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Survived. 1 down, 1 to go.

Attagirl! Coffee or sleep?

Sleep now, coffee later.

How about I stop by after MM, around 2?

Sounds great. Say hi to Mom :)

Will do. Night night, Bella.

I wake up groggy as hell, the light streaming through my windows already fading into late afternoon. Crap! I bolt upright in my bed. 2:55? I've missed Edward's visit. And coffee delivery! Why didn't anyone wake me?

I know the answer. Neither Mrs. Cope nor Edward would wake me if they thought I needed the sleep, which I obviously did. Meanwhile, four missed texts, three of them from Edward:

1:45: Mom says hi. On my way to you now…

1:58: Your coffee will be in the fridge when you wake up!

2:31: Hope you're feeling okay. Let me know? XXX

And one from Emmett at 2:03: Rosie's sick as a dog. Need you in by 4. New bar trainee starting.

Ugh, the two ends of the candle have burned to the middle today. I missed my Edward time. It's gonna be a sucky night at work. Still gotta hit the finance book when I get home. Annnnd I have my period.

Are you listening to your whiny self?

You have a job you like well enough, great co-workers, and you're socking away good money for once.

You are halfway through the semester with your head well above water. So, big whoop, you have to work hard… that never killed anybody.

Edward. Sigh… Edward. Remind me how I got so damn lucky?

My feet carry me to the kitchen where the promised coffee awaits, though now it will be iced coffee. I can't help but smile, picturing a cheery Edward on the front stoop, holding the steaming cup, eagerly anticipating my grateful response to his unending generosity: coffee, patience, midnight rides, spontaneity, thoughtfulness… it seems the man's reserves are infinite. And all this, as Mrs. Cope pointed out, on top of Edward's loyalty to his mother and all those clients he's helped. Damn, I hope he knows how much I appreciate him.

No better time than the present to tell him. I scroll to Edward's last text—Hope you're feeling okay. Let me know? XXX—and start to tap back a thank you.

No, if I really have something important to say, I should say it so he can hear it. Old-school style.

Here goes nothing… His phone is ringing. My stomach jumps. How on earth do I still get butterflies?

"Bella? Are you okay?" His greeting comes out in an anxious rush.

"Yes, fine."

"Oh. Okay." He catches his breath. "I wasn't expecting you to call."

"Are you… in the middle of something?" I've been so buried lately, I can't even remember if he said he had a client today. I should've texted him first.

"Nothing that can't wait. Did you find your coffee?"

"Yes, and that's why I called."

"Oh?"

"Well, not about the coffee, per se, but to thank you. For stopping by. And bringing me treats. And picking me up from work. And baking me cookies. And basically, for taking care of me." Holy shit, that was a mouthful.

His response is gravelly and sexy as hell. "Isn't that what awesome boyfriends do?"

"I don't know. I've never had one before."

He laughs into the phone, and I can almost feel him sitting next to me. "Well, trust me—it is. And you're more than welcome. It's absolutely my pleasure to take care of you, Bella."

"I wasn't sure you knew how grateful I am… for everything. So I thought I'd call."

"How very old-school of you." I can hear his smile.

"Yeah, I figured I'd try it out."

"And?"

"I guess it's not too bad." I stretch my legs out under the table and take a long drag on the coffee.

"So, are we going to be doing this instead of texting now, do you think?"

"I don't know yet. Let's see how it goes."

"Okay." I picture him tucking the phone under his cheek, getting comfortable, maybe even closing his eyes.

"So, Edward?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"Seeing as I've never had an awesome boyfriend before, I'm not exactly sure how to… be an awesome girlfriend back."

"Let me assure you, you're doing just fine."

"I am?"

"Yes."

"Because it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything, while you, on the other hand, keep dropping in with little care packages and showing up when I am bone-tired to give me a ride home."

"Hmm, makes me sound a bit desperate, huh?" He chuckles, thank God.

"Makes you sound amazing, if you ask me."

"Well, there you go. You let me dote on you. You take a compliment. You eat the cookies I bake and enjoy the coffee and don't give me a hard time when I want to do something nice. Do you know how gratifying that is for me?"

"I don't think that's enough, Edward. Just letting you be amazing is not enough to qualify me as awesome."

"Whoa, now. Wait just a second. Don't you think I should be the one to decide what constitutes your awesomeness as my girlfriend?"

"Hmm…"

"No, really. Think about it, Bella. It's entirely possible some other guy would have a whole different set of criteria—not that I plan to give you the chance to find out, mind you—but isn't that what makes the world go around?"

Edward and his plans. Sigh.

"I must not have enough coffee in me yet because you are starting to make sense."

His laughter rolls into my ear. "You just need to surrender to the old-school logic, that's all."

Yeah, I surrendered weeks ago, and he damn well knows it. "All right, Old School. Let me pose the question another way. Is there anything at all I could do to be a more awesome girlfriend?"

I'm ready for his hem-and-haw and no-you're-perfect routine, so it surprises me when he says, "Actually, yes."

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the answer, now that I've forced it, but we've come too far to turn back now. "All right. What can I do?"

"Well, I didn't want to bring this up before your other midterm, but—"

"Come on, Edward. Now you have to."

"Fine. I'd like you to come away with me for a long weekend. Just you, me, a pair of bicycles, and a vineyard… or five."

I move the phone away from my face. I feel like an absolute fool for crying right now, and I'm glad he can't see me. This is how he wants me to prove my awesomeness? By accompanying the most romantic man I've ever met on the most romantic trip ever!

"Bella? Bella? Uh-oh," I hear him say. "Too soon?"

I wipe away my tears as if he'll hear them and snap the phone to my cheek. "No! No, not too soon."

"You'll come, then?"

"Of course! Are you kidding?"

"That's… awesome!" He laughs; I laugh; we're both a little giddy. I might have to do more of this phone-chatting. So far, so good. "I guess all we have to work out is the timing. Do you think you could get three days in a row off work?"

With Rose out sick and me training the new girl, Emmett will probably give me anything I want after this. "Let me discuss it with my boss in a couple of days? This isn't the best time to ask, but I'm pretty sure I can swing it."

"Perfect. Just so you know, if you're comfortable, that is, I was thinking… hoping… we might stay together."

An eighty-person gospel choir just sang "Hallelujah!" in my head. "You mean, share a room, the two of us?"

"I can book a second room, no problem. No pressure."

Damn, I wish I could see his face right now. "Edward Cullen?"

"Yes?" he answers, magnificently open and vulnerable.

"I would love to share a room with you."

"Yeah?" He goes from elated to grouchy in no time at all. "You did that on purpose."

"A little," I admit, "but I think you liked it."

"Don't you have to be at work soon?"

It's my turn to laugh into his ear. "Good talk, Edward. We should try this again sometime."

"Goodbye, beautiful. Thanks for calling. You have a wonderful evening."

The smile on my face doesn't fade, even after I meet the new girl at work—a busty redhead named Tory, who gets one order wrong for every three she gets right and carries herself with the poise of a giraffe on roller skates.

And why should I worry because… wine country with Edward. And we're sharing a room.

Swoon.

###


Author's Note: Well THAT's not romantic at ALL! ;) So... how long do you think it'll take Bella to clear her schedule? Heh. How long would it take YOU? Maybe she should wait until she's done with her period. Sigh... she called him. OKAY, now which of you people made the point that it was Bella's turn to make a sweet gesture? See? She was thinking that too.
XXX ~BOH