oOo
Bella was nervous as she walked her way from the bus station on Saturday. It was extremely cold for the beginning of November, and she wore a thick winter coat and the gloves that Jackie had given her last Christmas. They were deep red and very warm.
She had been questioning her decision to meet Edward since Thursday night, since her talk with Jasper.
Not that it had been very enlightening. Jasper had merely said, again, that Edward Cullen was not dating material, but he had refused to go into it further, claiming that he didn't know anything for sure. That had irritated Bella no end. If he had nothing to say, why start on it?
After that, they had broken into a fight about Jasper's use of the word 'material,' and then he'd dropped her off at home. They had hugged as usual, and Bella had told him to give her love to Alice.
Even though she'd been annoyed with Jasper, she couldn't get rid of the nagging voice at the back of her head. Jasper was mostly right about things, and she was afraid it might be so now.
Still, she had decided that it would be rude to stand him up. At least that was as much as she would admit to herself. She would not be rude.
It was nothing. Meeting an acquaintance at the museum. Maybe he could teach her about art.
She shivered as she climbed the stairs to the entrance of the National Gallery. Despite the icy cold, the sun was shining. It was a clear, bright day.
Edward's hair was shimmering, sunrays making it red and golden, reminding Bella of the leaves in Regent's Park the other day. He saw her immediately, and gave her a cute, almost shy, wave.
"Hi."
"Hi."
Both were at a loss as how to greet each other. A hug seemed too familiar, a handshake too formal, so they did nothing, grinning at each other for a moment.
He looked better than she remembered him. How had she not noticed his fine bone structure before? Those cheekbones, that nose? Almond-shaped, green eyes, and pale, clear skin. A stubbly jaw and chin. He was beautiful.
"How've you been?"
"Quite well," she said. She crossed her arms against the cold, and he noticed.
"Let's get inside," he said. "It's freezing."
They started their tour at the 18th to early 20th century painters.
They would walk around and look at the paintings, sometimes standing side by side and considering them for minutes, sometimes passing works that didn't seem interesting. Every now and then, Edward commented on something, his voice always low and soft so he would not disturb the other visitors. His words were enlightening, clearly coming from someone who had given the best part of his years to the art of painting.
There were van Goghs, Cezannes, Turners, Constables, and Edward was able to tell her something interesting about each of them, about their methods of work and background.
Bella found herself listening in fascination. Sometimes, he made her laugh, pointing out a detail she would never have noticed on her own, or he surprised her with pieces of knowledge she would never have guessed.
They proceeded to da Vinci, Rembrandt, and Michelangelo.
"So beautiful," Bella whispered as they stood in front of Botticelli's "Venus and Mars."
"And aren't the little baby satyrs cute?" He had a smile almost similar to one of the cheeky characters.
"They are trying to wake him, right?" Bella couldn't help but smile herself.
He was enchanting when he forgot himself, totally in his element. Happy.
"Mmm-hmm. But he's exhausted after making love to his lady. It's a joke, see?" He pointed it out for her. "They have stolen his lance." Green eyes, full of mischief.
"How saucy!" Bella chuckled, pretending to be scandalised.
Their eyes met, and there was that moment. A minute later, Bella was wondering if she'd only imagined it, but she was pretty sure she hadn't.
There'd been a spark.
oOo
A/N:
Thank you for your support and your continuing reviews; you make me very happy!
If you have read Wake Up and Dream – I just posted a very looong outtake that was written for the Fandom for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Have a great weekend everyone, and see you tomorrow with more of Boozeward. Maybe Bella can get him to become more of a Boobward?