Chapter 1: The Jewel
Bella and Edward strolled quietly down an abandoned street, holding hands and looking at one another. Each time they caught one another's eye, they blushed and turned away. Bella wore a nice red dress and matching high heels, which caused a clicking echo each time she stepped.
"Tell me again why I couldn't just drive you to my parent's house." Edward exclaimed.
"Because… it's a beautiful night and I wanted to share it with you." Bella replied, grinning with almost embarrassment.
"You've already almost fallen over twice in those things," as he pointed at Bella's shoes, "You and gravity don't mix, remember?" Edward joked.
Bella laughed and slightly nudged up against Edward.
"Well… if you're there to catch me," she started, "How do you know I wasn't doing that on purpose?" Bella asked, blushing.
Edward grinned. He slid his hand down into his coat pocket.
"Bella," Edward said in a raspy voice, "I want you to have something."
"Edward… you know how I feel about gifts." Bella exhaled.
"I know… I know," Edward looked down and kicked his feet around. "But I really want you to have this."
Edward pulled out a small black box with clear tape wrapped around it. Edward peeled the tape off and placed the box into Bella's hands. She rubbed her thumbs over the top, feeling the tiny ridges and scrapes accented across the top. She slowly opened it. Bella gasped as she looked inside.
"It's called a blood jewel." Edward whispered.
The necklace was beautiful, a small silver chain with a finely cut ruby connected by each end. The moonlight caught the beautiful gem, glimmering and giving off a red glow.
"It's beautiful Edward…" Bella responded after a moment of silence.
Edward smiled and kept walking. Bella looked up at him, shocked a confused.
"Why are you giving me this now?" Bella asked.
"I don't know, I just thought tonight felt right,"Edward smiled and laughed, "Here… let me help you put it on."
Edward walked over and placed the jewel around Bella's neck. The clasp in the back clicked and Edward hugged Bella from behind.
"I love you." He whispered into her ear.
Bella paused for a moment, and then smiled when she felt Edward's arms around her.
They continued walking down road after road until they came upon the Cullen's driveway. Edward's nose flinched as he jerked his head to the left, wrapping one arm around Bella.
"What is it Edward?" Bella asked, confused.
Edward stood there for a moment, looking into the forest that stood next to the house. His grip on Bella's arm began to loosen, until he completely let go as he continued down the driveway.
"It's nothing." Edward replied in a subtle voice.
"I still can't believe Carlisle and Esme are throwing me a dinner party," Bella questioned, "You guys can't even eat."
"They love you," Edward answered, "Your like part of the family now and they want you to feel as comfortable as possible."
They continued up until they were feet from the door. They both looked at one another, trying to see if the other one was ready to enter the home. Bella gave a slight nod, as Edward rang the door bell.
