Sorry it took so long to update and post the next chapter (so much going on!) But this chapter is basically the buffering for the next two-three, which you will love just as much as I'm sure.
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D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book/movie. But I would like to own the sex hair and sex look that Edward tends to have... .*SIGH*
I pulled my car into the parking lot the next morning, claiming the same spot as the day before. Maybe I would be lucky enough to maintain possession of said spot throughout the next year. Before I had time to think about anything in general though, Edward's silver Volvo pulled in next to my car. I blushed right away, glad that the tinted windows of my Mustang could shield me from the prying eyes I knew were trying to peer in.
All in all I knew there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Edward was showing interest in me just as much as I was him, but it was something I was not used to. No one, not even Kaiden, showed such interest in me so openly.
My cell phone vibrated in my hand, and I looked down to see that Edward had texted me. I was confused, and looked up to his car that had not moved since it had pulled in.
Gonna sit in there all day? I laughed and opened my door. The door to the silver Volvo opened as well, and I was met with the smiling face of a gorgeous man.
"Good morning," Edward said. I smiled in return, pushing my door closed. It beeped in response to the lock being pressed, and then rounded the rear to stand next to Edward.
"So did Alice ever find you last night?" I asked. Edward's head flew back in laughter, and my wish of hearing the musical sound leave his lips was granted. He reached out and touched my back lightly, pulling me along beside him as we walked towards the school—it was his spot. I branded it as that.
"Indeed she did," Edward smiled. "After I hung up with you and made my way downstairs, she actually jumped on my back. I guess she still thought I was on the phone with you and tried to grab it away from me." I gasped, shocked at the thought of the small girl attacking poor Edward.
"Seriously? Are you okay?" Edward rolled his eyes, his fingers pressing into my back slightly.
"Alice is a hundred pounds, soaking wet. No, I wasn't hurt. She was, however, thrown off my back and onto the couch. That is how our parents came home to find us." We laughed, and I turned my head as I heard the rumble of an engine enter the parking lot. There was Jasper's Trans Am, windows rolled down. I could see Alice in the passenger seat, leaning out to wave to us. I smiled as I saw them pull into the spot next to Edward. Had I created a little corner just for us?
"Hey guys!" Alice called as she left Jasper behind to run to us. I peeked at her boyfriend and saw that he was laughing, face pink.
"What's with Jasper?" Edward asked. Alice rolled her eyes, removing the Maui Jim sunglasses she had perched on her perfect nose.
"He and I took a little bet this morning, about your race." Race? It clicked in my head as I remembered the challenge I had thrown at Edward the day before.
"That's right…" Edward smiled. I groaned and turned to him, trying hard not to show my restlessness. I had momentarily forgotten our confrontation, but now that it was brought to the surface I had the image of Edward behind the wheel. Window down, shifting hard as he spun around corners. I realized then that I had a female 'boner'.
"Don't tell me you guys forgot about that?" Jasper asked as he walked up behind Alice. "That was the highlight of my day yesterday!"
"And here I thought I was the highlight of everyone's day," I joked. Edward's fingers tightened on my back and I blushed. Everyone laughed and we turned towards the campus.
"So, when do you guys plan on doing this little race? More importantly, where?" Alice was right. Not only did I not know of a place where we could go almost a hundred miles an hour (which is what I would drive back home when I participate in races), but I wasn't sure I wanted to make such a big deal about this.
"Wait, you guys bet on us?" Edward interrupted. Jasper grinned, throwing his arm around my shoulder. The touch was shocking, and I smiled instantly. His mood seemed to shift to me, and his happiness rubbed off.
"Sorry Edward, but I've got five hundred on Bella here." Five hundred. Five hundred? Five hundred?
"Five hundred?!" I screeched, the happiness drifting away. No one else seemed uncomfortable about the amount.
"Well," Jasper explained carefully, "Alice here wanted to do an even thousand, but I explained to her that we hadn't even seen you drive yet. We'll have to start off small." These people were hard core, I realized. I lost my train of thought as Jasper's arm dropped off my shoulder, and Edward steered me in the direction of my and Alice's first class.
"We have to work on Saturday," Edward reminded Alice, "but I guess Saturday night we can have this movie night, and then do the race after?" He was asking me permission I realized. I nodded quietly, suddenly nervous. Would they take me seriously if I lost?
"I'll need an excuse," I realized aloud, "otherwise Charlie will expect me home at like ten." Alice nodded easily.
"Just tell him you're spending the night at my house. My parents will not have a problem with that. But I don't know if you're dad will have a problem with it…" I smiled when I remembered the conversation I had with Charlie. I pulled everyone to a stop as we got closer to the building the History classroom was held in, and I smiled at Alice.
"I told my dad where I was yesterday, and it wasn't a problem. I think it's going to be one of those 'too bad for you' things for my father." Jasper and Edward laughed, and Alice looked at me with respect.
"Awesome," she said. I could tell she was happy I had no problem hanging out with them, nor did I have any problems with my father knowing.
"Well boys, we're off to class!" Alice exclaimed. She threw her arms around Jasper, giving him a small kiss on his lips before pulling away. I felt a pang of nervousness when I saw this. Edward's hand was still on my back, but I was scared to look at him.
"See you at lunch." His lips were close to my ear and I turned slowly. Edward was inches away, golden eyes glowing. I felt Alice's hand in my own, and I was tugged away. I had to straighten myself before I face planted into the ground, and I turned to see Alice smiling at me.
"What? Am I that obvious?" I laughed. She seemed to think about it for a moment as we approached our building and held up her fingers, holding them slightly apart.
"A little," she smiled. I looked once more over my shoulder and saw that Jasper and Edward were still standing where we left them, laughing and pushing each other around.
Alice pulled me into the class and I found my seat despite my mind being back with Edward.
"Yeah, scratch that, a lot." I groaned at her change in answer, and let my head fall to the desk. I was done for.
The week went by quickly it seemed. My classes flew by, me looking forward to the hour I would spend at lunch with my new friends, and my Music class spent trying to listen to Edward as he played the piano. I still hadn't gotten my personal concert from him, but I didn't want to press. Instead I watched him in class, listening to his notes rise above the others.
Each afternoon I followed Edward and Jasper to the Cullen house, and smiled as Emmett and Rose joined us for study sessions. I was breezing through my classes thanks to the hours spent with the others, and I wondered if studying with friends made everything so much easier. Apparently, yes.
Several times that week, Edward or Alice disappeared to go to their work. They worked at an Optometrist office next to the hospital that was opened nights and weekends. I supposed it was for the people who weren't able to get out of work and school for appointments. I had asked Edward what he did there, and he tried to explain how he tested each patient the doctor saw. Tested? I had asked. With a smile, he went through the tests he did, explaining each one to me. I was in a daze, hearing 'AR' and 'NCT', but smiled and nodded as if I understood. Edward just smiled and told me he would have to take me in sometime to show me.
It was on Friday night that Alice pulled me aside and asked me about the relationship that was blooming between Edward and me.
School had let out, and study group was a no-go on Friday nights. Edward and Emmett both had to work, and Rose wouldn't be over until later. When I followed Jasper and Alice to the Cullen house, Alice gave Jasper a 'look' and he nodded once. Was that a signal? What was going on?
"Bella, can I talk to you for a second?" I nodded, throwing my bag and keys onto the front steps of the house. We sat down, and I was glad for the first day of no rain in a week. The sun was attempting to peek from beneath the blanket of clouds, and the temperature had actually risen a few degrees. The fifties never felt so good.
"I'm so going to end up walking all over your toes," Alice said quickly, "but I'm kinda curious as to what's going on between you and Edward." I froze.
"Wha-"
"No don't get me wrong!" Alice quickly jumped up. I was baffled. Honest to God baffled. "I love the fact that you guys look at each other like you want to hide in a corner and devour the other persons face." The image flashed through my mind of Edward and I doing such, and I blushed.
"I love my brother, Bella," Alice continued. "And I want to make sure you both have the best intentions. Because even though I don't know you that well yet, I think you're fantastic, and you and Edward will do well together." We both stared at each other. The words forming in my head probably weren't the ones she wanted to hear, but did it matter?
"So if I tell you that I have the best intentions with Edward, do I get your blessing? Or is this one of those mob things?" My questions were comical; I saw the reaction in Alice's eyes. But I knew that the group was close and if someone was ousted, than it was the end. I wasn't ready to give any of this up yet…
"Jasper knows some very frightening people." Her voice was dead serious, eyes trained on me. I swallowed hard, and I wanted to bolt for my car. I wondered if she was a fast runner.
"Bella!" Alice's squeal made me jump, and my hand flew to my chest. "Does this mean you're serious about him?" I had no idea what to say, the image of Jasper and a group of intimidating men coming to harm me because my and Edward's poor relationship didn't end properly. Besides, what do you say to the sister of the guy you're… seeing? Tomorrow night would be the date night, and officially our first date. I wouldn't let him grope me again as he had in his kitchen; I forced those images to the side, locked them away in a cabinet that is locked. No, we would do this right.
"Yes, Alice, I plan on being serious with him." There, I said it. The squeals that flew from Alice's lips brought Jasper's prying eyes to the window. Alice shooed him away with a quick movement of her hand, and he disappeared again.
"Is everyone talking about this or something?" I asked. The look Jasper and Alice had exchanged still haunted me and I knew Jasper was aware of the conversation we were having.
"No, just me and Jazz," she attempted to comfort me. It made me uncomfortable, I wouldn't lie about that. But being an only child, I didn't understand the brother-sister love that they shared. And when it came to Alice and Jasper… well he was her other half. So of course he knew.
"So I'm good?" I laughed. Alice joined in and put her arm around me, lifting me from the cold step and leading me inside.
"She's good!" Alice yelled. Jasper's hand stuck out from the kitchen and gave a thumbs-up. He amused me, and I laughed. I made sure to call Charlie then, letting him know that I was at Alice's house. Immediately he wanted to know who else was there, so I sighed and told him the truth.
"What about that Edward boy you were talking to last night?" I blushed as I realized Charlie was indeed standing outside of my bedroom door last night before he went to bed. That was the only way he would know I was on the phone with him.
"Eavesdropping, Chief Swan?" I spat out bitterly. I could almost hear him rolling his eyes.
"No, Bella, I just heard you saying his name when your phone rang. Don't avoid the question." I glanced at the pair of eyes staring at me and it occurred to me that no matter where I went, I would have an audience. Whatever happened to the art of privacy?
"Yes, Edward and I spoke on the phone last night. But he is not here, he is at work." I noticed an odd look drift over Alice's face, and she turned quickly to mutter something in Jasper's ear. He listened intently for a second and then smiled.
"Bella?" Shit.
"Sorry Dad, what?" I had to turn away from the two.
"I said, what time will you be home tonight? Billy wanted me to go down to La Push and have dinner with him and the Clearwater's." Score.
"Actually Alice invited me for dinner at her house," I lied, avoiding Alice's eyes. "So I was going to ask if I could stay here for a while." Charlie seemed happy with that. I received his approval, and hung up with him quickly after that.
"Okay, don't be mad!" I turned to Alice, expecting a reprimanding. "I'm not inviting myself to stay, but I don't want my dad hanging around." But they were laughing. My eyes narrowed, and I watched as Alice walked up to me gracefully.
"So, since you're free, how about we head on out and visit … someone?"
***
I was captured against my will, thrown into the backseat of Jasper's car and left in the dark as we drove.
"Jasper?" I said sweetly.
"Yes?" He wasn't stupid, but it was worth a try.
"Where are we going?" He laughed. I was right.
"I'm not saying a word. This is the small one's production." I sighed and leaned against the leather seat, glad Jasper had removed the T-tops of his car. The night was perfect, and the few dark clouds that had remained had completely gone now. Looking up, I could see the stars shining down on me and I felt peaceful.
Before I could attempt any more questioning, Jasper pulled into the parking lot of what looked to be an office complex. Looking up, I glanced at the door of the building. A large neon sign showed a picture of a pair of glasses, and in large black letters 'Optometrist' was sprawled over the door.
"Is this your work?" I asked quietly. Alice laughed and nodded, opening the door. It hit me then.
"Edward's here?" I all but screeched at her. Alice leaned down, hitting the switch for the seat to move forward. Unfolding myself from the depths of the bucket seat, I nervously looked around. There were several other cars in the parking lot, one of them including Edward's silver Volvo. Alice approached me and laid her hand on my arm.
"Don't freak. I know you're dying of wonder at how Edward looks in scrubs!" Ohmigod. Was I that obvious? I followed the pair through the front door, and I turned into a tourist. This was Edward's work, and I wanted to know everything about him as possible. And seeing the office that he spent hours a week at, made me feel somewhat closer to him.
The office was quaint, and absolutely fantastic. Immediately entering, I was surrounded by frames. Different designers, different colors, different displays. Even though I didn't wear a prescription, I wanted badly to try the many options. Straight ahead and to the left was a large desk with granite tops. Brochures for contact lenses and how to take proper care of your eyes adorned the counter top, and I smiled at the receptionist who sat at the computer. She was about thirty, her mound of red curls piled on top of her head. It was like looking directly into the sun—the amount of makeup she wore made it hard to stare straight at her. Above the desk was a large plasma television, advertising different options for Lasik surgery.
"Isn't it nice?" Alice asked me. I nodded quickly. The waiting area was fairly large, and I saw that there was a man sitting with his son. Eye exam? The kid looked scared, and I didn't blame him. Eye exams always scared me.
"Alice!" the receptionist spoke up. Alice smiled and walked up to her, a grin glowing on her face.
"Lena, hey! This is our friend Bella." Lena's eyes landed on me and I tried to smile.
"Chief's daughter?" What the hell. Did everyone know who I was?
"Yeah, nice to meet you Lena." Always be polite. Always be polite. Was it bad when I had to remind myself?
"What are you up to tonight? You're not scheduled until tomorrow." I turned to Alice, waiting for the answer I was dying to hear myself.
"Well, you know how we're looking for a contact lens person?" Alice said to Lena. The receptionists eyes grew wide, and she nodded, excited. Then there was silence. Lena gasped and looked at me.
"Oh that's great! Have you talked to Dr. Allen about this yet?" Alice shook her head, and I started becoming nervous. Me? What?
"No, I'm going to grab him when he's done. Is he with a patient right now?" Lena nodded in confirmation, and I started to step away from the counter. But Jasper's hand shot out and pushed me back forward, touching me in the same spot that Edward had all week.
"Traitor!" I whispered to him. He laughed, dropping his hand. Alice said something to Lena, and then pulled me aside. All of the blood in my body was rushing to my head, and I started to panic.
"Alice! I don't know anything about contact lenses, or eyes, or optometrists! What are you doing?" The terror was evident, and Alice held up her hands in attempt to calm me.
"Bella, it's okay. We're looking to hire someone, and Dr. Allen loves hiring younger people. It gives you experience, and also you'd be able to spend a lot more time with Edward and me." Edward. My heart sped up again, and I looked around in panic. A grinding noise echoed through the building, and I was immediately reminded of a dentist's office.
"What is that?" I asked. Alice pointed to a closed door on the other side of the waiting room.
"That's the lab for the Optician's. We have an edging machine in there, so that we can cut lenses for the frames here. It saves a lot of time so patients don't have to wait for their glasses." She seemed so smart… so knowledgeable.
"Alice, I don't know about this!" I whispered. Jasper was blocking Lena's view from our conversation, and I sent him mental thank you looks as he stood there, looking oblivious.
"Bella, you were just saying the other day how you needed to get a job." I was? "And you just told me an hour ago that you were serious about Edward." I did?
"Yeah, but I'm going to look like a stalker!" Alice and Jasper both laughed, and I jumped when a door opened in the back of the office. I heard the low voice of a man, assuming to be the doctor. Then I heard Edward. The musical voice of Edward.
"Okay, if you'll follow me I'll have Lena get you checked out." He was coming.
"Ready?" Alice asked quickly. I didn't have time to answer. Edward appeared with a middle aged woman, and I felt my heart beat faster when I saw that he was wearing black scrubs. The entire outfit- black top and the pants that hung lose on his hips. The messy hair was combed back in a professional manner, and I smiled. He looked like a gentleman.
"Lena, Mrs. Schwartz here is ready to go. Dr. Allen wants to see her back in three weeks for a contact lens check."
"Alice!" I turned my eyes away from Edward and glued my stare to the doctor. He intimidated me right away. He was easily six foot five, brown hair and bright blue eyes.
"Dr. Allen! How is everything going tonight?" The doctor gave her a small hug and gave Jasper a pat on the back.
"Great, great, and who might this be?" Of course, turn the attention to the new stranger. Because that's exactly what was happening.
"Dr. Allen, this is Bella Swan." Edward's eyes shot from the reception area, and were then glued on me. I blushed.
"Nice to meet you Bella, I'm sure Alice here is treating you well. I heard you just moved from Arizona?" What. The. Hell. The damn doctor whom I had never even met knew who I was.
"Yes sir, Alice is great." Alice glanced towards Edward for a moment and then winked. At me? At him?
"Dr. Allen, I brought Bella here tonight to see if you were still looking for someone for the contact lens area?" The words came out in a rush, and the blush that covered my face only intensified.
"Oh! Yeah, I'm still looking, absolutely." Dr. Allen seemed to be glancing over me, almost measuring me up. It would normally intimidate me, but I felt offended.
"She's a fantastic person, and I think she would be an asset to the office. She doesn't have any experience in the Optometric field, but neither did Edward or me." She needed to shut up.
"So, this interests you Bella?" Might as well lie, I told myself.
"Yes sir. I'm sorry that Alice ambushed both you and I with this, but I can bring in a resume tomorrow if you'd like." I just kept looking at Edward over the doctors' shoulder, and he was smiling. Did he like the idea of me working with him? Would that give us more time together?
"That would be fantastic." Dr Allen stared at me for a moment longer and then nodded. "You know, I'm in a great mood tonight. How about you start on Monday?" Alice yelled out, a grin on her face. The patients in the waiting area looked up curiously, and I had to hold back a laugh.
"Now Alice, because she doesn't have any experience I will need you and Edward to train her so that she isn't behind. Is that okay with you Bella?" I nodded, not believing my luck. Dr. Allen kept talking though, smiling as if this were his idea to hire me.
"And not just with contacts," he continued, "but I want you to learn how to pre-test, which is what Edward does, and maybe learn some stuff in Optical. Ordering glasses and such." Wow.
"Yes sir, absolutely." How pathetic, my voice even sounded excited.
"If it's okay with you, I can bring her in tomorrow when the office is closed and we can go over a lot of things, that way on Monday she'll already be set." I wanted to smack Alice. Give up my Sunday? Really?
"Yeah that's fine," Dr. Allen said. He looked up at the large clock that hung on the wall and took a step back. "See if Edward can come too, Alice. Because you're mostly optical and reception, I need someone to go over the machines in the back. You'll all get paid of course." And he was gone. Dr. Allen called to the patients waiting, leading them into the back.
"I cannot believe you just did that," I muttered to Alice, covering the blush on my face with my hands.
"You can't hate me!" Alice laughed. She gave me a hug, pulling my hands away. "Do you hate me?"
"Of course not," I sighed. Alice seemed pleased with that answer and danced around to give Jasper a hug. I looked up to see Edward leaning against the front desk, smiling at me.
"So, you work with me now?" he smiled. I rolled my eyes and walked to him, stopping a couple feet away. My stomach was jumping, and I felt happy. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but I had a good feeling about it all. Somehow I would have to thank Alice for this.
"Sorry you've been volunteered to train me Sunday," I muttered. But Edward smiled and shook his head.
"Hey, it's okay. That's a few more hours I get to spend with you this weekend. Also, more money for me. I need new tires." I laughed and saw that Lena was staring at us.
"You guys dating?" Lena blurted out. My mouth hung open, but Edward just laughed.
"Don't mind her, Bella. She's just a ball of gossip, and she's tired of the things that Alice and I throw at her." Edward bantered at her so easily that I had to smile. I had been smiling a lot this week, and I knew it all had to do with the new group of people I had met. Glancing around my new work, I saw that Alice was trying on different glasses with Jasper, letting me have my moment with Edward.
"You'll have to buy some scrubs," Edward was saying to me. I glanced down to his outfit and nodded.
"Do they have to be black like yours or can I have color?" He laughed and shook his head. He pointed at Lena, and I saw that she was wearing a bright blue shirt and pant set. I was okay with that, I realized.
"Edward!" Dr. Allen's voice broke into our conversation, and he looked back to the hallway.
"That's my cue, I'll text you later." And he was gone. I sighed, waving to Lena and walked to Alice and Jasper.
"I'm going to kill you," I smiled at Alice. The smile was a good touch, this way she knew I wasn't serious. I wouldn't admit this to them, but I was on cloud nine. Jasper lead the way out of the office, the door dinging as we left.
"Edward and Bella sitting in a tree…" Alice sang out into the night. I acted on impulse and sprang at her, preparing to run. Alice saw me coming and screamed. We spent the next ten minutes running in the parking lot, dodging the other person's arms as we tried to grab hold of each other. Jasper leaned against his car, laughing. I felt like a kid, carefree and ecstatic about life.
Yes, definitely on cloud nine.
Tell me what you think!! Like I said this was a buffer chapter for the next few ones, and things will start REALLY unraveling for all of you. Trust me. So sooner everyone reads and reviews, the sooner I post the bestest chapters ever!
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