oOo
"Hi," he said, taking in her beauty.
It was as if a dark-haired fairy with huge brown eyes and invisible wings – did fairies have wings, he wondered – had turned up at his front door.
She was wearing jeans and her black Michelin man coat.
Her smile was enchanting.
"Hi."
"Come in."
"Thanks."
"Let me hang up your coat."
He helped her out of it, revealing her in a tight, blue jumper. He had never seen her in anything tight-fitting. It made her look even more fragile than he'd expected, and it made him sure that there was some kind of problem. In contrast to her slight body, her breasts – and Edward swallowed as he diverted his eyes – were surprisingly full.
Oh, God, what was going on with him?
"Do you want a little tour?"
"Yes, sure."
He showed her the living room with the large French doors that led to the garden, and the dining room, and finally the kitchen. His studio and bedroom were upstairs, but he didn't think they should be included on their "tour."
He hadn't touched any of his ingredients, and they were sitting on the counter, waiting for Bella.
"Would you like a glass of wine?"
"Yes, but just a small one."
"It's so lovely of you to come all the way from Fulham. I really shouldn't have let you."
"It's okay," she smiled. "I offered, didn't I?"
He poured her half a glass of Merlot, and Bella took a tiny sip.
"So… I'm going to show you how to cook vegetables?" Her smile grew deeper.
"Um, yes. I can't order in all the time, can I?"
And then, Bella told him how to prepare the things he'd bought, giggling when Edward wanted to add the avocados to the frying pan. He felt pretty stupid, but her laughter was contagious, and he joined her.
Thirty minutes after Bella had arrived, they were sitting down in the kitchen, having dinner. Bella didn't eat a lot, saying that she'd already had lunch at work, but Edward had two platefuls, telling her four times how yummy it was.
"See? You did most of that by yourself!"
"Yes, with you next to me. I couldn't have done it without you."
And it felt okay to admit it.
They talked easily for an hour after dinner. Edward told her a little about Milo, showing Bella some photos and even pointing out the spot in the dark garden where he was buried. Bella told him about the family dog, Pookie, and they laughed about his antics.
"Your house is lovely," Bella said. "How long've you been living here?"
"Just three years. I finally sold the house Irina and I had bought together." He cleared his throat, but surprisingly, it didn't feel awkward to talk about it with Bella.
"I went into therapy after Irina's death, you know. In the beginning, I wasn't ready to let go of anything that was connected to her, but at some point, I realized that it wasn't healthy to stay there, to keep it like a shrine. I didn't even touch her studio, left everything the way it had been…"
He drifted off.
"Sorry, I… I got carried away…"
Bella's huge dark eyes were sad; sadder than he'd ever seen them.
oOo