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Disclaimer: All characters, plots, and settings related to Twilight are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended by the author.

Chapter Three

I Just Wanted to Know

Listening to my mother sing pop songs was so horrible it was like a combination of two awful things. Not that my mom is awful, just pop songs and her singing of said songs.

We were on our way home from our weekly grocery shopping, Renee driving and singing along with the radio. She was still feeling high over seeing Edward Cullen kiss me on the cheek yesterday. Eh. It was just a kiss – on the cheek. My mom said it was a big deal though, and declared that it was my first kiss. Yeah, my first kiss in two years, I told her. I took my time reminding her of that sneaky lanky boy who first kissed me back in sixth grade, and of course, there was Jake. Renee just harrumphed; saying there was nothing more romantic or first-kiss worthy than Edward Cullen kissing my cheek inside his silver Volvo in front of our house after he drove me around town offering babysitting jobs. Romantic. Right. And she didn't even know what truly happen with that kiss.

Ha ha. Poor clueless Renee, I got you fooled.

And so I let her sing, as I basked in the glorious result of my secretive plan.

Just after Renee finished her second pop song, my phone rang. It was Edward calling. I pushed the red button, thinking it wouldn't be safe to answer the call with Renee seated right beside me.

"Why won't you answer the call, sweetie?"

I shrugged. "It's not urgent."

"Who called?"

Truth or lie? Hmm. "Edward." It was better to admit he called, giving proof that he does call me.

"Well, why did you not pick up? Are you two having a fight?" My mom frowned for the first time since yesterday afternoon. "What happened? Should I talk to Esme?"

I sighed. Really, if this relationship was real, it would definitely go downhill because of our nosy mothers. "No, mom. We are not fighting. I'll call him back later, I promise."

Renee eyed me curiously, probably trying to figure out if I was just making an excuse. I was about to assure her again, but my phone's ringing interrupted me. Edward was calling again.

"Bella, don't be rude. Answer the call."

I grimaced. Why did Edward have to call now? It was really bad timing.

"If you're embarrassed to talk to your boyfriend on the phone because I'm here, I assure you, Bella, that I am one hundred percent supportive of your relationship."

Like that wasn't obvious enough. I pressed the red button again. Boyfriend. Huh.

But avoiding his phone call was a moot point since he was there at our doorstep when we arrived home. Whatever reason he kept calling, it was apparently urgent. Renee was grinning when we parked the truck. I immediately went over to Edward.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He glanced behind me, probably checking if my mom was close. "We need to talk."

Knowing this was about our cloak-and-dagger mission, I suggested we go someplace else to have this conversation.

We ended up going to the only coffee shop in Forks. Just as we reached the door, a tall blond woman came out. Rosalie Hale. I knew her from high school, only a year older than me. She wasn't anything back then, neither a cheerleader nor one of those bitchy popular kids. She was too beautiful to be either. She was just Rosalie Hale. She didn't seem to recognize me though. She did, however, know Edward.

"Edward, I thought you're with Emmett right now," she said as she paused in front of us.

"I'd probably be there later," Edward replied.

Rosalie nodded, smiling. When she turned to look at me, her smile grew wider. "Ah. The rumors are true, then."

I looked up at Edward. Rumors? He rolled his eyes. "Rosalie, this is Bella. Bella, Rosalie."

The two of us exchanged pleasantries before she said goodbye and left, her smile never leaving her face.

We chose a table at a deserted corner, needing the space and the silence. Edward seemed to be a bit troubled, his hand going through his hair very often. It was making me nervous. "What is it?"

"My friend Emmett found out."

WHAT? "WHAT?"

"Shh...you're too loud." His eyes roamed around the room.

"What? How? Did you tell him? You know this town is as small as my fist, Edward, and word spreads like wildfire..."

He instantly looked offended. "Of course not. He probably heard it from some kid who got the news from Newton."

Mike? What did Mike know about this? "Wait. What exactly does your friend know?"

Edward sighed exasperatedly. "That I have a new girlfriend, and that's you."

I badly wanted to whack his head then. "Uh, Edward, that's the point. That's what we're trying to work on."

"You don't understand. This is Emmett." His hand went through his hair again. "If there's someone I can't fool, it's him. He knows my shit. He wouldn't believe any of this, and probably think I've gone mental. It would be better to just let him in on the secret."

I shook my head. "No. We can't afford to have someone know. If we make this one exception, I'm pretty sure there will be others that would follow. Soon we would lose control of the situation, and we'll get busted."

"We'll get busted, anyway, with Emmett. He already called me this morning, asking about you. The last time we talked, before all this, I told him I will be flying solo for awhile. He found out sooner than I wanted," he said. "And just my damn luck that Rosalie saw us together today. She'd tell Emmett for sure, and he would nag me to let him see you, and that is not a good thing!"

How hard could it be, I thought. My biggest concern was Renee. As long as I was out of her constant insistence that I should move on from Jake, I was okay. I shrugged off the problem. "We'll deal with it when we absolutely have to."

Edward narrowed his eyes at me, not satisfied with my decision.

"Loosen up, Edward. This was supposed to get rid of our problem, not to add more," I said.

He did loosen up, although he looked a bit defeated. That was when I noticed that one of the two waitresses was eying Edward from two tables away. Interesting. I wonder...

"Hey, is that waitress your ex or something?"

"No," he said. He didn't even turn around, still pouting about his dilemma with his buddy. I found it strange. Hmm. Maybe waitresses weren't his type.

"What about that girl?" I pointed at a table on the opposite corner. She was young and blond, and a bit chirpy like Alice.

"I doubt it," he answered. He still didn't turn around.

"What about her?" This time it was a woman sitting near our table. She looked to be in her late twenties, or early thirties. Perhaps Edward was one of those guys who prefer older women.

He didn't need to turn around to see who I was referring to; she was in his field of vision. "No! Bella, stop it." He frowned. "In spite of what you might think, I didn't date every girl in this town. That is just sick."

"But Mike said..."

His jaw dropped. "You actually believed him?"

Okay, so maybe I was guilty of that. "But you said you had lots of girlfriends..."

He sighed, raking his hair at the same time. "We just moved here two years back, and I've only stayed here during summers. I don't know more than half of the girls here. I didn't even know you."

I nodded. He had a point.

At that moment, the door opened and in came another customer. I have seen the face more than a dozen times two years ago. Quil. I froze on my seat, my eyes locked on his dark head. He went straight to the counter, not giving me a glance. I knew I was being pathetic again. Even then, when I was with Jake, I was never comfortable with his friends, and I knew the feeling was mutual. I was sure they howled like a pack of wild dogs when Jake broke it off with me.

"Bella?"

I turned my attention back to Edward. "What?"

"I said you don't have to worry about any of my ex's going after you. They were more than happy when they left me."

I stared at him. We have that in common.

We finished our drinks, just talking about his friend Emmett. Just before I left his car when we arrived back at my house, I asked. "So, when should we meet again?"

He sighed, and shrugged me off. "I don't know. Probably next week. I'm busy this weekend."

Two days after I last saw Edward, I was on my first babysitting job. I didn't think anyone would actually call and hire me, but Mrs. Crowley did. Maybe it was because I have the advantage of being a college student; she thought I would be better than the younger sitters.

It was Saturday and raining when I stayed at the Crowley's for the whole afternoon. Since I was an only child, looking after a seven year old boy was new and interesting to me.

I was home by five o'clock, quite proud for a job well done. After Renee congratulated me, I looked for my dad. He wasn't around. I knew I shouldn't have asked - I already had a clue where Charlie was -but I still did.

"Oh," my mom answered. "You know your dad. He's staying late at the headquarters, as usual."

I nodded. It was a lie. Charlie was at La Push again. I decided not to dwell on that direction of thought, and headed to the kitchen. "So, we'll be having dinner for two. What do you want to eat, mom?" I opened the freezer and checked what our options were.

Renee followed after me, giggling. "I think you're forgetting something, honey."

I turned around. I forgot something?

It was clear I had no idea what she was talking about. "Bella, we know Edward didn't ask you, but I think you'll be alright meeting Esme..."

"What? What are you...?" Oh, no. Oh, no.

"...it will be like a surprise birthday party..." Renee continued.

Birthday party? Esme's? Edward's?

"...it will mean so much more to him if you are there..."

Him? Edward? Birthday? Today? Now?

"...so why don't you go upstairs and get ready and we'll leave in half an hour."

Half an hour?

"Bella? You do know it's Edward's birthday today, don't you?"

NO! "Of course." I cleared my throat. "I just forgot." I might have to strangle a birthday boy today.

The drive to the Cullen's felt like purgatory. I cursed at myself for leaving my phone behind. If only I warned Edward of what was to happen. We were not ready for this. But then this could have been prevented if Edward mentioned it was his birthday today. He only said he was busy. Huh. The strangling plan was still on-hold.

We arrived ten minutes later, in front of a huge white mansion that I never thought existed in a small town like Forks. The whole place looked pristine and peaceful, the complete opposite of the inner turmoil that was raging inside of me. I couldn't quite take in the beauty of the house. I was too nervous. Renee, on the other hand, was obviously excited.

"Smile, Bella," she said. "You look sick. Are you alright?"

Before I could tell her I was fine, the front door opened and I was suddenly wrapped around an unfamiliar set of arms. It was Esme. And before I could regain my wits and maybe hug her back, she has already released me.

"Bella, it's so nice to finally meet you. I heard so much about you, from Renee and of course from my boy." Her voice was gentle and sweet, much like her smile, or her whole self, to be truthful. It made me wonder how she and my mother interacts, Renee a bit eccentric and hyper.

"It's nice to meet you, too," I greeted back, and it was true. Esme was somehow making my frazzled nerves settle down.

She then exchanged hugs and squeals with my mom, both acting like a pair of separated twins reunited at last, despite the fact that they just talked on the phone before we left home.

It was then I noticed Edward, standing just a few feet away, looking quite surprised. I couldn't blame him. This was definitely a surprise party. His bewildered eyes darted from me to my mom to his mom, before going back to me.

I noticed Renee and Esme seemed to have stopped talking, everyone in the room awkwardly quiet. Edward still looked dead frozen on his feet, and that left me to do the first step. I slowly walked over to him, my eyes never leaving his. Standing in front of him, I stood on my tiptoes, and lightly kissed his right cheek. "Happy birthday, Edward." I was successful in making my greeting sound like a deadly threat.

He nodded once, still a bit dazed.

Then the squeals started again. Renee.

"Hi, Mrs. Swan," Edward greeted my mom, his voice a bit muted. At least he was now recovering from the shock.

"Please, call me Renee, Edward." She smiled at Edward before whispering something to Esme, and both women burst into a giggling fit. I was really getting tired of my mom's giggling.

I looked up at Edward, and it was clear we were both horrified with our mothers.I was greatly tempted to call this whole thing off and just walk away.

"Do you want a tour of the house?" he asked.

I nodded, quite vehemently, thankful he understood my urgent need to get away from Renee. The giggles grew louder as Edward led me out of the foyer and into the living room.

"Why didn't you tell me it's your birthday today?" I hissed at him, looking over my shoulder to make sure we weren't being followed.

"What am I, five? Do you want your Barney invitation card, Bella?" he hissed back. "You were not supposed to find out."

"And why not? I thought you understand how this works. Don't you think I should know when your birthday is? I didn't even know until my mom told me just minutes ago."

"Bella, it's just my birthday, and it's not like I told Esme you didn't know. I just told her I wasn't inviting you over because it was too early for you to be here and meet her."

I frowned. "Well, I'm sorry I came over uninvited."

He sighed. "It's not that I don't want you here, but you know how it is. It's bad enough my mom asked me to stay at home today just because it's my birthday. You shouldn't have felt the need to come here."

"I felt the need to come here? I was forced! I looked like an idiot not knowing what was happening." The frown didn't leave my face, and I felt my hands forming into fists. I didn't want to be here either.

"Edward?" Esme's gentle voice startled me, and both Edward and I turned around at the same time. The frown was instantly gone, and I was forced to make a small smile. I could only assume Edward's face was a replica of mine. It all seemed so phony. "Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes." She smiled – genuinely – and left the room. If she noticed anything amiss, she didn't mention it.

Today was just a week after my first date with Edward, but this set-up was already getting tiring. Maybe my idea wouldn't work after all.

"Bella, would you have told me it was your birthday if you were in my shoes?"

I gave it a thought. My first answer was a definite yes, knowing this – our situation now – would happen if I wouldn't. Then again, given my easily embarrassed nature, maybe I wouldn't tell him. I wasn't fond of celebrating my birthdays, even when I was younger, and I was pretty sure I never mentioned my birthday to random strangers, even to my friends.

I looked at Edward, still feeling a bit annoyed but quite resigned now. "Okay, you're off the hook."

He smiled. "Thanks."

"But please inform me if something like this happens again. It's not like I would crash in here with cakes and balloons and clowns. I just wanted to know. I don't want to be taken by surprise again."

"I was the one surprised, Bella."

I rolled my eyes. "That's what you get for not telling me."

Esme's voice, loud from the kitchen, interrupted us once again. "Dinner's ready!"

Pretending in front of my mom was enough to make me restless. Now I had to deal with Renee and Esme together. I took a deep breath.

"You're nervous?" Edward's voice was soft beside me.

"Yeah," I admitted.

"That makes the two of us. I thought I was the only one. I almost jumped when my mom came in earlier. Speaking of which, she might have figured something was wrong." He sighed. "This isn't as easy as I thought it would be."

"Hey, we could always say we just had a lovers' spat," I shrugged.

He chuckled. "True." He stepped forward and looked back at me, his hand out for me to take. "Come on. Time to show them we've made up."

I must have stared at his hand longer than necessary.

"You really didn't think we could pass as a couple without physical contact, did you?" His brow raised in question.

I blushed. It's just a hand, Bella. I slowly placed my hand in his, my eyes taking in on the touch. My mind automatically analyzed the sensation of having a hand surround mine. I couldn't think of the right words, but I could concede it wasn't an awful feeling.

I looked up and smiled at Edward. "Okay, I'm ready. You better show your Oscar-worthy performance this time."

He snorted. "Ha!" He then led me to the dining hall, and before we showed ourselves to our mothers, he tightened his hold on me.

Not awful indeed.

"Is this the part where I have to say a few cheesy lines?" Edward asked.

His birthday dinner was over and my mom and I were about to go home. Renee and Esme were standing by the front door, saying goodbye like there's no tomorrow. I shifted my weight to my other foot, leaning against the door of my truck, relieved and tired at the same time. The dinner went well, to my surprise. The talk went around Esme's interior design projects, and Edward made sure the topic stayed there by asking more and more questions to his mother. It could have been fun, if I wasn't so nervous.

"A simple 'thank you' would be enough," I said.

"Sure. Thanks. For almost killing me with a fucking heart attack earlier..."

"Edward," I chided. "That's mean, and you're exaggerating. Try again."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay. Thanks. It's so nice to have my make-believe girlfriend and her mother come over for my birthday party. Do you want a goodie bag?"

I glared at him, shaking my head. "You can do better than that, Edward."

He glared back at me before he sighed, his eyes looking down. He was quiet for a while. And then, "Thank you for coming, Bella. I'm sorry I didn't tell you it was my birthday today." His voice was casual, his hands inside his pockets, but I knew he meant it. In some way, I could tell the difference.

I smiled up at him. "Perfect."

He chuckled. "So, now, can we get to the next part?"

"What's that?" I asked.

He leaned forward and brushed his lips on my cheek for the second time, but unlike the first, this lasted a little longer. Just a wee bit. However, like before, I blushed without consent, occurring as if on cue.

Edward laughed. "Now that's a wrap. Goodnight, Bella."

He was still chuckling when I got inside the truck, my face flushed.