If You Only Knew Chapter 8: Dinner with Who?, a twilight fanfic

.:disclaimer:. i don't own the twilight characters

BPOV

I had been waiting for the call since one o'clock in the afternoon.

After I took Ryan happily to our bedroom for his nap, I made sure my cellphone never left my side. I finished cleaning up our dishes and forks from lunch and stood beside the kitchen sink thinking of something to do.

I checked my phone again. Still no calls or texts from Edward. I sighed, then went back to the living room. I picked up the photo on the couch carefully before sitting down. I smoothed the corners out, and gently caressed the two faces on the photo. I decided to frame it so it wouldn't get any more worn out. I looked through some storage boxes in the living room, and only came up with a purple glow-in-the-dark photo frame. Nah, that wouldn't do.

I walked through the hallway, and went into my "library", as I like to call it. The room was actually my study, but there are so many shelves of books lining the walls that it could well be my personal library. I opened and closed each of my drawers, and finally, I found a frame that would be perfect for the photo. It brings back memories I have of Edward and I from our college years.

*Flashback*

"Hey Bella! What are you doing this weekend?" Edward walked into Angela and I's place on a Saturday morning without knocking.

"Have you ever learned to knock before you enter?" I yelled, since he startled me which made me spill some coffee on the counter while I was pouring it into my mug.

"Uh…no?" He said as he went to the sink to retrieve a rag.

"Why do you ask anyway?" I looked at him suspiciously.

He made himself comfortable on the couch. "Let's go some place today. I'm bored."

"You probably have someplace in mind already. And do I really have a say in whether or not I have to go?" I asked skeptically.

"Yes and no."

"Thought so. I'll go grab my bag and we can go. And no, I'm not asking where we're heading for since you won't tell me anyway."

Edward laughed, "You know me too well, girl!"

Edward drove to a beautiful garden about an hour away. It was really beautiful, the leaves had fallen from the trees, and the ground was blanketed with red, yellow, and green leaves. When we walked on it, the crunching sound we made under our shoes reminded us how peaceful it was in the garden. We saw a little cottage not far away in front of us, and decided to take a look.

When we opened the door, the tinkling of the bells filled the air. The smell of flowers wasn't coming on us too strong, and it made the whole atmosphere cozier. A sign on the table read, "DIY Frames."

"Would you guys like to make one?" An elderly woman appeared from the back of the cottage.

I looked at Edward, and he nodded. "Sure, why not?" He said.

We looked through boxes full of leaves and dried flowers, then arranged them on the frames. After sticking them firmly to the bare wooden frame, we stood back to admire our work.

Edward made a smiley face with small rocks and a twig; I made hearts out of leaves. On the top, we used twigs to spell the words, "B.E. happy". It not only made sense when we read the two words aloud, but also had both of our initials on it. Finally, the woman took over to add some finishing touches. She assured us that she brushed some type of substance over it so the leaves wouldn't rot.

"Here you go. I hope you have a pleasant afternoon!" She smiled warmly at us as we walked out of the cottage.

*End of Flashback*

I slowly slid the photo in the frame, hoping I wouldn't damage either the frame or the photo in the process. I placed the frame on my desk for now, as I didn't want to risk waking Ryan by going into the bedroom. I checked the clock again. One-thirty.

I walked quickly to the living room since I forgot to take my cellphone with me during the hunt. My heart was beating fast, because I wanted to see if Edward had called yet. I was afraid of being disappointed again.

No missed calls. No text messages.

I slumped against the couch, and threw my cellphone on top of it. When is he going to call? Would he forget? I worried. Sure, I was hesitant when he asked the question that night, I would've said yes if he gave me five more seconds to think about it. The 'No!' that first popped in my mind would've eventually gotten beaten by the 'Yes!' from my heart. I was sure of it.

I grabbed a magazine from the table and started browsing through it. But my eyes were constantly on the clock. One forty. One fifty-nine. Two twenty. Two thirty-five. Two thirty-seven.

This isn't helping at all! I thought exasperatedly.

I turned on the TV, hoping to pry my eyes away from the time. But I ended up clutching my phone in my hands, like it would grow legs and run away if I didn't hold on to it tightly. Finally, I heard Ryan call, "Mama? Mama!" from the bedroom. I was suddenly thankful to have something, or rather someone, to busy myself with. I ended up playing stuff animals and reading picture books to Ryan.

When my phone rang at four o'clock, I jumped up from my cross-legged position on the carpet, accidentally letting Ryan slip down from my lap and landing on the ground. I reached around Ryan for the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey Bella, I'm so sorry I overslept! I was so tired when I got home this morning that I zonked out as soon as my head hit the pillows so I forgot to set my alarm." Edward said in a rushed tone.

"No need to be sorry! I know how tiring it could be after two shifts." I said sheepishly. Of course! I should have known since I had so many experiences with two connected shifts! I suppose I got used to it and it wouldn't really tire me that much now whereas Edward rarely had the taste of it before. "So…um…are we still on for the park?"

"Uh….that's what I was calling to talk to you about."

"Go on…" My hands were shaking because I was afraid of what I'd be hearing.

"Could I take a rain check on our stroll in the park? Because I'm having dinner—"

I held the phone away from my ear because I didn't want to know who he had a dinner date with. And now he's canceling on me! I counted to three before moving my phone near my ear again.

"—and I was wondering if you'd go with me?" He finished.

Huh? Did I hear that right? So he wanted to go out with me? I felt giddy inside. I knew he'd ask the question again!

"Sure! I'd be glad to!" I replied happily.

"Alright then! I'll come get you in half an hour. Oh and by the way, I don't think jeans and t-shirts are allowed in the restaurant, so….yeah, you get the picture."

"Thanks for the heads-up. Half an hour then." After I hung up, I started dialing again.

"Hey Angela! Are you free tonight?"

"Uh….Ben's at my place. But what's up?"

"Would you mind looking after Ryan for me?"

"Sure. Could I take Ben over?"

"Of course! Whatever you want."

"Ok then….what are you so happy about anyway?"

"Is Ben beside you right now?" I heard some rustling and a door closing on the other end.

"Now he's not. Spill. NOW!"

"I've got a dinner date with Edward tonight!" I squealed.

Angela started squealing on the other end too. "I told you so! Go dress up and spin his head around, girl!"

I laughed, "I will. Edward's coming to get me in thirty minutes. Think you guys can make it here by then?"

"No problem. Now start dressing up!" I threw my phone on the couch, and picked up Ryan to go with me to my bedroom so I could keep an eye on him while I pick out my dress.

When I opened my closet, it was the first time I hated myself for not going shopping on a regular basis. I had absolutely no idea what to wear! The clothes I owned were mostly jeans and t-shirts!

Should I wear the black dress? Nah, that would seem too formal. White? I wouldn't want to ruin my dress if I got food on it. Pink? Hang on….when in the world did I get this dress? It must have been Renee! I groaned, she never knows what clothes I'm most comfortable in.

Just as I was giving up, I suddenly came across a beautiful teal strapless satin dress. It was just perfect! The dress was elegant, but it wouldn't be too formal for a first date. I put my dress on quickly, and added light make-up to my face. I checked myself in the mirror. My neck seemed bare, so I put on a necklace Edward got me years ago. The doorbell rang. Eeek! He couldn't be here yet! I hope it's Angela and Ben. Besides, it has only been twenty minutes!

When I opened the door, I was relieved to find two people standing in front of me. Angela grinned, and realization dawned on Ben's face. I opened the door further to let them in.

"Ben, would you like to go to the living room? See if you want anything from the kitchen first." I turned to Angela, "Come on, Ryan's in my room, let's go get him."

"Hey, Ryan. Haven't seen you in a while! I'm Angela, remember?" Angela pickedup Ryan from the carpet.

"La! La!" Ryan called.

"He's been trying to say a lot of words these days. So he's being extra talkative." I warned, as we walked out of the room together.

"I'm sure Ben and I could handle. Just go have fun tonight! You deserve it." Angela said softly. I smiled back. I heard my phone ring in the living room.

"Hey." I answered, walking to my shoe cabinet.

"I'm downstairs. We're kind of in a rush, so would you mind coming down yourself?"

"Sure thing." I put on my black peep-toe shoes and yelled in the direction of the living room, "I'm leaving now, guys! Be good!"

Angela replied, "Goodbye, Mommy dearest!" I laughed and locked the door behind me.

When I stepped out of the building, the sun hadn't completely set yet, and I could make out the figure of Edward leaning against the front door of his Volvo. He smiled and slowly walked towards me. When he got near enough to register what I word, he spun his finger. I twirled to show my dress off.

"Beautiful." He said.

"Thank you." I was blushing and my voice wasn't quite steady.

We smiled at each other, and like the gentleman he is, he opened my door for me.

The ride was peaceful during the drive. We managed to make small talk about things that happened in the hospital this week. I could tell we were both nervous. I mean, who wouldn't be nervous on their first date? We were stuck in traffic over an hour, but it was the first time I didn't mind.

I thought we might be going to some expensive restaurant, but Edward stopped on the side of a hotel. Before I had a chance to ask anything, Edward opened my side of the door and offered me his arm, "Shall we?"

I giggled, and put my arm under his and companionably walked into the hotel with him. We took the elevator to the second floor, and I was trying really hard not to trip myself in my heels. I noticed we were nearing a very expensive dining place, and the waiter asked us, "Good evening. Do you have a reservation?"

Edward smiled, "Yes, we do. I believe it's under the name of Mr. Whitlock."

My smile faded.

EPOV

When Bella walked out of her building this evening, my eyes were about to pop out. She was gorgeous! I had to keep my hands folded to my chest to prevent them from reaching out and touching her. And during the car ride, I could tell she was pretty nervous. I mean, I know Alice could be pretty scary when she wanted to be, and the last impression she gave Bella sure wasn't a pleasant one. While she was worried about things that would happen an hour later, I was nervous about our time in the car! I couldn't think of anything to talk about since all I wanted to do was to run my hands through her brown hair that was flowing down her shoulders.

When she stepped out of the car, I knew she'd likely trip herself in those heels, so I had her hold on to my arm. She probably would've tripped anyway, but at least it was better than nothing. She seemed fine all the way, however, when I said Jasper's last name, her grip on my arm tightened.

"Right this way please." The waiter said and looked back at us. I noticed his eyes lingered on Bella a little longer than necessary. I put that away for later, I had something to take care of right now.

"Bella? Are you alright? You seemed a bit uncomfortable back there."

"Huh, me? I'm fine." She looked up at me with a small smile. I know I couldn't get her to say any more, so I didn't ask anything else.

"Edward! I'm so glad you brought Bella with you!" Alice rushed over to hug us.

"Thank you for inviting us." Bella answered for both of us. I could tell she recovered from whatever happened back there.

The buffet was delicious, and we talked about everything. We seemed to be skirting around the topic of Ryan since nobody dared touch that particular part of discussion. All in all, dinner went by perfectly. That was, until Alice asked a certain question.

"How did you guys meet? When did you start growing closer to each other?"

"We met in college." I answered quickly.

"No, that's not what I meant. Besides, I know that already. I want details!" Alice said excitedly.

"So anyway, Jasper, you were talking about—" I tried to change the topic, or tune out the discussion at least, "—a transfer at work?"

"Go on Bella, since Edward here doesn't seem to want to tell us." Jasper chuckled.

Bella nodded, and her eyes danced as she made contact with the couple's eyes across the table. The story continued about how I had refused to partner up with Bella in chemistry class because I thought I was too good for her. Hey! When did Bella add that last part into her story?

I started to stand, "Anyone need anything else to eat?"

Bella tugged on my sleeve, making me sit down. She lowered her chin and turned her teasing eyes toward me, "You can wait."

I groaned, and Bella laughed lightly. "His team beat mine in the end, but I don't think that's what caught my attention." She cast me a look of mock curiosity. "That wasn't it, was it?"

Both of my elbows came up on the table, and I covered my eyes. "Here we go again."

Bella leaned forward, "I think it was him gloating around happily, making him forget to take the cork off after the experiment and allowing it to land with a 'pop!' on his nose. He became Rudolph for the following days." She nodded, as if looking for some kind of conformation from me. "Yeah, that was it."

Alice and Jasper laughed so hard their faces turned red. Bella simply gave me a grin.

I should have been thankful when the waiter came around to tell us that it was time to move to the café for beverages. However, he was still eyeing Bella. We all got up to remove ourselves from the table then. I growled quietly at the waiter and wrapped my arm around Bella's waist. Bella was surprised but she didn't move away; she probably didn't notice the waiter looking at her though. Alice and Jasper on the other hand were too busy laughing and whispering to each other to notice stuff happening around them.

After sipping our hot beverages, Alice spoke up quietly, "Bella, I just wanted to say sorry for assuming things, but with all that Jasper told me, I just thought…."

"It's nothing really. I was surprised, that's all. It's alright." Bella smiled at Alice. They were quiet for a moment. Then Alice asked, "So…um…would you mind me asking some questions about Ryan? I'm kinda curious to be honest."

I snorted, "If you were honest, you'd say you were REALLY curious." We all laughed.

"Go ahead. Ask me anything." Bella said. And so the Q&As started. The questions in the beginning were about Ryan's daily routines, his likes and dislikes—the easy questions. But since you could hide nothing from Alice, the questions started getting uncomfortable to Bella. She would flinch after she heard some of the questions, and her hands were balled into fists. I could tell Bella was trying really hard to make everything seem alright, and that she was ok with all of this. Alice has always been really straight with her questions, and that can sometimes make people uneasy. Perhaps people in the fashion world always have to be that aggressive to stay on the cutting edge?

I know that if I cut Bella off now, Alice would feel terrible, and Bella would feel even worse. So I put my hand under the table, and reached out for Bella's other hand.

I entwined our hands together. Bella was nervous at first, but I could gradually feel her relax. My thumb gently massaged the tops of her hand in soothing circles.

I squeezed her hand to let her know I was here for her; she squeezed back as a thank you. To be honest, I rather like the feeling of our hands together, and I had never guessed I'd get to try this under these circumstances. Alice's questions were still coming on strong, but Bella seemed more confident of herself than before. Jasper was listening on the side as well.

I struck up a conversation with Jasper, "Hey, so I was serious about asking you about your job transfer. How's it going?"

Jasper turned his attention to me, while Alice and Bella laughed over something. "I'm still trying to persuade them. In fact…." And we chatted on for a while.

BPOV

He was still holding on to my hand.

I understand that he was trying to reassure me that everything's going to be alright when Alice started her twenty-questions, which was more like fifty questions. But we had changed topics ages ago. I didn't want to be the one to remind Edward he still had my hand in his; I liked this feeling! I guess he was just too engrossed in his conversation with Jasper to notice our entwined hands.

"So, are you girls ready to go? It's almost nine, and they still have to drive back." Jasper said.

"Oh, I forgot about the time. I was having a great conversation with Bella." Alice exclaimed. Edward's grip on mine loosened and his hand went back to his side as we all stood up. I peeked at his face to see if he had any knowledge of holding my hand through all this time, but I found no emotion. In fact, it seemed like a normal gesture to him even. The four of us headed outside toward Edward's car.

Alice gushed, "Bella, we have to get together sometime. I had such a great time with you!"

I smiled warmly, "Sure. Call me when you have time." I hugged her goodbye.

When Alice went over to hug Edward goodbye, I noticed she whispered something in his ear. What is it that I couldn't know about? I know Edward is probably closer to Alice than I am to her, but it still felt awkward. I wasn't jealous….or was I? He could be close to any girl he wants, it's not like I'm his girlfriend or anything. I sighed.

After Edward and I piled in, we waved to Alice and Jasper who had their arms around each other standing on the sidewalk. Edward sped into the traffic.

"What do you think of them now?" Edward glanced at me while asking.

"Alice is pretty nice, although she tends to want to know everything. Jasper's still his quiet self. They balance each other perfectly." I concluded.

He grinned, "That's what I thought, too." And we drove the rest of the way home in silence. It gave me time to think through the events that happened this evening. I had thought this would be a date tonight, but when I heard Jasper's last name, I was kind of disappointed alright. Maybe I was always reading too much into things. 'The question' that night, Edward had probably wanted to take Ryan to the park in the first place. He never was planning to ask me out on a date. I glanced at Edward, and I could make out his features in the dark. Maybe we were destined to be friends.

We arrived home earlier than expected since traffic was light. When I walked out of the car, Edward asked me, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just tired." I lied. He nodded, and we went up to my apartment. I opened my door quietly, since I knew it was already past Ryan's bedtime.

"Dada! Mama!" Ryan came wobbling to the door. Edward had a look of surprise on his face because he said 'Mama'; I was simply surprised because Ryan wasn't in bed yet.

"Surprise!" I whispered to Edward, "He started saying it this morning." Edward smiled widely at me.

Angela walked closely behind Ryan, "We put him to bed, but he didn't sleep well. He was waking up constantly. I think he was waiting for you guys."

I picked up Ryan and said to him, "Come on, little guy. Let's put you to bed." I started walking towards the bedroom.

"Dada?" Ryan stared at Edward questioningly.

Edward chuckled, "I'm coming too, hun." And he followed Ryan and I. When I went past Angela and Ben, I could see their shocked faces. Apparently, they didn't know Ryan called Edward 'Dada'. Angela gave me a we'll-have-a-nice-chat-later look. After Edward and I both hugged and kissed Ryan, we turned off the room lights, left a nightlight on, and went to see Angela and Ben off.

Before we had the chance to walk into the living room, Angela asked excitedly, "So are you guys official now?"

Edward asked, "Official for what?"

Uh-oh…. I thought.

How's Bella going to explain to Edward? Would she say the truth?

What did Alice whisper to Edward?

And would Edward remember they still have their stroll in the park?

A/N:

Ohhhh...they're getting closer and closer every chapter! ;P

All I'm going to say is next chapter would be the most exciting one so far~(no need to say anymore about why that is, right?)

And, I'm asking you guys if you want to see the dresses/outfits that the characters are going to be wearing for every chapter?

I could put them up, but that's only if you guys want to have a look at them. Otherwise, what's the point of it?

The last part may have you guys thinking why Angela's personality is so similar to Alice's,

but I promise that's not going to happen! You'll see the difference in later chapters.

So if you guys are really looking forward to the next chapter, REVIEW!

This time, I'd like 280 REVIEWS in total before I put up the next chapter, so start reviewing people!

otherwise, i'd be putting it up next wednesday as usual...(i just need the time to work on the next chapter, so i'm making the numbers seem like an impossible goal,

but if you guys are eager enough, then I figured I should probably put up the bonus chapter for you guys as a thank you P)

Til next time then! Luv u guys!

born2bmyself 2010.06.30