Part II
Bella was in a near panic at Rosalie's desk. "He wants to be my Facebook friend."
"Really?" Rosalie's eyebrows rose as she turned away from her keyboard.
"That means I'm in trouble. Doesn't it? What if he's tracking me down so he can call the cops on me for theft?"
"Okay," said Rosalie, forcing herself to have the patience to deal with such a ridiculous idea. "I doubt he's going to do that."
"How do you know? We have no idea what he's really thinking."
Rosalie thrust open the top drawer of her desk where she kept her emergency stash of candy and gave Bella a mini bag of M&Ms. "Think of the bigger picture. Facebook is child's play. If he seriously considered pressing charges of any kind, he would do it in a straightforward manner. Probably would have already done it. If he wanted the dress back, he would've said so when you asked."
Bella stared off in thought. "So, he's...having fun with me?"
"It appears that way." She looked back to her monitor. "It's interesting."
Her cryptic, open-ended remark prompted Bella to ask, "What do you mean?"
"Well. You don't know him really, but you can get a sense of his humor. It sounds like something my husband would be amused by."
"Hm. Has Emmett ever done anything like this to you?"
"Once. I met him through our friend Garrett at a party years ago. I didn't remember him at all, but two weeks later I got a text message from an unknown number asking me out on a date. He wouldn't tell me it was him until I could guess. I think he thought that was funny." Rosalie shrugged, holding back one of her rare smiles.
Bella accepted Edward Cullen's friend request.
Then she did what any self-respecting person would do: she "researched" him. Nose to screen, she combed through his profile and list of friends. Unfortunately he didn't have many pictures of himself posted or tagged.
The picture he used for his profile was an image of himself and another guy on a canoe in the middle of a vast lake, holding up their paddles for the camera. It was taken at such a far distance she could barely make out his features, but he seemed like a young adult. She reminded herself that she had no idea how old the picture was. He was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. There was a touch of a grin around the faint line of mouth.
"Bella." It was the deep rumble of her boss standing nearby.
She clicked off the browser and flung back from her monitor in the same instant. "Yes?" She knew her expression was wild, her chair rolling back, as she took in her boss looking down at her from the wall of her cubicle.
"Your phone is ringing." He stared her down a moment longer before continuing his pass around the office. He was a short, portly man who sweated a lot. She could already see the sheen of it on his retreating bald head.
She yanked for the phone, her eyes downcast and her face burning.
Covertly, she continued to check Facebook throughout the day and next. There was no other communication from Edward Cullen. She decided to spice up the interaction. She moved the cursor to the status box and made herself a new one.
Bella Swan ...is going to wear her new dress tonight.
And she would. To Renee's Christmas party.
Alice and Bella picked up Rosalie on their way to the party, who demanded to see the infamous dress. At once. "I'm speechless, and that's hard to do," she said appraisingly. "Okay let's go; it's cold outside. Em got held up at work. He'll meet us there later."
Renee was decked out almost as much as the tree in the family room, festooned with holiday-themed garb and touches of sparkle. Her parents' house was warm and filled with family and friends and the scents of baking. (Knowing her mother, it was probably nothing more than carefully concealed scented candles.) Her father, Charlie, sat in his chair by the fire listening to Billy Black go off about which sports team should or shouldn't have won at the latest game. The Blacks were her family's oldest friends, and felt more like a second family. As Bella entered the room, Charlie glanced up—his brown eyes always animated with silent laughter—and smiled when he saw his daughter fall victim to one of Renee's strangling hugs.
The plastic bags filled with her mother's last minute needs stretched painfully over her fingers. Renee released her and looked her up and down to make sure she was eating right when, "Honey, what is this dress you're wearing? It's interesting and very pretty! Sue, come here and look at this."
Bella flushed under their attention as a few cameras flashed. She felt as if she was in the center of feasting paparazzi instead of welcoming family members.
The Swans hosted their party a couple of weeks early so they could take their holiday vacation. It was usually somewhere warm and tropical. Bella had countless photos of her parents on a beach wearing sunhats, faces smudged with sunscreen, and cocktails in hand toasting to her from afar. This year they were going on a Mediterranean cruise, and she'd already made room on one of her shelves for the souvenir she'd receive when they returned.
She moved out of the spotlight with excuses that the dress was one of Alice's (of which she informed Alice moments later), and went to break open the platters in the kitchen. Then she dutifully went on to hug, kiss, and greet others. Hors d'oeuvres were placed around the room, and spiked cocoa and eggnog were sipped. Even Charlie had brandy and eggnog. He almost always preferred a nice cold beer but made an exception this time of year.
Unfortunately, a lot of Bella's relatives happened to be her Facebook friends. She was the type of person who simply couldn't decline requests, especially when she had already accepted her mother and first cousin. After that, Renee's friends and other family members got wind of it, and before she knew it, half her Facebook friends were actually family.
That's why, the following morning, as she was sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter, Bella saw that she was tagged in many photos that were uploaded on the site. In her usual manner, she was prepared to untag most of them unless she thought she looked particularly well. But deciding that she looked well was rare.
She also had a private message.
I think the dress was sent to the right recipient after all. Beautiful. Looks like you had fun.
-Edward Cullen
She laughed in reaction to the shock she felt inside. She was also amused that he signed the message with his name; there was no need to because Facebook clearly marked it on the top. But now what to say? Should she keep this strange and silently thrilling communication going? She had a feeling that if she never replied again, he would leave her alone and think nothing of it. After all, people have to get on with their lives... Her hands typed along the keyboard with a mind of their own, undoing all of her practical thoughts.
Thank you. That's very sweet of you. It was a hit with both my mother and a very critical aunt—now that's a Christmas Miracle. Do you see your family around the holidays, too?
Okay, I'm off to make hot chocolate. Happy Saturday, Edward.
To go with the dorky trend, she put her name at the bottom of the message. He replied within minutes. She imagined that he was sitting in his kitchen, too, sipping coffee. She stirred her fresh mug of hot chocolate and read.
Wow, I haven't had hot chocolate since I was a kid. Do you prefer whipped cream or marshmallows with it? I go skiing with the family and hang out at my parents' cabin in New Hampshire. My dad bought it for my mom years ago for their 25th anniversary.
Edward
Your parents sound very much in love. That's wonderful. My parents are too, though they've had their share of marital problems. In the end they stuck through it and are very happy. My mother can be kind of flighty, and my dad is good for her.
I've never been skiing. I'm kind of a klutz, so I've always avoided that sport. Am I missing out?
Hot chocolate with marshmallows is for the cool people. I think you should get on the bandwagon.
Bella
She was smiling as she went to throw a load of laundry into the washing machine. She'd counted just enough quarters for one load. Passing through her bedroom, she glanced at the dress hanging on her door. It was hard to believe she was talking to this Edward Cullen, sender of a Versace dress. It made her slightly uneasy that it was intended for some other woman. But she didn't want to tactlessly toss the question out there.
Alice came back from her holiday shopping rush in the afternoon and dumped her bags in a corner by the door. "Only one exam left, but I just had to tackle my gift list!" Her cheeks were pink, her short black hair tousled when she took her knit cap off. They made sandwiches and put on a movie, and Bella forgot about Edward for a little while.
It wasn't until Alice said, "So fidgety," that she realized she was wondering whether Edward had replied or not.
"Oh, sorry. I guess I'm a little cold." And she grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over herself.
Alice stole a corner so they could share. Bella liked having her around but realized with a pang of sadness that her pseudo-roommate would be moving out eventually.
When she got ready for bed later that night, she pulled her laptop out, unable to resist one last look at Facebook.
Oh, Bella, you have to go skiing. It's thrilling to soar down a mountain with the wind blowing at your face. I would enjoy taking you sometime because it's really a deprivation not to have experienced it at least once in your life. If you crash a lot, I'll fall down a few times just so I won't feel left out.
I want to be on the cool people's bandwagon. I made a mug of hot chocolate, but I only had Hershey syrup for now. Does that still count?
Edward
She laughed down at her screen, quickly stifling it so as not to rouse Alice's curiosity.
I suppose I'll accept your Hot Hershey Concoction this once. I thought everyone had a box of Swiss Miss in their pantry. Kidding.
Okay, it sounds like I'm really missing out on this fun activity of skiing. I might take you up on your offer sometime. If I wind up in the hospital in a body cast, I hope you'll get the bill.
It seems like you're into outdoor activities, judging from your profile picture and your enthusiasm over skiing. Are you the type who goes skydiving and bungee jumping too? I don't think you could convince me to do either of those things...ever.
Good night, Edward.
Bella
It was exciting to get to know someone, but actually going skiing with him... Of course he was joking, just being nice. None of it was really serious. It was online.
She devoted Sunday to a good book while Alice was at the library cramming for her last exam. Later that evening, she fell asleep during a movie and had strange dreams about a hypothetical, unclear Edward. It was all shadow and whispers, thoughts, a hint of smile. Before she knew it, the alarm clock was ringing, and the sun was reflecting off the snow on her windowsill and filtering into her room.
Two weeks before Christmas, and the office had a light and heightened cheeriness to gloss over the usual impatience of the work pace. She booted up her computer, checked for messages, ordered supplies, filed and typed up documents, and did other routine tasks that were part of the first thirty minutes of arrival. Then she checked Facebook, and was once again thankful that the office didn't block websites. He had sent another message last night.
You've been checking out my profile picture, have you? I've never had a stalker before (unless you count Tiffany Bateman from seventh grade, and she gave up after three weeks). That picture was from a camping trip I went on a couple years ago. I wouldn't recommend camping unless you're okay with ten-mile hikes and purifying your own water. And not bathing for a few days. I've never skydived or bungee jumped before...I'm not sure what "type" of person that makes me, but I'm not an adrenaline junkie.
Here's an unfair question: what do you like to do in your spare time (other than entertaining senders of mistaken packages and sipping hot chocolate)?
Edward
p.s. I promise not to let you break any bones or end up in a full-body cast from skiing.
p.p.s. I'm going to buy real hot chocolate mix after work.
She supposed she had been asking a lot of questions and kept him talking about himself until he realized it was getting one-sided. She was beginning to get a sense of who Edward Cullen was, though it wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her. She definitely needed to do some more "research."
His e-mail address had dropped such an obvious clue as to where he worked that she took the bait shamelessly. Her own company address on the stationery and e-mail information would induce him to do the same "research," she had no doubt of that. Google brought up his website immediately. NewMoon Creative was an advertising and consumer review agency for outdoor athletic equipment and clothing manufacturers. He wasn't listed under a staff page; there was simply a Contact Us form and information about the company. But it did explain his interest in outdoor activities.
Part of her wanted to visit Rose's desk and give her an update on the latest developments, but something else about this online correspondence made her want to keep it a secret.
She held off replying to him until lunch.
I admit, I was checking out your profile picture to see with whom I was dealing. A little research never hurt anybody... But for all I know that picture could be a fake. I think I need to see more in order to verify its authenticity (I may be the most polite stalker you've ever met). After all, you've seen plenty of me thanks to my relatives' overzealous tagging habits.
All kidding aside, you're right, that's an unfair question. What do people usually say? Movies, hanging out with friends, good food... I'm a receptionist—for now, which is not all that glamorous. I like to cook, too. It's really an acquired skill when growing up with a mother who readily experiments in the kitchen and a father who is dubbed Guru Griller. After work I'm going to make some chicken noodle soup. The key to a good one is all in the broth. I think it will go nicely with a baguette.
Bella
p.s. I'm going to pass on any camping trips. Baby steps, you know.
p.p.s Same question.
Squishy heart thanks to my beta, kimpy0464, who is hoping Edward will buy the Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate & Cocoa, and to dollegirl for her encouragement. Any errors are mine.