Benefits and Front Porch Kisses
Two weeks had gone by and things were relatively normal. Edward was still coming for dinner, but my mom was always there now. Some nights he would stay after and we would sit on the couch watching TV or playing cards. I always made my mom sit with us and included her in everything we did. It was working out well.
We had managed to stay friendly and I was able to avoid any odd stirrings of physical reactions to him. It must have been something like having post traumatic stress disorder. Everything happened so fast that my mind hadn't had time to catch up with what was happening and it had put my body in a time warp. Things were much easier now.
My mom had just gotten home from work and was in the kitchen cooking as usual. I had been lounging around the house all day and was ready for some company.
"I'm so glad you are finally home. I was so bored."
"Well, Edward was right outside, you could have gone to see him."
"Enough, mom. Things are normal right now."
She turned back to the stove and didn't say anything else. I really needed to get her off of this whole thing. She wasn't going to let up until something changed, but I didn't know what. He had a girlfriend and I wasn't interested anyway.
We didn't say much after that. She cooked and I picked at the food before it was ready. I got the dishes out and set the table just to have something to do. I saw Edward coming up to the door so I smiled and waved. He wouldn't make it in before I got back, so I skipped in to the kitchen to make sure she wasn't gonna try anything funny tonight.
"He's about to come in, behave yourself."
She huffed a sigh and rolled her eyes just before I heard him open the door. He came strolling in and took his usual spot, leaning against the entryway.
"Dinner's gonna be few more minutes if you kids want to find something to do."
Edward made his way across the kitchen to the junk drawer and pulled out a deck of cards.
"You wanna try your hand at some Texas Hold'em?"
"You might lie better than me, but you can't bluff. Deal."
We played a few hands and I was winning. I decided to be nice rather than to rub it in his face. Mom was being very good compared to normal, so I should have know she had something up her sleeve.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys, a doctor friend of mine has invited me to a formal charity benefit that the hospital in Port Angeles and gave me four extra tickets. Emmett is coming and since he doesn't have a date I figured you two and Rosalie could come."
"Mom, you know I don't own anything nice enough to attend a formal hospital charity benefit."
"Well you don't have anything else to do, maybe you could, oh I don't know, go buy something."
"If you're paying, I'll buy anything you want me to."
"Well, it's this Saturday night, so you better find something fast.
I saw Edwards head snap up. He hadn't seemed to be paying any attention at first, but he must have caught on at the end of the conversation.
"I have two problems. First, I don't have anything to wear either, second, Tanya's supposed to be coming home this weekend so I can't go anyway." I couldn't tell if he looked relieved or disappointed.
"You know what, he tried to give me five tickets, but I didn't think I'd need the extra, so I could get another one if you'd like. I know for a fact you have a black suit, I've seen you wear it. "
Edward just shook his head. He knew he was beat because once my mom had something in her head she wouldn't let it go. He looked up at me and mouthed 'sorry'. He felt bad for me. He actually pitied me for having to sit with him and his little girlfriend. Well, I wasn't about to let that happen.
"Mom, do you think you could get one more?" I didn't turn to look at her, and I didn't look at Edward either, I just studied the cards in my hand.
"Well, I suppose I could. Why?"
"I've been out of the dating pool long enough, and I think I might know someone that would come with me." I couldn't see her reaction, but I bet it was priceless.
"Honey I can't ask on a 'maybe'."
"Okay." I got up from the stool and marched back to my room. I still had that napkin with Jacobs number on it. I hadn't planned on using it, but he seemed like he would be fun to hang out with. I had to search, but found it stuffed in the drawer on my nightstand.
I headed back in to the kitchen, picked up the phone, and started dialing.
"What are you doing?" I could hear the shock in her voice, she knew what I was doing.
"Getting a date." I waited and he picked up on the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey Jacob, this is Bella, the damsel in distress from the bar in Port Angeles." I smiled as I said it, hoping the gesture would carry over in my voice.
"Yeah, yeah. I thought you'd forgotten about me."
"Well, I wanted to wait until I got that job at the fishing store like you suggested." I chuckled and heard him laughing on the other end of the line. "Look my mom works at the hospital here and invited me to a formal charity benefit in Port Angeles. If you own a suit, and don't have plans this Saturday, I was wondering if you would be my date?"
"Absolutely. I would love to. What time, and do I need to pick you up or meet you there?"
"I'm not sure on the details yet, I'm getting ready to have dinner, but I can call you back later and let you know everything, if that's okay."
"Sure, I'll be waiting. Bye."
"Bye." I hung up the phone and turned around.
My mom's face was frozen in shock. Apparently this is not what she was hoping for. Too bad. I was getting sick of the games, and maybe if she saw me go on a date with someone else that would get her to stop.
"There, we need another ticket." I sat back down at the stool and picked up my cards. "Did you look at my cards?"
Edward looked up at me, but didn't say anything, just shook his head.
It was Saturday. Rose and I had gone shopping that morning to buy dresses since I didn't have one and she loved any excuse to buy new clothes. I was glad for the distraction, because in my haste to keep Edward from feeling sorry for lonely ol' me, and to keep my mom off my back, I forgot that this was going to be my first date in two years. I was nervous to say the least.
Jacob was coming to pick me up so I didn't have to stay all night with my mom, and Emmett had volunteered to let Rose ride with him. Edward and Tanya were meeting us there.
I had just put the finishing touches on my outfit when my mom came knocking on my door.
"You look great. I like your dress."
"Are you sure? I wasn't sure if it was appropriate." I had purchased a strapless dark green satin-y dress, with a fitted bodice, a black satin band around the waist, and a short, bubble skirt. I had found an amazing pair of black peep-toe shoes with a four inch heel to wear with it. It made my typically short legs look kind of long. I had decided to curl my hair and pull half of it up, so that my shoulders and back wouldn't be completely bare if I got cold.
"It's fine, honey. I'm sure someone's going have a hard time taking his eyes off of you tonight."
"Speaking of which, Jacob will be here any minute so please, please be nice." I was actually worried about this, so I was really begging.
"Who said anything about Jacob?"
"That's exactly what I'm talking about. Don't do that kind of stuff tonight. I don't want you getting Tanya upset over nothing. Don't be rude and make remarks like that in front of our dates."
"I was kidding around. You know I wouldn't do that." Normally she would have been right, but with the way she'd been behaving lately I wasn't sure.
I heard a knock at the front door. It had to be Jacob. I turned and grabbed my little black clutch and wrap and headed down the hallway with my mom hot on my heels. I reached for the door knob and paused to take a deep breath. Once I thought I was as ready as I was going to get I opened the door.
"Hey, Jacob. I'm glad you could make it on such short notice. You're a lifesaver." I put the most genuine smile on my face that I could muster due to the nerves.
"Well, that's what I do, save pretty ladies. And, might I add, you look stunning in that dress."
"Thank you." I stepped aside and let him in.
"What happened to your head?" My stitches were gone, but there was still some scabbing, that I tried to cover with makeup.
"Long story." My mom had been standing behind me so I introduced her. "Jacob this is my mother, Esme."
"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Swan. You have a beautiful home, and a beautiful daughter." I was surprised. I didn't know he would have such good manners.
"Thank you, Jacob. It's nice to meet you too. We'd better get going so we won't be late."
"Jacob, my mom is driving herself since she volunteered to help with the clean up afterwards, so we can just follow her if that's okay."
"Sure, sounds great."
We all headed out the door, and when we reached the driveway I noticed a very sleek looking black car. It wasn't what I was expecting at all.
"I thought you said your dad was a farmer, I didn't know you meant he grew marijuana."
He laughed, "He's runs a very successful horse ranch, don't worry. You'd be surprised how many tourists visit the reservation. They all love to take horseback tours, and my dad has the only horses around. My mom is an expert at breeding and has made a pretty penny selling colts. This is her baby. I didn't think that driving my dirty old truck would be suitable. It's better to take a hot girl for a date in a hot car." His eyes lingered on my dress for a second too long, and I was blushing.
He opened the car door for me and held my hand as I lowered myself on to the soft leather seat. He closed the door and made his way around. My mom was staring at us and I just gave her a wide eyed grin. This was better than I could have hope for.
Once he was in we pulled out on to the highway and followed my mom to the hotel where they were hosting the benefit. It was a big thing the hospital did every year in partnership with the hospital in Seattle to raise money for pediatric cancer research. There were hundreds of drawings decorating the interior of the hotel lobby that had been provided by some of the hospitals patients. We stopped to admire a few of them and then followed my mom in to the ballroom.
She led us to a table just off the center of the floor. Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward were already there, but I didn't see Tanya. We walked up to the table and before I could even reach it Jacob had pulled my chair out for me.
"Thank you."
"My pleasure."
"Um, Jacob, this is my brother, Emmett, and you remember my best friend, Rosalie."
"Sure. It's good to see you again." He shook both of their hands.
"And this is my friend Edward, and I am assuming that empty chair belongs to his imaginary girlfriend, Tanya."
"Ha ha. She's here. Her parents know people that work for the hospital so she is off talking to some of her friends at the moment."
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Jacob." He shook Edwards hand and then sat beside me. The tables were small, and only had six people at each, which meant that my mom wasn't going to be sitting with us. I turned to ask where she would be, but she had already walked off.
Rose and I made a little chit chat, and Emmett and Edward were nice enough to include Jacob in their conversation. It seemed like it was going to be a good night. Suddenly, Jacob stood up and pushed his chair in.
"I think I'm gonna go grab a drink. Would you like something from the bar?"
"Sure, I'll take a glass of whatever red wine they have."
"Would anyone else like something?"
They all decided they wanted something to drink , and Jacob couldn't carry it all by himself so Emmett offered to help. Rosalie excused herself to the restroom, so it was just me and Edward at the table.
"So, how's Tanya?"
"She's good. We probably won't see much of her tonight. She tends to disappear when her friends are nearby. "
"Oh. I'm sure she'll be back sometime. You look nice." He was wearing a black suit with a dark blue shirt, and black tie. It really made his skin look smooth, in a nice way, against his dark hair.
"Thanks. You really look amazing in that dress."
"Oh please, no one is around. You don't have to try and be nice when we're alone."
"I'm not trying to be nice, I'm serious. You look absolutely beautiful. I see you still can't take a compliment though."
"Not from you. I don't know why, but for some reason I don't think that will ever change." I grinned at him, and he laughed.
"All joking aside, Bella, you really have come in to your own. I didn't even recognize you when you first came in. I have to admit I was a little embarrassed to find out I was totally checking out my ex-fiancée without knowing it."
His voice had taken on that weird tender sound again and I had to look down at my hands.
"Thanks. Where are those drinks?" I started to look around, but before I could get too far Jacob and Emmett showed back up.
"A wine for the beautiful lady. "
"Thank you. Wow, your mom did a great job raising you." I smiled and lifted my glass to him.
"I'll be sure to let her know you said so." He clinked his glass against mine.
We sat and talked for a few minutes while everyone was arriving. We joked a lot, and I laughed more than I had in a long time. I was surprised to realize that I was actually enjoying myself.
A man walked up to the podium and cleared his throat. Everyone quieted down to listen, and just as he began to speak, Tanya made her way to the table. Since I couldn't speak I smiled and gave a nod of my head. Edward leaned over and whispered in her ear, and she started turning red. I laughed. He was probably reminding her of our first encounter, though she wouldn't have recognized me from that.
Jacob looked at me and gathered his brow in curiosity, but I just shook my head at him. He smiled a half smile, and then placed his hand on my knee. I could feel myself blushing again, so I tried to hide it by propping my elbows on the table and leaning forward to place my hands on my cheeks. He kept it there for the entire speech.
When the man was done speaking the room started buzzing with conversation, but it was mixed with soft music this time.
Before I could formally introduce myself to Tanya, Jacob stood up and held out his hand. "Would you care to dance with me?"
"I would love to." I took his hand and he started to lead me on to the dance floor. "I do have to warn you though, I tend to lead."
He looked back at me "Good thing you're a road map."
"What?"
"You've got tons of curves and I could follow you anywhere."
I started laughing at the top of my lungs, and caught the attention of a few people around the room. We stepped on to the dance floor and he somehow threw me in to a spin before grabbing me again.
"You know, if I didn't know better I would think I was in one of those teenage vampire books."
"That's fine, just so long as you know I'm a werewolf, not a vamp. Besides, I don't bite on the first date."
"Technically, if you count meeting me at the bar, this is date number two." I smiled at myself, I was flirting, and doing a good job of it too.
"Oh, well in that case, you'd better watch your neck."
I giggled and sounded something akin to a little girl at a school dance with her first crush. He loosened his grip and dropped one hand to my lower back. He pulled me close and we started swaying with the music. We danced for two more songs and I was enjoying myself thoroughly. He was smart, and very funny. He came from money, but he was a complete gentleman. I was surprised to find out that we liked some of the same movies. I usually like the ones with very dry humor, and most people I knew went more for the obvious, dirty humor.
Emmett and Rose came to dance and when she caught my eye she gave me a big thumbs up. I saw Emmett whisper something in her ear and she smiled. She whispered something back and I could have sworn that he held on to her a little bit tighter. What was going on over there?
I had spotted Edward and Tanya at one point, but I didn't see them now. I hoped she wasn't leaving him alone too much. I hated to think of him sitting all by himself for the entire evening.
"Can I ask you something?" Jacob pulled my attention back.
"You just did." I smiled. "Shoot."
"Would it be terribly inappropriate if I kissed you? I know that traditionally I should wait until the end of the date, but we're already so close, and your perfume smells wonderful. I thought since we have the opportunity, we shouldn't waste it."
He caught me off guard so it took me a second to answer. "Uh, yeah. I guess that would be fine. Plus, you're right. I think the dinner has garlic in it, so better now than later." I chuckled at myself, half because I was flattered, and half because I was suddenly very, very anxious.
He never stopped moving, but he pulled me closer, which I didn't think was even possible at that point. He leaned down very slowly, and I closed my eyes and tilted my head up. He softly kissed me, on the cheek.
I opened my eyes. He pulled back and looked at me. I smiled, because I didn't know what else to do. I must have looked like such an idiot.
"Oh, wait. I forgot, this is our second date, I can go for the lips this time." He smiled.
"You are funny."
"You are gorgeous." He leaned in again, and this time I let him come the full way, just in case he was planning another joke.
He kissed me on the lips very softly. It was nice. His lips were soft and warm, not too wet, and not too dry. He pulled back and smiled at me again. I reached up and kissed him again. This time I parted my lips a little bit, and he did the same in response.
"You didn't tell me you were such a good kisser Bella."
"Well, I've been out of practice for a while, so I'm surprised my lips didn't fall off."
"Hmm. Well, if that's how you kiss when you're out of practice, I can't wait to find out what it's like when you get warmed up."
Just then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and Edward was standing there. I looked for Tanya, but didn't see her.
"Jacob, would you mind if I cut in for a second?"
Jacob looked at me, and I nodded my head.
"She's all yours. " He looked back down at me, "I'll wait for you at our table." He dropped my hand and turned to go.
I turned to Edward. "I didn't think that you liked to dance." He took my hand and held on to my waist.
"I don't, but I thought you could use a break. That guy is kind of a smooth talker, isn't he?" I could hear the distaste in his voice and it made me mad.
"He may talk smoothly, but at least he hasn't left me by myself all night."
He looked down at me and shook his head. "I'm sorry. Truce?"
"I guess so. Hey, hand up."
"Huh?"
"I said hand up. I don't want my date getting the wrong idea." His hand had slid to my lower back and then tilted his fingers downward.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't know it was that low." He looked a little chagrined.
I noticed that waiters had started making the rounds with dinner.
"Hey, we need to go sit down. They're serving dinner."
We stopped dancing and headed off the dance floor. We'd almost made it back to the table, but he hadn't let go of my hand yet.
"Edward." He looked at me and I looked at our hands pointedly.
"Oh, yeah, sorry."
We sat down and the dinner came a few minutes later. We all talked, but Emmett and Rose were involved in their own conversation more than the group's. I suddenly realized that there was something going on between the two of them. I was sure of it.
Tanya had returned again just in time to eat. She spent most of the time talking about all of her friends that were there, and barely participated when we talked about other things. Jacob was being a complete gentleman the entire time. This was the best first date I had ever been on.
Even though I was having a great time the night seemed to drag on. I was very tired and ready to leave.
"Jacob, I am having a great time, and I really hate to ask this, but would you mind taking me home now?"
"If you're ready, then I'm ready." He stood up and pulled my chair back for me.
I turned back to the table, "Emmett, Rose, Edward, I had a great time and I am sure I will be seeing you all soon. Tanya, it was very nice to finally meet you. You guys have a great rest of the evening."
I gave them all a small wave. When I caught Rosalie's eye I winked at her and she grinned. She thought I was winking for my own benefit. It was so obvious what was going on between them, and they thought they had it all hidden.
We walked to Jacob's car and he opened my door again. The drive home felt like it took forever because I was so tired. I enjoyed it though, Jacob was very easy to talk to. He even held my hand for the entire ride.
When we got back he walked me to the front door. Instead of going in we sat on the front porch swing. He took off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders then put his arm around me. I leaned my head against him.
"I really did have a great time with you tonight. Thank you for coming with me."
"I'm glad you called, I had a good time too. And it looks like I did what I set out to do this evening."
"What's that?"
"Well I was hoping to charm the pants off of you tonight, and look, you're not wearing any."
"You are one in a million Jacob. One in a million." I was laughing so I wasn't prepared for what he did next.
He turned my face to him and kissed me. I had had a good time so I decided that one good kiss wouldn't hurt. I opened my mouth and gave him a deep, but soft kiss. He apparently enjoyed himself because when I thought we should be finished, he kept kissing.
I knew that I should probably stop him, that he was getting the wrong idea, but it was nice to feel wanted after such a long time. His enthusiasm had caught be a bit off guard, but I liked what was happening. He was eager, but not too much. It had a sweet edge to it, like he wanted to treat me like a lady, but at the same time, he wanted to do other, more inappropriate things. I saw headlights turn in at the top of the drive.
I had to speak around his mouth. "Stop. Someone's coming."
"He pulled back, and smiled. That was a great kiss."
"Yeah. Look, it's late and I really need to get in the bed. I promised my mom I would go to church with her in the morning." I was lying, but it was the first thing I thought of that wouldn't hurt his feelings.
"Okay. I can take a hint. One more before I go though."
He leaned back in, and since I was already as far back as I could get, there was nowhere for me to go. I let him kiss me until he was finished. I thought that would be the end of it. The headlights washed over us as they got closer to the house.
He slid his face to the side, so that we were cheek to cheek, and slowly traced his tongue from my jaw line, to my ear, where he nibbled on the lobe. He whispered "Mmm. Tasty." I was so shocked I didn't know what to do.
Luckily he stood up and reached for his jacket. "Call me and we'll go out again. This was fun."
I was at a complete loss for words so I just nodded my head in response. I knew that I shouldn't have liked what just happened, but there were butterflies in my stomach, and a heat in parts of my body that I had long forgotten about. I watched him as he strolled down the sidewalk, and found myself grinning at the cute butt I had somehow missed until now. He had a certain swagger mixed with a certain gentlemanly charm, and I was suddenly sure that there would be a date number two.
He made it to his car at the same time a truck pulled past the house. It was Edward coming home, and he was alone. I felt a bit sorry for him. Tanya must have decided to stay with her friends. I was almost a little bit perturbed with his sudden appearance. I don't think I would have minded if Jacob and I had had a few more minutes alone here in the dark.
Okay, so before anyone gets too upset, this is a Bella and Edward story. It just takes a bit of time to get there.