"Between friends differences in taste or opinion
are irritating in direct proportion to their triviality."
W. H. Auden

CHAPTER 12: DIFFERENCES

Rose drove almost as fast as Edward. Almost.

I didn't have to hang on quite as tightly to the door handle as I had with him. She had a deep blue BMW 650i. The blue was so dark, it was almost black, which was only emphasized further by the black leather interior and piano finish black trim.

We were on the M25 heading back towards London, and we were discussing horses, of all things. I told her about my experience with Edward's horse, Ali. She laughed. A clear, crystal tone. I tried to hide my surprise but she'd already picked up on it.

"Bella, I know I was really awful to you when we met for the first time the other day. But, really, you need to believe me when I tell you that I was being a jackass and I am sorry."

"You were just trying to protect Edward…" I sounded slightly whiny.

She snorted. "I know. But I also know how in love he is with you. I've never, ever seen him this happy." She gave a slight shake of her head. "And I'm sorry to tell you this, but you ooze love. It'd be disgusting if it weren't for the fact that I'm one of his best friends, so I couldn't be happier for him."

I had to laugh at that. "Yeah, I've never felt this content." I sighed as I pictured his face in my mind.

"Earth to Bella… We're here." I hadn't even realized she'd parked the car… I'm pathetic… I squared my shoulders after I'd gotten out, preparing myself for the worst.

"O.k. Bella, here's the deal. You've told me what was on Edward's 'list.' But I need you to be honest with me while we're looking at things, because if you're not happy, it'll be obvious, no matter what he wants to see you in." She'd said the 'list' part with a sneer.

I giggled at her. "Sounds very sensible to me."

"Alight, let's go shopping!" She sounded so obnoxiously fake-happy that I laughed out loud. I was again so grateful it was Rose taking me shopping and not Alice. She was kind-of scary when she talked about shopping. She made it sound like it was some kind of religious experience.

"Well, you're fairly petite, so we should do well with the designer dresses." Apparently, with Rose, shopping was a military operation. I was thrilled. We'd probably be back in time for dinner at the estate.

We started with the cocktail dress, since she thought that might take the longest because there would be so many in black to choose from, it being the most popular color for evening wear. We lucked out after only a few tries, however.

"Oh! This is awesome. Go." She was rapidly shuffling dresses along the bar of the rack she was standing in front of. She barely even turned around, she just shoved the hanger and dress towards me.

As I stood in front of the full length mirror in the dressing room, I couldn't stop the grin from creeping across my face. It was fantastic. This was only the fifth dress I'd tried on, too. It was a Valentino one-shouldered, draped-bodice dress, with a low, sweetheart neckline and gathered pleats that cascaded from right to left. It had a slit on the right side that went up to just above my knee and a small train on the left side flowing down and around from the right hip.

I'd never realized how black brought out the creaminess of my skin color or that if I bothered to put makeup on, at least some lipstick, I might be able to pull off a fairly stunning look. I was truly surprised. Rosalie quickly brought me out of my abstract thoughts. "Well? Let's see it on you, Bella." She sounded really impatient.

As I stepped out of the dressing room in my bare feet, I stood on my tiptoes. She just gaped at me. I started to fidget, feeling self-conscious.

"Oh. Bella. That's fantastic." She looked really surprised, just like I had a few seconds before.

"I know, it's amazing. You're good at this, Rose."

She nodded her head. "Yep. Next item on the list?" She tilted her head slightly and crossed her arms in front of her chest, staring at me on my tiptoes. "You need shoes." She turned on her heels and started heading towards the shoe department.

"Wait! Rose, I have to change back into…" She was already gone. Maybe she was going to pick them out the same way she had the dress.

I changed back into my jeans and sweater… And thought of Edward. I giggled, remembering what he'd said about wanting to see me in something other than jeans and a t-shirt. And then I remembered something else he'd requested. Something very specific.

We'd passed the lingerie department on the way to the dresses and I figured I could get something silky and blue before I 'found' Rose. I'd just take a little bit of a circuitous route to the shoe department and maybe she'd be none the wiser. I just couldn't face doing lingerie shopping with someone that looked like Rose. And, really, this was something that I found rather personal.

I asked the salesclerk if they had anything in deep blue and silk. She walked me over to a rack that held slips with matching kimono wraps. They were simple and elegant, with an empire waist and spaghetti straps on the slip. Both the slip and the kimono were mid-thigh length. I got the slip and kimono in a deep, color-of-the-ocean blue. I also found a pair of really lacy hiphugger panties in black. Perfect.

I still had no real idea what he had planned for me or why he'd listed off something so intimate, but I was determined to fulfill at least that one request of his flawlessly. Be careful what you wish for, Edward. I smirked at my own surreptitiousness.

~~:::~~

Before I could find Rose she'd found me wandering towards the shoes. "Oh! There you are, never mind on the shoes for right now. I picked out several pairs of black evening sandals and sling-backs but then I remembered that we needed to find you a second dress, in a natural, neutral color."

She grabbed my hand and started dragging me back to the dress section. "Hey, where'd you go after you changed? You kind of disappeared on me, there." She was looking at me over her shoulder, a slight layer of suspicion in her eyes.

"Oh, I was looking at…" I didn't even know what department I could make up so that she wouldn't figure out where I'd really been.

She looked down at the small bag I had clutched under my arm, and a huge grin spread across her face. "Ah. Yes. A nightie." I blushed crimson. I had totally forgotten that I'd told Rose everything that he'd listed off to me.

"Please don't tell him, Rosalie…" I begged. "I don't even know that I'll wear it." I must have sounded despondent when I'd said this, because she stopped and turned to look at me more closely.

"Bella, Edward is in love with you. Deeply. You'll get an opportunity at some point in the future to wear something sexy for him, even if it isn't this particular weekend."

I was shocked, so shocked, in fact, that I blurted out what had just run through my mind. "He TOLD you? That we haven't…" I was almost hyperventilating.

"Bella, no! No. Of COURSE he didn't…" She was mortified.

She looked ashamed and from the look she must have seen on my face, she felt compelled to explain. "I sort-of guessed it. I was making fun of him, of how he looks at you, and he got uncomfortable. I made the mistake of suggesting... Well, something rather inappropriate. He got very angry with me, almost shouting at me that you were not that kind of girl, that he respected you too much to 'just have sex with you.' He wanted it to be special…" Her voice trailed off as she registered the look in my eyes.

I felt the tears slowly fall down my face. She became pale. "Bella… I'm… So sorry. I shouldn't have told you that… Please, don't tell him I said anything… I'm so, so sorry…" She was almost babbling.

I wiped the tears of indignation off of my face and held my hand up towards her. "It's fine Rose. I believe you. It's just… A shock to have someone else know about our… Intimacy status. Even if it was by accident." I shuddered.

She looked so forlorn and saddened that she had broken Edward's confidence and upset me, that I actually felt bad for her. I knew that Edward would never have willingly told her anything that personal. It really was an accident. I hesitantly reached out towards her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. "O.k.?"

She got somewhat cranky. "I can't believe you're comforting me now. That's… Just not right." She looked at me with the most belligerent look in her eyes and as soon as our eyes met, we started snickering.

We noticed that one of the sales clerks was staring at us, so we quieted down and headed over to the evening dress wear again. "I see why he loves you so much, Bella." She was shaking her head and still snickering a bit. Then she got really quiet.

"You're very selfless." She wasn't laughing now.

"Thanks, Rose."

We started looking for a more feminine than fancy dress. As we searched we talked about Emmett, some of the funny things he'd done to get her attention to get her to go out with him. I felt like I was finally getting to know her.

Maybe what had just happened was a good thing, because I finally felt like Rosalie had completely let her guard down towards me. It was a nice feeling; she was a good person, loyal to Edward to the core. He'd been right, of course. 'She's a very loyal person, and once she sees that in you, she'll be forever in your corner.'

We were getting close to finding another dress but not close enough. "He didn't tell you what this other dress was for? He's so cryptic sometimes. Freakin' weasel." Rose was starting to get annoyed. I gave a snort and placed my hand over my chin, one finger over my lips, staring at her. She glanced at me and then chuckled.

As we talked about different things while we were searching for his 'neutral and in silk' dress, I found out she loved cars, horses, living in the country with Emmett, and was closer to Edward's parents that her own. I told her about my mother, my dad, and of course, Jake. She was a little taken back by that information but she gently patted my shoulder as if to say, 'That's really sad, I'm sorry you had to deal with that.' I guess I'd gotten to the 'forever in my corner' part of Rosalie's personality.

As I was telling her about my apartment in San Francisco, I got an idea. I walked over to one of the sales clerks and asked if they had anything in Victorian-era colors or styles. She said that indeed they did; it was a new arrival from Aquilano Rimondi. The name didn't mean anything to me but it sparked something in Rose.

"Oh!" She followed the clerk closely and I saw Rose nodding her head at the lady as she pulled a small dress away from the rack. "Ideal. Thank you. This is exactly what we were looking for." The sales lady walked away and Rose turned to me with a pleased expression on her face. "Try this on."

I took the dress and headed for the dressing room again.

This time when I looked in the mirror, I was speechless. It was gorgeous. The silk was a beautiful shade of desert sand or the color of deep champagne. It wasn't exactly strapless but it was sleeveless and it had a sheer yoke creating the illusion of being strapless. There was a small ruffled panel at the center of the bodice that fanned out slightly on top. It had a banded empire waist with a smocked panel that opened to a pleated panel that cascaded down into a mid-leg tulip skirt, falling just below my knees. The hem had frayed trim that was the same material as the sheer yoke at the neckline. The back had a low zipper with an opening at the top with a small pearl button. I felt very feminine in it.

I didn't wait for Rose to come and get me, I walked out proudly to show her, even giving a little pirouette. She gasped. "Oh, Bella. Edward will love it." She paid for both dresses and I tried not to choke when I saw the amount flash across the register's screen. I remembered that the dollar was worth about half what the English pound was worth, so the amount I'd seen would be almost double that in the U.S. for the same items. Almost $18,000 dollars. Holy crap… I started to sputter, "Rose… This is crazy…"

She cut me off. "What did he tell you about him buying you things and the term 'forever'?" She had one eyebrow raised at me and her arms were crossed over her chest.

I felt my cheeks get warm. "O.k. Fine." I huffed and crossed my own arms. She stared me down for a few more seconds and then we moved on. "O.k. Time for shoes."

Luckily she'd already found several black pairs of shoes so that was relatively easy. Since the cocktail dress was long and had a small train, they did need to be rather high. I ended up with a pair of sandals with four inch heels, three straps around the toes, with one around the ankle. Down the front were three circles of rhinestones.

I ended up finding shoes to match the beige silk number we'd found, a simple pair of pumps with an open toe. They were almost an exact match in color, they had three inch heels and very simple styling, with a pretty, two inch rose flower over the toes. Rosalie was impressed.

"O.k., we're doing good. It's been just over two hours so far, and we've gotten all the really hard stuff done already." She was excited about our progress and honestly, so was I.

"O.k., earrings. This really will be easy with these dresses we've gotten. He loves pearls…" Rose was already moving on to the non-costume, fine jewelry department. If I'd had a problem with what the dresses cost, I was about to have a major heart attack.

Rose was talking to the sales clerk, telling her she was interested in finding two pairs of drop earrings with pearls and showing the sales lady the dresses Rose was trying to match them to so they would have a better idea of what she was looking for. I had wandered down the counter a little bit, absentmindedly thinking of Edward and his opinion of my wrists and hands… I touched my fingers to the inside of my wrist and happened to look through the case at the same time.

There was a stunning white gold diamond bracelet just beneath the glass. It was made up of oddly-shaped rectangular links, each link being slightly larger or smaller than the next. On one of the links, there was a delicate, yellow-gold heart shaped charm attached that held imbedded within it a single, heart-shaped diamond. It looked to be about 2 carats in size. It was absolutely spectacular.

I didn't have a clue that Rose was standing next to me, watching me stare at the bracelet in the case.

"Miss, we'd like this bracelet added to our purchase." Rose tapped the glass. I'm sure that my heart stopped. I was so taken aback that I couldn't even get enough air in my lungs to tell her no. It was removed from the case and placed into a special, long black velvet box before I'd even been able to take a single, halting breath.

"Rose, that's… I don't think Edward meant for you to buy out the entire store!" I sputtered and hissed at her. I was so mad, I didn't even notice the glint she had in her eye.

"Isabella, behave. It's fine. Edward is going to be so happy you actually did what he asked." She suddenly sounded very knowing. I knew she was right… But I still felt sick to my stomach, physically ill, thinking of the amount of his money she'd spent this afternoon.

We were back in her BMW by this point, flying back to the Cullen's estate and my stomach was still lurching. I dug through my purse and found two antacids and immediately took them.

Exquisite. Beautiful. Too expensive. I started to think that I really might throw up… Rose saw the look of almost sickness that came over me and told me that I'd better toughen up quickly, otherwise Edward's feelings would be greatly injured by refusing his gifts.

She told me that she'd found perfect sets of diamond and pearl drop-style earrings. One pair was white gold, with one-inch drops of diamonds from locking posts, with symmetrically round, golden pearls at the ends. They were a perfect match to the 'other' dress, with a deep golden glow to them.

The pair that was to be a match to the cocktail dress were one and half inch, d-shaped rings, with a perfect white round pearl at the end of each, with the backs of the rings curving up and under the pearls to form three pronged leaves of diamonds at the front.

I shifted in my seat, exhausted from our afternoon of heavy shopping. And even heavier spending. I knew in my heart that what he'd told me, about wanting to spend money on me and that I shouldn't have a problem with it if I truly wanted to be with him forever, was accurate. What difference did it make, really? I thought of the old adage 'you can't take it with you'.

But I couldn't help it. I felt really awful about him spending this kind of money on me. It was unnecessary, since all I really wanted was him… I closed my eyes to dream of Edward, as we practically flew back to his beautiful estate.

~~:::~~

Assuming that all women shopped the way Alice did, I wasn't at the house when Bella and Rose returned. I had wrongly assumed they would be gone past dinner time. So, late that afternoon, I'd gone out to check on some of the outer fields to see how some of the new sheep pens were being set up.

When I did get back, Bella was already upstairs resting. She had ended up with a bit of a headache and was taking a nap before dinner.

I learned from Rose that Bella was definitely not a shopper. As she handed me back my black credit card, which she was only able to use without me being there because Emmett owned the store, she made one simple observation about Bella.

"You've got your hands full with that one, Edward." She shook her head and sighed. "I'm glad she's already bonded with Alice, because the fact that she detests spending money is really going to be an issue between them." I just nodded. Leave it to me to find someone who would fight me on spending money on them.

Rose and I talked in the kitchen for a little while before she left to go have dinner with Emmett, enjoying some tea. I got the distinct impression that something had occurred between them but that it had ended well. Rose was actually sounding like she'd really enjoyed her time with Bella.

I walked her out and reminded her that the party on Saturday would be starting at 6:00 p.m. She just rolled her eyes at me as she headed out the door. I laughed at her, trying one more time to pry some inside information out of her—to no avail.

She wouldn't tell me anything about their purchases other than they had taken care of, as she put it, my 'entire list', which I found rather annoying. I'd really thought that Rose would spill but she apparently had truly bonded with Bella, just as I had hoped. That's inconvenient timing. I sighed in frustration. I wasn't sure what to expect for our 'dates.' I smiled as I imagined what I might see Bella wearing…

As I was walking back through the foyer from the front door, I felt my eyebrows pull together. I still hadn't worked out all the details for the following night with Bella. Inspiration hit me like a jolt. I think I even hit my head with the palm of my hand, with my other hand automatically ending up on my hip. Of course!

My parents were planning on coming down for lunch the next day, which was Friday, and I'd told my father my plan was to propose to Bella that night. I felt a wide grin spread across my face as I took my cell out of my pocket while heading straight for the music room. I knew if Bella came down any time soon, she would automatically head for the kitchen and then the library. I probably had about ten or fifteen minutes…

I talked with my father for a few minutes and then asked him to get mum for me. When she came on the line, I could hear her excitement about the next day and I started to feel a little guilty. I pressed ahead, however, since my happiness and future with Bella depended on my mother now.

I told her what I was planning, trying not to get too specific about some the finer points. It seemed to have gotten very quiet on the other end of the line.

"Mum, is that o.k.? Can you help me with this? I honestly don't think what I'm planning would even be possible without your help. I'm sorry we'll miss out on having lunch with you and dad, but…" I listened as my mother chastised me for being silly. Of course she would help me.

I told her that I was certain that she had just made me the happiest man in England.

~~:::~~

I awoke to the sound of classical music drifting up to me, I assumed from the music room. It was dark outside and I glanced at the clock on my beside table to note that it was almost 8:00 p.m. I stretched out like a cat and rose to put my jeans back on and head downstairs. Something stopped me, however, and I went back to check myself in the mirror above the small writing desk that sat not far from the door. Jeesh! Good thing, too—my hair was all tangled and I looked a little worse for wear. I headed to the bathroom with an additional piece of clothing to change into, my white oxford shirt.

After I'd brushed my teeth and hair, I quickly rinsed my face off. The cold water felt nice and removed my last bit of sleepiness. I put the shirt on with the same v-neck sweater over the top of it. I left the shirt and sweater un-tucked from my jeans. I stopped back at my room and put my sneakers back on and figured I was ready to head back downstairs.

I wondered if Rose was staying for dinner but I dismissed that idea since I figured she'd want to have dinner with Emmett, and he wasn't due back from London for another hour or so. I couldn't remember what she'd told me he'd been up to but it was probably something to do with their family's business.

The store Rose had taken me to was actually owned by them. It had been a unique experience, shopping at a fancy department store like that. I grimaced thinking about some of our purchases and then I felt my face pull into a gentle smile as I remembered my one, solitary acquisition.

Maybe… tonight? Sure that Rose was gone and still able to hear the music playing, I almost ran down the stairs in my eagerness to see him—my gloriously attractive, kind, sincere, loving other half.

As I entered the music room, my excitement stilled. It wasn't music that was playing, it was music that was being played.

Edward sat at the grand piano, this one being in a very dark, very rich mahogany color, quite different from the piano at his parent's home. But his playing was… Heavenly. Now that I was closer, I could hear more clearly what he was playing. I didn't recognize the specific composer but it was in the Baroque style, whatever piece it was.

He was facing towards the door slightly so he saw me and suddenly stopped playing, rising fluidly from the bench and coming quickly to me. I hadn't made it very far into the room, since I'd been stilled by my awe of his playing.

"Oh, Edward, you didn't need to stop playing, I was on my way to you…" I told him fretfully as he reached me.

"Sweetheart, you've been out of my arms almost all day. I couldn't stand it for another second." He chuckled lightly as he wrapped his arms around me tightly, placing his cheek against the top of my head like he had that morning.

I had a sudden feeling of liberation, as if I'd been held captive, simply by our distance from each other. As if we'd been reunited after a horribly long separation. I felt safe, extremely at ease, and loved.

I turned my head to put my lips on his chest. His crisp, white dress shirt had the top two buttons undone and I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent. It was so… Clean, with hints of the woods and honey. I put my arms around his chest, reaching my hands up to rest them on his upper back. I laid my head against his chest, and closing my eyes to listen to his heart and his breathing.

He very gently put his hands on my shoulders, slowly running them down my back on either side of my spine, stopping at my waist. He held me tightly and I could hear his breathing change and deepen.

"Bella," He bent down to kiss me, reaching up from my waist with one of his hands, lifting my face by my chin to meet his lips. It was so sweet and tender, I almost cried. I held my eyelids tightly closed. He felt me tense and so he tensed. "My love, what's wrong?" He brushed his fingers along my cheekbone. He looked confused and I felt… Goofy.

"You're going to laugh at me but you kissed me so tenderly that I almost cried." I let out a puff of air from between my lips and rolled my eyes.

I saw surprise, incredulousness, curiosity, and then tenderness flit through his deep green eyes. "You're so lovely." He smiled at me, not quite wide enough for me to see his teeth, just sort-of smirking. "But, you're also very interesting. Why would you want to cry?" His incredulousness was winning the fight against all the other emotions I'd seen on his face.

I let out a slow, deliberate breath. I felt my face begin to warm from my sudden blush. I became shy… "Because I never could have imagined that someone like you could even exist in this world, let alone that you'd want to be with me." I told him this in barely a whisper and I couldn't look up into his eyes anymore.

He didn't respond, didn't say a word, he just wrapped his arms around me again and held me tightly. I thought I even heard him stifle a groan. I peaked up to see him with his eyes as tightly closed as I'd had mine just moments before. I felt a little confused at first but then figured that I'd probably just touched a nerve. I knew how much he loved me but I very rarely had opened up to him as to just how passionately in love with him I was.

He gained his composure after several minutes, let out a long breath and kissed my forehead loudly. "Are you hungry? I thought perhaps we could go down to the village pub tonight, since you haven't been to a proper English pub yet, and it's kind of late to ask Mrs. Bailes to make us dinner."

That sounded really, really good. I told him so. He looked happy and carefree again.

As we drove the few miles that were necessary to get us to the pub, he told me that his parents wouldn't be able to make it the next day for lunch after all. I was disappointed by this news since I had really been looking forward to seeing them again.

He told me that he thought this would be a good time to see some of the countryside and he wanted to take me to the nearby stately home, Petworth House, and then maybe to Chichester to see their over 900 year old Cathedral. It all sounded great to me.

We didn't get back from the pub that late at all, but I was still pretty tired, which seemed ridiculous to me when I'd had over a two hour's nap after I'd gotten back from my adventures with Rose. He said goodnight to me at my door, lightly kissing me. He tasted a little of beer—well, ale to be more accurate—and I giggled.

"What?" He had that curious look in his eyes again.

"You taste good." I put my hand over my lips and giggled again. He shook his head disapprovingly at me and told me to get some sleep.

I let him walk away, to his own room. I rapidly felt sad, dejected, and lonely. For just a second, I thought about getting the slip, kimono and panties I'd bought out, putting them on and just going straight to his room.

But I didn't.

Instead, I pondered what Rosalie told me Edward had said to her. She's not that kind of girl… He respected me… He wants it to be special… I still didn't know what he had planned for me but it was obviously going to be ruined if I broke down now and assaulted him tonight.

I went to bed, alone, instead.

~~:::~~