A/N: Same deal, different day. I don't own it, but the plot is mine.

I have received so many great reviews! Thank you so much for reading.

I would love to thank my awesome beta, sjdavis74, for all her work on making this presentable.

Chapter 13

EPOV

Today was Sunday. The day of mine and Bella's first date. To say that I was nervous would be an understatement. I wanted everything to be perfect for her. I needed to somehow show her just how much she meant to me without scaring her. Alice, of course, has assured me that everything was going to be perfect, and this date would be the beginning of many more.

Alice, being the best sister a guy could ask for, was going over to Bella's house to help her get ready. Alice decided to taunt me all night, telling me that I was going to, "love the dress Bella found" and "just wait until I see Bella in the dress." Mind you, Alice has successfully blocked her thoughts from me all day, so I was completely unable to see Bella's dress in her mind. I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating that is.

I would be picking Bella up at six. It will take about an hour and a half to get to Port Angeles. The concert was being held at the high school. The orchestra would be playing compositions from Verdi, Haydn, and Beethoven. I knew enough about my Bella to know that she was going to enjoy the music.

I still couldn't seem to wrap my head around the fact that the days of my loneliness are over. No longer am I the odd man out, the fifth wheel. It has been so difficult living in a home full of mated couples. As much as I love my family, and I really do, they never can understand the deep emptiness I have felt inside of me for a hundred years. I felt almost hollow, an empty shell of who I was supposed to be. I came close to giving up. I know there are many vampires who have waited even longer than I to find their other half, Carlisle being one of them, but everyone of us is different. I cannot be complete, cannot find true joy and a sense of purpose without a mate.

Of course Alice had a vision a few months ago, a vision of my Bella. Although none of the details were clear, the only thing we knew for sure was that something tremendous was about to happen and that I was finally going to be happy. Immediately, Esme and Alice both assumed that meant my mate was coming. As much as I wanted to think along those lines, I was afraid to do so.

But nothing, and I mean nothing, could have prepared me for when I saw Bella for the first time. My God! She was breathtaking. The electric current that seemed to flow between us was quite energizing. I knew that she could feel it as well, just by the look in her eyes and her body language. The other thing that seemed to set her apart from everyone else was the fact that she never shied away from me. The coldness of my skin has never seemed to bother her. It's almost like it doesn't even register to her. That one fact was also noticed by Carlisle. Needless to say, we find it intriguing.

Bella was gorgeous, gentle, strong, kind, funny, and beguiling. After this evening, I hoped to know much more about her.

BPOV

I woke up this morning earlier than I had wanted to. I certainly didn't get enough beauty sleep last night. My nerves over my date with Edward tonight got the best of me.

If I knew Alice like I think I did, she was probably going to show up here very soon. That girl is a force of nature.

Our shopping expedition yesterday was even more fun than I had expected it would be. I ended up spending more money than I thought I would, but thankfully, I had the money to do it. While I was putting my clothing away last night, I kept coming across items I didn't remember buying. There were several cute sweaters, jeans, skirts, dresses, and several pairs of shoes. If I didn't miss my guess, I think Alice had something to do with it. The odd thing was, I didn't remember her ever buying them.

I looked over at the clock and saw that it was now eight. I ran down to the kitchen and made myself something to eat. After eating a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, I decided to clean up around the house and do some laundry. As badly as I needed to get the house in order, I needed to distract myself even more. My nerves were going haywire.

At noon, I heard a distinctive knock on my front door and went to answer it. There on the other side was an over-eager Alice ready for my day of torture.

"Hello, Alice. Dare I ask what has you bouncing off the walls already?"

"Bella, really? Why wouldn't I be excited? You're going out with my favorite brother tonight! This is huge! Now, we only have a few hours to get you perfect for your date. We don't have time to waste. I brought with me all the things we need."

It was then that I noticed she had with her an enormous case. I was almost afraid to find out what it contained, but I trusted her. As long as I came out of this alive and looking good, that's all that mattered.

"Well, then, let's take this upstairs," I said to her.

We got up to my room, and I watched Alice as converted my small desk into her personal work station. That girl sure knew what she was about.

"I'm going to go take my shower now. I won't be long. I wouldn't want you to wait too long to torture me," I teased her.

"Very funny. Just hurry. Time's ticking away here."

I quickly showered, washing my hair with my favorite strawberry shampoo and conditioner. The familiar scents seemed to relax me just a bit. I then shaved and finished up. Wrapping my hair in a towel, I sat down on the side of the tub and applied a lavender scented lotion. Putting on a robe, I headed to my room.

"Geez, Bella, what were you doing in there? Do you always take such long showers? Now we have even less time to make you breathtaking," Alice said in an exasperated tone. She grabbed my arm and led me to the chair at her make shift work station. I sat down, looking at the paraphernalia before me. I had no idea there was that much makeup in the world! Oh, man, I'm in for it!

After being poked, prodded, pampered, and plucked, I was finally ready to get my dress on. I have to say, Alice is a miracle worker. She did my makeup in a light smoky eye that made my eyes seem to pop. My hair looked unbelievable. She somehow managed to make it soft and shiny looking. She blew it dry into big soft curls and decided to leave it down, only pulling one small section up with what looked to be a real sapphire pin. I had wanted to ask her about it, but the look in her eye told me to keep my mouth shut.

I put on a matching bra and panty set then quickly and carefully put my new dress on and slipped on my heels. I turned to Alice to get her opinion. "Well, how do I look? Do I pass your inspection?" I asked her.

"Edward is not going to know what hit him. You look amazing. That dress shows off your figure to perfection, and those heels make your legs look a mile long," Alice said giggling. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees you."

"You better not embarrass me. I'll never forgive you. I don't need you acting like Renee would."

"I give you my word. You won't even know I'm here. You're going to be too busy staring at my brother anyway. Oh by the way, you should wear you Forever 21 jacket. It will go perfectly. The temperature is going to be cool tonight."

I grabbed my jacket and my black clutch, and we headed downstairs. I was so relieved that my dad hadn't gotten home from LaPush yet. I really didn't need for him to make a scene.

There was a knock at the door, and Alice skipped over to answer it. It's game time.

EPOV

While driving to Bella's house, I tried to center my thoughts in an attempt to calm my nerves. Never have I ever been this nervous. I finally pulled up to her house and noticed the police cruiser was not there. At least I wasn't going to have to deal with being grilled by her father again.

I walked up the steps to the front door and knocked, only to have my sister answer the door.

"Hello, brother of mine. Aren't you right on time," she said to me. I can tell that you're nervous. Relax. I have already seen how your night goes and let me tell you, you both will be on cloud nine. Oh, Edward, she's so perfect for you! Enjoy your night.

I followed her into the living room and saw Bella for the first time today. If I had a beating heart, it would have stopped beating. She was a goddess. Never have I ever seen a more beautiful woman in all my long years. Her long, glorious hair had me aching to run my fingers through it, and her luscious curvy body had me wanting to pull her into my arms and never let her go. And her legs, her legs were incredible. They went on for miles. The dress she was wearing was perfect and accentuated her figure superbly.

I walked over to her, still in awe. "Bella, you look magnificent," I said to her, while picking up her hand and gently kissing the back of it.

She blushed a pretty pink. "Thank you, Edward. You look quite handsome as well."

"Well, I'm going to leave you guys. Have fun. I'll expect details tomorrow, Bella," Alice said on her way out the door.

"Shall we?" I asked her. She nodded her head, and we made our way out . After she locked the the door, I walked with her to the car, trying to not stare at her gorgeous legs. I opened the car door for her and helped her get in.

We spent the entire hour and a half ride talking about anything and everything. I was amazed at how insightful she was and very mature for her age. She told me what it was like to grow up with her child-like mother and how she had to be the responsible one. We spoke at great length on her love for music and when she began taking piano lessons.

"I was quite fortunate actually. My mother somehow got her hands on this small Spinet piano and decided that she wanted lessons. She found a teacher who didn't charge too much, which was a good thing. Renee didn't make all that much on a teacher's salary," she explained to me.

"So how did it come about?" I was curious now. Bella was an amazing pianist, and she had to have an amazing teacher.

"Well, one day when I was five, I got in my head to go try to play. I had never touched it before. I remember pressing the keys and hearing the notes, and each note had a distinctive sound. And then, it was like something clicked in my head. I fooled around for a minute or two and ended up figuring out Fur Elise. I, of course, had no idea what I had done. It was just a song I had heard before, and I liked. Then, both Renee and Mr. Stevens, her teacher, came running into the room. They kept throwing around words like gifted and genius. I had no clue what they were talking about. I just wanted to play. So Mr. Stevens took me under his wing and began to teach me."

"I'm impressed. For a child that age to figure out by ear one of Beethoven's pieces, that's incredible. How long did you take lessons?" I asked her in amazement.

"I took them up until a few months ago. Mr. Stevens was the best teacher I could have asked for. For my fourteenth birthday, he surprised me with my Steinway model O grand piano. He felt that my mother's Spinet would no longer do my playing justice. I fell in love with that piano. It became my 'baby'. I would practice for hours on that and not care about much else. That's one of the reasons why it was so difficult to leave it behind. I hate not having my 'baby' and not being able to practice. It drives me insane," she told me quietly.

"Wow, your teacher must have been very proud of you and with good cause. That is a stunning piano. I had one once. They produce a beautiful sound. Please, don't forget that you can play my piano whenever you wish. It's at you disposal," I told her softly, while grabbing a hold of hand.

We drove the rest of the way holding hands. I loved how open she was with me. Learning new things about her was so exciting for me.

We arrived in time for us to get to our seats. The concert started exactly at seven thirty. The lights dimmed and the music began. The orchestra began with Haydn's Symphony number 101, "The Clock." I turned my head slightly and saw Bella close her eyes and tilt her head back, enjoying the music.

Our evening was incredible and so was the music. We held hands during the rest of the concert, just enjoying it and being together. For the first time in my existence, I felt complete, whole. The minds of hundreds of others didn't seems to bore into my head. All I knew was my Bella, and I was happy.

The ride home was peaceful. We were both content just being together. It was then that I decided that I needed to make things more official between us.

"Bella, I hoped you enjoyed the music," I said to her, trying to gauge her reaction.

She turned to me with her eyes bright. "Edward, it was so beautiful. Having the opportunity to hear the music of Verdi, Hadyn, and Beethoven played live was just wonderful. Thank you so much for asking me."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I'm also glad that we share a love for classical music. We seem to share many interests. Bella, I really like you. I think you're sweet and funny. You're not afraid to stand up for what you feel is right. You're loving, kind, and generous, and you are so beautiful. Bella, would you be my girlfriend?"

Bella blushed a beautiful shade of pink and looked into my eyes. "I would love to be your girlfriend, Edward."

I smiled at her. The joy I now felt was unlike anything I had ever felt before. Bella was now officially mine.

We got back to her house, and I noticed that her father was home. His thoughts were relatively calm, and I wanted to keep them that way. I got out and walked over to her side to help her out. We stood looking into each other's eyes.

"Thank you for agreeing to go out with me tonight," I told her.

"Thank you for asking me. It was wonderful," she replied softly.

I walked with her to her door. Listening to her father's thoughts, he knew we were back, and he was willing to give me just a few minutes to say good night. If I took too long, he was going to interrupt us and anything I was trying to pull.

I turned to her. Gently cupping her face in my hand, I looked at her for a moment. "Thank you for an amazing first date." I leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. I lingered for a moment, enjoying their softness. Not wanting to cross any lines, I pulled back slowly. I could hear her heartbeat pick up due to her excitement and the blush covering her cheeks was lovely. "I better get going. I don't want you father to chase me off with one of his rifles."

Bella giggled, "It's kind of sad, but he actually would try to pull that."

"Good night," I said to her. I leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. I watched as she opened the door and stepped inside. She gave me one last smile and closed it behind her. I turned and walked to my car.

As I drove off, I couldn't help but smile. Not only did I just have my first date, but I also had my very first kiss. Alice was right. This night was incredible. And to top everything off, Bella was now my girlfriend. Just wait until those hormonal children at Forks High get wind of this. I couldn't wait to see what happens next.