Bella awoke at eight, stretching her fingers and then drawing her hand back quickly as she felt the unexpected texture of my hair, I stayed still so as not to startle her for a moment, then slowly turned to face her from my spot beside the bed.

"You stayed" she murmured sleepily, smiling as she stretched and repositioned herself. "What are you doing down there?" and then her eyes widening as she sat up and hissed "Charlie!"

"Good morning, beautiful." I beamed at her, she looked magnificent with her hair in a soft mussed up halo and her eyes glittering in the morning light. "Charlie left hours ago, he checked on you and so I had to hide, but then I didn't want to wake you, or squash you, so I stayed here beside you instead."

"So we're alone?" she asked, moving to one edge of the bed and leaning back against the headboard.

"Yes, it's about eight now. Would you like some breakfast?" Her expression told me she was hungry, so I got the bottle from the windowsill, earning a curious glance from Bella and gave her breakfast things and set the glass and bottle on the nightstand.

"What's all this? Where did you even get this?"

"Alice dropped off fresh clothes for me and breakfast for you just after Charlie left, I didn't see her, but I sensed her, then she texted me to tell me there was a bag on the porch for us. She's always doing stuff like this. She didn't pry, at least."

"So Alice knows? About yesterday? Oh god, how much would she have seen?" Bella blushed and covered her face in her hands.

"She does know. She would probably have tried not to look too hard, the way I do. We try to give each other as much privacy as we can."

"Edward, come here." Bella reached out her arms for me and joy bloomed in my chest. She still wanted me. I got back into bed with her, making sure not to let my cold skin touch her. I smiled at her and kissed the top of her head, she looked up at me smiling, and if I'm not mistaken, there was something that looked remarkably like adoration in her eyes. She snuggled against my chest and looked down at her plate, "These look delicious."

"Did you sleep well?

"So well, better than usual. How about you?" She raised her eyebrows at me playing along as I had the night before.

"I had the most wonderful dreams and then I woke up and things were even better."

She nudged me playfully and leant her head on my shoulder.

As Bella ate I suggested we drive to Port Angeles for our date and told her I'd like to stop by school to rescue the print from the wash bath in the darkroom beforehand. She nodded and hummed, clearly pleased both with my suggestions and the breakfast. She poured herself a drink and I had to ask her.

"Bella, what exactly is that stuff in the bottle?"

"It's orange juice. Didn't you know?"

"I didn't know what any of it was, I tried to ask Jeeves, but ended up asking Alice instead."

"That's kind of adorable." Adorable? Me?!

"Actually my phone battery died, can I charge it please?"

"Sure, give me your phone." She switched the charger from her phone to mine and said "If my phone is charged just use the cable, or if you bring a charger you can use the outlet on that side of the bed. I mean, um, if you want to stay again some time." I grinned, "I absolutely do."

"This is all really new, isn't it?"

"New and wonderful, I'm on cloud nine." I was purring again.

She got up and put some music on then caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. "I look like crap!" she frowned.

"What are you talking about? Never say that! You look incredible, you always look incredible."

She snorted and said "You need to get your eyes checked."

"My vision is perfect, I can see miles further than humans, I don't need a microscope in biology and I can see an extra colour, so when I say you look incredible you should know that I am an authority on the subject!" I was bragging, but I was also right. It is important that she believes me. How can I make her feel more beautiful? I'm going to pay attention to thoughts about this and try to get some ideas. Her dubious look in response indicated she thought I was just being polite.

"An extra colour?" She asked after a moment. I explained that vampires can see an additional colour, beyond the spectrum visible to humans, I can tell from their thoughts that that colour never shows up to them. She asked me what it looked like, but I don't think I did a very good job of explaining.

"It is dark, most similar to black and yet is quite distinctive from it, it sort of blooms and luminesces, but not with light, with darkness. It's like it shines with darkness, it moves, subtly in a way other colours don't."

"Does it have a name?"

"Scuzzoro. The Volturi named it back when everyone was still speaking Latin."

"Can you paint with it? Or take photos or movies with it in?"

I nodded and explained one of Carlisle's pictures was painted by a vampire and so contains it in a conscious application, but typically painters used pigments that were merely black and so it did not appear in much art at all. It just looks black to humans. I promised to point out things that were good examples of it to her during the day. I answered a lot of questions I hadn't really considered before, computers did not display scuzzoro well, photographs and film showed it somewhat better, black and white photos were still black and white, not black white and scuzzoro, squid ink is scuzzoro but octopus ink is black, so are some insects , though few animals, some animals have scuzzoro eyes, there was nothing in her room of that colour though. She looked disappointed, I shall find or make her something beautiful in it. Her curiosity was evident and I was moved that she wanted to understand how I saw the world in that way.

Bella said I could get ready in the bathroom and found a towel for me, so I could shower. I didn't want to wash off her scent, but thought this would give her a chance to collect her thoughts and choose her clothes for our date. She gave me a new toothbrush from the cupboard, I didn't want to tell her I hadn't brushed my teeth since 1918, she would find that disgusting and dirty, so I thought I would give it a try. It did not go well. The toothpaste foamed up a lot in my mouth and the venom instantly ate through the plastic of the toothbrush, melting the head of it completely into a gooey clump. I rinsed it off and cleaned out my mouth. I didn't want to scare her, but I did hope this would help her realise how dangerous my mouth was. I left the toothbrush on the sink for her to find when she showered and made sure to apologise and warn her about it before she went in and saw it, so she had an idea what to expect. She didn't seem to react, but I'm sure she must have been horrified on some level and merely hid it well.

She told me to watch TV while she showered and dressed, so after sort of half-skipping, half-scuttling around a few laps of the downstairs of the house, I waited impatiently on the living room couch, thinking of all the ways I would like to kiss her, romance her and make her feel special. I was surprised when she came downstairs that she was eager to kiss me again after she showered, but she was, very much so. Each time we rejoined after brief moments apart the hesitancy and shyness lessened and we seemed to get used to holding hands and embracing remarkably quickly.

I cradled her in my lap again and placed soft kisses on her mouth, nuzzling her nose and ears, totally enchanted with her. She was smiling more than I had ever seen her smile before and I suppose I was too. I told her how I had never felt so happy and she said she felt the same way. I felt the words 'I love you' ready to jump out of my mouth at any given moment and wondered how long it would be before I blurted them out and frightened her away. There was so much to hold back, my thirst, my lust, my strength and those words. It was really quite difficult, although, of course, very much worth it.

Giving in to the strong compulsion to mark her with my scent again, I nuzzled into her hair and kissed her neck. She smells so incredible but I need her to smell like me, all the time, the urge is so strong and now I can kiss her and claim her like that it is impossible to resist.

She moaned softly and bit her lip as I breathed in her scent mingled with mine. "Edward, that feels so good. Let me kiss you like that." She shifted and moved her hands along my neck, then down to my chest, I want to feel her skin against mine so badly. I need her, in so many ways, it makes my muscles ache.

She kissed along my jaw and down my neck as she ran her hands over my chest, warm and slow, her fingers seeking out my form. My name on her lips, I turned to gaze at her and took her face in my hands, kissing her plump mouth and tracing her lips with the tip of my tongue. She parted her lips slightly and her tongue met mine. Very, very gently I moved my tongue against hers, tasting her. She kept her body very still, but moved her tongue against mine sensuously.

Tiny sounds of pleasure escaped us both and Bella squirmed a little in my lap. She has no idea how arousing she is and what it does to me to hear and feel her excited in this way. I lifted her up against me and balanced a cushion to hide just how stimulated I was before settling her closer against my chest. I do hope these cushions are going to hold up to the thorough poking they're in for. I fear I may impregnate several before the week is out!

She breathed my name into my mouth, her voice thick with desire and kissed me again. I had to stop, though all I could think of was just one more kiss. Eventually, impossibly, I found the strength to draw back and whispered, "You make me feel so human."

"You make me feel more than human." She replied, gazing at me in a wonder reflecting my own perfectly.

"We have to...I can't take it Bella. It's too good. You're too good." I murmured. She slowed and softened against me, acquiescing, and drew back, kissing me lightly across my jaw and my cheeks, then nuzzling against my shoulder with a satisfied sigh.

"So, what's the plan for today then boyfriend?" She called me boyfriend. I like that very much indeed!

We agreed it was better to take the Volvo to Port Angeles, she drove her truck to school, we hung up the print in the darkroom and enjoyed a brief but heavenly replay of our kisses from the previous afternoon. Still hesitant and gentle, craving renewal of our connection each time we separated. It was so hard to pull myself away from her, but I wanted to take her on a real date, not just make out in a cupboard, as delectable as that was.

She drove to my house and we immediately got into the Volvo. There was no way I was venturing inside the house to answer the curious mental hollering of my entire family. I slammed my foot on the gas as soon as Bella was buckled in and sped to the safe anonymity of route 101.

In the car Bella hunted through my CDs and put on Astral Weeks. She told me her mother liked it and hummed along smiling. She was radiant. We sang Sweet Thing together as the car wound through the grey February morning, the sun fought and failed to break through the thick blanket of cloud covering the sky.

It was around one by the time we left and so I drove directly to farmers market, where the book fair was being held and there would be a selection of stalls for Bella to choose from for her lunch.

There was a brisk sea breeze and Bella huddled against me as I whisked us under cover and asked what she would like to eat. I wish I could be warm for her. I make a passable wind break though, I suppose.

Her hair whipped around frantically and she looked wild and free and happy, her cheeks pinked by the salty air. A vision, always a vision. Bella, my Bella. My girlfriend. I am so lucky.

I bought Bella some pumpkin soup and fresh bread, hopping from foot to foot, hovering over her, I worried about the dangers of hot food and potential for injury. "Calm down gramps! You worry too much." She grumbled and then grinned at me. "It's cute though."

"Cute?"

"Mmhmm" she nodded as she bit off a large chunk of bread.

"I'm the world's most dangerous predator, Bella."

"You're the world's cutest predator."

"Oh!" I squeaked.

Was I cute? She had texted that I 'habe cut burt' when she had fairly lost her mind on NyQuil in October. She seemed to have been talking nonsense about my rear end and I assumed that she must have been jealous, being a lady and lacking one herself, as I was convinced was the case at the time. I figured I should pay it no mind either way then. Perhaps she had meant it though. I decided to pursue my investigation into this matter at a later point, not wanting to put Bella off her lunch with talk of my derrière. Did she like my backside though? Why?! It seems most improbable. Bella caught me turning round and round in circles looking over my shoulder and trying to see what the situation back there was. "What are you doing? Sit down, you dingdong." She giggled and went back to her soup.

I monitored her closely, taking an interest in how much food she ate and the tools she used (a miniature bowl on a stick, I think that one is a fork). I needed to make sure I remembered details like this for any future dating opportunities.

There were a few pigeons roosting in the rafters of the covered market area. I eyed them warily and resolved to punch them if they came close by, in case they might pose a threat to Bella. They did not.

We set to book hunting after her meal, there were several vendors and quite a wide selection, spanning twelve tables, of used paperbacks and a few hardbacks to look over. Bella was very excited, she finds even more joy in books than I do, I think. She found several novels she wanted to read and a collection of Emily Dickinson's poems. I picked up a copy of Ethan Frome, and found Wide Sargasso Sea, Lorna Doone and a Wilkie Collins anthology as well, which I thought Bella might enjoy. There was a copy of Tarkovsky's Sculpting In Time and a few philosophy books I was interested in.

I asked Bella to pick out ten books for me. Now she knew how fast I typically read she didn't bat an eyelid at my request. Her choices were pleasantly unexpected: some feminism, some sci-fi, The Internet for Dummies, the first Harry Potter book and book about Harriett Tubman and the Underground Railroad. I either hadn't heard of these books, or had not read them. I paid for the books and put them in my bag, Bella gave me a little kiss on the cheek and I grinned in response and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Then I heard something from across the hall. Jessica Stanley.

How I'd blocked out her obnoxious mental merry-go-round of gossip, sexual fantasies and self aggrandisement I cannot say, but the ride had ground to a screeching halt when Jessica saw Bella go up on top toes and kiss me on the cheek.

I groaned and said "Jessica is over there by the taco truck and she just saw us, she's going to come over." Bella grabbed my hand and said "This is going to be fun." She crinkled her nose and kissed me again, this time on the lips!

"Bella! And Edward! Wow….." Jessica said as she approached. She looked overjoyed at having caught us in this quiet moment. Bella turned towards her, wrapping her arm around my waist and giving me a reassuring squeeze. "Oh hey Jess! Nice to see you! Did you find any good books?" Bella said cheerfully. Did she really not mind that we'd been seen together like this?

I was glad my elbows were safely tucked away from Jessica's attentions inside my jacket.

"A few. Anyway what's all this? You've been keeping secrets from me!" Jessica whined playfully and stuck out her bottom lip. It was quite unappealing. Her thoughts were quite vicious towards Bella and I wanted to cut her off immediately.

"Hardly. Did you come here with your family? I didn't expect to see you at a book fair."

"Jess loves reading Edward, like me. Hey, I saw some of that series you like, the ladies detectives one over there Jess, c'mon I'll show you."

She squeezed my waist before removing her arm, then walking across the market to the opposite row of tables. As they browsed Jessica glanced over at me and animatedly spoke with Bella, with conflicting thoughts of excitement at having discovered some juicy gossip and jealousy that I hadn't agreed to go out with her on any of the multiple occasions she had asked me. Bella filled Jess in on the bare basics: yes we were officially a couple, no we hadn't been carrying on in secret, no her dad didn't know and nor did anyone else except Alice who had probably told Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett.

"So…. is he a good kisser?" Jessica's eyes were as wide as saucers as she asked. She was thinking how I couldn't be, as everyone knew I was totally inexperienced and that I probably had no idea what I was doing. She was correct on this count.

Through The close up view of Jessica's thoughts I saw Bella turn scarlet and nod emphatically before looking up. Her eyes were glistening and she had a wide smile as she dreamily said "Incredible. He makes me tingle all over and think I'm gonna forget my own name."

"Woahhhhh. That good?"

"Indescribable. I feel like I'm floating when we kiss."

"Lucky! You didn't even tell me you had a crush on him Bella. I'm shocked."

"It's a lot more than a crush, Jess. Anyway, Edward is really shy, y'know. He's a very private person. I didn't want to embarrass him by risking him overhearing something or people joking about me and him. And I never thought anything could ever actually happen between us, even after we became friends in the fall, so there didn't seem like there was anything much to tell. I mean he's so…. and I'm just." She gestured to herself as if she considered herself somehow wanting. How could she possibly think that? She was exquisite. She continued "Well, you said yourself, everyone's got the hots for Edward."

"True. He is gorgeous. And those elbows..."

"Right?! It's not even fair how good looking he is. Can you show me how to do my eyeliner and stuff so I can scrub up a bit better on our next date please? I feel a bit...underdressed I guess." Nonsense again. I would address this with her later.

"Of course! We should have a girls' night with Angela this week and you can tell us all the details!"

Bella nodded, "I'd like that. Actually I want to get both of your opinions on some stuff. Just the three of us though. I'm not ready to hear Lauren's take on it yet. Let me live in a daydream a bit longer ok?"

"Lauren's cool, she's just got no filter. But I'll keep it just us this time. How about Monday after school? I need to hear all the gossip while it's still hot and juicy!"

"Sounds good. Will you text Angela? I'd better get back, this is our first date, actually my first date ever. You can talk to Angela about this, otherwise I know you'll explode, but nobody else. I'm serious, Jess. I want Charlie to hear it from me and I need time to find a good moment please. Promise?"

"Ughhhhh, ok, only Angela, I promise. You'd better fill me in on the rest of your date on Monday though."

"I will. Have fun shopping and I'll see you at school."

Bella gave Jessica a quick hug and walked back to me. I'd been browsing as they had spoken. I had shoved a hundred dollar bill at the vendor and told him to keep the change, in order to secure a book called Pants Off First, after which I shoved it in my bag and ran away to a far table hissing. I need information on women and relationships, fast, but securing it was mortifying.

At the new location I found a nice hardcover copy of Rebecca for Bella which I bought, planning to surprise her with it later. By the time Bella returned my bag was full and the strap was straining from the nearly thirty books we had bought between us. Bella slipped her fingers between mine silently as I browsed then whispered "Are we done? Your bag's going to break if we buy any more! Let's put them in the car then we can give Jess the slip too."

"Good idea." I said. I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the emotions of being on a date with Bella, the deep shame and panic of buying something that I hoped was a sex guide, the frustration at Jessica's interruption and joy at being with Bella and all of the wonderful things she had said to Jessica about me.

We made our way back to the car and I opened the door for Bella, then put the bag in the back. It was snowing now, as Alice had warned me it would and Bella warmed her hands against the vents in the Volvo, asking "Where shall we go next, boyfriend?". I grinned and kissed her on the top of her hair. She seemed to be having a nice time and it was still only mid afternoon, it would be light for another few hours.

I drove us to a nearby spot where we could look out over the ocean from the car, so that Bella could stay warm. We watched the waves roll in and the snow flurries battling the winds. I enjoyed the quiet as there was nobody nearby to intrude upon my thoughts and the snow formed a pristine carpet around the car, though the heated windscreen kept the view clear. I let Bella choose a CD and she snuggled against my chest across the center console, so I moved my seat back, wrapping her in the blanket from the passenger seat and drew her into my lap, craving her closeness.

"Should you send a message to your father?"

"Yes! I forgot. Thank you." She sent him a quick text and then settled back against my chest, running her fingers up and down my jaw. I purred.

I saw some whales off shore and pointed them out to Bella, she was very excited and said she had never seen any before. Maybe I should take her whale watching when it isn't quite so cold.

"Have you ever eaten a whale, Edward?"

I laughed loudly "No, I haven't. I doubt they'd taste very good, and I think I would feel guilty."

"Why?"

"Well, they're quite intelligent and have gentle thoughts."

"You can hear them?"

"Yes, I can hear most animals that have real sentience if I try, but smaller ones like mice mainly operate on instinct, so I have to really focus to hear them."

"Oh! That's really cool. Which are the most interesting?"

"I think elephants probably. It's hard to get near to one without spooking them, but if I walked near Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago I could catch a glimpse sometimes."

"What about dolphins?"

"If I go to an aquarium all the creatures cower away from the glass in fear, so I never go, because it seems very cruel to frighten them like that. I can tell you that dolphins think about sex an inordinate amount though!"

She giggled. "What's the smallest creature you can hear?"

I told her about hummingbirds' thoughts, then seahorses, then snakes, then cats and horses. We went on for some time like this. I explained I couldn't hear insects or arachnids, nor did I care to, that sea creatures mostly think less than those on land, but that all non humans tend to have quiet minds focused on one thing at a time, predominantly food, danger or reproduction. We talked like this for an hour, laughing when I impersonated the way dogs think. Her laugh makes everything light up and glow.

Once she had exhausted her questions about animals she looked out across the sea and said "It's very beautiful here, isn't it?"

"You're more beautiful, Bella."

She snorted a little in response.

"I mean it. You really are, so, so beautiful. When you spoke with Jessica you seemed not to realise that somehow. But I think you're the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen, I promise I do. I wish I could show you how beautiful you are."

"You make me feel beautiful, Edward."

"Not underdressed?"

"Hey! Sneaky. Eavesdropping is not allowed!"

"Oh dear. I'm very sorry. I didn't think. That was very rude of me."

"Ssssh, I forgive you. Just don't do it again ok?"

"I promise."

"So… yeah I guess I do feel underdressed next to you." She looked down at her jeans and flannel shirt and frowned a little.

"You do? Why?"

"Well, your clothes are all designer and you're so gorgeous, you'd look good in a garbage bag and I… wouldn't. Plus I've only got limited money and I'm not exactly into fashion. Mostly I just wear what feels comfortable and keeps the weather out. I hardly ever wear makeup and when I do I always smudge it, my hair is always all over the place too. I mean, I don't think I'm ugly or anything, but I wouldn't exactly bag a modelling contract either. Not like Rosalie or Lauren."

"Bella" I whispered. She had never confessed this level of insecurity before, I had wrongly

assumed she was quite confident in her looks and just modest about her incredible beauty. "You always look perfect. Even when you were sick you were breathtakingly beautiful. Even when you were freezing in the blizzard. It's like the room lights up when you smile, everything glows. I feel totally eclipsed by your beauty whenever I'm near you."

I kissed her gently and stroked her face. "I don't ever want you to feel inadequate, you're everything, you could never be anything less than everything. Please believe me." I said gazing at her.

"But... "

"Listen, Lauren is quite vicious in her thoughts and I would pay her no attention at all if I were you. She never has a kind word to say about anyone in her head. I'm not sure why she's like that and I don't care to investigate. You should totally disregard anything she says or does.

Rosalie is beautiful on the outside, but she doesn't hold a candle to you. Your beauty comes from your soul, your goodness. Inside her mind, well, Rose is my sister and I love her in that way of course, but you know we don't get on at all. She has her reasons for behaving as she does, but they are not mine to share. I will say she can be quite conceited though and you are a far kinder and less judgemental person, which is infinitely more attractive.

All vampires look good to humans, it is vile really, a lure for human prey. I won't deny that I have heard thoughts of many people at school about our looks, but I have also heard them thinking how incredibly beautiful you are. Most people at Forks High think you're pretty and more than a few are either envious of your beauty or lust after you in some way or another."

"I only care what you think."

"I think you care what people will think when they see us together too, maybe? Or else surely you'd believe me when I say you're stunning."

"Maybe." she conceded.

"Tell me how I can help make you feel better about this. Would you like to go shopping with Alice? She can buy you as many designer clothes as you could possibly wear, she has so many in her closet she could give you an entire wardrobe without even leaving her room."

"No! I'm not spending your money like that! It's too expensive and it's wasteful anyway. I wouldn't feel like me."

"That's true. And I like your clothes, I'd be sad if you changed them."

"You like them?" She looked incredulous and puzzled.

"Yes. They smell like you and they're soft." I nuzzled against her flannel to prove my point. "I wear whatever Alice buys for me, she shops for all the men in the house and Rose and Esme often leave her to pick up the bulk of their clothes too. She really enjoys it and it makes sure we don't draw attention for being out of style. It helps her with her visions as well. She can pinpoint the timing more accurately if we rotate our wardrobes very frequently. "

"Oh! I see. That's smart. Well, I like your clothes too. They're a lot nicer than mine."

"I have an idea. Let's go to the Good Will."

"Now?"

"Yes, you can pick me out some clothes that you think would look nice. Maybe you can find some soft ones! I like soft things."

"You don't have to do this." She mumbled. "You don't want to wear smelly used clothes, Edward."

"I know I don't have to, but I think it might be fun to see what they have. And Alice's temper tantrum will definitely be fun. I mean it about the soft things. Worn in clothes are always softer. Plus Alice likes to make me wear things I sometimes don't find too comfortable. She says it's something about 'the lines', whatever that means. Most of all you feeling like you're not good enough is absolutely unacceptable. So lets try it and see what we find for me, ok?"

Bella looked up at me and smiled, then nodded. She kissed me softly on the mouth. "Tingles?" I whispered and she nodded again. "Me too. Every single time." I said and kissed her again, smiling. "So beautiful." I murmured nuzzling her nose "I'm going to tell you every day until you believe me."

Bella crawled back into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt, but sat curled up, facing me, just looking at me quietly as I started the engine, then headed for the Goodwill.

It was past five and the evening was drawing in when we arrived, but we had nearly an hour to hunt through the clothes. As I'd hoped we had fun, laughing at the out of date clothes as I self-consciously recounted my fashion disasters through the seventies and eighties, relieved almost no photographic evidence existed of it and the few shots there had been were secured in albums tucked away in Alice's fashion archive.

"So what do you think about vintage clothes then?"

"Vintage? You mean old?" I chuckled.

"Vintage is cool. You're vintage." She said, flicking through a rack of shirts and pulling out a flannel and a worn black denim shirt.

"I'm antique." I said glumly.

"Can we go on The Antiques Roadshow then? I can show them my priceless treasure of an antique boyfriend. He's in mint condition!" She winked at me and grinned.

I frowned. "I'm hardly a priceless treasure, Bella."

She turned and launched herself at me, wrapping me in a tight hug.

"Yes you are. I say so. So that's final." I couldn't help but smile. I am so lucky.

I quite liked her choices, they were not what I would have chosen, but they looked very comfortable and were looser fitting than what Alice typically bought. I recalled how in the 90s the fashions were most advantageous when it came to concealing my groin. I decided that it was time for an entire wardrobe overhaul based upon this revelation and the frequency with which Bella was inspiring powerful below-the-belt stirrings, which were as difficult to conceal as they were indecent.

With this in mind I looked for some jeans and found some that were baggier than anything Alice had permitted in some years, without looking too ridiculous. "Are these ok?" I asked her.

"You don't want to go for skinny jeans?"

"I don't like clothes that are so tight, Alice buys things like that so I wear them, but I prefer these. Are they too outdated though?"

"No, I think they'll look cool, kind of grungy, like Kurt Cobain or something. You can definitely pull off the look."

Emboldened by this comment I found a couple more pairs of pants and threw them into the shopping cart and started thinking of how some of the cardigans in my collection would perhaps be reminiscent of Cobain's thrift store chic. Everything in the entire store smelled atrocious, luckily I was prepared, as I had visited before Halloween, so I held my breath when not talking to Bella. I was going to have to use the ability I had bragged about on Friday to soak them in washing soda, then run them through the washing machine repeatedly on a hot wash to remove the stench.

Bella moved to the men's knitwear section and pulled out a chunky blue sweater. It looked very soft.

"What do you think about this? It's really soft."

I touched it and it did not disappoint. It didn't have any labels, so must have been hand knit, and it was immediately my favourite sweater because Bella had found it for me on our first date together. "It's perfect, I love it." I grinned.

She smiled and pulled out a couple more things, she seemed to have an idea of how she wanted them to go together with the shirts and pants in her head and it was interesting watching her search.

The announcement came over the tannoy to say the store would be closing in 15 minutes. It was almost six o'clock. As if in response Bella's stomach grumbled.

"Oh!" She said and blushed. "Sorry."

"Alice told me some restaurants for dinner if you'd like, or we can head back to Forks if you're tired?"

"I don't want today to be over, I'm having so much fun!" She beamed at me. "What are the options then? Nothing too fancy as I'm not dressed for it and I'll feel awkward."

"Alice only chose places she saw you liking. There's an Italian, a Mexican or a Japanese restaurant to choose from."

"Mmmmmm, she's right, they all sound so good." Bella pulled out an oversized, mottled grey hooded sweatshirt with a faded Chicago White Sox logo, she glanced at me, raising her eyebrows in question. I smiled and nodded and she threw it in the cart.

"I can take you to all of them, just choose one for tonight and I'll bring you back so you can try the others another day if you like?"

"That's so thoughtful, thank you. I always get scared I'm going to miss out on eating the best meal of my life and panic when I have to choose!" She giggled.

"I…. don't have that problem. But I will bear it in mind when I take you out. I want to take you to the most delicious restaurants and feed you the best dishes you've ever eaten."

"But I feel bad, you can't enjoy it too."

"On the contrary, watching you enjoy it and talking to you while you eat is really fun for me. I like feeling like I'm looking after you. And you can teach me about the food, so I will get that out of it as well."

She hugged me and held my hand as we pushed the cart to the register. It was almost full and we had found enough clothes to make several full outfits or to pair with my existing wardrobe. The entire cart of clothes cost less than one pair of the cashmere socks Alice bought us. I started to see what Bella meant when she spoke about the difference in the resources available to us.

By the time the sales clerk had bagged the clothes Bella had settled on Italian food for dinner, so we made our way back to the Volvo. I picked Bella up by the waist and darted across a couple of hazardous looking patches of ice. It would not do for her to slip and turn an ankle. She giggled adorably each time.

In the car Bella texted Charlie again and hummed along to the new CD she'd chosen, by this point she had fully commandeered the stereo as well as my heart.

At the restaurant I asked for a private table and slipped the server a tip. We were led to a dimly lit booth at the back of the restaurant, lit by candles and fairy lights, like the ones in Bella's room. Suddenly I couldn't wait to be there again with her and felt altogether too far away from her. I hoped she would allow me to join her again soon.

Bella ordered some wiggly squares with goo inside and a brown fizzy and I got some leaves she could pick at too. We talked about tomorrow and she said she would like to hang out again if I wanted to. I immediately accepted. We discussed what we might do, though I am happy just to spend the day with Bella, doing nothing much, just being near her and talking is heavenly. We settled on watching movies at her house, so she could make Charlie dinner and I could meet him properly once he got home from his shift just after 3. I am very nervous indeed about meeting him and introducing myself officially.

She held my hand across the table, talking animatedly about books and movies. She said she wants to watch her favourites with me tomorrow and started to plan her selection and the order in which to play them 'for maximum impact'. I wonder how I will manage to tear my eyes away from her and pay attention to them. It seems most impossible.

Bella asked when I next needed to hunt, so that we could plan around it. I considered this carefully and discussed it a little with her. Usually I hunt once every two weeks, but now that I was closer to her and therefore a much greater risk than every before, I decided to go weekly from now on. She had arranged to go to Jessica's on Monday, so told her I would hunt then. I would not like to be away from Bella while hunting, but she needed time with her father and friends, as well as time alone, no doubt, so I kept that thought to myself.

Bella ordered some frozen goo for dessert and I was mesmerised by the noises she made and her lips as she sucked the silver stick thingy she was eating with. My thoughts briefly became most salacious and I struggled to keep myself from launching across the table and kissing her. However, the disastrous situation in my nether regions, hidden below the table cloth, managed to dispel any serious consideration of such manoeuvres.

"Edward! Your eyes turned black." She whispered.

"Oh…. um…. Did they?" I tried to close my eyes to hide them. Closing the barn door after the horse had bolted, as usual.

"Hey, it's ok, don't be shy. I think your eyes are amazing, they're so beautiful." She whispered warmly.

"I thought they only went black when you were hungry, but they've been gold all day. Did talking about hunting make you hungry?"

"No, I…. it's hard to explain. Sorry." I stumbled around, mentally grasping for a way to change the subject and not have to confess what other things made my eyes turn black.

"That's ok, you don't need to explain. I'm just curious. I think you're fascinating."

"You do?" I smiled, "I think the same about you."

"Thank you. And thank you for being so open with me about the animals and not thinking I was stupid to ask if you'd eaten a whale."

"You're not stupid, so I could never think you were. Besides, it's interesting to see what you think is interesting, if you catch my drift?"

"Because you can't hear my mind?"

"Because I care what you think, not just what you think of me, but also what you think about, well, anything really. I'm sure I'd find your opinion on even the dullest subjects fascinating."

"Ha! Try me!" She said "I know you say you can't sleep, but you haven't heard me ranking all the different film and TV adaptations of Pride and Prejudice."

"Which one is the best?"

"The 1997 BBC one."

"And the worst?"

"Pride, Prejudice and Zombies."

"They seriously turned it into a zombie film?"

"And a best-selling book. It's very popular, but I totally hate it. I can't stand zombies and everyone acts entirely out of character throughout the whole thing. Why do they have to make everything into a comedy, or like a video game, trying to make it appealing to a male audience? You don't see them turning football into a dating competition to interest more women. Just leave it as its own thing. I mean, if you want something new, make something new, right?!"

"I guess people like to see things torn apart and reconstructed. I mean, the number of awful Shakespeare adaptations I've heard of through the years…"

"I guess. I wish they'd leave it alone, it's precious as it is, it doesn't need to be changed."

"I agree. So why is the BBC one the best then?"

"I think the actors played the roles very well, they had a decent budget and could shoot in regency houses because it was the BBC, so it looks and feels authentic and also, I think it just most closely matches the book I saw in my head before I watched any of the screen versions."

"I see. This isn't boring in the slightest, quite the opposite, Bella." She smiled and gave my hand a squeeze across the table, "Can we watch the BBC one together? I haven't seen it before." She nodded. She was sucking her goo utensil again and I fell silent, drinking it in for a moment. I suppressed a shiver that had absolutely nothing to do with the room temperature. Bella must have sensed it through my hand, still covered by her free one and her eyes darted to meet my gaze, I saw my expression, awestruck and animal, reflected back. Wasn't she frightened when she saw me like this?

Bella slowly drew the utensil from her lips, very conscious now of my gaze upon her. She seemed at odds, embarrassed but also, something else. "I'll miss you tonight." her voice was low, almost husky.

"I will miss you too, so much. I don't want to be away from you."

"You don't have to be."

" You want me to stay again?"

"Only if you want to."

"I can't imagine ever wanting to be anywhere else."

"Let's go. It's still early enough that we can stop off on the way."

"Stop off? Where would you like to go?"

"Somewhere it's just us."

"Oh...I'll get the bill. Will you let me pay? Is that sexist? I'd like to if you don't mind."

"That's very kind of you Edward. Thank you. I'll get the tip."

This seemed like a fair compromise and I was now aching to be alone with Bella in the worst way. I called over the server and asked for the bill, Bella went to use the restroom and I took the opportunity to focus on thoughts of Carlisle and Emmett until my arousal dissipated enough to risk standing up. I helped Bella into her jacket, she left the tip and we made our way outside.

"That really was so delicious, please thank Alice for recommending it."

"I will. Bella it's icy, would you let me carry you?"

"Don't be silly, I've got boots on, I'll be ok." She did slip a little on the way to the car, but I caught her quickly and steadied her before she came to any injury. I do wish she would just let me carry her everywhere.

In the car she looked at me and stroked my face as I drove us to Lake Crescent. It was on the way home and the view of the stars should be excellent now the sky had cleared. The night was becoming bitterly cold, so I turned the heater up and made sure Bella was warm enough.

She crawled over the console and curled in my lap again, which I like very much indeed. I must purchase a modesty cushion to hide the shame of my loins though if this is to become the regular occurrence I hope it will. Bella gave me slow soft kisses all over my face and ran her fingers through my hair, scratching my scalp deliciously. She found an especially good spot to scratch behind my ear that made my eyes roll back and my jaw slacken. My goofy face and extra loud purr made her chuckle softly, "Is that the spot?" I hummed in agreement and she spent a good amount of time holding me captive with her delectable ear scratching.

"You really like scritches, eh?"

"Scratches?"

"These are scritches. The nice gentle scratches." she punctuated the last sentence with some eye-rollingly good scritch action.

"Well, then I love scritches so much. But only from you. My girlfriend." That made me even more giddy and I let out a girlish little giggle of glee.

We looked at the stars a little, but mostly at each other, kissing and smiling at each other and sighing quite a lot. Looking at Bella, kissing her and sighing is my new (and favourite) hobby. We listened to Pink Moon by Nick Drake and Avalon by Roxy Music. I want to share all of my music with her, she fills my soul with song.

It was a perfect evening, after a perfect day. I drove her home, she told me to drop my car off, grab clothes and come back through her window. I did as instructed and found her just minutes later, gathering her things to shower and get ready for bed.

I took the opportunity as she showered to sneak a peak at Pants Off First. It is a children's book and no use at all! Curses! I shall have to order some books somehow to inform myself. How daunting!

I placed Bella's new books on her shelf, burrowed around quite a lot in her bedsheets and then set to updating this journal as I wait for her.

What a wonderful life I have! How lucky I am!

Reviewers get to give Edward scritches.

Thanks a million to my wonderful betas itsthatkindofanight and wh1teow1. Please show some love and read Moirai, a reimagining of Twilight for the new decade!