The Learning Curve: Chapter 81

Edward Cullen's Bed

"That felt so good," Edward moaned, sprawled across the mattress. I lay nearly on top of him with my arms folded on his chest.

"It really did," I agreed.

Edward stroked my neck idly with his thumb. "I'm starving."

I laughed. "Me too."

"But I don't want to move," he sighed.

"Me neither."

We were still and quiet until Edward's stomach gave a growl that couldn't be ignored. I found myself giggling. "Maybe we should go down to the kitchen."

Reluctantly, we found enough clothing to cover the basics and crept down the stairs into the darkened kitchen. Edward pulled the fridge door open and stared helplessly inside. I peeked over his shoulder.

"Eggs?" I suggested. "We probably need the protein after all that," I teased.

Edward glanced at me sheepishly. "I don't know how to make eggs."

I stared at him. "You're about to graduate from high school and you don't know how to scramble an egg?"

He shrugged. "It's never been something I bothered with..."

I rolled my eyes, reached past him, and grabbed the carton of eggs. "Find me a frying pan," I instructed him. I found the light switch and went to the stove. He joined me a moment later with a pan that was entirely too large for the job, but I didn't want to say anything, so I accepted it wordlessly.

While I worked on the eggs, Edward sat on the other side of the counter, watching my every move. I could feel his eyes on the back of my neck and turned to look at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he smiled. "I just...it feels like we're a real grown-up couple, doesn't it? We just climbed out of bed and now you're making us breakfast. This is how it could be...we could be starting a life together just like this no more than six months from now. Isn't that kind of amazing?"

"Yeah," I said. I smiled but there was a tinge of nervousness lurking beneath. The possibility that things wouldn't play out like Edward's fantasy haunted me, and then there was the possibility that it would...that Edward and I would go off to college together, share an apartment, and that it would fall short for Edward – that he would realize I was nothing special after all.

I did my best to banish those thoughts before I finished the eggs, and when I turned around to serve them, I almost felt as happy as I was a few hours ago.

We sat on the stools at the counter and ate our eggs with our bare knees touching all the while.

A/N: You guys, of course I'm not going to get Bella pregnant. One reviewer took the words right out of my mouth - this story is romance/humor. If I was going to turn it into a teen pregnancy after-school special, I would have labeled it "horror." Yeesh.

But quick PSA: BIRTH CONTROL PILLS ARE NOT 100% EFFECTIVE. Maybe one in a thousand women get pregnant while on the pill, and yes, it's always safer to go with pill and condom. If you're one of those people like I was who reads adult fanfiction long before you're of age, just trust me and use a condom to be safe, okay? And save your "maidenhead" for your Edward.

And if you don't know what a maidenhead is, like one reviewer, it's a hymen. If you don't know what a hymen is, you're definitely too young to be reading this. I won't rat you out, but remember, this is not a sex-ed class. Take it all with a grain of salt.