Special Thanks to Edwardluvermonkey52 for favoriting my story!
A/N: I hate this chapter. I was trying to fix it, but i just got annoyed, so i just posted it and I'll deal with it later.
Chapter 8: A Day in the Park
"Bella, you are an absolute vision," he said as he looked at me.
"That's a nice way to be greeted," I smiled, "You have Alice to thank for all this."
"I'll have to do that. But it's not the clothes and makeup that make you so stunning."
I felt my cheeks flush. "So, um, are you ready to go?"
He chuckled, "Sure. Let's go."
Edward led the way to his car, opening my door as always when we arrived. I slid into his car, thinking that I could get used to this. Don't think that, Bella, I told myself. You still don't know if he's really interested in you. He turned on the engine.
"So what are we listening to today?" I asked. Before he could answer, "Everlong" by The Foo Fighters came through the speakers. "Oh, I love this song!" I exclaimed.
"I'm glad you like it. I'm a huge fan of Dave Grohl," he responded.
"Nirvana drummer Dave or Foo Fighters lead singer Dave?" I questioned.
"Ooh, that's a tough call," Edward said, "I love his lyrics, but he is an amazing drummer. So, yeah, drummer Dave."
"Oh too bad. I'm a Foo Dave fan myself. Not to say that he isn't a great drummer. I just really like his voice."
"Just when I thought that you were perfect," he shook his head back and forth, smirking.
"I was thinking the same thing," I teased back.
We spent the rather short car ride discussing the death of Kurt Cobain, both of us agreeing that it was definitely Courtney Love and not a suicide. Edward stopped the Volvo in front of a grassy little park, with a huge fountain in the middle. It was very quaint and picturesque. He then popped the trunk and pulled out a classic wicker picnic basket, complete with a red and white checkered blanket. It was possibly the most adorable sight I had ever seen.
"Too much?" he asked me, worry filling his voice.
"Not at all. I love it!" I responded, quashing his fear. Immediately his face broke into a smile.
"Oh, good. I wasn't sure if you were going to think it was too corny."
"Well, of course it's corny but it's also cute." I returned his smile.
He opened the blanket and spread it across the grass, placing the basket on top. "Shall we?" he asked as he motioned toward the blanket. In response, I sat down cross-legged on the blanket. He sat across from me and opened the basket, "On the menu today, we have some Italian subs, store-brand potato chips, strawberries, and of course, a bit of the bubbly." He pulled out a bottle of sparkling cider, and I tried to suppress the giggle rising up in my throat. "I figured if I was going cheesy, I might as well go all the way," he explained, a little embarrassed.
"Trust me, it's all appreciated. I need some fun today," I told him, in hopes of banishing his insecurities about the situation. I couldn't believe that Edward was feeling insecure about anything. With my reassuring, he pulled out two plastic champagne glasses and two paper plates, arranging the sandwiches, chips, and fruit on each before handing me one of each.
"So, what do you miss most about Phoenix?" Edward asked me.
"The sun," I replied jokingly. "I'm not sure, really. I mean, it hasn't really hit me yet that I'm not going home in two weeks. Especially since I've had Jen with me since I left; it doesn't feel like I live here yet."
"I know what you mean. You're really brave, though, moving here all by yourself. I know Chief Swan is in Washington, but Forks really isn't that close to here. I really admire that. I don't think I would be able to just up and move away from everyone I know," he looked at me seriously as he was saying this, and I knew he wasn't just trying to make me feel better.
"Yeah, but I mean, I was really lucky coming here. Who would have thought that I would end up with such great roommates? I never really fit in back in Phoenix. I had my group of friends, but I wasn't like the other girls. They were all tan and blonde and beautiful, but then I come here and meet Alice and Rose and they're practically walking the runway, but they accepted me right away and are genuinely some of the nicest people I've met. All of you are." I couldn't believe I was telling Edward all this. It was just so natural to talk with him.
"Well, you might not be tan or blonde, but don't let anyone tell you you're not beautiful," he said to me. A blush crept up to my face, covering me in pink. "You're beautiful, smart, funny, and sweet. I'll take that over some blonde hair any day." I was fully red now.
"Wow, Edward. That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me. I don't even know how to respond. Thank you."
"I meant every word," he said, his eyes piercing directly into my soul.
We lounged around, enjoying the sunny day that I knew I would have to say goodbye to all too soon. He laughed as I complained about the imminent cold.
"I can't believe that you're already complaining about it. It's such a nice day," he said as he looked up at the blue sky.
"But it won't last," I sighed, "Remember, I'm from Forks, too. I know it rains like, 300 days out of the year here. I'm just not looking forward to it."
"You'll get used to it. It's really not that bad. But let's enjoy today while we can."
"All right, I'll stop complaining," I pouted, but gave him a grin.
"Good, I like it much more when you smile," he returned. "So, what classes are you taking this semester?"
"English, Statistics, Comparative Lit, Psychology, and Art History."
"Well, that's quite a course load. What's your major?"
"I'm undecided right now, but I think I want to be an English major. I love writing and books."
"What's your favorite?"
"Book? Oh that's impossible to say. I love all the classics, of course. Right now I'm reading a lot of Chuck Palahniuk; I really like him. I just finished Survivor, it was fantastic. How about you? Do you read much?"
"Oh yeah. I'm a big Palahniuk fan myself. But I love Faulkner. He's got to be my favorite author."
"He's great. I adored As I Lay Dying." I said.
"Last year for my English final, I wrote a paper contrasting the styles of Faulkner and Hemingway. I love both of their work, but I found it so interesting that two people considered to be literary geniuses had completely opposite writing styles."
"I know," I said, in awe of what he had done, "Faulkner is so loquacious. It's like he throws in every word that can possibly fit into a sentence--."
"Right," he continued where I left off, "and Hemingway practically invented the idea of brevity."
"I'm sure your teacher loved it. That's seriously college thesis material," I praised.
Every time we were together I learned more things about Edward. I couldn't gain enough information about him; when he spoke, I was engulfed in his words. He was so intelligent, as if being absolutely gorgeous wasn't enough.
"She did like it," Edward explained, looking slightly embarrassed. "Actually, she suggested that I elaborate on it for a paper this year."
"That's awesome. Are you taking a Lit class this semester?" I questioned.
"No, I couldn't get one to fit into my schedule. Pre-med requires so many science classes, I don't know if I'll be able to take one, even though I would love it."
I blushed, realizing I had never asked him what his major was. "Wow, pre-med. That's pretty intense. What made you want to be a doctor?"
"I've wanted to be a doctor ever since I can remember," he explained. "My dad was a doctor, and so is Carlisle. I've grown up in hospitals. I love the idea of being there, helping people."
"That's amazing. You're going to make a great doctor." I laid back on the blanket, putting my knees up and my feet flat on the ground. "You know, I grew up in hospitals, too, but for a slightly different reason," I chuckled.
"That's true, you can't even walk off a curb without near-death. And Alice tells me you've tripped over the door-frame almost every time you walk in the house." Oh was he making fun of me now? He'll pay. I threw a strawberry at him, hitting him square in the forehead. I burst out in laughter, to which he lunged at me, pinning my hands to the ground. I wormed one hand out and it made its way to Edward's side, so I tickled him to freedom. I jumped on him tickling him until he cried mercy. As soon as I let him up, it was his turn to torture me. We laughed and fought until my stomach was sore from laughter. That's when I realized I was starting to get cold, and that the sun was setting.
"Brr, it's cold out now," I complained.
"Yeah, I guess it's time to pack this up," he responded, standing up.
"Ugh, this means it's that much closer to classes starting."
"I know, I have such a busy day tomorrow. I'm in class almost all day. What's your schedule like?"
"Well, tomorrow's not too bad, actually. I have class from 9 to 11 and then 1 to 4 basically. I'm free pretty much the rest of the day though."
"I'm off from noon to 1 too," Edward said, "maybe we could have lunch together."
"That would be great!" I said, excitement exuding through my voice.
"Cool. I'll call you when I get out of class then." We collected everything from the picnic and put it in the basket, then slowly made our way to his car. Although I didn't want to leave, I knew we had to. I had a lot to do to get ready for my first day of classes tomorrow. We had a quiet drive back, but it was never uncomfortable. I was thinking a lot about what this semester held for me, and I could only hope that Edward was a big part of it.