Entry for the Straight thru the Heart Contest

Title: Take Your Time

Summary: Bella's date goes horribly wrong...or horribly right depending on the storyteller. Edward refused to miss another chance after the first was snatched away years ago. He decides to take destiny into his own hands. Date or not, he would take her, and he'd do so without remorse.

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Rating: M

Word count: 4,432

Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition. ― Alexander Smith

Long-sleeved, cowl-back lace dress? Check. Sexy peep-toe, butterfly-cutout pumps? Check. Matching accessories? Check.

With that knockout ensemble, Bella is fitting back into the dating world just swimmingly.

Well, at least it's what she tells herself as she opens the door of the restaurant where she's meeting her blind date. As she does so, Bella immediately scans the room for him.

Tall, dark, and handsome.

That's the only information Renee, her mother, could give her.

Bella rolls her eyes exasperatedly, as it dawns on her that her mom had given her a rather vague profile. Ultimately, the rest is up to her to figure out.

Then, she remembers her mother said the guy had a killer smile and dirty-blond hair. Bella takes a calming breath, thinking that should narrow it down a bit. So, she puts her observation to the test, and looks around the room.

Although, she's filled with disappointment when no guy fits that particular profile. Suddenly, like magnets, her eyes snap to a very-slanted pair of green eyes. She wonders if they were the same set of eyes she felt watching her from the moment she walked in.

She bites down on her lower lip. If her ovaries could shout, they'd tell her it had been entirely too long since she's engaged in anything remotely close to sex.

Her entire body becomes ablaze beneath his gaze, and in that moment all shyness dissipates from her realm. She decides to be someone else for the sake of her ovaries—for the sake of her sanity. This guy is hot, and he has considerably made her forget all about her blind date.

She takes a step forward, her eyes still locked on the hottie across the room. He's still watching her, waiting for her to approach as other women had.

Tonight, he's turned down the company of quite a few women in his close vicinity. Now, he knows why; luck has always been on his side. He is a kindhearted man with an altruistic way of thinking. If it's in the best interest of another, he does it. This has caused him to have great karma, leading to very fortunate happenings.

He knew in his gut something good was going to happen tonight, and he was right. He was supposed to meet her. Fate has led him to this beautiful woman, and he has to have her.

Just as he stands, she takes a step in his direction, their eyes locked in a fierce hold from across the room. Only space and opportunity are holding them apart from destiny.

The room could go up in flames at that moment and neither of them would notice. They are drawn to each other by a magnetic pull, as if their hearts already know one another. Kindred spirits waiting to meet up at this exact moment.

Except that moment is snatched from their grasp when a hand gathers hers, pulling away her attention from him.

Edward watches as James lifts it to his lips, kissing it in a sweeping motion.

His eyes lift to hers, as he says, "Isabella."

"Please." She glances back at the bar, noticing the man with whom she shares an overwhelming attraction has disappeared from her eyesight. She slumps her shoulders in disappointment, and the feeling of loss is hard to shake. Bar-guy is nowhere to be found.

She turns her attention back to the man whom she is supposed to have a date with, smiling with every bit of confidence she can muster. It's why she went to the restaurant tonight. To meet James, and get out of her comfort zone, so she can kickstart her casual dating tendencies.

She wasn't supposed to meet Prince Charming at the bar. The last thing she was looking for was a broken heart. She was to avoid anything beyond safe until she was fully-equipped to handle the situation. Giving up was not an option this time around. She would not hold out for two years ever again.

"Call me Bella." She offers him a dazzling smile which he returns pleasantly. Her mom was right; the guy has an amazing smile—one she can't help staring at.

Bella briefly wonders what the man at bar looks like with a smile plastered across his face. She blinks, having missed James's question, and silently curses herself. "I'm sorry. What?"

"I said you look nice."

Nice? I ...look...nice? Bella thinks, as she freezes and simply gawks at James, wondering if maybe he's joking. She is in no way fishing for compliments, but she put effort into her attire, so appreciation is expected.

"You too," she manages after a while.

James fixes his tie, and grins at her. "Come. Our table is just this way. I've been here quite a while waiting for my beautiful date to arrive."

Yes! There's the compliment and assurance Bella needed. She hasn't lost her ability to attract a guy. Still, she can't help that her mind flicked back to thoughts of the guy at the bar. She wonders how he thinks she looks tonight.

Bella mentally chastises herself, and attempts to focus on her current date. There's no need to focus on the other guy; he's gone, and she's convinced herself t she would probably never see him thought flees her mind the second she sits at the table across from James and the guy at the bar pulls up a chair right at their table.

"Edward." James holds out a hand in the man's direction, smiling like they are old friends. James continues to talk, but Bella is mesmerized by Edward. His presence is powerful, his pull is magnetic, and his eyes are deep pools of endless green. She is seriously in danger of drowning in their depths.

Edward doesn't even pay James much thought as he leans over to whisper to Bella. "Are you ready?" he asks, then leans back to gauge her reaction. His eyebrows set low on his face, as he intensely locks gazes with Bella.

"This is Bella. My date," James says, trying to join the secret conversation going on between Bella and Edward, but he fails.

Seconds later, Edward's hand reaches underneath the table for hers. He tugs it, but she tugs it back, unrelenting. This is so obviously rude and inappropriate.

Bella slightly shakes her head, which seems to upset Edward. He is not a very patient man—not when it comes to something that he wants.

"You two know each other?" James asks, and this time, Bella hears him.

"No," she quickly replies, tugging her hand away from Edward's.

Edward huffs and leans back again in his chair, still staring at her. She can't seem to fathom why a stranger would have such a reaction to her rejection.

"Oh, well, I think it's inappropriate for you to join our date, Edward," James says, prompting Edward to finally acknowledge him.

"That's funny," Edward says. "I was thinking the same about you."

It takes a moment, but things slowly begin to click in James's mind. He throws his head back, laughing boastfully as the absurdity of Edward's statement fills the air between the three of them.

Bella stares in horror. Why the Hell is that funny?

"You're going to try to steal my date?" James tilts his head to the side. "Like I'll let that happen."

Edward decidedly does not like James's attitude, so he stands, and as he does so, his chair scrapes against the floor. He glares down at James, attracting the attention of every patron in the restaurant.

Embarrassment fills Bella's body, but she attempts to hide it, putting on her confident face.

She reaches up and tugs Edward's arm. Earnestly, his head snaps in her direction, and she watches as his hard eyes soften when they lock on her face.

"You can join us," she tells him, needing to diffuse the situation. He smiles, and leans down to kiss her cheek. She bites back her embarrassment, and downright refuses to blush, but it doesn't help. She feels her body temperature rise, as well as the need to fan herself. Just the feel of his lips on her cheek was overwhelming.

She smiles up at him, and then her eyes flash to James, who's watching them closely with narrowed eyes.

"What the fuck is going on?" James asks in a squeaky voice, taking away from the edginess of his very manly persona. Neither Bella or Edward answer James for two very different reasons. "Are you even allowed to place a chair there? You're in the aisle."

Edward takes a seat, and reaches for Bella's hand underneath the table again. This time, she doesn't pull away, but she does plaster on a fake smile, shooting Edward a blatant "what the fuck" look.

"Of course I can sit here, James. I own the place," he says, his eyes never leaving Bella as he speaks. She finds herself captured in his gaze once again, knowing how rude and unfair this is to James. However, she cannot help it.

"This is incredibly rude," she whispers to Edward, too embarrassed to actually glance in James's direction. "I'm not a rude person."

"Neither am I," Edward counters, squeezing her hand beneath the table. "But I don't know how else to be right now. I don't know how else to get to you. If I had stayed in my corner and watched you, I could possibly have missed my chance."

She giggles a little, nervously chancing a glance at a fuming James. "There was still a chance we could meet at a more appropriate time."

"And leave our meeting to chance?" he questions in skepticism with a raised brow. "Why risk it?"

"I try not to do that. Leave things to chance, I mean, but—" She glances at James, and clears her throat.

Edward takes her chin in his hand, focusing her eyes and attention back on him.

"Sometimes you have to make your own destiny." He taps her chin with his thumb, and watches her lick her lips.

"That's enough," James says as he stands. Then, he walks around the table to Bella's side. He stares down at her, frowning at the unexpected turn of the night. "Are you coming?" James's voice is once again a bit squeaky, and he makes no attempt to hide his displeasure.

Bella glances at Edward who sits back and grasps her hand tighter with no intention of letting her go with James.

"I..." she begins. Bella glances at Edward, then back at James, and she gulps. It would be rude to stay there while her date leaves. What would he tell her mother?

"Okay," she replies, pushing back from the table slightly. Edward tugs her hand from beneath the table, and her eyes flick to his. "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" Edward flips his question on her, sitting up in his seat. "We're deciding our own destiny, remember? Did others' expectations flick through your mind just now? Or is this honestly your decision?"

"Edward, don't play your silly mind tricks on the poor girl," James says, which decidedly rubs Bella the wrong way. Something about the way he speaks reminds her of her ex, and she realizes how right Edward is.

She was once again going to let others' expectations rule her existence. That's not what tonight was about. It was about her being someone else than rather who she used to be. The girl who didn't care about anyone else's opinion about her was because she was confident in everything she did. That girl was washed away, drowned by a personality too great; one who had overshadowed her own.

"I'm not a damsel in distress, James. I can handle myself," she snaps, not biting back even a hint of her usual self.

"So, you're staying with him?" James points at Edward, who is intently waiting on the edge of his seat for her reply. He will not let her hand go, and she now realizes that.

She owes it to herself to give into her own destiny, not the path her mother has led her down once again. This would be the third time she had let her parents' decisions trump her own.

"Yes," is her simple reply with no hint of regret. Something felt familiar about this man—something safe and just right—so she owed it to herself to see it through.

She didn't catch sight of James as he exited swiftly: she didn't even pay him a glance. He was her parents' choice for her, not one she would have made on her own. Edward was her choice, and from the looks of it, she was his.

"So, what now? Is this the part where you lure me down a dark alley and harvest my organs?" she jokes. As he smiles, she sighs in relief she's already felt comfortable enough to joke with him.

"Of course not. "He smiles, and looks away but only momentarily.

"So, why are you so interested in me?" she asks almost nervously, but then she feels his soothing touch. His thumb gently caresses her hand, as he stares intently into her deep brown eyes.

"Interest isn't a strong enough word. I just… I knew there was no going back to the man I was before I saw you."

Bella giggles, but not in a cute way. She is amazed at his openness, and remembers a time when she was the same. She hoped Edward would open that side of her up again and give her a chance to show him who she really is, not the clone Renee had created.

"I saw you first," she tells him, grinning with lazy eyes. Not the eyes of the fake Barbie her mom created to steal the heart of a wealthy man, but the eyes of a woman flirting who's dead set on letting her intentions be known.

Edward shakes his head, smiling. His chest puffs out as he quietly laughs. "I'll let you think that."

This time, Bella laughs and shakes her head. Suddenly, something occurs to her. "We haven't been officially introduced."

Edward ducks his head sheepishly, then clears his throat. He tilts his head slightly, giving her an apologetic look.

"I really am sorry for making you uncomfortable earlier. I just couldn't let you leave."

"I wouldn't have left with him." She smiles, tilting her head as she gazes at him.

He's so sexy!

"But you could've rolled your eyes. Told me to go to hell," Edward argues.

"But I wouldn't." She giggles, and this time, it's a girly laugh.

He takes his bottom lip between his teeth, staring down at her lips.

"Could've walked away." His eyes smolder and his voice deepens to a husky baritone as he speaks. He leans closer to her, making her brain cloud with lust.

"But you're still here." He moves closer, her hand still trapped in his. "And I'm still here." He smiles with his entire face, trying to get her to realize something.

Bella then realizes he's been quoting a song this entire time, which causes her to throw her head back as she laughs. She feels herself loosen up immensely after that moment.

"You did not..." She continues to laugh while he smiles at her adoringly, feeling his heart beat violently in his chest.

He licks his lips, and grins at her. Bella nods, returning his grin. "You're cute."

"Cute?" he questions, narrowing his eyes.

Bella sighs, as she is reminded of a similar reaction earlier. "I said the same earlier when James said I look nice."

"Nice?" His eyes narrow further. "Baby, you are a goddess. If he couldn't see how beautiful you are, he's insane."

Bella shrugs noncommittally. "You're right; I look damn good." Her face breaks into a smile that Edward has to admit is undeniably the most adorable thing he has ever seen.

"That, you do." He nods, not able to take his eyes away from her infectious smile. "I'm Edward Cullen, by the way."

"Bella Swan." He reaches with his free hand, and she does the same, but the handshake is awkward, so they both laugh about it in the end.

He lifts her hand from under the table and shakes it properly. "It's nice to meet you, Bella."

"It's nice to meet you, too," she says almost breathlessly due to his scorching gaze. "Wow," she says, as she pulls her hand away, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the level of intimacy flowing between them already. Her eyes nervously flick around the restaurant. "We haven't been served yet."

"I specifically asked that we not be disturbed."

"Ahh. So, we're not actually dining here?"

"I wanted to take you someplace else. I eat here all the time, and I can see you don't like the stuffiness of my restaurant. You just came here because it was a meeting place for your blind date."

"You know me so well." She bats her lashes at him, and giggles again.

"Not yet, but I'm learning." He then stands and extends his hand to her.

"Where are we going?" she asks, taking his hand in hers. Bella relaxes more, content at the ease his touch already brings her.

He shoves his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels, lightly shrugging. "I don't know. Let's start with a walk. It feels great outside."

"And then what?" She stands, and he grasps her hand, leading her toward the door.

"Come on, let's see where this goes."

-TYT-

Edward and Bella had been on quite a few dates after that initial meeting where he had bombarded his way into her life. That's how she told the story to her friends, but always in a teasing manner. The story was cute, and she had to admit his persistence was a turn on.

Everyone was happy about Bella's new relationship, everyone except her parents. Apparently, they had her entire life mapped out with James. In their eyes, she had fucked up with Jacob, her ex-boyfriend, and that was her second chance at an advantageous marriage in favor of financial support for them. Edward stood in the way of their plans, and it was obvious they wouldn't get over the fact anytime soon.

What they didn't know was that Edward was very successful. He had created an online social networking website alongside his best friend and older brother in college. His brother is the face of the company, but Edward still holds shares in the business.

He left , and took a different route after having found a new passion in hospitality. He now owns a chain of successful restaurants, which all have with five-star ratings.

Bella didn't tell her parents that, though, because she didn't care what they thought of Edward. Eventually, they would find out Edward had more than enough money to take care of her, but for now, she liked that his bank account remained a mystery to her parents.

No matter how Bella's parents treated her, he was filled with glee when she saw how nice her friends were being toward Edward. It was refreshing because all of her friends hated her ex.

His friends and family were the same way. They were so open and friendly with Bella as if they had known her for years instead of a few months.

"...and Edward used to beg me to make sandcastles with him."

"Hey, I told you I lost a friend the prior year, and I hadn't gotten over it. I wasn't used to making sandcastles alone," Edward expressed to his sister Alice.

"Edward, you were better off without me. I sucked at it, and you were so good. I only slowed you down."

Bella threw her head back on Edward's arm, which was possessively wrapped around her, and laughed.

"You were great company. You still are," Edward says, tossing a straw wrapper at her teasingly.

Alice dramatically places a hand over her heart and sniffs as if she'll cry. "You've made my day, little brother."

This time, Emmett jumps into the conversation. "Bella, has he roped you into making sandcastles down at LaPush yet? They have a contest there most weekends, and it's his obsession."

"No, he hasn't, but I remember the contests. I used to go there every summer with my parents as a kid, and I did that very same thing." I nudge Edward and glance up at his face.

He has a very thoughtful look in his eyes, and I can't quite read his expression, but he is deep in thought. "Maybe we can go there this weekend."

Edward nods, still consumed by his thoughts. "Maybe," he replies. "Why did your family stop taking you to LaPush during the summer?" Edward asks, his eyes steady on the table ahead of us. No one else is aware of our mini conversation as they each disperse to their own conversations.

"They wanted me to play with this kid Jacob; he was a local. I couldn't stand him and everyone knew it, including him. I made a new friend and spent each summer with him, but I always told my parents I was off playing with Jacob. One year, they found out I wasn't with Jacob but with the boy, instead. He was maybe four years older than me, but they knew he was bad news. He was apparently the town hellion, and his parents were dirt poor. I don't really remember him, or his parents. I was six at the time," Bella finishes with a shrug. "I was conditioned to forget about my past, and that included my summers in Forks, Washington. My mother practically had me brainwashed by the time I was a teenager."

Edward only nods and continues his deep thought-process. Bella turns to him and grabs his face in her hands.

"Don't worry, baby; I'm back. You brought the real me back when I thought that girl had died away underneath the fake persona my mother had created. When you become someone else, you kill who you're supposed to be. That's what I thought I had done, but you brought my shattered pieces back together."

She reaches up then, and kisses his lips. He returns the kiss with equal fervor, tasting her exquisite flavor, pulling her body close as he feared letting go would wake him from some sort of dream. One where the last few amazing months with Bella never existed. If Bella really weren't in his reality, he would surely lose his mind.

"You made me whole again, Edward," she whispered against his lips, neither of them in the mind of a couple surrounded by people. They were so wrapped in each other that no outside object could ever penetrate their bubble.

-TYT-

That same weekend, Edward decided to take Bella down by LaPush to build a sandcastle for the contest. They arrived right on time, and enjoyed making theirs. They worked well as if it had not been their first time working together towards the common goal of sandcastle building.

In the end, they won the contest, and Edward ran about with Bella on his shoulders, happy as can be.

"I want to show you something," Edward says the minute he has her feet back on the warm squishy sand.

He pulls my arm, walking forward eager for me to see his surprise. He continues to pull me through until we reached a playground just on the other side of a hut. The playground was also full of sand, surrounded by bark to hold it in place.

A memory jolted her brain, but only a faint, fuzzy thought blew through.

She knew why it was familiar. She'd played at this park plenty of times with Jacob...and also with her friend Masen.

She couldn't quite pull every memory apart because they were all meshing together, making it hard to distinguish one happy moment from the next.

"I remember this." Bella halts her rushed movements and stares at the park with a smile on her face. "This is where I made some of my best memories." She then turns to Edward. "Was it the same for you?"

Edward shoves his hands in his pockets as his eyes search her face. "I made a lot of great memories in the summer..." He takes one hand out of his pocket and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "With a very pretty girl named Marie."

"Marie!" Realization practically slaps Bella in the face. "I made everyone call me Marie because none of the kids could say Isabella."

"You said your dad told you there were too many syllables, and your mom shouldn't have chosen such a confusing name." He snickers.

Bella freezes in place as she is struck hard with the realization of what this all means. "You—you—" she stuttered, pointing at me.

"Yes, Bella; I'm Masen. At the time, I thought the name sounded a lot cooler than Edward, so I ran with it. Your dad was right; I was a hellion."

Bella nudges him, snickering at his expense. "I know you were."

Edward is all of a sudden very serious when he pulls Bella into his arms. He presses his lips to her ear and whispers, "You said you would come back and you never did. I left that to chance. I wasn't going to lose you twice in one lifetime."

"So you knew who I was six months ago at your restaurant?" Bella asks, trying to think back and see if he had displayed any clues.

"No, Bella. It didn't dawn on me until the night we had dinner with Alice."

"That was just Wednesday." Bella stares, and Edward nods in confirmation.

"But thinking back on it now that I know, all I can think about is how right I was for making my own destiny. For wiggling my way into your date. For taking your time—"

"For taking my heart," Bella finishes, tears brimming in her eyes, falling as they may. "I love you, Edward."

Edward takes her face in his hands and passionately kisses her until she doesn't know whose air she is breathing. He dips her back and takes a thorough taste of her mouth, relishing in her presence and her love.

He finally pulls away and runs the back of his hand down her cheek. "I love you more than you will ever know, baby, and I'm going to love you for the rest of my life."

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