Oh boy, more fluff than I intended to write so early. I hope this doesn't ruin my credibility... Nah. Anyway, I'm trying to maneuver around the fact that I have never been to Seattle before by using Google to be as accurate as I can with place names and such. So if any of you have been there and feel the need to correct me, please do so. This chapter was hard for me, but I started to get into a groove later on. I apologize for the little wait. I've been working a lot. I really hope you love it. :]

Chapter 5

I'm afraid of fast cars... Fast anything, really. Fast boats, planes, motorcycles... Once, Jake had taken me out on the motorcycle he built as a kid. It was almost fun, until I fell off. I remember tumbling into the bushes next to the road and hitting my head on a tree. Thankfully I had slowed down by the time I'd made contact with it, but I still split my head open and had to get stitches. Yeah, that was really fun.

Relationships were no different. Going fast wasn't something I was good at, and I usually backed out from potential "romantic interests" before anything could get too serious. Even the "flirt" period took a long time. I never kissed on a first date. It wasn't a rule, it just wasn't in my comfort level. My end-of-date hugs were usually awkward and reserved with the occasional tap on the back that made it obvious to them I wasn't really interested. I also never spent more than a couple hours with them before resigning back into my little turtle shell.

Alice and I had spent over three hours together and I still wasn't bored, and the whole time we were on our way to the restaurant I kept thinking of her hand on my knee earlier in the park. And even though I was genuinely enjoying myself, a little voice in the back of my mind kept repeating one thing. You're too damaged for something to come out of this.

The thought wasn't an unfamiliar one. Any time I got close to anything, anyone, this sentence repeated itself like a mantra. You should know by now to step away. Gain your distance.

But this time I pushed it back. With every hidden glance at Alice I took, with every smile she returned, I knew that no, I wanted to see where this was going. The electricity flowing between us was a sign of something. What that was, I wasn't sure.

I took another peek at Alice and realized she had been peeking at me, too, as our eyes met. It didn't occur to me at the moment that her attention was completely on me and not the road as her golden irises focused on me. "Something wrong?" She smirked at me, as if she knew what I was thinking. I knew I was blushing and I smiled shyly in response. "No, nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?" She kept her eyes on me for a second longer before returning them to the road in front of her. We were nearing Pike Place, a market in Seattle.

I shrugged, forgetting that she was now unable to see it. "I don't know yet," I timidly replied, earning a whimsical laugh from the woman beside me. She turned to me again as she drove into a parking garage, a twinkle in her eye. "Well, I hope I have an idea." She winked, centering her car in a parking space without even a glance at what she was doing. I thought that curious for a moment before her words recollected themselves in my brain.

Confidence I didn't know I had came to the surface. "You might." I felt myself smiling, but on the inside I was panicking. My heart was thudding and I felt tingles of anticipation throughout my body. Anticipation for what? Not knowing what the hell was going on with me was beginning to annoy me.

She turned off the vehicle and moved closer to me, our faces inches away now. My heart was hammering so loud I'm sure she could hear it and my face was on fire. She opened her mouth to say something before closing it into a smile, pulling herself away and opening her door. Before she closed it, she turned around. "Stay there, okay?"

I nodded, and seconds later Alice was at my door with her hand out to me. I immediately melted inside as I took her hand and she helped me out of the car. I couldn't restrain my smile and by the one Alice had on her face it would appear she couldn't either.

"So..." I started out softly, "this is a real date?" Our hands were still together as we stood beside her car.

Her smile dimmed slightly but didn't disappear. "I thought so. But it can be whatever you want it to be." She was being honest, not a trace of mirth in her eye. She almost appeared shy again as she looked at our hands.

She began to loosen her fingers as the more seconds went by and I didn't answer. I was in slight shock, I guess, but the moment I realized her hand was almost out of mine I tightened my grip to reaffirm that I still wanted it there. "I want it to be."

Her eyes met mine again and her smile brightened. "And I thought I was being too forward there for a while." Our hands remained linked as we made our way out of the parking garage. My blush was palpable, but I didn't make the move to let go. I wasn't used to PDA. In fact, I usually hated showing affection to anyone in public. Period. But not this time. I was blushing because I knew that I enjoyed holding her hand all too much. I really wasn't used to this. I didn't like opening up to anyone, and I could feel myself doing so.

For once, I felt vulnerable. My walls just weren't strong against Alice, a woman I had met only recently. I never felt the "butterflies" for anyone, and I never thought it could happen so suddenly.

It scared the crap out of me, but it intrigued me too much to let it go.

Walking to the restaurant was less embarrassing than I imagined. We had timidly held hands as we made our way to the restaurant, and I had somehow avoided tripping or falling over. Alice's hand was soft and comforting in mine, but I found it peculiar how it didn't seem to warm at all. I guess it was getting cold outside, I reasoned. It really didn't bother me anyway.

I had never been to the Pink Door, so I was surprised at the intriguing atmosphere. It was an Italian restaurant, my favorite. The lighting was dim and there were a lot of people already dining with the soft clinking of glasses, silverware and delicate conversation filling the air. Curtains hung from the ceiling, pulled back to clear room for the small four-seat tables. Along the walls made of cream-colored brick, small candles on top of beige table cloths accentuated several pieces of artwork. But the thing I found most impressive was the trapeze artist performing on a bar hung from the ceiling in between two sets of tables, the customers beneath her gaping in appreciation.

I looked down at Alice who was looking at me with a twinkle in her eye. "Before you ask," her hand gripped mine tighter for a moment before she released it to point at the woman currently doing the splits in mid-air, "I had no idea about that either," she chuckled quietly. I looked at her and smiled, "You have interesting taste." Alice's laughter continued and she bumped my shoulder.

A moment later, a young girl greeted us into the restaurant. Alice smiled at her kindly, causing the girl to blush fiercely and stumble over her feet. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only one disarmed by it. I guess I had competition for "biggest klutz" now.

When she caught herself, she quickly tried to recompose herself, clearing her throat and smiling broadly at both of us. "Do you guys have a reservation? We're pretty booked right now." She looked to a seating chart on a small podium in the front, noticeably trying to avoid eye contact.

Alice kept her eyes on me as she answered, "We do, actually." Her gaze lingered for a second longer and then she turned to the hostess, placing her hand in mine again. "Alice Cullen and Bella Swan."

The girl looked at our linked hands and her eyes narrowed slightly before she looked to her seating chart again. "Hmm... Oh, okay, I see we have a table saved for you. If you'll follow me." She smiled at Alice and turned around, grabbing two menus.

The table was tucked into a corner of the restaurant furthest away from the trapeze act. We could still see the woman dangling from the raised seat as we sat down. Normally I would've been starring at such a display, but Alice was far more distracting. God, what is wrong with me.

The hostess placed the menus before us, her eyes solely on Alice the entire time. I felt a twinge of something in my belly at the almost flirtatious look in her eye, but Alice didn't seem to notice and simply smiled out of courtesy before looking to me. Her smile changed to a flirtatious smirk as our eyes met again. I was glad for the candle light, making my blush less noticeable.

For a moment the hostess stayed where she was, looking between the two of us. I thought I heard her sigh before she walked away, and that twinge of jealousy subsided. The look in Alice's eye reassured me that, if she had noticed, it didn't mean anything to her.

"I hope you like this kind of food," Alice fingered the menu. Her smirk was still visible but I was beginning to notice her habits when she was nervous. Like I had observed before, she fiddled with things with her hands. Her voice also had the tendency to rise just a little, so slightly you could barely notice unless you were paying close attention. And I was.

I peered at the menu and nodded. "I actually love Italian food. It's probably my favorite."

We both looked at the menu to decide what we wanted. It was cute how confused Alice seemed at the long list of options and she would every now and then look at me to see what I was looking at. Finally, she gave up and put her menu down. "What are you going to have? When it comes to food I'm a little indecisive."

I laughed a little and pointed at the menu. "I usually am, too, but I think I might get the Penne Primavera." I smiled at her, embarrassed. "I'm sure I butchered the pronunciation. I've always wanted to learn Italian but I never got around to it."

Alice suddenly looked excited. "I could teach you! I spent a couple years in Italy with my family growing up. I can speak it pretty fluently."

"I'm impressed." I said honestly, a little shy to admit that my mediocre education in Spanish and French only left me able to order food and get directions. "I would love that, actually."

I asked her more about her travels. Alice had been pretty much everywhere, at least in Europe and Asia. She was also fluent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese. I was truly amazed and I couldn't help myself and asked her pretty much every question imaginable. After we ordered our food we spoke more about it and my admiration for her grew at all of her incredible experiences. Her family sounded wonderful for exposing their children to so many different cultures and environments. Needless to say I was a little jealous, but more intrigued than anything.

Alice was incredibly intelligent and conversation with her never got boring. She was smart but she wasn't cocky about it, which made it that much more estimable. And though I felt I had gained less wordly knowledge, she made it clear that the interest was mutual. I never felt more comfortable with somebody, but at the same time I never felt more excited to be around anyone. Time flew by and before I knew it the food had arrived.

The waitress that took our orders very quickly placed the plates down in front of us before scurrying off to give another table their things.

Alice picked up her fork and smelled her plate hesitantly. She looked at me and smiled, but she seemed nervous when she took her first bite. As I was chewing my food I watched as her carefully put it in her mouth and bite down. Her expression was a little hard to read, her mouth twitching slightly as she chewed and swallowed. "Hmm..." She looked up thoughtfully. "Not bad." Her face turned into a smile and she took another bite, this time more enthused.

I laughed at her antics as we ate. She played with her food a lot, I noticed. We talked a little more, our conversation going back to me somehow. She asked me more about my childhood, and as uncomfortable as I was with talking about my family I told her a little more about my parents. She listened intently, always waiting for me to finish before asking another question. Alice as careful with her questions.

I'm sure she knew about what happened with my parents. It was in the newspapers and on the local news stations. A man and a pregnant woman dying brutally in a car accident and their child who found them... If she was with her family at the time I don't see how she didn't hear about it. I tried not to dwell on it and told myself I was being morbidly narcissistic. Alice was kind and thoughtful. Even if she did know she wouldn't mention it.

Dinner went by fast. Neither of us could finish our food and we ended up taking to-go boxes out of the restaurant. The sky was dark when we left and the air was significantly colder than it had been before, so it was no surprise that I used the excuse to huddle against Alice in my own subtle way as we walked back to the car. The energy between us grew more palpable with each step we took, and when I felt Alice sneak her arm around my waist I felt a pleasant ball of heat swell inside of me. And when we got to the car, I found myself wanting to ask her if we could just keep walking so she would keep her arm around me.

Alice walked me to the passenger door, opening it chivalrously and closing it carefully behind me. When she got in the drivers seat, she looked my way. Our eyes stayed on one another for a moment. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't think of anything. I think she felt the same. We broke contact as she started the car, both of us adorning shy smiles.

The car drive was relatively silent but comfortable. With the combination of the soft music from the radio, the warmth from the heater, and the peaceful presence Alice provided I began to feel drowsy. I watched as a gentle rain began to wash the windshield and suddenly I felt very sad that our day together was going to end. I let the music fill the silence, though, unsure whether or not to voice my sentiments. I didn't want to scare her away so soon.

Alice began to drive slower when we reached Forks. I knew it was late but I didn't feel like going home to my empty house. As if she could sense my dread, she placed her hand over my own and squeezed it. "Excuse me if I sound a little creepy, but I'm kind of unwilling to draw our date to a close." She spoke quietly, her eyes still on the road, her thumb twiddling on the steering wheel.

I squeezed her hand in return and smiled. "You don't sound creepy at all."

Alice slowly pulled into the driveway in front of my house, carefully taking the key from the ignition and stepping out. I had learned already not to bother opening my own door, so I sat waiting while her dainty form danced around the front of the car to open my door. She held her hand out again for me to take, this time not letting go when I was safely out of the car. We walked closely to the front door, the porch light automatically turning on as we reached the steps.

"Bella," Alice looked down at our hands before looking up to me. "I had a wonderful time with you today. Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of being your date." She smiled softly at me, her thumb rubbing mine gently.

My voice was shaky as I smiled back. "I had a great time, too, Alice." I looked at our hands. "I hope you'll want to do it again."

"I would love to, very soon." Her voice sounded almost sad, but sweet. I looked back up to her and my mouth went dry. I didn't know whether or not she would mind, but all I wanted to do was kiss her. I could feel my hands begin to shake out of nervousness and my heart was again pounding faster than it should. Alice's eyes were so intense and I felt myself not able to look away. I watched as she slowly drew closer. I could smell her perfume, her hand in mine, the electricity she seemed to give off. Her eyelids grew heavier as the distance closed and suddenly the jolt of electricity was everywhere inside of me as her soft lips met mine. My eyes closed as I took the feeling in, the excitement and comfort swirling together as our lips moved against each other.

We parted slowly, and it took all of the restraint in me to lean in to kiss her again. She smiled, a twinkle in her eye. "Sleep well, Bella." She took her hand from mine only to place them both on my shoulders and lean up to give me a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I look forward to being with you again." Her voice was so quiet I almost didn't hear it as she moved away, her eyes still on me as she went down the steps to her car. I must have looked like a little teenager with a crush as I watched her leave. We exchanged waves as she backed out of the driveway.

I went inside and locked the door, immediately after sitting on the couch to collect myself. This feeling was so new and I didn't want it to go away just yet. The drowsiness I felt in the car began to sweep over me, though the elated little girl inside of me was still eager to chase down the Porsche down the road.

I laid there for a while contemplating the day before sleep took me in for a peaceful night. No nightmares, just wonderful dreams of bookstores, Italian restaurants and this girl that I couldn't stop thinking about.