Hello everyone! So, today I woke up and it is snowing beautifully where I love! Beautiful, powdery snow! I love it so much! Since, it is snowing, which is my favorite kind of day, I'm going to give you guys a little treat! I'm going to post this chapter and the next today! I hope you guys enjoy it and are happy with your little gift!

Chapter Nineteen

At around two o'clock when the bakery was slow, I left Riley in charge and walked down to the little boutique at the end of Bloor street. It was cute, it wasn't anything like the makeup shops I'd been to before, so I didn't feel so intimidated.

"Hi," A tall, dark skinned woman walked up to me. She had really pretty green hazel eyes, "Can I help you with anything?"

"Um, yeah," I said, "I'm going on a date tonight to a really fancy restaurant and I don't have any makeup."

"Well, I can help you with that—,"

"And I don't wear makeup. So, I don't really know how to apply it or anything."

"Okay, that's no big deal," She said, "The easiest route is probably just some eyeshadow, a little blush, some lipstick, mascara. That stuff is easy to apply."

I smiled at her, "Thank you for helping me."

"No problem, it's my job," She said, "I'm Senna by the way. This is my store."

"I'm Bella, I own the bakery right down the street."

"Oh no kidding," She said, "I've tried some of your desserts. Very delicious."

"Thank you."

"Okay, so this pallet has some very pretty colors will be very pretty with your color. It's all very subtle, but it will make your eyes pop without being overly dramatic. And the best thing is that there are several application options that are in the little booklet that comes with it. It's very easier to apply." She had grabbed a basket and placed the pallet in.

I watched as she looked through the makeup and picked out pieces that she said would look good on me. I believed her, I didn't know anything about makeup, and I didn't have any reason not to believe her.

"Alright, so all of this makeup has application instructions that are very easy to follow. It's great starter makeup for anyone who's inexperienced." She said as she rang all of it up.

I nodded, "Very cool. That'll help, because if this date goes well, I'll probably need to become a professional at doing makeup." I rolled my eyes.

Senna laughed, "So, where is your date taking you tonight?"

"I'm not sure. He said it was a surprise, but he said that it was really fancy." I said.

"I bet you'll have fun though. But you know, even if it doesn't work out, you still get to dress up and have a super fancy meal. It'll be fun. Sometimes it's nice to just get dressed up and go out and be noticed."

I nodded as I inserted my card into the machine, "Thank you for helping me."

"Of course," She smiled, "Have fun tonight."

"Thanks," I smiled.

I grabbed my bag and walked out of the store. I peeked at a few more things as I walked out. She had some interesting things in her shop. Homemade fancy soaps, bath bombs, candles, and lotions. She had some pretty cool stuff.

I ran up to my apartment and dropped the makeup off. I was planning on closing the bakery thirty minutes earlier tonight just so I had adequate time to get ready. Edward would be picking me up at seven.

"Hey, Bella." Riley said as I walked in.

"Hey. How was the shop?"

"It was fine. Just a couple of people walked in." He looked up at the clock, "I gotta get to class. You good here?"

"Yes sir. Thank you for watching it while I was gone."

"No problem. I'll see you Monday."

He walked out of the bakery as Jake was walking in. I hadn't seen Jake in a couple weeks. I smiled at him.

"Hey Jake!" I said as I leaned over the counter, "How are you doing?"

"My grandpa gave me money to come get a little cake." He said.

"Ooo, sounds very nice," I said, "What's the cake for?"

"It's my mom's birthday," He said as he looked through the cakes.

"Awe, that's nice," I said, "Is she here celebrating with you guys?"

"No, my mom's dead." He said.

"Oh," I felt bad for asking, "Okay. What kind of cake do you want?"

"Hm, I'm not sure. My grandpa said whatever I want." He said.

"Okay, I have a chocolate marble cake in the back. A client didn't come and get it, so it's yours." I said.

"Sure. I'll take that." He said.

"Come on," I waved him to the back.

He hopped up onto the counter and watched as I got the cake out of the fridge.

"What's your mom's name? I can scrap this off and write it onto the cake. Or I could write whatever you want."

"Her name was Lily." He said, "But you don't have to write her name or anything. It kind of makes my grandpa sad."

"Okay, I won't write it." I said as I scrapped the words off. Instead of writing his mother's name, I wrote that Jake and Billy are the coolest neighbors ever. Jake giggled when he saw that.

I boxed it up for him, "Why don't I walk you back to your house? It's getting dark out there."

"I'm okay. I can go by myself."

"No, let me walk you. I'm shutting down for the night anyways." I said as I grabbed my jacket and his cake box.

"Why are you shutting down early?" He asked as we walked out of the business.

"Because I'm going out with one of my friends tonight. I need to start getting ready."

We chatted while I walked him to his building. I followed him up the stairs and he opened the door and waved me in.

Billy was sitting at the little table that was in their kitchenette. Their apartment looked similar to mine, but it was a bit bigger. It wasn't a studio; I could see into the open doors that there were two bedrooms. The bedrooms were small though. It was very basically done.

"Oh, hi Bella." Billy said.

"Hey, Billy," I said as I sat the cake down onto the table, "I was just walking Jake over. It's getting dark."

"Well thank you for that," He said, "And thank you for the cake."

"No problem. Anytime." I said.

"Did Jake give you the money?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it. It's a gift from me." I smiled, "You guys do so much for me. So, enjoy."

He smiled at me, "Well thank you. Would you like to stay for dinner? We ordered a pizza."

"I can't tonight. I'm going out with a friend." I said, "But thank you."

I walked out of their apartment and quickly ran back to mine. I had to shower, do my hair and my makeup, and get dressed. Edward would be here around six. He said that the restaurant we were going to was very close to the Rockefeller, and it'd take at least an hour to get there.

I was putting my shoes on when Edward knocked on the door. He had texted me that he was here and coming around to meet me at the door. It was perfect timing because I had just finished my hair.

I opened the door and let him in.

"You look incredible." He smiled widely.

I looked down at myself and then back up at him and smiled. He was dressed in a nice suit, nicer than I had ever seen him wear.

"Thanks. You look really nice too."

"Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I reached into my closet and grabbed one of my jackets. It didn't really fit what I was wearing, but it was the fanciest one I had.

I looped my arm through his and let him lead me down to his car. I paused as I looked at the car he came in.

"What is this?"

He smiled cheekily, "This here is my Bugatti. I don't get to drive it too often. This'll be the third time I've driven it. I figured tonight was special. So we should ride in style."

"This is so ostentatious. I've never been in a car this expensive." I said as he held the door open for me.

He chuckled, "You'll enjoy it."

He turned the key and the engine purred. When he took off, the ride was so smooth I could definitely tell that the money spent on this luxury was worth it.

"So, where are we going? I've been dying to know." I said as I crossed my legs; the dress was starting to ride up.

"It's a very private restaurant. You have to make reservation months in advanced. You'll love it."

"How did you get a reservation so fast if it's so exclusive?" I asked.

"I have my ways Bella," He winked.

I watched with wide eyes as we entered the heart of New York City. It was so busy, and everything looked huge. I'd never been to such a large city before. It was beautiful and intimidating all at the same time.

"Is this the Rockefeller center?" I asked as we walked up the illuminated street.

"It is. Do you like it?" He asked.

I nodded, "I do like it. It's beautiful."

"We'll have to come here and ice skate one day. You can't live in New York and never skate on the Rockefeller ice rink."

"Me and ice skating? That sounds like a death trap." I laughed.

"I'll hold you," He grinned.

I blushed and tucked my hair behind my ear. A nervous habit that I could never shake.

"Every year, my family and I come here and watch as they put up the tree. We sit up there and have dinner where those firepits are and watch. My parents started the tradition when they got married and it's my favorite one."

I smiled, "That's really sweet. I'd love to see the Christmas tree. I love Christmas. It's my favorite holiday."

"Did your family have any traditions?" He asked.

"A few. We would always go out and cut down a tree together. Decorate it. And every Christmas eve we'd watch old timey Christmas movies until I passed out on the couch."

"That sounds so nice," He said, "Okay, here we are."

I looked around and tried to figure out what he was talking about. There was just a phone booth looking box.

"Uh, I'm confused." I said.

He laughed and opened the door to the large glass box.

"Come on," he said when he was in. I tentatively stepped in and practically hugged the wall. He shut the door and pressed the buttons. The inside reminded me of an elevator.

The box started moving down. I yelped in surprise and shuffled closer to Edward.

He laughed again, "Don't worry. It's okay."

Once we were down a little farther, I could now see the elaborate entrance to a restaurant. It was called Obsidian, and there was a huge line waiting outside of it.

Edward placed his arm around my back and walked me to the host.

"Reservation for Cullen." Edward said.

"Of course Mr. Cullen, right this way." The host snapped his fingers at a man who was wearing a suit.

"May I take your coats?" The man asked.

I followed Edward's lead and shrugged off my pitiful coat. I noticed the man had given me a quick once over, but quickly turned away when Edward shot him a glare. I shuddered both in excitement and fear. Edward could be kind of intimidating, but it was kind of thrilling at the same time.

A waitress walked up and lead us to a table that was somewhat elevated on a platform. It was more private than the other tables, and there was a clear view of the stage and the people setting up to perform. The table had a black cloth over it, and several candles surrounding it. It looked very nice.

"Whoa," I whispered to myself, "It looks so nice."

Edward chuckled and pulled out my chair, "I'm glad you like it. This table is my family's personal table. We bought it and the restaurant never gives it away in case we decide to come here on a whim."

"So that's how you got a table on such a short notice. I didn't believe for a minute that you paid a ridiculous amount of money just to have dinner here." I said.

He gave me a very serious look, "I would absolutely pay an obscene amount of money to take you out. Don't underestimate me."

My eyes widened slightly, but then I broke out into laughter once he did.

A waiter walked over with a bottle of wine.

"Mr. Cullen we're glad you're joining us tonight. As requested, we have two chilled bottles of the Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru. And Chef Adrien has just arrived. He will be your personal chef tonight."

"Ah, Adrien is my favorite," Edward said before looking at me, "Adrien is a very talented chef. He's the one who usually serves our family."

I smiled, "It sounds good. What's Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru? Is that a brand or a type of wine?"

"It's a red wine. I've been dying to try it and I figured tonight would be the perfect night to try it. Have you ever had red wine before?" He asked.

I shook my head, "Nope. But I don't know if I should drink. Bad things tend to happen when I drink."

He laughed, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't get any tattoos."

I blushed and bit my lip. He noticed my red cheeks.

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" He asked nervously.

"No, no," I said quickly, "I was just surprised you remembered. But I actually was wondering about your tattoos. The other night, I noticed you had a couple of them on your arms."

"Oh yeah," He shifted uncomfortably, "Well, they have really deep meanings. Some of them I just can't explain to you, I hope you understand."

"No, that's okay," I said, "I understand. Can you tell me about the ones you can explain?"

"Sure. I have one between my shoulder blades that's my family crest. That was my first tattoo. Hurt like a bitch, but it was worth it. I have the word mom tattooed in a heart on my ribs. She was both flattered and horrified. And don't tell my mother about this one because it's a little harder to cover up," He slipped his large, silver ring off of his finger revealing a Celtic cross, "My family came from Ireland. In our family, our roots are very important." He slipped the ring back onto his finger.

"How many tattoos do you have?" I asked.

"Um, I think like… nine? Or ten? Somewhere around that number. I want a couple more. But I have to be able to keep them hidden under my clothes or else my mom would kill me." He laughed.

The waiter walked over and poured our wine.

"Chef Adrien heard about the wine you ordered, and he decided upon a special menu that will pair very nicely. He has a few options ready, the first is a skillet cod with lemon and capers. Parmesan risotto with roasted shrimp. Duck Breast with Pomegranate-Citrus Glaze. And chicken tagine with apricots, almonds & chickpeas. Of course, you can order off the menu. Would you like to order an appetizer while you look over your options?" He asked.

"Yes, can we do one of those appetizer platters? Just a little of everything to taste." Edward asked, "Bella do you want anything extra? Something more to drink or to eat?"

"Would it be alright if I get a water?"

"Of course, it would be my pleasure." The waiter smiled before walking away.

I looked over to the band as they started to play. The woman behind the microphone had such a soft, smooth voice. I could listen to her for hours.

"So, Bella, tell me about the town you came from." Edward asked when I looked away from the band.

"Well, it was a very boring town. Everyone knew everyone's business. You could never really keep anything private." I shrugged, rolling my eyes, "It wasn't too bad though. Not really anything to do. But I was never one to really want to do anything overly exciting. I was content to stay home and read and learn how to bake."

"That reminds me," Edward said, "How did you get into baking?"

"That's a funny story," I smiled, "My mother was a terrible cook. She was a fan of experimenting and her experiments always failed. When I was ten, my mom tried to bake my dad a birthday cake. It had been a tough time for him, his parents just died, and she was trying to make him feel better. No surprise, she completely ruined the cake. She didn't have any time to grab another one because she had to go pick him up from the airport, so she sent me out to the store to grab ingredients for a cake and left me in charge of it. I'd never even used the stove before, it was amazing. I never realized how much fun it was baking. And then after that I just spent as much time as I could learning how to bake."

He nodded, "That sounds nice. I'm glad you have found your passion."

"Do you have a passion in life?" I asked him.

"Hmm," He leaned back in his chair and thought about this, "No, I don't say I have one. I have hobbies that I enjoy. But most of my time is wrapped up in the family business."

"What are some of your hobbies?" I asked.

"I play the piano as you know. But I enjoy movies as well. I have an entire home theater where I screen new movies. I'll have to bring you to my house and show you." He said, "I also workout every day. It's a nice little stress reliever for me."

"You keep mentioning you family's business. What kind of business does your family run?"

Just as I asked, the waiter walked over with a large, steaming platter. He also poured water into a glass for me.

"Are you ready to order? Or do you need more time?" The waiter asked.

"I'm ready, but if you need more time Bella that's fine."

I had actually knew what I wanted when he told us the specials.

"Yes, I'm ready to order," I said, "I'd really love to try the chicken tagine? It sounds really interesting."

"Excellent choice," The waiter said, "And for you Mr. Cullen?"

"I'll have the duck." He said.

When the waiter walked away, I asked Edward again about his family business.

"Just some boring stuff. Financial advising and what not." He said quickly.

A part of me didn't believe what he was saying. It was like he was just trying to say something that was too boring for me to ask follow up questions. I shrugged it off though, maybe it was just boring financial stuff.

A man in a suit and a woman strolled over to our table. I noticed that Edward tensed up, but he quickly covered it with a smile. I felt a little nervous now; why would Edward be nervous?

"Edward," The man gushed, "I didn't know you were dining here tonight. It is a pleasant surprise though."

Edward stood and firmly shook that man's hand, "It's nice to see you again Aro. Sulpicia, you're looking as lovely as ever."

The woman gently bowed her head but didn't offer any more that that. Something about this interaction was strange. Everything sounded friendly, but there was a tense undertone that you could cut with a knife.

I stared at the man; I knew him from somewhere, I just couldn't remember.

"And who is this lovely lady," The man, Aro, asked as his grey eyes shifted over to me.

"My name is Bella," I said, extending my hand.

Aro and his wife stared at it, as if I had made a social faux pas. I blushed and quickly pulled my hand away. Aro looked as though he shook it off and plastered a smile on his face. He took a step forward and pulled me into a tight hug, where he kissed my cheek. It was a little awkward for me.

"You're a very lovely young woman," Aro said, "Edward is this a new fidanzata?"

Edward shook his head, "No, no. This is our first date."

"Ah," Aro said, "Well, I shall leave you to your date. But before I go, did you happen to receive my email?"

"I did. And I will call you Monday morning to discuss it." Edward said.

"Excellent. It was good seeing you Edward. And lovely meeting you Isabella." He said before strolling away.

I sat back down in my chair, going over the interaction in my head. Something was strange about that whole interaction; I just couldn't place my finger on it.

"Sorry about that Bella," Edward said as he sat down, "That was a business associate."

"It was kind of awkward," I said, "And really tense, is everything okay?"

"You noticed that?" he said, "It's fine. He runs a separate business, but we're on good terms. It can be just a little tense sometimes."

"Oh, okay," I nodded.

"Did you try the wine?" Edward asked as he picked up his glass.

I picked up my own and took a sip of my wine. It was delicious. I had never had wine before, it was an interesting taste, but I liked it.

"It's pretty good." I said as I took another sip.

"It is," He said, "I'm glad. I would've been disappointed if it wasn't any good."

"Why would you have been disappointed?" I asked.

"I'd rather not say." He said, taking a bigger sip of his wine.

I thought about what he said for a moment, then shot him a look, "How much did you spend on this wine."

He shook his head, "I'd rather not say."

I rolled my eyes, "An obscene amount?"

He just nodded, then laughed, "Don't worry about it Bella. It hardly broke my bank account."

I opened my mouth to say something, but then the waiter walked over with our food.

My food was delicious. I ended up eating everything off of my plate, even though I was completely stuffed. My stomach was poking out now, but I couldn't care less.

"That was amazing," I said, "I never knew food could be so delicious."

Edward laughed, "I'm glad you liked it. This place never disappoints."

"I really liked everything," I said, "I thought you'd bring me to a place where the portions were ridiculous, and the waiters only spoke French. I was nervous."

"I hate places like that. If I'm going to spend good money, I want great food and a lot of it. And live music. I like to hear live music when I eat."

"The band does sound really nice," I said as I looked over and listened.

"Do you want to dance?" He asked.

I shook my head, "I'm so clumsy. I can't dance."

"Aw, come on. I'll make sure you don't fall," He said, leaning closer.

"I can't dance."

"C'mon, it's not really dancing, it's just swaying. I'll hold you." He said, reaching his hand out.

I sighed; I couldn't resist him, "Fine, but don't get mad if I embarrass you."

"You could never embarrass me," He said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.

He pulled me through the crowd of people who were already swaying in the dancefloor. Once he found a suitable spot, he grabbed my hand and placed his other hand on the small of my back. I placed my free hand on his chest.

He pulled me tight against him. My heart skipped a beat, and I tucked my head against his chest, closing my eyes.

I never liked to dance but leaning against Edward made me feel differently. He felt so amazing. I hadn't been this close to anyone in a while, and I just didn't want him to let me go. I actually wanted him to hold me tighter.

As if he read my mind, his arm pulled me even closer. I suppressed a shudder of pleasure. I could really feel his defined muscles underneath of his shirt. I wanted to take him to take his shirt off and throw me against one of these tables.

Oh god, I was such a pervert. It was terrible. But Edward was sexy so who could really blame me?

"Are you alright?" He asked, his voice husky.

I looked up at him, "Yeah. I'm good."

His half smile nearly knocked me off of my feet.

"It's not killing you? The dancing?" He chuckled.

I shook my head, "No, it's quite nice actually. I think I could actually like dancing."

His smile widened, "I was thinking the same thing."

"I thought you liked dancing?"

"Oh no, I'm not a fan of it," He said, "But I could definitely reconsider, if I'm dancing with you."

My heart skipped a beat, "I was thinking the exact same thing."

He leaned down and captured my lips. I stood on my toes, just so I could have better access to him. I moved both of my hands to his chest and met his kiss with as much passion.

Both of his hands gripped my hips, pulling me even tighter against him. It felt as though there was no one else in the room. It was incredible, I'd never felt so connected to someone before. I never wanted it to stop.

First date was a total success! Bella is officially swept off her feet by the dashing Mr. Cullen. Be honest, you'd 100% be swept off your feet too by Edward. Keep an eye out because soon the next chapter will be coming today! As a celebration of the beautiful snow day where I am!