A/N:
Are you ready for the date, guys? Get to know Edward a bit better? Some of you think he's just a little bit too good to be true … hmm
Title: The Perfect Partner Program
Author: MarieCarro
Beta: EdwardsFirstKiss
Pre-reader: brwneyedgrl01
Genre: Angst/Hurt&Comfort/Romance
Rating: NC-17
Summary: The summer of 2005 was the summer that changed Bella Swan's life forever. Sent to Ohio by her mother to attend a school for debutante girls not quite up to par, she meets Edward Masen, an apprentice. But is that really all he is? AH
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter Word Count: 2, 686
CHAPTER 8 DATE
We got seated in a booth, and I looked around at the cozy interior of The Pearl. The place was mostly empty as it was still early dinner service, and it made the atmosphere more intimate. I had already figured out that the restaurant was also a cocktail bar, and it made me nervous in a you're-not-really-allowed-here sort of way.
I wasn't inexperienced with alcohol, but that was at home parties thrown by classmates and everyone was illegal there. Being at this restaurant with Edward, who was very much allowed to order a drink if he wanted to, made me aware of everything he could do that I had to wait years for.
It made me feel in deep waters, again.
But Edward didn't even glance at the wine list and when the waiter asked, he ordered plain water. Once the waiter had left to order our food, I knew I couldn't hold in my curiosity any longer.
"You don't want a drink?" I asked teasingly, but he just shook his head.
"I would never be disrespectful like that on a date."
"I don't see it as disrespectful if you want it." I shrugged to show him I really didn't mind.
He held his ground though. "It wouldn't be right. It would be like shoving our age gap in your face. Besides, it would be reckless of me to drink when I have to drive us back later. I thought you, being a policeman's daughter, would definitely make sure I don't break any laws."
I laughed loudly at his statement. "You know, being a police officer's daughter has the opposite effect."
"Really?" he asked, his eyes glittering with amusement. "Are you saying you're a rule-breaker, Miss Swan?"
"Frequently," I replied and winked. "Nothing major, though, and I don't think it counts when I have my dad's permission to do it. He always tells me that as long as it doesn't give me a criminal record, it can be overlooked."
"Your dad sounds pretty awesome."
I nodded, in complete agreement. "He totally is. He says there are just some things a person has to go through in life to mature, and a bit of harmless, teenage rebellion is one of those things."
Edward hummed and appeared deep in thought, but then he leaned forward. "I'm guessing he wasn't the one who sent you here."
I tensed up because I hadn't expected us to bring that subject up again. "Correct."
"So your mom, then," he stated, having already figured it out.
With a shake of my head, I showed him that wasn't what I wanted to talk about on our date. "Still not ready to talk about her. Sorry."
"It's fine. I understand." He shrugged apologetically. "I can't help but be curious, though."
"Sure, but let's talk about something else. Something more fun and date material," I suggested. "People are supposed to get to know each other better on dates, right?"
"That's usually what dates are for, yes," Edward replied, once again with an easy-going smile stretched across his face.
"Well, then tell me more about yourself. Apart from your already established age, I know you're a musician and that you're from Chicago. You want to travel eventually … and that's it." As I counted up what I knew about him, I realized it wasn't much.
"Ask me anything."
I thought about it for a minute and then smiled. "Tell me your favorites." I knew it was a silly question, but it could tell you a lot about a person.
"My favorites?"
I nodded. "Yeah, you know. Favorite food, favorite animal, favorite music genre, movie etc., etc."
He cleared his throat and rubbed his neck while he thought about his answers for a moment. "Should I be worried that I'm drawing a blank?" He chuckled, but I was perplexed for real.
"You don't have any favorites?"
"No, I do," he hurriedly told me. "It's just that I don't think about them until they're in front of me, you know. I was kind of caught off guard, and the only thing I can think of right now is my least favorite food, which is beans."
I laughed at the unexpected answer and it didn't take long for Edward to join in.
"Why don't you tell me your favorites instead?" he suggested.
"Okay, well, my favorite food is Italian, like real Italian, not just pizza and pasta and things with garlic in them," I said, which once again made him laugh. "What?"
"You're very passionate about food, aren't you?"
I shrugged. "Not always, but I feel that sometimes people are so uncultivated it's scary. It's the same with music, really."
He tilted his head questioningly. "How so?"
"I mean if you say your favorite band is Muse but then it's revealed that you have only listened to one of their songs, it's obviously not your favorite band, so why would you say it is?"
"I don't know. To impress, maybe?" he suggested uncertainly.
"Exactly," I said, incredibly happy he understood what I was getting at. "So if your favorite food is pizza, but not the authentic Italian pizza, more like Domino's or Pizza Hut, you can't really allege Italian is your favorite cuisine, right?"
"I have never thought of it that way, but I guess you're right," he agreed with wide eyes. "Do you feel the same with all of your favorites?" he asked with careful humor pulling at his mouth.
I mockingly gasped. "You're laughing at me. You think I'm ridiculous, don't you?"
He shook his head. "I think you're adorable."
To not show my immediate reaction to his words, which was to look down at the table and blush, I attempted a pleased smirk. "Thank you for acknowledging it," I joked. "But seriously, I'm not as complicated as I come across. I have simple likes too," I insisted to tone down the slightly crazy side of me.
"Tell me."
"I love cats because they're awesome animals, I could listen to Blues music for hours because it's so relaxing, and my favorite movie is Catch Me if You Can because, I mean, Leonardo DiCaprio," I said and hoped it would make him believe I could be normal as well.
"Really? I thought when it came to DiCaprio all girls swooned over Titanic," he replied while giving me an incredulous look.
"Yes, but you already know I'm not like every other girl," I pointed out.
"Can't argue with you there." He nodded. "But you have to know that's what I like about you. You're just being you. With all your crazy, passionate food talk and simple pleasures in life. I wouldn't have asked you on a date if I didn't like all of that."
"You know what?" I said, suddenly completely changing the direction of the conversation. "When we first met, I wouldn't have guessed that you'd be such a charmer. You really have a way with words."
His only response to that was to smile widely at me. Our dinner conversation continued like that. Easy, sometimes going into more meaningful subjects like when he told me that his father had almost physically forced him to accept the apprenticeship at the Academy since he refused to go to college.
"I'm not saying I won't ever go to college. I want to, but if I don't know what I want to do, why should I spend money on an education I might not need in the future," he explained to me, and I couldn't do anything but agree with him.
Eventually, we steered the subject back to family. He didn't say anything about any siblings, but he told me about his parents.
"I am a younger, male version of my mother. She looked exactly like me with less stubble."
I laughed at his joke, but I had also noticed his use of past tense. "Looked?"
He sighed. "She died when I was still in high school," he said quietly.
"How?" I asked gently, not wanting to push him in case he felt it was too difficult to talk about.
"Breast cancer. She was diagnosed when I was fourteen and two years later, the treatment stopped working."
I reached across the table and placed my hand on top of his to give some comfort even though it wasn't much, and he smiled gratefully.
"What about you?" he eventually said to defuse the heavy tension that had fallen over us. "I feel like I've done all the talking for the last hour and a half."
"I don't mind. I like hearing you talk," I admitted, but then I blushed when I realized what I'd said.
Edward immediately saved me from embarrassment. "Still, I want to get to know you better as well. You've told me about your dad. How about siblings?"
I shook my head. "No siblings, but I always wanted one when I was younger. My best friend is like my sister, though. Actually, we're probably closer than sisters. We share everything with each other. She's my rock."
"It must be great to have someone like that." I thought I detected a hint of longing in his voice.
"You don't?" I asked carefully. I didn't want to make him think about it in case it made him uncomfortable, but it sounded so lonely to not have someone like I had Becca. I probably wouldn't have been able to live without her.
"No," he said. "I used to when I was younger, but he moved away before we started high school, right around the time Mom was diagnosed, and we just lost touch."
"You must have felt so alone," I sympathized. "High school couldn't have been easy."
He chuckled. "Tell me about it. Academic work has never been my thing, and it didn't exactly get easier when it felt as if the entire world was against me. I was an easy target for bullies."
I made a disgusted sound in the back of my throat. "I hate bullies. Seriously, I've never understood them. I don't care how much pain you're going through. To make yourself feel better by going after people who are not in a state to defend themselves; that's all shades of fucked up."
It was obvious by Edward's expression that he hadn't expected me to curse, but bullies pissed me off. Renée had, in a way, bullied me my entire life, but I could handle it because it was my own pain. However, to hear that someone else was bullied because they were alone as a result that a parent had passed away; it made me want to find that bully and give them a piece of my mind, no matter how many years had passed.
"Hey," Edward said to regain my attention. "It's fine, Bella. I survived, obviously. You don't have to get mad for my sake. My bullies will always have to live with the guilt that they picked on the guy whose mom died of cancer. That's on them." We had finished our dessert by then, and he looked around the place which had started to fill up with people enjoying a night out on the town. He turned back to me. "You want to get out of here?"
I didn't want our date to end—I was enjoying myself too much for that—but the restaurant was starting to feel a bit stuffy, so I nodded.
Edward insisted on paying the entire bill, and while I wanted to protest, I didn't because since he had offered, I didn't want to offend him.
Once we were outside in the fresh, early evening air we decided to drive to a park and walk around a bit. Edward suggested we go see a movie, but I didn't want to stop talking with him. I liked our conversation better than I would any movie in the theater.
"So what's your favorite thing to help out with at the Academy?" I asked as we walked side by side, not really touching, but close enough that I could feel his body heat.
"So far?" He laughed softly. "I have to say that impromptu dance lesson earlier today."
"Really?" I couldn't really see how that could be his favorite. "Why?"
He looked down at the ground as if to collect himself for a second, but then he looked straight into my eyes. "'Cause I got to have you in my arms."
His words made me all warm inside, but they also scared me because when it came down to it, we were only here for the summer. I was already falling hard for him, and I didn't know what that would mean when I went back to Seattle, and he went back to Chicago.
I stopped walking and sat down on a bench to organize my thoughts. I didn't want to just blurt out what I was thinking because this was only our first date, and to tell him I was already thinking about the end of the summer felt too hasty.
Edward frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"
I shook my head but didn't look at him. "No, not at all," I assured. I took a deep breath and stood back up. "I just have a tendency to over-think things," I explained without telling him what I meant by the statement.
He didn't appear bothered by that, though, when he used a hand under my chin to make me look at him. "This might seem a bit forward. Stop me if you feel uncomfortable, but can I kiss you, Bella?"
I stopped breathing. I was surprised that he was so upfront about what he wanted, but I wasn't opposed to it. When I got over the initial shock, I realized how much I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted it as much as I had wanted it during the dance class. My entire body tingled with the thought of it.
"Yes," I answered him softly, and his hand under my chin moved to cup my cheek instead. He pulled me toward him slowly, it felt agonizingly slow but it probably wasn't, and just before our mouths touched, I closed my eyes.
It was the softest kiss I'd ever experienced. Not dramatic in any way. Just close-lipped, prolonged mouth to mouth contact. Still, it was the best kiss ever.
My cheeks burned, my heart galloped in my chest, and when Edward's free hand snaked down to entwine his fingers with mine, I was grateful because it gave me something to hold on to. It felt as if I was about to float away. That was how euphoric the feeling was.
I knew it wasn't just the kiss in itself that made me feel that way. It was because the kiss was with him. The first guy, in my experience, who liked me for me. I had been together with George since we were both thirteen. He was all I had ever known, and he had never shown affection the way Edward had in the span of just a few hours.
I was surprised I was okay with everything that happened between us because it was happening so fast. I had known him for all of three days, and this was our first date. I knew him a little bit better than before, but how well could you really know a person after less than a week.
At that moment, I wasn't too worried, though. I was high from the kiss, from his honesty, from his charm. I was a complete goner, and I instinctively knew there was no turning back.
There was no way to know what would happen at the end of the summer, but I would be damned if I didn't take every single day I had with this guy and make the most of it. It could be my only chance to get a taste of real happiness.
A/N:
That was a cute date, wasn't it? And we got to know Edward. His mom passed away in cancer when he was young and he was bullied in high school :( Bella got very defensive about that part! Would you have reacted in the same way?
And they had their first kiss!
Bella seems to lose some of her reservations around him. Are you?
Let me know your thoughts and let me tell you now, next chapter will be a huge plot reveal for a character! Just sayin'!
See ya Friday