The Twilight Twenty-Five
thetwilight25 dot com
Prompt: 23-Tryst
Main Character: Edward
Rating:M
Word Count:500
Unbetaed, so all mistakes are mine.
Stephenie Meyer own it.
Thank you for reading:)
I met her online, under admittedly dubious circumstances. It was a sex site; Facebook for adults looking to get off or hook up. I'd chatted with dozens of women before her, some of whom I'd liked better than others, none of whom I'd felt any connection with or had any desire to meet.
I knew her as Belle79. I'd asked her to chat because of her avatar, a plump, red apple with a single bite taken out of it. Most of the women on the site went the rather obvious route of using pictures of breasts or nude women. Her use of a symbol of temptation did indeed tempt me, and I sent her a chat request.
Our first conversation lasted three hours. We talked about anything and everything, and had barely touched on the topic of sex before it was time to say good night.
The next day we chatted again, and the day after that. We talked for several hours most days, and on the days we didn't, I realized that I missed her. Belle79—a pseudonym on a site that was intended for fleeting encounters. I was falling for her.
We discovered that we didn't live too far from one another—different states, but only a few hours' drive. We had similar tastes in music, movies, food. Little by little, we got to know the real people behind the silly avatars.
We exchanged emails, and I sent her a photo of myself as a gesture of goodwill. I didn't expect anything back, but the next day, I received a picture of an exquisite young woman with long, brown hair. Finally, after months of conversations that were ever more intense and personal, I got up the courage to ask if she wanted to meet—just as friends, no expectations. Deep down I knew I was hoping for more.
To my surprise she agreed, and now here I was, waiting for her at an Italian restaurant near the small town she lived in. We'd agreed to meet here, have lunch and if things went well, take it from there.
My hands were clammy; my stomach full of butterflies. I'd never done anything quite like this before. And what was this, anyway? Not exactly a date, but not just a hookup. The word tryst came to mind; I liked its old-fashioned, romantic, slightly secretive connotations.
"Edward?" I spun around at the sound of my name uttered in a soft, sweet voice.
Belle79...Isabella, though she preferred to be called Bella.
I stood and extended my hand, not wanting to seem too forward or make her uncomfortable. I needn't have worried.
"Come here, silly." She ignored my outstretched hand and stood on tiptoes to throw her arms around my neck, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek.
"Bella." Any doubt I had that she returned my feelings were swept away as I held her close. As she smiled up at me, I forgot our inauspicious beginning and felt hopeful about our future.