Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight but i do own a can of Rainier beer (aka Vitaming R) from Forks.
Hello my lovies! Thank you for sticking around even though I've been over thinking this fic so much I couldn't write which lead to dreaming about it. Sorry I didn't reply to everyone who reviewed last time but a majority came while I was vacationing in Hawaii...yes TOO MANY ideas flowed through my mind while in North Shore.
If you check out the Twilight Sisterhood Blog you will see we along with the Twilightish(.)com we're trying to raise money for the kids africa. And their hosting a 30 day challenge to those who want to help! So please, please check out the blog! www(.)twilightsisterhood(dot)blogspot(dot)com(/)2010/06/my-30-days-of-summer-donation-challenge(dot)html
Now, June is here and you know that means ECLIPSE! WOO HOO!
If you're in LA and going to see Bobby Long on 7/9 (my bday!) let me know!
A special thanks to the busiest woman in fandom Wearingwords, honestly thank you for saving me and for not scolding me too much for the bad grammar! And Vanessa my TS sister has been a fuck ray of sunshine listening to me go on and on about nothing. Meg my fic reading partner and Arthur Stu admirer thank you for making me laugh.
Yes I'm on twitter, bbwraven but please follow Indieficpimp not because she rec Awakening but because she's rec-ing a varitey of fics. Plus she's on FFn under the same name.
Whew that's ALOT! maybe more than the actual chapter.
R.I.P. - Rue McClanahan
Last night had been one of the best nights I'd ever had with Bella. Even though we'd been sexual partners in the past, it felt as though, intimately, we were closer than ever. If I'd thought her kisses made me feel drunk, tasting her was better than any cocaine high I'd ever had.
I was generally a very selfish lover, but when it came to Bella I was the complete opposite. I craved to bring her pleasure, foregoing my own, though I so badly wanted to say to hell with waiting and slide myself into her until she screamed my name.
But I knew I couldn't and my cock wasn't listening. I tried thinking of movies I hated, like Dane Cook's 'Employee of the Month', and it seemed to work until I thought of Jessica Simpson in a fitted shirt which led me to think about that god awful 'Dukes of Hazzard' movie. Jessica can't act for shit, but damn she looked good in that movie. Yeah, I was completely fucked and my morning wood had a mind of its own.
"Oh, dear god," I muttered to myself when Bella's fingers unconsciously grazed my hip and my dick started to twitch uncontrollably. Suddenly, Will Ferrell popped in my head which made me chuckle as I thought of Talladega Nights, and I started praying like Ricky Bobby on crack.
Dear Sweet baby Jesus,
Please help me refrain from flipping my girl over and having my way with her. And thank you for blessing her with a great rack, but seriously I want to bury my face in them. And that's not very gentlemanly...that's purely selfish...right? Please give me strength.
Amen.
I brushed my lips against her hair and carefully slipped out of bed when the urge to use the bathroom to hit me. After I washed my hands, I decided to brush my teeth and proceeded to wash my face. I needed the extra time to gain more control of my urges.
After a few meditative deep breathes, I walked back into the room and noticed Bella moved from the middle of the bed to my empty side and was clutching my pillow. She was still naked from last night, the sheet barely covered her ass. Even though her hair covered most of her back, I could still see the welts on her skin. As I stood there frozen, my vision was suddenly blurred as the rage coursed through my veins. I knew if James had been in front of me I would have killed him.
Taking a deep breath I eased back into bed and gently moved her hair off her back. As quickly as I had become enraged, I was suddenly sad. I took in the crisscrossed scars, knowing this was another reason why she hid under large shirts.
Just a few days ago I'd told her when she hurt I hurt, and my heart ached at this very moment. When I was a kid, I remember getting scrapes and bruises, my mom would bandage me up and kiss away the pain. Without a second thought, I traced each scar with my finger then placed a kiss on each raised welt. I knew the instant she was awake, I could feel her body stiffen but I continued my journey.
I wanted her to know she was mine; I wanted her to know she was desired, but most of all I wanted her to know she was consistently loved. I needed to convey that these scars would not scare me away and they didn't make her any less beautiful. I felt her body shake and knew she was crying. I gathered her in my arms and let her cry.
"Whenever we got a cut, scrape or a bruise my mom would kiss to make it better. As silly as it was I always felt instantly better," I said softly, praying my voice wouldn't crack. "And I just wanted to try to kiss away yours."
"I think it worked," she said, her voice husky with tears. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, babe," I said and retrieved the blanket from the foot of the bed. I started humming the song I'd begun writing when I'd arrived back in Forks. I hadn't played it often but lately I could hear the notes clearly in my head and was able to translate. I was starting to drift off when I felt Bella's lips against my knuckles. I gave her another squeeze and let sleep claim me.
xoXox
I woke up to Bella kissing my shoulder, I purred when she ran her fingers through my hair.
"Time to wake up sleepyhead," she whispered in my ear. Bella was grinning down at me when I opened my eyes, but I was disappointed to see her already dressed. "Morning," she said, kissing my lips.
"Morning," I said, still sleepy and trying to keep my eyes open. "What time is it?"
"A little after nine," she replied as she continued to run her fingers through my hair. "I brought food. Emmett had a crazy work out and had three helpings, so I snagged a plate for you."
"Thank you, baby," I said, sitting up. Bella presented breakfast in bed with eggs, toast, pancakes and turkey bacon. Emmett must have replaced real bacon. "Wow this looks amazing. Thank you." She'd even brought coffee just the way I liked it and orange juice.
"You're welcome," she said with a grin and then sat next to me against the headboard, laying her head on my shoulder. I offered her a bite of my pancake, she shook her head no but did take a sip of my orange juice.
"So, you're going to finish editing today?" I asked in between bites.
"I'm actually done. I only had to touch up two photos and Rose is going to approve five for the site," she explained.
"So you have the day free?"
"No, Alice wants to go shopping. She said she's already mapped out a few places so I won't be dragged all over the city," she explained.
"Wow, Ace not hitting every store in L.A., I think I'm in shock," I said. "I'm honestly surprised she lasted this long."
"Don't tell her, but I'm kind of excited about the shopping," she admitted.
I chuckled. "Your secret is safe with me."
"Thank you," she said. "What are you going to do?"
"I have no idea, I'll see if Emmett and Jasper have plans since my girl is leaving me to go shopping," I said with a fake pout. A soft knock interrupted our conversation. "Come in."
"Morning, Eddie!" Alice said, walking into the room. I hated when she called me Eddie. She handed me a piece of paper with my name on it. "Bella scoot over, I need to take your picture for Twitter."
"I don't have a twitter account," I said, holding the paper in front of me.
"I created an account this morning and Emmett will add it to your phone. I want to get you verified and this way is faster," she said.
"Alice, you do realize I'm shirtless, right?"
"Yeah, the fangirls are going to lose their minds off this one!" she said, snapping a picture of me. After a few tries the picture continued to come out blurry, it wasn't until her fifth try did the picture come out right. "Done!"
"Finally," I muttered and resumed eating my breakfast that was considerably colder.
"Bells, we have to go, the manager at Marc Jacobs is holding a private viewing for a few one-of-a-kind items and I need to get there before the Beverly Hills socialites." I chuckled because Alice loved to out-buy the socialites. I offered my orange juice to Bella again before I placed my tray on the floor.
"Still excited?" I whispered in her hair.
She shook her head. "No, more like terrified," she whispered back, trying not to laugh.
"Ace she'll be down in a few minutes," I said, hopping out of bed and walking her to the door.
Tossing me a knowing grin, she said, "Ok, see you downstairs, Bells."
After I closed the door behind Alice, I looked at Bella who was perched on her knees in the edge of the bed grinning mischievously. I walked over and cupped her cheek, my thumb caressing her bottom lip as I leaned in to kiss her plump soft lips, savoring the taste of orange juice and maple syrup. Her hand tugged at my pants bunching them at the waist bringing me closer.
We'd both been understandably anxious to be together and last night only intensified what we'd been harboring. She moaned against my mouth, our breathing becoming labored as her tongue danced with mine, there was no shyness. I knew exactly what she wanted. My cock was obviously stiff and hard, she took advantage of my weakness and gently cupped it through my pants. I broke the kiss when I could no longer breathe, our mouths still close but not touching.
"Bella," I hissed. Her hands were rubbing the length on my shaft through my pants…FUCK… she wasn't even really touching me and I was about to cum.
"Edward, please…" she begged. I knew what she was really asking.
"Soon, baby," I murmured against her lips. "Alice is waiting." I gave her another kiss and reluctantly helped her off the bed instead of throwing her down and having her straddle me. Damn the image of Bella on top began to fill my brain. I needed to get Bella out of here or I knew I would give in to my fantasies, so I walked her downstairs to the front door, giving her one last kiss. I reluctantly watched her get in the car with Rose and Alice and stood there until the car disappeared.
"You know she's coming back," Emmett said coming up behind me. I braced myself for a joke when I looked at him there was no laughter in his eyes.
"I know," I said quietly, heading back to my room.
"When I was in the NFL and I had my first away game, it killed me to leave Rose. I went to the bathroom and cried like a baby," he confessed. I turned and stared at him in shock. "She's the only woman who could be in the next room and I'd still miss her. Like you, even apart my feelings for her didn't change."
"You two have been working together for years, why did it take you guys so long to get back together?" I asked, suddenly curious. Emmett could be very reserved when it came to his feelings.
"Because I thought it was emasculating to miss someone like that."
"When did you stop thinking that?"
"When Jake and Leah got engaged. She'd go out with Rose and Ace and when she'd walked through the door he'd act like she'd been gone for weeks instead of a few hours. Hell, you know our parents are overly affectionate and I knew normal people weren't like that. But Jake made it look normal and manly."
"I didn't know that," I said.
He shrugged. "It wasn't something I broadcasted. Now, go get changed, Ace wants me to show you how to use Twitter," he said as we walked up the stairs.
"Why are we suddenly on the Twitter bandwagon?" I asked.
"Because it's fun," he said, grinning.
"Whatever. I'm going for a run," I said, rolling my eyes as I entered my room to change.
xoXox
A few hours later we strolled into the Apple store at the Grove, trying to find a laptop for Bella. It was Jasper's and Emmett's birthday gift. After the photo shoot we realized she needed a computer of her own so she didn't have to constantly borrow one of ours.
It was honestly no bother, but why share when you can have your own to work when the inspiration arises? When we first started touring we tried to share two laptops, but ended up bickering over them too often. Within a month we each had our own, and if any of them break, Emmett or Rosalie usually repairs them.
After badgering the poor sales guy with question after question, Emmett finally made his choice. Jasper and I found a decent computer bag which she could exchange if she didn't like it. And since she did not have a cell phone, I added an iPhone to the mix.
Jasper sent Alice a text and found out what store they were in, which was when I realized that we'd come to this mall because they wanted to hang out with the girls and not deal with the clothing stores.
A few minutes later we were greeted by the sales girl as we walked into some store call Anthropologie. It wasn't Alice's usual type of store, there was a mix of kitchen supplies, bedding and trendy-vintage clothing. Oddly, it worked.
"Is that a bed?" Emmett asked, mouth hanging open. I nodded. "If I would have known I could take a nap I would have come with them."
"I figured they'd be on Rodeo Drive by now," I said offhandedly.
"I don't think Ace wanted to scare her again," Jasper said as he read his text messages. "They're in the dressing room and we can go back there."
Being the only guys in the store, I felt uncomfortable as we walked toward the dressing area. I didn't want management calling Security to come kick us out. I was thankful Alice, along with a sales person, met us halfway and led us to a sitting area surrounded by dressing rooms.
"It hasn't been going well," Alice whispered in my ear when I sat down.
"What happened?"
"I'm not even sure, she seemed to be excited then she tried on some items and came out unhappy. She's in there now with a bunch of sweaters, but could you get her to try on some dresses?"
"Yeah, I'll see what I can do," I said. The sales girl handed me three dresses and showed me Bella's room. I knocked on the door. "Bella?"
"Edward?" she asked, sounding stunned.
"Hey, can I come in?" I asked. She didn't open the door immediately and I was afraid she was going to refuse, but she finally opened it and I stepped in the spacious area, closing the door quickly behind me. "Ace wants you to try these items."
Bella stared at the dresses but made no moves to take them. Ace was right, the excitement from earlier was gone, she looked defeated. I handed her an off-white dress with bronze flowers in the bust area, but she shook her head no.
"Why? It's pretty," I said. It's a dress, what the fuck do I know.
"It shows too much," she said, staring at the dress. I looked at it, taking in the thin straps and noting the low bust that wasn't too risqué, but the back would reveal a few of her scars.
Suddenly inspired, I asked, "Have you ever watch Top Chef?" Frowning she shook her head no. "The host is this smokin' hot model name Padma, when she was a teenager she was this really bad car accident which left a visible scar on her arm. I admit, you notice it, but the woman is hot." I put emphasis on the word 'hot'. "But that's not what you remember about Padma, you remember the way the dress hugs her curves, you remember her confidence, but most of all you remember her standing there owning the room while every straight man drools over her. That scar didn't stop her from showing her arms or from modeling." I admit, I have a thing for Padma.
Bella didn't say anything for a long while, then, with an exaggerated sigh, she then took the dress from me. I gave her a quick peck on the cheek then turned to leave to give her privacy to change. "Edward?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"Anytime," I said, winking as I exited the dressing room to sit with Jasper and Emmett, who were on the couch looking bored and trying to kill time by playing with their phones.
"What are you guys doing?"
"We're on twitter," Emmett said, grinning. "I already have over 1200 followers." I just shook my head. Lately Emmett had been obsessed with phone applications, if he wasn't in front of a computer he was on his phone. He found an app for everything; hell, if it kept him entertained then I didn't care.
Alice and Rose came out with their selections and sat with us as we waited for Bella. A moment later, Bella's dressing room door opened and she stepped out looking at us, nervously tugged on the dress and, as I suspected, the bust area fit beautifully, flaring out at the waist. She looked at me expectantly, quirking her eyebrow while biting her lip.
"Well?" she asked when we all remained silent.
"Ohmigod, Bells, you look beautiful!" Alice exclaimed.
"Wow, Miss Bella, Alice is right, you do look beautiful," Jasper said, laying the accent on thick.
"Damn, Bella, if I wasn't in love with Rose I would so have a crush on you right now," Emmett said. "Who knew you had legs?"
Rose elbowed him in the ribs. "Seriously, Bella, you look great! You're not leaving this store without that dress."
She looked at me expectantly. "Just as I predicted, you look beautiful," I said.
"Go try something else on," Alice said excitedly and ushered Bella back into the dressing room. It seemed she and the sales girl had a rack of clothes for Bella to try on but it hadn't wanted to intimidate her. Once Bella was dressed again she and I wonder through the store looking at all the trinkets, when Alice called her over to look at accessories. Left to my own devices, I found myself standing in what was considered the house ware area, filled with glassware, doorknobs and hooks, light switches, when I found hooks with 'B' & 'E' I knew I was getting ahead of myself, but I bought them for the house I hoped Bella and I would share.
"Is this too much for a first date?" the blonde asked her friend who was standing next to me. She held up a gray dress in front of her while her friend looked her over.
"Actually, I think it's perfect. Not showing too much skin, yet showing enough to not embarrass him in front of his co-workers," she said thoughtfully.
"I'm freaking out!" the blonde exclaimed.
"You shouldn't, go try it on and see if it works," her friend said.
"Thank you for wasting your lunch hour with me. I know I'm spazzing, but you know the first dates are the worst," blondie muttered.
"Hell, at least you're getting the date," the friend muttered as they walked to the dressing area.
And it dawned on me as I listened in on a private conversation, Bella and I hadn't been on a date. Yeah, we'd gone to Port Angeles and had quiet moments on the beach, but a real date? I watched her with Alice discussing accessories, feeling like a complete ass. I knew for a fact Jasper and Alice had date nights whenever possible. Everyone knew my feelings for her, but yet, I was still hiding. Part of it was the fact that she was married, but she getting divorced, so I knew that was just an excuse. I picked up the hooks with our initials and thought of the possibility of house hunting, but shouldn't I take her on a date before we got a house together? Talk about ass backwards.
I added the hooks to the growing pile of clothes for Bella when she came and stood with me. She cocked her eyebrow at the hooks, I just shook my head and grinned at her. "Sorry to interrupt, I'm Anna, the Store Manager," she said, shaking my hand and then Bella's. "I thought you should know several members of the paparazzi were spotted on the premises. I don't think they know you're here, but I wanted to give you the heads up so you can prepare yourself."
"Crap," I muttered. Last thing I wanted to do was deal with photographers. "Thank you, Anna, I appreciate the heads up."
"Do you know what area they're in, so we can try to avoid them?" Jasper asked. I hadn't even realized he was nearby.
"Near the fountain, I think Heidi Klum is here again and she usually hangs out at The Farm," Anna explained. The Farm was a café right across from the fountain next to the theater.
"I'll go pay and then we can leave," Alice said, going to the counter. I followed and handed her my credit card, she reminded me my parents were footing the bill but I insisted this round was on me, including the items for Rose and herself. "Shit, you're treating? If I would have known I would have gotten more!"
After we were rung up we paired off, Jasper and Alice left the store first, followed by Emmett and Bella, finally Rose and I were the last to leave. And, just as Anna said,` there were photographers all around, with there being two valet booths Emmett grabbed Bella's hand and walked her swiftly to one of the booth closer to the restaurants, while we all headed to the valet closer to the stores.
Just as we walked past the fountain I heard my name being yelled. "We've been made," Rose muttered.
"Rose, go with Jazz and Alice. Text me when you have the car and I will meet you on the other side," I said.
She nodded and continued on to followed Jazz, I made a beeline for Wetzel Pretzel and put myself in the line of fire as I stood it line.
After I placed my order for two pretzels and large lemonade, I heard, "Hey, Edward! How are you feeling?" I looked over at the camera man from TMZ.
"I'm good," I replied, giving him my signature smirk.
"You're fully recovered?" he continued to ask, I could see a few photographers taking photos.
"Pretty much," I said. I could see a small crowd had started to gather around me, even in LA this was just weird.
"What are you doing in town?" the camera man asked.
"Work," I replied. I got a text from Jasper.
Emmett is waiting for you at the Nordstorms exit.
-JWH
"New CD soon?"
"Not for a while," I said.
Waiting for hotdogs and will be there soon.
-EAC
"Where's Isabella?" he asked. I shrugged, hoping Emmett and Bella made their escape without too much hassle, when I heard a familiar voice.
"Edward?" the familiar sing-song voice accented voice called. I looked up to see a very pregnant Heidi Klum walking over to me along with her son following close behind. I could hear the cameras snapping away as she moved closer to me.
"Hey, Heidi," I said, gathering her into an embrace as best I could due to her protruding belly which made the hug somewhat awkward. "How are you?"
"I'm good, just tired of being pregnant."
Ignoring the flashes from the photographers, I rubbed her belly. "When are you due?"
"Another three weeks! Can you believe it?" The excitement in her voice was evident, her pregnancy glow made her shine.
"I can't believe you're out here. Shouldn't you be resting right now?"
"Oh please, you sound like my husband! I'm perfectly fine, now what about you? You're really ok?" she asked, I could see the worry in her eyes.
"I'm really ok," I said truthfully.
"Okay, good," she said, hugging me tightly. "I need to get Henry to karate class." We said our goodbyes and she made me promise to have dinner before we headed back to Forks. Though I had a feeling she was going to pop before we had that dinner.
My order was finally ready, so I made my way to Nordstroms, thankfully paparazzi were not allowed in the store and security arrived to push them back. I walked swiftly through the department store to the other opening to see Emmett's rental. I hopped in the truck and Emmett took off.
"Are you ok?" Bella asked from the back seat, I turned to give her a reassuring smile.
"Actually, it went very well, not pushy this time around, how about you two?" I asked looking from her to Emmett.
"We were spotted," Bella said, biting her lip.
"Not sure where the guy was from, but he won't be able to use my sound byte," Emmett said cheerfully.
"I didn't realize a person could say 'motherfucker' so many times in a two minute span," Bella said, shaking her head. I laughed, Emmett's theory was if you cursed enough they could never use your quote in the tabloid shows.
"I ran into Klum," I told him.
"Isn't she pregnant?" he asked.
"Yeah, she's dues in a few weeks."
"Even pregnant she's hot."
xoXox
When we returned to the house I helped Bella with the few items she had, the rest were in the car with Jasper, Alice and Rose. I was sitting on the bed watching her put away the clothes, when I thought about the conversation I overheard at the store.
"Bella?"
She looked up at me. "Yes?"
"Would—um that is-" I stumbled over my words. "Would you like to go on a date…with me?" I hadn't felt this nervous about asking a girl on a date since I asked Tara Gordon to the Junior Prom. Bella's mouth formed an 'O' as she stared at me. I was starting to get nervous when she didn't respond. "This is where you answer."
"Um…wow…Edward, I would love to go out with you," she said, blushing. "But I have to check my schedule and get back you."
I chuckled. "Great, let me know when you're free." We grinned at each other and she went on to tell me about her morning with Alice and Rose. I couldn't tell her about what I did with the guys, otherwise I would have spoiled the surprise. Emmett was in his room setting up her laptop.
We found our way downstairs, sharing the remainder of her 'Everything But' ice cream. "Edward?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm available if you still want to go out," she said, grinning at me.
"Are you available tomorrow night?"
She pretended to flip through her imaginary date book. "You're in luck, I'm completely free tomorrow night."
"Great I'll pick you up around seven," I said.
"I'll be ready, I can't wait."
"Neither can I," I said and leaned over to kiss her lips.
xoXox
I was nervous. I hadn't felt this way since my first arena concert- actually this was much worse. I was so nervous I didn't even protest when Alice dragged me to Neimen Marcus to buy a suit. I didn't complain when she had me change into so many outfits, I lost count after six.
So, I stood there in the middle of my room with nothing but a towel around my waist staring at a Giorgio Armani black suit, trying to calm racing heart. It wasn't like I'd never been on a date, but Bella wasn't like the others…she wasn't a blur in the crowd, or someone to fill a void. I ran my fingers through my hair realizing I did everything backwards with her. I should have courted her then declared my feelings.
Taking a deep breath, I put on a pair of black Calvin Klein box-briefs and proceeded to get dressed. Once I had my pants, shirt and shoes on, out of habit I went into the bathroom to get a bandage. Just as I pulled the bandage out of the container, I stopped. Instead of bandaging the tattooed finger, I let it be; Bella knew it was there and she was the only one that mattered.
I added Fekkai's glossing crème to my hair which was growing out again, but I was enjoying the length this time around. I grabbed my jacket and went downstairs to wait for Bella, found Jasper and Emmett in the backyard drinking beer.
"Aww, don't you look pretty," Emmett said when he spotted me. I flipped him the bird, smiling.
"What do you guys have planned?" I asked.
"Going to hit up Social, see if it's become super lame," Emmett said.
"Just prepare for lame, but it'll get Alice and Rose off our asses," Jasper added.
Rosalie joined us and said Bella would be along soon. I kept swatting at her hand as she kept fluffing out my hair. "Rose, will you stop messing with my hair?"
"I'm trying to make you presentable," she muttered, not backing down. It was easier to sit still instead of fighting her, besides the ducking and weaving only made me nauseous. When did I become a pansy?
When we started playing arenas I would have minor freak outs so bad my stomach would cramp up. I stopped drinking for a while. I must have had that same look, because Emmett handed me a glass of ginger ale. As usual, the drink helped soothe my stomach. I closed my eyes, enjoying the calmness, after a few moments I felt tingly all over. I opened my eyes to see Bella walk through the back door.
I was happy I was sitting down because I would have passed out right then and there. Bella was no longer the girl from Forks I fell in love with, the person before me was all woman, a very gorgeous woman. Usually Bella hid behind her hair, but tonight her hair was pulled back into a low pony tail. She stared at me with wide brown eyes with a small smile firmly placed on her plump pink glossed lips. The dress molded her body, the deep V front accentuated her breasts, and the belt made her waist seem smaller and as she walked toward me the ruffled edges made it seems as if she was walking on air. My dick was vibrating with anticipation, down boy!
"Wow," was all I could manage.
"Is that a good thing?" she asked.
"Definitely yes, you look absolutely gorgeous," I said. "I'm not sure I should take you out. I'm going to be fighting guys off you left and right."
"Don't worry, Edward, we'll have the bail money ready. Maybe we should have Aro on stand-by," Emmett said.
"So, do you like the dress?" she asked me, ignoring Emmett.
"Hell fucking yeah I do," I muttered, looking her over again. "Okay, let's go, we have reservations." I grabbed my jacket, we said our goodbyes. We took the BMW and headed to a restaurant on the beach near Pacific Palisades. When I handed my keys to the Miceli's valet, I noticed several guys checking Bella out. As much as I hated the fact they were staring at her, I couldn't help feeling like the luckiest bastard.
The restaurant was crowded, but with our reservation we were quickly escorted to a table facing the beach. The view was in a word: Perfect. The sun was setting, making the sky a mixture of blue, gold and red. You could see the willets gathering in the sand, couples walking along the beach hand in hand and kids playing tag, running around as their parents had a quiet moment together. I could see Bella and I like that one day.
"Even though I grew up on First Beach, it was never like this," she said, interrupting my thoughts.
"First Beach is nothing like this," I agreed. I ordered a bottle of wine Jasper recommended when he found out were coming to Miceli's. "I want to make a toast, to our first official date."
Bella raised her glass. "To our first date," she murmured and took a sip. "It's like a week of firsts for us…me."
"What do you mean?"
"The other night," she said quietly.
"Ah….so he didn't do that to you?" I asked. I didn't want to discuss James, but it was bound to come up.
"He didn't do a lot of things," she said. "I don't want to discuss him anymore. Tonight is about us."
"I couldn't agree more,' I said with a grin, feeling more confident, I leaned toward her and she met me halfway for a gentle kiss.
"The sunset reminds me of your hair," she said after a few minutes of silence.
I smiled. "Thanks, I think."
"I mean it as a compliment. Not many people can pull off bronze hair and still look manly."
"It's not easy being this beautiful," I joked. "When I was a kid it was this hideous bright red, I was teased unmercifully, both Alice and I had to deal with the red head syndrome."
"Really? What about Emmett?" she inquired.
"Lucky bastard has blond hair like my dad."
"I could never figure it out because he changes the color so often," she said thoughtfully. "Do you think your kids will have red hair like you?"
I was caught off guard by the question, I didn't know how to tell her I no longer thought about starting a family. "I honestly don't think about having kids, not with parents like mine."
"What are you talking about? Your parents are great!" she exclaimed.
"I know, they raised the bar too fucking high," I said, laughing. "I hope if I ever get the chance to have kids I can be like my parents."
"I'm sure you're going to be just fine."
"We'll see," I said quietly. We sat in silence in for a moment, watching the sun fade away, the families walking to their cars, I watched her finger absently trail the rim of her wine glass. "If I have kids, I hope they have dark hair like their mother," I said quietly. I watched the surprised light up her face, I could already envision a little girl with dark hair running around. It was the first time I allowed myself to dream of something other than my career and I wasn't afraid.
Dinner went off without a hitch, the wait staff was attentive without hovering, allowing Bella and I to really just be like any other couple. We forgot about her soon-to-be-ex-husband lurking in the background, we didn't speak about mistrust, and the best part we didn't have four additional chaperones –it was only the two of us.
"So what else is on the agenda?" Bella asked as I drove through the Palisades to our next destination.
"I was wondering when you were going to ask," I said with a chuckle.
"Well?"
"We're going to a photo exhibit for Zachary Franks," I explained.
"I wonder if I've seen his work," she mumbled.
"You have, most of our promo shots from the last CD was taken by him."
The drive from the restaurant to the gallery took less than ten minutes. I noticed Bella getting fidgety. She'd just finished checking her make-up when I pulled into the valet which was half a block away from the gallery. We stopped in our tracks when we noticed the mini red carpet we had to pass in order to get in. Bella looked at me with wide eyes and I didn't say anything as I intertwined our fingers and walked toward the gallery. I was checking in when the photographers realized I was standing there.
The bulbs were flashing like crazy and I could feel Bella's hand shake. I honestly didn't realize there were going to be photographers here. This was not how I wanted this night to go.
"Ready?" I asked her.
"If I say no would it make me a coward?"
"Never a coward, but I can handle it alone. I'll ask security walk you in but I need to give them a few shots or it'll get worse."
"Yeah, that might be better," she said, her eyes not meeting mine. I spoke with the guy manning the rope and he was able to walk Bella in as I stood on the carpet. I put on my bored face, giving half smiles, knowing it wasn't enough but just wanting to get it over with.
"Mr. Cullen, we're so happy you could join us!" Trudy, Zachary's publicist cooed.
"I didn't realize so many photographers would be here."
"Yes, it's unusual, but with most of Zack's clients being in the industry more photographers showed up tonight," she explained, trying to pretend she knew nothing about it, but in reality, she was the one who called them.
I walked into the gallery and found Bella standing nervously near the entrance. "You ok?" I asked her.
"Yeah," she said quietly.
I grabbed her hand and we explored the gallery. Most of his photos consisted of actors and a handful of musicians. "Think we'll find any photos of you?" Bella asked after we viewed a photo of Drew Barrymore reading a script while on a movie set.
"No, I didn't want to scare away potential customers," a voice behind me answered Bella's question.
I turned to see Zachary standing there with a grin on his face. After shaking my hand and giving me a bro-hug and inquiring about my health, I introduced him to Bella. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said taking her hand.
"Same here and I have to say your work is amazing," Bella replied.
"Thank you. I appreciate it," Zachary said with a pleasant smile. "Let me show you around." He guided us to another room where he displayed ten poster size charcoal drawing of some random people. They were so detailed you would think it was a grainy black and white photo. Bella seemed to study everything around her, she seemed to take in every detail, sometimes asking Zack a question but she mainly observed in silence.
"Zachary, your drawing are simply breathe taking. Have you thought about just showing your drawings alone?" she asked.
"I did briefly, but knew it would be too much stress. If do something like that it would be in a group show. Less pressure to create if you're blocked," he explained. I understood about being creatively blocked, some days were great and some days you wanted to hide from the world.
"That I can relate to," I murmured shaking my head when I saw Nikki coming toward me followed by Trudy, Zack's publicist and director Ted Greenburg.
"Zachary, there you are," exclaimed Nikki, coming between Bella and myself when she went into for a hug. "Everything looks fabulous as always." Trudy introduced me to Ted Greenburg, he said he was a fan of my work and hoped we'd find a project together.
"I look forward to collaborating with you," I responded. I looked over to see Bella was being pushed out of the circle. I grabbed her hand and brought her to my side. "I'm sorry, did you meet Isabella?"
"No, I would have definitely remembered meeting such a beautiful woman," he said, taking her hand in his. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Isabella." His gaze never left hers as he kissed her hand.
"Um…likewise," she replied.
"Actress?" he asked and Bella shook her head. I could see she was trying to reclaim her hand. "A singer? Are you in the band with Edward?"
"No, I'm a photographer."
"Have I seen your work somewhere?" Greenburg asked.
"Only at the amateur gallery in Inland Empire," Nikki chimed in causing Bella to blush.
"Bella is the photographer for the band, so far from amateur," I said, wishing Nikki would just disappear. "But you can find her work on our site."
"So you finally found someone whom Rose hasn't left on the side of the road?" Zack asked with a chuckle.
"Like, when she told the driver everyone was on board, but you were still paying for your food."
"Oh yes, Rose is priceless," he said wistfully. I knew Zachary had a crush on Rose.
"Well, Bella has done the unspeakable, she got Rose to pose," I said proudly.
Zack looked at me in stunned silence, and then at Bella. "What? She..um..How?" he sputtered.
Bella smiled. "It's obvious you didn't bribe her with chocolate," she said playfully.
"Shit! You're right!" Zack played along. "What magazine was the shoot for?"
"No magazine, just for fun, we posted a few photos on the site," Bella answered.
"Well, Isabella, I look forward to seeing your work but I must run," Ted said as he handed me a card. "Call me, I have a few projects on the horizon." He shook my hand as well as Bella's and said his final good-byes.
"Eddie, wouldn't it be great if we worked on a project together?" Nikki said.
"Yeah, that's never going to happen," I said. "We're going to head out, great show, Zack."
"Thank you for coming out, I appreciate the support," he said as he walked us to the valet. Not as many photographers as earlier but enough I could hear the cameras going off.
"Anytime, just glad I was able to make it," I said, shaking his hand.
"Me too, friend, drive safely. And Bella, it was a pleasure to meet you," he said and walked back into the gallery.
"I like him," Bella said.
"Yeah, he's great."
"I'm sorry about the press….and Nikki. I hope it didn't ruin your evening too much," I said apologetically when the flashes continued to go off. I noticed the photographers standing in the street in order to take our photo. This was the down side to my job and I knew it could be overwhelming for anyone.
"Edward, you don't have to apologize. Nikki simply wants attention and mostly she wants what she can't have, and as for the press? Well, it comes with the territory and I will endure it, I have to if I want to be with you. And I really want to be with you, not every relationship is easy, but I think we're worth it."
When the car arrived, I helped Bella in and took off, I noticed two trucks tailing us but I was able to lose them before we made it to the hills. The others were still out, so Bella and I enjoyed the remainder of Rose's Riesling.
"Will you play something on the piano for me?" she asked.
"What do you want to hear?"
She thought for a moment. "Frank Sinatra."
"Old Blues Eyes, I knew you were perfect," I said, grinning and patted the seat next to me. I decided to play my favorite Sinatra song 'Come fly with me', I loved watching her face light up as I sang the words:
Once I get you up there where the air is so rarified
we gonna glide absolutely starry eyed
once I get you up there I'll be holding you so very near
you may hear angels cheer just because we're together
I immediately went into the song I wrote for her. I still hadn't named it, but every note was clear, a mixture of vibrant and delicate. Lyrics were not needed. When I finished we sat in silence, I turned to look at her and caressed her face. "I love you," I whispered against her lips.
"I love you too," she said with a smile. I noticed a tear roll down her cheek.
"Baby, why are you crying?"I asked, frowning.
She didn't answer right away. "Because I'm happy. For the first time in a long time, I'm truly happy," she whispered.
"I like you happy," I whispered as I kissed her lips, as usual tasting her caused a frenzy inside me. Tonight I calmed the animalistic beast that was itching to get out, seeing my girl happy was all I needed. I broke our kiss when I heard the sound of tires speeding up the driveway, alerting me everyone had returned home from a night out.
I took Bella by the hand and led her upstairs, I walked her to her door. "I had good time tonight, do you think you can check your schedule so we can do this again?" I asked, smirking.
She pulled out her fake planner. "You're lucky I'm free anytime," she said with a grin. "I honestly had a great time." Bella surprised me by pulling me down for a kiss, we both groaned when we heard Emmett.
"Isn't it past your bedtime, young lady?" Emmett said in a mocking authoritative voice.
"Go away," I mumbled, wishing I was an only child.
"Em's right, a proper date ends at the door," Jasper said when he joined us.
"No, a proper date ends with her howling his name," Emmett added with a serious face.
"Like either of you have even been on a proper date!" I fumed.
"Jasper did with Alice, otherwise he would have had a broken leg," Emmett said, looking at Jasper. I could see Jasper's Adam's apple bobbing, he never told me about the first date, nor did I want to know what happened between my best friend and sister.
"Will you guys leave them alone! Geez!" Alice said. "Now Edward, kiss her goodnight."
I was about the lean in to kiss Bella when I noticed everyone watching. I groaned and gave her a quick kiss. Bella laughed as she went into her room with Alice and Rose trailing behind her.
"Cockblockers," I muttered to Em and Jazz.
"No, that's all you little brother," Emmett said with a chuckle. "I'm beat, talk to you in the morning bitches." Jasper also said good night and I went into my bedroom. I quickly undressed and changed into a pair of flannel bottoms. I was trying to wait for Bella, but it was hard to keep my eyes open and I wasn't sure how long she would be. I decided to use the Twitter program Em had added to my phone, I tried to read all the tweets I received from fans but I was fading fast. I didn't respond, but decided to post my first tweet.
In the words of Ice Cube: Today was a good day! –EC
I put my phone away and finally closed my eyes, but I didn't sleep well until I felt Bella kiss my shoulder and snuggle closer to me. Definitely, a good day.
A/N: Okay so what did you think of their first date? Sorry no mini lemons this time around.
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