Bella´s Hoax

Bella bit her tongue while she cussed herself out for being so damn reckless.

Jacob was her ex. Hers. Not Alice´s. How could she forget that? And why did she even bring him up in the first place? His tiramisu wasn´t even that interesting to begin with. And it certainly wasn´t interesting enough to ruin this plan over.

¨Oh? What a coincidence,¨ she said to her plate.

Edward smiled. ¨I would even go as far as to say that we were academic rivals. I´m sure that without him, I would´ve never graduated with honours.¨

Bella thought desperately if the name Edward Masen had rang a bell during her relationship with Jacob. Much to her own luck, she couldn´t remember hearing the name, or if Jacob had some kind of rivalry going on between him and another scholar. There was still hope that Edward´s Jacob and her Jacob were two different people.

¨Tiny world,¨ she muttered to herself.

Determined to find out more, she leaned forward. ¨So academic rivals, huh? Seems very enemies-to-lovers to me. You know, two brainiacs who are always battling to outshine each other in class, but who are deep down totally crushing on each other.¨ She winked suggestively.

The corner of Edward´s mouth tucked upwards. ¨Alright Alice, you got me. All those late nights I spent studying in the library, only because I was hoping to catch a glimpse of him really did take a toll on me.¨

¨Because when he scored a higher mark, he would finally notice and acknowledge you,¨ Bella continued. ¨But at the same time you had to keep up your own GPA because of your background. Tragic.¨

¨Truly tragic. We really were star-crossed lovers,¨ Edward grinned. ¨By the way, do you always romanticize every interaction you come across?¨

¨Only the most obvious ones.¨

¨Because picture this, while I absolutely love your theory, we were just two guys freshly sprung from high school, rocking a confidence that was most certainly a mask. Always trying to be a little bit better than the other was just a great motivator. At least, for me it was.¨

He winked. ¨And Edward Black doesn´t really sound right, don´t you agree?¨

Bella gulped down something down her throat. ¨No, Edward Black certainly doesn´t sound right,¨ she wholeheartedly agreed, her heart racing.

Shit. Shitshitshit. Shit.

She had to come clean. This whole, whatever it was, lasted far longer than she ever planned. It was getting awkward and far to close to home and it had to end.

Tonight.

So in the dimly lit restaurant, Bella´s heart was like a ping-pong ball, bouncing between telling Edward now and chickening out. Her sudden resolve went away as her confidence was playing hide and seek.

As they wrapped up dinner, Edward swiped the bill, flashing a grin that Bella felt in every muscle of her body. Why, God why, did he have to be this handsome?

¨Need a lift home?¨ he asked, all suave gentleman.

¨Sure,¨ Bella said, inwardly kicking herself yet again for her big mouth. Now she needed to sit next to him. Even worse; she couldn´t just dash and be done with it. Even worse than that: she couldn't tell him where she lived, so she had to walk home in these heels.

She deserved every blister that she got.

The car ride was like a rollercoaster. Not because of Edward, because of course, this stupid, shiny, silver Volvo drove as if it drove on clouds. She wrestled with herself, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on the edge of her seat. It was now or never. But as he parked outside her place -well, Angela´s place to be precise- words tangoed on the tip of her tongue. Too late, she chickened out.

¨Thanks for tonight,¨ she said with a smile, trying to mask her inner turmoil.

¨Anytime,¨ he replied, sending her a grin that she would remember in her worst and best dreams for years to come. She savoured it one last time before she got out of the car.

Of course, he didn´t immediately drive away. Always the gentleman, he waited until she was safely back inside.

Well, he could wait a long time, she thought. She turned back to the car and waved goodbye. Still, he didn´t drive away.

Well, obviously she didn´t plan this far ahead. She looked at the apartment complex in front of her, trying to remember on what floor Angela lived and how she could get in.

She rumbled in her bag, pretending to search for a key as she fished her own out. Turning around again, she made a show of waving and showing Edward the key, before she slowly walked towards the building.

She still didn´t hear him drive away.

Oh, what had she done?