Living Royal

Chapter Seven

"I have a date with Edward Cullen."

"I have a date with Edward Cullen."

"I have a date with Edward Cullen."

No matter how many times Bella said it, she still could not believe that it was true. How could she? In what universe would plain old Bella Swan attract the attention of a Prince and one of the most eligible bachelors in the world?

Yet, it has happened.

Now, she had to learn how to deal with it during the three hours that were left before their date.

"Bella, you have to stop freaking out." Alice tried to calm her down as she started to hyperventilate when it came time to pick an outfit.

"Freaking out? Who's freaking out? I'm not freaking out." Bella babbled quickly.

"Yes, you are, but there's no need to."

"No need to? Are you crazy? I could totally screw this up and I'd have no one to blame but myself."

"You're not going to screw this up, Bella. He's already smitten with you. We've all seen it."

"No, he's not. This could very well be just another date for him."

"Well, only time will tell then, won't it? Now, can you please hold still so I can do your make-up?"

"I don't understand why I have to dress up so much, Alice. We're just going to a bar." Bella complained.

"Are you kidding? There's bound to be paparazzi all over the place as soon as you step off campus. Do you really want them to see you in your jeans and converse?"

"Guess not." Bella mumbled. She had completely forgotten about the damn paparazzi. She'd only ever seen Edward on campus where they weren't allowed. It would be a totally different territory she'd be stepping into.

Great, now she was even more nervous.

"Bella, just relax. It's going to be fine. Jasper and I will be there anyway, but if you ever need us to take off just give me a sign and we'll be out of there in a second." She grinned at Bella.

"No, no no no! You're staying with me if I have to tie you to the damn chair, Alice."

"God, you're so unreasonable…Fine, we'll stay with you. You need a little guidance anyway. So, I'll be there to point you in the right direction." Alice stated confidently.

They spent the next two hours getting ready.

Yup, two hours.

Two torturous hours of pulling and primping, all for his Royal Highness.

Bella was getting cranky and that was not a good beginning to the night ahead. She tried to calm herself down by thinking of the one thing that'd been on her mind lately.

Edward.

His green eyes, bronze hair, his square jaw.

And that body.

Deep breaths, Bella, deep breaths.

"Are you ready, Bella?" Alice asked when they were done getting dressed.

"Yeah, I am. Let's go."

The boys were waiting for them at the bar already and they didn't want to be too late. Although, Alice insisted, that they had to be late enough in order to make a grand entrance.

Bella simply rolled her eyes.

They arrived at the bar fifteen minutes later and walked inside. It was pretty crowded and the music was so loud. They started looking around for the boys until they spotted them sitting in a corner booth.

Alice dragged Bella closer to them. When they were a few feet away, Edward and Jasper looked up and spotted them.

Jasper stood up to greet Alice, while Edward who was in the process of taking a sip of his drink, choked and sputtered.

Wow, that bad, huh?

Bella's confidence immediately took a hit. She knew she wasn't a beauty but did she really look that horrible? He probably regretted asking her out, already.

Bella and Edward were at a standstill. They both stood facing each other, neither of them knowing what to say or what to do.

"Uh, hi." Edward finally spoke.

"Hey," She said back.

"You look great." He said in such a breathy tone that Bella's heart ached, for no reason whatsoever.

So, he really thought she looked good?

Thank God for Alice.

"Um, thanks, so do you."

They finally sat down, ready to begin their night. She really didn't know what she would've done if Alice and Jasper hadn't been there. They kept up the conversation whenever Bella and Edward found themselves too busy staring covertly at each other to concentrate on what was being said.

"So, what exactly is the deal between you and that Rosalie person?" Alice suddenly asked after Jasper was done telling a funny story about how he and Alice met.

"Alice!" Bella hissed, panicking. What was she up to?

"What? If you two are going to start dating, you might as well get all that out of the way now, right?"

Bella wanted to protest, but she had to admit that Alice made perfect sense and she did want to know what was going on.

"It's alright, Bella. I promised you an explanation and I always keep my word."

Bella smiled. Spoken like a true prince.

"Rosalie is actually my brother, Emmett's girlfriend," Edward began, "As you probably know, Emmett was deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year. Rosalie was a wreck when they found out he would have to go. Emmett was actually pretty excited about the whole thing, he saw it as a new adventure, but Rosalie was worried sick that something might happen to him."

"But how did your family agree to put him in danger like that when he's third in line to the throne?"

Trust Jasper to ask what anyone else would be too hesitant to approach. A reason why him and Alice were made for each other.

Edward chuckled, "You don't know my brother. Once he gets something into his head, it would be pretty hard to convince him otherwise." You could tell by Edward's words, how much he loved his brother.

"He's been gone for two months now," He went on, "Rosalie has been very depressed ever since and Emmett had asked me to take care of her, so we go out together as much as we can."

"Doesn't she have any girlfriends?" Alice asked, stressing the girl part.

"Um, Rosalie is…well, she isn't very easy to like if you don't know her." Edward admitted.

"Why doesn't anyone know about Rosalie and Emmett, though? I've never heard about them as a couple." Bella finally felt brave enough to ask.

Edward's face turned red and he couldn't look any of them in the eye.

That did not bode well.

"Uh, well, my father's…uh…very old fashioned when it comes to relationships and…well, he didn't approve because…" Edward stuttered.

"Because she's a commoner." Bella spoke quietly.

He didn't deny it.

"I guess I'm just wasting my time, then," Bella mumbled and then got up and made her way to the door quickly.

"Bella, wait!" She heard Edward call out but she kept on walking until she got outside.

It was freezing cold and had started raining. Just great.

She put on the jacket that Alice had picked out for her to match her outfit. Too bad the whole thing would go to waste now.

Before she took another step forward, an arm caught her and held her back.

"Where ya goin', beautiful? Care to join us?" A voice slurred.

Just what she needed; drunken idiots coming onto her after a disastrous date.

"Um, no, thank you." She muttered quickly and tried to get away but he was still holding onto her arm.

"Let go of me." She said, forcefully.

"Nope, I don't really feel like it." The bastard said back.

"Let her go, now." A velvety voice said, just before Edward appeared right in front of her, standing between her and the asshole trying to force himself on her.

Knight in shining armour to the rescue…again?

She should really consider paying him for services rendered.

"Oh, if it ain't his royal highness himself. What're ya gonna do? Have me beheaded?" The man said, scornfully.

Bella felt Edward's body tense as she was holding on to the back of his shirt.

"Leave now, before I beat the crap out of you for coming near her." Edward hissed.

"Ooh, protective are we?"

The man had no survival instinct, whatsoever. If he did, he would've sensed that Edward was close to bursting at that point.

Edward moved so quickly that Bella stumbled backwards in surprise. In less than a second, Edward had the man pinned against the wall, flailing but unable to move as Edward had his forearm against his wind pipe.

The man seemed to finally get the hint.

"Alright, alright, man. I'm sorry I hit on your girl. Let me down."

As soon as Edward released him, he ran away scared.

Edward had that effect on people.

Edward turned to her when the man was finally gone, "I'm so sorry, Bella. I really am…I…"

"Save it, Edward. Thanks for saving me again and all, but I really need to go," She started walking away, but Edward followed.

"I really didn't mean it the way it sounded, Bella. Besides that's the way my father thinks, not me."

"Oh, and I should be so thankful for that, shouldn't I?" She asked, scornfully as she kept on walking, leaving him behind.

"Bella, I like you." Bella's footsteps slowed at his words, "I like you so much that you're all I've been able to think about lately. I can't get you out of my head. Whenever I'm away from you, I can't wait for the moment I get to see you and when I do, I feel like I can finally breathe again." He took a few steps closer to her. Close enough that she could feel his warm breath fanning her face.

"I think I'm half-way in love with you already, Bella." He breathed.

They were both standing outside in the rain, gazing into each other's eyes, while Edward admitted that he was falling in love with her.

Bella was hypnotized. She felt herself moving closer to him. Their lips almost touched when they were interrupted by an annoying clicking sound. And then there were flashes everywhere.

Bella thought it was lightning at first, but when she pulled back from Edward and looked around, she saw several people standing around the corner with their cameras ready, taking shots of them standing there.

"Damn it, they just can't leave me the hell alone." Edward muttered angrily.

He held Bella's hand then dragged her away from the mob.

Unfortunately, the mob chose to follow and before she knew it, Bella and Edward were making a run for it. They ducked into a nearby alleyway before the paparazzi could see them, a few seconds later they saw them running down the street thinking that Edward and Bella had headed that way.

They both stood in the dark alley breathless from their run. Edward had Bella trapped against the wall with both his hands on the wall on either side of her.

"Hi." He smiled softly at her.

"Hi." She smiled shyly back.

And then they were kissing.

Bella was pressed against a wall in a dark alley kissing Prince Edward, and she was enjoying it very much.

The man could kiss, he had the softest lips that moved gently against hers and his tongue probed her teeth begging for entrance. Bella moaned a little, her mouth opening in the process, allowing his tongue in.

His hands were holding both sides of her face, while hers were wrapped around his torso. Their bodies were flush against each other and Bella wouldn't have it any other way. All the nonsense that had happened earlier was forgotten, for now, anyway.

They reluctantly broke apart a few minutes later.

"You're shivering," Edward frowned, concerned. "We should get you back to the dorm before you get sick." He rubbed his hands up and down her arms to warm her up.

"No, I'm fine, really." She just wanted to go on kissing him.

"Let's get you back to my room, at least, so we can both warm up a bit."

Bella nodded, that was a much better suggestion. His room was much closer. At least that's what she convinced herself.

When they reached Edward's room, he went to his closet and brought clothes for Bella to change into since they were both soaked.

"It's probably several sizes too large but at least it'll keep you warm." He said.

Bella was simply giddy at the prospect of dressing in his clothes. She went into the bathroom to change while Edward changed in his room.

After she was done, she waited for a few minutes just in case Edward was still changing.

Her face turned red at the thought of going in there and finding him naked.

Bella jumped as Edward's voice came suddenly through the door, "Bella, I'm done changing, in case you were wondering."

How did he know?

Bella opened the door slowly and peeked outside, just to be sure.

Edward chuckled, "What, do you think I'm lying to you?"

Bella blushed, "Uh, no. It's just better to be safe than sorry."

Edward laughed heartily, "You're too cute, you know that?"

Bella shrugged, embarrassed, "Um, I should probably go now. Alice is probably wondering where I am."

"Do you have to? I mean, you could stay a bit longer. You're probably still soaked and the halls can be…drafty." He rambled.

Bella fought a grin. He wanted her to stay.

"Okay, but just for a little while."

They sat in the bed, since the other place to sit was a small chair next to the desk by the wall. His room was not what you'd expect a Prince's room to look like. No expensive furniture to replace the university's sparse furnishings, even his bedding is plain white cotton.

She must've judged him wrong after all.

She thought back to the mob that was following them.

"Don't you ever get tired of it?" Bella asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Of what?"

"The paparazzi, all the attention you get wherever you go."

"I'm used to it, for the most part. This is how it's always been for me and my family. Lately though, it's been different." He said quietly.

"Why?"

"Because of you," He admitted, "I don't like that they're involving you."

He didn't like that they knew about her?

Bella's heart fell.

"I don't like that your life will change because of this. And I hate that I won't be able to protect you from them." His fists clenched.

Bella reached for his hand, "I'm willing to risk it if you are."

Yup, she had made her decision. No more hesitating, no more going back and forth. She was going to risk it and hope to hell it didn't fall apart.

He kissed her fingers," I promise to try my best not to make you regret making that decision, Bella."

He held her hand to his cheek and she used the back of her fingers to caress his face.

They lay down on his bed and talked until the early morning.

The last thought Bella had before drifting off to sleep was that this was the best night she'd had in a long time.

(A/N): Thanks so much for all you reviews!

So, what did you think of the date? I hope I didn't disappoint you guys with anything.

Links to Edward and Bella's outfits are on my profile :)

This chapter was beta'd by the awesome RandomatGedz!