The Time We Went On Our First Date
It's been just over two weeks since New Year's Eve and things between Edward and me are good, really good. I still pinch myself at the fact that he ran to make it to the square on time for the countdown and my lips still tingle thinking about that kiss. Of course, it wasn't the first time I'd ever kissed Edward but as he said later that night, it was our first proper kiss.
I was a bit concerned after New year that Edward might be expecting to jump straight back into bed together and carry on from where we left off. It's not that I don't want to, I do...I really do but I want to get to know this version of Edward first. When I voiced my concerns to him, Edward said he completely understood and agreed, suggesting that we keep things easy and basically start again from the beginning.
So, over the past two weeks, Edward and I have hung out in a group and he's come over a couple of times with Jasper to have coffee or watch a movie in the evening but we haven't had any more 'proper kisses' since New Year and no alone time at all, choosing instead to keep things tame and casual. It's nice and exactly what he promised but if I'm honest, I'm ready for a little bit more.
It's Friday night and Edward and Jasper are coming over for takeout and a movie. I'm applying a light coating of mascara to my lashes when I hear a knock on the door.
"I'll get it!" Shouts Alice.
I quickly replace the lid on the mascara tube before heading out the door.
"Hey" I say to Jasper when I see him carrying a bag full of food.
"Hey Bella" He says, following Alice into the living room with the takeout. As he walks off my eyes fall on Edward. His face lights up when he sees me.
"Hey" I say quietly.
"Hey" he replies, walking over to me and pulling me into his arms. He dips his head and gives me a brief kiss. I'm still not used to him not checking over his shoulder or keeping things brief in case we get caught. I'm desperate for him to deepen it but now is not the time or the place.
"You look pretty" he whispers for only me to hear. I grin and blush at his words just as Alice yells for us to get our asses in the living room. Edward chuckles and lets me go, following me into the room. We take a seat on the loveseat as Alice hands out the containers of food, before arguing with Jasper over what movie to watch.
"What did you get?" Edward asks, ignoring the bickering on the other side of the room and nodding towards my food..
"Sweet and sour" I reply, "You?"
"Noodles" he says. "Want some?" He asks.
"Sure." I say with a shrug and smile. "Shall we share?" Edward nods with a smile and takes the containers, splitting the food between them. He then hands my container back to me with a grin. Once Allie and Jazz have finally settled on an action movie, of Alice's choosing, we tuck in. The movies okay but not great and once I've finished my food, I realize my mind is wandering.
The feel of Edward's lips on my skin. The feel of his hands on my hips. The feel of his body moving over mine...
I lean back in my seat a little and Edward slides his hand along the back of the couch, pulling me into his side. I look up at him and smile slightly. It still feels so foreign being like this with him, openly in front of everyone. He winks at me in return.
"You okay?" Edward suddenly whispers in my ear after a few moments.
"Yeah I'm fine" I whisper back, turning to face him slightly.
"It's not the best movie, is it? I blame Jasper entirely. He's so fucking whipped." he chuckles at me. I giggle in return.
"Maybe we should be in charge of the group movie night next time," I tell him.
"Yeah" He replies, pausing for a moment and suddenly looking a bit awkward. "Or maybe we could be in charge of the….private movie night?" He asks quietly. "With dinner maybe?"
Oh my god. Is Edward Cullen asking me out?!
"Are you asking me on a date, Cullen?" I ask him, grinning slightly.
"Well I would like to think that all these evenings have been dates as well but...yeah...I guess" he replies shrugging awkwardly.
Awwww he's awkward about it! Be still my beating heart!
I feel almost powerful all of a sudden. For once Edward Cullen, sex extraordinaire is on the back foot.
"You guess? That doesn't sound very committed." I tell him, unable to stop myself from taking advantage of this moment to make him squirm a little.
"Do you want to go to dinner and a movie with me Bella or not?" He asks rolling his eyes.
"Oh, I think it needs to be a bit more sentimental than that Edward?" I tease. "You rolled your eyes at me for one!"
Edward chuckles quietly, relaxing a little, before sitting up a bit straighter. He straightens his face and looks me in the eye.
"Bella, would you like to go to dinner and a movie with me?" He says seriously.
"I would love to" I reply, grinning at him. He grins back.
"Thank fuck for that. That was a task and a fucking half." He chuckles as I slap him on the arm.
"Excuse me, you have to ask someone out properly especially for a first proper date" I argue. He just rolls his eyes at me but laughs a little.
"When?" I ask him after a few minutes of silence.
"Next Friday? That's the tradition right?" He asks, sounding a little unsure.
"Yeah but you've never been one for tradition Edward" I giggle.
"Well maybe I am when it comes to you and first proper dates" he replies, raising an eyebrow at me. "I'll pick you up at seven," he says.
I nod and bite my lip to stop grinning like a fool. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Edward bite the inside of his cheek too.
The history books better be writing this down because it's never fucking happened before. Edward Cullen is going on his first proper date with Bella fucking Swan.
The week passes slowly and by Friday evening I'm a bag of nerves and excitement. When I told Alice that Edward had asked me out on a proper date her jaw almost hit the floor but once recovered, she immediately set about helping me choose what to wear. That meant that by Saturday afternoon, all I had to do was wait the excruciating five days before I next saw Edward. He does call me a couple of times during the week, whenever he gets a break at work and he tells me how much he's looking forward to Friday night but even through his usual bravado I can tell he's a bit nervous. It's really fucking cute.
As I leave the office on Friday, I am almost counting the minutes until seven. I hail a cab and slip into the backseat, before grabbing my phone and sending a quick text to Edward.
See you soon - B
It's cheesy and sappy but right now I don't care. Edward Cullen, the man who doesn't date, never dates, is going to take me to dinner and a movie. A few minutes later my phone buzzes.
Can't fucking wait - E
My heart practically bursts. When I reach my apartment I head up to my floor before unlocking the door and stumbling in. I dump my bag on the counter and kick off my heels just as Alice appears in her bedroom doorway, armed with what appear to be torture devices.
"Get your ass in here now! We need to beautify!" She says, making me laugh as I follow her into the room.
"I don't think I need to go too much over the top Alice. This is Edward after all." I reason with her, trying to swallow the butterflies down and calm myself.
"Yes Bella, it's Edward. The man who has never been on a date in his life. He's making a massive step tonight, the least you can do is look fucking delectable" she says. I laugh at her but nod my head in agreement.
For the next hour, Alice brushes my hair, curling it down my back before pinning some away from my face. She then applies my makeup, giving me a delicate smokey eye and a pink lip. Once she's satisfied she runs to grab the outfit we agreed on. She returns a moment later, placing the items on the bed. After much discussion we settled on a simple, black, sleeveless dress with a tied waist, heeled boots and a leather jacket.
I slip the dress over my head before Alice ties the waist at the back for me and I slip on my boots. Just as I'm putting my earrings in we hear a knock at the door. Alice squeaks before spraying me with perfume.
"This is it!" She whispers, pushing me out of her room and closing the door behind me. I take a deep breath before walking to the front door and opening it. There stands Edward Cullen, looking better than I've ever seen him. This even tops the suit at Rose's benefit dinner. He's dressed in dark pants and a pale blue button down, tucked in and a blazer over the top. His hair is just fucked wild and he's looking at me like I'm something to devour.
"Holy shit" he says as he gazes at me.
"What? Too much?" I ask, suddenly a bit concerned.
"No. No no no. Not too much at all" he rambles a little and I can't help but chuckle. He continues to stare at me for a moment before saying, "Oh! These are for you." He pulls a bouquet of pink roses from behind his back.
"Oh! Thank you, they're beautiful" I say. I really wasn't expecting flowers, especially from Edward. "Let me just put them in a vase." I tell him before walking to the kitchen. Edward waits just inside the door for me to return before I slip on my jacket and grab my purse, telling Alice we are off.
This is fucking it!
We walk down the hallway before Edward presses the button for the lift and we step inside.
"So where are going?" I ask after a moment.
"I booked a table at an Italian place. Its called Nuova Luna." He tells me. I nod as the lift dings our arrival and we step out onto the street. Edward hails a cab and holds the door open for me as I slide in. As we drive through the city, Edward is unusually silent and I notice he continually taps the pocket of his pants where I know he keeps his cigarettes.
He's nervous….which is unheard of.
After a moment, I reach over and grasp his hand in mine, stilling his movements, and giving it a comforting squeeze. His eyes turn to meet mine and he gives me a soft smile and squeezes back. Within a few minutes, we arrive at the restaurant and Edward ushers me through the door. He gives his name and we are shown to a table for two by the window.
The restaurant is fairly large and already busy. There is a bank of large windows looking out over the street and an open kitchen to one side. It's beautifully decorated with golden chandeliers and sturdy oak framing.
"Wow this is beautiful" I say when we are seated with our menus.
"Well I thought it was a special occasion so…" Edward replies with a shrug and a lopsided grin. I smile back before looking at the menu. Everything sounds divine. When the waiter arrives we order our food and a bottle of wine and then finally, we're alone. We're both silent for a moment before I speak.
"So how was your week?" I ask, smiling over at him.
"It was good. Busy but good. How about you?" He replies.
"Yeah not too bad. Same as you really. Busy but good." I tell him. He nods and glances around the room, fingering the stem of his wineglass. Suddenly, the waiter appears again with our bottle of wine and pours us both a glass before disappearing once more.
I look over at Edward, waiting for him to speak but he just takes a long swig of his wine and looks around the room.
Does he not want to be here? This was his idea...
"So..." I say, trying to fill the deafening silence.
"So..." Edward replies, giving me a tight smile and staring at his wine glass. We're silent again for a few moments until I can't bear it anymore.
"Um...is everything okay?" I eventually ask. Edward looks at me and opens his mouth to speak but nothing comes out. "Do you...not...want to do this?" I ask quietly.
"What? No! No of course I do. I've looked forward to it all week" He says quickly leaning forward and taking my hand that rests on the table.
"So, what's the matter?" I ask again. Edward sighs and rubs his hand over his face.
"Honestly..." He says.
"No. Lie to me" I reply, throwing his words from many months ago back at him, making him chuckle and his shoulders relax a little.
"I'm just nervous Bella and I don't know what I'm doing. I've never done this before...going out for dinner with someone...seeing a movie" He trails off as his cheeks go slightly red.
Wow. Who's this Edward and where did Mr Confident go?
"Edward it's only me. The fact that we're having dinner and then seeing a movie doesn't make things different" I tell him gently. His eyes meet mine and I can see the uncertainty behind them. "I know we said we're starting again but that doesn't mean we have to pretend not to know each other. Just talk to me like you normally would." I tell him.
"Okay" He says in a big breath. Our meals arrive and he leans back to allow the waiter to place our plates down.
"This looks delicious" I tell him brightly, picking up my fork and trying to lift the atmosphere.
"Yeah it does" He replies, smiling at me.
"So...tell me how your week has really been" I say to him, sipping my wine and looking at him over the rim of my glass. He chuckles before swallowing his food.
"Well, I have a new patient who seems nice." He tells me.
"Oh yeah? What's his name?" I ask him.
"Laurent. He's French Canadian but apparently has lived in Seattle for like...fifty years or something." He tells me. "He's an old guy with a bad heart but he seems to be taking everything in his stride."
"That's good. I'm sure he looks forward to your rounds" I tell him. He smiles at me before continuing to eat his food.
As we continue to talk I see Edward become more relaxed and more like the man I know. He's joking, teasing and flashing those flirty eyes at me every now and again. It's fun. When the waiter returns to ask if we would like to see the dessert menu, we nod and agree to share a chocolate brownie with raspberries.
"This is the best dessert I've ever had" I tell Edward around a mouthful of ice cream.
"I dunno. I really liked that one you gave me when Alice and Jasper were in Virginia" He says, giving me a wink. This is the first time either of us have addressed our previous sexual relationship and honestly, I thought I'd feel more awkward than I do. I guess knowing that Edward does have feelings for me makes me feel bolder, more confident, more stable.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that one" I say, teasing him.
"Forgot?!" He replies in mock horror. I laugh at him before taking another bite of brownie. "I would hope I am hard to forget" He tells me.
"Oh, you're definitely hard to forget Edward." I tease him, the wine making my mouth loose and my confidence high. He looks at me surprised but I notice the darkening of his eyes and throw him my own wink. I might not be completely ready to jump back into bed but there's no harm in saying I'm open to it in the future.
Once we've finished dessert, Edward suggests we head to the movie theatre. I agree so he asks for the bill before paying and then holds the door open for me as we walk out onto the street. As we walk down the street towards the cinema, Edward holds my hand and pulls me into his side. I can't hide my smile.
"Which movie do you fancy then?" Edward asks me as we stand in front of the current viewings sign.
"Nothing scary" I tell him, glancing at the three horror movies on offer.
"Okay" He chuckles. "How about a good ol' fashioned rom-com then? Let's stick with tradition." He suggests.
"Sure" I tell him with a smile. Edward buys our tickets and a bucket of popcorn. I tell him I don't think I could eat anything else but he insists that it's tradition and we need to have our "hands bumping in the bucket" moment.
"I don't think that actually happens in real life Edward" I tell him with a chuckle.
"Well it should" He replies. I can't help but laugh at his ridiculousness. Once we have our tickets and food we head into the theatre. We find our seats and thankfully aren't surrounded by anyone, the theatre being fairly empty, before Edward places the bucket of popcorn between us. The final trailer plays on the screen and then we're plunged into darkness.
As soon as the lights go out I feel an electric current buzz between us. I glance over at Edward and he's already looking at me, his eyes glittering in the darkness. I give him a small smile and he smiles back. The movie is actually really good and it has both Edward and me laughing out loud in no time at all. After a few moments, I reach over to take some popcorn and find Edward's hand already in the bucket. I look over at him with wide shocked eyes and stifle a laugh at his mirrored expression.
"I fucking told you! I'm like a goddamn prodigy at this dating shit" He tells me as he chuckles.
"Tell me you have not had your hand in that bucket this whole time hoping this would happen." I tease him in a whisper as I try to stifle a laugh.
"Fuck off Bella. If I was going to bump anything with you it would be uglies not hands." He replies. I snort in an effort to keep quiet which just makes Edward laugh harder, which in turn makes me laugh even harder.
Thank god we're far away from everyone else in the theatre.
"Fuck Edward? Uglies?!" I gasp quietly, trying desperately to breathe through my laughter.
"What?! I was trying to be polite!" He gasps in return. My cheeks ache from laughing and my chest hurts from trying to stay quiet and judging by Edward's teary eyes he's finding it hard too.
After a few moments, we quiet down and recover, only occasionally giggling in the dark. I try to focus on the movie and eventually settle back into the story when I see Edward glancing over at me from the corner of his eye. I hear him let out a sigh before muttering something to himself and reaching over to grab my hand. I look over at him and give him a soft smile. He grins back and gives me a wink.
For the rest of the movie, Edward holds my hand, his thumb stroking soothing circles. It's driving me mad and I can't seem to ignore the way his skin feels against mine. I sigh a little and lean back into my seat. Eventually, Edward stops his soothing circles and instead starts dragging two fingers along the side of my palm. It tickles but the movement reminds me of when he used to touch me and I feel my breathing start to increase. I glance over at him and he's smirking in the dark.
Oh he's doing this on purpose. Well, two can play at that game.
I move my hand a little so that I can wrap my fingers around his index finger and slowly start to pump my hand up and down, mimicking what I would do if I could touch him. I hear a rumble from beside me and glance over at Edward. He's resting his head on the back of his seat and his face is slightly pained as he stares at the screen. I glance down and see him straining against his pants.
Oh yeah. Don't mess with me Cullen.
I giggle a little at he looks over me, giving me smirk. He leans in and whispers in my ear.
"You are a right little minx, you know that?" He says.
"Takes one to know one Cullen" I reply, giving him a grin. He chuckles slightly before grasping my hand tightly to stop my movements.
The rest of the movie passes uneventfully and soon the credits are rolling and the lights are turning on. I blink into the brightness and look over at Edward to see him doing the same. We both stand and head out of the theatre and then onto the street. The air has turned chilly and I pull my jacket around me tightly.
"So I guess I better be getting you home." Edward says. I nod a little, disappointed that the evening has ended but knowing it must be almost midnight by now. Edward hails a cab and holds the door as I slip in the back. He holds my hand the entire ride home and when he lets go to exit the car, I immediately feel its loss.
"You don't have to walk me up if you want to keep the cab Edward." I tell him.
"No I want to walk you up. I'll catch another cab in a minute." He insists before following me into the lobby and waiting while I press the button. We enter the lift and Edward immediately retakes my hand in his. After a few moments, the lift dings as we exit onto my floor. We walk to the door before I turn to face him.
"So..." I say, unsure what to say now that the evening has come to an end.
"So..." He replies, smiling at me.
"I had a really nice evening. Thank you" I tell him. He nods and grins.
"Me too. Thanks for making it a very easy first proper date for me." He chuckles.
"You're welcome" I reply with a giggle.
We continue to stand there for a moment in silence before Edward moves towards me slowly. He dips his head and gives me a soft kiss. He goes to pull away but I can't handle it anymore. After the last two weeks of gentle touches and stolen stares, the evening of laughter and teasing, I can't cope with just a tame kiss goodnight.
I reach up and run my fingers through his hair, keeping his mouth fused to mine as I swipe my tongue over his bottom lip. He groans and opens his mouth, massaging his tongue against mine as he pushes me back slightly so my back is against the door. His hands move to my hips as he continues to kiss me breathless. After a minute or so, I need to pull away for some much needed air. As I do Edward's eyes flutter open and I can see his pupils are dilated and lips pink and swollen.
"Wow." He says quietly before chuckling a little to himself.
"Sorry. I just...needed a bit more than a quick kiss goodnight" I tell him quietly, suddenly a bit embarrassed by my desperate actions.
"Don't be sorry. I've been wanting to do that ever since New Year" He tells me, shaking his head a little.
"Really?" I ask. "Why didn't you then?"
"I didn't want to rush you I guess. I didn't want you to think that kissing you, touching you...fucking you was all I wanted." He shrugs a little and his cheeks go slightly pink.
"Well...I think it's okay if we do some kissing from now on" I tell him, grinning a little.
"Yeah?" He asks, a lopsided grin on his face.
"Yeah" I tell him. He grins and leans in again, kissing me breathless once more before he pulls away.
"Okay, I'm going to go because otherwise, I won't be able to stop myself from doing way more than kissing." He says honestly, adjusting himself slightly to show his meaning.
"Okay. Me too" I giggle. He chuckles as I turn and unlock the door.
"Well thank you again. I guess I'll see you at some point this week?" I ask as I walk into the apartment.
"Yeah of course" He replies smiling at me. "Night Bella" He says, walking backwards towards the lift. I watch him as he presses the button and then steps into the lift with a smile and a wave.
As I lock up behind myself, I notice the pink roses still sitting on the counter and can't help but smile. Suddenly I hear a door creak open and turn to see Alice peeking through the crack.
"What are you doing?" I ask with a laugh.
"Wanted to make sure you were alone." She says with a shrug, opening the door properly.
"Of course I'm alone" I tell her with a shake of my head.
"Well you never know." She says, making me roll my eyes. "Anyway, now that I know you are riding solo I expect you to get your ass in here and tell me everything!" She says with a squeak, stepping to one side to let me in. I laugh as I walk into her room, taking a seat on her bed.
And I do. I tell her everything.