A/N: Hello, my dear readers. I'm totally overwhelmed to see how many of you come back every week to read what my overactive mind comes up with. I love each and every one of your reviews. Thank you so much to all of you who let me know what they think about the last chapter. I hope that you'll keep sharing your thoughts with me. I also want to thank every one who voted for POMH at TLS. It didn't win by far but that doesn't matter. It was such an honor to be nominated.

I just got to know that my dear friend and prereader Vampgirl79 nominated POMH for Best Erotica in the Fandom Choice Awards. Thank you so much. I want to motivate all of you to go and vote for the many wonderful stories that are in the survey. The link to the vote is in my profile.

Voting ends on January 3rd so you all have a lot of time to make up your mind. Unfortunately, the site doesn't seem to be working properly with firefox at the moment, but it does work if you use the Internet Explorer.

So, this week is the long-awaited first date or non-date or dinner with a friend. I guess, when you're done reading, you'll all be on the same page as to what it really is. I can't wait for you to tell me your impressions.

As usual, before I'll let you get to the story, I want to thank my betas evelyn-shaye and EdwardsMate4ever for the amount of help they put into this chapter. It was beta'd twice because they had so many suggestions after the first round. I'd like to give them a round of applause for making this so much better. I also want to thank my prereaders Thepurplebookworm and Vampgirl79 for their help and support. Without them you wouldn't be reading this story at all.

Now, with all that said, see you at the bottom.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight although I really wish I would.

******POMH******

Chapter 12 – The First (non-) Date

Edward had been gone for five minutes at the most when my phone started to ring. Instinctively, I knew that it was Alice checking up on me. Her demanding voice on the other end confirmed my assumption. "Bella, are you okay? You were suddenly gone last night. And what kind of stunt did you pull with that jerk?"

I sighed inwardly. These morning-after interrogations seemed to have become a regular thing since I started to spend my nights with Edward.

"Yes, I'm okay. I didn't feel well, and Edward drove me home." I wasn't in the mood to discuss last night's events with her, all the more because I was still feeling embarrassed about my stupid flirt with Mike.

As usual, Alice knew when I wasn't telling the truth. "And you basically let that guy dry hump you on the dance floor because you didn't feel well? That doesn't make any sense, honey. What happened?" She sounded frustrated with my brief explanation.

This time, my sigh was audible. "Edward and I kind of had an argument, and when Mike — the guy — asked me to dance, I said yes. I was about to walk away from him right before Edward interrupted us." I hoped she would buy it. I didn't want to go into the whole book-length version.

"That does make a little more sense. But what happened then?"

Annoyed by her prying, I tried to answer as naturally as possible. "We talked it through and made up," I stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You mean, he took you to his place, and you had wild make-up sex." Her voice held absolute conviction and unmistakable excitement.

There was no use in lying to Alice. She would find out eventually. "Actually, I took him to my place, and he just left a few minutes ago." I held my breath, waiting for her reaction to my unexpected revelation.

"You. Took. Him. To. Your. Place! Bella, you've never done that before." She sounded baffled, and I could imagine her jaw dropping.

"Yes, I did. It was nice, and that's all there is to it. End of discussion." I so hoped that, for once, she would let it go.

Alice was quiet for a moment, apparently deliberating whether to say more or to leave it at that. Fortunately, she changed the subject.

"What are you doing tonight? Jasper's going to watch a game with a friend, and I'd like to see the new Bond movie. Would you like to go watch it with me?"

It seemed that I had been rejoicing prematurely. Now I had to tell her some more, after all.

"Uhm, I'm kind of busy tonight," I said insecurely, shifting my weight from one side to the other.

Without taking a moment to think about it, she knew that something was up. "What are you doing? Going over your bank statements? You didn't tell me you were going out tonight." She sounded suspicious. And she was right. I hardly ever went out without her.

"I'm going to dinner. Edward asked me to keep him company while checking out a little Italian place." Now it was out, and I was waiting for her to put her two cents in.

Alice's voice almost shrieked through the phone. "You're going on a date? And you weren't going to tell me? What did I do to deserve this?" In her tone, excitement overruled her apparent disappointment.

"It's not a date! He said so himself. It's only dinner." I had to rein in her enthusiasm before it got out of hand. "I didn't tell you because I knew you'd read way too much into it." My tone of voice was defensive, conveying how unnerved I was.

"Who are you kidding, Bella? It's a date, and you know it." She practically spat the words at me, and deep down, I knew she was right. But I couldn't admit it, especially not to myself, or else I would run and hide instead of having dinner with Edward.

Again, I tried to put the whole thing into perspective. "It's not, Alice. We're friends and nothing more. Suck it up." I attempted to sound determined, but I knew better than to think I'd be having the last word in a conversation with her.

"You can fool yourself all you want, but you can't fool me. You like him, and he likes you. But I'm not going into that now. You have to figure this out on your own. Please, just promise me one thing: don't blow it because you're afraid. Enjoy your date. Have fun. Maybe we'll go watch Daniel Craig with the guys sometime next week. I'll call you tomorrow."

After pleading her case, she hung up on me without giving me any chance to object.

****POMH****

When I was done grocery shopping and doing some other errands, I tried to mentally prepare for my dinner with Edward. Talking to Alice hadn't helped with my nerves. Quite the contrary — since our conversation, I was shaking in my metaphorical boots, although I couldn't deny that I was a bit excited at the prospect of spending a whole evening with Edward, alone, outside of a bedroom. Well, I didn't want to rule out the possibility of ending the evening in bed together.

After my chores were done, it was already late afternoon, and I decided to take a bath to calm my nerves. The warm water felt really soothing, and I was surprised when a glance at the clock made me realize that it was already 7:00 p.m. I climbed out of the now-cold water and started to get ready.

I settled for wearing my hair down and applying just a little basic make-up with a focus on my eyes.

I didn't want to dress too casually, but I didn't want to look too sexy, either. It would be dinner with a friend. After literally taking out and putting back every piece of clothing in my closet, I decided to wear a long-sleeved, purple, knee-length, knitted dress with a v-neck, showing a bit of cleavage. I loved that dress because, while hugging my curves just right, it was comfortable without looking too casual. The color also went very well with my brown hair and brown eyes.

Again, I opted for wearing stockings instead of pantyhose, after last night had proven that decision to be a success. I completed the outfit with my favorite black heels. Normally, for dinner with a friend, I would have preferred to wear ballerina flats. But since I was also hoping to cash in on the benefits that came along with said friendship, the heels seemed to be the right choice.

As soon as I had taken a look at my completed outfit in the bedroom mirror, there was a knock on the door.

When I opened it, Edward stood in front of me, wearing stone-washed jeans, a blue shirt and a dark gray jacket. His hair was as wonderfully disheveled as always, and his emerald eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"Hey, beautiful. If I had known you would be looking as appetizing as this, I would have ordered take-out and planned to spend the evening in bed with you." He leaned against the door frame. With a smirk on his face, he let his eyes roam every inch of my body before they locked with mine.

I smiled at him suggestively. "You know, I'm ready to do anything to get out of this dinner thing." Biting my bottom lip, I waited for his response.

"That's what I thought. But I have to disappoint you. I made a reservation, and I'm not going to stand the nice people up. So, get your coat. We're leaving."

****POMH****

La Taverna Vecchiawas a small Italian restaurant. It must really have been an insider tip that brought us there, since the place was kind of hidden, and no one would come there coincidentally.

Although it seemed quite characterless from the outside, it was very cute, cozy and even relatively spacious inside. There were lots of paintings of the Tuscan landscape on the walls, and wine branches were hanging in dozens from the ceiling. The air was filled with soft typical Italian music. It could have been tacky, but the place exuded a nice, traditional, somehow romantic atmosphere.

We were led to a small table in the back where Edward pulled out my chair for me and helped me sit down before he took a seat next to me. When the waiter asked what we wanted to drink, Edward ordered a bottle of red wine with two glasses.

"Who told you about this place again?" I asked as soon as we were alone.

"Someone at work. Do you like it?" he inquired, smiling shyly at me.

That smile made my stomach do a somersault. I had to look away, taking in our surroundings again, before I answered his question. "I love it. It's the perfect place for a first date. You should keep that in mind." I wasn't sure why I said it, probably to remind both of us about what this was not supposed to be, but when I saw a glimmer of hurt cross his face, I wanted to take it back.

"I will." His words had an edge to them. He opened the menu, effectively closing the subject.

I started to study the menu as well. It didn't take long for the waiter to come back, serving the wine and taking our orders.

Edward started the conversation as soon as he was gone again. "I hope you like Italian food. I know I didn't ask you before."

"I love Italian food," I assured him. "I used to torture my dad with my preference for cooking Italian whenever I got the chance to cook at home." My fingers were toying with the stem of the wine glass, slowly turning it around.

"Have you ever been to Italy?" Edward inquired, his curious eyes holding mine.

One side of my mouth turned up in a sad smile. "No, I've never been to Europe. But I definitely want to go one day. I always imagined Italy to be one of the most romantic countries in the world." I let my gaze wander around the richly decorated room again.

"Then let's drink to an evening in Rome, or whatever city this is supposed to be." He smiled, clinking his glass to mine before we both took a sip.

"You said you cooked for your dad, and I know you told me your parents were divorced, but how come you never talk about your mom?" Edward asked cautiously after he found the wine to be good.

I put my glass down again before I started to tell him my family history. "Renée, my mother, left Charlie and me when I was a child," I started to explain, sounding nonchalant. A lot of time had passed since then, and I had made my peace with my childhood. "They had been unhappy for a while. She didn't like small town life, and my dad was too down-to-earth for her taste. When they met, they were quite young, fell madly in love, and got married pretty soon after." A quick smile crossed my face. "Then they had me, and everything went downhill. When I was six, she finally decided that it was time for her to move on, away from Forks and Charlie, to go find herself, try new things." I said the last part with air-quotes to make perfectly clear that they were her words, not mine. There was no doubt as to what I was thinking of her ridiculous excuse. "Charlie insisted on keeping primary custody of me since Renée had never acted like a responsible adult. But as far as I know, it wasn't hard to convince her."

All that happened more than twenty years ago, and I really didn't miss my mother. But at times, it hurt that she obviously didn't care enough to fight for me.

"I'm so sorry." His voice was soft. He placed his hand on mine in his desire to show his sympathy, and I felt my skin tingling pleasantly where we touched. "I can't imagine what it must be like to grow up without a mother."

He looked so worried that I felt the need to quickly ease his mind. "I didn't have to. About a year after Renée left, Charlie met Sue. She was a young widow, a friend of my dad's best friend. Another year later, she moved in with us. She has been more of a mother to me than Renée ever was. We're still quite close." I smiled at him to show him that everything was okay.

Edward's eyebrow was raised inquisitively. "And Renée? What happened to her?"

"She moved around a lot, first California, then Arizona. She got married again, two years ago, and is currently living in Florida with her much younger husband." I frowned as I remembered that joke of a wedding I had agreed to attend. Although Phil was nice, he was way too young for her. The wedding took place at a beach where they were married by a hippie with a license from the internet. It was all very Renée.

"How often do you see her? I mean, she's your mother, after all. You do see her, don't you?" His voice sounded concerned. The sympathy he showed was really endearing.

I sighed, thinking about the time I actually spent with her. "After the divorce, she insisted on having me with her all summer, every year. But whenever I was there, she was out a lot, leaving me at home. Every time I saw her, she had a new man along with some new cult she had found to make her happy. Since I was fifteen, I've flat-out refused to go. From then on, I've seen her a couple of days every other year or so. Last time I saw her was at her wedding. But she calls me every few months." Mostly I wished she wouldn't. We always had awkward conversations, and she never agreed with anything in my life.

When the waiter came to leave us a bruschetta to share, Edward reluctantly pulled his hand away from mine. I felt strangely sad about the loss of contact. As soon as the man had left, we both took a bite before Edward continued our conversation.

"I couldn't imagine not talking to any member of my family for more than a week. We're very close. It almost kills me to be so far away from them." The sincerity and sadness in his eyes made me want to get up and wrap my arms around him.

I almost didn't dare to ask but I needed to know. "So, you're not planning on staying in Seattle for long? I mean, if you miss your family that much." I felt a big lump in my throat at the thought of Edward leaving again. In the short time I'd known him, he'd already become a solid part of my life.

His hand brushed mine for a short moment on its way to the plate with our starter. The tingling was back immediately.

His voice was determined when he dispelled my doubts. "I love them, and I miss them, but I like it here, too. And, as I told you before, Chicago wasn't the healthiest place for me, recently. At the moment, I'm not planning on moving back anytime soon. I have lots of plans here." He said the last sentence with a knowing grin.

I was really curious about those plans, but something told me not to ask.

"And Chicago is only a few hours' flight away. I can see my family almost as much as I want to. By the way, did I tell you that my brother Emmett is coming to Seattle next weekend?" His whole face lit up at the mention of his brother before he put a big piece of bruschetta in his mouth.

The prospect of meeting Edward's brother was somehow exciting but, at the same time, terrifying as hell. "No, you didn't. Why is he coming? Is he coming alone, or will he bring his wife?"

"Unfortunately, he'll be coming alone. He has a business meeting here on Friday, and he'll stay until Sunday. Rosalie, his wife, has an important appointment on Friday and has to stay in Chicago. It's sad, but then again, it'll be nice to have Emmett to myself for once." His smile had faded slightly but returned again before he went on. "We haven't spent time together without Rose in a long time." We had finished the starter and both turned to our wine again.

"So, I guess I won't meet the infamous Emmett, then. I'm really curious about the man who stole your high school sweetheart away from you," I teased.

He laughed out loud before answering me. "You're thinking way too much into that. Rose and I went out a few times when we were fifteen, nothing too serious. And when she met Emmett, she broke up with me at once. I wasn't even very sorry about that break-up. You have to know that Rosalie isn't the easiest person to be around. But you will meet Emmett — at least, I hope so. I planned to take him to a club Friday night, and I thought you, Jasper and Alice would not only recommend a place but join us. After all, since the wedding, Jasper is Emmett's brother-in-law."

When the waiter came to clear the table, we both sat back in our chairs. Only then, I realized that we had been leaning quite close to each other. It had come very naturally during our conversation. In general, when we were around each other, being physically close seemed to be the normal thing to do. I was still wondering what that could mean when Edward thanked the waiter as he walked away from our table.

To stop my mind from asking questions I didn't know or even want to know the answers to, I resumed our conversation. "I'm looking forward to meeting your brother." I really was.

"I have to thank you again for helping me paint. Emmett's going to stay in my guest room."

Before I could reply by telling him that I had a lot of fun that day, the waiter was already back with our main courses.

The interruption gave me a moment to think. Although I didn't assume that, from now on, we would be spending every weekend together, I was a little disappointed at the prospect of probably spending my nights alone next weekend because Emmett would be visiting. I was glad to be distracted by the waiter setting the plates down and telling us to enjoy our meal.

"So, did you unpack the last boxes? And what about the fold-out sofa?" I asked after enjoying the first bites of my risotto.

Edward moaned softly at the taste of his food, and the sound caused my entrance to throb. It was a very sensual sound that made me crave his naked skin on mine.

He tore me away from my daydream when he finally answered my question. "I ordered a sofa last week. It'll be delivered on Monday. And I unpacked the last box this afternoon. But if you wanted to offer your help, I'm sure I could find something for you to do?" He winked at me before he put the fork in his mouth.

There was definitely someone I wanted to do.

We ate and talked a lot more. I enjoyed the evening. Never once did I feel uncomfortable or threatened. It was nice to learn more about Edward's family, his college time, his previous job and his friends in Chicago. I told him more about my childhood, Charlie and Sue, my work. It was so easy to talk to him. Every now and then, when one of us reached for something, we touched for a short time, and with each touch my need for him grew.

When the bottle of wine was empty, the waiter came and asked whether we wanted to order dessert. Edward asked him to bring us the dessert menu.

"Hmmm, I love tiramisu. Since the rest of the food was delicious, I'm sure the desserts will be great, too," I said after taking a look at my choices.

"At home I have an Italian dessert wine that, I think, would be perfect with the tiramisu. What do you say? We take the dessert to go and try my wine?" He smiled his lopsided smile, and I was done for. The sexual tension between us had built up all night as the wine had gotten less. Of course, I wanted to go somewhere more private.

"That sounds like a plan."

********POMH********

A/N: What's the verdict? Date or not a date? I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. I'm sure most of you can guess what's going to happen next week. I deliberated making the evening one long chapter but that wouldn't have fit my usual chapter length. I can tell you they're going to have a juicy dessert. Here's a little preview:

… "I like a woman who knows what she wants," he purred as he unhooked my bra and dropped it to the floor.

"And I'm determined to get it," I answered hoarsely as I climbed his lap …

I just love how the two of them interact once they let go of their inhibitions. I hope you're into some citrus, too. See you next week.