So if I were staying home and vegging out with Netflix, I'd wear yoga pants and an old D.A.R.E. t-shirt I picked up too many years ago. But I didn't think that lounging around Edward's place in a ratty, stained shirt was going to be appealing in the slightest.

I found a comfortable pair of jeans in a drawer and decided on a lightweight, grey sweater. I brushed my hair quickly into a long ponytail and pushed my bangs off to the side with a small matching heart clip. A dash of mascara, a swipe of my favorite watermelon lip gloss and a spritz of Happy perfume and I was ready. Too bad I still had an hour to wait.

I paced the short hall in my apartment, from my bedroom to the kitchen and back again four times, stopping to look in a mirror hanging at the end of the hall right as my phone chimed out a text alert.

Be there in ten! Sorry I'm running behind Emmett could talk a deaf man's ear off.

A quick thrill raced up my spine as I read and reread the text message.

"Oh shit! Ten minutes? I'm not ready!"

I ran in a circle like a moron looking for shoes and my purse. Why is it that you can feel ready to go an hour before you have to leave the house and then five minutes prior to walking out the door one hundred different things pop up and you end up running a marathon and heavy breathing?

The intercom buzzed Edward's arrival.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"I'll be right out."

Locking the door behind me I took off down the two short flights of stairs to the building's entry door and couldn't stop my smile when I saw him leaning against the concrete wall at the top of the stairs.

"Hey." Edward grinned, causing my heart to skip once.

"Hi."

His hair moved in the breeze and glittered in the sunshine. He wore dark wash jeans, a button down navy blue shirt with an intricate grey woven detail and a navy blue blazer. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of Wayfarer sunglasses and I wished that the sun would go away so that he'd remove them.

"Again, sorry for being late, meeting ran long." He held one hand out and I dropped mine into the warmth of his palm without a second thought.

We drove for about ten minutes before we reached a spectacular looking building and parked in an attached garage.

"How do you feel about salmon and potatoes with asparagus?"

We were riding in an elevator up to his apartment.

"I love all three."

"Good. I figured I'd grill."

We exited into a long hall that had only two doors; one on the left side, one on the right side. Edward slid a key into the door on the right and as it opened, he held a hand out in a gesture for me to enter.

His apartment was rather industrial looking. The wood floors were old, perhaps original to the building, or damn near close, deep rust colored brick made up a few walls, the others were painted white. A bicycle hung on one wall close to the entry and the sunshine came through ceiling to floor windows in the living room.

"I love your apartment."

"Thanks, I like it too." He dropped his keys into a bowl on small table and we both kicked our shoes off.

"Something to drink?" I followed as he made his way around a small wall into a gorgeous kitchen.

"My dad would love your kitchen." My eyes skipped over the marble countertops, the enormous oven and gas stovetop.

"We'll all have to get together for dinner one evening." His gaze met mine, "If you like."

"Sure."

I hadn't yet told my parents about Edward. I had told them about him, but not the coincidence that linked us. They'd both have a heyday mooning over the fates and love and yadda yadda. It was too much for me to get my heart that invested so soon after meeting him. I hardly knew the guy in all honesty.

"So, I have water, Sprite, oj, beer..." Edward's voice trailed off.

"Oh, um, water is great."

As he poured a glass of water he looked me over, "You okay, Bella?"

"Me?" I laughed quietly, "Yeh, I'm fine. Just taking in your home, it's interesting."

"Oh yeh?" He propped a hip against the counter and handed me the glass, "In what way?"

"It's just so, clean, tidy, not a typical bachelor pad. It even smells good in here."

Edward laughed and I grinned back.

"Well, I suppose those are all compliments, or at least I hope they are."

"They are."

"And what does your apartment look like?"

"Ha! Not like this." We sat down in a very comfortable black leather sofa, "I don't have as much open space as you, it's refreshing, all the windows."

Edward turned on his tv and pulled up his Netflix account.

"So what are we binging on tonight, Bella? Friends? Vampire Diaries? A favorite movie?"

"I've already binged on both of those shows, I haven't made it all the way through the Friends' series, yet."

"Yet." He laughed.

We settled on 'Heathers" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".

"I'm going to start the grill, be right back."

Edward stood, his stride comfortable and confident as he moved across the room to a sliding door that led out to a decent sized balcony. Just the idea of being up so high and out on that patio gave me the heebie jeebies. Heights and I did not go well together.

"You should come out and see the sunset."

"I'll pass, I don't much care for being up so high."

Edward poked his head into the room and watched me curiously, "You don't like heights?"

"Nope."

"I promise you'll be safe. You don't even have to come to the edge or look over."

My chest tightened at the thought.

"At least come to the window, it's spectacular, Bella."

Slowly I made my way to the door where he was standing and looked out, he was right, the sun was turning the sky brilliant shades of gold, pink, purples and oranges.

"It's beautiful."

Edward looked down at me and smiled, "Toldya so."