Heartbreak Boy

Chapter-3: Dates Are Overrated

A/N: Ready for chapter-3?

Shae Maen makes my words look pretty.

Chapter-3: Dates Are Overrated

A week later, Edward calls again.

Without any preamble, he asks, "Are you free this Friday night?"

I'm not. I have a book club meeting to arrange for Saturday morning. Friday night is supposed to be spent decorating the café. Instead of telling him that, I ask, "Why do you ask?"

"Go out with me Friday."

I suck in a breath and hold it in, trying to process what he just asked of me. Did Edward Cullen just ask me out?

"G-go out with you?" I repeat, needing to hear it again.

"Yeah," he answers casually. "A new bar has opened up a few blocks from my place and I'd like to try it out."

"Oh! Who else is going?"

"Just us," he says then asks slowly, "Do you want to invite anyone else?"

Do I want to invite someone else to what surprisingly sounds like a date with Edward? Hell to the no.

"NO!" I blurt out. "I mean yes, I'll go out with you, and no, I don't want to invite anyone else."

The smile is audible in his voice. "See you on Friday night then, Bell. I'll text you the address."

It takes me a few minutes to grasp what just happened after he hangs up. And then I'm hyperventilating, wondering what I'll wear and what it'll be like to dance with him and whether he'll kiss me goodnight when we part after our first date.

I spend the rest of the week evading Alice, wanting to keep it to myself until after the date was successfully over. I dedicate my time to preparing the decorative book props for the meeting and decide to wake up extra early on Saturday to decorate.

As I get out of my car, I take a look at the bar. It's quite new and swanky and packed with people ... not really my idea for a first date, but hey, when it's with your dream man, you don't nitpick about the place.

As I step inside, the pounding rhythm coming from the DJ stand assaults my ears. The image of fifty or so sweaty bodies dry-humping on the dance floor makes me avert my eyes. But then, I see him. Standing at the bar, wearing his favorite dark blue button-down shirt and dark-wash jeans, he takes my breath away.

I watch as he takes a sip of his drink, and I know without a shadow of doubt it's whisky neat—just the way he loves it. Then he turns his head and looks at me. I know the exact moment his eyes find me because his face lights up with a brilliant smile. He approaches me, keeping his eyes focused on mine, the smile still playing on his lips.

I only manage to take in a few large gulps of air before he's right there ... standing before me. Turning the full force of his smile onto me, he says, "I'm glad you came."

"How could I not?" I answer, smiling back like a lovesick fool.

Without another word, he reaches for my hand and entwines our finger. A slight shiver runs down my spine at the intimate gesture. He leads me to the bar and taps the wooden countertop. "What do you want, Bell?" he asks me with a smile.

"Whatever you're having is fine," I answer then add with a smile. "Whiskey neat, isn't it?"

His lips stretch to reveal his perfectly white teeth and he nods. "You know me better than anyone else."

He waits for the bartender to place my drink before me and then clinks his glass with mine and then points somewhere to my left, toward the back of the room. "Don't look now, but there's the reason for our night out."

An unknown foreboding takes over me as I slowly turn around to look where he's pointing and my heart stops beating. There, standing across the room with her back against the wall was a woman. A beautiful, tall, blonde woman with perfectly toned physique—the exact opposite of me, and the exact kind of woman Edward dates.

Trying to keep my voice even, I ask, "Who's that?"

Edward shrugs. "I don't know yet. I've been coming here for the last two days and she's always here ... by herself," he explains. "I want you to work your charm for me."

"My charm?"

He looks away from the blonde and grins at me. "You're the best wingwoman out there," he says with a wink, and for a moment I contemplate punching him to knock that wink off his face. But of course then he adds, "I'm lucky to have you as my best friend." And just like that, I'm caught in his web again.

Closing my eyes, I let out a deep breath and then knock back my drink in one go. "Send a martini to her," I suggest. "I'll talk to her and then I'm out of here. I've got work to do."

"I love you!" he whispers, but I pretend not to hear and walk off to talk to the blonde.

She watches me make my way toward her and I know she's been eyeing the two of us too. When I reach her, I plaster a smile on my face and say, "Hi, I'm Bella."

She looks down her nose at my outstretched hand and then reluctantly shakes my hand. "Victoria."

I step closer to her, getting a whiff of really strong perfume that makes my head spin. Trying to keep my voice pleasant, I point toward the bar where Edward is standing. "My friend thinks you're cute," I tell her.

"So you're not an item?" she asks point blank.

I shake my head quickly and add a slight snort to let her know how ridiculous the notion is. "God no! He's way out of my league. We're best friends."

Finally, her smile widens and she makes a move to walk off toward the bar. She takes two steps and then turns back to look at me. "You're right. He's way out of your league. Thanks for understanding."

After the debacle at the bar, I return to my café and on a whim, whip up a batch of cupcakes for the book club as a treat from me.

Dragging by exhausted body into my bed later that night, I huddle underneath the covers and finally allow my tears to fall for I've been left heartbroken yet again.

A/N: He's a heartbreaker, isn't he?

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Love,

Ann