BPOV

I watched him rush into his house. It was what looked like a converted three flat with a rich red brick exterior in the Old Town neighborhood. He looked over his shoulder before stepping through the door. He looked surprised to see me watching him. I smiled at him before putting my car in drive and speeding off. I let the music coming from the speakers wash over me. I relished the feeling of warmth spreading through me. I was happy with the recording we did, and eager to send it to Nana. I know she's been missing us lately. The weed I got was excellent. I'm not sure where James was sourcing his stash from but it was awesome, perfectly heady, and relaxing. And Edward, the feelings he brought up in me were strange and unfamiliar but exhilarating. The weed was inhibiting my ability to accurately place my feelings beyond this. He was sweet, and he asked me about myself which rarely happened. I don't think people see me when they look at me. They see me and Charlie standing over my shoulder with a shotgun pointed at them. I couldn't blame them for their hesitation. It was welcome to have someone to talk to for once. He was fun to play music with and easy on the eyes. A strong jaw with the faintest stubble peeking through, a prominent nose, and green eyes that had softness but depth. He had perfectly messy hair, like he just rolled out of bed, and a lazy smile. I hadn't wanted him to get out of my truck but I had homework to get to.

Charlie wasn't home when I finally arrived, thank god. I ran up the stairs dumping the contents of my backpack on my bed. I sped through my homework, not bothering to double check my answers. I was determined to finish quickly so I could move on to the shower I was dangling in front of me like a reward. I called in an order to my favorite Chinese place knowing I wouldn't have time to make dinner before Charlie got home. I turned the shower on and undressed myself, inspecting myself in the mirror. I looked okay, I wasn't ugly but I could be better. My boobs could be bigger and I could be less boney. I plucked a few stray hairs off my eyebrows and stepped in the shower. I took my time washing my hair, combing deep conditioner through the length of my waves. I exfoliated myself followed by a meticulous shave of every inch of my body. I washed the conditioner out of my hair, washed my face, and brushed my teeth. I stepped out of my shower, toweled myself off, and lathered myself in lotion. I wrapped myself in a robe and a hair turban trapping my hair away from my face. I applied a sheet face mask my mother had mailed me from her trip to Korea. I smiled thinking of Renee's free spirited nature. She always acted on any impulse she had and faced the repercussions with a grin. It wasn't until I was resting in bed waiting for the time on my face mask to be up that I realized I had unintentionally given myself an everything shower. I couldn't remember the last time I had the energy to go through the laborious process of extensive grooming. I racked my brain for what could've subconsciously inspired this. Edward. I heard keys jingling in the front door.

"Bells?" Charlie called as he stepped through the door.

"Yeah, dad? I'll be right down" I called back, throwing on a set of flannel pajamas and peeling off the face mask before I sped down the stairs.

"Hey Bells, this was sitting outside," he said holding up a bag of Chinese food.

"Hey, Dad. Sorry, I was in the shower, I must've not heard them ring the doorbell. How was your day?"

"Same bullshit, different day," he answered. Charlie was not a man of many words which I could appreciate. We quietly ate our dinner and I cleared our plates off the table. I ran up the stairs to grab my computer and flash drive.

"I made some progress on my anniversary gift for Nana and Pa," I said to Charlie as I pulled up the file on my laptop to play. I sounded fantastic and was relieved my efforts paid off.

"Well, hooey! I guess my baby is still a country girl at heart!" Charlie exclaimed. "I'm sorry we had to move you out to the city, Bells. This is great. I'm sure Nana will love it." He gushed. I was alleviated that a simple song was able to work its way through his hard exterior. I knew my dad loved me and he did his best to show me as much.

I spent the rest of the evening practicing the piece I planned to record tomorrow during lunch. Maybe if I held off I could get Edward to help me again? It was nice to have someone to smoke with afterward as well. Too eager to wait until tomorrow, I flipped open my computer pulling up Facebook, determined to find him.

Edward Cullen. I typed his name into the search bar and waited, there he was! His profile picture was him and a tall beautiful blonde. He held her at the waist, laughing. There was no one tagged in the photo so I had no way of knowing who it was. He mentioned a big family. A sister? A girlfriend? I mulled on it and sent a friend request anyway. I waited what felt like hours as I chewed my thumb nail to the quick. Embarrassed at the bad habit, I filed my nails and covered them with two coats of a deep blue polish, as I screwed the cap on I heard a notification from my computer. I ran to it and saw that Edward had not only accepted my request but sent me a message.

"Fancy meeting you here :)" he typed

I had no idea what to say. "Hey"? No that's lame, what do you answer to this? I typed my response not bothering to fret about the dents I was creating in my still wet nail polish. I went with a simple "What's up?"

"Not much, just laying in bed. The weed you had was fantastic, I was fried through dinner. My sister Ali wants to know who your connect is," he typed back.

Alice Cullen, she was in my AP art block, and I connected the dots. "My guy James is the best, I'll have to connect y'all." Emboldened by the fact that he at least enjoyed my weed, I typed my next message. "I was wondering if you wanted to help me out again tomorrow? I only have a few days to send the songs to my nana, I could smoke you out after again if sweetens the pot?"

"no pot sweetening needed, I'll be there" he responded. Relief came over me and I felt downright giddy. I guess since I already did the damn shower I was just going to commit. I trudged back to the bathroom, releasing my hair from the turban. I quickly blow dried the remaining moisture away and began setting my hair in rollers. My nana taught me how to do this once and I loved it. The ritual felt so feminine and lovely but it was turning out to be a tiring experience without her help. After successfully rolling my hair and wrapping it in a silk scarf. I practiced the piece I was planning on recording tomorrow a bit before heading to bed.

The following morning I woke up early, taking my time choosing an outfit. I chose a pair of dark wash denim jeans, a fitted white t-shirt paired with the most flattering bra I owned, finished with my worn Doc Martens. A classic outfit and damn I looked good. I went to the bathroom letting my hair out the curlers that caused my hair to fall in large loose waves around my head. I spent longer than usual on my makeup, opting to include more to my usual mascara chapstick routine. I grabbed my necklace off the bathroom counter. I put it on admiring how the orange stone complimented my skin. Renee said that carnelian was a stone for self confidence and that boys always love you when you love yourself. I really hoped that was true because I looked fantastic and felt even better. Unfortunately, I was running late. I grabbed a pop tart from the pantry, my jacket off the hook and ran through the door.

I made it to school on time and made it to my first period class with no accidental tumbles or falls. It rained last night and the asphalt felt particularly slick under my boots. After third period I was rifling through my locker trying to find my bio lab. I realized in my haste I'd left it at home on my desk. I capitulated over going back or not. If I did I'd be missing out on seeing Edward in the music room. I was surprised at the wave of irritation that came over me. I begrudgingly decided I had to go back and get it. It was my lunch period so I guess no coffee or yogurt today. Exasperated by my throw in routine, I stalked off to my truck. I ran home retrieving my lab paper and another poptart to be eaten in lieu of my usual lunch. I sped back to school. The rest of the day went by slowly, probably worsened by my growing hunger and anxiety about seeing Edward. I headed to the cafe to try to pick up a coffee and something to scarf down on my walk to the music building. I was taken by surprise to see Edward standing at the counter retrieving two drinks from the pickup counter. He turned to see me and smiled a big toothy grin.

"Bella! I was just coming to find you, I couldn't remember what drink you got but thankfully the barista knew you. I guess you're a regular here, huh?" He handed me my cortado.

"Edward! Thank you!" I was glad for the caffeine but I was famished. I didn't want to sour the mood so I dropped it, choosing to be grateful now and hungry later. "And thank you again for agreeing to help me." We made small talk about our respective days as we headed to the back building. When we arrived I took my cortado as usual and hurried to set up the booth. Sitting at the piano, hands poised, I gave Edward a nod signaling to start recording as I played a jazz arrangement of Close To You by Carpenters. My Nana lovedloved this song. I let the soft romantic tones and my Nana's love flow through me as I played the song and then it was over. A little panicked at the thought of my time with Edward being close to done I chose to record vocals. "Hey I know I said I just wanted to do the piano but would you mind letting me record vocals? I think my grandma would love it" he gave me a smile and a thumbs up through the glass.

I stepped up to the mic that was already adjusted to my height from our time in the booth yesterday. I slipped on the headphones and took a deep breath giving him a nod, letting the cheesy lyrics fall from my mouth.

"Why do birds suddenly appear

Every time you are near?

Just like me, they long to be

Close to you"

The irony dawned on me as I sang these words that I had impulsively chosen to perform just to spend more time with Edward. I couldn't stifle my laughter as I remembered this song had played in Homer Simpson's head the first time he laid eyes on Marge, his beloved. "I'm sorry, can we start over?" I called out.

He nodded as the track started over again in my headphones. I sang out the words, surprised by the depth at which they resonated out of me. I finished the song, satisfied with the second take and I stepped out of the booth.

"Bella! That was amazing, you really have a lot of range," he beamed at me.

"Thank you, I think it's because I'm good at impressions. I'm good at imitating other singers but I'm not sure I've found my voice yet."

"Well, that was fantastic. Is there anything else you were gonna work on?" He asked. I couldn't tell if he was eager to leave or genuinely interested.

"Nah, just that," I answered downloading the recording to my flash drive. "Wanna get outta here?" I asked lifting two fingers to my lips imitating a drag. I hoped he was still up for our plans to smoke.

"Totally," he smirked and I felt myself swoon.

We walked back to my truck in silence. I fiddled with my phone queuing up Virtual Insanity by Jamiroquai. I sang along to the tune as Edward stared out the window while we drove to my spot. I wondered what he was thinking but couldn't get the nerve to ask. When we arrived I sat at my usual spot on the rock. I rolled three joints, two for now and one for later. I lit one and placed the other two in the tube and back in my stash bag. I handed off the joint and hoisted myself up. I brought my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around myself in a feeble attempt to soothe my anxiety. I could feel my heart pounding in my ears and my palms were starting to sweat. He watched me closely and I felt vulnerable under his gaze. I think the realization that the words I sang to him rang true in some way hit me harder than the joint. It wasn't often I longed for someone's company but something about the way he looked at me made me feel entranced. He looked at me curiously with one eyebrow cocked and I realized I was staring and blushing. I dropped my eyes and fiddled with my laces. "You look nice today, I like your hair," he complimented. I felt my cheeks grow an even deeper shade of red. "Thank you" I quipped. "My Nana used to set my hair in rollers, I figured it was appropriate to pay homage to her today." I wasn't exactly lying but I didn't want to admit that I was trying to impress him. "I like it" he murmured, grabbing a piece of my hair between his fingers. "It's very soft too," he said as he pushed his fingers through my hair tucking it behind my ear. I was not stoned enough to confront the unspoken emotions that arose from my proximity to him. The spot where his touch had been left a tingling sensation on my skin. I peered up through my lashes and smiled. "Thank you" was all I could manage to spit out. I reached for the stash bag noticing the joint was almost out. I pulled the other doobie out and placed it between my lips. I grabbed Edward's shoulders, pressing the joint to the already lit one hanging from his lips, and inhaled lighting my own. I dropped my hands from him and continued to puff on the filter until it was roasting. I handed the joint off and avoided eye contact, not wanting to see his response to my face being inches away from his. He sat on the rock next to me pressing his thigh against mine. We passed the joint back and forth watching the sky darken on the reflection of the water. My stomach growled interrupting the calm silence between us.

"Sorry, I was in a rush this morning, I haven't eaten anything but pop tarts today" I explained

"No worries! Did you wanna head out?" he asked with a concerned expression on his face.

"No!" I said a little too enthusiastically. I adjusted my tone. "No, I just am feeling a little lightheaded and I'm nervous about driving you home. I don't want to pass out at the wheel you know?" I wasn't lying but I also wasn't ready for our time to be over.

"I understand. Why don't we get going? Maybe we can stop through a drive-thru?" I wrinkled my nose at that, I was in no mood to change up my routine for again today. "I think I'll be okay, I might have a granola bar in my truck or something"

He sat up and I followed suit but as I pressed my feet to the ground I felt a rush of blood to my ears causing me to stumble and everything to go black.

AN: A short chapter. Would love any feedback and reviews. Peace and love, M.