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B-POV

There wasn't a warning drop. No change in the wind. Like someone had switched a light switch, the sunny afternoon turned black. A sheet of rain poured down on the unsuspecting students enjoying a rare lunch outside. I stood my ground as students pushed past me to reach shelter long enough for Jessica to scurry under my umbrella.

"Ugh!" Jessica growled, squeezing her curls. "Of course, the one day I didn't bring my umbrella."

"Never trust the sun in the Pacific Northwest."

Huddled under my umbrella, the two of us made it into the dining hall with minimal water damage. The rest of our friends were already waiting at our usual table next to the smoothie stand. Only Ben had thought to grab his and Angela's lunch, but their burrito bowls had already been soaked through.

Without being asked, Mike started our standard smoothie orders. "I see you've come crawling back to me," he grinned as he poured the ingredients for a strawberry banana smoothie into a blender.

"Oh, can it," Jessica snapped, the sharpness of the threat dulled by her chattering teeth. She hugged herself, rubbing her arms with her opposite hands for warmth. She had dressed for the unseasonably warm day and was now paying the price. She turned on her heels towards the staircase that led up to the main dining hall. "I'm getting soup."

The rest of the group followed Jessica's lead in her quest for warmth. I remained with Mike, willing to take the smoothie he had already started so it wouldn't go to waste.

"It was getting lonely," he spoke over the whirl of the blender. "I took up rain dancing just to get you guys back in here."

"You're going to learn very quickly that you will always come second to the sun around here."

"Well, you let Jessica know that I always come second," he said with a wink. I forced a polite laugh, missing Edward's sense of humor.

"Where's Tyler today?" I asked, eager to change the subject.

"He switched with someone on the morning shift so he could attend a group project meeting." Mike gave me a knowing smile, which I knew nothing about. "I'll tell him you asked. He'll like that."

I bit my lip. I only asked to be polite. I didn't want Tyler to read into anything. I especially didn't want Lauren to read into anything.

"Hello." The voice almost caused me to drop my smoothie.

I whirled. Perfect stood in the middle of the dingy dining hall. Almost a week passed since I had seen him last. Though I saw his face in my mind every time I closed my eyes, my memory did not do him justice. Rain-soaked and disheveled, he was beautiful. I placed my smoothie on the table before I could do anything embarrassing with it and rushed to his side. "Where have you been?"

Edward's golden eyes raked over my face. "I was sick."

I was no longer afraid to meet his eyes, no longer afraid of whatever thoughts they carelessly coaxed from my lips. Anything I thought, I wanted him to hear. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too. Hours passed like days."

"Tell me about it."

He took my broken arm and cradled it in his hands. His perfect lips puckered. "It seems I wasn't the only one who was indisposed."

"Broken growth plate. I fell while making hot chocolate, if you can believe it."

A small smile touched a corner of his mouth, but the humor did not reach his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. I'm a menace to myself. Even if you were there, there was nothing you could have done to save me."

"That's not true." His thumb brushed across my cast. "I would never let anything happen to you."

The impossible promise rang with such sincerity, I did not doubt him.

"I came here because I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"I understand that it is horribly last minute. I would have asked for a way to contact you ages ago, but when I'm around you, practical thought seems to slip out of my mind…"

A smile played on my lips. I loved it when he rambled.

"Somehow, it seems overdue and premature all at the same time. And please know that you can say no. You won't offend me, I swear."

"Edward…"

His gaze was still down on my cast as he cleared his throat. "Would you accompany me on a date tomorrow evening? One in which I would plan and prepare and pay. And admire you, naturally."

The formality of his request was painfully charming. I stuck my chin up. "Why, Edward, you must know how I beseech you. An evening in your company would be quite agreeable. My father can chaperone."

He rolled his eyes at my poor acting skills. "No need to mock."

"You just said that I couldn't offend you."

Trapped by his own words, Edward moved on to logistics, "Tomorrow at six? I can pick you up."

"Sure. I can email you all my info later. You have the normal school email, right?"

"I do."

Good. Neither of us brought any attention to the fact that he still held my cast in both his hands. I did not want to remove my hand from where it was to write something down.

"There's something else…"

"Oh?"

"I wanted to remind you that I spend all my afternoons in that corner of the library. What you want to do with that information is entirely up to you."

"Would you like me to join you?"

"Bella!"

I cringed away from the sound of my own name. One of these days, I wouldn't allow Jessica to seek sanctuary under my umbrella to pay her back for all the quiet moments with Edward she stole from me. Edward turned his gaze forward, his eyes grew cloudy like the storm that overtook the sunny sky, moments ago. Hearing impossible things, only audible to him.

"Do you know what she wants?"

He blinked. Then, shook his head. "Um…"

The second after I spoke, I realized how rude it was to ask Edward to breach someone else's privacy on my behalf. I knew how he loathed that aspect of his gift. "Never mind. I'll figure it out. If you don't have an email from me in two hours, feel free to hunt me down."

His lips twisted into a wicked grin. "I'll hold you to that."

"Please do."

Edward and I both watched as he reluctantly released his soft grip on my cast. The freedom stung; I gasped. It felt like Edward took a small, fundamental part of me with him. His fingers brushed over mine so lightly, I could barely feel his touch. Still, that skin-to-skin contact had my heart racing and head swimming, no matter how brief.

I didn't realize he said goodbye until he was a few steps away. Calling out after him came out as a whisper under my breath.

Breathless.

Left utterly dazzled by one, small touch to the fingers.

I forced down a few gulps of air before I returned to my friends, but no amount of air would make me look less ragged than I probably did. My cheeks were hot, chest heaving. I could only imagine what any of them thought.

"What's up, Jess?" I asked as I rejoined my group of friends. Ben pushed the smoothie I had already forgotten about in my direction. I thanked him as I took a sip.

"What were you doing talking to him?"

"You mean Edward?" I looked back to where I left him. He was already across the building near the rear exit, talking adamantly with a tall, dark figure I had never seen before.

"Yes, of course, Edward."

"He's my friend. You know that."

Jessica shared a meaningful look with Lauren, and then with Mike. "We've been meaning to talk to you about this for a while, Bella…" She paused and tucked her thick, curly hair behind both ears.

"There's something off about that guy," Mike finished on Jessica's behalf.

I placed my smoothie on the table. My friends hadn't received the best first impression of Edward, so I should have expected this conversation eventually. Especially when Jessica refused to admit she coerced him into a date, which Edward had every right to be upset about.

"Look, I know he can come off as a bit awkward but trust me. He's a really sweet guy."

"It's not that he's awkward—which he is," again, Jessica pushed back her hair. "There's also, like, this weird energy about him."

"I get serial killer vibes," Lauren chimed in.

"What?"

Jessica lowered her voice, "Lauren said that when she looked him in the eyes, a feeling of dread washed over her. Like…" she looked up to Lauren, a furrow in her laminated brows. "…what did you say?"

"He looked me in the eyes and suddenly," she held up her arm, "Goosebumps. My spine tingled."

"But not 'cause he's hot," Jessica clarified with a stern nod. "Edward's not her type."

"I legitimately feared for my life."

The blatant disbelief must have been visible on my face because Jessica pointed to Mike as he leaned over the low side of the smoothie stand to be in the conversation. "Tyler and Mike felt it too. At the art gala."

I remembered that they claimed something along those lines, but both he and Tyler wanted to hate Edward because he was out on a date with Jessica. There was no merit behind their accusation.

Mike nodded, his face grave. "It was crazy."

"What are you trying to imply here?"

Jessica reached her hand across the table like she expected me to grab it for comfort. There was only one hand I would seek for comfort, and it wasn't Jessica's. "We don't think it's safe for you to be around him."

I snorted. The only thing I knew for sure about Edward was that I was safe with him. My body, my heart. Every part of me was safe in Edward's perfect, capable hands.

"You think he's going to hurt me?"

Jessica shifted under my harsh stare but stuck to her guns. "I think there's a solid chance he could."

"Jess, if he really wanted to hurt women, why didn't he go after you? He knew you liked him. You would have gone anywhere with him." You weren't exactly subtle… I added in my head.

Naturally, Jessica already had an excuse. "Because on that first day when I tried to talk to him, he probably saw that I was listening to a true crime podcast. He knew if he tried anything with me, I would figure it out because I listen to too much true crime."

Instead of responding to Jessica's ridiculous claim, I looked to Angela for support.

She answered my call. "It's much more likely that Edward's simply an awkward guy who feels comfortable around Bella than a serial killer."

"Angela, one percent of the population are serial killers. He has the same chance of being a serial killer as being a redhead," Jessica pointed an accusatory finger in Edward's general direction, "Which he already is."

"No, Angela is exactly right." I couldn't exactly tell my friends that Edward first hung around me because of my silent thoughts, but there was another example that was honest. "He was adopted as an older child. And he moved around a lot."

Angela nodded in agreement with me, "Both things that would create a socially awkward person."

"Or a serial killer," Lauren said.

"Bella," Jessica's voice was soft. I could see the genuine concern in her dark eyes. As ridiculous as I thought she was, her heart was in the right place. "Seriously, think about why he only wants to spend time alone with you.

I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth.

It was difficult to explain. It was difficult to believe. How long had I ignored his subtle signs because I couldn't believe Edward would ever care for me as I wished he would? Naturally, it would be difficult for someone on the outside to believe the truth. They couldn't see the yearning behind his stare, couldn't hear the sugary sweetness in his words.

Even more difficult to explain and believe was why he only wanted to be with me, and how his flippant disregard for others was not a mark on his character. His solitude was a burden he bore because of a supernatural gift. My silent mind was the only respite he had against a loud, overwhelming existence.

Unbelievable, impossible, but true.

My voice was smaller than I expected, "He likes me."

"Does he?" Lauren leaned onto the table, so she could get a better look at me. "Look at you. Look at him." Despite Lauren's instruction, everyone at the table looked down, suddenly very interested in their lunch. Her blazing blue eyes remained on me. "He found a girl that would ignore all his waving red flags, because that's the only way she'd get a chance with a man."

"Lauren," Jessica hissed, "We decided we weren't going to say that part." Her smile was apologetic as she faced me once more.

I flexed my jaw. "It doesn't matter. He asked me out on a date this weekend, and I intend to go."

Across from me, Angela nodded encouragingly. She turned to Jessica to coax the same nod from her, as well.

Jessica did not comply. Her halo of curls stayed perfectly still. "Where is he taking you?"

"Oh, um, I don't know."

She shared another look with Lauren, "That's not a good sign."

Lauren shook her head with an exaggerated purse on her lips, "Horrible sign."

I rolled my eyes. "He'll tell me. We were going to exchange details later."

"If he takes you off the beaten path, run. Or to an underground place where there are not many people. Somewhere that there's zero chance you might run into anyone either of you would know from school." Jess was right—she had listened to too many true crime podcasts. "And when you arrive, text me the location. Actually, drive yourself! That's way better! Then, he has to tell you where to meet him!" Jessica bounced in her seat. She turned to Mike to make sure he was as pleased with her as she was with herself. "And you can text me the address!"

"Jess and I can be nearby," Mike offered. "If you feel scared, we'll show up to get you out."

I frowned.

It was utterly absurd. I had already been alone in a car with Edward, but I figured it wouldn't do anything to point that out. It was simpler to comply with their demands and let them see Edward's good character for himself.

"Fine," I conceded. "I'll let you know where we go. Just promise you'll stay away until I ask for you to come." The last thing I needed on my date with Edward was for it to become a double.

"Deal," Jessica grinned. "Oh! This is going to be so exciting!" She reached for Mike's arm, but wasn't quite able to grab it, "We can come up with code words!"

E-POV

I paced back and forth across the gravel parking lot, a full hour before I was to meet Bella, just in case. The underground club could be difficult to find and was in an unsavory part of town, and Bella wished to drive herself. I gave her the address to a parking lot around the corner. I did not want Bella stumbling through the gray, dangerous streets alone.

Besides, it only felt right that I, the gentleman, should escort the lady to our date.

Still pacing behind my car, I planned all the things I wanted to say, all the smiles I wanted to earn. I was more excited to see Bella's face when she saw the music hall than I was for the concert that awaited. I would see the sweet, coy smile that appeared at the start of all our conversations. Eventually, it would grow into something bold and—if I was lucky—a bit salacious. The taunting smile would appear soon after, when her clever mind devised a way to mock me yet again. And finally, my favorite smile, the one of awe. It had been coaxed out of her when I played a brief tune for her in class on the harmonica, and then again at the wonders at the antique fair. I was certain the club would inspire awe from the beautiful Isabella.

It was sure to earn me a kiss. Or two. Or three.

I was still imagining all the ways Bella might want to thank me when I caught the distinctive sound of her old motor chugging down the street. Again, she parked her behemoth vehicle as far away from the other cars as she could.

As soon as she stopped, I went to open her door. Just because she drove herself didn't mean I couldn't treat her like the lady she was. I was a second too late—she almost whacked me in the face from the force she used to heave open the heavy door. She jumped down and her feet slipped on the gravel. The truck door acted as a barrier that prevented me from getting to her, but somehow, she righted herself without my assistance. I frowned at the slippery, wet rocks beneath our feet that threatened my Bella.

Then, the door slammed shut. And she was before me.

She flinched away from the light drizzle. As she pulled up her hood and stuffed her long hair into it, I noticed she wore two jackets. Under her standard black raincoat was a leather jacket that looked older than she was. Along with both jackets, she wore a navy-blue top that wrapped along her middle with a dangerously low cut.

I had to remind myself to breathe. And blink. And move.

She spoke first, as I was dazzled into silence. "You look great."

There was that coy smile. As if she worried my feelings could change for her in our brief time apart. They never would. They never could.

"Thank you." I held my hand to lead her to the venue, which she took. Through the leather of the gloves, I could feel the warmth radiating from her skin. "You look beautiful as well."

"I wasn't sure what the dress code was for this type of thing."

"A date?" I laughed.

"A date where I was kept in the dark."

"Most would refer to it as a surprise."

"Well, I don't like surprises."

I stepped down onto the staircase that led to the music hall but stopped and turned back before she could follow. She stood a step above me, so we were almost face-to-face. Careful to avoid touching her face, I pushed back a thick strand of hair she missed into her hood with the others. Her dark eyes widened as they met mine and a pretty blush blossomed on her apple cheeks. "You'll like my surprises."

Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

Dazzled. Just as I was.

Smiling, I pulled my dazed and dazzled date into the venue.

Keeping my hand in hers, Bella lingered behind me as I stopped at the ticket window. Vivi smiled at the sight of me, as she always did. Every time I saw her, she had a different shade of lipstick and different colored hair. Tonight, it was ruby-red lips with gray hair.

"Hey, Edward," she greeted, with a bit more warmth than the other usuals.

"Hello."

"Are you going up there tonight?" she asked, purposely looking up at me through her long, fake eyelashes.

"Not tonight. I have a date. I'll need two tickets, please."

Vivi's long fingernails clicked and clacked the keys on her keyboard as she acquiesced to my request. "I think playing a song would impress your date. Where is she?" She looked everywhere around the room, her eyes glossing over the girl who was obviously at my side.

I held up my hand, which was intertwined with Bella's.

"Oh!" Vivi felt a pang of jealousy, but smiled through it, professional and detached. "Lucky girl."

Bella smiled politely and muttered a quiet response that Vivi did not catch but nodded to anyway.

"Thank you. Have a good night."

Tickets in one hand, Bella in the other, I led us past the first bar and through one of many arched doorways that led to the main stage. I was careful to guide Bella around a section of the floor I knew was uneven. I smiled to myself. In a short amount of time, my world already shifted around Bella. Tripping hazards stood out to me when they never had before, now that I had a lovely, clumsy human in my care. I wondered how else my perception would evolve for her.

"Careful, now," I muttered as I led her down the steps. I was reluctant to release her so she could use the railing with her good hand. Bella's eyes remained on her feet during the whole descent. When she reached the bottom, she looked up for the first time and gasped.

The club looked exactly as it did back in the Fifties when I would come here with Esme when they cleared out the tables and opened the dance floor. Vivi and her predecessors did a remarkable job with their historical preservation. I led Bella to one of the tables that sat on a platform around the dance floor. I took her raincoat and hung it on the pillar that separated us from the table behind us. She kept the leather jacket. I slid right beside her into the semi-circle-shaped booth that faced the stage.

"Where are we?" There it was. The beautiful, awestruck smile I adored. I watched her chocolate eyes follow the elaborate drapes of the heavy, velvet curtain over the stage.

"At one of my favorite music halls in the city."

"It feels like we stepped back in time."

"I knew you'd like it."

She tore her eyes away from the intricate chandeliers overhead to meet mine. The bold smile—the one that should be hidden behind a fluttering fan it was so dangerously alluring—spread across her lips. "I love it."

There was an obvious response to that. One my heart was desperate to say, but my mind knew it was much too soon for her to hear.

"Who's playing?" Bella asked, saving me from myself. "Someone good?"

"I don't know," I said, honestly. "Though, I've never seen a bad performance here."

"Very spontaneous," she approved.

A waiter walked over to hand us a few menus. For the first time in several decades of attendance, I took one.

Bella flipped through the few pages. "What do you usually get?"

"Nothing. I haven't eaten here."

"Oh," Bella said awkwardly, closing the menu. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed..."

"No, no," I opened it back to the page she was on. "We should get something. You should eat."

She eyes me curiously, for a moment. Then, shoved the menu back into my hands. "You should pick. After all, you come here more than I do. You have better insight."

I truly had no idea what people would want to eat here. "You should pick. I invited you here."

She tucked her perfect bottom lip between her teeth and looked up at me through long eyelashes, the way Vivi always did. Unlike Vivi, Bella softened my marble skin into putty in her hands. "Please, Edward?"

I swallowed.

Helpless and hopeless, I did as she asked. When the waiter returned, I gestured to the appetizer section and asked for one of each.

"Are you planning on feeding everyone here?" Bella hissed when he walked away.

"I don't know what you like, yet. We'll share—it'll be okay."

Bella played with her the ends of her hair, clearly uncomfortable. I had done something wrong, and I didn't understand what it was.

Before I could ask, the first act walked on with only a microphone. The house lights remained on, and people continued to talk as he started his act. A comic—my least favorite—and not a very good one, at that. Bella must have felt the same because after the first two jokes she leaned over. I ducked my head so she could whisper in my ear, "You said you never saw a bad act here."

I snorted.

I draped my arm across the back of the booth, shamelessly corralling her closer to me. "This isn't the main act. He's an amateur comedian. There are always amateurs brought in to warm up the audience. It's one of my favorite parts about this venue."

"Really?"

"Yes. They'll get better when we get closer to the main act. Comics are rare, I admit. It's usually other musicians. But there are sometimes poets, contortionists, artists. And on really good nights, magicians." I wiggled my fingers, earning a brief, polite laugh.

"Is that what Vivi meant when she asked if you would be going up on stage?"

"Oh," I hoped Bella had been too dazzled to catch that. I should have known better. Nothing passed without her notice. "Yes. I'll sign up for a set every once and a while."

"To play harmonica or do magic?"

I laughed. "To play the piano, actually. But you know, maybe I should incorporate magic into my act."

"You can pull the sheet music out of your hat."

"I'll practice right away."

"I'll have to see it." The teasing spark in her eyes smoldered into something deeper. "Seriously though, Edward. I would love to see you play."

All my music was about Bella these days. It was only fair that my muse herself could enjoy what she inspired.

"Next week. I'll sign up." No one asked me to audition anymore. Because of Vivi's preferences, I usually got a spot when I wanted one.

"I'll be here."

The food arrived. Bella seemed displeased by the amount—though I could not imagine why. The plates were small, there were only three or four bites per appetizer. Despite her displeasure, Bella added a few things to her plate. I watched, taking mental notes of her preferences. She eyed my empty plate for a second. Before she could grow suspicious, I added a few things to mine, as well, not paying attention to what I grabbed.

She took a small nibble of something covered in breadcrumbs. "Have you seen anyone famous perform as an amateur before their big break?"

I wished I could tell Bella the truth. I've spent centuries in holes in the wall just like this. Stevie Nicks, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond. I saw all of them and more as nobodies before they became somebodies. Instead, I had to say, "Probably."

She liked that answer just fine. A spark of wonder gleamed in her big, brown eyes just as I hoped it would.

The comic's act was pleasantly short. A piano player followed him. These were my favorites. I closed my eyes and let myself linger in the musician's mind. I listened to him read the sheet music, and the song transform as he lost himself in his music. When he no longer felt the audience or the heat of the stage, his performance improved. It was why I enjoyed amateurs such as these because I got to experience musicians discovering the glory of performing.

The first song flowed into the next, and I was thoroughly impressed with the bridge he composed on the spot. He didn't expect to do that. He had written down little quips to share between each song. But now that the music had consumed him, he couldn't stop. From what I could tell, the audience was just as consumed.

The feeling of being watched brought me back to my own mind. I opened my eyes and looked down to see Bella staring up at me. She didn't blush or look away, which was rare for her. Instead, the corner of her lip pulled up into an alluring half-smile. I smiled back. Maintaining eye contact, she rested her head against my bicep, draped behind her on the back of the couch. Trying not to jostle her, I lowered my hand from the couch to caress her shoulder. When she didn't pull away from my touch, I curled my arm around her tighter, the leather jacket protecting her from the chill of my skin.

Around us, the music swelled as the performer reached the climax of his piece. A brief peek into his thoughts told me he never went this route with this song, for he was attempting to remember what he was doing that felt so right in this moment so he could write it down later on.

Feeling swept up in my own, private moment with a beautiful girl, I tightened my arm once more, pulling Bella closer.

It felt like I had borrowed Jasper's gift. This close, I could taste her feelings. Pluck the emotions swirling in the air around us. Desire, passion, trust. The emotions Jasper felt from Bella as she spoke to me. Everything I wanted to deserve from this beautiful girl.

Slowly and deliberately, so she could stop me if she wanted to, I lowered my lips to hers. Once again, the second our lips touched, my heart warmed and swelled until I swore it beat again. My hand slid down her shoulder towards her waist. I deepened the kiss as I pulled her closer. Close enough that her soft, warm curves pressed against me.

Without breaking the kiss, I shifted in the booth. She moved with me, not allowing our bodies to part.

I was quickly becoming drunk off her flavor. My movements became less controlled, my body reacted on its own without me allowing it to do so. All on its own, my other arm wound around her, under her jacket. Right against the thin fabric of her top.

She was so soft, so warm.

My hand squeezed; my lips parted.

Suddenly, it became too much. Her taste in my mouth. Her warmth in my grasp. I wrenched my hand away before I could squeeze too tight and hurt her. I tore my lips away from hers before venom pooled in my mouth. I launched up from the booth, muttered a vague apology I wasn't sure she could hear. Moving too quickly, I left, straight into the cool, refreshing air, only to be hit by the sudden downpour.