Eep. My editor (and cousin) Grace's computer is acting up, so she's read the first chapter, but she can't edit it or anything... So, here it is, please enjoy... And forgive any mistakes I made. The next chapter will hopefully be better. I'm doing a playlist that helps me with my story.... For the date scene: dare4distance by nevershoutnever. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this story, all are owned by Stephenie Meyer!
Chapter One: Understatements
Summertime. My mom made me visit my dad, Charlie for the summer. Oh, joy. I think I would enjoy it more if Charlie didn't actually live in the monotonous, small town of Forks, Washington. It was a painfully small place, with no malls (not that I was particularly upset about that), no real book stores (now that really killed me), and similarly monotonous people who had no interesting qualities that would cause me to want to be their friend in the first place. The worst part? Hardly no sun. I love the sun, I loved the warmth of it, the colors it shone onto the earth, I absolutely adored the sun. So, it's not really very hard to guess why I look forward to summertime; unless of course, I was spending that time in Forks.
My mother, Renée had told me how deeply Charlie missed me lately, and said she wouldn't take no for an answer for me to stay home. My mom was usually fairly easy to sway from any decisions she made, but when I tried to convince her to let me stay with her, in Phoenix, she wouldn't budge an inch.
"You and your father really need to spend more quality time together," she had told me. "You are going to college in two more years, and Lord knows how often we will see each other after you're grown up and married..." She began tearing up. I hugged her and told her of course I would visit Charlie for the summer, even though I'd honestly rather be doing just about anything else this summer. But, in the end, I truly did hate seeing my mother cry, so I agreed. However, Charlie thought I was here because I couldn't stand to be away from him anymore. That's what my mom told him.
My mom and Charlie were high school sweethearts, but they got a divorce a few years later when I was only about a year old, and my mom left with me. She married Phil, my new step-dad only a couple of years ago, and they were madly in love. It wasn't like Phil wasn't cool, it just bothered me a little about how young he was, but I wouldn't complain if my mom really loved him that much. My mom was like that, eccentric, funny, and wild. She had a new pastime every time I saw her, which was every day. She was would go from skiing to pottery to cooking to hiking and then any other activity she hadn't considered yet. She was completely reckless, and I loved her with all my heart.
I was the responsible one though, my mother's constant mood swings caused me to need to prepare for them, forcing me to grow up early and take care of her when she needed it, after all--she hadn't always had Phil. I learned a lot from her activities though, I had learned to cook fairly well and she also taught me how to love whatever I did during the moment, and to not regret things.
I made a decision to stay out of Charlie's house as often as possible. Since Charlie was the Police Chief of Forks, I didn't really have much to do during the day, while he was working. The first couple of days, I spend them unsuccessfully looking for bookstores or libraries. Finding nothing particularly special, I decided to just stick with my old books I had fortunately decided to pack before leaving Arizona. Today, I was going to La Push, the beach on the Quileute Reservation--hoping for just a few rays of sunshine--to read.
I grabbed the keys to the old Chevy truck Charlie had borrowed from his friend Billy Black while I was visiting, so I wouldn't need to walk everywhere I went. I was grateful for that. I snatched up Pride and Prejudice and walked out the door into the misty fog and walked to the truck. It was a rusted reddish-orange color, and though it was actually made in the early 50's, but surprisingly, it was absolutely perfect for me. I jammed the key in the ignition, on a hurry to get to the beach, and jumped slightly at the sound of the engine igniting into life; well, nothing's perfect, I guess.
The drive to La Push was smooth and uneventful. When I pulled into the parking lot, I looked out to notice how crowded the beach was. Only in Forks would a beach be crowded when it's lightly raining. I grabbed my towel and sunscreen (hey, I don't want to take my chances if the sun does decide to appear. Besides, better safe than sorry) and half ran to the sand, stumbling a couple times over my feet. I stripped off my large sundress and kicked off my flip-flops, sprinting into the ocean. The water felt so nice, the chill of it surprisingly made the water more soothing than I was expecting. I was floating on my back with my eyes closed peacefully when a football smacked into the side of my head.
"What the--" I began to say, but suddenly the spot where the ball made contact with my face began to sting, and I bit my lip in an effort to hold back my tears. Stupid Forks. Stupid idiot boys who couldn't watch where they are throwing a football.
"I am so sorry," a voice called. I looked toward the sound to see three young men swimming toward me quickly. When the first boy lifted his head out of the water, my heart couldn't help but pound in my chest. He was perfect. "I didn't see you there," he continued, now that he didn't need to shout across the waves, "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you around here before."
I blushed, I just couldn't believe that this masterpiece was talking to me. He had bronze hair (it was obvious, even though his hair was nearly black from the saltwater), emerald green eyes (which danced as if he had just heard the most amazing news), and a wide grin (which made my heartbeat quicken). He looked like his picture belonged in the Hall of Fame for the "Best Looking People in the History of the World." Okay, maybe that was overdoing it, but he was beautiful.
I remembered he was waiting for me to reply, I blushed deeper, "Uh, actually I'm visiting my dad for the summer from Arizona, then I'm gonna head back home."
"Oh," he frowned slightly. "Well, we should make use of the time, then. My name is Edward." He held his hand out over the water, the small water droplets glistened against his skin with the chance rays of sun. I reached for his and took it, then gasped. The contact between our skin felt as if an electric current had just passed between the two of us. I quickly recovered and mumbled "Bella," and looked down at the green waves shyly, letting my hand drop to my side.
"That's a beautiful name, Bella," I glanced up to him, and was caught in his gaze, he looked back into my eyes and smiled crookedly. My heart was hammering unevenly inside of me. "I really am sorry about the football thing, I hope your head is alright." He shrugged with the football in his hand apologetically.
"It's fine, thank you, Edward," I stammered.
He chuckled and told me he had to get back to his friends, and with that, he began swimming away. I sighed as I watched him go, thinking about how utterly gorgeous he was, and waded slowly back toward the beach. Once I rose out of the water, I went to my spot and spread a towel out before laying on my back and opening Pride and Prejudice.
The afternoon crept by while I read, sometimes taking a quick break to see if Edward was still here. He was. Sometimes, I even caught him looking towards my general direction, my heart swelled at the thought of that, but I quickly composed myself, knowing that someone like that would never be looking for someone like me.
The sky began clearing up in the late afternoon, and the sun began to shine brilliantly over the beach. This is what I came here for. I sighed in relief to myself and enjoyed the view before returning to my book. When I glanced at my phone to check the time, and I noticed how late it was beginning to be, and saw the sun gently settling into the horizon. I smiled to myself.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" a smooth voice commented. I turned my head slowly, and there he was standing behind me. Edward smiled crookedly. I nodded, the sun was beautiful, but not hardly anywhere near as impressive as this man behind me.
"You can sit with me if you'd like," I scooted my body over a little to make room for him. He complied and sat next to me. The close proximity between our bodies sent a shiver down my spine.
"Are you chilly?" he asked, concerned.
"Oh, no. I'm not cold at all, thank you though," my body seemed to have a mind of its own, my arms slowly got goose bumps, as did my legs, and I couldn't help but shiver again. He noticed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. Like before, an electric current surged from his body to mine and I couldn't help but smile. Had I really thought that everyone in Forks was monotonous? This certainly wasn't the case with Edward.
We sat in silence for about ten minutes, watching to sun set, side by side. I was extremely relaxed, and he seemed to be, too. I was beginning to get tired of the quiet, I was dying to hear the music of his voice again. What should I talk to him about? Maybe I could talk about the weather. That's simple enough, right? Oh wait, that would be stupid because we just talked a little about the sunset. Come on, Bella. There has got to be something cool you can say to him. Just say the first thing that pops into your mind... But what if the first thing is completely stupid? And he leaves?
As if pitying me, he spoke before I could even decide what question to ask. "So, what is Arizona like?" He asked the perfect question. I love Arizona, remember?
"Arizona is so beautiful and open. Everything about it is amazing. I love the hot air. It's not too humid, but it's not too terribly dry, either. Nature is at its absolute best there. Nothing can compare to Phoenix." I couldn't help but stop there, I didn't want to sound like a broken record that keeps rambling forever with no sign of stopping.
"I've never been. Maybe I should come down and visit you sometime," he winked at me, which set my heart off to a gallop. "Even though Forks is very beautiful, sometimes I wonder what life would be like if there was more space..." he trailed off looking thoughtfully toward the now-purple sky. I couldn't help but giggle a tiny bit. That was exactly how I felt about Forks, too.
I tried to come up with something else to talk to him about, I didn't like our silence. "So, do you live here, in La Push?" He looked down at me and smiled.
"No, my parents and I rented a beach house for the summer. The rest of my family is back home with their friends. We were the only ones who were willing to come down here." Oh, he didn't live here. He was here for the summer, just like I was. How convenient... This might be the only time I would ever see him, but if God was really gracing me with this creatures presence, I would cherish this day in my heart for a very long time.
I looked back to my phone. Well, Charlie will be wanting me home soon, I'd better tell Edward goodnight. This dream was too beautiful to last, anyways. "Edward, thanks for sitting here with me, it was nice, but I really need to go home. Charlie, I mean, my dad, will be wanting me home soon." I began to stand up, but he was quicker than I was and he began pulling me up along with him.
"When can I see you again?" his emerald eyes scorching down upon mine. Was he serious? He wanted to see me again? Maybe today wouldn't have to be the last...
"Uh..." I couldn't think straight. The power of his stare was overwhelming and my brain was beginning to shut down against its own will.
"Maybe I could take you out for dinner?" he persisted, "When are you free?"
"Friday is good..." I whispered. I was afraid that if I spoke any louder, my voice would crack, which would not make a good impression on Edward to make him want to be around me again any time in the near future, or ever.
He smiled widely and then gave me his hand to help me walk to my truck. He chuckled a little under his breath when he saw my ancient truck, helped me in the cab, and then turned to walk to a shiny silver Volvo. Before driving off, he grabbed something from the seat and a few seconds ever, ran back to my truck and pressed something into my hand before turning back to his car with a small smile on his face. I realized the object in my hand was a torn piece of paper. I unraveled it to see a very neat note:
Bella, Call me soon and I'll give you more details about the date.. Have a good rest of the evening. --Edward.
There was a phone number written underneath. I looked up and waved to him, he smiled widely and waved back. I watched him drive away, and then after a few minutes, my brain began working enough to drive myself home, smiling to myself the whole way.
When I arrived home, I skipped inside to make dinner for Charlie, but he had already eaten pizza. Oops, I guess it's later than I thought it was... I grabbed a slice and went to the living room to look at the TV set, without really seeing it. The only image I saw in front of me was Edward. His perfect smile, his perfect eyes, watching me tenderly. I wanted to see him again, badly.
"Bella? Do you hear me?" Charlie called, breaking into my thought processes. I turned to him and raised an eyebrow. Had he really been talking to me? "You've been sitting there with the same goofy smile on your face for about twenty minutes, are you feeling alright?" he asked suspiciously.
"Sure, Dad," I replied, realizing how this must appear to him, I rarely watch TV, much less actually smile while I'm in Forks... This was definitely a change. "I just had a good time at the beach..." That was an understatement.
Charlie shrugged, evidently deciding it wasn't important enough for him to continue the cross-examination. I wanted to be out of the way of his glances, so I quickly kissed his forehead and went upstairs to my room.
My room was the exact same room I had had since I was born, the only real changes were changing the beds once I outgrew the crib, and adding a desk and old computer in the corner. I saw my cell phone exactly where I had it before I left for the beach, charging still. I picked it up and pressed the number in and pressed it to my ear.
"Hello?" a velvet voice answered. It was his voice. I stopped breathing, in fear that I might breathe so loudly, I would embarrass myself in the process... "Hello? Well, if no one is there, I guess I'm hanging--"
"Edward? This is Bella... From the beach?" I realized that my voice picked up a little at the end, making it sound like a question, it was hard to believe that today was real.
"Oh," he chuckled. "Hello, Bella. I'm really glad you called. You aren't calling to cancel on me, are you? We're still on for Friday?" I glanced to my calendar. Today was Tuesday.
"Sure, I'd really like that. What were you wanting to do?"
"Now, now. That's not fair. It's a surprise of course! It's going to be a pretty casual date though, so you can wear whatever you'd like. But no, I won't tell you the activity."
I grimaced. Surprises weren't terribly high up on my list of things I enjoy enduring... "Okay, fine. What time and where should we meet?"
"How about 5 o'clock in the La Push beach parking lot? Then I can take you out in my car?"
"Alright, that sounds good." It was quiet for a while, both of us seemed to be waiting for the other to say something.
"Well, I'll see you Friday, I guess..." he said after a minute.
"5 o'clock, see you then," I smiled and hung up the phone.
--
--
Friday afternoon came very quickly. I already had my outfit chosen. I was wearing a royal blue blouse and my favorite black jeans, with my black sandals. I shuffled down the stairs and decided I would go to the backyard for a couple of hours before heading to La Push. I spread out my blanket and sat on it, letting the sunshine soak into my skin. I continued reading Pride and Prejudice. I was at the part when Jane gets sick and Elizabeth goes to the Bingley's house to be with her when I noticed it was 4:30 and closed my book.
I picked up my blanket, folded it, and walked back inside to brush my teeth again quickly and headed out to my truck.
Once again, the drive was quick and easy to La Push. I pulled into the parking lot a few minutes early, and sat in the truck, letting the air conditioner cool my skin. I closed my eyes and waited for the minutes to pass.
I jumped when someone knocked on the window, and opened my door. There stood Edward, looking very handsome in a teal button-down shirt and faded blue jeans. The color of his shirt went very well with his eyes, giving them a nice bluish tint to them. I smiled at him. He grinned back.
I got out of the car, and he handed me a sunflower. This was unexpected, I didn't even know sunflowers were capable of growing in this kind of weather... I took it from him and blushed. I loved sunflowers. Yellow was one of my favorite colors.
"You look beautiful, tonight. Blue looks very lovely on you." he said, appraising me.
"You do, too," I blushed deeper, I couldn't help but be honest with him, he really was beautiful tonight.
He opened my door for me when we got to his car, and then walked around to the drivers side and slid in and started the engine. He backed out of the lot and began driving. I didn't watch to see where though, I was too busy watching his face.
He asked me a lot of questions, about my parents and about Phil. He asked what kind of music I enjoyed and what my hobbies were. I asked similar questions, and learned that he loved poetry and also loved playing sports. He laughed when I remembered the football incident and rubbed my face where the ball had hit me. Luckily it didn't bruise.
Eventually, we pulled into an Italian restaurant. When we walked inside, I couldn't help but gasp. It looked like I was underdressed. Everyone here was wearing beautiful dresses and suits. This was the kind of restaurant someone would propose in, not go to for a first date. And besides, I knew the price range would be high, and too expensive for a high school student to be able to afford. I glanced at him, he was perfectly at ease. He was telling the host his reservation name, and the host nodded and lead us to a table with napkins that looked like it cost more than my entire outfit put together. I gulped.
A very pretty blonde waitress walked to our table, looking very elegant, and introduced herself. "My name is Katie, and I will be your server tonight. I will give you two a couple of minutes, and I will come back for your order. Can I start you our with a drink?" she asked Edward. It didn't escape my notice how she seemed to be introducing herself to him on a more intimate level than a waitress usually would, and she had glanced at my once so far.
Edward looked at me. "Bella?"
"Uh... I'll have a coke, please..."
The waitress turned back to Edward, smiling. "And you, sir?"
"I'll have an ice tea. Thank you." The waitress walked off, and Edward continued to watch me.
"Tell me more about your mother, Renée," Edward said curiously.
"What do you want to know?"
"Why did she send you here for the summer, but she didn't come herself?"
"Well, I think she wanted to spend some more time with Phil, and Charlie has been wanting to see me a lot lately, so I came here... I haven't seen Charlie since Christmas, and that was only for a few days. So I guess this is as good a time as any to visit him for a while. I really miss her though."
Edward studied me for a while. The waitress brought us our drinks and asked for our orders. I ordered some spaghetti, Edward ordered something that just sounded expensive by the sound of the name, which he said so quickly, I hardly caught it. After the waitress left, he looked back to me curiously.
"You're very interesting, Bella. Very... Different," he mused quietly. My eyes widened, I knew I was different. I didn't really fit in anywhere in Arizona, I had a few friends, but I was very shy and quiet... Edward seemed to notice the look on my face. "Oh, I don't mean in a bad way, Bella. You're different from girls that I'm used to, at my school... Your kindness, your wisdom, your beauty... You captivate my attention, and I've met you once before tonight."
I had butterflies in my stomach. No one had ever given me such praise before. I was absolutely speechless. We sat there, staring at each other until our food came. My spaghetti looked very simple and childish compared to his meal. It was many assorted noodles all combined in one plate, and it appeared to have two different sauces in it, too. The platter was very large, and it looked delicious.
I began twirling the spaghetti around my fork. The butterflies made me suddenly lose my appetite. Edward was already digging into his pasta, and noticing me having yet to eat some of my food, he paused from his meal. "Is everything alright? This is what you wanted, right? You wanted spaghetti, did you mean to order something else?" He began searching for a waitress to call her to the table for me.
"No, Edward. That's not it at all... I was just thinking... About things..." I immediately stuffed the roll of spaghetti into my mouth and began chewing. Now that the taste was on my tongue, I realized that I really was hungry after all. I picked up another bite and continued eating. This restaurant really knew how to make Italian food.
Edward still hadn't gone back to his meal, he continued watching me, which made me uncomfortable again. I couldn't help but stare back and ignore my meal. It seemed like we did this a lot...
"What were you thinking about?" he asked.
I had to tell the truth. "You were complimenting me so much, and I'm not used to being noticed so... much. It was just different." I chuckled to myself, that was the word he had just used to describe me.
His brow furrowed and he leaned toward me and patted my hand gently. "You are all those things I just said, and so much more. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."
I looked back to my plate, trying to hide my embarrassment and praying that I wasn't blushing too harshly.
After we finished eating and Edward insisted on paying for everything, he had more than enough money, I assumed the date was over. I was beginning to get a little tired, I hadn't slept well last night due to anticipation for tonight. I yawned widely.
"You aren't already tired are you?" The car was dark inside, but I could see the outline of his face, his brow was furrowed.
"A little, but not too terribly. Why? Are we doing something else tonight, too?"
"No, no, no. I'm not telling you what's on the agenda tonight, remember?"
"Yes..." I sighed.
We eventually made it back to La Push Beach, and he helped me out of the car again. Before I could even begin walking back to my truck, Edward grabbed my arm and led me back out to the shore. I hadn't noticed he had a blanket tucked under his arm until we stopped in the sand just barely escaping the waves. In the white moonlight, Edward was impossibly more beautiful than in the daylight. The pale light caused his skin to appear a gorgeous, perfect, smooth white, which fit him very well; perfection was a quality about him that I was beginning to realize as a part of who he was.
My eyes were beginning to get more and more heavy as I watched the stars. The stars were like little glimpses into heaven, that's what my grandma used to tell me before she died. I thought about how short life was, and how I wanted, no, I needed to live mine to the absolute full. I closed my eyes and listened to the waves crashing only inches away from the two of us. This moment was perfect, just like Edward.
"Bella?" someone shook me. Oh, no. Please tell me I didn't just dream of Edward. I squeezed my eyes tighter shut. "|Bella, listen. You need to wake up now. I'm so sorry I kept you out so late. I completely lost track of time. It's really late... I need to get you home." That voice was so perfect. I sighed and opened my eyes, surprised--and thankful--to still be on the beach. The night was still black.
"What time is it?" Charlie must be freaking out right now.
"It's about 11:30."
"Oh, crap. Charlie--"
"I already called him, he's just glad you're alright. Do you need me to drive you home? He said he really wants you back before midnight."
I was beginning to put things into perspective better. I realized I was leaning into Edward for support and as a shield from the suddenly brutal wind. There was a slight drizzle, but not enough to make it impossible to sit here. I straightened up and away from Edward, and stood up and stretched.
"No, I can drive myself home. Thank you, though."
He chuckled. "No problem, Bella. Tonight was really great. I had a lot of fun."
"I did, too," I smiled at him. "Thank you for dinner, it was delicious."
"Again, no problem, Bella." The way he said my name made me feel extremely at ease. I sighed again, and started walking back to my truck, keeping pace with Edward though, and trying to prolong tonight as much as possible. When we reached my truck, the wind suddenly picked up and the rain really started to pour. We both started laughing, relieved that the rain had waited for us.
He helped me into my truck and closed my door behind me. I smiled and waved to him again. I was about to pull out of my spot, but Edward knocked on my window. I rolled it down, forgetting about the rain, but when I remembered it, I realized Edward's body was blocking out the rain, so my interior wouldn't get drenched.
"I just wanted to say good night," his green eyes looked absolutely vibrant as they danced and sparkled. He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on my forehead, then turned and ran back to his car. With his body gone, the rain began to pour inside my truck, and I quickly rolled up my window.
I put my hand on my forehead where his lips had touched. I couldn't stop smiling as I drove home. I felt like the sun was only shining for me, even though it was raining harshly outside. Edward had helped change my perspective of Forks. Maybe I could like this town after all. Maybe things were going to be okay here. For the first time since arriving, Forks felt like home.
Please review! I will read them all, and I can always use suggestions you have, and I will take any/all criticism into consideration! Thanks for reading!