...
Maybe a Dance
by Anton M.
Chapter 34: Meet Date Night
...
Edward wasn't eager to stay on campus for their date, so they took the Expo Line to East Vancouver—they would've arrived two hungry hours later had they taken a car through the city at rush hour—and settled on Alva's Cafe on Commercial Drive. It was a crispy, cloudless night. The sun had set, and Bella admired the floor-to-ceiling view of the orange sky and the eclectic houses across the street as they caught a cozy couch in the corner just as a couple left.
The walls of the cafe were partially hidden under a mismatched but cute collection of framed art. Little fake candles decorated the wooden tables and reflected on the mirror that covered the ceiling, making the customers feel like they were surrounded by flickers of light.
They ordered a strawberry mojito, a mint tea, and a piece of chocolate cake to share. Edward offered his cocktail for Bella to try but took a sip himself after she refused.
He held his arm on the back of the couch, so Bella took off her shoes and snuggled up against him. Watching her blow air on her mint tea, an incredibly rare choice for her, Edward suddenly remembered her saying that she would prefer coffee over tea any day. Her red hair was in a pony tail and she wore a matching lipstick. She was beautiful in a teal woollen dress that didn't cling to her body, and he could've sworn his heart swelled when Bella licked her lips and smiled at him. He adored her little crooked tooth.
"What?" Bella asked, feeling his eyes on her, and the quiet way with which she observed his lips made him want to press her tight against him and kiss her senseless.
Edward pulled her closer, nuzzling her temple, breathing her in. She smelled good enough to eat, and with his heart in his throat, he kissed her hair, wondering if he was more scared or hopeful of her answer.
"Baby, are you pregnant?"
Bella burst tea out of her nose with such force that Edward had to grab a few tissues, and her coughing fit took half a minute to settle down. Edward couldn't stop apologizing. Finally, having dried her face, Bella looked at him with an embarrassed smile, her eyes glinting from having blown tea through her nose.
"Where did that come from?"
"I've never seen you drink tea."
"You took me drinking tea as a sign that I'm pregnant?"
Edward gave her a sheepish smile. "When you say it like that, it sounds stupid... but you also refused to try my mojito. I just wanted to confirm."
He covered her knees with his palm when she turned towards him, and she brushed her thumbs over his cheeks, biting her lip as she smiled. "I'm not pregnant, love," she said, calmly, searching his eyes. "Copper IUDs are pretty effective. The weather is cold and they didn't have any warm decaf anything. I don't hate tea, I just rarely feel like having it. Nothing quite as life-altering as a baby."
Edward dearly wished he could read Bella because her face, for once, was completely neutral, and this was exactly the discussion he needed to have with her.
...
Three weeks previously, Edward and Bella had had dinner with Dean Zhou Ming and his girlfriend Noelle Morris, (M.D.), an anesthesiologist. It felt a bit nerve-wracking considering how Edward's relationship with a student had been revealed, and Bella dressed to the nines in heels, a knee-length black dress, and glasses she would've never considered for dinner had she not aimed to seem like a sophisticated fiancée to a Professor and very much a non-student. They brought a bottle of white wine and arrived in the townhouse armed for an interrogation.
Instead, they arrived to a minor emergency. Their four-year-old son Asa had found matchsticks and, although not injuring himself, managed to burn off half of his hair, which had set off the fire alarm, and the pork stew the dean had been preparing (to eat with Taiwanese rice vermicelli) burnt in the kitchen when he was handling the first emergency. The family of three, all in T-shirts and jeans, greeted them with profuse apologies and a faint scent of smoke in the air, but Edward and Bella, locking eyes, smiled in tremendous relief. They'd prepared for a tense night but arriving to a normal family with normal problems took an anvil off their shoulders.
The rice vermicelli was turned into a stir fry with mushrooms and eggs, the family got changed (although now Bella and Edward wished they'd been just as informal), and Noelle's worry that neither of them had time next week to take their son to the barber (in the absence of their nanny) was solved by Bella who only had to point at Edward's hair to prove her skills.
The evening, in spite of its beginning—or perhaps because of it—turned out to be delightful. Noelle and Ming were no more or less interested in their relationship than any couple having dinner with another couple. They discussed all things science, where machine learning was headed, the umbrella etiquette, the (hopeful) end of corona, and Edward delighted in having a fiancée as open, sweet and funny as Bella.
Together with Noelle, they bribed Asa with ice cream to sit still on a stool in a carpet-less spot in the living room, and Bella took off her heels and made quicker work of his hair than Asa's parents had anticipated. By the end of it, they became such good friends that Asa demanded to show his dollhouse to Bella. Asa's parents assured Bella that she didn't have to, but Bella waved them off with a smile and followed the boy to the living room corner.
Bella ended up lying on the floor on her stomach, forming a path through the dollhouse out of tiny blankets to allow a dinosaur and a Ken doll to escape the evil tiny kitchenware. She was growling and pretending to be the minuscule pan, making Asa laugh, and Edward found himself unable to tear his eyes off of her. He sat a few feet away on the sofa, discussing the complexities of debugging in TensorFlow with Ming, and yet, watching his future wife, Edward suddenly felt like his heart grew too big for his chest.
All three watched the scene during a lull in the conversation.
Bella jumped up, urging Asa to do the same. She lifted the boy into her arms, marching to the centre of the room on the carpet, her voice fake-serious.
"Only tango will save us from the evil kitchenware," she whisper-yelled, starting to dance with the boy. "Extend your neck like this." She twirled and leaned away from him. "And then, it is of utmost importance in tango that you look like you just smelled a fart. Squint your eyes, too. It's a toxic one."
Asa's laughter was not the only one drowning out the background music.
Bella stepped closer to the adults, whispering to Edward, "I need a 4/4 time. Can't dance tango to a waltz."
Noelle handed Edward the iPad in control of the music, and Edward tried a few songs before settling on When I'm Sixty-Four by the Beatles. Bella didn't know the song but went with it, dancing and twirling and making stuff up about the evil kitchenware before she lifted Asa high up in the air and collapsed on the floor with him by the end of the song.
"There," she said, panting. "Now we are safe."
Noelle leaned closer to Edward, grinning. "If you don't marry her then I will."
Edward and Ming laughed.
"I'm working on it," Edward said. "You will not get her without a fight."
Bella leaned her neck against the bottom of the armchair behind her as Asa jumped up and ran into his mother's arms, whispering something in her ear. Noelle grinned, lifting Asa in her lap.
"Tell her yourself," she said.
Asa shook his head and hid his face in his mother's neck.
"Asa has decided that he, too, will marry Bella when he's older."
Edward laughed. "Stiff competition in this house."
"Last week it was Elsa from Frozen, so you may or may not be replaced by a cartoon character next week."
Grinning, Bella got up from the floor and settled next to Edward, reaching for his wine when her glass was empty. They discussed her research, and Edward learned that not only did Bella's grant-writing talents reach beyond Bunting-Carr but that she'd never thought to add it to her CV, which all three warmly urged her to do. When Bella shared the non-whiny version of her struggle to find a job, Noelle and Ming promised to ask their friends and acquaintances for any unofficial openings in epidemiology, and they spent a few more hours talking after Asa grumpily agreed to go to sleep.
They left more friends than colleagues with the hopes to have dinner together again sometime, and when not on stage, the two men began to address each other by their first names after that night. It felt a bit odd at first to Bella, but then again, if she was to be the wife of a professor, addressing some faculty of Bunting-Carr by their first names came with the territory, and she was glad that among them were people they enjoyed spending time with.
It was eleven PM when the couple walked southeast towards Brentwood Station to catch bus 123. Edward held her close, holding an umbrella in his other hand as they walked in the rain and discussed the smaller and bigger talking points of the evening, and he couldn't quite pinpoint why but his heart was full of her. It was not just how Bella played with Asa but how she existed in a world by his side, interested, kind and open to a future with him.
That night it truly struck him that, should they make that leap, Bella would be the mother of his children. It was mind-blowing that he got so lucky, and he was more in love with her than ever.
The bus was nearly empty at the late hour of Sunday night, and Edward did not intend to make out with Bella like a couple of teenagers but he couldn't keep away and they nearly missed their stop because of it. Laughing, they realized they left their umbrella in the bus, but they jogged half a block home and shrugged off their jackets and shoes before Edward pressed her against the front door and eyed her under his long eyelashes. Drops of rain shined in his hair.
"What is this post-dinner make-out session?" Bella asked, eyes dazed and smile wide. "I love it, don't get me wrong, but... why?"
It was the perfect opening for him to ask her about her views on children, but he was in the mood to kiss her and hold her and watch her come apart under him, so instead, he whispered, "Because I love you," against her lips. She laughed when he threw her over his shoulder, and he spent the night making sure that she was as full of love for him as he was for her.
...
Still observing his face, Bella put down her tea and scooted closer, giving him her full attention.
"To be fair, at the speed our relationship is going, I'm surprised I wasn't pregnant with triplets by the end of our first week in Chilliwack."
Edward laughed, amazed and relieved by just how easy it was to discuss topics like this with Bella. He hadn't quite intended to steamroll through the issue by making her blow tea through her nose, but now that they'd started the discussion, it was time to put his feelings out there.
He brushed his fingers over her hair, and his soft eyes were full of the kind of simmering energy that made her heart burst.
"I thought I'd be terrified," he said, quietly. "But with you, I'm... I'm going to say strong words, so please don't freak out." Edward paused, touching his nose against hers. He lowered his voice. "I'm... looking forward to it."
Bella's heart skipped a beat. "What?"
"More than anything," he whispered. "I'd tell you that I can't wait, but... that would be laying it thick. I'd be taken aback if it happened immediately and without a plan. But if I could handle that with anyone, it would be with you. So, my question to you is..." Edward paused, his eyes soft and vulnerable as he admired every inch of her face. "Do you want kids?"
"Right now?"
"No, baby." He could feel her quick heartbeat under his fingertips. He squeezed her neck, keeping her close, smiling against her cheek before he pulled back enough to see her eyes. "In general. In a few years. Whenever we're ready."
"Oh," Bella's shoulders sagged in relief as a slow smile began to spread across her face.
The way her eyes lingered on his chest, the way she rubbed her open palm along his warm neck, and the way her brown eyes searched his, assessing and thinking and admiring him, he could've sworn she'd inflated a hot air balloon where his heart was.
"I think so," Bella replied, almost shyly, her eyes alight with affection.
Edward crushed her against him, wrapping her up as tight as he could. Bella laughed. The music and voices of other customers faded into the background as he opened his mouth and molded his happiness and relief into a kiss. She smiled at his show of love, tugging at his hair, and her warmth and breathy whimpers nearly undid him.
Breathless and a little bit flushed, both pulled back. Edward's arms surrounded her waist, and she was curled up against him. He nuzzled her neck from the side and grinned against her shoulder.
"But, since we're on the topic, you should know that I've been terrified of getting pregnant since I was seventeen." Bella's voice was quiet but clear, and she played with his fingers absent-mindedly. "Probably even before. My dad always emphasized how much it would change my life, and my mom... she was adamant that I not get pregnant before I graduated college. I don't fault them for how they raised me, and they were not the reason I had an abortion, but... when it's so ingrained in you when you're young that pregnancy is the thing that will ruin your future, you can't just switch that fear off overnight. I know and understand that I'm in a healthy, loving relationship with the man I hope to spend the rest of my life with—" Bella could feel Edward's smile against her skin, and she kissed his hair. "And it would be... incredible to go through that experience with you, but we'll have to have an ongoing discussion about it to make it feel normal, and not something to avoid at all costs."
"Of course."
Bella could've drowned in the softness of his voice.
"And when I say ongoing, I mean... casual," she continued. "Not this giant looming discussion every few months or half a year, but... little discussions here and there. Whenever it comes up. I think that would help. Is that okay?"
"Sweetheart, I could not be more in love with you right now."
Bella laughed.
"Love, I can't even give you a confident yes," she argued, grinning and feeling the five-o'clock shadow on his cheek when she brushed her thumb over it. "I'm effectively telling you that... I hope to get there."
"Baby, I've been trying to figure out for a full month if I'd been okay with a different answer," Edward replied. "'I hope to get there' is what dreams are made of."
He kissed her with his cold, sweet strawberry lips, his eyes brimming with love, and Bella felt alight in his arms.
"Speaking of which," Edward whispered, grinning against her cheek before he pulled away to drink his mojito, "have I told you that you talk in your sleep?"
Bella groaned. "Oh my God. I didn't."
His eyes twinkled. "Didn't what?"
"I said something," she whispered, observing his face for clues before her face lost all colour. "Tell me I wasn't asking you to give me babies."
Edward cleared his throat, mirth in his eyes. "If I recall correctly, there was very little, ah, asking."
She facepalmed. "Please kill me."
Edward grinned and kissed her hair. "It was quite adorable, actually."
"At least tell me I didn't start talking about that before we got together," Bella continued, peeking at him through her fingers, her face red.
"You did not," he assured.
Pausing, Bella smiled against his shoulder. "My subconscious is apparently more eager for an unprotected creampie than my conscious."
Edward laughed before he hid his grin against her hair, and his breath tickled her ear when he whispered, his voice low and rough, "Baby, don't talk about creampies when we're not at home."
Bella shivered.
"Is it wrong that I find it... hot?"
"Making a baby with me?" Edward's eyes twinkled. "I'd hope so."
"No. I mean, yes. But... unprotected sex with the express purpose of conceiving. It almost sounds wrong. How can I find it hot if I've spent years being terrified of getting pregnant? Humans are weird."
"I'm with you, baby. It's hot. But it's also the entire purpose of sex, so... I don't think we're outliers in this matter." Edward breathed in her scent and squeezed her closer.
Bella warmed her hands around her teamug. She leaned the side of her head against his arm on the back of the couch and observed his face. His skin had improved tremendously, much softer and smoother now to touch and kiss, and she'd dyed his hair back to its original warm brown with a hint of a reddish undertone. Edward had been slightly embarrassed to ask her to keep dyeing it but, as much as Bella loved his hair with speckles of white, she also loved handling his hair, and she could no more demand that he keep his natural hair than she would've wanted him to demand that she stop dyeing her own hair. It didn't matter, anyway—she was as attracted to her professor as ever.
"What's the timeline you're thinking of, for having kids?" Bella asked.
Edward brushed the pads of his fingers against her shoulder, back and forth, thinking. His eyes were soft and voice low. "I don't think I really have one, except... I'd prefer to pay off most of our debt, figure out if or how we can afford them, where we'd live and all of that before starting to try, but I also know that most people would tell you that waiting for a magical right time comes with its own can of worms. Regardless of everything else, I'd like to start trying before I'm forty. What about you?"
Bella kissed his bicep and rubbed her cheek against it. She loved the warmth in his eyes.
"I'd like that," she replied. "I don't have a timeline, either, except I'd like to keep it as an ongoing discussion to adjust the goalposts or dismiss them if we're ready sooner or later than we think."
The loveliest warmth lit up his eyes before he cupped her cheek and rested his forehead against hers, blowing air on her skin as he breathed but saying nothing. He had the longest eyelashes.
"What are you doing?" Bella asked with laughter in her voice.
"I'm shifting through all the alternate universes and discovering that I fall in love with you in every single one of them."
"Marry me."
"Don't mind if I do," he replied, pressing his lips against hers. He tasted like cold strawberries, butterflies in her stomach, and a beautiful future ahead of them.
...