15
I woke up with a violent start and fell off the couch. I groaned and rolled around, my head throbbing. I realised I had been sleeping and had been awakened by the phone ringing.
I looked around and saw that the phone was quite far away. I asked myself whether I should get up and get it or not. I was hoping it would stop ringing, but it just continued, so eventually I got up and picked it up. I saw on the screen that it was twelve o' clock PM.
"Good morning," I said, sounding a bit hoarse.
"Good morning, Bella! It's Emma," I heard her say.
"Oh, Emma! How nice of you to call."
"Well, I had to! I haven't talked to you in ages! And yesterday, I encountered Edward and asked him what had happened and he said that you two were together! That's so amazing!"
"Thank you," I said, chuckling.
"And I also thought that – if you don't mind, of course – you could answer some questions, because I'm still confused about a few things."
"No, that's fine. What are you confused about?"
"Why did he fire you?"
"His father wanted someone more appropriate for the job," I said, explaining it for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Oh, I see. And why was he always so rude towards you when you were still working here?"
"He already liked me back then and didn't want anyone to know. And he didn't really know how to act."
"All right. Well, one more question, if you don't mind."
"No, of course not," I said, chuckling.
"Who was that blonde girl that stormed out of his room when you first started working with us?" she asked, stunning me. I was silent for a few moments, racking my brain, wondering if he had told me that.
"I'm sorry, I don't know."
"Oh," she said, surprised, "well, that's fine. I don't need to know anyway."
"All right," I said, still wondering how I had forgotten to ask Edward that.
"Well, I've got to go, but we really need to catch up sometime soon!"
"Yes, I agree. I'll call you next week, all right?"
"That's fine, goodbye!"
"Bye," I said, putting the phone down.
I told myself to calm down and ask Edward about it tonight, during the date.
I yawned and sat down on the couch. I hadn't been planning on sleeping in this much. Last night, I had been reading until it was very late, which was probably the reason I had slept till twelve o'clock.
Alice and Rosalie both had things do to do, so I had to get ready myself. I didn't mind, because it wasn't that much work and I could easily do it myself, but I always liked the support they gave me and how they tried to calm my nerves.
I knew Edward and I were probably just going out to dinner, so we could talk and get to know each other.
I sighed, I still had six hours to spent. After cleaning the living room for a while, I decided to do some grocery shopping.
When I returned, I started getting ready for the date, making sure I had enough time, in case something went wrong.
I went through my closet, picking out the few dresses I had. I laughed as I realised that some of them were from when I had been in high school. I took the dark blue dress I had already decided upon as soon as I had seen it and put it on.
I went to the bathroom, looking into the mirror, wondering what to do with my hair. I lifted a few strands of hair, asking myself how Alice always did this. I saw the objects she always used, but didn't know which to use.
Eventually, I managed to curl and pin up my hair. I smiled, quite satisfied with the way it looked. The other mystery, make-up, was next, which, thankfully, was easier to use.
When I was done, I looked into the full size mirror in my bedroom. The dress looked quite good on me, which was probably why I had bought it. The skirt flowed around my legs. I had put on the shoes which had the same colour as the dress. I wasn't fully convinced about the heels, but decided to risk it.
An hour later, Edward arrived and knocked on the door.
"Hi," I said, still excited every time I saw him.
"You look beautiful," he said, offering his arm. I linked arms with him and closed the door behind me.
"You flatter me too much," I said, chuckling.
"It is not flattery, 'tis truth," he replied.
I laughed, "Really, Byron?"
"Perhaps," he said, chuckling.
"So, where are we going?" I asked, once we were in the car, driving away from the centre of the city, instead of towards it.
"Would you be satisfied if I said it was a surprise?" he asked, chuckling.
"Hmm, no, not really," I said, laughing.
"That's a shame, because I'm not going to give away the surprise." I smiled, feeling curious and excited.
"It better be a good surprise," I teased.
"I'm utterly convinced it will," he replied. I chuckled and nodded. I looked out of the window and noticed how we were following the Thames, going towards the coast.
"We're almost there," Edward said, after half an hour. I looked around, seeing how we were nearing the beach. The sun was starting to set, making the sky a beautiful red colour. He turned into a small lane and slowly the amount of cars decreased, until we were alone. He parked in the verge of the lane and got out to open the door for me.
"Thank you," I said, and saw how he walked towards the boot of his car, opened it and took a basket and a blanket out of it. He smiled and closed the boot.
We climbed over the dunes and were met with a deserted beach and the ocean. The sun was on the horizon, it's light glittering on the water.
Edward placed the blanket on the hill of the dune and sat down. I sat down next to him, sighing contently.
"It's beautiful here." Edward nodded, looking at the sun with a smile on his face. "How did you find this place?"
"When I was a kid, my parents took me here during a holiday. I spent entire days here, just looking out onto the sea, playing with a dog that was always here."
"That must have been amazing," I said.
"Yeah, it was a pretty nice," he replied, chuckling.
"Do you come here often?"
"No, I've only been here a few times since that holiday. I think that if I come here too often, the magic of this place will somehow disappear."
"Yes, I know what you mean," I said. "Thank you for bringing me here." It must have been a big thing for him to share this special place, and I felt truly grateful.
"It's actually quite nice to share this with someone," he said. We were both silent for a while as the sun passed beneath the horizon, the sky slowly turning darker, and the lights in the town to the left of us gradually turning on.
"Are you hungry?" Edward asked.
"A bit." He grabbed the picnic basket and opened it.
"All right, I've got a pasta salad, bread and a tomato and mozzarella salad."
"Ooh, that looks delicious," I said, eyeing the pasta.
"Here are plastic plates and cutlery," he said, giving it to me.
During dinner, the sky turned completely dark and the lights in the city became even more prominent.
"Wait, I've got some candles," Edward said, putting down his plate. He took some candles out of the basket and placed them in a holder, so they could safely stand on the blanket. He lit them, creating a soft, yellow light, illuminating his face.
"Much better," he said, "now I can at least see you." I chuckled and blushed.
When we had finished dinner, he opened the basket again and lifted a chocolate cake out of it. I laughed when I saw it.
"A chocolate cake?" I asked, chuckling. He looked up, worriedly.
"Is there something wrong with chocolate cake? Are you allergic to chocolate?" he asked, frowning.
"No, not at all. I love chocolate cake. I just thought it was funny that you went through to the trouble of taking chocolate cake with you. It's very cute," I said, smiling. He smiled, relieved and slightly embarrassed at being called cute.
"The picnic dinner wouldn't be complete without it," he replied.
"No, that's true," I said, still amused. He offered me a piece and I took it from him.
When we had finished eating and had put everything back in the basket, I turned to him.
"Thank you, it was absolutely delicious," I told him, smiling.
"No problem, I liked making it," he said.
"Really? Wow, another good quality," I teased. He rolled his eyes and chuckled.
"I have you know that I have loads of good qualities," he teased back.
"Sure you have," I said, chuckling.
"I do," he exclaimed, laughing.
"Well, name a few, then."
"I can show you one," he said.
"Oh? Now I'm curious."
"All right then," he said, rising and signalling me to do the same.
"Wait, I'm involved too?"
"Yes, of course," he said, smiling mischievously. I frowned worriedly as I was standing in front of him. At that moment, the wind blew out the candles and we were suddenly surrounded by darkness, except for the city lights in the distance. I couldn't even see Edward, because my eyes needed to adapt to the sudden change of light. I gasped as I suddenly felt Edward's lips on mine. I smiled against his lips. Ah, I see, that is one of his good qualities.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and drew me closer. We eventually broke apart to breathe.
"Do you agree?" he asked, slightly breathlessly.
"Oh yeah, absolutely."
Half an hour later, we were back in the car, on our way back to London.
"Edward?" I asked suddenly, "I need to ask you an awkward question."
"What is it?"
"Eh, don't get angry, but I just wanted to know who that blonde woman was, who was in your office when I still worked there?" He had been looking slightly worried, but now started laughing.
"Oh, her? I'm surprised you even remember her. She had been my assistant a year ago. She was very angry when I fired her, so she returned a few times to get angry at me and demand compensation. We eventually got rid of her, thankfully," he explained. I blushed and felt the need to face palm.
"I'm really sorry. God, I feel so stupid for asking."
"No, its fine," he said, "really."
I looked at him, still feeling embarrassed.
"I know what it is like, feeling jealous," he said. I raised my eyebrow. "You know, you with Jacob?"
"Oh, yes, of course."
"At the time, I really hated him," he admitted, smiling sheepishly.
"Well, things between me and Jacob would never have worked."
"I'm glad," he said, half joking, half serious.
We arrived at my place and he walked me to the door.
"I had a fantastic evening, it was absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much," I told him.
"No problem. I had a great time," he said. He kissed me and smiled widely.
"I love you," I said suddenly, surprising even myself. I bit my lip as I eyed Edward, wondering what he was thinking. He smiled calmly and grabbed my hands.
"I love you too," he said. I grinned and leaned against him.
"Can I come to your place tomorrow? I haven't seen it yet."
"Yes, of course. I'll see you tomorrow."
The next day I got into my car, placing the note with his address on the seat next to me. It took a while to find, but I eventually ended up at a very modern house, just outside town. It had a large lawn and drive in front of the house and the house was surrounded by trees. I parked the car and walked towards the door. I rang the door bell and a few moments later, he opened the door and, after kissing me, let me in.
"Wow, your house is beautiful!" I exclaimed, walking into the large, open living room. The floor was from light wood, the walls were white and most of the furniture was made of a dark, shining wood. The windows reached from the ceiling to the floor on the left and right side of the room. The right side of the living room was an extension, with a beautiful white couch and a modern television facing each other.
Right ahead of the front door were the stairs and left of the stairs was a hallway leading to the kitchen and the downstairs bathroom.
"So you like it?" he said, smiling.
"Yes, absolutely. I wonder why I haven't been here before," I said.
"Well, from now on, you can come here as often as you like," he told me. I smiled at him.
"Care to give me a tour?"
"Oh, yes, of course. Follow me, milady." I chuckled and followed him. We walked through the hallway left of the stairs and entered the kitchen.
Cupboards covered two of the walls and in the middle was a large cooking area. On the left side were windows, showing the small patch of grass and the wood behind that.
We then returned to the living room and went up the stairs. The upstairs hall way had a white carpet and white walls. His bed room was to the left and to the right was a spare bedroom, a bathroom and a room with his piano in it.
"What a beautiful piano," I said, nearing the shining, black grand piano.
"Do you play the piano?" he asked me.
"I had a few lessons when I was a kid, but I've forgotten it all now."
"Shall I play something for you?"
"Oh, yes, please!"
He sat down on the piano seat and signalled me to sit down beside him. I rushed towards him. He placed his fingers on the keys and once they started moving, beautiful music filled the room. I closed my eyes and listened. When he was finished, I opened my eyes and smiled.
"That was absolutely amazing! Is that your music?"
"Yes, I wrote it a month ago."
"Wow, that's incredible."
"I told you I had many good qualities," he teased. I chuckled and playfully shoved his shoulder.
"I actually wrote it for you," he said, turning serious.
"Really?" I asked, smiling emotionally and wondering what I had done to deserve him. I leaned forward and kissed him. "That's the most wonderful thing someone has ever done for me. Thank you."
"I love you," he said simply.
"And I love you," I replied.
A/N: Thanks to Francisca for pointing out some mistakes I made :)!