Hey folks!

Eep! We're almost at 1k reviews! I can't believe it!

I wanna give yall something special for showing me so much love, so let me know what you're interested in! Besides your own Redactward cause I'm not quite that good ;)

Fran betas, Jill, Ariel, and Pearly preread, and I love y'all to death. xxx


What the fuck are you doing? What the fuck are you doing? What the fuck are you doing?

It's all I can think as I make my way up to Isabella's apartment. I feel like I'm two seconds away from shaking out of my skin with my nerves. But I was taught how to handle this—how to school my emotions and put on a poker face to get the job done.

She has no idea she didn't need to send me the address, of course. No idea I know exactly where to find her, what every inch of her apartment looks like, and even what she looks like in her most private moments. I even know what she looks like when she's aroused and just after she came, though I've still been polite and have somehow kept myself from actually watching her in the act.

I'd say I deserve a gold medal for my restraint, but I've already messed too much up to accept that.

My knuckles rap on the wood of her door, and I can hear some shuffling on the other side, followed by a rushed "Just a second!"

I nod as if she can see me, taking a deep breath and shoving my hands in the pockets of my pants. My fingers brush the small token I got for her, and I suddenly feel silly for it. Bella just didn't seem like the type to appreciate flowers, and let's face it, I'm not the type to give them.

No, not Bella. Isabella. Fuck.

My eyes are trained on the floor when I hear the lock click and the door open to reveal her petite frame wrapped in a simple black dress that may or may not make my mouth water.

"Hi," she breathes, her chest heaving with exertion. It makes me wonder what she's been doing, aside from getting ready for our date. Surely putting on a dress can't be that difficult. "Come on in. I'll just be a second."

I'm struck speechless when I step over her doorstep. It's surreal to be inside her space like this, surrounded by her scent in a way that's both familiar and unfamiliar all at once. When she returns, she's twisted her hair up to reveal the long slope of her neck, and I don't consider for a second what it would feel like under my tongue.

"You look amazing." Said every infatuated sap in every romance novel on a first date ever. "I, uh, I got something for you."

The guitar pick I had engraved for her is nothing spectacular. Just a small piece of cherry wood with her initials engraved on one side and the words "Every breath you take" on the other. But the look she gets on her face when she sees it makes feeling like a schmuck completely worth it.

She stares at it, her mouth slightly open as if she's grasping for words.

"I figured you didn't strike me as a flower kind of girl," I rush, worried I've offended her in some way. "I just thought since you play guitar and…"

"Edward, stop," she looks like she's about to say something, but then her brow creases. "How did you know my initials?"

Fuck.

Shit, damn, fuck.

Can I phone a friend?

"I, uh…"

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"I may have called the bar and asked your friend."

Hey, good job on the quick lie.

"Vick? Fuck," her voice is barely a whisper, her fingers flipping the pick between them. I can't tell what she's feeling or if I've offended her in some way.

"I'm sorry if I overstepped somehow or—"

"No, no, Edward. This is...well, it's perfect, honestly." Walking over to the corner of her living room, she slips the pick into a pouch on the side of her guitar case, and when she turns back to me, her lips are turned up in a smile I haven't yet seen on her face before.

It's barely there at all, but it's gentle. Sentimental, perhaps? And there's something in her eyes I've never seen before, either.

From anyone…

"Can we go now, before I jump you for being such an absolute puppy?"

"A puppy?" I laugh, though I must admit I'm still a little caught on the jumping me bit.

"Mhm, now take your fine ass and get out of my apartment before I ride you like the brand-new princess bike I got for my eighth birthday," she says, motioning with her finger for me to turn around.