Penguins and the Green Monster
A very noisy Alice woke me up the next morning as she banged around in the kitchen. I groaned and rolled over hiding my head under the pillow, trying to block out the noise. I didn't sleep well at all last night. I tossed and turned in my bed for hours until I fell into a restless sleep.
I shot out of bed as I remembered why it was that I was so uneasy last night. I was going on a date with Edward today! Immediately, the panic started to sink in. I looked over at the clock to find it read only 9:30. Great, I have a good 4 hours until Edward comes to pick me up.
I hoisted myself out of bed and trudged into the kitchen to find Alice humming and pulling muffins out of the oven. Something wasn't right. Alice never baked unless she was over the moon happy or she had a good feeling about something that was coming up. She dropped the oven mitts onto the counter and started to pop out what smelled like blueberry muffins. I cleared my throat and she whirled around.
"GOD BELLA!" she yelled with her hand over her heart, "You scared the daylights out of me! Warn a girl before you do that!" I laughed at her and strolled over to the stove to grab a still warm muffin.
"What's going on Ali? You don't bake unless there is happiness in the air," I said looking at her speculatively.
"Oh nothing! Just felt like baking some muffins!" she replied nonchalantly as she turned to the sink to wash the dishes she dirtied during her baking extravaganza.
"Alice...." I warned.
"What? Can't a girl bake some muffins for her best friend?" she asked with mock defense.
"Yes Ali, they can, but I know something is up. You only bake when you get those 'feelings' of yours"
"Whatever," she said dismissively, but perked up when she thought of something.
"So what are you wearing on your date today?" she asked merrily.
"How did you know about that?" I exclaimed. I'm almost positive that I didn't say anything about it to her. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Jasper," was her only response. Of course! Jasper was friends with Edward and Edward told Jasper about our date, and we all know that Jasper can't keep a thing from Alice, and thats how Alice found out. I sighed knowing that Alice would dress me however she liked. Alice gets whatever she wants when she brings out the puppy dog pout, which she was currently looking up at me with.
"FINE," I said exasperated. She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew all of my weaknesses. She grabbed my hand and pulled me down and into my room. She dropped it and pushed me onto my bed.
"Sit," she commanded as if I was a dog. I rolled my eyes but complied. Please with my response, she disappeared into my closet. I could hear her rummaging around as she opened drawers and pulled things off hangers. A few minutes later she appeared with a pile of clothes behind her back, smiling widely.
"I know where you are going today so don't worry, you are dressed appropriately. Now, go get into the shower and clean up. I'll be waiting out here to fix you up!" she said. I tried to peek around her to see what my outfit was. I would take any clues as to where Edward was taking me.
"Nope! You aren't allowed to see until it's time!" she exclaimed, pushing me into my bathroom.
I grumbled my way over to the shower and turned it on. I stepped in and let the burning water cascade down my back until I got used to it. Once I was ready, I shampooed my hair and shaved my legs. I flipped the water off, grabbing a towel to dry myself off. As I stepped onto the shower mat, I could hear music coming from our ipod speakers. Alice will be Alice, I thought to myself as I dried my hair. I walked out of the steaming bathroom to see Alice dancing around and singing along to the song, completely oblivious to me standing there.
Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
And now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my best test
Nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some
I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours
Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love
Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing
We're just one big family
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love loved
(Jason Mraz- I'm Yours)
Alice turned around and saw me standing there in my towel. She wordlessly walked over to me, handed me my robe, and sat me down in front of the vanity. She immediately began pulling and twisting away at my hair. I didn't care as I was too lost in my own thoughts.
Something about the lyrics of that songs stuck a chord with me. Edward had definitely melted me, that's for sure, but love. That four letter word meant so much. As soon as I heard it, it made me wonder. Am I in love with Edward? It's clearly too early in our relationship. Do we even have a relationship? What are we? I couldn't help the certain tug my heart made at the word love. It wasn't a painful squeeze, but one that made butterflies in the pit of my stomach. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind as Alice tugged on my sleeve. I would save those thoughts for later tonight as I lay in my bed.
"You there Bells?" she asked, waving her hand in front of my face.
"Yeah, yeah, I was just thinking," I said distractedly. She gave me a knowing look that made me think back to her muffin escapade earlier. What did she know?
Before I could ask, Alice was pulling me up and handing me the pile of clothes from earlier. She pointed towards the bathroom and I dutifully followed her outstretched finger.
I finally looked down to see what I was wearing and was extremely surprised to find what I saw. She had given me my most comfortable Joe's Jeans, an adorable cream Free People top with embroidered flowers on it, platinum Jack Rogers, a sage green Free People short sleeved cardigan, and even had gold hoops with little turquoise beads to pull it all together. I was surprised that Alice actually put together something I would love that's comfortable, but that still received the Alice Brandon Fashion Stamp of Approval. I had never seen any of these clothes before, but I didn't care. I would let this one slide, seeing as I wanted to look my best for my date with Edward.
I put all of the clothes on happily and looked up into the mirror. Alice had once again worked her magic. My hair had a beachy wave and flowed effortlessly over my shoulders. My makeup was natural, but beautiful. She had dusted a light bronze shimmer over my eye lids and rimmed them in a bronze eyeliner that made my usually dull brown eyes pop. She gave my cheeks a warm pink blush with gold flecked throughout it. My lips were stained a warm pink. I looked beautiful and natural. I loved it.
I threw the door open and bounded over to Alice where I knew she would be standing. She laughed as I knocked us both over and onto the floor. We were both rolling around and laughing hysterically, trying to sober up. As our laughs subsided, we heard a familiar voice from the doorway of my room.
"I can't leave you two alone can I?" Jasper said from the door with a slight smirk on his face.
"Jazzy!" Alice exclaimed, bounding over to him, jumping straight into his arms. He stumbled slightly at the force of Alice, but steadied himself on the doorframe. I laughed and waved.
"Hey Jazz," I called over. He smiled and nodded his head at me.
"Bells," he replied. Alice was bouncing up and down, excited at the prospect of my date. I looked over at the clock and it read 1:25.
Edward would be here any minute! I looked quickly at myself in the mirror looking for any smudges from Alice and mine's laughing fit, but found none. Alice must have used some all day wear makeup. I flitted around my room picking up my phone, wallet, keys, lipgloss, gum. Whatever I would need. I turned towards my closet to look for my purse but found Alice there with a purse outstretched in her arms. It was a soft brown leather hobo bag with gold hardware on it. It looked almost too beautiful to touch.
"It's Balenciaga!" Alice said proudly, as if she was a soccer mom boasting about her kid. I knew that brand. Alice had made me sit with her one rainy and watch a special on StyleNetwork about Balenciaga. I may not know designers, but I knew that these bags cost thousands of dollars.
"WHAT? There is no way in hell that I'm taking that Alice. How much did you spend on it? NOPE! Nice try!" I ranted. Alice laughed and shook her head.
"Bella, don't worry, I got it for free. My boutique is has done some favors for them so they sent me three bags as payment. I have one for me and Rose too!" she chirped happily, lifting up her other hand. She had a red tote with silver hardware as well as a multi-colored woven one. I could easily guess which was Alice's. (A.N.- all clothes and bags on my profile!)
"I got to pick which ones I wanted! I chose this one for Rose," she said holding up the red one, "this one for you," she said holding up the brown hobo, "and this one for me!" she cried out holding up the muti-colored one. They all fit our personalities perfectly. I sighed giving up.
"Well, if it was free..." I said trailing off. Alice squealed and jumped on me.
"Now it's perfect! Here put your stuff in it," she said holding open the bag. I laughed and dumped my stuff in it and put it around my shoulder.
Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my room and down the hallway, heading straight for the living room. I hadn't notice it before, but there were voices coming from the room. In my debate with Alice, I must not have heard the doorbell ring. Thank goodness Jasper was here to get it. There were more than just two voices in the room though. I knew exactly who else was here as I heard the booming laugh that was unmistakably Emmett's.
We walked into the room just in time to see Rose smacking Emmett in the back of his head as Jasper and Emmett snickered.
Seeing Edward once again took my breath away. He was gorgeous even in the dark washed jeans, forest green polo, and puma sneakers he was wearing.
"But Rosie! How was I supposed know that it was illegal to drop water balloons from the room of our apartment building on unsuspecting people?" Emmett asked.
Jasper and Edward couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out into laughter. Rose huffed and crossed her arms, but smiled all the same. It was obvious how perfect they were for each other. Only Rose could put up with Emmett's antics, and only Emmett could put up with Rose's fiery personality.
"You know Emmett, the only way to do that it drop them and duck," Alice said as she pranced from my side to sit in Jasper's lap. Edward immediately stopped laughing and turned to face me.
I could feel my cheeks burning as he gave me a once over and then look into my eyes and smiled. I felt a wide, goofy grin spreading across my face.
"Bella," he sighed, "you look stunning." I gave him a timid smile as my cheeks inflamed even more.
"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," I responded. He laughed and patted the seat on the sofa next to him. I walked over, luckily not tripping and making a fool of myself, and sat down next to him. We were so close that I could feel the heat radiating off of his body. My heart fluttered as his hand brushed my thigh as he sat back against the back of the sofa.
"Bella! Is that a Balenciaga?!" Rose exclaimed when she spotted my bag. I laughed and nodded. She looked at it longingly as if she wanted to pet it and tuck it into bed. I looked over at Alice who had the bags hidden behind her back with a smug smile on her face.
"You don't have one?" I asked nonchalantly, as if everyone had a $1,500 bag. She shook her head sadly and sighed. Alice jumped off of Jasper's lap and held the bag up in Rose's face.
"Well, now you do!" Alice exclaimed. Rosalie gasped and looked back up at Alice incredulously.
"You have got to be kidding me?" she asked, trying to mask the hope in her voice.
"Nope! I did a small favor for Balenciaga and they owed me. I got them for free!" Alice replied ecstatically. Rose screamed and jumped up hugging Alice and knocking her to the ground. Alice laughed at Rose's enthusiasm. Rose laughed and helped Alice up. Alice handed the bag over to Rose with a pleased smile. Alice loves giving almost as much as she loves getting.
"Thank you Alice," Rose said breathlessly with tears gathering in her eyes, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. How did you know I wanted one? I even have a trust fund set up for one," she said looking down at Alice.
"Every girl wants a Balenciaga. I just happened to have a few connections. I even picked out the color!" Alice replied happy at seeing her friend so grateful.
As the excitement of the bag winded down, we looked down at the guys. They were staring at the three of us as if we had just grown six heads.
"What?" Rose snapped.
"Women," they all said in unison. We looked at each other trying to figure out what was wrong, but shrugged our shoulders and resumed our previous seats. I sat back down next to Edward not realizing that his arm was hung around the back of the sofa. As I sat I felt his arm touch my back and send tingles throughout my body. I inwardly sighed at the pleasure of feeling his skin, but kept a cool composure.
"Well, ready gang?" Emmett asked, standing up and jumping around excitedly, looking like a five year old. Wait, I thought Edward and I were having a date by ourselves. I was looking forward to finally having some quality alone time with him, but that was thrown out the window. I sighed and looked down at my hands. Edward, sensing my disappointment, placed his hand on mind and leaning in to whisper in my ear.
"Don't worry, we aren't going with them. It's just you and me. They are going to see some horror movie and get pizza. I have other plans for you and me," he whispered, his warm breath tickling my ear. I shivered at the sensation and looked up at Edward to smile. He smiled his breathtaking crooked smile back at me and stood up. He offered his and to me and helped me get off of the sofa.
"You take good care of our girl Edward," Jasper said, going into his dad mode, as he patted Edward on the back.
"With my life," he said with such intensity that it made me look up at him. He was looking down at me with some strong emotion in his eyes that I couldn't identify. Our moment was broken by Alice going into mother mode.
"You better have her back by 10 o'clock or you're going to be in big trouble mister." she said, poking a finger into his chest to emphasize her point.
"Alice! I think he gets the point," I said embarrassed at my friend's behavior. Edward laughed and grabbed my hand.
"Don't worry Bella. They are just concerned about you," he whispered into my ear. I nodded, but before anyone could say anything more I spoke up.
"Okay, I'll see you tonight Ali. Have fun," I said as I kissed her on the cheek and then went to Jasper.
"You too Jazz. Keep my best friend in one piece please," I said as I kissed him on the cheek as well. He laughed at my over-used joke. It was a running inside joke between the two of us. The first time he came over here three years ago to take Alice out on their first date, I had a talk with him as Alice was finishing getting ready. As they left to go out, I leaned up to Jasper and grabbed a handful of his hair and said menacingly "you better keep my best friend in one piece whitlock, or you won't be able to walk straight for the rest of your life." Needless to say, I never had to cut off his family jewels for hurting my Ali, but it kept as a sort of ritual between us. Alice had tried many times to get us to tell her about it, but we refused to say anything. It made it all the more fun that no one understood what we were talking about.
Alice huffed, still mad at the fact that she was out of the joke. I looked over at her and laughed. She tried to look angry, but smiled and gave me a hug.
"Have fun. I love you Bellsy," she said, using my nickname from our childhood.
"I love you too Ali cat," I replied, using her nickname as well. She kissed my cheek and pushed me out the door where Edward was waiting. He grabbed my hand and we walked down the hallway to the elevators.
"10 o'clock!" Alice yelled as the door closed. I sighed, finally getting away from my self- appointed parents. Edward laughed at my obvious relief. He intertwined our hands and pulled me through the building lobby and out to the street where his car was waiting. This car was completely different from the car that I crashed into. This one was a sleek luxury sports car, in a gun powder grey color. This car looked like it could go incredibly fast, and was incredibly expensive. (A.N.- Edward's car on my profile.)
"When did you get this?" I asked him as he held the door open for me. He shut it and ran around the front and got into the drivers seat.
"I got it this morning. I had actually put it on hold a couple of months ago and had been waiting for an excuse to finally buy it." he replied with a smile as he rubbed his hand over the smooth leather interior. "You are a pretty good excuse. I'm glad you get to be my excuse."
I'm not sure if he could hear the double meaning in his words, but I sure did. That statement made my buried burning hope dig itself up slightly.
The sun shone brightly into my face, so I bent down to my purse to grab my sunglasses. I pulled out my Ray Ban aviators that Alice had given me, for one of my many Christmas presents last year, and put them on. I looked over at Edward to see him putting on his sunglasses as well. His were Ray Ban's as well, but they were the Clubmasters. I couldn't help but stare. He looked so incredibly sexy in them. It took all of my self control to look away.(A.N.- both pairs of sunglasses on my profile.)
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked him as I strained to see what we were passing by. He drove so fast, that I couldn't make out the buildings or signs.
"Nope, it's a surprise," he said, quickly glancing over at me to smile.
"I don't like surprises!" I said indignantly. He laughed lightly and took one hand off of the wheel to hold mine.
"I know. Trust me, I'm pretty sure you'll like this one," he said smiling to himself. Ten minutes later after we sat in the car in comfortable conversation, he pulled up into a parking lot and turned into a spot. He got out of the car and ran around to open mine like a gentleman. I blushed lightly as he grasped my hand and didn't let go even when I was steady on my feet.
I looked around for an indication of where we were. I saw a sign and put my hands up to shield them from the sun so that I could read it.
"The Zoo?" I asked, looking over at him once I read the sign. He nodded his head slowly, trying to gage my reaction. He looked worried that I wouldn't like it as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. I laughed and threw my arms around him. He froze, shocked, before he gained his composure and hugged me back. I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him on the cheek. He put his hands on my thighs to hold me up. I froze as I got that electric shock that I always got from his touch, and then blushed as I realized our compromising position. I untangled myself from him and he placed me back on the ground.
Even though I was not wrapped around him anymore, he kept his hands firmly on my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck and looked up at him through my lashes. He was looking down at me with his crooked smile in place and his eyes filled with joy at my reaction.
"How did you know?" I asked him as I looked at him with awe.
"What do you mean?" he asked confused. I looked up at him surprised. I thought he chose the Zoo for a reason.
"Alice didn't tell you?" I asked incredulous at the thought of Alice keeping her mouth shut. He nodded his head slowly looking down at me clueless. I laughed and pulled him to me to bury my face in his chest and hug me.
"What would Alice have to tell me about you and the zoo?" he asked as he buried his face into my hair. I pulled away slowly and looked up into his eyes.
"Whenever I'm upset, or need to get away to think, or the opposite, not think at all, I come to the zoo. The zoo is my place where I come to relax." I said, my cheeks turning pink as I realized how ridiculous my explanation was. Nobody but Alice and Jasper knew where I went when I needed to think. I was always too embarrassed to tell people that my safe place was the zoo, but with Edward, I just said things without thinking.
I lowered my head to the ground as his silence continued. Great, now he thinks I'm a freak. I felt his slender finger go under my chin to lift my head up so that I had to look at his. I was expecting a look of disgust, but I was met with one of awe, disbelief, and the most surprising of the three, joy. He continued to stare at me silently. I could feel the electricity flowing between us.
"What?" I asked self-consciously. He broke the silence with an astonished laugh and smiled so widely, I was afraid that his face was going to break.
"I brought you here because this is the place that I always come to when I need time to think about something. This is my little shelter from the real world too. I had no idea that you did the same thing. I brought you here because I wanted to share something that nobody knew about." he said delightedly. I looked up at him open-mouthed. You have got to be kidding me.
"Seriously?" I asked incredulously. He laughed loudly and brought me back into the hug.
"Seriously. I can't believe this. You keep surprising me even when I think I have you figured out." he laughed.
"Edward," I said looking up at him, "thank you." He smiled crookedly at me and kissed my forehead. We untangled ourselves and strolled hand-in-hand towards the ticket booth to buy our tickets.
"Two please," he said to the ticket counter girl with a crooked smile. She laughed nervously and nodded speechlessly. I clearly wasn't the only one effected by his charm.
"Edward," I chastised, "you are not paying for my ticket. No way." He looked down at me with a pout on his face.
"Bella, I asked you out, I pay." he said with finality in his voice. I sighed and nodded. He smiled at me and kissed my forehead before turning back to the teenage ticket girl. I looked over as well to see her glaring daggers at me. I cringed into Edward's side and looked away.
"Here are your tickets sir," she said batting her eyelashes and smiling in what she thought was a seductive way. She glanced back at me quickly to glare and then turned back to Edward.
"If you need help with anything today, don't hesitate to ask someone to get Tiffany for you," she said with a wink as she handed Edward a piece of paper with her number on it. I snorted and grabbed the tickets from her, leaving the phone number on the counter.
"I think I can take care of him thank you very much," I said curtly and pulled Edward away from the horny teenage girl behind the counter. Once we got far enough away so that she couldn't hear us, but she could still see us, I turned Edward around and crushed my lips to his. He seemed shocked at first, but quickly responded. His lips molded to mine as we moved together. I felt his tongue glide across my bottom lip and I granted him access to my mouth. Our tongues battled as we kissed passionately. We pulled away, both of us panting for breath heavily. I looked up at him with a guilty expression about to apologize, but he cut me off by pressing his lips to mine chastely.
"Well if I knew that's how you respond when you get jealous, maybe I should have made you jealous sooner," he said breathlessly with a smug smile on his lips.
"I was not jealous!" I said piqued. He chuckled and looked at me challengingly. I huffed.
"Fine! I was jealous, but I mean come on. I was standing right there and she has the nerve to give you her phone number? No class," I mumbled. He laughed and pulled me into another kiss. He pulled away before we got too carried away, and grabbed my hand. We walked together towards the entrance and gave the nice old man our tickets.
"Oh young love," he sighed as he gave back our tickets, "you two are clearly engaged. I know that look. It reminds me of my wife Ellen and I," he said with a wistful smile. I blushed deeply at the thought of being Edward's fiance. We aren't even boyfriend and girlfriend yet. Edward laughed lightly and kissed my cheek.
"Oh don't worry, I'm not letting this one go," he said, looking directly at me. We were lost in each other until the old man spoke up once more.
"Don't take the time you have with her for granted son. Cherish every moment. Before you know it, they're gone," he said sadly, looking down at his wedding ring on his left hand. The look on his face was heart wrenching. I pulled him into a hug without even thinking about it, just trying to get that look of a lost puppy off of his face. He laughed loudly at my enthusiasm and hugged me back. I pulled back and took Edward's hand again.
"She's a good one son. Good luck with the marriage," he said, patting Edward on the shoulder, then turning towards the next people in line. I looked up at Edward to see a peculiar look in his eye. He looked down at me and smiled happily, but it didn't reach his eyes. His eyes were thoughtful. Not a bad thoughtful, just thoughtful.
I let it go, knowing that when he was ready to tell me about it, he would. I walked over to the kiosk and looked at all of the different exhibits. I looked over the map, looking for the penguin one that I hadn't gotten to go to yet. It just opened. Edward was standing behind me silently looking at the map with deep concentration.
"Anywhere specific you want to go?" I asked him. His eyes lit up as they landed on whatever it was he was looking for.
"The penguin exhibit just opened. Want to go there?" he asked hopefully. I laughed loudly.
"Great minds think alike. That's exactly where I wanted to go," I responded. He smiled at how similar we are and clasped my hand once more. We walked at a comfortable pace, pointing out things to each other as we passed them. We got to the penguin habitat and picked up the pace, both of us excited. You would think that we were 12 instead of 24 and 25 like we actually were, by the way we were acting.
As the Edward pulled the door open for me, a gust of cold wind blew straight at us. I shivered at the cold temperature of the building. Edward noticed this and took of his jacket and put it around my shoulders.
"No Edward I'm fine. You only have a short sleeved t-shirt on! You need it more than I do!" I exclaimed. He shook his head no and wrapped his arm around my wait. I sighed happily at his thoughtfulness.
We got there just in time. The zoo keeper was walking into the habitat with a bucket of fish and a microphone.
"Hey there everyone! My name is Sandy, and I am the zoo keeper in charge of taking care of the penguins here," she started, "these are Humboldt Penguins. They are an endangered species, but are one of the most timid species of penguins. Penguins are creatures that rely on communication and their community. They need each other. Penguins are a special animals. These birds mate for life. They can pick their mate out of a crowd just by the sound of their voice. Its a rare thing for animals to mate for life, but penguins are special. They know who their mate is, no questions asked."
I looked up at Edward as Sandy started talking about mates. Could Edward be my mate? I know that I could pick him out of a crowd of people even if he died his hair and wore rags, I would know it was Edward. Edward had that pensive look on his face once more. I wouldn't push him to talk to me, no matter how much I wanted to know what he was thinking. I wasn't one of those pushy people like Alice. I looked back at the habitat, not really listening anymore, but looking at two penguins that were off to the side together.
They were away from all the other penguins who were fighting each other for fish. Instead of fighting, they were sharing. It started with one penguin giving the other the fish, but the other penguin pushing it back. The ended up both taking a side and biting it in half. Once they were finished eating their shared meal, they got close to each other and nuzzled their necks. I smiled at the sight. These two were definitely mates. You could see the love radiating between them.
The two penguin's love reminded me of what the old man said today. How he so easily assumed that Edward and I were engaged. He could see the love between us. This brought back the thoughts that I had pushed into the back of my mind earlier this morning. Love. Did I really love Edward? We had only known each other for a few days, but I couldn't even imagine my future as well as my next week without having Edward in it.
I looked back up at Edward to find him looking at the two penguins whom I had previously been looking at, with a smile on his face. That one look made up my mind.
Yes. I was absolutely and completely in love with Edward Cullen.
It was fast and incredibly idiotic to fall so fast, but somehow, I knew that Edward and I were meant to be together. We were each other's penguins.
Edward looked back down at me and smiled slightly. His eyes burned into mine, asking permission. He must have seen what he needed seeing as he leaned down to press his lips to mine.
This kiss was completely different than our earlier one. That one was filled with passion and desire. This one was sweet and radiating adoration. This kiss told me everything that Edward had been thinking so hard about earlier. He was doing the same thing that I was doing just a minute ago.
He was deciding if he loved me. His decision must have been made up as he cradled my face in his hands and kissed me with so much love. We broke apart after a few chaste kisses and looked into each other's eyes.
He smiled, his eyes suddenly changing from love to apprehension. He let go of my face and put his hands on my waist.
"Bella," he started, "I know that we haven't known each other for very long, but I can't help but find myself falling completely and hopelessly head over heals in love with you," he stopped looking nervous for my response. I smiled widely and threw my arms around him.
"Oh Edward," I sighed, "I love you too." He laughed lightly, the anxiety instantly vanish from this face.
"Bella, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked hopefully. I smiled and pecked him on the lips.
"Of course I will Edward," I whispered with as much emotion as I could muster. He laughed jubilantly and picked me up spinning me around. He smiled my crooked smile before bending down to kiss me sweetly again. We pulled away when we heard clapping. I turned only to see a crowd of people surrounding us and clapping at our little show. I blushed profusely as I hid my face in Edward's shirt. He laughed loudly and rubbed my back, trying to ease my embarrassment.
As we walked out of the exhibit, people patted Edward's back and gave us congratulations. My cheeks were still burning even as we walked back to Edward's car. He opened the door for me and I got in. My pink cheeks were finally fading as we pulled out of the parking lot.
The entire ride to the restaurant, Edward had his windows rolled down, my hand in his, and an oldies station playing from the stereo. Edward knew the words to almost every single one of the songs.
"How do you know all of the words?" I asked him. He smiled and laughed as he recalled a memory.
"My mother used to listen to them all the time. She has an old record player that her mom gave her for her 8th birthday from the 50's and still has all of her old albums too. When she cooks or cleans, this is what she puts on," he said, smiling at the thought of his mother.
"She sounds wonderful," I replied. He looked over at me and smiled.
"She is. You'll love her. My parents are actually coming next weekend to help Em and Rose decorate their new apartment. Mom's an interior designer, so she insists on doing everyone of our apartments and dorm rooms," he said laughing at memories of his mother that I didn't know. I smiled at him, just glad that he was happy, until I realized something.
"Wait wait wait, you mean to tell me that your mother is coming into Seattle next weekend and I am going to meet her?" I half shouted half yelped. He looked over at me concerned.
"Yes of course you get to meet her. Bella, what's wrong? Are you alright? Do I need to pull over?" he asked as he took the hand that was holding mine and placed it on my cheek.
"No I'm fine. Its just..." I trailed off, not wanting to sound stupid.
"What is it love?" he asked. He just called me love. That made my heart soar.
"You'll think it's stupid," I mumbled.
"Nothing you think is ever stupid," he replied rolling his eyes and grabbing my hand once more, now that he was certain I was alright.
"You have to promise not to laugh," I made him swear. He rolled his eyes but nodded his head, consenting to my no laughing rule.
"Okay, well, I just, ugh, fine I'm worried that your mom won't like me!" I exclaimed frustrated. Edward broke his promise by bursting out in laughter.
"Hey! You promised you wouldn't laugh!" I cried out, mad at Edward for breaking his promise. He shook his head and quieted his laughs to occasional chuckles.
"Bella, don't be ridiculous. My mother will love you. Who wouldn't love you? Your perfect," he said looking deeply into my eyes.
"Hey mister, eyes on the road!" I cried out.
"Really Bella, you have nothing to worry about. She will adore you." he said once his eyes were back on the road. I sighed but decided to let the topic drop knowing that he wouldn't let it go until I agreed that I had nothing to worry about which I would have no matter what.
We pulled up the street to a small Italian restaurant that had such a romantic atmosphere. Edward got out of the car, handed his keys to the valet, and came around to get my door. He helped me out as I looked at the restaurant lovingly. This is exactly how I imagined a restaurant in Italy to look like. He laughed at my expression and grabbed my hand. Edward held the door open for me and walked in after me towards the hostess.
"Hello we have a reservation for two under Cullen," Edward said smoothly. The hostess was clearly smitten with Edward as she smiled at him and gestured for us to follow her. She showed us to our table where Edward pulled out my chair for me and then sat down, already pondering over the wine list.
"Your waiter will be right out," she said as she winked at my boyfriend. I liked the sound of that. Edward Cullen, my boyfriend.
I looked over the menu until I head someone approaching the table. I was met with the sight of what must be our waiter. He was fairly tall, not as tall as Edward though, and had light blonde hair with blue eyes. His hair was gelled expertly as if he had spent 20 minutes in front of the mirror before work to get it perfect. Well, he probably had. He smiled at me cockily as he approached the table. Good thing Edward was still looking at the wine list or else he would not have been happy. The waiter got to our table and turned his head towards me.
"Good evening, my name is Mike and I'll be your server tonight," he said in what he intended to be a seductive voice. "Before I take your order is there anything I could get you to drink?" he asked looking only at me. Edward cleared his throat but Mike didn't even flinch. I looked over to Edward who was glaring daggers at the back of his head.
"What wine did you pick hon?" I asked him, trying to get Mike's stare off of me.
"We'll have a bottle of the house merlot," Edward said stiffly. Mike nodded curtly at Edward and turned giving me one last cocky smile before sauntering towards the bar.
"We need a new waiter," Edward said immediately. I looked over at him confused.
"How come? I mean I know Mike is a little cocky but we don't need to request a new one," I said.
"Oh yes we do. He was staring down your shirt the entire time. I'm not letting him within ten feet of you," Edward replied harshly as he saw Mike walking over with the bottle of wine and two glasses.
"Here you go," he said pouring me and then Edward some wine. "What can I get for you?" he asked, winking at me. Edward choked on the sip of water he had just taken and stood up.
"Listen up Mike," he yelled, "first of all you need to treat women with respect, and secondly, you need to stop staring down my girlfriends shirt!"
"Edward stop it!" I told him seeing as the entire restaurant was now looking at us. Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me up.
"Come on Bella, let's go." he said as he dragged me towards the door.
Once we were outside, I pulled him to stop and turned him around to face me. His eyes were dark with fury and his nostrils were flared.
"Edward?" I asked cautiously while raising my hands to capture his face. "Edward, the guy was a jerk, but I could have handled him. He wasn't going to try anything, and I most certainly was not going to respond to any of his foolish attempts at wooing me," I told him. His tensed muscles loosening and relaxed slightly and his eyes began to turn back to normal.
"Plus, your the only one who is even able to woo me. You have charm my dear boyfriend. You should have seen the hostess. I bet she is still out back in the kitchen hyperventilating from the smile you gave her," I said trying to lighten the mood. He finally relaxed and pulled me to him.
"I'm sorry for being so protective love," he murmured into my hair, "I just want you all to myself, plus the guy was being so vulgar. He was undressing you with his eyes!" he exclaimed. I looked up at him and smirked.
"Well Dr. Cullen, I must tell you that you are the only one who is allowed to undress me with their eyes...or more," I added at the end suggestively. His breath quickened and his eyes filled with lust. He grabbed my face and kissed me hard, letting all of his frustration out in his movements. I didn't mind at all. It was actually kind of sexy the way he was claiming me as his. He pulled away and looked deeply into my eyes.
"Do you want to go back to my place and get something to eat?" he asked once he had calmed down.
"Sure, but no funny business mister!" I said as I walked back towards the valet. The car was already waiting there. The valet must have seen us come out and gone to get the car so we wouldn't have to wait.
Edward zoomed through the streets of Seattle towards his apartment building. We pulled up to a building that looked like Rosalie and Emmett's just a few blocks away. Edward parked his car in the parking garage and opened the door for me, grabbing my hand. We rode up in the elevator silently until I couldn't take it anymore.
I jumped on Edward sufficiently knocking him into the gold, mirror gilded walls. He didn't seem to care as he wrapped my legs around his waist and put his hands under my butt to support me. The elevator dinged and he walked right out without even breaking our kiss. I had to release his lips as he dug into his pocket for his keys and stuck them in the lock. It opened with a click and he pushed it open. He was still holding me with one hand under my bum as he flicked on the lights. He looked over he should and gasped at what he saw.
"Tanya?"
Sorry it took me so long to update! I was up in the mountains with no computers all weekend, and then my dog had a little run in with a porcupine. She tried to fight it. Needless to say, the porcupine won the fight.
All of the pictures of clothes, cars, and accessories mentioned in this chapter and every chapter are on my profile!
Please review! It helps me write faster. The more motivation the better!
xoxo, VK