DISCLAIMER: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight not me. I just love playing around with the characters we all know and love. :-)

Authors Notes:

***Sorry for slow updates on both my stories. I have had LOTS on my plate for the last couple months and have gotten very little time to write. :-( (Evicting Roomate, 1-3 doctors appointments weekly through high risk pregnancy, working 50+hours, 2 kids, no nanny anymore so I always have the kids, my husband, pregnant,... life) I do have to sleep sometime. LOL. Sorry again. I finally had my baby boy through an unplanned c-section and then my son had to be placed in the NICU, where he spent his first 2 weeks. :-( ***WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE! I cried constantly everyday terrified for my son, and I am NOT a crier.***) He's home now though and is doing well. :-) So now add a newborn onto my heap of responsibilities. So very tired... ;-)

***Back to Bella POV this chapter

***Small time skip, about a week.

***Date night

CHAPTER #13: Initial Affair

BPOV

SATURDAY OCTOBER 10th

"I have never seen you so nervous before?" Angela was eating her cereal while watching me through a worried frown. I had been up for hours already, unable to sleep any further thanks to my nerves.

"I'm not nervous." I wasn't even looking at her as I spoke. Instead I was furiously scrubbing every surface I could find in the kitchen. It was a habit I'd inherited from my mother. Whenever I was antsy I couldn't stop cleaning. It was a nervous habit but at least a more productive one then biting my nails or pacing.

"Really?" My eyes met Angela's skeptical ones before quickly returning to my task.

"No. There's just lots to clean." I gestured to the already immaculate kitchen but Angela didn't look with me, as she knew everything was spotless already. She got up with her bowl and I immediately grabbed it from her before cleaning it, then the sink... again.

"Uh-huh." She smirked before walking to the living room, which I had already cleaned. I followed after I'd finished with the sink and she laid out on the couch, patting the spot next to her and giving me a pointed look. I sat with her and then had to fight the urge to bounce my leg up and down. Her eyes went to the barely contained movement before she looked at me with a small smile while patting my leg, though she may have been trying to contain the erratic jerking... "Not nervous at all huh?"

I sighed before nodding in defeat. Of course I was nervous. It was Saturday, the day of Edward and I's date... our first date. For once Angela wasn't giving me any grief about it either, perhaps sensing that I was enough of a nervous wreck without any help.

When I had come home from the fundraiser she'd been asleep and I'd been grateful for the time to process the whole night. Nothing could have kept the smile off my face in the aftermath of everything that had happened with Edward. I hadn't expected to be attending an event at his firm, I hadn't expected to see him there as a result, I certainly hadn't expected him to ask me out, and I definitely hadn't expected him to kiss me. The night had been one big surprise that had left my mind reeling and my mood soaring. When he proceeded to text me all night after it all, my happiness level only increased. He was playful as usual but I also felt a lightness from him that I hadn't really sensed before, like a weight was off his shoulders.

"Relax." She smiled comfortingly and all I could do was nod weakly. I had told Angela the following day everything that had happened at the party, including Edward kissing me and she had been almost as excited as I was. She was already hard core 'Team Edward' despite not having met him yet. When I had reminded her of that little fact she shrugged and explained that any guy that made me this happy was 'A-okay' in her book. I had to hug her at the comment while she laughed. I could only hope Edward and I would get equal support from everyone else in our lives, even-though I somehow doubted that would happen.

We had taken to calling and texting each-other all the time now and no matter what we talked about it always felt perfect. I talked about my parents, the upcoming PTA meeting that I was so nervous about, work in general, schooling, Angela,... everything. In return he talked about everything in his own life including the issues he was now having with his ex-wife. I was a little surprised and more then a little honored that he was letting me in on such personal things and it just made my feelings for him grow.

I had noticed that on Monday when he'd picked up Lizzie he was unusually aggravated. I had seen him angry and frustrated before but this was different. His eyes were far away and in the short maybe 5-10 minutes he'd been in my classroom he had ruffled his hands through his hair at least a dozen times, which explained its disheveled but still amazing appearance. I hadn't pressed him for any information at the time, sensing it was about Lizzie's mother given everything that had been occurring in his life lately. I just gave a polite goodbye, not wanting to confuse Lizzie with any budding relationship between myself and her dad. He had smiled at me genuinely through his tension and had gripped my hand warmly but briefly before releasing it so he could take Lizzie home. It was a small gesture but I appreciated him taking the time to show me he was thinking of me, in whatever way he could.

The following evening he had called me at his usual time, after the both of us had eaten dinner and all our work was done. Since Lizzie was at her mom's it was the first chance we had to really talk about what was upsetting him Monday. He had sounded so incredibly exhausted that I knew whatever it was had left him drained. I tentatively asked him what was wrong and he had actually told me, in detail, everything. His lawyer had filed papers granting him temporary sole legal custody of Lizzie and that he would be fighting for that to become permanent as well as for more physical custody, though Tanya wasn't aware of that part yet. She was however VERY much aware of the legal issue and was making his life a living hell because of it. To say I was surprised at his willingness to include me in such personal things would be putting it mildly. Despite the seriousness of it all, I couldn't help feeling ecstatic that he was trusting me with such information and was leaning on me for support.

I had asked if he was handling it all okay and he admitted to feeling like he was doing both the right and the wrong thing simultaneously with regards to Lizzie. He knew that Lizzie needed a more secure and dependable environment then what Tanya was offering but at the same time he hated himself for the idea of taking away Lizzie's mother in any way. After he explained everything that he'd been putting up with from Tanya over the years, not just since Lizzie started kindergarten, I could more then understand his unwillingness to allow it all to continue. I could also see why he had put up with it as long as he had though as Tanya was STILL Lizzie's mom, however flawed she may be. The fact that he hadn't come to this solution easily proved how wonderful of a father he was and I told him so. He had sighed heavily at my support and thanked me though he didn't sound very convinced. I could tell it was all continuing to eat at him but I was going to try my best to remind him that what was best for Lizzie in the long run was really the only option he had.

To distract him I had changed the subject and the first thing that came to mind was our tentative first date. When he had asked me out he had given no further information not even a day so I was more then a little curious. He laughed at my question and of course made me blush with statements like 'Eager are we, Ms. Swan?' After I had admitted that I was he laughed more before confessing that he was as well and wanted to take me out Saturday... this Saturday. He threw a surprise at me when he explained that what he had planned was an all day thing so he would be picking me up in the morning and we would return after dinner, late. I was beyond curious about what he had planned but he refused to tell me anything no matter how much I asked. I admitted to him that I hated surprises and always had, to which his response was a simple 'Tough'.

I had relayed his surprise plan for us to Angela and she laughed at the displeased look on my face. She had stated that she really liked him now and thought he was perfect for me if he was willing to annoy me just to give me a romantic surprise. I wasn't sure how to respond to that. Did her logic even make sense? She shrugged it off and explained that I needed to just go with it.

"Why are you so nervous anyway? The two of you have already kissed so that's got to be quite the load off your mind." She seemed genuinely curious and of course mentioning our kiss just made me turn red and smile stupidly.

"I don't know. I'm just worried..." I trailed off not knowing how to put it into words. She waited patiently for me to continue. "What if I don't know what to say? What if he gets bored of me? What if I act like I usual do with men... you know, clueless?"

She chuckled but to her credit she tried to keep it in, probably knowing I was completely serious and not just being deliberately ridiculous. "B you talk to the man every single day. Clearly the two of you aren't without conversation topics." I went to object to her statement about Edward and I talking EVERYDAY but her knowing look made me stay silent. She could probably hear me talking with him most nights as our walls were thin and he was always making me laugh. "Now why on earth would he get bored of you?"

"I'm not really all that interesting. I work, take a couple online classes, and that's about it. He has a deeply involved career, family, ex-wife, a child... He has a lot more in his life then I do in mine."

"...and yet he chooses to spend what little free time he has with YOU, Bella. What do you think that means?" She waited for my response and I couldn't resist smiling at the point she was trying to make. "You know what it tells me?" She didn't wait for a response before answering her own question. "It says that he likes YOU, just the way you are. He doesn't find you boring at all, and he obviously finds you to be far from clueless." I nodded and gave her a hug. She could always make me feel better.

"Thanks Ang."

"You're welcome. So when is Mr. 'so incredibly beyond cute' getting here?" She winked at my eye-roll. I knew she was making light of the situation by using her old nickname for him. Amazingly enough the title relaxed me. I had used those words to describe him back when I thought there was zero possibility that he had any feelings for me. Here I was though, going on a date with him. I guess Angela had been right from the start when she'd claimed he was interested in me.

"He said he'd be here by 6." I glanced at my phone and it was past 4. "What time do you work?"

"6." She smiled at my relieved expression that immediately turned apologetic after realizing how obvious my relief was. She laughed dismissively though, obviously not offended. She stood up and headed toward her bedroom. After she got to the room and had her hand paused over the doorframe she turned to me with a naughty grin.

"What?"

"Well I just realized that it will be just you and him when he gets here..." She let the words trail off.

"Yeah?"

"Well I suppose I'm curious about what will happen, given what happened the last time the two of you were alone." My blush was my only response so she just shrugged while walking into her room to change clothes.

…...

KNOCK KNOCK

My smile came unwitting at the thought of any knock knock jokes he had prepared for me today. It was surprising any other thought had penetrated my mind around what Angela had said to me before she left for work. 'Have fun.' Obviously not innately ominous words but her innocent smile certainly implied the opposite... She had only left about 15 minutes prior and my mind was still reeling. What would happen between Edward and me? I opened the door quickly, unable to hold in my excitement in spite of all my frayed nerves.

The moment I saw him I almost couldn't believe he was really here, yet there he stood. All of his 'so incredibly beyond cute' glory smiling at me and taking me in with an all encompassing look that made my breath catch.

"Hi." I spoke in a whisper as I took in his clothing. He was wearing a deep blue tight shirt with a charcoal jacket over the top and matching slacks. It was clear that this was 'casual wear' for him as it wasn't his usual tailored suit but he looked amazing just the same. He was wearing that perfect smile to finish up his look but his eyebrows lowered after a moment into a subtle frown.

"No 'who's there?'" I couldn't resist smiling at his obvious disappointment and the thought that he hadn't even said hi yet. This was our standard greeting, a knock knock joke, not a simple ordinary 'Hello'. Something about that made me smile though I didn't exactly know why.

His eyes stayed on me and as always they seemed to gaze right through me. How his eyes could invoke so much emotion I'd never know but it was as incredible as it was undeniable. "Sorry." I glanced up at him after realizing I'd lowered my gaze, and he was smirking at me while taking in whatever expression I wore. Why did he have to be so put together when I always felt like a mess in his presence? I held open the door a bit wider and he took the hint to come in.

"Who's there?" Was that as whispered as it felt? I hadn't intended to sound so meek but oh well. I might as well embarrass myself right away rather then wait in suspense for it to happen at some other point during our date. He smiled widely at my question before stepping right into my space, with zero hesitation and complete focus.

"Kiss." His smile was far to powerful for his own good and my blush was far to predictably pathetic to not be embarrassing. Regardless I found myself responding anyway.

"Kiss who?" I'd barely gotten the question out before he had leaned down and kissed me. My breath caught and his hand lightly lifted my chin upward to him. He kept his hand there as his lips warmed mine. I didn't have to think to kiss him back with the same intensity. His hand on my chin moved up just enough to reach my jaw where his thumb lightly stroked the corner of my lips apart. They easily opened up for him and as soon as he got the reaction he had aimed for I could actually feel his smile before he deepened the kiss even more.

His other hand held me along the small of my back and I clasped my own together behind his neck. Eventually he pulled back just enough that I could feel his breathing on my lips. Eventhough I kept my eyes closed to savor the moment, I could tell he was smiling.

"Kiss me." He gave me a subtle wink and with that any possible tension was broken and I couldn't help laughing in earnest which he joined in on. It didn't escape my notice that neither of us released the other as we laughed and that just made me smile more.

"I think you may have told that one wrong." I spoke through the laughs and he chuckled while stroking my hair in a firm but gentle way.

"Perhaps... but my delivery was effective."

Well it's hard to argue with that...

…...

Edward was adamant about getting to wherever we were going on time but he was equally as determined not to tell me anything about where that was. Riding in his car was an interesting experience, or perhaps nerve wracking was a better choice of words. The moment I had stepped into it I immediately regretted having looked up his car and learning what it was worth. Knowing I was in a car worth what this one was left me with an irrational fear of dirtying or breaking something. I tried my best to hide my careful behavior but he more than once asked me if I was okay so I knew I was failing.

Luckily Edward didn't focus on my strange behavior but instead asked me about anything and everything. He started off by asking me some of the most random questions. At first I thought it was odd and he laughed at my perplexed expressions, but pressed along with the questions anyway. I actually found it interesting, as I relayed many of the questions back at him, how much significance there was in the little things. One example was when he asked me my favorite color. I had shrugged and told him the truth, brown. Something about that had utterly surprised him and his immediate response had been, 'as in the color of dirt?' That had made me laugh amazingly hard before I reminded him that it was also the color of chocolate, coffee, the earth, wood, and a million other things.

"Brown is warm and comforting. I think that's beautiful." We were at a red light when I said that, rather proudly in fact, and his response was to wordlessly grab my hand and kiss it before giving me a knowing smile.

Not to long into our drive I realized that we were heading towards the coast. Where were we going? He began to slow down once we were close to the harbor. What were we doing here?

Edward pulled into a parking lot a small walk away from the ferries all along the shore. I looked to him in question only to be met with his cocky smile followed by a wink. I smiled back despite myself and he chuckled before stepping out of the car. I opened my own door and stepped out in response just as he reached my side of the car.

"I believe that's my job, Ms. Swan." He glared at me playfully and I shrugged back while wearing an innocent smile. I had noticed from my interactions with Edward that he was nothing if not a gentleman. With me, Lizzie, and even a couple random women in passing, Edward always held doors open. It figured he wouldn't like it if I did it myself.

I blushed a bit as his hand reached my right side and he pulled me against him, continuing to hold me as he led us to wherever we were going. "Are you going to tell me now?"

"So curious..." He chuckled and I took advantage of our closeness to lightly elbow him in his side. "Ow." He smiled at me as he spoke, clearly mocking my lack of strength. I was going to say more but he surprised me by leaning down and kissing the top of my head. It wasn't a lingered or drawn out kiss, but rather a simple and sweet gesture. It was like touching me just came natural to him... the kiss, him wrapping his arm around my waist, all of it. I had no sooner wrapped my own arm around him that he finally answered my question. "We're going to Canada."

What?

…...

It turned out he was completely serious about where we were going. We were boarding a ferry to a small island called Victoria, which was off the coast of British Columbia. He was shocked that I'd actually never been to Canada and had only been on a ferry twice, both times when I was very young. Apparently there was one ferry company that virtually only did rides to and from the island, with it being a 3 hour trip each way. Edward had already purchased our tickets in advance so we were able to bypass the line for that, which was much larger than I would have expected.

"Are you excited?" He asked as we took our seats. I was grateful to find that we were right next to the window so we could see everything. Would we see any whales or something?

I couldn't hide my excitement as I nodded at him with a big smile in place. We both ordered a light breakfast of oatmeal and fruit, and made easy conversation as we ate. He explained how he used to take weekend trips all the time with his family as a kid but hadn't been back in years. He explained that the island had a lot to see and he was excited to show me the sights.

I was more than a little intrigued by the effort he put into this date already. Apparently you didn't need a passport to take the ferry but you did need to have an enhanced drivers license which the crafty man had learned I had during one of his random series of questions, earlier in the week. During the last 30 minutes of the ride he took us outside so we could watch the ocean and the island as we pulled up. It was a bit chilly out but I had no sooner wrapped my arms around myself before Edward had positioned himself right behind me and proceeded to rub my arms up and down, warming them, as we continued to talk to each-other. I was glad he was behind me so he couldn't see my blush.

We pulled up to the port on time and he took my hand effortlessly as we left the ferry. We rented a car since we didn't have a lot of time to see the sights and neither of us wanted to waste time waiting for a cab to arrive repeatedly.

"Normally I spend a whole weekend here so I can see everything but since we only have today you can pick where we go." He smiled at me before he started driving towards the area he considered the 'heart' of Victoria since it had the best sights.

I had googled 'sights to see in Victoria B.C. and there really was a lot for such a small island. Since I had no idea what I would like the best I asked for his opinion. When he told me his favorite sight was the Parliament Building I had to make fun of the cliche lawyer liking such a thing. We had parked nearby when I said this and he took the opportunity to tickle me in retaliation. I relented quickly as I was very sensitive to tickling and he mocked me for his easy victory.

Just like before Edward took my hand easily and led the way to the building. I was absolutely speechless at the beauty and size of it. I had of course seen pictures of it on the internet but none gave it the opulent credit it deserved. It looked closer to a castle than a government building and the green/blue color of the roof seemed to be a beautiful representation of the ocean coast all around the island. We had the option of either a guided tour or no guide so we went without, just to save time.

With the sheer size of the buildings and all the views both inside and out we ended up spending a little over two hours there. The outside was my favorite part of the buildings because of the sheer splendor and size. Edward told me that it looks amazing closer to Christmas because they go all out with decorations. He smiled at my disappointment and promised to bring me back so I could see it. The thought of a future visit was a happy one.

"Lizzie can come too. She loves Christmas lights." I agreed adamantly knowing Lizzie would love to paint something like that. When I had looked up sights to see in Victoria I noticed a few artsy destinations that I knew I would love but truthfully it made me miss Lizzie. I had never met anyone who loved art as much as that little girl did and it would be wonderful to see it all with her. When we left the parliament buildings we walked to a small coffee shop nearby and enjoyed some relaxed people watching while we sipped our drinks and walked back to the car. Edward insisted that I pick where we went next and in my typical book-worm fashion I chose the Royal British Museum. Nerdy choice sure but it had great reviews on the websites I was looking at plus it was fairly close by and truly looked amazing. I had also noted on the reviews that the place wasn't much fun for little kids so it was a good idea to knock it out this trip and we could see the more family oriented sights next time we came, in case Lizzie was with us. Family... I shook my head of any potential direction that thought could steer me towards...

We didn't have the time to see anywhere close to everything at the museum as it was huge so we elected to see just a couple of the ancient history exhibits over the more modern ones. I was glad we did as they had an amazing Egyptian exhibit and I found the facts from older time periods far more interesting.

We made good time at the museum spending only about 1 and ½ hours there. We then decided on an early dinner so we could make it back to the ferry on time. I really wanted to see Chinatown, which was another reason I had chosen the museum since it was very close to it, and Edward told me the restaurants there were incredible.

We got there by 4pm and picked the closest restaurant we could find since we were both pretty hungry seeing as how we hadn't really had lunch and breakfast had been small.

"So how have you enjoyed Canada?" He was smiling as we waited for our server.

"It's beautiful here, amazing. Have you been to other parts of the country?"

"I've seen most of British Columbia but very little outside of the Provence."

"Is Victoria your favorite part?" He nodded just as the waitress came over with our menus and tea. I loved warm green tea and Edward seemed to as well as we both immediately began drinking it. We ordered our food quickly and the air seemed to change almost instantly between us as we relaxed into eachother's company. With the exception of the time we had been in the car we hadn't really been alone all day. Now was the official 'get to know each-other' part of the date. Of course I'd like to think I've come to know Edward well over the last couple months but still the realism of the first date was hitting me hard.

"What is going through that head of yours?" He was smiling widely probably at the slightly nervous as well as scared aura I was giving off.

"Honestly?" I was smiling back at him nervously but in earnest.

"Always."

"I'm just thinking about my biggest fear on a date."

"Well this I have to hear." We both laughed just as our waitress brought our appetizers of eggrolls and soup. She was really fast...

"It's going to sound stupid."

"Even better." At that I narrowed my eyes at him but of course couldn't contain my smile in the face of his. It was that perfect.

"I always worry that I won't have much to say." He seemed puzzled by that so I tried to elaborate. "I don't exactly have a lot of dating experience and what little I have isn't the most positive."

To my surprise he laughed at that. "You do remember that I'm semi-recently divorced right? I doubt I would be the one to judge you for past relationship failures." I smiled at how easy he could be to talk to when he wasn't using his skills against me.

"Really it's more a lack of experience than a fear of failure." He gestured with his hand in a 'continue' motion.

"Ummm isn't talking about past relationships like the #1 no-no for a first date?"

"I've never been one to play by the rules." He winked and I blushed. "Besides I already mentioned my divorce so I'd say I already opened the flood gates quite thoroughly. I'll take the blame for any awkwardness it causes." His matter-of-fact tone made me laugh.

"Maybe we should start with your recent dating past." I was determined not to be the first to embarrass themselves as I wasn't sure my self confidence could take it. His sexy ego, on the other hand, could more than afford to take the hit.

"I asked first." His smile widened and my resolve wavered but didn't crack completely.

"But it was your idea so I think you should lead the way." He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly before shaking his head.

"Okay but only because you're cute when you're trying to be firm." He chuckled at my blush. "Honestly I haven't dated much since my divorce. I haven't really had the desire nor the time really, so I've only really managed a couple casual things." He shrugged it off and I only grew more curious by his answer not less.

"I've never really understood what it means when someone says they are 'casually dating' someone." It was true. What did that mean?

"I think it's a general phrase people use when they either don't want to explain or just don't know how to elaborate or define the relationship." I copied his continue motion and he laughed. "I suppose it can mean one of a few things. One, the person calling it casual simply doesn't want to commit to the other person so calling it casual excuses their fear. The second reason is that the dating hasn't/doesn't go past a couple dates so it wasn't exactly a relationship." He paused before smiling slightly, seemingly to himself.

"Is there a third reason?" He paused for a moment after I asked while watching me with a somewhat contemplative look, before finally shrugging and speaking again.

"The third reason being that the relationship wasn't anything more than sex so there is no point calling it something real."

I had no idea what to say in response to that so for a moment I said nothing, but then my curiosity got the better of me and I opened my mouth, asking a question I wasn't sure I actually wanted the answer to. "And which of the three meanings is yours?"

"Certainly not the first one. I have no problem with commitment." He waggled his eyebrows playfully and I couldn't help laughing.

"Mentioning sex has got to be another no-go for a first date." If it wasn't officially it certainly should be.

"Any awkwardness yet?" His voice was full of humor as he watched me.

"Maybe a little." I laughed when he snapped his fingers and made a little 'darn-it' face.

…...

We look a break from our inappropriate conversation to eat and make small talk. After we ate dinner, in which he proceeded to make me laugh and blush constantly, we headed back toward the harbor. The realization that the date was coming to an end finally hit me as we reached the dock and I couldn't help feeling a lot of disappointment over that.I had never just lost myself in a date before tonight, able to give absolutely no thought to time, other responsibilities, doubts, or anything other than just this other person. It was a freeing experience and I wondered if I was only feeling this way because it was Edward. Everything was incredibly easy with him and it was just natural for me to stay focused on him, and on us together.

"I believe it's your turn now to ruin things with awkwardness." I looked at him puzzled for a moment and he rolled his eyes playfully. "Your recent dating past?"

"Oh." I blushed. "I haven't been on a date in months." Almost a year in actuality but I really didn't want to draw attention to that little fact.

He watched me for a few moments before smiling. "What was the fastest point in a date that you knew it was over."

"I'm not sure I follow..." My tone emphasized my bemusement.

"A first date that you knew, without a doubt, would also be the last. Something that happened to make you immediately cut your loses. What happened to draw that realization?" So now we were discussing not failed relationships, but failed ATTEMPTS at a relationship. I had never had such a bizarre conversation before, especially on a date, yet I had barely stopped smiling or laughing all night. Why was that?

"I went on one date where we met at a restaurant, since I barely knew the guy, and within about 10 minutes I..." I blushed as I thought of this. Part of me felt a little bad for what I had done but at the same time I honestly couldn't say I would have done anything differently.

"Y-e-s." He dragged out the word with a big eager smile on his face.

"I excused myself to the bathroom and immediately snuck out the door." I blushed deeper at my rapidly spoke confession while Edward laughed loudly in response.

"WOW. I'm really having trouble picturing you doing that. I imagine the guy must have been pretty awful." I nodded enthusiastically which made Edward laugh even harder. "Well, what did he do?"

I heaved a heavily exaggerated sigh before explaining. "I had only met the guy once. He was a friend of a friend, so we knew of each other but that was about it." He nodded his head in encouragement. "Anyway he was a bit well... inappropriate with me."

It was amazing how fast Edward lost all of his humor. His mood did a 1-80 as his eyes searched mine for explanation. "What do you mean he was inappropriate with you?" His tone sounded perfectly calm but there was a clear icy edge that was both impressive and scary.

"Well..." God this was so embarrassing. "He didn't exactly keep eye contact with me much, or at all really, at least not with my... eyes." I glanced up at Edward's eyes hesitantly and I watched as his expression slowly lost its confusion. I didn't know what Edward would say or do so I averted my eyes as I waited for whatever response he would give.

"Amateur." His word was said quietly, almost to the point that I would have assumed he was speaking to himself.

"What?"

He shrugged off his word choice easily as he explained. "Every man is going to look Bella. You are quite beautiful and so long as he has eyes he will take note." I smiled at his compliment. "Of course any man with basic intelligence will be smooth enough to look without seeming like a complete creep."

What did he mean by that? As I puzzled over his words he maintained eye contact with me. It was more than a little obvious that he found my current expression amusing since he looked to be fighting laughter.

"Have you looked?" Where was my filter tonight? Did I really want the answer to this? Regardless of whatever his response was my emotions would be negative. If he said no I would feel unattractive and if he said yes I would blush uncontrollably, leaving me feeling embarrassed. Absolutely no win scenario for me.

"Numerous times." My eyes widened momentarily at his easy tone. He chuckled while shaking his head. He leaned in close to my ear before he spoke again. He was standing close enough to me that our bodies were slightly touching. "As I said you are a very beautiful woman and I am a man."

I looked down to discreetly hide my blush before returning eye contact. "I'll admit I haven't caught you looking yet." He chuckled at my attempt to make light of the topic.

"That's because I'm a gentleman."

"Really? What's your secret?"

"Well when we talk I keep my eyes on yours." He illustrated his point by pulling me in a little closer, wrapping his arms around my waist loosely, all while keeping his eyes on mine. "Then I make sure to do everything in my power to render you powerless so that you will get flushed and look away..." His words trailed off as he lightly stroked the bottom of my chin, causing me to blush and of course look away shyly. I heard him chuckle before feeling him lean in and whisper into my ear. "Then when you look away I take the opportunity to enjoy the view." I laughed hard but still kept my gaze down. God this guy was good. He could be sexy and hilarious in one move. That was quite the impressive feat but he managed it effortlessly.

After a moment of me still not being able to look back up at him, he tightened his hold around me and whispered again. "I guess I'll just keep looking while you're distracted." I finally looked up at him and playfully shoved his arm which made him laugh before kissing my temple sweetly.

"Your turn Edward." he seemed to have to think about his answer.

"Let me think... the soonest I knew a date was over... about 5 minutes into it."

"Really?" That seemed pretty fast.

"Yep." he rolled his eyes, clearly still finding whatever had happened to be annoying.

"What did she do?"

"Well I had met her at her place to go to a restaurant and when I opened the car door for her she looked rather, I suppose 'put out' would be the best description."

"What?" I was confused.

"Apparently men opening doors for her was a pet peeve and although I didn't realize it until then, apparently women that feel as such is one of mine."

I couldn't help laughing at his story. "That had to be awkward. What happened?"

"We both seemed to realize fairly quickly that we weren't a match and called it quits.

"To bad you're such a gentleman." I playfully scoulded with him.

"Indeed. I was raised by my father to be that way and there's no man I have greater respect for, therefore I value everything he ever taught me." The pride in his father was obvious by his tone. I stretched up and kissed his cheek before wordlessly wrapping my arms around him and resting my body against his as we watched the sea. After a moment Edward shifted us apart a bit so that he could look into my eyes and I could look into his. He lightly brushed my hair out of my face and it seemed like he didn't even notice he had done it though it felt like a million tiny shock waves to me.

"Well while we're thoroughly ruining our date with discussions of the forbidden..." He smirked at my blush. It was more than obvious that these discussions had ruined nothing and we both knew it. "...allow me to ask what was the longest relationship you ever had?" Apparently we were sticking with the EX topic still. I honestly couldn't believe we were having this discussion and yet it somehow seemed to fit perfectly. I didn't even feel all that weird about answering him. I wanted him to know me, even the bad stuff.

"Not long. About 3 months."

His eyes widened considerably at that before he smiled mischievously. "Are you a bit of a heart-breaker Ms. Swan?" Again with the 'Ms. Swan' stuff, of course uttered in his velvety voice.

"Not even a little bit. I've just had a bad stream of luck." I shrugged to play off my insecurities that hopefully he wouldn't pick up on.

"We met at the end of July..." I waited to see if he was going to continue with his line of thought.

"Yes?"

"So we've known each-other for almost 3 months." I was pretty sure I knew where he was going with this but decided to play along.

"Yep."

"I wonder..." I knew he was setting me up but I couldn't fight my curiosity.

"What?"

"If I had asked you out that first day, like I wanted to, where would we be right now?" I starred at him in disbelief for a moment.

"Like you wanted to?" I couldn't fight my smile at his volunteered piece of information.

"Yes, desperately." He was enjoying how flustered I was getting.

"Why didn't you?" I couldn't resist asking him that and to my surprise he laughed.

"I had to lay the groundwork down as well as keep myself an intriguing mystery." I laughed, realizing I hadn't laughed this much in a very long time.

"I don't think that's something you need to put extra effort into. It seems quite natural."

"I try my best." He winked before continuing. "So where do you think we would be right now if I had?"

"I guess we'll never know."

"Sure we will, in just three months."

…...

Edward, apparently ever the rebel, insisted that we keep discussing all the forbidden dating topics. I agreed easily enough as after having already discussed sex and ex's, everything else seemed like it would be easy. We ended up approaching it all like a game of 20 questions. He would bring up a topic that we would discuss briefly then I would bring one up. He brought up politics which was the easiest for me as I held little to no interest in the topic and therefore didn't really get offended by where anyone else stood. Him, being a lawyer and all, was much more into the subject then me but none of his views offended me.

After he brought up politics I went with religion since it was the biggest social foe-paw I could think of. He shrugged it off easily though. He was born and raised Christian like me and even though I did attend church every now and then while he didn't, the topic was carefree like just about everything else had been all night.

"What's left of the taboo topics to discuss?"

"I dunno... money?" I shrugged it off which made him laugh. We boarded the ferry for home but this time elected to stay outside so we could enjoy the view.

"I believe it's your turn to lead the way with this one." I nodded in response before speaking.

"Let's see...money..." I mentioned that I had some student loan debt due in large part to not being able to work through school and also from my determination not to use my parents money. I explained that they didn't have much money themselves and I didn't want to take what little they had. He seemed to have a great amount of respect for my 'do it myself' attitude and told me so. I also admitted to him that since I was a first year teacher I made less then the rest but that it would get better after I completed my masters and held more experience under my belt.

Edward's family came from big money and him and his father, now chief of medicine at the families hospital... yes the family actually owned a hospital... had increased the family worth even more with highly successful business strategies. As I listened I was beginning to really feel our class difference but luckily the topic dropped as the ship docked back in Seattle.

We walked, hand in hand, back to his car quietly but comfortably. As we reached it he opened the door for me. I offered a wide smile in response to his gesture while thinking about his failed date story. Our eyes caught at the same time and we both laughed simultaneously.

"Such a gentleman..."

"Always."

…...

"So there's absolutely no chance for us after such a disastrous first date?" His smugness was obvious and I couldn't resist smiling through my eye roll. Despite our rather unorthodox conversation I had never smiled more or laughed as hard as I had with Edward.

"Well, never say never..." I trailed off as we stopped outside my apartment door.

"Hmmm..." He pulled me closer to himself and I put up no fight as he did. The level of comfort I felt with him was completely new to me. I had never been so at ease with a man while somehow also feeling thrilled and exhilarated. "What can I do to convince you that I'm worth a second date?"

"I'm not sure, but..." I pulled out my phone to check the time. "...you better figure it out quick. It's getting late." I looked back up at him and I noticed his eyes were still on my phone. I followed his gaze and remembered that my phone background was the picture he had sent me of him and Lizzie at DisneyWorld. It was an amazing image as the two of them wore identical smiles that couldn't be faked or written off as anything less then perfect. I loved the emotions that had been captured in that small moment so much that I couldn't resist looking at it constantly.

Wordlessly he grabbed the phone from me and looked at the image for a brief moment before his eyes captured mine with such intensity that I didn't even blush. I just starred back, wondering what was on his mind. He didn't speak but eventually handed the phone back and grabbed his own.

"I believe I should have a picture of you as well Miss. Swan." Again he wasn't commanding of me nor was he really asking for permission. I nodded with a smile as he pulled me to his side while raising his phone to capture the moment.

Just before he was about to take the picture I felt his other hand gently pull my face to him where he had leaned down to capture my lips in a deep warm kiss. I responded immediately right before I heard the click of his phone...

I smiled into the kiss but didn't pull away. Instead I wrapped my arms around his neck and he wrapped one arm around my waist and used the other to continue holding my face to his. We kissed for awhile, though it wasn't nearly long enough.

He pulled back and for once he seemed almost as winded as me. His hand lightly cradled my face and I loved the soft cherished feeling he put in me. "So do I earn a second date?"

"Will there be more awkwardness?" My mouth honestly hurt from how much I had smiled all day with him.

"Absolutely."

"Then yes."

END NOTES (Don't read until after you've already read the chapter as there may be spoilers):

-PLEASE REVIEW

-The conversation about Bella's favorite color being brown is a combination of both the canon story when Bella relays to Edward how much she likes the color brown, and real life for me. My favorite color is brown and every time I tell someone that they almost always say 'As in the color of dirt?' or something similar to which I always reply as I wrote Bella to in my fic. Brown is the color of all warm things, coffee, chocolate, wood, forests, fireplaces, etc... To me it's the most comforting color which is why I love it. :-)

-I have only ever been to Alberta Canada, not British Columbia so hopefully I described things accurately. Lol

-I hope everyone liked the first date. My goal was for it to be fun and easy but at the same time have some awkwardness to illistrate Bella's lack of experience. The idea of a 'Perfect First date' is a little odd to me as at least one person has to be nervous or even slightly scared. I had very briefly considered a more traditional dinner/movie date but shot it down quickly. Edward would want to charm her more than that.

- I plan to put more sibling interaction in the next chapter. I have ideas for Edward with Emmett or Edward with Alice some more. Which should I go with? I'm leaning towards some brother time. Emmett hasn't really had a part in my story yet but at the same time Alice is so much fun.