Chapter Four - It's a date!

BPOV

The feelings that overtook me when I saw those eyes and heard that voice were beyond intense. I tried to be strong. I tried not to cave so easily. But it didn’t last.

Within moments, I’d suggested we meet for coffee. I had to hear what he wanted to say, what had made him track me down to my workplace. If I didn’t hear him out now, I’d think about it for an eternity.

I’d tripped my way through 20 minutes of work. Knowing that he sat only two stores away from me did nothing for my concentration. I don’t recall accomplishing anything in those 20 minutes.

After what had seemed like 20 hours, not minutes, I’d finally walked into the coffee shop and watched in awe as he had stood to wave me over. He was taller and leaner than I’d remembered; I wasn’t sure how that was possible. His hair had been a styled catastrophe, and I had needed to physically restrain my hands, by linking them behind my back, to stop me from reaching out towards it.

His beautifully angled face had been a mixture of relief, apprehension and something that hinted of lust. Those feelings had pretty much mirrored my own.

I’d unabashedly stared at him as I’d walked across the room. I had wanted to drink it all in, lap it all up, in case this was the last time I ever saw The Pretty.

He’d talked, I’d talked.

I’d been assured I wasn’t being stalked, I wasn’t a booty call and was most definitely something more in his eyes. What exactly that more was, I wasn’t sure.

He’d spoken softly and sincerely and I’d believed every word he said.

He’d listened when I spoke of my fears. He’d told me of his. We’d shared just the surface of our pasts.

We hadn’t spoken of the day that brought us together. I hoped we would at some point, but then had not been the time or the place.

Now, a little over 24 hours later, I stood in front of the full length mirror on the back of my closet door. I was in the seventh outfit of the last hour.

The first had been too trashy, the second too suggestive, the third too ‘librarian’, the fourth too casual, the fifth far too low cut and the sixth would have allowed me to freeze to death.

Maybe this was the one.

The skinny jeans hugged my hips and butt perfectly, showing off my long slim legs. Ballet flats would help keep me upright and a navy blue, silky wrap style top with delicate ruffles around the capped sleeves. Dipping to a respectful v at the neck, giving just a slight hint of what lay beneath.

Granted, all Edward had seen me in so far was jeans, but I didn’t want to represent anything I was not yet ready to undertake… again.

Running the brush one last time through my hair and applying one more coat of lip gloss, I grabbed my purse and phone and headed downstairs to wait for my date.

Half way down the stairs a key turned in the lock and Alice came crashing through the door, out of breath and soaking wet.

“Did I make it? I did! I made it!” She blurted out as she kicked off her wet shoes and threw her jacket over the banister.

“Make what Alice? What’s the rush?”

“I just wanted to get home before you left. You know me, I felt the need to check out your outfit..." She paused momentarily and gave me the once over from head to toe---“...which I approve of, by the way--- and give you a pep talk if you needed one.”

“Thanks Alice” I chuckled. She could be so damn cute.

“I’m just glad I made it. Traffic was awful with the rain and rush hour, you know how people get driving in the rain, it took me 15 minutes to get from the train station parking lot to here!” she prattled on while heading to the kitchen at the back of the house.

I followed knowing that I wouldn’t get another word in until she’d emptied her brain of all the thoughts she’d stored up while alone on her travels. Often she’d not been able to keep it in long enough and word vomited over some poor unsuspecting commuter. This of course led to her being mortified that she’d done it again and led to an hour long, one sided conversation about how she needed to learn to pause and take a breath.

I loved Alice to bits. She’d been my best friend since pre-school. I’d learned to just go with the flow and accept her for the crazy but loveable woman that she was.

She had a wonderful heart and although tiny, could give the best bear hug.

Grabbing a soda from the fridge, she sat down at the small table crammed into the corner of the kitchen and patted the seat next to her, in essence, ordering me to sit.

I did as I was told.

“So, are you ready for your big date? Do you know where he’s taking you? What time is he picking you up? 7pm? Are you going to sleep with him?” she rattled out the questions faster than I could even register, but the last question was the only one that stuck.

“Alice, no, of course I’m not going to sleep with him. Jeez, I don’t want him to think I’m easy or something.”

“Erm, Bella… you already slept with the guy, numerous times in one day, the same day you met him… he may already have that impression.” Alice said in the softest voice I’ve ever heard come from her little frame.

I buried my face in my hands, “I know that’s a possibility Alice, but I’m trusting him OK? He said this wasn’t a booty call. He said he wanted to start fresh, get to know me. I need to trust him on that or this isn’t going to work.”

My words were more of a reassurance to myself than to Alice.

I had to believe that he wasn’t expecting me to jump back into bed with him.

I had to believe that he would take it slow.

I had to believe that the connection we both admitted to feeling was something worth giving the chance.

Amazingly Alice had managed to stay silent while I gathered my thoughts. She sat opposite me patiently waiting for me to continue the conversation.

“Alice, there is nothing I want more than to lock myself and that pretty, pretty man in my bedroom and not leave. There is nothing I want more. But, if I’m ever going to know if what he wants with me is something more than just sex… I can’t just jump in the sack with him again.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” Alice hung her head and avoided eye contact as she spoke.

“No, you should have said that. It’s the truth, Alice.” I urged her to look at me. “I did sleep with him – a lot – after knowing him for like an hour. You’re absolutely right, maybe he does think I’m easy. But I don’t think that’s the case.

There is this connection between us...I can’t describe it. I’ve never felt anything like it before. I have to give that a chance.”

Alice smiled and moved to throw her arms around my shoulders and squeeze me entirely too tightly.

“Hearing you talk like that makes me happy Bella. You deserve some happiness… I hope this is it,” she spoke into my shoulder.

Patting her back, I managed to squirm out of the hug before I began to feel faint from lack of oxygen. “Thanks, we’ll see I guess – I don’t even know him, I need to find out that side of him too.”

We sat there and spoke about our day for a while, the constant tick tock of the clock seemed to rebound off every wall. The hands ticking toward seven o’clock.
Then the hands started ticking past seven. Five minutes past, ten minutes past…. eleven… and I heard a sharp knock echo down the hall from the front door.

I stood nervously and smiled at Alice.

“Please stay in here.” I asked, “I’m not ready for formal introductions yet.”

Ever the best friend, she kissed me on my cheek and wished me good luck.

The walk down the hallway was no longer than 15 feet, but it felt like an eternity.

The anticipation of what the evening would bring running laps in my head.

I reached the door just as another sharp knock sounded.

Opening the door my heart stopped in my chest for a few beats as I took in the sight before me.

There he stood under a large umbrella dressed in black, well fitted pants and a gray button down shirt, the top few buttons open and revealing his muscular chest beneath it. His hair was perfectly styled in the bouffant I remembered from the train, and I couldn’t help but think about messing it right back up.

I ran my eyes up the full length of his body taking in the Eighth Wonder of the World standing before me.

Ending on his beautiful face, I was treated to the most panty dropping, lop-sided smile I had ever seen. His green eyes sparkled with confidence and his right eyebrow quirked upward along with his lips. He was freshly shaven and just divine.

Divine was the word of choice.

“Bella.” His deep velvet voice brought me back to my senses, “You look beautiful… shall we?”

“Sure, just let me grab my bag and jacket.” I hurriedly turned to gather my belongings before Edward caught wind of the blush that was quickly traveling across my face.

His smirk and the playful look in his eye had confirmed that he’d noticed my appreciation of him also.

I shrugged on my jacket and slung my bag over my shoulder. Shouting a quick goodbye to Alice, I stepped out into the shelter of his umbrella.

We walked down the front stairs from the porch, and I suddenly lost my footing on the slick stone step, reaching out to grab Edwards arm to stop me from falling.
So much for ballet flats keeping me upright.

Edward clung onto me with his free arm, and I swear I heard a soft chuckle over the noise of the rain beating down around us. I dared to look sideways and caught a glimpse of the man now holding me up. Sure enough, laughter played on his lips.

I could feel bad for being laughed at, for something that was actually funny, or I could laugh along. I chose to laugh along.

As we made our way slowly towards the street, holding on to each other and laughing, I looked up to determine how far I had to go without falling. The hunk of junk that I’d watched him drive away from the store in yesterday was a couple of spots down the street.

He opened the passenger door first and held the umbrella over me as I climbed in. I got myself situated as he made his way around to his side of the car. He closed the umbrella and threw it on the floor in the back then slipped into the driver seat.

Those few seconds in the rain had darkened his shirt around his shoulders and caused droplets to drip from his hair and down over his face.

I wanted to lick it, but refrained.

“Nice ride.” I commented, trying to keep the mood light.

“Yeah, it’s probably time for an upgrade.” Edward quipped, “But I just can’t seem to let this old Volvo go.”

He closed his eyes as if in prayer as he turned the key in the ignition. The car roared to a noisy life and we turned out onto the street.

“So, where are we headed?”

“Do you like Italian?” he questioned, a warm smile on his face.

“I do.”

“Great, I know this wonderful little restaurant down town. I love it. I think you will too.”

We continued with the small talk as we made our way through the crowded rush hour filled streets. Luckily we were going against traffic and our trip was a little less hectic than some of the harassed workers trying to make it home for dinner.

Edward pulled up at the valet and ran around to open my door, beating the valet to the punch. Luckily the entrance to the restaurant had an overhang and we walked arm in arm through the double doors without another dash through the rain.

The hostess seated us in a secluded booth away from the hustle of the busy restaurant floor. Edward ordered a bottle of red and we both began to look over the menu.

I glanced up to see him concentrating on the menu and took the chance to stare. His bronze hair was no longer perfectly styled, I preferred it mussed up as it was now.

His bright eyes focused intently on the menu before him. The shape of his eyes and the liquid sea green took my thoughts to a dirty place.

I found myself once again zeroing in on his tear ducts, wanting to reach out and touch them with the tip of my tongue.

My resolve to take things slow was not going to work if I kept going there.

The waiter returned, pulling me out of my fantasies, and took our orders as we fell back into an easy flow of conversation.

He asked me about the bookstore and how long I’d worked there, admitting to it being a place he often visited up until a few months ago. I’d worked there since I’d moved to the city to live with Alice, and I was surprised I’d never seen him in there before. He wasn’t something I’d miss.

That led into our mutual love for books. I learned he’d read everything from the classics to that new set of vampire books popular with teenage girls and their mothers.

After I’d picked myself up off the floor from laughing at that revelation, we moved onto music. I played the guitar, he played the piano. Remembering how his fingers had played my body a little over a week ago, I decided he must be quite an accomplished pianist.

The exchange flowed easily, the food was delicious and the wine was making my head just a little fuzzy. We’d covered so many topics but never really dove into the events that had thrown us together in the first place.

I feared that if I brought it up the night would take a turn toward awkward. I also feared that if I brought it up I’d want to repeat it. Purely to check that my memories were correct, of course.

While clearing our dinner plates, the waiter placed a dessert menu in front of me. A mean tactic, but he could obviously tell a sweet tooth when he saw one. Edward saw me practically salivating at the choices and ordered their six layer chocolate cake, topped with berries and an espresso for himself.

The cake arrived with two spoons, although four or more would have been appropriate. Edward and I laughed at the gluttonous mass of sugary goodness before us, and I dove in. Amazingly, it tasted even better than it looked.

I moved to wipe some chocolate from the corners of my mouth, clumsily knocking my spoon to the floor. Without missing a beat, Edward dug his spoon into the cake and held it up to my mouth. The look on his face as I slowly sucked the huge glob of chocolate off his spoon was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

I could see the lust take over his face, his eyes darkened as his tongue dipped out and coated his lips in moisture.

It took all the strength I had not to climb across the table and attack him right then and there.

This wasn’t going to end the way I had told myself it should if he kept tricking me that way.

Edward settled the bill and we headed to the door with the remainder of the cake packaged up to go. His hand was placed on my lower back as he guided me around the tables. I could feel the heat and sparks traveling through my body from the point of contact.

Exiting out to the valet podium he stepped in painfully closer as we waited for the car to arrive. The silence had once again settled over us, but like the first time we met, it wasn’t awkward. A comfortable silence but an uncomfortable tension.

The car pulled up and Edward walked me around to the passenger side, opening the door and holding my hand as I sunk down into the seat. He walked quickly around to his side, tipping the valet on the way, patting the dashboard with a small smile as he fastened his seat belt.

“So, I had fun, I really had a lot of fun. Do you think we could do this again… soon?” he asked as we pulled out into the street.

The hope was written all over his face. Hmmm...I could have fun with this.

“I don’t know Edward, I mean… yeah I had fun. But where is this going?” I questioned him, trying to keep my face as straight as possible.

“Well… what… we can’t know that…” he stammered. His expression was that of a boy who had just lost his puppy.

I couldn’t keep the façade up. I couldn’t see that sad look on his face a moment longer.

“I’m kidding, I’m sorry. I would like to see you again.” The relief washed away the sadness as I continued, “I really enjoyed myself. Let’s do something again next weekend, does that sound OK?”

“Next weekend, sure, sounds good.” The smile in his voice was apparent without me even seeing it.

But I had to see it. I looked up and caught his eye, and our eyes locked for a few seconds longer than they should, considering he was driving.

I broke his gaze first, for my safety as his passenger and looked out of the window at the downtown buildings passing by, a huge grin plastered on my face. The rain was still falling heavily. The streets were now almost deserted, just the odd person heading home late.

We chatted about our plans for the remainder of the weekend and the work week ahead of us, and before we knew it we were entering my neighborhood. As we rounded the corner onto my street, we cemented our plans for our second date.

Edward parked the car as close to my house as he could. He leaned around to the back seat, brushing my thigh with the back of his hand as he reached back to grab the umbrella. I started slightly at the contact, wishing I could allow it to be more.

He jumped out of the car, and holding the umbrella above us both, we ran laughing to my front door. We seemed to hit every puddle in our path, our feet and legs both soaked by the time we reached the stoop.

I rooted through my purse, grabbing my keys and fumbling with the lock. After what seemed like forever, getting impossibly wetter by the second, the door opened and we both stepped in out of the rain.

“I’m sorry, you’re soaking… you should come in and dry off.”

“Well, technically I am already in.” he smirked, the corner of his mouth lifting in the most adorable manner. “But, I should go. Really, I should go.”

He leaned in and placed a small tender kiss against my cheek. The electricity seemed to hold us together like an invisible force.

“I really did have a great time Bella. Thank you for agreeing to see me tonight.”

The velvet purr of his voice vibrated over my skin. I could feel my legs shake slightly and the moisture gather between my thighs as my mind reminded my body of the things he could do to me.

I longed to capture his hand in mine and drag him up the stairs to my room. I wanted the image of The Pretty in my bed to be real and not just a dream.

Nobody had ever had this hold over my body and my mind. It scared me and snapped me back to my senses.

“Thank you. I look forward to seeing you next week.” I managed to spurt out formally as I watched him turn and make his way back out into the rain.

I stood and watched as his long legs carried him gracefully over the puddles back to his car.

I watched as he folded himself into the Volvo and drove off into the night.

I watched the empty street after he had disappeared around the corner.

Closing the door I slid down to the floor, my head in my hands.

I was so fucked.

He had some bizarre hold on me. There was some crazy connection that scared me as much as it excited me.

Suddenly a whole week before I saw him again seemed far too long.