Giant thanks to Sherry and Paige for betaing this! Also thanks to Random Rita and the Robattack blog for featuring this story today! A giant welcome to everyone who's come to this story from that rec! **waves**
"You'll be my soft and sweet
I'll be your strong and steady
You'll be my glass of wine
I'll be your shot of whiskey
You'll be my sunny day
I'll be your shade tree
You'll be my honeysuckle
I'll be your honey bee."
-Blake Shelton-
BPOV:
As soon as I'm settled in Edward's truck, I immediately pop open my Coke and take a long chug. I can't take my eyes off Edward as he walks in front of the truck to the driver's side and opens the door. Before he gets in, he pulls up his shirt, revealing his abs as he uses the bottom of his it to wipe the sweat off his face caused by the hot Texas sun. My entire body flushes as I watch him, and I try my best to pull myself together as he slides into the driver's seat. I distract myself with my bag of Bugles and try not to imagine licking every inch of his skin.
As Edward starts up his truck, I decide to play with my food. I place a Bugle on each finger before eating them. Edward switches on the radio and looks at me then laughs.
"What in the blazes are you doing?" he asks, his voice filled with amusement.
"What? You never did this as a kid?" I ask incredulously. I thought everyone did this with their Bugles. "They look like witch's nails," I explain, wiggling my fingers in his direction.
"No, I was more of a regular potato chip man myself," Edward teases as he pulls out of the gas station's parking lot.
"Well, you're missing out," I say, before eating each one of the Bugles off my fingers.
After finishing off the remainder of the bag and chugging my Coke, I lean back against the seat with a contented sigh. We're listening to country music again, but now that I have some food in my belly I can handle it without too much complaining. We fall into a comfortable silence as I stare out the window at the bluebonnets we pass by on the interstate. Texas is such a beautiful place. I honestly couldn't imagine living anywhere else. After a half an hour ticks by, I look to my driver to find him tapping on the steering wheel to the beat of the song.
"You want to play a game or something? You know, to pass the time?" I suggest, thinking of all the games I would play with my parents during our road trips when I was a kid.
He shrugs and smiles at me, dazzling me with his pearly whites as he answers, "Sure. I'm down Bells. What were you thinking about playing?"
I think for a moment before a huge grin breaks out on my face. "Twenty questions! I loved that game when I was little."
"Twenty questions?" he asks, cocking his brow in my direction. "Well, I guess we do have a long drive ahead of us."
"Perfect!" I say, clapping my hands together in excitement. "Who should go first?"
"Well, it was your idea. Maybe you should go first?" Edward suggests as he turns down the radio.
I ponder my first question for a moment, wanting to pick a good one. As silly as it sounds I feel like this game is a great way for Edward and me to get to know each other. "Hmm," I mumble, tapping my finger against my lip as if I was in deep thought. I already know my question of course, but sometimes it's good to draw a man's attention to your lips. I'm not looking for a relationship… but that doesn't mean I can't toy with him a little bit. "If you could meet anyone in the world, alive or dead, who would it be?" I finally ask.
Edward thinks for a moment, before smiling and saying, "Carrie Fisher for sure. I had the biggest crush on her when I was a kid. Of course, I would want to go back in the past to meet her when she was playing Leia on Return of the Jedi. That gold bikini-" he whistles, looking over at me with a grin. "How about you?"
"I suppose Harrison Ford," I say with a sly smile. That man is delicious. "You can meet Leia and I can meet Han."
Edward gives me an astonished look. I roll my eyes. Why do men believe women can't like sci-fi? I've been watching Star Wars since I was a kid.
"You like Star Wars?" he asks incredulously.
"I watched a lot of movies with my dad growing up." I shrug. "His tastes wore off on me. Okay, it's your turn to ask me a question."
As he thinks about it, I can't help but notice how ridiculously cute he looks when he's pondering things. He looks so sexy and adorable at the same time. I just want to wrap myself around him and bask in his warmth. His question snaps me out of my daydream before it can even get a PG-13 rating.
"If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?" he asks triumphantly.
"Well, that's a generic question," I tease him. I consider it for a moment, and remember my failed attempt to learn Japanese and I smile. "I've always wanted to go to Japan. I really love their food and their culture is so different than ours. It would be like traveling to a whole 'nother world."
He nods at my answer, seeming to approve of it. "That's a good answer. I bet so many girls would say something like Paris or Italy."
"Well," I say with a coquettish smile. "I'm not like other girls. I thought we've been over that?"
Edward smiles and takes a sip of his energy drink before giving me a nice, long once-over. "Yeah, you're definitely unlike any other girl I've ever met."
I don't know if he means it to be a compliment, but I certainly take it as one as I sit up straighter in my seat. "So, where would you go?"
"Ireland," he says without missing a beat. "It's beautiful there and they have great beer."
"Okay, next question," I begin, looking around for inspiration. Spotting a sign indicating fast food at the next exit, I ask, "What's your favorite food?"
"Steak," Edward says quickly, as if it should be obvious. "How 'bout you, Bells?"
"Men and their steaks," I tease him. Remembering the fast food options I have at the next exit, I say, "I really love hamburgers and fries. You know, just keeping it simple." We pass another sign informing us of the food at the next exit and I heard Edward chuckle beside me.
"Are you hinting at something, Bells?"
Goodness, I love when he calls me 'Bells'. I usually don't like nicknames, but when they're coming out of his beautiful mouth…
"Well, those chips didn't exactly fill me up and I'm saving the candy bar for later," I explain with a cute smile. I hope it will inspire him to veer off the highway so I can get my fill.
"Okay," he says with an exasperated sigh, "but we can't keep making stops like this. We'll never get to El Paso at this rate."
Edward pulls off the highway and drives toward the long line of fast food joints. We stop at Whataburger and I try not to seem too eager as I jump out of the car. I know most girls don't like to eat a ton of food in front of an attractive man they just met, but I'm not most girls. It's not like he's going to think I never eat, so why try to hide my habits from? If we're going to be friends, or something more, he'll see me eat a meal sooner or later. We go inside and order two Jalapeno & Cheese Whataburgers-per the menu- two large sodas, and a hot apple pie-which was my idea-before sitting down. With a fresh Coke in hand, I decide it's time to continue our game. I like getting to know more about this handsome man.
"It's your turn to ask me something," I coyly tell him as we wait for our food.
"What's your favorite movie?" he asks me another simple question.
"I'm going to have to go with The Princess Bride. 'As you wish'," I quote with a sigh. "How about you? I'm excited for the next manly answer you want to give me," I tease him.
"I'm not sure. Blazing Saddles," he says with a smile.
"Mel Brooks. I always loved Young Frankenstein," I comment, just as our order is being called.
Edward jumps up to grab our food and my stomach is grumbling by the time he returns. I can't help the giant smile that lights up my face as he places my food in front of me. It just smells so incredible and I've been starving since my long walk this afternoon. We both dig in and when I'm about halfway through my burger, I decide to continue our game.
"So, what's the first thing you notice about a girl?" I ask before popping a fry into my mouth.
He smirks at my question and quickly says, "Her tits." When I pretend to glare at him for his answer, he suppresses a laugh. "Just kidding," he says, although I truly doubt it. "Her eyes. You can tell a lot from a girl's eyes. How about you? What's the first thing you notice about a man?"
"His shoe size," I say with a giggle as I watch his eyes widen at my response.
"You know that's a myth, right?" he asks with a roll of his eyes.
"Really?" I ask, trying not to smile too hard. I glance under the table and laugh. "You have very large feet, are you saying you have a really small cock?"
Edward chokes on his burger as soon as I say 'cock', and feeling bad I quickly continue, "No, I guess I notice the eyes as well." He smiles and I can't help but wink at him. He's just too fun to tease. Everything feels so natural and easy with him.
"You're really not shy, are you?" he asks rhetorically as he shakes his head with a small smile on his handsome face.
"Not at all," I comment as I take the last bite of my burger.
"Well, that's certainly refreshing," he says with a smile.
I finish up my fries, and jump up to top off my Coke, before coming back to start on my desert. Edward smiles as he watches me eat, and I can't help but notice the way he stares at my tits when he thinks I'm not looking. I'm used to this, but it's always nice when a man who I find attractive notices my girls.
"It's your turn," I say as I dig into my hot apple pie, making sure to leave half of it for Edward.
"Okay, what's your favorite time of year?"
"Autumn of course. I love everything about it. The way the leaves look when I go hiking out of state, the copious amount of candy and caramel apples I can eat, and the gallons of apple cider I always buy. As well as the scary movies I watch every night and the haunted houses I visit every weekend. It's the most magical time of the entire year," I muse, thinking of all the wonderful times I've had in the past.
"Maybe I'll have to take you on a hayride or something. Fall isn't too far away," he says with a wink.
I try not to read too much into his statement, despite how happy it makes me. I don't know what his life is like in El Paso, or what's waiting for him. I don't want to think there's something between us that isn't actually there. Of course, maybe he just means he would like to go with me as a friend.
"I always liked winter. It's really nice out and I get to see my family around the holidays. My brother's wife is due right before Christmas, so it's going to be really special this year."
"That's awesome, Edward!" I congratulate him. "Is your brother your only sibling?"
"Nah, I have a younger brother as well. I guess it's my turn to ask the next question. What's your dream job, Bells?"
"I'd love to be a dermatologist so I can pop people's pimples all day," I say with an enthusiastic grin. As Edward cringes at my answer, I change to a more serious one. "I'd love to be an artist. I've always been really passionate about painting… although my parents never supported it. They thought I was good and all, but they didn't want me to pursue it as a career. I know it's a risky profession, but I couldn't imagine a job where I had to sit behind a desk all day," I say, shuddering at the thought.
"Bells," Edward begins seriously. "If you're passionate about painting, you should follow your dreams. You only get this one chance at life, you have to make the most of it."
I smile at his answer and sit up taller in my seat. It's nice to hear someone actually support me. I've grown so tired of everyone telling me to 'play it safe'. I know they mean well, but sometimes I just want to hear some optimism. Edward's right. We all only get one shot at life, so we have to make the most of it. I like him even more already.
"Thanks for saying that. I know I'm not taking the traditional route in life, but I've been enjoying the ride so far. What's your dream job?"
Edward picks up his fork and takes a bite of the apple pie I left for him. A vibrant smile appears on his face as he tells me, "I'm lucky enough to have my dream job already. I'm a bull rider."
"Isn't that really dangerous?" I ask in shock. I barely know this man, but I can't stand the idea of him ever getting hurt.
"Only if you're not any good at it," he says with a cocky grin.
I roll my eyes and smile at him. "So, you're really good then? I mean, you certainly seem cocky enough." I feel his foot gently kick mine under the table, making me giggle at his wounded face. "Confident. I meant to say confident."
"I've won quite a few buckles and a good deal of money, so I have a reason to be confident," he says honestly. He takes a few more bites of the dessert and then gestures at the last bite and asks, "You want this, Bells?"
I'm definitely not one of those people who does that whole back and forth thing consisting of, 'You have it.' 'Oh no, you have it.' 'No, you have it. I insist.' I just dig right in. I pop the last piece of apple pie in my mouth and smile at him. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it, beautiful," he says with a wink. "Want to get going? We should probably get back on the road soon if we want to make it into the city by nightfall."
We've had such a wonderful time, I lost track of how long we've been sitting here. Everyone who was seated around us in the dining room already left. I jump up from our table and help Edward throw our trash away before we both head to the bathrooms to do our business. By the time we finally get back on the road, it's just past two o'clock and the traffic isn't so bad. I selfishly hope we can get stuck in traffic so I can spend more time with this man. I'm afraid once we get to El Paso, we'll both go our separate ways. I'm just so drawn to this man and I don't want to think about parting with him just yet.
We don't make it very far on the interstate before I notice a collision ahead that's brought traffic to a halt. I try not to smile, because it seems like my prayers were just answered.
A/N: I'm so happy you guys are loving this story! I'm in love with this rewrite! I'm definitely excited for the direction this story will go in! So saddle up! Also, what did you guys think of the photos of this Bella I shared in my group? Okay, until next time… Good or bad, please leave a review .
Song- "Honey Bee" – Blake Shelton.