A/N: I do not own the characters.

Chapter 4

Bella POV

Bella felt like she was floating on her way to her Child Psychology class. She couldn't believe that in just 24 hours her feelings for Edward changed so drastically. She almost wanted to pinch herself to make sure that the past day wasn't a complete dream - she didn't want to wake up in her bed and find out that everything that had happened wasn't real.

Just before she reached the building her class was in her phone chirped at her and, expecting Alice, she paused just outside the door and pulled her cell out of her back pocket. When she read the text message she froze in shock and felt a burst of excitement shoot through her.

Have a good class, beautiful. Would it be alright if I picked you up after your last class today? -Edward

Bella's heart did a little pitter patter in response and she couldn't fight the smile that came upon her face. She hesitated a moment before responding to him; she was terrified of the power that this one man held over her. In just one day she felt more for him than she ever had for Jacob or any of her exes - what if Edward broke her heart? She didn't know if she would be able to survive the pain that she knew would come.

She took a deep breath and shook her head to clear it of the thoughts that were swarming through her. Edward swore that he had changed and from the small amount of time that she had spent with him last night she almost instinctively knew that he was telling the truth. Some people might call her stupid, and she would agree with them, but she would end up thinking 'What if?' when it came to Edward and she didn't want to have that regret living over her. She took another deep breath before replying to Edward's text.

Thank you. Of course you can pick me up. What will we be doing? -Bella

She pocketed her phone and continued to her classroom and was happy that when she took her seat that she had a few minutes before her teacher was to begin their class. She looked back at her phone.

It's a surprise. -Edward

Ok...And can I ask how you got my number? I am pretty sure that I never gave it to you. :) -Bella

I was going to ask you on the way to school but you distracted me so I asked Jasper who was more than happy to give it to me. -Edward

Good to know that he is willing to give my number out to just anyone… -Bella

He better not be giving your number out to just anyone lol -Edward

Whatever. Do you want me to text you when my last class is over? -Bella

Yes, I'll just meet you by your class building and I'll walk you to my car. -Edward

Can't wait -Bella

Bella was so wrapped up in her conversation with Edward that she didn't immediately notice the teacher start his lecture. She quickly put her phone away and pulled out her laptop to compose her notes. She had to shake her head free from the Edward fog that it was in but she was able to focus on school for the next couple hours.

Noon came around faster than she thought it would and before she knew it she was texting Edward that class was over and heading out the door of her Teaching Methods class only to find Edward waiting for her outside the door with his signature crooked grin that she loved so much.

"I thought I was supposed to text you when I was done?" She asked him with a smile on her face. The butterflies were back in full force flying around in her stomach, she had to force herself to swallow down the nervousness and tried not to let it show on her face.

"I wanted to surprise you," he told her. He grabbed her hand that was hanging down by her side and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I want to take you out to lunch, is that okay?" He asked her quietly.

"Of course," she muttered.

The two of them walked out of the building with Edward's hand on the small of her back - she felt the stares of some of the female population but was completely engrossed in her little bubble with Edward while they talked about their day.

"I feel like everyone is staring at us," Bella joked as they got to the parking lot and were headed to Edward's car.

"They're not staring at us, they're staring at you. I guess they've never seen a beautiful woman before," Edward murmured. She looked up at him but couldn't tell if he was joking or not. She had a feeling that while she was with Edward that she should get used to compliments - she didn't have any faith in that.

"Yeah, whatever you say," Bella scoffed. Edward gave her a look out of the corner of his eyes as they got to his car but instead of opening up the door for Bella he pushed her gently against the car.

"When are you going to see yourself the way that I see you?" He asked her.

The two of them were so close that she could see slight gold flecks in his eyes. Her heartbeat started galloping like a racehorse as his eyes flicked from hers down to her lips. Bella wanted to pinch herself to make sure that she wasn't dreaming - she felt like she was going to wake up in her bedroom in her apartment and that the last 24 hours were going to be a dream.

"How do you see me?" Bella asked him. As she stared into Edward's eyes the world around them faded away and it was just the two of them.

He reached up with one of his hands and brushed her hair behind her ear and then cupped her cheek while his other hand came to her waist. "To me you are so beautiful. I love the way your eyes just sparkle when you are talking about something that you are really passionate about, I love the crease you get in the middle of your forehead in between your eyebrows when you are frustrated, I love the way you blush when your I say something that embarresses you, I love the way that you bite your lip when you're nervous, and I especially love what's in here," he said while pointing to her head. "You are so smart and I could talk to you for hours about anything and never get bored."

Bella just stood in front of him with her mouth hanging open in shock. This man had paid such close attention to her for so long that he had caught onto all of her little quirks. In that moment, next to his car on a slightly overcast day, in the parking lot of the college Bella could feel herself falling for this amazing man.

"How did I get so lucky to have you in my life?" Bella whispered to herself. She didn't mean for him to respond but he did.

"I think you have that the wrong way; I'm the lucky one."

Bella didn't know who moved first but one second they were looking into each other's eyes and then the next their lips were pressed together in the hottest and sweetest kiss she had ever had. She forgot where she was and poured herself into the kiss - she gave everything she had to Edward, she wanted to show him exactly how she felt for him. She felt him pour himself into the kiss, also, and her heart skipped a beat as she felt his tongue lightly skim her bottom lip.

Before they could go too much farther with one another Bella heard someone clear their throat. She pulled back from Edward with a gasp and stared around her. A couple people were staring at the two of them - she felt the blood flow to warm her cheeks as she buried her face in Edward's chest. The two of them laughed together as their hearts slowed down and Bella could feel the blush leave her cheeks.

Edward pulled back to cup her face in between his hands.

"You are truly amazing," he whispered to himself. She smiled at him and leaned up to give him a chaste kiss before pulling away - she had to make sure that she didn't get carried away again.

"So, what are we going to do for lunch?" She asked Edward. He just smiled at her and pulled the door of the car open for her.

"I told you it was a surprise," he told her. She rolled her eyes but got in the car and watched him walk around the car to the driver's side.

"Do I get a hint?" She asked him. He just shook his head with a smile as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

While he drove them to their destination he asked Bella about her family and the town that she was from. Bella lost herself in the conversation while she talked about her mother and her friends from home. She lost herself in stories of her parents from when she was a child - she was particularly close to her father who was the chief of police in the small town of Forks that she had grown up in.

They pulled up to a small restaurant on the outskirts of downtown Seattle - she had never been to this building before.

"What is this place?" She asked him.

"It's this little diner that I stumbled upon during my sophomore year. It's owned by this sweet older couple - you'll love them," Edward told her. He got out of the car and rushed to her door before she had a chance to open it. He gave her a light kiss before motioning for her to go in front of him.

"Did you go to like a manners class or something?" She asked him when he opened the front door for her again.

"No, why?" He asked her with a smile.

"No guy I have ever been with has ever opened the door for me, especially not this many times. I'm starting to wander if you're even real," she teased him.

"My mom made sure to raise me with the utmost manners. I know I haven't been acting my best towards the female population at the school but I'm going to make sure that with you I am at my best always," he told her.

She just rolled her eyes as they walked into the small restaurant - she wasn't sure how to respond to that. This man was a mystery to her sometimes, but one that she desperately wanted to solve.

Edward POV

The two of them were greeted by a small voice calling his name from behind the counter.

"Edward! It's been so long, boy." Mrs. Cope came to him with her arms out and even gave his cheeks a gentle pat when she was done with her hug. "You are still so thin, you need to eat more, dear boy," she told him, sternly.

"I'll keep that in mind, Mrs. Cope. There's someone that I would like you to meet," he said while he gestured to Bella who was standing by his side chewing on her bottom lip in nervousness. He smiled at her before placing his hand on the small of her back. "This is Bella Swan, my date for tonight."

"You are lovely, sweetheart," Mrs. Cope told Bella. She reached out and grabbed her into a hug before she also patted Bella on the cheeks softly. "You are also too thin. Are you two under too much stress at that college of yours?" She asked them but before they could respond she continued. "Too much schoolwork these days and too much pressure. I'll take you to your table, Edward and make sure to have your coffee ready for you. What would you like, dear?" She asked Bella as they reached a table in the corner of the little restaurant.

"I'll just have the same thing as Edward, please," she mumbled. Edward gave Bella a bright grin as Mrs. Cope walked back to the kitchen to grab their drink orders.

"She's a little much," Edward told her.

"I think that's a slight understatement," Bella said with a small smile on her lips. "So, you come here a lot?"

"Yeah, ever since that first time two years ago I haven't been able to stay away from this place. Mrs. Cope is almost like a second mother to me - I'll sure miss her when I graduate this spring," he mumbled.

"I think she'll miss you, too." Bella was cut off when Mrs. Cope came back with their coffees.

"Usual for you, Edward?" She asked him with a knowing smirk.

"You know me too well, Mrs. Cope."

"And what would you like, dear?" She asked when she turned back to Bella. Edward watched her widen her eyes before looking at Edward.

"What's good here?" She asked him.

"I have their turkey sandwich - it's to die for, but pretty much everything they make is amazing. Mr. Cope is the chef and he hasn't disappointed me yet," Edward told her.

Bella smiled at that before she looked at the menu that was in front of her. "I'll just have the ham sandwich."

"Coming right up," Mrs. Cope smiled at them again before heading back towards the kitchen and leaving the two of them alone.

"So, I seem to have met your second mother, what about your first one? I don't know if I've ever heard you talk about your family before," she told him.

Edward didn't talk about his home life often at the school. It wasn't because he had a bad one - it had more to due with his need for privacy. People assumed that he wasn't close to his family but they would be wrong - he was a severe mommy's boy up until high school and even then he was very close to her.

"My family can sometimes be a bit of a handful," he told her. "I'm close to parents but more to my mother, Esme, she's just always been there for me. I'm the baby of the family so she's always been a little reluctant for me to grow up. She almost had a heart attack when I told her I wanted to go to school all the way out here."

"You're from Chicago, right?" She asked him.

"Yeah, my dad is the Chief of Surgery at Chicago Medical Center and my mom has her own interior designing company. My dad wanted me to follow in his footsteps but I never saw the thrill in the long hours of studying and then the even longer hours working. I have nothing but respect for him and everyone that is in the medical field but I just couldn't see myself doing that. I've always had an interest in writing and once he saw that I wasn't going to be like him he supported me in my decision to become an author," Edward told her.

"You're really lucky to have such honorable parents. How long have they been married?"

"23 years. I've always wanted to have what they had but I just never really found the right girl before you," he told her. She smiled at him before he continued, "I have one other sibling, Rosalie, she's 23 years old - the honeymoon baby. She's a social worker down in Chicago. She's actually dating a police officer named Emmett McCarty - I'm waiting for the call that they are getting married, they are pretty serious."

"So, all of your family is down there in Chicago?" She asked him, shyly.

"Pretty much. I think I have some distant relatives that don't live in the city but all of my immediate family lives pretty close to each other."

"Is that where you're planning to go after you graduate?" She didn't know why the thought of him leaving to go so far away made her heart ache.

"I'm not entirely sure yet, guess I'll have to see if I have anyone wanting me to stay here with them," Edward told her with a sly wink.

Bella opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by the food arriving. She just scowled at Edward in a teasing manner as Mrs. Cope placed their sandwiches in front of them and - after they told her thank you - left them to enjoy their lunch together.

"You would stay in Washington if someone asked you to?" She asked him.

"I mean, it would have to be this gorgeous brunette who I really enjoy spending time with," he told her.

She leaned across the table to give his arm a playful slap before picking up her sandwich and taking a big bite. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as all of the flavors fell onto her tongue - it was like she had an orgasm from the food. Edward just stared at her for a second, not knowing what to do but ended up laughing at the look on her face. She looked like she had a divine experience.

"See, I told you their food is amazing," he said.

"Remind me to never doubt you again." She smiled at him. He just laughed at her as they continued their lunch.

As he watched Bella devour her sandwich across from him - and the way that she would snort when he said something that she found hilarious - he felt something change inside of him.

He told Bella the truth when he told her that he wanted to have the kind of relationship that his parents had but up until he met Bella he never thought that he would get it and just kept everything he did casual. He was starting to see how he could easily have a future with this beautiful woman he was on a date with.

As Bella reached over to steal one of his fries with a giant smile on her face he felt himself start to slowly fall in love with her. He knew one thing for certain - this woman was going to be his future.

A/N: How do you like it? So, they are both slowly falling in love with the other and we got to hear a little bit more about their families. I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter. Review, review, review! I really love to hear what everyone thinks of the story.