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Edward took a deep breath before he pressed the doorbell. He couldn't remember being this nervous; it was ridiculous!
Or was it?
When was the last time he'd been on a real date? The sort of date where emotions were involved?
He couldn't help but shake his head and smile, because it had been in the nineties.
"Hi."
A girl he didn't know opened the door, grinning widely. She had black hair and eyes almost the same colour, and he wondered immediately if she was Bella's sister.
"I'm Leah, Bella's friend." She stuck out her hand and shook his.
"Hi Leah. I'm Edward."
"Yeah, I thought so." She smiled, displaying a tiny gap between her two front teeth, which was charming. "Come in, she'll be ready in a second."
Edward stepped into the small apartment, and, like all the previous times, he felt wonderfully calm and relaxed here.
He cleared his throat.
"I like this flat," he said, feeling idiotic the moment the words left his mouth.
"You do?" Leah said. "She's quite proud of it," she whispered.
Edward already liked her.
"Edward!"
His attention was caught at the sound of Bella's voice as she exited the bathroom. And he thought he was going to faint.
She was an apparition of beauty and elegance and femininity. He's never seen her dressed up, obviously, and the sight was almost too much to take. She was wearing a lovely blue dress of shimmering, dark blue velvet, enhancing her milky white skin. And showing off her long and very shapely legs. Big time.
"Hi," he croaked.
"Hey." She crossed the distance between them and, standing on her tiptoes, kissed his cheek.
He swallowed.
"You… you…"
Bella looked up at him with huge brown eyes, a sweet smile on her lips.
Oh, right. She was probably waiting for him to say something.
"You're beautiful," he stammered. "I mean, obviously, you're always beautiful, but… especially… right now."
He took a deep breath.
"Hi there," another voice came from the bathroom door, and Edward finally managed to divert his eyes from Bella.
The girl who was waving at him had to be Bella's sister. She looked like a slightly younger edition, her hair the same chestnut, her eyes the same brown. Only her skin wasn't quite as pale as Bella's, and she wasn't as thin as her.
"Edward, meet my sister, Jackie."
"Hey!" Said sister shook Edward's hand with enthusiasm. She already reminded him of an over-eager puppy dog. "I'm Jackie!"
"I'm Edward. It's good to meet you, Jackie."
"You might hand her the flowers," Jackie stage-whispered loudly, and Bella blushed.
"Oh. Yes. Right."
He had totally forgotten about the bouquet of pink daisies in his hand.
"You mentioned you liked daisies the other day," he said as he gave them to Bella with a self-conscious shrug.
"They are beautiful. Thank you so much, Edward."
Her smile was genuine as she gazed at the flowers, and then at him.
"Let me put them in a vase." Leah offered, and Bella thanked her before she handed them to her.
"Jackie? Would you help me?" Leah said from the threshold to the kitchen.
"Filling water into a vase?" Bella's younger sister asked.
"Yes. Okay, guys, have fun!" Leah said.
"Oh. Of course. Have fun, big sis." Jackie kissed Bella's cheek. "Don't do anything I wouldn't!" She giggled.
"I won't do anything you would do," Bella corrected her with a smile. "Bye, guys!"
She went to retrieve her coat from the hook by the door, but Edward beat her to it and helped her slip into it.
"Bye, guys," he called in the direction of the kitchen, and was answered by girlish giggles.
"Thank God," Bella breathed once they had stepped into the crisp night air. "They were driving me nuts!"
She shook her head.
She was so beautiful.
Edward opened the passenger door of his car.
He wanted to say something clever and witty, but what came out was, "You're so beautiful, Bella."
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