on the arm. "You are such a jerk."

"You love me," He laughed. "Let's get to the diner. I'm in the mood for some burgers."


After finishing off some greasy burgers at Sully's, Mike suggested taking the nearly hour long drive to the Hoh Rainforest so they could see the Hall of Mosses. Their fathers had taken them camping there a few times and Mike still remembered the trail to their favorite spot. Mike even had a few camping supplies in the trunk of his car as his father had raised him to be ready for practically anything. He grabbed a flashlight and a bottle of water but left the tent.

Angela was glad she opted to wear the sturdy boots her mom gave her for Christmas as they walked over tree roots and around fallen trees. Along the main trail were the giant maple trees with hanging moss that many tourists loved to take photos of. The Hall of Mosses had an eerie beauty as if it was untouched by time and the world outside of it. They stood and stared up at the trees and they could've been nine years-old-again and pretending they were in an enchanted forest filled with magical creatures.

"Remember when we used to be so scared of this place?" Mike's tone was nostalgic. "We used to think a witch lived in these woods and she wanted to bake us into cookies."

They had obviously read Hansel and Gretel too many times.

"Your dad told us that if we were bad children that the fairies would take us away," She smiled fondly. "That was messed up."

"It really was," Mike agreed, chuckling. "I had nightmares about fairies coming to kidnap me."

"And I told you I would rescue you."

He snorted. "Yeah, Angie, I'm sure you could fight off the mean fairies."

"Hey!" She tried to smack him in the arm but he dodged her. "I would've saved you!"

"Or we'd both be captured and have to live the rest of our lives in this forest," He sighed wistfully. "Not really a bad place to be stuck."

She had to agree. "Not such a bad place."

"Does it ever feel too small for you? Forks?" He asked. "A small town where nothing changes?"

Not everything was completely the same but she couldn't really tell him about the family of vampires next door. Being in the forest again reminded her of the days when she believed in everything like witches and fairies even without seeing proof of them. At one point she grew up and decided that anything that wasn't ordinary couldn't be real. She was proven wrong.

She questioned instead, "What's wrong with Forks?"

"There's a big world out there for us to see, Angie," Mike's eyes widened in hope and excitement. "And not just this little town. You've always wanted to see Italy, why not go? Heck, why not see all of Europe?"

"You wanna go to Europe?"

"Let's do it! After graduation, you and me, we'll backpack through Europe," He smiled at her encouragingly. "I'll bring my tent and you bring a map."

"Why me though?"

He could've asked Eric or Tyler. Jessica would've wanted to go. He could gone by himself. He could've asked someone that was more adventurous like him.

"Because I wanna go with you, dummy." He put up his pinky. Pinky promises had been binding contracts for them for years. "Promise me, Angela Weber?"

His enthusiasm was infectious. It sounded wonderful. Seeing Italy and Paris and Greece and wherever they felt like going. She would stop Mike from getting into trouble and Mike would make sure they actually had fun.

She wrapped her pinky against his. "I promise."


It was getting dark by the time they drove home. They were trying to figure out the name of some animated film about a fairy and a man being cursed to be her size when they arrived at Angela's house. The lights were still on so her parents were probably were at home and preparing for dinner. She didn't leave the car immediately, not wanting to break the comfortable spell over them.

"Hey, Angie," Mike started. "Do you have a date for Homecoming?"

"Somebody asked me."

Sort of. She hadn't given Edward the chance to ask her in person yet but she knew he intended to.

"Please tell me it's not Edward Cullen."

She gave him an apologetic look and he groaned.

"Angie…"

"He's nice," She insisted softly. "You just need to get to know him."

Nice, awkward, and surprisingly very sweet. She kept his notes to her in a wooden box in her nightstand. She found herself reading them before bed like fairytales. And she could admit there was some irony to that.

"Well, I'm not the one that's going to date him so I'll just have to trust you," Mike gave her a look. "You sure you don't want that tall guy from La Push instead? He was ripped."

She honestly forgot about Jacob. She'd saved his house number and had intended to call him back when she had free time. She forgot in the midst of Edward and the big vampire secret. She felt bad at having ignored him and decided to call him in the morning.

Mike smiled at her knowingly. She smacked him in the arm and he snickered.

"What about you, Mike Newton?" She returned. "Who are you taking to the dance?"

"Jess asked me," He answered. "Well, it was more she told me to ask her. There were threats and coercion involved. It was terrifying."

Knowing he was exaggerating or making things up, she smacked him on the arm again before she got out of the car. As she closed the car door, she told him to get home safely. He waved her off and drove away. She made her way inside her house and joined her family for dinner. Boys and Homecoming could wait


The phone rang a few times but no one answered. Angela guessed that Jacob was probably busy and nobody was home. Placing back their house phone on its base, she made her way back to her bedroom. She hesitated as she picked up her cellphone and scrolled in her contacts list to find Edward's number. Sitting down on her bed, she opened her nightstand and pulled out the wooden box.

The box was painted light blue and had rhinestones glued on the top in the shape of a firefly. It had been a gift from Jessica. She unclasped the box and opened it, eyeing the colorful papers inside. Her favorites were on top of the pile, they told her of the life Edward had as a human which had been tragically short. The secret longing and pain he kept buried so deep, he even buried who he was to protect it.

She put the box down on her bed. Pressed call on her phone and waited for it to ring. It rang twice before Edward answered. She could hear the smile in his voice.

"Hello," She greeted back. "What are you doing this Saturday?"

"Nothing much," He chuckled. "What are you doing?"

She lied against her pillows and stared up at her ceiling. The glow in the dark stars her dad had taped up there when she was little had never been taken down.

"Nothing much either…"

"Great," He cleared his throat. "Would you like to spend the day together?"

A booming voice yelled out that sounded like Emmett, "Ask her to come over!"

"Please give me one moment," Edward pulled away from the phone and shouted back at Emmett to leave him alone. He returned, and asked calmly, "Would you like to come over to my house?"

She traced the patterns on her bedspread. "Like a date?"

"Yes-"

Emmett shouted again, "Ask her if she likes Italian food!"

"One moment please," Edward pulled away and shouted at Emmett to shut his mouth or else. He returned and inquired, "Do you like Italian food?"

She tried not to laugh. "I love Italian food."

"Ask her if-"

Emmett's shouting was interrupted by a loud boom reverberating like something hitting a concrete wall. Edward returned to the phone.

"Sorry about that," He said, genially. "What time should I pick you up?"


The Cullens' property was on Clearwater Road, right beside the Clearwater River. It took nearly an hour to drive there from her house. Her mother had smiled knowingly when she saw Edward's Volvo in their driveway and told her to have fun. Angela ignored her and went to greet Edward who was leaning on the side of his car.

He smiled brightly. "Your mom likes me."

She didn't really want to know what her mother was thinking so she ignored that. "Nice to see you too."

Getting in the car, Edward turned on the engine and they began driving off. He had even better heating in his car than Mike's and Angela happily took advantage of it. Edward kept glancing at her as he drove. It made her self-conscious and she tucked her hair behind her ears.

After getting off the phone with him, she called Jessica in a panic, asking what to do since she had never been on a real date in her life. Jessica called Lauren so they could be on a three-way call and they spent thirty minutes choosing an outfit. Lauren meticulously instructed Angela on make-up and what products she was proficient in applying. Angela drew the line on asking her mom for help.

"Why not?" Jessica asked. "Your mom is so nice."

Lauren scoffed. "Would you want dating advice from your mom, Jess?"

There was a slight pause. "Definitely not."

Edward snorted. Angela furrowed her eyebrows at him. His Jedi mind reading could be so annoying. He grinned and sped up the car.

He explained they liked to drive fast in his family. She countered that they liked to drive safe in her family. He contended his house was further away and they would get their faster. She argued that he would also get them to Heaven faster. He eventually agreed to drive in the 'slow, unreasonable speed' she wanted.


The house was away from the main road and was surrounded by trees. Angela was awed by the two-story structure, sleek and modern with the whole front side of it consisting of windows. She would've worried about privacy if not for the trees obscuring them from the road. She was curious to see what it looked like from the inside.

Edward parked the car and they exited the vehicle. She had to stop and continue staring at the house. It was so different from her and all her friends' houses in town. Mike's house on Lucken Road had been the largest house she'd been in. The Cullens' home stood out as something one would see on an architecture magazine.

She remarked, "It's beautiful."

"Thank you. My mother, Esme, built it," He shrugged. "Perks of vampirism is enhanced speed and strength."

"How strong are you?" She remembered him crushing the cinder block in Port Angeles like it was a graham cracker. "And how fast?"

"The older the vampire, the stronger they are," He explained. "I'm the fastest but Carlisle is the oldest and therefore the strongest."

He led them up the porch steps and he opened the large front door. They slipped inside and Edward took her coat from her. The house smelled like peppermint and sugar cookies. Dark wood floors, white furniture, and glass tables, it was minimalist and spotless.

"And what about superpowers?" She asked. "Can anyone else read minds?"

"No. That's just me."

He was leading them to the kitchen which would've made her mother weep with its marble counters and dark wood cabinets. Their stove had more burners than she'd ever seen on a stove and an oven so big she could probably crawl inside. She had the urge to cook and bake in this kitchen. And do something crazy like make three different kinds of soups at once.

He shook his head, fondly. "Only you, Angela, would be so happy at the thought of soup."

"Don't laugh at my dreams."

"Yes, Edward, not very gentlemanly." Emmett had an apron on was mixing a pot of red sauce. "Hey, Angie. We're making you spaghetti puttanesca."

Angela wondered for one bright, shiny second if she was with the wrong Cullen brother. Edward stared at her in shock and hurt and she had to pat him on the arm consolingly to show she didn't mean it. Her stomach could overcome her heart sometimes. And Italian food was her aphrodisiac.

A beautiful woman with brown hair put down a tray of freshly baked garlic bread and smiled at her welcomingly. "Hello, Angela. I'm Esme."

Realizing this was Edward's mother, she was suddenly nervous. She moved closer and Esme met her half way. Her hands were cold but Angela didn't mind.

"I'm so happy you could come," Esme squeezed her hand gently. "We've wanted to meet you for so long."

Dr. Cullen had entered the room and put an arm around his wife. "It's nice to see you again, Angela."

"I'm happy to be here," The smell of the garlic bread was making her mouth water. "You didn't have to cook all of this for me."

Esme laughed. "We don't eat so it's nice to finally be able to use the kitchen."

Angela could see Rosalie take out a tiramisu from the fridge. What had she done to deserve this? Surely Edward had driven so fast he did take them to Heaven. Any minute now a unicorn would come into the room.

"We would've made you a pizza but since Edward didn't bother to warn us earlier we'll have to rain check on that."

"Could you adopt me?" The words were out before she could stop them. "I'm sorry! I mean, thank you for all of this. I'm not sure if I could eat it all."

She could darn well try her best. Or die trying. Edward laughed and pulled her way. She waved at his family as he guided her out of the kitchen.


Edward was staring at her bemused. "All your thoughts are about food."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Vampire," She replied. "Your family is making me a feast downstairs. It's hard to concentrate."

They were in his room which consisted of a large TV, a couch, and several bookshelves of books and DVDs. There was no bed. She looked around and found an old vinyl player and the box of records beside it. She smiled as she remembered the one her grandfather used to own.

She went through the records until she found one she liked. Pulling out the large black disc from its sleeve, she placed it on the turntable and switched on the player. Electric Light Orchestra's cheerful and bouncy music echoed through the room and Angela started swaying and bobbing her head along to it. Edward watched her from the couch.

"Dance with me," She went to the couch and pulled him up by his arms. He pretended to be disgruntled and she swung their arms left and right. "Come on. That's it."

"Mr. Blue Sky please tell us why," She sang along, off-key and uncaring, to the record. "You had to hide away for so long…"

Edward sighed, still smiling, and let go of her hands to place his hands on her waist. She automatically placed her hands around his neck as they swayed. The similarities in their heights made it easy to be able to look him in the eye. For once in her life, she didn't mind being so tall.

"Hey you with the pretty face," She was smiling so much, her cheeks hurt. "Welcome to the human race…"

Edward closed his eyes and leaned closer, resting his forehead against hers. She stopped singing and held her breath. He was still swaying them but slower, the upbeat song contrasting with their actions. When she finally breathed in, her heart was beating rapidly in her chest.

His lips were inches from her. And she remembered her first kiss at twelve when Mike kissed her in his bedroom and they both recoiled in horror. That was the day they realized there was absolutely nothing romantic between them. She hadn't really kissed many boys since.

Edward opened his eyes, exasperated. "The boys in this town are idiots."

She was about to say something. She didn't know what it was exactly. Maybe to defend the boys in town or to agree with him but he'd closed the few inches between them and she forgot what it was. Edward Cullen was kissing her and his lips were cool but soft. She sighed contentedly. His kiss reminded her of soft-serve ice cream.

Edward pulled away and laughed. His cool breath fanned her face as he kissed her temple. "I love your mind, Angela Weber."

As first kisses went, this was truly memorable.


I did warn you about the fluff. The little dance party happened cause I was in the shower (and I like to listen to music while I do so) and Mr. Blue Sky started playing and put me in the best mood. I hope this chapter made you smile. Where is Jacob? He is busy with stuff but he will be back in the story soon.

1. The Hall of Mosses is a real place in Forks. I found out about it while I was researching what trees grow in the area. Google it. It looks cool.

2. I listened to Harry and Hermione's theme from the Half-Blood prince soundtrack while writing the scene in the Hall of Mosses. It's very pretty.

3. Mike's personality is a hodge podge of my male friends. I went to bed last night thinking about that scene in the forest. Also, we just needed more Mike because I say so.

4. The movie Mike and Angela were talking about in the car is Ferngully.

5. The chapter title and song Edward and Angela dance to is Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra and is one of my favorite songs ever. Also, it just kind of reminded me of Edward and how Angela makes him feel. And do you remember the scene where Bella plays Claire de Lune and Edward tries to dance with her and it's so awkward? We didn't do that here.

6. Angela loves cooking and food. My kind of girl. And that part in the book/movie where the Cullens are cooking and Bella doesn't eat any of it always upsets me. Bella, just take a few bites. Don't be ungrateful.