The Learning Curve: Chapter 66

Edward's New Old Toyota

"The story," he sighed. "Okay, well, when I got here, Emmett was one of the first people I met. It didn't take long for him and Rose to get me to talk about Kate. Things with her ended...badly. We had sex the first time before I knew I was moving. We tried a lot of things together - I mean, once we did it the first time, it seemed like that was all she wanted me for. And when I told her I'd be moving, she wanted to break up. She didn't want to be tied down."

I scowled. She sounded like a big fat flake to me.

"So, anyway, I was kind of messed up about it when I got here. I thought she'd loved me and that I'd loved her, and I didn't know how it could get swept aside so easily. Emmett thought the best cure would be to move on, and maybe he was right, but he didn't have the best idea of how to go about it. He had Rose setting me up on dates with girls that were just...not what I'd ever want. After a few months, I told him no more. But he kept dragging me out to parties hoping I'd meet someone. I didn't mind so much until Emmett tried to make it sound like I'd done things with all the girls they'd set me up with. And then, at one party where there was too much booze, Jessica caught me alone in a room."

I felt nauseous. How could these girls think this was okay?

Edward cleared his throat. "I told Jessica no and made her leave, but when she went downstairs she said we'd had sex. I guess she thought that sounded better than getting rejected by me."

"That's...really sort of sad," I said.

He smiled half-heartedly. "She doesn't deserve your pity, Bella. But her lie started this sort of...chain reaction, I guess. The girls I'd dated in Forks started saying they'd done things with me too, even though I hadn't even kissed them. Pretty soon, girls I'd never really met were making up stories of their own."

"Why would anyone do that?"

Edward shrugged. "I think the first girls believed Jessica's story and didn't want it to look like I hadn't liked them the same way. As for the others, I don't know - I guess they just didn't want to be left out?"

"I guess," I agreed, always baffled by the way some girls operated. "It's just awful."

"That's why I never asked you out, like I said before. I didn't want you to think I was only after one thing, because I want all of you."

I blushed. "I would have believed you, you know, if you'd just told the truth."

"Would you have? Even after how Mike acted?"

I nodded, feeling certain. "It never made sense. You always seemed way too nice and smart to sleep around."

He laughed. "Thanks, Bella."

I leaned over the center console and kissed his clean-shaven cheek. "I'm glad you didn't let me make this all about sex, Edward. I wouldn't want to miss out on all this," I said, gesturing between us.

"I'm glad, too," he said, and he turned and kissed me on the lips.

A/N: I hope Edward's past was sordid enough for you. ;)