When I saw you
I fell in love,
and you smiled
because you knew.
When my phone vibrated Friday mid-morning, it jolted me a little in surprise. I was concentrating on my work, and it started jumping it's way across my desk. I had already saved Edward's number, so I knew it was him. I finally snatched it up to answer, instead of just staring at it.
"Edward?" I breathed. It was a little ridiculous how excited I was to hear from him.
"Yes," he chuckled in response. "How is your morning, Bella?"
I stared at my gray cubicle walls. "Boring, actually." I laughed a bit.
"That's too bad. Well, I told you I'd call about Alice. She's available tomorrow around ten. Is that good for you?"
"Oh! Yes, it is. Coffee?" I shifted in my seat to make sure no one was paying attention to me.
"Sure," he said easily. "There's a place near Kerry Park, if you want to meet there first." I just wanted his voice in my ear forever.
"I love that place. Makes moving here worthwhile. I was thinking of asking my friend, Jasper, to come along. For, you know, support." I looked behind me again, for some reason feeling a little paranoid. I wasn't breaking any rules.
"If that would make you more comfortable. Alice said to tell you she's dying to meet you. She wanted to see a picture of you, but we haven't taken any."
"That reminds me," I groaned. "I promised my mom I'd get a picture with you at dinner, and she's been nagging me because I forgot. We'll have to tomorrow, for sure." I frowned. I'd see him in less than twenty-four hours.
"It would be my pleasure," he said, in that velvet smooth voice that made me forget what we were talking about. "We'll see you tomorrow morning, then. Goodbye, Bella." His voice caressed my name, and I clenched my thighs.
"Goodbye, Edward." I clicked off the call and set my phone down. I took a deep breath and spun my chair to get up.
Mike was standing directly behind me. Creeper.
"Excuse me," I said pointedly, hoping he'd back up so I could stand. There wasn't any room, he was so close.
"Who's Edward?" Mike demanded. He had a look of righteous indignation on his face that made me want to hit him.
I frowned at him. "Why?" As though I would tell him anything.
"I heard the end of your conversation. I was coming to tell you my interview went well for the supervisor position." He sounded smug.
"Oh, great." I worked really hard to make sure it didn't sound sarcastic when I said that. I didn't think I succeeded. "Well, I was about to head to the restroom, if you don't mind?" I wasn't, but at least I knew he couldn't follow me in there.
Mike backed up, and I scurried to the ladies room. He was getting too nosy, too irritating. I didn't want to tell him who Edward was, it was none of his business. I washed my hands for something to kill time, then walked quickly out and to the stairwell. I didn't want to risk running into him outside the elevators, and I needed to see Jasper.
It was not much fun taking the stairs in heels, but at least I wasn't completely out of breath when I reached Jasper's desk. I was most certainly not an athlete, but I liked to go to the park and take hikes. It took coordination to be an athlete.
"Hey, Sunshine," he greeted me when he saw me coming. He was typing away at his computer.
"Hey, Jazz." I plopped down in an empty desk chair and rolled over to him.
He looked at me closely. "Took the stairs, dintcha?" One eyebrow was arched at me.
I growled. "How can you always tell? I thought I did pretty decent." I looked down at myself, certain I still looked professional.
"Your face is flushed." He shrugged. "I know girls don't sweat, but your face is glowin'." He grinned.
"Ugh. Damn Mike," I muttered, pushing at the hair around my face.
Jasper put his pen down. "What did that slug do now?" He studied me more closely now that we weren't teasing.
"He was standing directly behind me when I turned to get up. And I had just hung up with Edward. He wanted to know who I was speaking to." I could hear the disgust in my voice.
"Such a tool." Jasper shook his shaggy blonde hair. "So you avoided him by takin' the stairs?"
"I ducked into the ladies' room first." I fanned my face a little. "Anyway, the reason I'm here is to ask you to come with me to coffee with Edward and his sister tomorrow. I'm really nervous to meet any family."
He smiled warmly. "Of course, Sunshine. What time and where?"
I knew Jasper would agree. We'd been friends since our first class in college, and I always felt comfortable around him. He had that effect on people. He was always calm and fearless, no matter the situation. "I'm meeting them at Kerry Park at ten, then we're going to get coffee somewhere nearby."
"That sounds good. Have you talked to Renee, 'cause she's blowin' up my phone."
"Mm, yeah, I know. I forgot the selfie I promised her." I rolled my eyes. What did she think Jasper could do about it?
"We'll do it tomorrow. She made me promise, too." He smiled lazily.
"I'm sure she did." I stood and ruffled his hair. "See you tomorrow, hotshot."
~~~oOo~~~
I arrived at the park at a quarter 'til ten. I was nervous, as I had told Jasper. My hands were a little clammy, so I rubbed them on my jeans. I'd picked a dark blue long sleeved tee that looked nice with my creamy skin, then added a printed scarf to appease my mother. She was right; with my chestnut hair loose around my face, I looked pretty good.
The little sign for the park was surrounded by purple and white petunias, and that made me smile. I walked to the bench closest to the sculpture, sitting down and pulling out my phone. There was a text from Jasper; he would be here in minutes. That relaxed me a bit, knowing the calmest person I'd ever known was almost there. I closed my eyes and took two deep breaths, then opened them to admire the view. There was no doubt that this was a wonderful spot; Mount Rainier in the distance with a cloud cover ringing the top, and the Space Needle that always made me smile. I'd never been to the top, but I had tried to imagine the thoughts going through the head of the artist to first sketch the idea for the tower. Come to think of it, the artist had been named Edward.
As I thought of his name, Edward appeared before me with a shorter, darker haired version of himself. She had his sharp jawline with a more feminine chin, the perfect straight nose that upturned on the end. Her mouth was a flawless bow with a full lower lip. She had the same evergreen eyes as Edward, but her hair was a short jet black shag. There was no mistaking they were related. She was so pretty it hurt.
"Hello, Bella," Edward said. "This is my sister, Alice." He smiled crookedly at me. Alice bounced on her toes.
"Hi, Bella! It's so good to meet you!" Well, Edward was right. She was exuberant.
I stood to greet them properly. "Um, hi. . . Alice. It's nice to meet you, too." I had my hands in my pockets and I forced myself to pull them out and try to look normal.
"Bella!" I heard from behind me. I turned to see Jasper's tall, rangy form walking our way. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and gave him a brilliant smile.
"Oh, who do we have here?" I swore I heard a purr from Alice.
"Jasper, ma'am, pleased to meet'choo," he drawled in his best Texas accent.
Oh, man. The two of them were grinning like Cheshire cats. I glanced at Edward, who wore a slight frown.
"Edward, Alice, this is my best friend Jasper." I was starting to think they were no longer listening to me. Jasper reached out and took Alice's hand, kissing the back of it genteelly. Sweet Lord, I didn't know he had that much charm.
"Shall we give them a minute's privacy?" I heard murmured in my ear. I shivered, the same reaction I always had when Edward was this close, whispering in my ear. I nodded, swallowing thickly. He led me to the railing, then turned so he was facing me instead of the view.
"Your sister is lovely," I said quietly, sneaking a look at him. He was watching me, and his hand went through his hair the way I'd seen him do a few times before.
He smiled. "We have good genes." Now he shrugged. "She loves to use it to her advantage, but I've never been comfortable doing so." He caught a strand of my hair as it blew in the wind. "Though I've not seen her so taken with any one man the way she seems to be with your friend Jasper." He glanced at them as they talked animatedly, then back at me.
"What can I say, I'm a matchmaker." He gave me his crooked smile again. I didn't feel as nervous as I had before, despite the butterflies declaring war in my stomach. "Um, we promised my mother a picture?" My statement came out as more of a question.
"Oh, of course," Edward agreed. He took the cell phone I handed him and held it out at arm's length. The camera showed the two of us, with Mt. Rainier in the background. "Couldn't get more touristy, but I'm sure it will please your mother." He took the picture and handed the phone back to me. I quickly sent it to her so I couldn't forget.
"Did you want to get that coffee?" he asked. He was watching me again.
"Oh, sure." I'd already forgotten. It seemed we were staring more at each other than the Seattle scenery.
"Alice," Edward called. "Let's get a little sustenance before you decide to eat someone for breakfast." He lowered his voice. "You'd be surprised how much she can pack in that tiny body."
I laughed, glad to know that Alice wasn't actually perfect. We got back in our cars, Jasper sharing with me, to head to the coffee shop. It was very easy to stand in line next to Edward and order as if we were an established couple. I couldn't help but notice that Jasper and Alice did the same. We found a couch that was available and sat down together, Edward pulling me into his side. It was cozy, and I could suddenly envision the four of us doing this for years.
Alice was really an amazing person. She was bubbly, exuberant, and sweet. She literally never met a stranger; she was so kind and patient with everyone, they loved her instantly. Of course, her patience ended with her brother.
"Edward, you ass! I told you it's too soon to ask Bella to meet our parents. You've only known her for a week!" She clucked her tongue as Jasper laughed at her.
"Alice," Edward said dryly, rolling his eyes, "I know. She knows. I was just telling her I want it to happen, not that it has to be tonight." He smiled at me indulgently.
"Well, I'd like to spend time with her first. I like you so much, Bella, I would love to do something with you tomorrow," Alice said as she turned to me.
I set my cup down. "Oh, uh. . ." I looked to Edward for help.
"We have plans, Alice. But maybe you can monopolize her some other time." Edward smirked at his sister while I looked incredulously at Jasper.
"I feel like a child being fought over by divorced parents." That earned a chuckle all around. "Edward and I were planning to have brunch tomorrow and then spend the afternoon together. Would you mind coming over for dinner?" I asked Alice.
She gave me a megawatt smile. "I would love to! Can we make dinner? Can I bring the ingredients, and we can make dinner together? Is your kitchen big enough for the two of us? If not, we can make do." Her hands moved as rapidly as the words flew from her lips. I wondered when she would take a breath.
"That would be. . . great, actually." I smiled, a bit tentatively. "My kitchen should be big enough for the two of us."
"What if Edward stayed, and Jasper joined us? Would you mind the four of us sharing dinner? It doesn't have to be at your place, if you're uncomfortable." Another winning smile.
"Alice, you're going to give her a headache," Edward chastised. "What would you like, Bella?"
What would I like? I really would like to bite that full lip of his. Or maybe that jaw. Hmmm, I could kiss his throat, making my way down to. . .
"Bella?" Edward prompted with a squeeze to my fingers. I jolted back to reality, then I flushed. No, I was not totally having a sex fantasy about you just now.
"I think everyone coming over is a great idea. If Alice and I cook, the two of you can do the dishes." That sounded like an excellent plan to me.
Jasper groaned a little. "The only downside to Bella's fantastic cookin' is havin' to wash the dishes afterwards."
Alice swatted him lightly on the knee. "It's only fair," she trilled. "Besides, I'll repay you." She leaned over and nipped at his lips.
I turned away, only to find Edward watching me. He leaned in close, skimming his nose along my cheek, to my jaw line and then kissing the shell of my ear. I got goosebumps all over. "Will I get repayment if I wash dishes like a good boy?" he whispered in my ear. I just managed to swallow my moan.
"Maybe I'll pay you upfront," I said, and it came out much more breathy than teasing.
His grin was a quick flash as he looked into my eyes. "Maybe we'll skip brunch and work out our barter system instead."
I laughed. Sunday was going to be a good day.
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