Let the Games Begin
A/N: I know. I suck. It's been well over a month. I'm trying. I really am. But I was dealing with my first set of college finals and they thoroughly kicked my ass. So I hope you'll forgive me and enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 12
Caution: Fangirling May Occur
(BPOV)
When I left campus Saturday morning, all I wanted to do was get away for the day. But after I found Edward in the woods, everything changed.
God, I never thought that there would be a day when a guy would just want to hold my hand because he wanted to. Back in Seattle that wouldn't have happened. The boys up there only saw me as the daughter of Charles and Renee Swan, the rich girl, the girl who obviously knew nothing. Well, they were wrong. I knew what they wanted. They wanted the money, the title, they wanted me on their arm, but they didn't want me. So I changed all of that. I made sure that everyone knew who I was and that I wasn't going to deal with all of that bullshit anymore.
I never thought that I would find a guy that would like me for me as crazy and odd and bitchy as I may be. But Edward did. He saw past all of that. He saw the girl that only wanted someone to like who she was, not what she was.
As we talked, he would ask me questions and he seemed genuinely curious, like he wanted to get to know me, the real me. But I only gave him vague answers because as genuine as he may be, I still found it hard to drop the wall that I had built up.
And this made me feel really guilty because he answered every question that I asked him. And he showed me the real him, the boy behind the Mr. Popular persona that everyone had thrown upon him. The boy that didn't mind being alone. The boy that no one else knew, or even tried to get to know.
When the sky started getting dark, he held my hand as we walked through the woods. Nothing had ever felt so good. In fact, I had never felt so good in my life. Edward made me laugh. He made me smile. He made me happy. He made me feel special. Like I wasn't just part of the crowd. Like I wasn't just something to be won.
As we walked back to my dorm, he would glance over at me, a sly smile on his face. He would wink and brush his arm against mine.
And he kissed me.
On the cheek.
Again.
And it drove me up the wall. It took everything I had not to just grab the back of his head and plant one on him.
But Edward was the romantic type. He probably wanted it to be special. It being our first kiss. But technically it wouldn't be our first kiss. It would be our second, but still. Our first real kiss.
And I'll admit that I was thinking the same thing. I did want it to be special. But that didn't mean I had to be patient while I waited for it.
Or that I couldn't have a little fun with him.
I learned many things about Edward on Saturday. Like the fact that he had the voice of an angel that could make anything with girl parts weak in the knees. And he was a bit of mama's boy, but it was cute. And that he was extremely ticklish.
That small fact made me giggle like a little girl on a sugar high. He was just so cute when I tickled him. And a little spastic.
I would definitely have to keep this small fact stored away for later occasions.
At the end of the night, he kissed me on the cheek and bid me goodnight in his own oh-so-sweet way and then we parted ways. I made my way up to my room and got the door closed before the dreamy sigh that I had been holding in all day finally slipped out. I rested my forehead against the door, trying to get ahold of myself.
"Have a good day?" a chirpy voice said from behind me. I jumped a little and whirled around to see Alice and Rose coming out of the bathroom. They were both holding nail polish bottles.
I stayed facing the door as I tried to reign in the huge smile that was threatening to take over my face. I took a deep breath and turned to face then. "Yeah. Better than I expected," I said as I made my way over to the bed and throwing my bag on top of my dresser.
"Where'd you go anyway?" Rose asked as she sat down at Alice's desk.
"I just explored a little," I said as I turned to unpack my bag.
Their phones beeped suddenly and then I heard two gasps from behind me. "What? No way!" they both said.
"What?" I asked, curious.
They both stared at me in shock. "Is it true?"
I gave them a confused look. "Is what true?"
"You're going on a date with Edward?" Alice asked, her voice excited.
"I, I don't know what you're talking about," I deflected.
They both just stared at me, hands on hips waiting for me to answer. I sighed, unable to keep anything from them. They were the only friends that I've ever been able to keep (or tolerate) for more than a week and they were always so nice to me, no matter my mood, so I had to tell them.
"Okay, fine," I sighed. "Yeah, we're going on a date." Their faces lit up almost immediately. "But you can't tell anyone. I want some privacy, and I'm sure Edward does too."
They both nodded quickly and grabbed my hands and pulled me to the bed and pushed me down. "Tell us everything."
I rolled my eyes at the cliche that I had just been pulled into. Gossiping with the girlfriends. Kill me now.
I sighed and flopped back on the bed. "I was just wandering around and I found Edward just hanging around. We ended up talking and it turns out that we have a lot more in common than I thought. And then one thing led to another and he asked me out and I said yes. The end."
"That's it?" Alice asked incredulously.
I nodded. "Yep."
I really didn't want to get into this. And I didn't want to rat Edward out. From what I learned today, he really valued his privacy and I wasn't going to be the one to take that away from him. Yeah, I was a bitch, but I wasn't heartless.
And yeah, I kind of like him.
"Come on, Bella," Alice whined. "Details. We need details."
I sighed. "There's not really that many details," I fibbed. "We talked. He held my hand. He asked me out. Then he walked me back to the dorm. That's it."
"He held your hand?" Alice cooed.
"And you let him?" Rose asked, her tone incredulous.
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I let him. You know, I'm not a complete bitch all the time."
"We never thought you were a bitch," Alice said. I shot her a look. She giggled and rolled her eyes. "Okay, maybe a few times, but you acted that way for good reasons, so I really didn't care."
"Really, we're just surprised," Rose said.
"Surprised? Why?" I asked, confused, as I sat up.
She shrugged nonchalantly. "We all thought you both would just skip the whole date thing and just jump each other eventually."
My jaw hit the ground. "Are you fucking serious? Do you really think I have no self control whatsoever?"
She leveled me with an incredulous look of her own. "Come on, Bella. You and Edward have been at each other's throats ever since your kiss. If that's not some built up sexual tension, then I don't know what is." And then she shrugged again, her tone falling back into nonchalance. "Besides, the fact that you're going on a date with him shows that you have excellent control. You obviously haven't jumped his ass yet..." She eyed me. "You haven't jumped his ass yet, have you?"
If only. I huffed and crossed my arms. "No," I grumbled.
They both laughed at me then. "But you want to, don't you?"
I scowled at them and pulled a pillow over my face. "Yes," I groaned into the pillow.
They both giggled. "Don't worry. I'm pretty sure he wants you to."
I pulled the pillow down so that only my eyes were visible. "Really?" God, I hated how I sounded like one of those insecure teenage girls, but it is what it is. I really like him and I know he said that he liked me, but still. This wasn't easy for me.
They both nodded. "Definitely. Em and Jazz told us that he gets this look in his eye sometimes, like he's completely spaced out. Trust me, Edward isn't one to space out. He's focused on everything he does, so he could only be thinking about one thing."
"And that would be?" I prodded.
"You. You're the only thing on this planet that has ever gotten under his skin. You're the only thing that could possibly distract him enough to get him to act this way."
That made me feel a little better. And it seemed as if I wasn't the only one that was driven to distraction.
All of a sudden my phone rang. I sighed. It could only be one person. My mother.
I ignored it, letting it ring. "Aren't you going to answer that?" Alice asked.
"Nope," I said, popping the "p."
"Okay," she said, giving me the side eye. I ignored it. I didn't want to get into it with my mother and I wasn't about to have a heart-to-heart about my mommy issues either.
"Hey, guys. Thanks for the talk, but I'm really tired. I think I'm going to head to bed," I said, getting up from Alice's bed.
"Alright," they said. "We'll see you in the morning."
I nodded and headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed.
~x~X~x~
I really can't believe that Edward wants to date me. I mean, come on, the guy is perfect in almost every way. He's sweet and kind. He's funny and has a sense of humor (even if it is a bit twisted). He's freaking brilliant. And as if all of that wasn't enough, he was the most beautiful guy that I had ever seen.
And he wanted me.
All throughout the week, he would find ways to touch me. Brushing his arm against mine in bio. Holding my hand between the seats during etiquette. Walking me to music afterwards.
And over the past week he had taken to calling me "baby" or "pretty girl", or "PG" when we were around other people.
Normally, I wasn't one for pet names. In fact, I hated them. I wasn't a pumpkin or a sweetie or what the fuck ever, but when Edward called me pretty girl or baby, it made me feel really good. Like butterflies attacking my stomach kind of good. Seriously, he made me giddy. I don't get giddy over very many things and I never thought that a guy would ever be one of them.
But Edward was perfect. He was every girl's dream guy, but he wanted me. So he could call me whatever the fuck he wanted.
On a more unpleasant note, the whores - I mean, girls - here aren't as blissed out as I am. True, they don't know about my date with Edward, but it's common knowledge that I'm his partner in almost every class we have together and they aren't taking it well. And as far as they're concerned, we still hate each other. They don't think it's fair that the one girl here that doesn't harbor some sort of unwarranted obsession with him gets to be with him almost all of the time.
And they're letting me know just how they feel about it.
They glare at me. They make snarky comments (well, the brighter ones do. Most of them have a hard time forming a sentence that doesn't have the word "like" every other freaking word.) Some of the more aggressive ones would push me out of the way or bump into me in the hallways or in the cafeteria.
I ignored them all because I knew that if I didn't I would even up with a lifetime of detention and I didn't really want that to happen. In all honesty, I'm surprised that I haven't gotten it yet. Well, then again, I'm not because the only person here that I've hit was Newton and he's too much of a pussy to say anything.
But I had a feeling that these girls would not have any qualms with ratting me out. Because sweet Edward Masen would never want to be with someone who winds up in detention.
Don't make me laugh. Edward told me that he's gotten away with so much shit here that he probably should have been expelled by now.
It's completely understandable too. I mean, come on, look at the guy. He could get away with destroying the entire campus and all he would have to do is smile and sweet talk his way out of expulsion.
Trust me, I know.
I've seen him in action. We were in music (doing more theory. Ugh.) on Wednesday and Edward hadn't shown up yet. About halfway through the class, he came sauntering into the room like he was right on time.
"Mr. Masen, where have you been?" Mr. Sharp asked, hands on hips.
"I apologize for being late, Mr. Sharp. I got held up helping Coach Strickland with something. I assure you that it'll never happen again," Edward said, sounding very heartfelt. I knew he was lying. He had told me that he would be late, but he said nothing about helping the coach. But why wouldn't anyone believe him? He was every teacher's favorite student.
Oh, and to top off his little performance, he flashed his crooked smile, dazzling almost everyone in the room. I swear that smile could get him out of anything.
Mr. Sharp eyed him for a moment before sighing. "Don't worry about it, Mr. Masen. I doubt it will."
"Thank you, Mr. Sharp," Edward said, flashing another smile before heading towards his seat.
See what I mean? He has some sort of mojo, I swear, otherwise he wouldn't get away with half the shit he does.
Anyway, back to my point. These girls are not my biggest fans at the moment.
And the leader of them all?
Tanya Denali.
Yeah, you remember her, right? Tall, strawberry blonde, bitchy, weird uber obsession with Edward? Yeah, that's her.
She's been glaring at me every chance she got. She'd shoot bitchy comments my way every time she walked past me. She even tried to hit me once or twice.
But today was the last fucking straw.
It was Thursday and I was sitting at lunch. I kept trying to sneak glances at Edward whenever I could.
Hey, I'm secure enough in myself to admit that he was the only thing on my mind at the moment.
And let me say that he is looking quite handsome today. His hair was perfectly tousled. His clothes looked like they were made just for him and hugged his body in all the right places. His eyes glittered with a little more deviousness than normal, which only made him sexier in my eyes.
But then someone stepped in my eye line, effectively cutting off my view of my sorta-almost-maybe boyfriend. And that, in my opinion, was not cool.
I looked up to find the queen bitch herself glaring down at me.
"Isabella," she sneered at me.
I cocked an eyebrow at her. "Tanya. Or should I call you Satan's mistress? Everyone else does," I drawled, leaning back in my chair, smiling cheekily at her.
She fumed and glared down at me. I rolled my eyes. I'd seen all of this before. It wasn't anything new. "You seriously need to back off."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, my tone giving away nothing.
"Don't try to pull that. I saw the way you were looking at him. He doesn't want you. He has me," she sneered at me. "So, once again, back off and keep your slutty hands off of him."
My eyes snapped back up to her face and I glared at her. Now, let me tell you, I perfected my bitch glare at the tender age of five and I've had quite a few years to hone it even more. So Tanya got everything I had because I wasn't going to deal with this shit.
I kept my glare on my face and my voice eerily calm. "I'm the slut? Really? How many guys have you let dip their wick in you, hmm? Ten, twenty, most of the male student body? I know it couldn't have been all of them because I know at least a few of them have some sort of sense. And I'm not the one who walks around with my skirt up my ass or my boobs falling out of my shirt. You, on the other hand, radiate slut, whore, skank. Whatever you want to call it. And the only reason any of them like you is because they know that you're an easy lay. And really you can't blame them. I mean, boys will be boys after all."
I flicked my eyes around the cafeteria and I was met with quite a few ashamed looks.
"That is not true!" Tanya screeched, stomping her foot. Really, she stomped her foot? When did we land on a bad sitcom set?
I snorted. "Oh, but it is. Do you see anyone jumping to protect your virtue?" The entire cafeteria was silent. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
Tanya's face was bright red with rage now. She screeched again and whipped around. "Eddie, do something!" she demanded. "Tell her that it isn't true!"
Edward looked at her like she just told him that they were going to move to the country and raise tiny ginger babies together on a farm. A.K.A. absolutely terrified and shocked. And then the devious/ slightly evil look that I had grown to love crossed his face. "But Tanya, that would be a lie. And you know that I'd never lie," he said, his voice even, but his eyes were glittering. Oh baby, you're really laying it on thick.
"But, Eddie-"
"And I know for a fact that I've told you at least a million times to not call me that," he snapped, his face hardening. Oh, angry Edward equals sexy Edward. Note to self, have Tanya piss him off more.
"See, even your "boyfriend" agrees with me. That's gotta mean something, right?" I tsked.
She huffed and turned to leave when I said quietly, "And I would be careful who you start spreading rumors about. I don't think your "boyfriend" will like that very much."
She looked at me in outraged confusion. I smirked at her. Her eyes widened and she glared at me. She knew. She knew that Edward never wanted her and that he had taken a liking to me. She just didn't know the details.
She shrieked wildly when she figured out what I meant and stormed out of the room. "You'll pay for that, bitch!" she yelled.
"Looking forward to it," I called back. The room started buzzing immediately as they all stared at me or the door that Tanya just left through.
"I think I love you," Emmett said, stunned.
I snorted and went back to my food. "I've wanted to do that all year. She deserved it," I said, shrugging it off.
"Definitely," Alice agreed.
I looked up and I caught Edward's eye. He smirked slightly and threw me a wink. I smiled slightly at him and threw him one back. His smile got a little wider before he turned back to his friends.
~x~X~x~
I think I'm having a heart attack. Or maybe a panic attack. I'm not really sure, but either way, I wasn't feeling so hot.
Today is Friday. And while most Fridays are good in their own right, this Friday had just a little more going for it.
Tonight was my date with Edward and I was freaking out a little bit. I've never been on a date that wasn't set up by my parents and their friends. I've also never been on a date that I haven't tried to sabotage within the first ten minutes.
But I actually liked this guy and I wanted the date to go well, hence the total freak out.
Earlier he had texted me to tell me to wear something casual and I was actually kind of thrilled by that. I liked casual. Every date that my parents set up had been with some snobby pretentious ass that liked to talk more about himself than to me, and they were always at some high class shithole of a place where the waiters wore tuxes, looked down their noses at you while they poured your insanely expensive glass of water and spoke in fake French accents.
Edward may have been raised with money, but he didn't act like every other spoiled rich douche that I had come across. He was very down to earth about everything. It was one of the reasons I liked him.
Oh, back to the freak out. Edward said that he would be here around six. It was currently 5:51 and I had yet to find something to wear that said "casual, but not hobo."
Alice was sitting on her bed, giggling quietly at my franticness.
"Bella, I'm going against everything I stand for, but for the love of God, calm yourself down. He's not going to care about what you're wearing. You could walk out of here in a sack and he wouldn't care."
I raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed. "Fine, he would probably laugh at you and then tell you that you looked pretty, but whatever. He's not going to care. Just pick something."
I sighed and turned back to my closet, staring at the evil pieces of clothing that had been taunting me for the past two hours.
Oh, fuck it.
Alice was right. He wouldn't care what I wore. I'm just being weird and hormonal and teenage angsty.
I grabbed my "Hokey Pokey Anonymous: A Place to Turn Yourself Around" tee shirt (yes, I like my nerd humor), a pair of skinny jeans, a gray zipper hoodie, and my only pair of nice shoes (a pair of silver and dark gray glitter ballet flats). I pulled everything on as quickly as possible without hurting myself because we all know that I would do that to myself. I ran into the bathroom to brush my teeth for the third time today - hey, he said that he was going to try to kiss me tonight. I wasn't going to take any chances here - and make sure my hair wasn't rebelling on my head. Thankfully, it was still in the loose curls that it was in this morning.
There was a knock on the door and I jumped up to get it when I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye. I turned to Alice, a confused look on my face. "What was that?"
She smiled innocently, but her eyes were a completely different story. She shrugged innocently. "Just documenting the moment."
"Seriously, Alice? You're producing physical evidence of my one and only freak out? That's so not cool, man," I said, going over to her bed to take her camera away.
She saw what I was doing and squeaked as she jumped off her bed and ran to the other side of the room. "Alice, give me the camera," I whisper-yelled.
"Nope, this stuff is gold," she giggled before running away from me again. I tried to grab her again, but ended up tripping over one of my Chucks and running into my closet door headfirst. It made a very loud crashing sound. I guess that's what everyone meant when they said I was hardheaded.
"Fuck!" I shouted in pain, holding my forehead. Okay, it didn't hurt that bad, but now I was going to have a huge red spot and possibly a lump on my forehead on my first date with Edward. Fucking perfect.
Alice, in the mean time, was laughing her ass off and rolling on the floor. "Fuck you, Pixie," I grumbled at her before I started laughing too.
"Alice? Bella? Do I need to call an ambulance?" a concerned (and slightly disturbed) sounding Edward asked from the other side of the door.
I went over to the door and opened it. "No, Edward, you don't need to call an ambulance," I told him, trying to catch my breath.
"Hi," I finally said.
He gave me an amused smile. "Hello." His eyes scanned over my face and his nose scrunched a little when he saw the bright red spot on my forehead. It was fucking adorable.
He stepped a little closer and brushed my hair away from my forehead and bent down to kiss the spot softly.
It's official. He's perfect. And totally swoon worthy.
Another flash came from the inside of the room and Edward looked up in confusion. "Are you taking pictures?" he asked Alice in disbelief, his tone matching mine from earlier.
Alice just laughed at him. "Aunt Lizzie wants pictures. She said that her little boy was growing up and she wants documentation of all of it. And besides, I had to capture that whole teeth-rotting scene."
Edward sighed in defeat before turning to look back at me. His cheeks are kind of pink and it's really freaking cute. Oh my Lord, he's turning me into a fangirl. "I'm going to apologize for anything and everything even remotely embarrassing my family does in the future."
"Thank you," I said with a laugh. "Well, I think it's time to go." I grabbed my phone and keys off the desk and then grabbed Edward's hand and pull him towards the door.
Another flash went off behind us. "Have fun," Alice chirped.
I flipped her off and she laughed before closing the door behind her. We walked to the elevator and I pushed the button. I finally had a chance to get a good look at him and I nearly fell over right then and there.
He was wearing dark wash jeans that fit him in all the right places and hung low on his hips. The dark green t-shirt he was wearing brought out the green in his eyes and they shown brightly. The black leather jacket he was wearing just made me want to lick him. And, of course, his Chucks were planted firmly on his feet. His hair was artfully tousled tonight, but not overly so. In fact, it looked like he had tried to flatten it, but gave up after I'm sure were multiple failed attempts.
In essence, he was looking more fuck hot than usual. And I didn't mind one bit.
I still hadn't let go of his hand and he hadn't tried to pull away, so I just left my hand in his. It felt good, really good, to just hold his hand.
The elevator finally came and we went down to the first floor. Just before the doors opened, Edward squeezed my hand before letting go. We had to keep appearances at least for tonight.
We walked out the door, jealous and disbelieving eyes following us. As soon as we walked out the door, I froze in my tracks.
"Bella? You okay?" Edward asked, concerned.
"Yeah," I breathed, staring at the car in front of me. I looked up to see Edward standing next to the passenger side door, holding it open. My jaw dropped. "This is your car?" I asked in disbelief and awe.
He nodded. "Yeah, she's pretty, isn't she?" he said, looking fondly over at the car. Boys and their toys and all that.
"Pretty doesn't even begin to cover it. This is a '67 Impala. How in the hell did you get this?"
"It was a birthday present last year," he explained. I raised my eyebrows in shock. Birthday present? Who gives a sixteen year old boy a fully restored beauty like this? Edward's parents apparently.
"Only child. My parents like to spoil me on occasion," he said nonchalantly. He wasn't gloating about it or anything, just stating fact.
"Well, you sir, are a very lucky man," I said, stepping forward to look closer at the car. It was a glossy black color and there wasn't a single speck of dirt on it. I peeked inside and saw the interior was black leather and looked buttery soft. I think I just died a little.
"I know," he said. I looked up to find him looking at me instead of the car. I flushed slightly. Was he talking about me?
He gestured for me to get into the car and I did, sliding carefully into my seat without doing anything embarrassing. He closed the door and got into the driver's seat and started up the car. He pulled out of the parking lot and out onto the road that went into town.
"So where are we going? Or are you going to play man of mystery and surprise me?" I asked, feeling a lot calmer than I thought I would be.
He chuckled. "No, I'll tell you. You don't handle surprises well."
I shrugged, knowing it was true. "I don't like to be kept waiting."
"I know," he said, smiling over at me. "We're going to this place called Sammy's. It's this little hole in the wall place, but it's great. They have a live band that plays every Friday, so I figured you'd appreciate it."
I was excited now. I loved live music, no matter what it was. "That sounds awesome," I told him.
His smile grew and he reached over to take my hand in his again, intertwining our fingers. I felt little giddy butterflies flying around in my stomach. My Lord, he's not helping with the fangirling with all of this.
We were quiet the rest of the way to the restaurant, but it wasn't awkward. It was comfortable and Edward was rubbing small circles into the back of my hand.
A little while later, he pulled into a small parking lot. I looked around to find Sammy's and was beyond excited now.
He parked and then got out to walk over to my side of the car and opened my door for me. He offered me his hand and I smiled up at him and placed my hand in his. He helped me out of the car and we headed towards the door.
We walked into the restaurant and up to the hostess stand where a blonde girl was smacking on some gum and flipping through a magazine. Wow, great work ethic they had around here.
Edward cleared his throat and the girl looked up. She plastered a smile on her face as soon as she saw Edward and stood up straighter, effectively pushing her chest out. Slut. Apparently Edward has that effect on every female he comes in contact with. She batted her eyelashes at Edward and looked him up and down, apparently liking what she saw. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, looking obviously uncomfortable. She completely ignored me and it pissed me off. Couldn't she tell that he was with someone and that she was making him uncomfortable? Obviously not.
Back off, bitch, he's mine. I had no idea where that came from, but it didn't stop me from stepping closer to Edward's side and leaning into him as I glared at the girl.
Edward looked down at me curiously, but I didn't pull my glare away from the girl. A little smirk graced his lips at my reaction and he let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I should have been embarrassed about marking my territory like a dog, but I was too preoccupied with controlling the urge to puncture the bitch's silicone.
"Table for two, please," Edward said, remaining polite as always. Whatever his mother did, she did it right. Most boys would be preening right about now with all the attention or be downright rude, but Edward remained the gentleman that he was raised to be. Props to you, Mama Masen.
The girl finally looked over at me. She looked surprised to see me there. She looked me up and down, a sneer coming onto her face. I glared right back at her.
The girl turned her eyes away from me and back to Edward. "Of course," she said in a nasally voice. "Right this way." She grabbed two menus and led us to a table near the back of the restaurant. She swayed her hips in what she assumed to be a seductive manner, but I could feel Edward trying to contain his laughter.
She sat us down at a table that was obviously still visible from the hostess stand. Edward cleared his throat softly. "Maybe something a little more private?"
Obviously, the girl was too stupid to even seem bothered by the fact that Edward was blatantly trying to get away from her. She just seemed excited by the fact that he was even speaking to her. She nodded and led us farther into the dining area to a table closer to the back of the room. "How's this?" she asked as she batted her eyelashes up at him.
"Great," he said before walking over to my seat and pulling it out for me, completely ignoring the hostess. I stood there for a second, shock overwhelming me. No one had ever pulled a chair out for me, even at some of those high society snorefests that my parents had dragged me to back in Seattle. He started to look a little nervous, so I snapped myself out of my stupor and sat down. I smiled at him and he seemed to feel better about himself and smiled back before going to sit in his own seat. The hostess huffed beside the table before stomping off.
Once she was gone, I looked back towards Edward. "Does that happen often?" I asked.
He sighed. "Unfortunately, yes, but I usually just ignore them. Some of them are very persistent though." He cringed a little.
"Oh, poor baby," I cooed and reached across the table to grab his hand. "I'll protect you from the evil sluts."
He chuckled softly and intertwined our fingers. I don't know what it is about him, but just holding his hand made me feel giddy. It's probably the way it feels. His hands are warm, but not overly so. There soft too. Not girly soft, but manly soft. And he was always rubbing soft circles into the back of my hand. It just felt good, plain and simple.
"Thank you," he said. "I'm sure I'll need it."
I snorted. "If that didn't prove it to you, then nothing will."
He smiled at me and slid his chair over to my side of the table. "Is this okay?" he asked. I nodded and gave him a small smile. He smiled back and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, his thumb rubbing small circles into my arm.
My Lord, he was just too adorable for his own good. One of these days he's going to get attacked by some rabid fangirl and it'll be nobody's fault but his own.
He kissed my cheek just as a waitress came over and she smiled kindly at us. She was an older woman, but she seemed nice. I flushed a little when the waitress smiled warmly at us. "Hello, my name is Melissa. What can I get you two to drink tonight?"
Edward answered her. "I'll have a Coke and she'll have..." He looked over at me.
"Dr. Pepper, please," I told her.
Melissa smiled. "I'll be right back with those." She turned and walked away, but I heard her say quietly, "So cute."
"You hear that, pretty girl? We're cute. It's a sign. We're meant to be together," Edward teased.
I snickered. "If you say so."
"I do say so," he whispered against my temple before placing a kiss there. Something I'm learning about Edward is that he's a very affectionate person. If the past thirty minutes or so have been any indication, then I had a feeling that Edward will want to have his hands (and lips) on me as much as possible. Not that I minded...
Oh, God, his lips. My freaking goodness, do I want him to kiss me again. It's basically all I've been thinking about since he asked on Monday. I could just turn around and kiss him right now, but he did actually get the courage to ask me if it was alright, so I'll let him have this one.
Melissa came back with our drinks and took our orders. Once she was gone, I turned back to Edward. "So, we should have one of those first date kind of conversations," I said matter of factly.
He chuckled. "Like what?"
"You know, full name, favorite color, that kind of stuff."
"Okay," he said, shaking his head in amusement.
"You go first," I told him.
Edward laughed and leaned back in his chair. "Alright, if you insist. What's your full name?"
I cringed a little. "Isabella Marie Swan. Your's?"
"Edward Anthony Masen III."
"The third?" That's a lot of Edwards. I wonder if they're all the same. If they were, that could be very dangerous for the female population.
He nodded, a slight grimace on his face. "Yeah, sounds a bit pretentious, but it is what it is."
I couldn't help but laugh a little at that. "It fits, sort of."
"What do you mean sort of?" he asked.
"I mean, you've got this side of you that's completely rocker-esque, I suppose. But on the other hand, you've got this other side that radiates old English gentleman. It just gives you a little extra something that no one else has, even if it is just part of your name."
He smiled then, seeming pleased with that. "I never thought about that way. Any nicknames?"
I nodded. "Well, Bella is my nickname, but that's only because I hate the name Isabella."
"Why?" he asked. "It's a pretty name."
I still shook my head. "Thanks, but be that as it may, it just doesn't fit me. I've always gone by Bella. Only my parents call me Isabella and that's usually because I'm in trouble. Do you have any?"
He shook his head adamantly. "No."
"Really? Not Ed or Eddie or something?" I asked, laughing at his direct answer.
He cringed and shook his head again. "No, and I will be forced to never talk to you again if you call me any of those."
I couldn't help but laugh a little, but I nodded. "Got it. No nicknames."
"Favorite color?" he asked.
"Green," I said, looking into his eyes. They were so gorgeous, those green eyes of his. "Your's?"
"Blue," he said, wrapping one of my blue streaks around his finger. I smiled. "Your turn now."
"Okay," I said. I hummed while I thought of a question. "Long or short hair?"
"Long, definitely. It's so much prettier when its long," he said, brushing a curl behind my ear and away from my face. "You?"
"Longish. I like have something to run my hands through," I said, lifting my hand up to run through his already tousled copper hair. It was just as soft as the last time I felt it.
He groaned softly. Okay, note to self: Edward likes hands in hair. Remember that.
"Blonde or brunette?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.
He chuckled, knowing what I was doing. "Definitely brunette. More specifically, blue and brunette." My cheeks flushed again, but I was too busy smiling like a loon to care. "What about you?"
"Ginger," I said, just to screw with him.
He narrowed his eyes at me. I couldn't hold back the giggle-snort that bubbled up at his expression. "I am not a ginger," he pouted.
"Oh, baby, but you are," I told him, trying to control my laughter. "But it's okay. You rock your gingerness very well."
He rolled his eyes and snorted. "If you say so."
Just then Melissa came back with our food. We thanked her and started eating. For the rest of the night, we talked and laughed and listened to the band.
If I had thought Edward was charming while we were at school, it was nothing compared to this Edward. He was so carefree about everything now that he was away from the prying eyes of our classmates. He laughed more openly and he was just as snarky as I was. And the way he was completely enthralled with the music was amazing. I could tell that this was a side of Edward that very few people got to see or even knew about.
Once the band called its quits for the night, Edward paid the bill and we left. I started walking towards the car, but he pulled me back. I looked back at him in confusion.
"Where do you think you're going, pretty girl?" he asked, smiling crookedly.
My brows furrowed in confusion. "The car?"
"We've got one more stop before we're done. Or are you trying to get away from me?" he asked teasingly, but there was a underlying nervousness in his voice. It was really kind of endearing.
I walked back over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "If I wanted to get away from you, I would probably punch you and then run away and I haven't really had the urge to do either tonight, so I think you're safe."
He laughed. "Well, I'm glad you haven't wanted to punch me." He pulled my hands from behind his back and took one of mine in his. "Come on. It's just up the street."
"Is this one a surprise?" I asked as we walked.
"If you want it to be," he said slyly.
"Fine," I conceded. "I'll be surprised this time."
He chuckled. We walked up the street to wherever we were going.
I gasped when Edward pulled me into an old fashioned ice cream shoppe. I hadn't been in one of these since I was five. "You like ice cream, right?" he asked.
I nodded. "Yeah, I do."
"Good. Get whatever you want," he said, pushing me ahead of him.
I scanned the rows upon rows of ice cream and nearly died of happiness when I saw the coffee ice cream. What? I have a problem, I know. Doesn't mean I'm gonna stop enjoying my coffee favored delicacies.
I pointed to the coffee ice cream and Edward snickered before order us each a cone. Coffee for me, Rocky Road for him. I like a man that likes his chocolate.
He paid for the ice cream and he grabbed my hand and led me across the street to the public playground that was across from the shoppe. We sat down in some swings and ate our ice cream. We ate in a comfortable silence, but we kept trying to sneak peeks at each other without getting caught by the other person.
We finished our cones and then we started heading back to the car. We were almost there when Edward stopped in the middle of the street, stopping me with him.
"Edward, what-" I couldn't even get my question out before he pulled me towards him and pressed his lips against mine. I froze in shock. This I had not expected at all.
My eyes were open wide in shock until I sighed softly against his lips, relaxing against him when I realized what was happening. He let go of my hand and brought his hand up to my face to cradle it softly. His other hand was around my waist, pulling me closer. I brought my own hands up and wrapped them around his neck, one of them snaking into the soft hairs at the nape of his neck.
I felt my eyes flutter shut as he kissed me softly. There was no tongue like the last time we kissed, just lips, but this one seemed so much more intoxicating. The electric current that always seemed to be there when we touched was buzzing loudly now.
He pulled away slowly, pressing soft kisses to my lips before pulling away completely. He rested his forehead against mine softly, careful not to put too much pressure on my bump. "Sorry about that," he whispered.
He remembered. He remembered what we said to each other after our first kiss. I smiled, stroking his hair softly, before whispering, "Don't be."
A/N: 1, 2, 3. Aaawwwwwww! Aren't they adorable? I think so. Well, I was going to stop right before the kiss, but I decided to be nice and give it to you anyway because of my awful inability to update on time.
I hope you enjoyed their date. More later.
Outfits on Polyvore. Link on profile.
Later,
Cat :)