Bella

"Damn it!" I shout as I bend over to pick up my keys a week later. "So tired I can't even work a damned lock…"

I fumble with the keys to my apartment and finally swing the door open. I wasn't expecting Alice to be home. And I really didn't expect her to be sucking face on the couch with Jasper. From the looks of things, their date went exceptionally well.

"Shit! Sorry," I say when they jump apart and look guiltily up at me.

"Bella!" Alice says, running a hand over her short, rumpled hair. "I didn't think you'd be home this early. I thought you were working."

"I was. It was a slow night, so we closed early. Sorry to interrupt. I'm just going to bed." I yawn and stretch to punctuate my point as I quickly make my way to my room. "I'm absolutely exhausted."

They don't answer, obviously too wrapped up in one another to care. I drop my bag on my bedroom floor, kick off my shoes, and fall onto the bed, groaning at how good it feels to lie down.

I lie there for a few minutes, just thinking. I feel like I'm being worked to the bone lately. On top of my usual duties, I've been training a new waitress, and it feels like I've done double the work. Thanks to the hiring of the new girl, though, I have the next couple of days off.

Eventually, I manage to peel myself from the bed and head to the shower to wash away the smell of Thai food. The hot water massages my tired body, bringing me back from the brink of a really awful mood. I wonder briefly how long Jasper will stay and whether I'll be confined to my room. Doesn't matter, I think. It'll give me an excuse to go straight to bed without having to talk to anyone. Green eyes flash through my mind, though, and I wonder if I'll hear from Edward at all. Tonight was Alice and Jasper's second date, and I've only stuck around long enough to officially meet Jasper. Logically, he makes me think of Edward, and I don't want to obsess over a guy I might never see again.

When my skin begins to prune, I sigh and step out of the shower and into a fluffy towel. I dry off, don my coziest pajamas, and am just settling into my bed with a book when my phone rings.

"Whyyy?" I groan, grabbing the phone and barking a quick, "Hello?"

"Uh, hi. Bella?"

"Yes?" I say impatiently.

"This is Edward?" The statement sounds like a question, and it's followed by the sound of a throat clearing on the other end of the line. "Edward Cullen."

My heart skips a beat as the annoyance fades and is replaced by astonishment. It's been a week. I honestly hadn't expected him to call.

When I don't say anything, he clears his throat again. "We, uh, met at Ruby's last weekend?"

"Um…yes! Edward. Hi!" Why does even the sound of his voice reduce me to a bumbling idiot?

Audible relief floods his voice. "So…how's it going?" he asks.

"Good. I actually just got home from work."

"Oh. You must be tired, then. You don't have to—"

"No, not at all," I fib as I toss my shabby paperback to the foot of my bed. "I was just hanging out in my room to give Alice and Jasper their space."

"Yeah, he told me he was seeing Alice tonight. That's the second time this week, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," I say.

"Yeah," he repeats.

Get it together, Bella, I think. Change the subject.

Before I can open my mouth, he clears his throat yet again, and I cover my mouth to stifle a little giggle at his apparent nervousness. "So I was wondering if maybe you'd want to run into each other sometime this weekend?"

I try again not to giggle at the way he phrases the question, but it's adorable. "Run into each other? Would that be figuratively or literally?" My attempt at humor makes me wince.

He chuckles, and the sound is so sexy. I imagine myself wrapped up in his velvet voice. "As much as I enjoyed having you close to me the other night, I don't think an actual collision would be as nice. Of course I meant it figuratively."

He enjoyed having me close to him? Freaking swoon. I can't even find it in me to tease him anymore. "Sure. I'd love to," I say instead.

"Great!" I can hear the smile in his voice. "Anything in particular you'd like to do?"

"Nothing specific," I say. "I'm decidedly uncreative when it comes to planning things. How about you surprise me?"

"I don't know. What if I plan a skydiving trip and you're afraid of heights? Or I might plan to bring you back to my place and—" He pauses, obviously waiting for me to react, but he continues when I don't take the bait. "And make you dinner."

"I trust you," I tell him, and I have no idea where that came from. I've known him for what amounts to a couple of hours.

"Okay, then," he says. "I'll plan something and pick you up tomorrow at seven. Sound good?"

"Absolutely."

We chat for a while about work, movies, books, and Alice and Jasper. I learn that he owns a music store he inherited from his grandfather. He double-majored in music and business in college. He loves all types of food, enjoys a good chick flick from time to time, and doesn't smoke. After a while, my eyes feel heavy again, and my body betrays me with a loud yawn.

"Oh, Bella. I'm sorry. I forgot that you just came home from work. You should probably get to bed, huh?"

"Probably. Not that I want to. But yeah, I'm bone tired."

"Well," he says on a sigh, "you sleep tight, and I'll see you tomorrow at seven."

"Thanks," I say after another giant yawn. "You too, Edward."

"Good night," he murmurs. For a moment, I can imagine the feel of his lips on my ear through the phone.

And I can still feel the hum of his words as I drift off to sleep.

The next evening, I'm dressed in a cream-colored sundress and pulling on a pair of brown cowgirl boots that belong to Alice as I wait for Edward to pick me up. It's supposed to be a funny nod to his cowboy hat from last weekend, but now that I have them on, I think it might be a little bit stupid.

"It's not stupid," Alice insists. "He'll get it. He's smart."

I don't even want to know how she knows that. "How do you fit all your crap in this thing?" I ask her as I stuff my cell phone and wallet into the small clutch she lent me.

"I don't normally carry crap with me," she says with a smirk. "All a girl needs is a little lip gloss and her ID."

"What about money, Alice? And my keys?"

"You shouldn't need money on your first date. And if things go well enough, maybe you won't need your house key," she hints, wiggling her eyebrows.

I shake my head and lean back on the couch to wait for Edward.

"You can't just sit around waiting on him!" Alice protests.

"Has anyone ever told you you have the most antiquated idea of dating? I didn't complain when you towed me around the mall all day. I didn't grumble when you practically tied me to a chair and commandeered my makeup products. I haven't uttered one single derogatory word today. But if you make me get up right now, I'm going to cry and ruin my perfect makeup just to spite you."

"You wouldn't."

"Don't test me."

The doorbell rings, and I jump up. Butterflies are suddenly fluttering around in my stomach, and my heart skips a beat when I opened the door to Edward's smiling face. I almost forgot how tall and handsome he is.

"Hi," he says kind of shyly. He's so adorable standing in my doorway, clutching a bouquet of tulips.

"Hi," I breathe.

"For you," he says, handing me the flowers.

I grin. "I don't think anyone's ever brought me flowers on a first date. Thank you. They're beautiful."

"You're welcome," he says. As I look up at him, I notice that his cheeks are a little pinker than they were a moment ago. It's adorable. "Come on in and I'll find a vase for them. You remember Alice?"

"I do," he says. "I'm not sure I could forget her with Jasper chattering on and on about her constantly."

"Jasper's been talking about me?" she asks in that breathless tone she takes on when she speaks of Jasper.

"Nonstop. He'd probably kill me for telling you that."

She sighs happily and flounces onto the couch.

"Ali, would you mind arranging these flowers for me?" I ask when I come back with a vase. "I'd do it myself, but you're just so good at it." Flattery will get you everywhere with Alice Brandon.

She beams and takes the flowers and vase from me. "So what do you two crazy kids have planned for tonight?"

"It's a surprise," Edward says and offers me his arm. "Shall we?"

"Let's," I reply, linking my arm through his. It's amazing how casual I can be when my insides are complete Jello.

Edward

Jesus. Bella is even more beautiful than I remembered. I've thought about her all week. It was hard, but I somehow restrained myself from calling the very next day after meeting her. I didn't want to seem stalkerish. But when Jasper came home from his first date with Alice and told me that Bella had wondered aloud to Alice whether I'd call, I made up my mind to do it at the next opportunity. But as luck would have it, my week turned ridiculously busy, and it was Thursday before I could call her. I felt a little like a heel, but she seemed happy to hear from me.

Before I saw her again, I had myself convinced that I'd built her up in my mind to something impossible. But I was wrong. She's every bit as gorgeous as I thought. Tonight, she's wearing this beige dress that sets off the blush of her skin, and she's got on the sexiest pair of boots I've ever seen. I consider myself to be a perfect gentleman, but I think I'm going to have trouble keeping my hands to myself tonight.

"This is your car?" she asks as I lead her to my silver Volvo and open the passenger door.

"Yeah…" I reply, certain that my voice mirrors her confusion.

"Hmm. I pictured you driving a big truck. Maybe a Jeep. Must've been the cowboy hat," she muses with a smirk.

I laugh as I shut the door and rush over to the driver's side. "I lost a bet. Jasper's from Texas, and the terms were that I'd wear one of his hats out if I lost."

"Well," she says, "I thought it was kind of cute. You looked like a walking contradiction."

"Then I guess I won that bet after all." I wink and notice her cheeks turning pink.

Bella clears her throat and smooths out the hem of her dress. "So, where are we going?"

I chuckle at her slight fluster as I steer us toward the restaurant. "I thought we'd start with a little dinner, and then some old-fashioned fun afterwards."

"Old-fashioned fun?" she repeats dubiously.

The apprehensive look on her face almost makes me spill the beans. Truth be told, I'm close to regretting the plans I made for our date. Taking her to see me play with my band in a bar? It sounded cool at first. Alice told Jasper to tell me that Bella had a soft spot for guys with guitars. Now I feel completely conceited and thoughtless. If I tell her where I'm taking her, it will sound like I double-booked. But there's no turning back now. I can't just cancel a gig at the last minute.

I swallow and tried to smile instead of grimace. "I told you. It's a surprise."

Dinner is at a downtown restaurant overlooking the water. Bella tells me as we eat that she feels like she's monopolizing the conversation, but I want to know everything about her. And I like watching her. If she's talking, I have an excuse to train my eyes on her pretty face. I keep asking questions, and she keeps answering them. She's an only child. She has unusual tastes, including oysters and Guinness. Her waitressing job is temporary while she searches for a job where she can be creative and not stifled. Her major in school was studio art. Apparently, jobs in the field are hard to come by, but does she regret it? Nope. I decide instantly that I love that about her. I can relate. Music—one of my two majors in school—doesn't usually afford a luxurious lifestyle, but luckily I have my granddad's music shop to run.

The more Bella talks, the more I like her, and the more nervous I am about my plans for the rest of the evening. I only want to impress her, not make her think I'm full of myself.

Here goes nothing, I think with a sigh as we leave the restaurant.

Bella

After dinner, Edward still won't tell me where we're going. I secretly hope it's not something like a sporting event. Even though my dad was a huge fan of baseball and football as I was growing up, I've never been into sports.

We drive for about five minutes before I realize we're headed for the beach.

"Moonlight stroll?" I ask sarcastically.

Edward just grins. I've been trying to guess our destination since we left the restaurant. I think it's making him nervous.

"Come on, just a little clue?" I pout.

He shakes his head and chuckles. "We're almost there, Bella. I promise. Literally, like three more minutes."

I sigh and sit back. It's more of a dreamy sigh than an impatient one. My name on his lips sounds so good. It was sweet of him to plan everything. And so far, our date has been wonderful. Finally, Edward swings the car into a parking spot along the boardwalk.

"Here we are," he says with a dramatic air. He turns in his seat, looking like he wants to say something. Instead, he gives me this sort of awkward grin and turns away again to get out of the car.

His demeanor has changed somewhat since we left the restaurant, and I briefly wonder if I said or did something weird. Before I can open the car door, he's there. He holds out his hand and pulls me out of the car, not letting go of my hand as he feeds the parking meter and leads me away. I love the feel of his hand in mine. It's the first time he's actually touched me all night.

But I still have no clue what we're doing here. There are tons of bars and shops along the boardwalk, and the suspense is killing me. I don't have to wait long, though. Edward takes my hand and leads me to a smallish bar that I've been to before to see local bands play. "Oh, I love this place!" I say, hoping to quell some of his apparent nervousness.

A long bar takes up most of the small front room. Edward orders us a couple of beers, and we make our way to the bigger area, where a band is setting up to play.

Suddenly, I hear my name being called from across the room. I spin around in confusion to see Alice standing on a barstool and waving at me excitedly. "Alice?" I turn back to Edward as he presses his hand to the small of my back and leads me toward her, and I have to shake off the tingling sensation that creeps up my spine before I drag him back outside for some alone time. "Did you know she was going to be here?"

He shrugs and grins as we approach my best friend. He seems to be getting some of his confidence back.

"Alice, what are you doing here?" I ask as she hugs me tightly.

She nods her head at Jasper, whom I hadn't noticed before. He has a guitar strapped around his neck and is plugging it into an amp. "Oh! You didn't mention Jasper was in a band," I say, addressing both my date and my best friend.

Alice is practically bouncing on her barstool. "Isn't it cool? Here, pull up a chair. They're just about to start."

Edward pulls a barstool up next to Alice for me and hands me my beer. He tilts his head toward the little stage, sets his bottle on the table, and leans in close to my ear. "I'll be right back," he says softly. I gasp a tiny bit as my ear tingles from the nearness of his lips, just as I imagined they would over the phone the previous night.

I watch him walk around the table and over to Jasper, biting my lip as I sneak a peek at the way his jeans hug his gorgeous ass. He punches Jasper on the shoulder playfully, and I smile at the way his infectious laugh fills the loud room. He takes a swig from a water bottle, and I ogle the long, smooth column of his throat and the way his Adam's apple moves as he swallows. There isn't anything sexy about an Adam's apple, but anything belonging to Edward fascinates me.

It dawns on me that Edward has picked up one of the guitars that was sitting on a stand, and I get it now. This is clever of him. Sneaky Edward. I marvel at the lean muscles of his forearms. I lust after his hands—his hands?!—as he straps the guitar on and starts to tune it.

I turn to Alice, who's still staring adoringly at Jasper. "Did you know anything about this?"

She turns to me with a sheepish look on her face. "Guilty," she says. "I sort of told Jasper you liked guys who play guitar. He suggested Edward bring you here, and I was sworn to secrecy."

"I don't have a thing for guys who play guitars!" I protest.

But my attention is drawn back to Edward as he steps up to the microphone. Their band must have quite a following, because the small crowd cheers and claps enthusiastically at his greeting. He looks over at me and winks. I shake my head at him and smiled.

The music starts up, and I immediately love it. Their sound is unique. When Edward sings, my heart pounds. If I thought his speaking voice was smooth velvet, his singing voice is pure sex. He works the crowd like a pro. He makes rock star eyes over the microphone, and he and Jasper jump around when they play songs with faster rhythms.

After the first set, Edward announces a fifteen-minute break. I can't tear my eyes from him as he gently places his guitar on the stand and picks up his beer. He walks over and leans on the tall pub table, looking at me with a smug grin. Clearly, he's found his confidence again.

"Well, that was quite the surprise," I say, raising an eyebrow, then break into a grin. "You guys rock."

He smiles, seeming relieved. "I'm glad you liked it. Had a feeling you would."

"How did you know I would?" I ask, playing along.

"I have my ways."

My eyes narrow as his grin turns into the crooked smile I'm starting to adore. I find myself beaming back at him for what feels like the billionth time tonight. Looking into his twinkly green eyes, I feel my breath catch a bit.

I want to kiss that quirky, smug smile right off his face.

A/N: Thanks for reading!