Things are about to heat up, so put on your seat belts!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight or anything associated with it...

For the last two days I had been unable to keep a smile off of my face. Sure, I had always been grinning since Edward had come into my life, but lately I had been positively beaming. Alice and Rosalie noticed immediately on Wednesday morning after karaoke and were questioning me about it, but I couldn't give them a straight answer. I had no idea why I was so cheerful, other than the fact that Edward was completely turning my life around. He was bringing more love, more happiness, even more adventure than there was before.

I sighed to myself as I considered the fact that in my boring small-town life, a trip to a karaoke bar was an adventure.

Speaking of karaoke, I had been unable to rid my mind of the song that Edward and I sang that night. I found myself humming it constantly...it was a very catchy song, and I certainly wasn't complaining because it served as a constant reminder of our fun-loving duet. Edward seemed unable to forget too, because he was consistently singing the hook under his breath as we walked together. He didn't seem to realize he was doing it, and I thought it was absolutely adorable.

I was heading to the institute a little early today to prepare for a few meetings with potential students. After the recital on Monday night, e-mails and phone-calls had been pouring in, asking for information on the center. I was ecstatic. Our two potentials this afternoon were a seventh grade girl and a middle aged man, both interested in cello lessons.

While I really did have to prepare for my meetings this afternoon, I also had a hidden agenda. Edward had two lessons this morning that I could peek in on and I had to make up for missing the other day. I unlocked my office and placed my books and purse on my desk as neatly as possible before making my way down the hallway to the classroom that Edward always used for his lessons. He loved the piano in the room, a Kawai grand that we got a good deal on while building the institute. The beautiful Steinway he'd purchased was still in my preferred classroom, and I used it for all of my lessons, but in the afternoons I always found myself playing on the Kawai. It was an instrument Edward loved, and I could see why.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts as I reached his classroom, I peeked into the window and saw his student, a single mother in her mid-forties, make a face as she messed up a chord. Edward was on the other side of the piano, nodding for her to continue and ignore the mistake. He loved to hear his students play pieces all the way through in lessons before stopping to correct mistakes, so he could go through them in matters of importance. He didn't want to spend an entire lesson on one chord if there was an entire section that was giving his students problems. I smiled at his patience as the older woman messed up again and I could tell she was frustrated with herself.

Edward had her stop the piece and stand beside him to do some relaxing exercises. I could tell he was comforting her as she rolled her shoulders to loosen her arms. When she sat back down her playing was remarkably improved and Edward began walking around the room slowly, listening to the music. He glanced at the door and winked at me, as if he knew I was there the entire time. I smiled and blew him a kiss before he turned back to his lesson.

I continued to watch for a few minutes before I was interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind me. I blushed, thinking I was caught peeking in on Edward by Alice or Rosalie, but it was much worse. I was busted by a complete stranger.

She had long hair that reached the middle of her back. It had a slight wave and a strawberry blond tint to it. I couldn't help but notice her perfect curvy figure and the fact that she accented it with skinny jeans and a low-cut top. She didn't seem the least apprehensive about interrupting my time, and actually seemed annoyed that she had to get my attention.

"Hi, can I help you?" I asked nicely.

"I want to take piano lessons," she answered in a crisp voice, "I'm in a hurry, I have to leave for work soon. I'm looking for Isabella Swan."

I was startled by her abrupt tone and stepped further away from Edward's classroom door. "I'm Isabella Swan, Director of Keyboard Studies. Did you e-mail me about taking lessons?" I was curious to put a name with her face, because I remembered all of our potential students. I knew she wasn't here for one of my meetings this afternoon because she was not a twelve-year-old girl, and she was certainly not a middle aged man.

"No, I wanted to stop by and speak with you in person."

More than just annoyed by her attitude, I was annoyed by her lack of consideration for my time. Everyone else had called ahead to make an appointment, what was so different in her situation? Of course, it wasn't like I was doing something entirely important at that moment, and I put on a brave face to talk to this woman simply for that fact.

"Well, let's take a walk to my office and we can sit down and talk quickly. I don't want to make you late to work. I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"Tanya."

I smiled and took a deep breath, she was probably just stressed and concerned with getting to work on time. That had to be the reason why she was being so short. We reached my office and I motioned for her to take a seat as I pulled up the schedules for piano lessons.

"Okay, Tanya. I have a few openings during the afternoon on Fridays, and then during the morning on Mondays and Wednesdays--"

"Actually," she cut me off, "I was hoping to take lessons from Mr. Cullen."

My heart stuttered. She wanted to take lessons from Edward? I took a moment to survey her again, taking in her slim figure with curves I could only wish to have. It made me uncomfortable, I had to admit, thinking of Edward alone in a room for an hour with her every week, but I talked myself down. You trust Edward, I reminded myself, You Love Edward.

Just last week he had mentioned wanting new students, and he was an excellent piano teacher. I couldn't deny someone the right to have him for lessons just because I thought her flawless looks were incredibly threatening. Plus, I reasoned again, More students means more time to watch Edward teach!

I almost laughed at myself before I remembered I had company.

I realized I had almost waited too long to respond. Tanya's eyebrow was raised curiously in response to my silence. "Let me pull up Edward's schedule and see what available times he has," I said, clearing my throat and recovering quickly.

"I'm available Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings," she said, pulling out her planner.

I almost sighed in relief when I look at Edward's schedule and saw that he was busy during both of those times. "I'm sorry, he seems to be booked during those times."

Tanya sputtered slightly, "When is he free?"

I was becoming slightly suspicious of this young woman, but I turned back to the computer and read out his free times to her anyway.

"I can come on Monday afternoons," she said quickly, "I can just rearrange things with work."

"Um, sure," I said slowly, turning towards the computer and inputting her name in the correct time slot. "I would take you to meet Mr. Cullen but he has a lesson right now and--"

I was interrupted by a knock on my door. Edward was leaning in casually, smiling at me before looking curiously at the strawberry blond in front of me. He turned his eyes back to me before mouthing, "Who is this?"

"Oh, Edward! What happened to your 11:00 lesson?"

"Canceled. Another sick child," he sighed, "Honestly, I'm never going to get to teach if these children keep getting sick!" He chuckled, making sure that our guest knew he was kidding.

"Well, I actually have a new student for you," I began, motioning to Tanya. "This is--"

"Tanya," she blurted, standing up quickly and extending an eager hand towards Edward, "Tanya Denali."

Edward smiled politely and shook her hand, "Its nice to meet you, Tanya."

Her eyes were roaming down his tall figure, soaking up his breathtaking appearance. Of all days, today had to be when he wore all black with a green tie. Again. He knew what that did to me...and apparently Tanya had the same reaction.

"I came to the recital on Monday, and after hearing you play that Gottschalk piece, I had to take lessons from you." She eyed him like a teenybopper at her favorite band's concert. I was afraid she would start screaming and crying at any second.

I rolled my eyes and Edward glanced at me, sensing my discomfort. He walked over to my side of the desk and placed a hand on my shoulder to comfort me as he casually leaned to look at my computer screen.

"4:00 on Mondays, excellent." He turned to me, "That means I'll finish right when you do, darling."

The way he was looking at me sent butterflies through my stomach, and I did a lap of victory in my mind that Edward was making it clear to Tanya that we were together. At the same time, he was calming my nerves, assuring me that I had nothing to worry about.

Tanya cleared her throat, reminding us that she was in the room. I was beginning to hate that sound.

"I'll walk you out, Tanya," Edward said, picking up a new student form off of my desk. "You just need to fill this out and purchase the book listed at the bottom of the page. Have you taken piano lessons before?..."

His voice trailed off down the hallway, along with the clicking of her heels, and I reached into my desk drawer for a stress ball. I squeezed it furiously before sending it flying across the room. Edward returned to my office at the exact moment my stress ball collided with the bookshelf. His eyes widened as he watched the ball fall to the floor and he glanced at me cautiously. He shut the door to my office and eyed me silently.

"She wasn't very nice to me," I muttered, explaining myself.

"Don't worry, Bella," he said, walking around my desk and behind my chair to place his hands on my shoulders and give them a light squeeze, "I'm sure she was just in a hurry. Come Monday she'll probably be in a much better mood."

I snorted, "I'll say...She has a lesson with you on Monday, of course she'll be in a good mood."

"Well, everyone should be excited about piano lessons," he joked with me. I turned to look at him, letting him know with my facial expression that I was not in a joking mood about this subject.

"Oh, Bella. What's really bothering you?"

"She look at you like you were a piece of meat, Edward...Like she was about to pounce on you or something."

He spun my chair around, placing his hands on my arm rests and leaning down so we were eye to eye, "Surely you know that you don't have anything to worry about...You do know that, don't you, Bella?"

"She was just so flawless, and blond, and curvy, and..."

I was silenced by a disappointed look crossing Edward's face, "Bella...I thought you would know to trust me by now."

"I do! I do trust you, Edward. Its the teenybopper I don't trust."

He sighed and placed a kiss on my forehead, something he did when he was either trying to be sweet or he was frustrated. I wasn't sure which scenario I was faced with now. Maybe it was a mixture of both. "Bella, you were the only beautiful woman I saw in this room. Who cares about Tanya?"

"What about her blond hair?" I joked, poking my bottom lip out in a pout.

Edward took my bottom lip between his own and nipped it lightly before returning it to me. "I prefer brunettes."

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