8
"All right, I admit it. I haven't been this nervous in years. Actually, I can't think of any situation in which I was more nervous than I am at this moment," I rambled, staring at Alice, while fiddling with my hands.
"Relax. You still have to survive an entire day of work."
"Oh, please, you're only making it worse," I said, smiling to indicate I was joking. She laughed and sipped from her drink.
"Well, I think I will go home now. You have to get up early tomorrow. Me and Rosalie will be here at three o'clock," Alice said.
"Yes, I know. See you tomorrow," I said, standing up to let her out.
"Calm down, Bella. You need a good night's rest. It will be all right." I nodded and felt slightly relieved.
The next day, during lunch, I sat next to Madison. My eyes searched around the room and landed upon Edward, who was sitting a few tables away from us. He didn't notice me looking at him, while he was having a conversation with a young woman. I recognized her from the office, but had never paid any particular attention to her.
Before I could start to observe them, though, Madison started talking to me.
"There have been rumours going around this office that Mr Cullen might be dating Ms Thompson," she said, after noticing me looking at Edward. I didn't need to ask, for I already suspected who Ms Thompson was, but I asked anyway, because I wanted to get more information.
"Who is Ms Thompson?"
"She's the woman Mr Cullen is talking to at the moment. I have to admit, she is quite a beauty. They have been seen talking together quite often. Of course, normally, this wouldn't be such a special thing, but Mr Cullen isn't really a sociable kind of guy, as you may know, and therefore people interpret the things he does differently." I nodded slowly, thoughtfully.
"And what about the woman he went to New York with?"
"I'm not sure I know who you mean," she said, eyeing me.
"Of course you do. She's the woman who stormed into his office an hour before he returned here from his New York trip. She has blonde hair and blue eyes…" I trailed off, looking at her expectantly.
"Ah, yes. I believe I know who you mean. I don't know her name, though she's been here a few times before."
"Yes, Emma told me."
"Hmm, I think she is just someone he works with." As she said this, something begin to flicker in her eyes. She looked at me with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I'm not trying to be rude, but why are you so interested in this?" I blushed and looked away. But by doing this, I suddenly looked at Edward, who was watching me. I looked back at Madison, who hadn't missed this, though she kept herself composed.
"Just wanting to know what my boss is up to," I told her, not sure if it was the truth or a lie. She nodded, but I had a feeling she didn't completely believe me. I was wondering if it would be better to stop asking questions, but I was extremely curious.
"And this Ms Thompson, who is sitting at this table, she works here, right?"
"Yes, she does. That does make me suspicious, though, if there really is something going on between them. This company means a lot to Mr Cullen and he wouldn't risk it by getting into a relationship with someone he worked with."
"Yes, but surely, he wouldn't get fired if he had a relationship with someone he worked with?" I asked, not sure if asking this was for Ms Thompson's benefit or mine.
"Perhaps not, although his father is quite strict about those matters. But Mr Cullen is too much a gentleman for that, because Ms Thompson would probably get fired for having a relationship with Mr Cullen."
"I see, that's… nice of him. Although we don't know for sure if there really is anything going on, right?" I asked, trying to hide my curiosity.
"Well, I'm keeping an eye out, I'm always interested in these kind of things. If I notice something, I'll tell you," she said, casting a glance at Edward, who had now resumed his conversation with Ms Thompson.
"So, enough about Mr Cullen for now. Aren't you going on a date tonight?" she asked, apparently just remembering that.
I blushed slightly and looked away, "Yes, that's right."
"With that guy you met while doing your groceries, am I right?" I nodded, wishing to avoid talking about it. My nerves were already starting to become unmanageable. She understood and dropped the topic.
We finished lunch and as I was about to get up, someone brushed past me, making me fall down on my chair again. Startled, I looked up and was staring straight into the face of Ms Thompson.
"I'm so sorry!" she said. She was looking at me, trying to see if I needed any help, and I noticed she was in a hurry.
"It's all right," I said, smiling reassuringly. She nodded, while looking relieved, and she left the room.
"Are you all right?" a deep, masculine voice said behind me. I quickly looked behind me and saw Edward leaning on the table, looking at me with a frown upon his face and concern in his eyes. It all felt a bit too intimate, especially how close he was. So I quickly nodded and left the room.
I heard him leaving the room and walk after me, but in a slower pace. He was probably just on his way to his office.
I sat down at my desk and saw how Emma raised her eyebrows when she saw Edward coming towards me. I shrugged slightly, hoping Edward wouldn't see and bent over to the papers on my desk.
"Have I upset you?" I heard him ask, making me jump and my heart speed up. There was genuine concern and worry in his eyes as he intently looked at me. I found it impossible to answer him immediately, for there was a lump in my throat. I cleared my throat and put on a polite smile.
"No, not at all, Mr Cullen." He nodded slowly and turned around. Before he walked away, he cast one quick glance at me and then walked into his office.
"What was that about?" Emma whisper-shouted. I shrugged casually and tried to get back to work.
"No, you're not getting off this easily. Tell me," she demanded. I sighed and looked up.
"To be honest, I'm not even sure what is going on myself. Someone bumped into me, Mr Cullen asked if I was fine, I nodded and left the room and after that you saw what happened."
"You seemed to be in quite a hurry to get to your desk and Edward seemed worried, for some reason. He apparently really didn't want to have upset you."
"I suppose so," I said absent-mindedly, wanting her to know that it all meant nothing. Of course, it didn't mean nothing, I just wasn't sure yet what it did mean.
The moment he had been leaning on my table, I felt some sort of intimate connection and it had made me run away from him. I couldn't deny the attraction I felt for him and he was getting nicer and kinder to me, but there were a few reasons it couldn't work out. One, he was my boss and it would get me fired to have that kind of relationship with him. Secondly, he might already have a relationship with Ms Thompson. And if it wasn't a relationship yet, it would probably turn into one. I denied the disappointment I felt and thought about the date I had that night.
Jacob seemed sweet and kind, although I didn't really know him. Besides, he was very handsome. I genuinely looked forward to the date and I wasn't going to let my thoughts of Edward ruin it. Edward just wasn't a possibility, and if he was, not a good choice. He could be very reserved and quiet, so much that it could even be rude. Jacob, on the other hand, was very easy-going and open-hearted. I smiled as I thought that and let the thoughts about Edward leave my mind.
Later that afternoon, I gathered my stuff from my desk, getting ready to leave. Emma looked up and smiled as I walked towards the elevator.
"Good luck with your date!" she yelled, the moment Edward left his office. I felt a pang of remorse that she had chosen that moment to say that and with an awkward smile on my face, I turned around and walked to the elevator.
Edward joined me and we both stood on either side of the elevator, not talking to each other. It felt very uncomfortable, but I was too embarrassed to say anything.
Edward cleared his throat and seemed to be deciding something. He looked at me, doubting and a bit awkward.
"Er… have fun tonight," he said. I nodded and mumbled a 'thanks'. The doors opened and we both left the elevator and building.
I returned to my apartment, knowing Rosalie and Alice would get there in a few minutes. I used those minutes to concentrate fully on Jacob. I'd rather be extremely nervous, than to be thinking of Edward while preparing for a date with Jacob. That just felt like indirectly betraying Jacob.
I cleaned up the house a bit and opened the door as Rosalie and Alice arrived. Alice greeted me and then got the dress out of my closet, telling me to go change in the bathroom as she and Rosalie would lay out all the make-up and hair products. I complied and went to the bathroom.
I put on the dress and was again pleasantly surprised. I was pleased with the way it looked and decided to let Rosalie and Alice do what they deemed to be needed. I was sure they knew what to do.
"It looks great," Rosalie commented. I thanked her and sat down in front of a mirror. They immediately started pulling at my hair. I closed my eyes and listened to the music they had put on. I decided to relax for these few hours, so I would be calm when Jacob would get here.
They were done an hour before Jacob would arrive. I got up and looked in the mirror to examine myself. I smiled widely as I saw how I looked. My hair was made into soft, brown curls falling onto my shoulders. They had put on some light make-up, enough so you could see it, but not too much, so that it would look natural. I thanked them, still looking at myself, not fully believing it was me. They laughed and complemented me.
We spent the next few forty-five minutes watching TV and talking to each other. Ten minutes before Jacob would arrive, they left and made me promise to call them tomorrow.
I watched them leave and immediately felt the nerves returning. I looked at myself – again – and decided this was probably the best I was ever going to look. I was quite sure Jacob would like me like this, because he had liked me that day at the store, and that was as casual as it would get. I calmed myself down, knowing he had seen something in me that he liked and it was just a simple, innocent date to see if there was some potential between us.
I had just closed the blinds and turned off the television, when I heard a knock on the door.
I opened it and saw Jacob standing there, smiling broadly and carrying a bouquet of lilies.
"They're beautiful, Jacob. Thank you," I said genuinely. He seemed relieved. I let him in and closed the door behind him.
"I'll just put these in a vase and then we're off," I told him and went into the kitchen to get a vase and fill it with water.
When I returned, carrying the vase, I found Jacob looking at some pictures on the wall. I placed the vase on the table and went to stand next to him.
"This one is with my father, and that one with my best friends, Alice and Rosalie," I told him. He seemed a bit startled to suddenly find me standing next to him, but he regained his composure and looked at the pictures with an interested look on his face.
"They seem very nice," he said, probably out of politeness. I thanked him.
"Shall we go?" I suggested. He nodded and we left the apartment. I closed the door behind me. Excitement and nervousness raged inside me as I followed him to his car.