I DREAM OF RAINBOWS

Disclaimer: The Cullen's, the Swans, and most of the characters mentioned in the story that are known from Stephanie Meyer's beloved Twilight Saga, are all hers and hers alone. I neither have nor wish to pass them off as mine. I do appreciate the fact that she did bring them to life and allows us to play with them in our imaginations. The only thing I will claim is the current storyline.

The awesome and talented dowlingnana searched out my errors and corrected them.

"Okay, then. Let's go to this apartment so I can get settled, give my cousins a call to thank them for meeting me and then I'll be ready to go to dinner, if that's okay by you?" Bella said and then asked.

CHAPTER 54: IS A CHANGE COMING?

On the way to this apartment that Edward had offered to her, Bella didn't say anything to Edward or ask aloud what his ulterior motive might be, but it didn't stop her from wondering about his whole approach. Although she was accepting his offer because of the convenience of it didn't mean that she wasn't going to be watchful and cautious about one Edward Cullen, especially with this new side of his. She was sure that he was planning something that was nefarious, so she would definitely be keeping her defenses in place but undercover.

Bella wasn't stupid enough to not accept help when it had a benefit to it. She needed a place to stay for the present time and Edward's offer helped to solve that problem for the short term. She was hungry and his offer of dinner took care of that situation as well. But this didn't stop Bella from wondering why her cousins weren't at LAX to meet her. That was something she would be checking out immediately once she had the time alone.

As they arrived at the apartment, Edward was quick to get out and go around to open the door for Bella. then he silently led her into the apartment and invited her to look around while he went to retrieve her luggage.

As he came back in with everything, he asked with a smile, "Well, what do you think? Will it meet with your requirements?"

"It's lovely." Bella answers as she is still roaming through the apartment. In fact, it was everything she needed and then some, but she couldn't think of how to be able to have this place for her own use for each time she came to town. "This is everything that I would be looking for in a place of my own and then some. What else can I tell you? It's centrally located for any place that I might need to go." She commented to Edward as she turned to look at him and smiled.

It was the smile, a genuine smile that reached her eyes, that silently stole Edward's breath away. It caused him to think again about all of his reactions to this woman. He knew he had to have the time and the patience to explore the whole situation to find the answers that he would be seeking.

"Do you need time to get ready for dinner, or would you like to go now?" Edward asked as he continued to watch Bella for all expressions that came and went on her face as she walked around the apartment.

"Considering the time, and the fact that I'm hungry, let's go now and then I'll unpack once I return." Bella answered him with a bit of cautious sounding in her voice.

"Then shall we go?" Edward asked as he turns sideways and motions toward the door.

Bella nods and walks toward the door as she picks up her handbag from where she had dropped it as she had entered the apartment and began exploring it.

Edward drives to what looks like a hole-in-the-wall type eatery from the looks of the place from the outside. And as Edward parks, Bella looks at him as if he had lost his ever-loving mind. He saw the look and smiles before saying, "I know how it looks from the outside, but wait until you see the inside. Besides, I didn't think that you would feel up to going to a high priced, fancy restaurant at the moment. However, I do eat here quite a bit as I know the owners and their food is unbelievablely delicious. You'll be surprised. Also, the inside looks better than the outside as I mentioned earlier." Edward explained his choice of restaurants to her.

Bella listened to his explanation and gave him a smile as he slipped his hand to the small of her back to lead her forward to the entrance of the place. Not quite sure rather Bella believed all that Edward had told her about the place, she was really surprised to find that the interior didn't match the exterior. It was furnished like an old-fashioned café of the fifties and had that type of atmosphere as well. The place was clean and very inviting. Appearances were definitely deceiving.

A man wearing a greased stained apron moved around the counter to greet his customers as Edward and Bella walked into the place. "Greetings, my young friend, it's always a delight to see you. And who is this lovely lady that you are bringing with you this time? This is surely a first." He laughed as he finished speaking and Bella observed a slight blush creeping up Edward's cheeks. Bella looked at Edward as if waiting for an explanation that she was quite sure wouldn't be forthcoming.

Edward seemed to pull himself together after that sort of declaration and asked for his usual table which was in a back corner out of the way of the mainstream of things.

And, as they moved through the restaurant toward their destination, Bella was able to observe the crowd that were already seated and eating. She also saw that each dish was served in an attractive plated manner and that everyone seemed to be enjoying their food despite the manner of dress of the man that had greeted them at the door.

Leaning down toward Bella, Edward quietly whispered, "Don't judge the place by how Rudy looks. He enjoys greeting his customers, especially his regulars, and he also does most of the cooking as well."

Bella nodded once to show that she had heard all that Edward had just said but gave no other outward indication of her thoughts. He had surprised her by how accurately he had read her thoughts

Once they were seated, Rudy told them he would have a server over in a moment and then gave them each a menu so they could decide what they would want to eat. And as he left after telling Edward once again how good it was to see him, a young woman wasn't long appearing at their table.

Edward and Bella gave her their drink order as Bella was looking at the menu to see what the place had to offer which she had assumed that it wasn't that much. But to her surprise the offerings were beyond what she had expected. She had thought that it would only be simple, easy to make type of meals, but instead, it was a place that offered a large variety of meals from hamburger, fries and a shake to steaks with sides, different type of luncheon salads to many desserts.

After looking at the menu a couple of times, Bella decided on steak, baked potato and a salad. Edward ordered the same as Bella and then told her that she had made an excellent choice because Rudy did the juiciest steak in all of L. A.

As they were waiting for their food to be prepared and served, Edward looked at Bella and asked her, "Where in L. A. are you looking for a place to stay?"

"I really have no idea what areas Rosalie and Alice have chosen, but they're very much aware of what my requirements happen to be."

"I see and you say that the apartment meets those requirements easily?" He asked her.

"Completely and then some."

"Good. Good. That's good to know." Was all he said and before he could add anything further, he saw the server coming their way with their food.

Once the food had been placed before them, both occupants remained silent except for the little moans of appreciation that escaped from Bella ever so often as she enjoyed her meal. She was so intent on the enjoyment of a well-cooked steak that she never looked up to see the small smile that was apparent on Edward's face as he watched how much she enjoyed her food.

In fact, he was glad to see that she was a woman that thoroughly enjoyed eating and wasn't some skinny as fuck that only ate or rather picked at a small salad and then complained that they had over-eaten.

As he sat there eating and watching the woman that was seated across from him, Edward was giving a great deal of thought as to how he should try to get Bella to accept use of the apartment for each time that she was in town. If she stayed there, then he would know where she was and would have an easier way of keeping up with her. It would give him the ideal reason for dropping by from time to time to see how she was and to ask her out. He was determined to find out why he was reacting so differently to this woman than he did to his harem as his family would classify them.

Before he could get lost in his thoughts, the quiet placing of silverware being put down on the plate roused his attention back to the woman that was sitting across from him. He saw that she had completely eaten everything that was on her plate and asked if she wanted dessert to which she replied in the affirmative. So, Edward motioned for the server so she could clear the table and bring back whatever sweet that Bella wanted.

Once everything was cleared and Bella was enjoying her strawberry cheesecake, Edward leaned forward on the table and leveled his gaze upon her and asked, "Would you like to consider the apartment as yours to stay at during your various trips to L. A. for the duration of Emmett's project?"

Bella paused with a bite halfway to her mouth due to the question that Edward had just tossed out at her. To say that his unexpected generosity came as a complete surprise would be an understatement. In fact, this Edward that had met her at LAX and the attitude that he has maintained throughout this whole time is very foreign to the one that she had gotten used to. This Edward was one that she could warm up to with no trouble, but she was still going to keep her guard up until she was certain as to which personality was the true Edward Cullen. Too much of his Dr. Jekyll and Hyde routine could give her whiplash.

Edward saw her look of surprise and hesitancy, but continued to push for an answer by asking, "Well, what do you say?"

"Uhu….MMM…." Was all that Bella was able to get out before stopping and trying to start again. "Edward Cullen, are you sure about what you're offering? I mean this complete overnight turnaround of your attitude is suspect to say the least." Bella responded in a somewhat harsh tone that she hadn't intended to do. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so ungrateful about your offer."

"I'm very sure of what I'm offering. I realize that I've been a bit of a pain in the neck since we've first met, but that isn't the real me. I want you to get the know the real man.

"However, the offer is meant to be in the nature of business since we all will be working together for a while. It only makes sense for you to use the apartment instead of being out extra expense for a place that you will only be in and out of. So, what do you say?"

All Bella could do is look at him still not sure how to answer him, but she then finally tell him, "Give me time to think about it. I'm not quite sure what Rosalie and Alice have arranged so I need to check with them before making a final decision. Can you give me at least twenty-four hours?"

"No problem." Was the only answer Edward gave her.

Then as he saw that she had finished eating he let the waitress know that he was ready for the check. Bella went to pull some money from her wallet, but Edward was quick to let her know that dinner was his treat. "My mother would have my head if she ever heard that one of her son's allowed a lady to pay for her own meal. Especially, if the invitation of the meal was his suggestion in the first place." He concluded with a smile.

Edward took her back to the apartment, walked her up to the door and then told her goodnight. With that he turned and left after making sure she entered the apartment and locked the door.

XXXXXX

Once Edward was back home at his house he sat and wondered about his reactions to Isabella Swan. Questioning once again why he was treating her differently from any other woman he had been with in the past. He still believed that once he had his way with her that he would be able to move on the same as he did with all of the other women that he had been associated.

A/N: Edward seems to be questioning his reactions toward Bella. He's wanting to seek answers, but at the same time is having a hard time giving up his original plans on what he wanted to do with Bella. Bella is also questioning Edward's treatment of her and his about face from the last time she had seen him. She is determined to keep her guard up.

Is Edward going to get his answers and change? Is Bella doing the right thing by wanting to think about Edward's offer of the apartment and about keeping her guard up? Should she give him the benefit of doubt and take a chance that he's changing?

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