I Put Things in Motion

Edward

"I was thinking of inviting Bella to Greenwich… on business." I said absently as Renesme and I looked at sample covers for the first movie we were screening and Cullen Publishing. Renesme turned on her heel to look at me with a smug smile.

"To Esme's garden party?" She asked as she inched towards me. "That's hardly a good first date." She said with her arms crossed.

"Well I was thinking maybe taking her out… before that." I said with a suggestive tone. Renesme just looked at me smiling. Before she could say anything, Bella walked in her heels clicking as she typed on one cellphone with one hand while the other was to her ear.

"Yes, I'll have him call you immediately." She said then she put her phone to her chest. Blocking the speaker.

"It's Mr. Parker." She whispered. I shook my head with my eyes wide. I've been screening his call for weeks. He wanted in on my company I kept saying no… he kept calling.

"Uh huh… Yes, for sure as soon as Mr. Cullen gets out of his meeting. Alright… bye bye." She said then rolled her eyes as she went into my closet that I had built in here. She took the matching Armani suit jacket that went with my slacks and helped me into it. She went to my tie and Renesme clicked away on her phone as Bella spoke.

"Now remember… when dealing with Mr. Hilton do not under any circumstances talk profit cuts. Talk about expansion in online territories. Did you read the cue cards I gave you last night?" She asked as she fixed my tie.

"Yes… I liked that personal touch you added what was it? "The French are nudists?"." I said rolling my eyes as she tightened my tie and scoffed out a laugh. Renesme laughed too and all of us were interrupted when Jacob strolled in with a bouquet of roses.

"Wow is this an orgy. I see two fine girls and one guy." He exclaimed handing Renesme the bouquet. She just blushed and took it while Bella and I rolled our eyes and went back on our briefing.

"Not now Jake… we're working." Renesme said softly as she pushed him out the door he just smirked.

"See you tonight?"

"See you tonight." She affirmed before she shut the door in his face. Then she looked at us.

"I'm gonna marry that man." She said as she went into my chair crossing her legs. I took my files and rolled my eyes at her, as I left the office Bella called out to me.

"Edward?" She called after me.

"Yeah?"

"Don't choke." She instructed with a smirk before she disappeared behind my office door. I just laughed out loud.

-That Night-

"So what exactly is so good about these sloppy Joes?" I asked Bella as she cooked in my kitchen. I couldn't lie, it was kind of nice to see her move with ease. Tanya was never really a girl who cooked well. She loved to eat organic but she couldn't actually cook at all. It was bad food, but I had always thought she was endearing for trying. Bella though had a confidence as she swirled around the kitchen making sloppy joes. She insists it's the only thing she knows how to make but it looks like she knows her way around a kitchen. I had convinced her to come over to my place and teach me to make the famous sloppy joes everybody seemed to love from her.

"If I told you I'd have to kill you." She said as she swayed around the kitchen. I just smiled shaking my head as I took a swig of the beer she insisted I have.

"So how was the meeting?" She asked.

"We don't have to discuss work Bells." I said giving her a new nickname. That just made her raise her eyebrow as she wiped her hand on a towel.

"Oh no? What ? you want to talk about… things that friends talk about?" She asked. I chuckled as I played with the beer bottle not looking at her in the eye. Playing shy… Maybe I wasn't playing maybe I actually was but I'd never admit that to Tanya or anyone else.

"Friends… Yah." I said coyly. "We could be friends." I breathed out looking at the beautiful dark haired girl standing in my kitchen. Trying not to go off course of what the actual task at hand is here.

"Mhmm" She said as she sat down across from me after handing me my plate of sloppy Joe's that I had to admit. Smelled fucking amazing. What did she put in this shit?

"So friend." She started as she ate delicately. "What's the deal with you and Renesme?" She asked me. I laughed as I ate.

"Met her, Her first year at NYU at a kegger. I was an upperclassman. Thought she was gorgeous took her out on a date… Realized that it just… wasn't right I guess. But we stayed friends… the both of us realized we're better as friends and that's really all there is to the story." I said being truthful with her for once in my life.

"So what about you and … Everybody else in your life?" I asked really wanting to know more about how she got those strange friends of hers. Although I had to admit Bella was like a magnet, people kind of just stuck to her and never let go. Even I could admit in that moment I was one of them.

Which should have been a clear cut sign to stop what I was doing, but I didn't. I hate myself for it every. Single. Day.

"Well I moved to New York on a whim was sleeping in my car and Alice found me… Gave me a job babysitting her kid. So that's how the munchkin and I became inseparable." She said as she took a swig of her beer.

"She found you sleeping in a car and let you watch her kid?" I said amused.

"Alice was always quirky… plus I think she could tell I wasn't a junky or anything." She said with a little shrug. Something in her eyes tells me there's more to the story, and I would wait until she was comfortable to tell me.

"And Jake?" I asked about the quirky restaurant manager who had all the money, and suave in the world.

"He's Jaspers' business partner. When I started waitressing at Maria's we went on a date… there was no connection… like none." She said with a laugh as she took a bite of her food. "We were honest about it and then… we went to smoke a joint on the top of Maria's patio." She admitted I laughed, shaking my head. Of course, they did.

"Renesme really likes him." I said, Bella nodded.

"Yeah Jacob really likes her too, dare I say I think he might even be in love." She challenged the former playboy.

"Wouldn't be surprised lots of men fall in love with that girl." I admitted to Bella easily. She just nodded approvingly. It was silent for a little as we ate, comfortable though. Again, something I never really experienced. If any moment was silent while we ate Tanya would assume that I was mad and that there was something I wasn't telling her. To her silence was bad, but in this moment the silence was comforting. We didn't have to have mindless conversation about anything… we could just be.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"You want to go on a date?... with me?" I asked she laughed a little bit.

"I don't know if that's a good idea Edward." She said softly.

"What do you got to lose? One date?" I prodded gently.

"My job for one." She said amused. I laughed out loud.

"I would never… do anything like that. Despite our first meeting I'm not the douchebag everyone thinks I am." I said laying on the charm thick.

This had to work. She was my only hope for all the wrongs to be righted.

She bit her lip, thinking of my offer. I took this time to get up and go up to her, crowding her with the art of persuasion. I used my index finger to lift her chin.

"I can treat you like a princess you know? If you gave me the chance." I murmured. She laughed softly. Before she took my hands in hers to pull it away from her face. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I don't care about being treated like a princess Edward." Was all she said, shocking me.

"Well what do you want… whatever you want I'll give it to you." I bargained. She paused.

"Anything?" She asked.

"Yah." I said.

"Don't ever think that what works on these other New York socialite princesses will work on me. Don't ever treat me as if I'm one of them." She said with her arms crossed. I bowed my head laughing. This girl was always capable of amazing me.

"Done… Can I have my dinner now?" I asked her softly She smiled triumphantly.

"Sure." Was all she said before she left me in the kitchen alone, amazed.

Friday

"So where are you going?" Renesme asked as she lazed on my bed. I came out in a Calvin Klein suit and she rolled her eyes. "It's a date… not a job?" She said rolling her eyes.

"I don't know I was thinking that nice place on fifth." I said.

"You mean where you used to take Tanya? Ew. Take her somewhere else." Renesme said as she came into the closet and just went in and got a jacket for me. He helped me step into it and then the both of us looked at myself standing in the mirror.

"Now that… is a guy I'd fuck." She said with a nod. I rolled my eyes.

"Lock up and do not forget to send Micromax to-

"Edward… go!" She said as she dragged me through my apartment buy my hand and all but pushed me into the elevator. I huffed and puffed all the way to the underground parking garage where I had about seven cars. Now I know I wanted to impress the girl, but I also realized that, doing it with my flashy lifestyle for some reason didn't impress her. I figured it was because she was maybe raised around people who just thought it was dumb or… something. I'd have to ask her. Regardless I decided on the Audi R8. That was inconspicuous enough right? I sped over to Bella's building, made it there in record time and when I noticed her standing by the entrance of her building already waiting for me, I choked on air.

The woman was fucking beautiful.

She was in a red strapless gown that was short, but not so short where you thought she was a slut. Her boobs looked absolutely perfect, her long chestnut brown hair was down in messy waves. The woman had the most amazing curves I'd ever seen in my life. She was wearing black fuck-me-pumps and I just couldn't even focus when she stepped in the car. She was throwing me off task… I wasn't supposed to be really be attracted to her what the fuck.

"Hey." She said smiling nicely as she put her little clutch in the little middle compartment.

"You look beautiful." I said softly as I zoomed off.

"Don't look too bad yourself." She said softly to me. We had mindless chit chat about our days, before she spoke again. "So where are we going?" She asked.

"This little restaurant on fifth called La Bella Italia." I answered. She just nodded slowly. "You been there?" I asked her warily.

"No… I've never been. I know it's a really fancy schmany place though." She teased. I laughed as we zoomed through traffic. When we pulled up I went to go open her door and kept my hand on the bottom of her back. Feeling possessive of all guys standing in line to get into the restaurant… staring at her. They weren't even trying to be coy… did these fuckers not see me right beside her!? I was livid. It only got worse as the night went on. When we got to the host who I've interacted with many times in the past.

"Edward hey… uh." He said looking at Bella up and down. I narrowed my eyes at him. I snapped my fingers in front of his face angrily.

"Focus." I said firmly.

"Right uh… booth, got you." He said as he took us into the fancy restaurant and made small talk with Bella, despite my glare.

I was going to fucking complain. I swear to God.

When we were seated Bella just looked at me with her head tilted, then she burst into laughter.

"You can relax you know… guys look it's what they do." She said as she took a sip of water that was already there for us.

"Nobody has manners anymore." I spat. She just giggled a little bit. I found it endearing. She placed her elbows on the table and used her hands to prop her face up.

"Can we have our date now?" She asked softly. And I smiled back before I nodded.

-45 minutes in-

"No way?" She said as we laughed.

"Really it was so embarrassing her hair got stuck in my zipper so …. We had to call my sister to get it out… blackmailed me for like 5 months before I told her to fuck off." I said as I sipped wine. Telling Bella about the time my high school crush and I thought we could do the dirty while Esme and Carlisle were out, only for her hair to get stuck in my zipper and chaos to ensue. She just choked out a laugh shaking her head.

"What about you? You have any brothers or sisters?" I asked.

"No I just had cousins, we used to get into all sorts of trouble." She said with a little laugh of her own. I knew from the first meeting with Bella that her family was dead. I had felt bad when I pushed it and asked when she came in to her first day at work and I made sarcastic comments about her not having parents. She handled it well though, being sarcastic right back.

"Really?"

"Yeah I remember one time my cousin convinced us that he could drive. Our parents had yelled at us for filling the laundry room with soap. So, we decide that we're going to run away. My cousin piled us all in our dads' car and he zooms it right into the garage door…. He was 10." She explained I laughed at her shaking her head. Our laughing quieted down and I don't actually know what came over me as I stared in her eyes but. It was something. I placed my hand over hers and she just smiled softly at me, looking at me under her eyelashes. Just like that though, the moment was broken.

"Edward?" Said someone taking both Bella and I out of our trance. In that moment I should've felt happy, my plan was working. Tanya was standing there looking shocked at our adjoining hands. I didn't feel happy though… I felt annoyed.

"Tanya? Hey. How are you?" I asked her as I got up swiftly to give her a kind hug. I sat back down. Bella just waved at her softly.

"Hey" She said nicely.

"Wait we've met you're?... The secretary?" She said more confused as she looked at Bella up and down in her expensive getup.

"Yup that's me." Bella said nicely, but you could tell there was a snarky undertone at the fact that Tanya called her "The secretary". Tanya placed her hand over her heart delicately.

"Well if I must say you look gorgeous." Tanya complimented. Bella smiled.

"Thanks." She said a little dryly. I looked up at Tanya and smiled sheepishly knowing there was no effort to hide the snarky tone she had, but also knowing that she was kind of right to have it… technically Tanya was in a way insulting her to her face with a smile.

"Well what brings you here Tanya?" She laughed.

"Well this is the place to be… Most romantic place in the city it is where you took me on all our dates." She said. I didn't even look at Bella. I just saw her reach for her wine.

"Yeah, I guess this is the place I bring you if I want you impressed." I deflected smoothly. Which I saw made Bella smile in the corner of my eyes. I looked at her fully and she just blushed a little bit but looked away.

"Tanya! Table is ready." Said the voice I recognized as her sister.

"Well I should go." She said inching off although nobody was really paying attention to her.

"Bye." Bella said softly not even looking at her.

"See you." I said turning my attention to her briefly before focusing it all back on Bella. Not even really realizing on if she walked away or not, because truly. It didn't matter.

-Later-

"Oh come on don't be lame." Bella said laughing as she splashed her feet in the fountain of the park. I was laughing as I held her shoes.

"Bella, security is gonna come here and kick us out." I warned her amused.

"Who cares Edward." She sang as she danced around the fountain her feet soaking wet holding her milkshake. I couldn't help but smile at her, this girl was fucking nuts. Tanya would never even think to do something like this. No wonder kids seemed to stick to her, she was so youthful. It all made sense to me, how Angela though insulting her every second and complaining but listened to everything she said, and how Maria pouted and whined but never really disobeyed her. Because Bella wasn't like other adults, she saw past the bullshit and told you the truth, and maybe that's why she was able to have fun anywhere she went. Because she didn't have to be anybody but who she wanted to be, which made her someone everyone wants to be around. I laughed as I grabbed her out of the fountain and carried her, she squealed laughing as I walked with her.

"You are the strangest girl I have ever dated." I said, she just laughed in response as I carried her to the car and expertly managed to slip her into the car. Conversation was light as I drove her back home, both of us kind of just high on the laughter we just had. When I pulled up in front of her building to see Angela hanging in the front with a girl about her age. She looked at us and smirked before reverting attention back to her friend.

"Eh where are you going?" Bella asked as I reached for my seatbelt.

"What kind of guy would I be if I didn't walk you to your door?"

"One that won't get me teased by Angela. Trust me she sees you at that door I won't hear the end of it." She said. I pouted and then she laughed leaning in to give me a soft tentative kiss.

"I'll see you Monday" She said.

"And I'll call you tomorrow." I whispered. She just smiled giving me one more peck before she left. Angela waved goodbye to her friend and quickly followed Bella in talking a mile a minute, while Bella just rolled her eyes and smiled. I smiled too as I drove away.