A/N: Thanks so much to everyone for reading and reviewing! I'll let you get on with the story. Oh, and mad props to my beta, Heather, for helping me out.
Come Wednesday morning, butterflies had taken up permanent residence in my stomach, and I had to keep telling myself that I was being silly, and there was nothing to be nervous about.
Alice and Angela were both coming over after school to help me get ready for my date with Edward, and I was glad to have their help. I had no idea what to do with my hair or what to wear, and I was glad not to have the added stress of trying to figure it all out.
"Ugh," I groaned during third period. "This day is never going to be over."
Angela let out a laugh at my whining.
"Yes, it will, and before you know it, you'll be on your date with Edward. And by the time Alice and I are done with you, Edward Cullen won't know what hit him."
A loud thunk had us both looking around, and we saw that Lauren Mallory had dropped her book on the floor, and she was staring at both of us.
"Problem?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
She shot me a dirty look before picking up her book and then pulling out her phone. She went on a texting frenzy, and I turned to Angela, asking what that was all about.
"Lauren and Jessica have been crushing on Edward for years," she whispered to me.
"Great. Now they can hate me even more," I snickered.
Angela shot me a smirk.
"Yep. Not only is Mike after you, but now you're going out with Edward. You're just hot shit," she teased, and I let out a laugh.
Later on during lunch, Lauren and Jessica made their way over the table where I sat with Angela, Ben, and Eric.
"Rumor has it that you're going on a date with Edward Cullen, but we all know that can't possibly be true, now can it?" Lauren sneered as the two girls sat down uninvited.
"Yeah, you've only been here like a week, so this pathetic ploy of yours isn't going to work," Jessica said, tossing her 1980's permed hair behind her shoulder.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I met Edward earlier this summer, and we became really good and really close friends," I told them.
"Whatever. We all know you're lying," Lauren stated, standing up and stalking off with Jessica following behind her.
I couldn't help but let out a snort at their behavior.
"Wow," Ben said quietly. "I don't think I've ever seen Lauren so jealous before. I think you should watch your back around her, Bella. She can get nasty."
Eric nodded his head in agreement, but I wasn't overly concerned, and I told them that.
"Don't worry, I can handle myself. I've taken several self-defense courses. Neither of those girls would be able to hold their own against me."
My statement caused my friends to crack up, but I wasn't kidding. I had no doubt I could kick both Jessica's and Lauren's asses without any problem.
As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of the day, I booked it to my locker and met up with Angela in the parking lot. She was going to follow me home where Alice would meet us.
Alice pulled in an hour later with a rolling suitcase, and I asked her if she was planning on staying with me for a while. She told me to shut up before explaining that she had makeup, hairstyling tools, and clothing options in the suitcase.
Giving the case a sideways look, I began to wonder what I'd gotten myself into.
The first thing the girls did was go through my dresser and closet, and then Alice opened her case and pulled out some dresses, long skirts, and tops. I wrinkled my nose at the thought of having to wear a dress, and Alice must have seen me.
"Here, try these on," Alice said, thrusting a brown knit sweater dress at me before asking me if I owned a pair of black leggings or tights. I had both, so I grabbed the leggings because I preferred them over tights and made my way into the bathroom.
I came back out a few minutes later, and both Alice and Angela gave me a thumbs up. They told me to pair it with the brown boots I had in the closet. I grabbed them and put them on, not really sure how it was going to look all together, but the end result was really cute.
Angela then set me down in my desk chair and got to work on my hair. She brushed it out and then began doing something with it, giving me instructions on how to make some kind of celtic knot on the back of my head with the rest of my hair hanging down. I was pretty sure it was too complicated for me to do on my own, but she promised me it wasn't.
The very second Angela was done with my hair, Alice began working on my makeup. I hoped like hell she didn't go crazy.
"Relax, Bella. I'm not going to make you look like a ten dollar hooker," she said when I expressed my concerns.
About an hour after we'd started, I was deemed gorgeous and ready to go. Granted, I still had an hour before Edward showed up, and I spent that hour, pacing and trying not to fiddle with my hair.
"Oh, you need jewelry," Alice commented as she stared at me, and Angela agreed.
"I don't do jewelry," I mumbled, but I wasn't heard. Well, I probably was, but they definitely ignored me. Alice loaned me a cute bracelet and made me put in some earrings.
All too soon, the doorbell rang, and I was glad that Dad wasn't home to greet Edward at the door with a gun in his hand. Not that he would do that, but then again, maybe he would. Afterall, I'd never lived with him while I was dating.
"Go put on some lip gloss," Alice demanded as she went to open the door, and I didn't even bother to try and argue.
I went into the downstairs bathroom and applied the light pink lipgloss, and noticing my hands were shaking. I took a calming breath and opened the door when Alice hollered out that Edward was there, like I didn't already know.
I had the satisfaction of seeing Edward's jaw drop open, and a blush crept up my cheeks.
"You look beautiful," he said in a tone that sounded like it was full of awe.
"Thank you. You look mighty nice yourself," I said, and he did. He was wearing khaki pants with a dark buttondown shirt and a nice jacket.
The four of us left the house, and I locked the door and then followed Edward to his car.
"Have fun you two!" the girls called out, and I waved goodbye to them as I climbed into Edward's car.
Shutting my door, he walked around, climbed in, and began the drive to Port Angeles.
We'd decided to go there because I didn't want to spend our first date being gawked at in Forks, and I was sure would happen. Plus, Port Angeles had more restaurants for us to choose from.
We decided to go to a semi-fancy steak house that Edward had been wanting to try. I was a huge fan of steak, so that worked out well.
"Nervous?" Edward asked me a few minutes after we'd been on the road.
"A little bit. You?"
He nodded. "Just a tad, but I'm not worried. I know I'll have a great time just because I get to spend time with you."
"You are too damn sweet," I said, and he let out a small embarrassed laugh.
"What can I get you, sweetie?" our older waitress asked Edward, and I couldn't help but smile. No matter how old they were, women couldn't keep their eyes off of him or resist talking to him. I found it amusing in this instance.
Edward ordered a glass of water with a lemon slice, and I did the same before picking up my menu. I winced as I looked at the prices, and Edward must have seen me because he told me not to even worry about it.
I'd been eyeing the surf and turf dinner plate, and Edward encouraged me to get it while he decided on a sixteen ounce filet mignon.
"There's no way you'll be able to eat that whole thing," I commented once we'd placed our orders. "Emmett, yes. You, no.
Edward let out a laugh. "Oh, sweet girl, you have no idea. Emmett and I used to have eating competitions all the time. I've learned to eat large portions."
I shook my head at the thought of the two of them shoving food into their faces, and I had to admit, it kind of grossed me out.
"Thanks for agreeing to come out with me," Edward said shortly before our food arrived.
"I've been crushing on you for a while, Edward. Of course I was going to say yes," I blurted out. Feeling my face turn bright red, I wondered why in the world I'd told him that.
"Yeah?" he asked. "Well, don't worry. I found myself falling for you almost right away."
I beamed at his words, and my heart fluttered.
Fifteen minutes later, our food arrived, and I watched as Edward went to town on his steak. I, on the other hand, took my time cutting up my steak and savoring each delicious bite. My lobster tail was delicious as well, and I offered Edward a bite, holding out my fork.
I had to hold back a moan as his lips wrapped around my fork and hoped that I'd get the chance to feel those lips against mine at some point.
"Oh God," Edward said after we'd finished our meals. "I think I'm going into a food coma."
"I'm not surprised," I told him with a laugh. "You ate enough to feed an army."
By the time we left the restaurant, I wasn't ready for the night to end. I really hoped Edward felt the same way, and I was glad to hear I was right.
Edward suggested we go to a small park nearby for a short walk, and I was okay with that despite the cold in the air.
As we began our walk, Edward reached over and took my gloved hand in his, asking me if it was okay, and of course, I said yes.
"We should do this every week," he suggested in a quiet voice.
"I'd love that, but it doesn't have to be expensive dates all the time. As long as the two of us are just hanging out, I'm happy."
"So, you're willing to date me on a regular basis?" He asked, and I nodded as I gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
"Excellent. And if I asked you to be my girlfriend?"
"I'd love to," I said shyly. Suddenly, I found myself wrapped up in Edward's strong arms.
I buried my face into his chest before he gently tugged me away and brought his hands up to cup my face.
I stared into his beautiful green eyes and prayed that he was about to kiss me.
My prayer was answered.
Edward leaned down, pausing when his lips were a hairbreadth from mine. His eyes sought mine out as if asking for permission. He must have seen my answer because his lips lowered to mine.
I'd had my fair share of kisses over the years, but I'd never been kissed like that before.
Cold, firm lips press against mine, and then I felt his lips part, so I did the same. Seconds later, I felt his tongue gently stroking mine, and I let out a moan, my fingers finding their way into his wonderfully soft hair.
Our kiss lasted until we both needed air, and even then, I was reluctant to stop kissing him.
"I've been wanting to do that for a while," Edward said with a huge grin, his cheeks and lips bright red.
I had no doubt that mine looked the same, and I was sure my hair was wrecked but I didn't care. I was floating on air and couldn't remember having a better date.
"I suppose I should get you back home, what with it being a school night and all," Edward said a few minutes later after we'd calmed down and caught our breath.
"I suppose so. It wouldn't be good to get on the chief's bad side especially now that you're dating his daughter," I teased, and Edward's face paled a bit.
"Your dad owns a lot of guns, doesn't he?" he asked, and I let out a giggle at the look on his face.
"He does, but I wouldn't let him shoot you. I promise," I said with a grin.
As we walked back to Edward's car, we held hands the whole way, and I was on cloud nine.
The whole drive back to my house was spent talking quietly, and I told him more than a few times what a great time I'd had, and he told me the same.
When we finally pulled into my driveway, Edward got out and opened my door before walking me up to my front door. Once there, I saw the curtain move for a second, and I really hoped my dad wasn't standing behind it watching us.
"Goodnight, sweet girl," Edward said, leaning down and giving me a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
I said goodnight to him and floated into the house, a silly grin on my face.
"I take it your date went well," Dad commented, and I nodded as I sat down on the couch after removing my coat and gloves.
"It was fantastic. Edward was a perfect gentleman, and he …. uh …. he asked me to be his girlfriend," I told Dad.
"Well, I'm glad that you had a good time, and I can tell you're over the moon about him. All I'm going to say is that he'd better treat your right, or else."
I rolled my eyes at his tone.
"I don't think you have to worry about that. Like I said, Edward is a gentleman."
A little after ten, I crawled into bed, grinning when I found several texts from Edward, Alice, and Angela. Edward was just saying goodnight one last time, but Angela and Alice wanted to know how the date went. Although, why Alice couldn't just ask Edward was beyond me.
I texted both the girls back, telling them my date had gone wonderfully, and I told Angela I'd tell her more about it tomorrow.
After sending my texts, I fell asleep, dreaming of Edward.
a/n: Let me know what you thought!