A/N: Sorry its taken a bit to get this chapter out. I just started school again (sophmore year of college!), so I had to figure out all my classes stuff. But, better late than never, right? Anyways, hope you enjoy, and review. I swear, the chapter come much faster when I get some sort of feedback. Also I would like to thank my Meghan for helping me with one of my favorite lines in this chapter! More of our awesome lines to come in the next one! All that being said, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not, under any circumstances own Twilight. I am but the owner of several sets of the published books and an avid lover of Edward Cullen.

Ch 5. Perfect

Silence. There are many degrees and types of silence, each unique and different in its particularly subtle way. Angry. Awkward. Uncomfortable. Sad. Anxious. But the silence that enveloped Edward and I as we walked to the small out of the way campus café was none of these things. It could only be described as comfortable; completely comfortable like an oversized sweater was comfortable on a slightly chilling autumn evening. We were each so consumed with thoughts of the other, standing mere inches away, that there was no reason to speak, no need to vocalize the feelings that flowed so effortlessly between us. We simply smiled goofily at each other in disbelief when we stole solitary glances in the others direction.

Perfect.

I couldn't believe my good luck; that Edward was really standing next to me, seemingly as blissfully happy in my presence as I was in his. It was entirely too much to believe. I looked over at him. I must be dreaming. I was suddenly struck with terror. Could this all be but one wonderful dream? I opened my eyes wide then shut them tight before reopening them. He was still there, looking at me with a bemused expression on his face, his green eyes shining with concern.

'What are you doing?' He asked, his head cocked slightly to one side.

'I'm trying to wake myself up.' Why sugarcoat it? Perhaps he would tell me it was all dream. I would believe him.

He chuckled to himself before letting the silence envelope us for a second time.

'Bella?' He asked after a few more moments of this wonderfully comfortable state. His velvet voice speaking my name sent my heart thumping unevenly somewhere in the area of my throat. I looked up at him and nodded, knowing I couldn't trust my voice. He continued. 'This may sound incredibly juvenile, but may I hold your hand?'

I felt my cheeks burn with a violent blush as I giggled softly to myself; he had just asked to hold my hand. That was simply way too cute. I reached my hand over to his and laced our fingers together gently; a perfect fit. I glanced over at Edwards face and the same smile he wore spread across my features.

I sighed softly in contentment. His fingers where a little cold, but the air around us was slightly chilly, so I wasn't shocked by the sensation. I felt as if my blood was boiling under my skin with each touch, and his cool, long fingers felt comfortable against my superheated skin. His thumb traced small circles on the back of my hand. Everything about his touch was gentle and pleasant.

We finally reached the small café (was everything on campus such a long walk from everything else?) and I walked in the door as Edward held it open, internally cringing as I forced to let go of his hand. The small space was cozy and relatively empty, but my stomach let out a loud growl of hunger for the second time. Edwards smiled a warm smile at me and walked over to the counter, ordering two sandwiches and drinks before leading me to a small table near the front window.

'I hope you like grilled cheese, Bella, their lunch selection is… limited.' His voice was wonderfully soft and warm even while he talked about grilled cheese.

I nodded. 'Everyone loves a good grilled cheese.'

As he sat in the seat opposite me, I smiled. I didn't think being with Edward was going to be something that I ever got used to. His movements were graceful, so unlike my own extreme clumsiness that plagued me in everyday life.

'So, how were your classes this morning?' I asked, eager to hear him speak again in his wonderfully soothing voice.

'Not bad; Biology.'

I grimaced. Since when was Biology not bad?

'Not a fan of Biology?' he asked through a warm smile as a waitress placed our sandwiches in front of us.

'Not at all. I was in AP Bio in high school, but I never enjoyed the subject.' I was having some rather unpleasant flashbacks to dissection days suddenly. Gross. 'Have any other classes today?'

He nodded. 'Yes, I have Calculus at 2:15 and Bio Lab at 5. You?'

'Speech 1 at 2 o'clock, but other than that, I'm free for the rest of the day,' I replied enthusiastically. I was glad that my first day of classes was half way done. College classes were better than high school classes by a long shot, but I was having an issue focusing today, for obvious reasons. I turned my attention to my food and took a bite of my warm sandwich.

'How is it?' Edward asked me from across the table. I nodded and took another bite. I hadn't realized how hungry I had been. He chuckled. 'How were your classes this morning?'

'Contemporary Lit. wasn't too bad. But we're going to be reading four Hemmingway's.' I grimaced again. 'He's not my favorite, by any means.'

'Really? For Whom The Bell Tolls is a work of art! The way he conveys complex emotions with such simplicity is genius.'

'You should go to my class for me then.' Or with me. That would be fine too.

'Only if you go to Biology for me.'

'Not if you want to pass,' I told him as I laughed. 'I think my aptitude for biology ended in high school.'

'So, how are you liking Alice as your roommate?' he question after he had stopped snickering at my lack of enthusiasm for Biology.

'She's awesome, though I hope she's not like she was this morning every morning.'

'What'd she do?' he asked.

I pointed to my clothes. 'These are not mine. Your sister accosted me with them when I got out of the shower.' Edward starting laughing again and I tried to keep my expression placid. It wasn't that funny!

'Alice will do that. She's always wanted a little sister. I suppose she sees her opportunity in you.' Great, I thought as Edward spoke. More sibling action. As if Emmett's older brother act wasn't enough. 'She was always disappointed that Carlisle and Esme couldn't have children, though she'd never admit it.'

'What do you mean they couldn't have children? They had you.' I was confused again. I was missing something.

'Alice and I are adopted.' Edward told me.

'Oh.' I suddenly felt terrible. What if it was something they didn't like talking about?

'We've been with them a long time though. They're the only parents we've ever known.' His features were suddenly washed in nostalgia and I remembered how he spoke of Carlisle at the pizza parlor. Biological parents were lucky if they ever reached the level that Edwards relationship with Carlisle was.

I looked at my watch for the first time since we had sat down. Whoa. Almost two. Time to go. I stood up quickly to throw away the trash that had accumulated throughout lunch and my shoe caught on the leg of my chair. I teetered precariously before I felt Edward's hands around my waist to steady me.

'Sorry,' I whispered to him as my cheeks turned pink and then red, how embarrassing.

He simply chuckled. 'Don't worry about it. Your clumsiness is endearing.'

'I'm very insecure about my inability to walk with tripping over my own feet.' I confessed. I was sure everyone found it insanely frustrating. I know I did.

'Don't be.' He told me. 'You should never feel insecure, you're the most amazing person I've ever met.' There was no trace of sarcasm in his voice, just compassion in its purest form.

'Great! Now I feel insecure about being insecure!' I smiled up at him and he laughed his warm, melodic laughter.

Edward walked me to my next class, holding my hand in his as we passed through campus, doing that thumb thing on my hand that sent my heartbeat soaring so loudly, I found it hard to believe he couldn't hear it.

Saying goodbye (even though it was just a 'see you later' type of goodbye) at the door of my class was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It took all of my limited will power not to ditch class and follow him to Biology, just so I could remain near him. Being apart from him made me anxious, nervous almost. I wasn't sure how many people felt this way after only an afternoon, but I knew we weren't 'most people'. There was something special about us; like we had been designed just for each other.

I gave up trying to pay attention in Speech after I glanced over the syllabus. This class was going to be an easy one to pass. It was one of those insipid required courses for freshman. Emmett had nick named them 'babysitting' when he had been forced to take them. I let my mind rake over the conversation that Edward and I had had earlier, starting at the small field and going through lunch. The news of his adoption, which had surprised me when I first heard it, didn't shock me the more I thought about it. It seemed to make sense. Carlisle hardly looked old enough to have fathered Edward and Alice, and the fact that he had turned to adoption only made me admire him more. It was clear to me, someone who barely knew him, that his compassion was something of a miracle. I wondered what had made him that way?

I starred at the clock on the wall after a while, willing the hands to move faster so that I could go back to my dorm, change, and find Edward again. They only seemed to slow as I watched them. This must be some sort of joke; the clock must be broken. I turned to my watch. Same slow pace. It must have been some timepiece conspiracy.

Fter what had been an eternity trapped in Speech I, I walked back to my dorm and pulled out my key, glancing briefly at the dry-erase board Alice had hung on the outside of our door. There were two notes, and to my amazement, both for me. I turned my key as I read; the first was in big bubbly handwriting, obviously belonging to a girl. It read:

Bella Left you an outfit on your bed (just wear it!), have fun! We'll talk tonight! XOXO Alice

Great. Alice had 'seen' something that required me to wear another one of her designer outfits. This was getting ridiculous. I'm nineteen! I can dress myself! I turned my attention to the second message. It was written in cursive that could have easily belonged to a calligrapher.

Bella- Are you free tonight? I would like to take you out for a real date. Pick you up at 7o'clock. Edward

I opened the door and walked in. Seven was still hours away, so I plopped down onto the sofa and pulled out the first of the Contemporary Lit books. Sure, Hemmingway was going to be a poor way to distract me, but the reading wasn't going to do itself, and I had a class to pass. I opened the cover and began reading.

I heard a knock on the door and walked, with deliberate care so I wouldn't trip, to the door and opened it. Edward was smiling at me form the other side of the thresh hold.

'Hello,' he said. I looked into his eyes for a moment as he looked back into mine, before dropping my gaze to the floor. I couldn't think properly when I was looking into his eyes. My thoughts became all jumbled up and incoherent. 'Ready?'

'You betcha!' I replied, a little more enthusiastically than I had intended. He didn't seem to mind however. I stepped out of the room and closed the door behind me. 'So, where we going?'

He smiled a somewhat playful smile. 'Alice told me you don't like surprises, but I didn't think you'd mind this one.' Great, it was a secret.

'Secrets don't make friends,' I replied as curiosity burned through me.

'You'll like this one, I promise!' He placated me as he laced our fingers together.

'Ok.' Why was I chastising him again? I couldn't remember.

He lead me down to the shiny silver Volvo that had mocked me just days before, and opened the passenger side door. I hopped in a buckled up, remembering just how terrifying his driving had been. I made a mental note to ask to drive my truck next time. It couldn't go faster than fifty-five.

'So, is it far?' I asked, trying to figure out our destination.

'Not too far.' Dang it! His reply was completely vague and he had successfully evaded my ploy to unravel the mysteries of this date.

Wow. Date. That was such a strange word to me, even in my thoughts.

We drove on for about a half hour as Edward dodged my questions and attempts to figure out our destination until Edward pulled into a small Seattle dock area. It was nearing seven thirty and the sun hung low in the sky. He parked the car a short distance from a pier and got out. I did the same. He reached into the trunk and pulled out a backpack, took my hand and led me down the pier.

As we reached the end of the pier he sat down and pat the area next to him, motioning for me to do the same. I did so.

I looked out over the water. It was beautiful. The waves of the grey water gently sloshed under the pier; the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting orange gray light on the whole area and in the distance you could hear the faint cry of sea gulls.

'Wow.' I practically breathed the words; they were no louder than a whisper. 'It beautiful.' But by the tome I had spoken the words, I was no longer looking at the view, the water or the sunset, I was looking at Edward as he set out sandwiches, chips and sodas for a sunset picnic. The strange light danced along his pale skin and enhanced the bronze quality of his hair. The sun reflected slightly in his green eyes making them sparkle.

This moment was perfect.