BPOV.

Not surprisingly, I couldn't help the dreamy smile that lit my face all morning. I tried really, really hard not to think about Edward the following day at work, but he made it hard to forget him. Even my sleep was full of dreaming of Edward and his wonderful lips. And his hair. And his eyes. Yeah right. Who was I kidding? My head was filled with images of Edward all day and all night. I was so screwed.

Never before in my life had a man absorbed my thoughts entirely, and the realization of this fact did incredible things to me. On the one hand, it was an absolutely pleasant feeling, causing a sense of lightness in the body, but on the other hand, there was a heavy experience of the past relationship. Already at this stage of our relationship, I could sense that feelings for Jacob couldn't be compared with what I began to feel for Edward. That, in the worst scenario of the development of our relationship, could mean that I would simply be crushed. Of course, I could confidently say that Edward was incapable of doing what Jacob did. It was simply not possible to imagine that knowing his family and the people who had been around him since birth. But all of that still cannot prevent the fact that he simply could had completely different feelings for me. He recently returned to the city, so it wasn't hard to imagine that he could went on this date out of boredom. But he said it meant a lot to him as it did to me, right? Aarch, why I couldn't just relax and enjoy our relationship?

"Swan, I can see the wheels spinning in your head from here. You're overthinking everything again. And why are you even still here?"

Rosalie was leaning on my cafeteria table with her arms crossed over her chest. My gaze dropped to my forgotten, cold coffee. I looked in surprise at the tables next to me and realized that I was lost in my thoughts for a much longer time than I expected.

"I can assume that the source of your thoughts is my beloved cousin. Bitch, I can't believe I still haven't heard a word from you about your date. It's in your best interest to tell me everything now. Otherwise, I'll set Alice on you."

Oh no, not Alice. While Rosalie's appearance screamed about her owner's danger, hinting at not the easiest character, Alice's appearance made a completely different impression on people. The seemingly small and fragile girl possessed incredible fortitude and perseverance. I met her through Rosalie, who initially met her through her brother. Alice was the owner of her own successful clothing and footwear brand. Her creations every now and then appeared on the red carpet and in fashion magazines, which allowed her to meet her future husband, the famous photographer Jasper Hale.

"Sorry, Rose. I didn't even think that it would be so interesting for you to hear everything." I bit my lip as I tried to find the right words. "It was the perfect date. He picked me up from home and took me to an incredible Italian restaurant. We talked for a very long time, learned a lot about each other. He told a couple of funny stories about your childhood with Jasper. You never mentioned to me that you had a major crush on your high school math teacher. It hurts." I sent her a teasing smile and mentally hoped that it would distract her from the topic of our conversation.

"Oh my god, I can't believe he still remembers it or that he told you about him. And I'll have you know he was actually hot for a teacher. I think that he also had a thing for high school girls. Trust me, no one should send such hot looks to their students. And don't even try to distract me from the topic of our conversation. I'll deal with Edward later."

I grimaced with a displeased face, frustrated by the failed attempt.

"It's actually disgusting, Rose. How old was he?"

"I think he just got out of university. So, the age difference wasn't that big. Date, Bella, date. Go on."

"Fine! After the restaurant, he took me to the beach, where he arranged a mini picnic for me. It was so sweet of him because we talked before about the fact that he wants to join my walks. Well, after that, he took me back home and accompanied me to my apartment. As I said, it was the perfect date."

As I finished my story, I decided to look at Rosalie's reaction. Emotions that I didn't understand played on her face as if she was waiting for the story's continuation.

"Swan. Don't tell me I just heard those signs of rust. Not a single kiss for the whole date? Sparks flew between you two on that very first day in the hospital! Is that why you're so sad? Because then I can understand you, Em and I kissed after fifteen minutes of our first conversation."

"Rose! Can you lower your voice? People are already turning in our direction. Of course, we kissed! It's just, with all my love for you, it's none of your business."

"Of course, this is my business! You are my closest friend who took terrible shit from your ex, and Edward is my absolute favorite cousin, whom I have taken care of since childhood. I always knew that there was a chance that you would meet and realize that you should be together. I just want you to be happy, and so that your stubbornness could not prevent this."

"Hale, first of all, as far as I know, Edward is your only cousin. Secondly, you couldn't have known that there could be some kind of connection between Edward and me. Because Edward is a wonderful man, with the wonderful family and stuff, a dream of every girl. While I'm one crazy woman who still cannot normally communicate with anyone because she is afraid that she will meet another man who will cheat on her with her own best friend while telling a bunch of lies."

I covered my face with my hands and started rubbing it. I felt the waves of my worries roll over my body. But at the same time, I felt a little ashamed that I flared up at Rose for no particular reason.

"Bella, I know why you're worried, but you have to understand that it's time to move on. Edward is perhaps the only case when I can guarantee with a 100% chance that this guy won't turn out to be a cheating liar. Well, at least he certainly won't sleep with your best friend. Because incest is not for me." As soon as the last joke fell out of Rosalie's tongue, she immediately turned to check my reaction, simultaneously playing exaggerated disgust. As soon as she saw a faint smile on my face, she decided to continue. "Relax, Bella. Enjoy your new feelings."

The strangest thing was that the conversation with Rosalie actually worked, and I began to relax a little. Rosalie Hale has earned many not-so-pleasant titles in her short life, but she had never been a liar or a twister.

"The problem is that I understand this, but now there will always be some small part of my subconscious, which will tell me otherwise. And after all, we need to get to know each other. We might simply not suit. You're running a little ahead of us."

"Okay, I won't press you two. Just know that I'm acting in your best interest. For me, the picture of what is happening is already clear. Go home, Swan. And stop overthinking your every step."

I stood up silently and hugged my friend.

"Love you. I'll call you and Alice tomorrow."

Standing in front of my large panoramic windows, I nervously played with the ends of my hair. Edward had had to finished his work by now, but he probably was still in the hospital. Was it too early to call? Edward and I had been texting almost constantly in recent days, but we hadn't exchanged a single message since the date yet. He could just be busy at work, so I tried not to think too much about it. After all, it was him who kind of asked me to be his girlfriend? Probably, he wouldn't had done this if he hadn't liked me. I sighed and opened my section with contacts on the phone, but already with my finger on the cherished name, I changed my mind abruptly. Don't be intrusive, Swan, let him get home at least.

After my final decision to wait, I went to do some household chores. I brought my freshly washed clothes from the laundry room and started putting them in the closets. My hands reached the lace underwear, and an unexpected thought passed through my head that it was time to buy something new and hotter. Even if no one sees it. After finishing all the chores in the wardrobe, I headed towards the kitchen. Looking thoughtfully at the contents of my refrigerator, I realized that I didn't have much choice, and today, more than ever, I wanted to distract myself from stupid thoughts with delicious food. The idea about Alfredo's pasta seemed to be the most optimal, so after turning on light music for the background, I started cooking.

Growing up in a family with a personal housekeeper, many expected me to have a complete lack of cooking skills when the situation was completely opposite. Mrs. Cheryl was a wonderful woman in her late 30s who did all the household chores that Mom or Dad didn't have time for. And as a really curious child, I always stayed while she was preparing dinner, where Cheryl shared all her secrets of successful cooking. I absorbed all the new knowledge like a sponge, so when I started living on my own, I didn't need to order meals from anywhere, or, worse, to reheat frozen food.

Almost finished cooking, I heard my phone ringing from my bedroom. Without hesitation, I ran towards the source of the sound and uttered a quiet enthusiastic exclamation when I saw the name of the caller.

"Hi, Edward!"

My joyful greeting apparently amused him a little, so I heard a soft laugh on the other side of the call.

"Hi, Bella." Incredible things happened to my body as soon as his deep voice spoke my name. "Sorry I didn't call you earlier. I had a complicated surgery today." Only after his last sentence, I noticed that his voice sounded more tired than usual, which made me frown.

"It's okay, I wanted to call you myself, but I thought that I would not bother you right after work."

"Nonsense, your call would never be a bother. And I'm still in the hospital, by the way, just wanted to know your plans for tonight. Maybe you won't mind having dinner with me somewhere?"

I looked thoughtfully towards the kitchen, where my almost cooked pasta was. I knew I didn't have any mad cooking skills, but mostly people still liked my cooking.

"Perhaps you won't mind joining my dinner? I almost finished the pasta, and my apartment is not far from the hospital."

I anxiously awaited his answer, biting my lip slightly.

"Only, if I don't interfere, I'll be glad to keep you company today."

"No! Please join. "

"Then I'm on my way. See you soon."

As soon as we finished our conversation, I instantly ran to the mirror to check my appearance. I was wearing a stretched T-shirt with my university logo and same colored sweatpants. My outfit was definitely not fancy, but it matched the place where we would be having dinner. My apartment. Dressing up for dinner at home seemed silly, and it could also serve as a kind of test. So I just let my hair down and brushed it.

After placing all the plates in their places, I opened my wine cooler. Chardonnay seemed like the perfect choice for pasta, so I put a bottle and a couple of glasses in the middle of my kitchen table. After a while, I heard a soft knock at my door, indicating that Edward is already here. I pulled the door open. Edward was standing on the other side, dressed handsomely in a light blue button-down shirt and jeans. His entire face brightened into a smile when he saw me, even though my outfit was different from what I was wearing on our first date, he seemed equally happy to see me, even like that. I smiled and opened the door wider to let him inside.

"Hi. Thanks for the invitation. I haven't eaten any homemade food for probably a month." He laughed softly and then looked me in the eyes with a more serious look. " And I've already started to miss you."

"I miss you too. And for me, it's a joy to share a dinner with someone. I always cook for more than just one person. Sometimes I take the leftovers to work, and sometimes I just throw them away."

"Well, I'm glad to be useful."

I laughed at his enthusiastic tone and gestured toward the kitchen.

"I made pasta. It has about two more minutes, and it will be ready to serve." I silently handed him the corkscrew, hoping that he would help me with the opening of the wine.

"Oh, oh, Dr. Swan, are you planning to get me drunk?" He put on an artificial expression of shock on his face and then burst into laughter.

I decided to play along with him.

"Damn, it looks like my plan failed. But I wanted to hear all the dirty secrets from your past life so much."

He laughed again and began to open the bottle. After his joke, a lighter atmosphere arose between us, which helped me to cope with serving faster. Edward poured wine into glasses and pulled out a chair for me. Once everything was in place, Edward raised his glass.

"For the lovely lady in front of me."

"Where?"

I turned around in a comic form, acting out my role. Edward rolled his eyes and sent me his stern look.

"Bella, I have to say it tastes fantastic. The best pasta I've ever tried." He scooped up a fork full of pasta and hummed in pleasure.

I was delighted to hear his praise, so I sent him a soft smile in return. It felt nice to cook for more than just one person.

When I had almost finished eating, I began to look at Edward. I never thought that the sight of someone eating could be so exciting. The sounds that were quietly emitted from his mouth and the work of his manly jaw could not remain unnoticed by me. Feeling my heated eyes on him, Edward put down his fork. Moving closer to me, he gently directed his hand towards my face. He tilted my head up and finally kissed me. My eyes flutter shut at his touch. It was so easy to get lost in him.

We kissed until I pulled away because of lack of oxygen. I took a couple of deep breaths, and I felt Edward's lips slowly slide down on my neck. I couldn't hold back a groan when my skin was sucked in, which would surely turn into a hickey the next day.

"Shall we sit on the sofa? We can watch some movies." I asked breathlessly.

Or continue to make out on a more comfortable surface. It was probably wrong to do on a second date, but I couldn't seem to help myself.

"Sure."

I turned on my huge plasma, where some old melodrama was already going on. We sat comfortably on the sofa. My head rested on Edward's shoulder, and his hands were on my waist. It seemed that it was equally difficult for him to keep his hands to himself. The living room, lit only by the TV's light, created a very intimate atmosphere, so our movie watching was extremely short. Edward ran his nose over the top of my head and pressed me closer to him. His fingers slowly began to draw patterns on my stomach, which sent a slight shiver all over my body. I was about to explode when he pulled my face to his and hungrily pressed his lips to mine. We were making out like teenagers, but I didn't give a damn.

At some point, I realized that I wasn't sitting on the couch but entirely on Edward. Detaching our lips, I began to explore the curves of his jaw with my tongue, slowly lowering myself to his neck. Apparently, I found his erogenous zone at some point, as my name with a quiet groan escaped his lips.

I didn't know how long it last, but after a while, I slowly pushed away from him. We had to stop it urgently because none of us was ready for a more tempting continuation. I rested my head against his chest again, reveling in the warmth and hardness of his body. My gaze was fixed on the TV as I slowly regained my breath and enjoyed the hug. After half an hour, I noticed that Edward's chest began to move differently as if he was starting to fall asleep. I turned around and saw, to my surprise, that he was actually already sleeping. The long hours at work had to finally catch up to him. I bite my lip, trying to decide whether or not to wake him.

Realizing that I just didn't have enough willpower to wake him up, I tried to put him into a better sleeping position.

I took the pillow and blankets from the guest bedroom and took them to Edward. Making him more comfortable, trying not to wake him up, I kneeled in front of him. Pulling away his hair that had fallen on his face, I peered into his features. His sleepy calm began to affect me too, banishing all my morning worries and leaving behind only a strong desire that all my future nights, I could fall asleep under his rhythmic breathing.