AN: From the last AN I posted and took down: No, it was not a new chapter just a quick author's note addressing chapter 17. Bella and Edward didn't go on a date in the last chapter, they just went out as friends. Don't worry though! The romance is heating up! Enjoy! Oh! And I'm trying to upload a little document, or an image that has the Cullen family lineage and friends, as well as the businesses and owners on Bloor street. I created a little thing to help me memorize everything, but I'm trying to figure out how to share it onto here, so you all can glance at it! Keep an eye out for that!
Chapter Eighteen (Edward's POV)
The rain was welcomed as I walked to my car. It really helped the raging boner I had. When I slid into the front seat of my car, I didn't start the car immediately. I took a moment to process what had just happened.
Bella kisses me, something I'd been imagining for a while now. I thought things were going in the right direction, then she freaks out and tells me to leave. I couldn't figure out if I had scared her, or if maybe I misinterpreted things.
I punched my steering wheel. I didn't like this feeling. The night was going so wonderfully, I thought Bella and I were having a great time, but now I wasn't so sure.
I picked up my phone. As much as I wanted to keep this to myself, I needed to talk to someone who could hopefully shed some light on what happened. As much as she irritated me, I dialed Alice's number. If anyone could help me solve this, it was her.
"Hey, I'm kind of busy, is this urgent?" Alice sounded rushed as she answered the phone.
"Are you okay?" I asked her.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said quickly, "Are you okay?"
"No, not really. Do you have a minute to talk? Something happened, and I just… need some help figuring it out." I said.
"Is it about Bella?" Alice asked.
"Yeah."
"Ooo! Okay, I can help," She moved away from the phone, so when she said, "Jasper, get off it's Edward, we'll finish in a minute," I heard. I shuddered as I realized what they were doing.
"Oh god, that's disgusting Alice." Well, tonight was turning out to be a great night. I finally get to kiss Bella and she rejects me, and now I found out my little sister is having premarital sex.
"What? We weren't doing anything." She said defensively.
"Yeah right. Does mom or dad know where you two are? Premarital sex is frowned upon. I should tell dad," I teased.
"You tell him, I swear I'll make sure Bella is repulsed by you. We're friends now, I can make it happen." I didn't put it passed her; Alice could be a little bitch when she wanted too.
"I'm not going to tell them; I don't even want to think about it." I said.
"So what happened between you and Bella? Did your date go well?"
"It wasn't a date, we were just celebrating her first month of opening the business, as friends." I said, "But, everything was going great. We were having a good time. We were laughing and really getting to know each other. I told her the cat story.—"
"Well, it sounds like you two had a great time. What went wrong?" she asked.
"We went back to her apartment and she kissed me," I said, "And I'm one hundred percent sure she kissed me first, and I just went with the flow. But then suddenly she freaked out and kicked me out."
"Did she say anything? Like, did she explain why or anything?"
"Not really. She just said that I was a client, and it wasn't appropriate. But I don't know. It was just really weird." I said.
"That is weird," She said, "I mean, Bella does have a lot on her plate. She's a business owner, she's by herself, her parents are dead, she's only eighteen. Maybe she's scared of jumping into a relationship."
"I don't know." I sighed, "Part of me wants to go back and talk to her."
"No don't do that. Then she'll feel pressured and she might not even know what's wrong herself. Give her a couple days, then talk to her when she actually has time. Not when she's running the bakery." Alice said.
"I don't know." I said.
"Or maybe she had a bad breakup in the past. But you should talk to her," Alice said, "The other night when she was at dinner, I could tell she liked you too. The way she kept looking at you and giggling at everything you said. You're really not that funny."
I rolled my eyes, "Thanks Alice. I'll talk to you later."
I hung the phone up and put it in my cup holder. I closed my eyes, trying to get myself together enough to drive home.
Two Days Later (Bella's POV)
These last couple of days I've really thrown myself into the bakery. I've deep cleaned the entire bakery three times; I've taken on extra orders and have stayed late baking. I haven't seen Edward around and to be honest, it kind of made me sad.
But I told myself that I needed to stop thinking about Edward. I needed to focus on my business. I couldn't afford to get swept up in a romantic relationship. I came to New York for a reason, and I was determined to continue running a successful bakery.
"Hey Bella, I got to go," Riley said when it was two-fifteen.
"Go ahead, I got this." I said.
The bakery didn't have any customers now, the lunch rush had passed. It'll pick back up around four-thirty, as everyone got off work. The only people coming were those picking up cakes.
I was wiping down the counter when the bell on my front door rang. I walked out of the kitchen, then suppressed a sigh. Edward was standing at the counter, looking down at the different desserts.
"What can I get you sir?" I asked.
"A few minutes of your time. If you're not busy." He said as he looked up at me.
I shook my head, "I'm busy Edward."
"Please Bella," He begged, "We need to talk."
"Edward, I don't…"
"Bella please," He said, "I really need to talk. You're not texting me back. I need clarification. Please give me that."
He was right. I did owe him an explanation. It wasn't fair or right what I did. I sighed and nodded, waving him to the kitchen.
"So, what happened?" He asked, "I thought everything was okay. Did I cross a line or something?"
I shook my head, "No, you didn't do anything wrong. I just… I don't know. I think I scared myself. I started thinking about the bakery and how I don't want to mess everything up. I've worked so hard and if I lost it, I don't know what I'd do with myself."
"Bella, I would never ever do anything that would cause you to lose your business. I can only imagine how hard you worked to build your business from the ground up," He placed his hands in his pocket, "I'm not asking for you to give up anything, especially not your business. But I would like a chance. I do really like you."
I blushed and looked everywhere except his face, "And I'm starting to feel something for you too. But it scares me. I don't want to get distracted and I already feel weird about the amount of money you pay me for my services. I don't want you to pay me even extra because I'm your girlfriend."
"Bella, I swear I'd never do anything to distract you from the bakery. And I pay you fairly for your services because you charge so little. But if it'd make you feel better, then I can have my mother handle the finances. That way it won't be awkward."
I bit my lip and looked at the wall beside him, thinking things over. He took a step towards me, grabbing my hand and leaning closer. His other hand grabbed my chin and turned my head gently to look at him.
"Just give me a chance," He whispered, "Please. All I'm asking for is a chance. I've never felt so strongly about someone in my whole life and I don't want to loose it without seeing where it'll go. Please Bella."
My heart fluttered, "Okay." I whispered, "Let's give it a chance."
His lips brushed gently against mine. I reciprocated by pressing my lips against his. It wasn't anything like the kiss we shared the other night, it was slow and hesitant.
The kitchen door burst open, and Maggie walked in. She stopped, blushed, and apologized, quickly running out of the kitchen.
I blushed and pushed Edward away, "Okay, we can't do that. Not at the bakery."
He chuckled, his face red, "Alright. I agree. But you have to agree to me taking you out on a proper date Saturday night. After you close the bakery."
I nodded, "Sounds good."
"I'll pick you up." He backed away, grinning widely.
"Where are we going?"
"Oh I'm not telling you," He said, "It's a surprise."
"Is it really fancy? Because the only dress I have is my graduation dress and it's not that fancy."
He winked, "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
"No Edward," I warned.
"It's too late now. You agreed to this, and now I get to treat you like I want. So you better buckle up princess and just accept it." He started walking towards the door.
"Edward, I'm not kidding! Nothing over the top." I followed him.
"Can't hear you. Gotta run! I'll text you!"
I sighed, shaking my head. I had a feeling that this was going to be way over the top. Edward struck me as the type that didn't cut corners. I shuddered to think how much he was about to spend on this.
Friday Evening
I had just closed up the bakery and now I was sitting in my bathtub. Today had been a long day. Fridays and Saturdays were always long days. More people came in and I was constantly baking.
I had just stepped out of my tub when someone knocked on my door. I wrapped myself in a towel and immediately grabbed the gun that I kept under my bathroom sink. I wasn't sure who it was, and it was late. I wasn't taking any chances.
I walked to the door and looked through the peephole. I was a little shocked to see Alice standing on the other side. I quickly put my gun away and opened the door.
"Hey Alice." I said, "Come on in. Is everything okay?"
"Yep! Edward just sent me with some dresses for you to try on. I'm ninety-eight percent sure I got your size right."
"Oh god," I shook my head, "I told him nothing too fancy."
"Bella, if you're going to date my brother, you're going to have to get used to being spoiled."
"But he doesn't have to spoil me." I argued.
"He knows he doesn't have too, but he wants too," She said, "In my family, spoiling someone is how we show our affection. And trust me, Edward couldn't do anything to please his last girlfriend. He could've bought her the moon and she would've found something to complain about. So you're fine."
I felt slightly angry when I heard that Edward's last girlfriend treated him poorly. It made me not want to accept anything from Edward to show him that I wasn't interested in his money.
"Well, I'm not like that," I said as I brushed out my hair.
"Just wait, a year or two dating my brother, and you're going to get a taste for the extravagant life." She said, "I brought you eight dresses. You need a nice cocktail dress for where Edward's taking you."
"I'm paying for these dresses," I said sternly.
Alice gave me a look, "Bella, these dresses cost nothing. They're from my fashion line. You'll be the first to wear them. I haven't released my elite brand yet, so when you wear it, wear it with purpose and pride. Make me proud." She laughed.
She had eight black garment bags, she hung them up and separated them.
"Now, I think this one will look good on you. The shape and the design is really pretty. But we'll only know unless you try it on." Alice unzipped the bag and handed me the dress, "Go try it on. I'll wait here."
She sat on the little couch and crossed her legs. I walked into the bathroom and placed the dress carefully over the cabinet. First I put my hair into a tight bun, so my wet hair didn't drip on the material. I didn't want to ruin Alice's dress.
I slid the dress up my body and zipped it up. It was a light pink and shoulder strap. It was a little too dainty for my tastes, with the ruffles at the bottom and the color. I walked out of the bathroom and showed Alice.
She looked me over a few times then shook her head, "No. That doesn't suit you at all. It's not you."
She handed me the next dress, which was a nice shape but definitely not my color. The bright orange clashed with my pale skin and made me look somewhat sickly. Her words, not mine.
I tried on three more dresses. None of them really suited my personality. I was starting to get a little bummed out, but then the sixth dress I tried on ended up being perfect.
"Yes," Alice said, "Yes, that one. It's perfect!"
It was a dark burgundy dress that hugged my frame tightly. Just from how tightly it clung to my body I knew I'd have to be mindful of what I ate or else my stomach would poke out. It was a thick spaghetti strap that cut very low on my chest and made my nonexistent cleavage pop. It came down to my midthigh; I couldn't see what I looked like in it, but just wearing it made me feel like it was too sexy.
"Are you sure Alice? It's a little tight." I said.
"No, it's supposed to be tight," She said, "It's your size, but this particular dress is supposed to show off your curves and make even small boobs pop. It's perfect for you."
She looked into her bag, "I brought some shoes too."
She pulled out a pair of breakneck stilettos. I gave her a look.
"Alice, I'm going to break my neck wearing those."
"No you won't. It has straps," She pushed them towards me. I sat on the bed and slipped them on my feet.
"I don't know Alice. This is a little much." I said as I wobbled on the heels.
"No it's not. Edward's taking you to a super fancy place. You need to look stunning." She said.
"Oh god where is he taking me?" I shook my head.
"I can't tell. It's a surprise. But trust me, it's amazing. I've been there several times. I love it."
"How expensive?" I asked.
"Don't worry about it," She said, "So, how are you planning on doing your hair?"
"I don't know. I think I was just going to leave it down. My hair gets really curly if I let it fall."
"What about makeup? How are you going to do your makeup?"
"Um, I don't have any makeup. I mean, just a little gloss and some old eyeshadow." I said.
"Oh my gosh Bella, seriously?" She said, "No way. You need to get makeup! You don't need to go over the top, but a little blush, some lipstick, a little shadow. I could come over with my products if you want."
"No, no that's okay." I said quickly. I didn't want Alice to come out of her way and help me. But I also felt weird about it. Alice was Edward's sister and I kind of felt like I was under pressure. I liked Alice and everything, but it was moving a bit too fast.
"Okay," She said, "There's a little boutique down the street. I've heard great reviews. You should check it out."
"Maybe I will tomorrow when I get some time tomorrow." I said.
Alice checked her watch, "I have to go now. I'm meeting up with Jasper."
"Okay. I'll see you later. Thank you for the dress." I said.
"No problem. Now, try not to go too crazy in that dress. I need it back for fashion week." She said.
"Don't worry, I won't ruin it." I promised.
She smiled and grabbed her other dresses, "Great. You're going to have so much fun."
I smiled back, "I'm sure I will."
When she left, I looked at myself in the mirror. I cocked my head as I examined my face. Maybe I did need some makeup.
I hope you liked it! Leave me a little review and let me know!