"Ahem"

and I was jolted out of my daydream by a swift nudge from Mal, my head flicked up from where it had been resting on my arms, and I had every intention of glaring at him for giving me a heart attack but I didn't get the chance. As soon as I raised my eyes they locked onto an impossible sight, so beautiful, I didn't have a chance to get over my first heart attack before it began to thud erratically once more, but this time the palpitations were not caused by fear, or maybe they were. Something about this boys beauty made me uneasy, and I forced my eyes to look to the wooden desk beneath me, carved with endless declarations of love, I had a sudden impulse and as my finger traced over the heart etched into the wood, my eyes glanced up from under my eyelashes, my head still tilted towards the desk. I could see the boy talking to the teacher at the front of the classroom, I studied him quickly, I couldn't guess his height but he was a few inches taller than the teacher Mr. Williams. His hair was like aged bronze and shone in russet tones under the strip lighting, it was disheveled, artfully and effortlessly so. He was wearing a white long sleeved shirt, said sleeves folded up to the elbows, dark grey fitted jeans and a pair of battered Chelsea boots. All this was hard to take in as my eyes kept flicking back to his face, as though my mind couldn't comprehend what it saw there. I was studying the contours of the muscles in his forearms when his posture shifted and I realized he was striding in my direction. Be nonchalant I kept thinking. don't look, don't look, I stared hard out the window fighting against the impulse to look where he was going, I was about to implode with the effort when,

" What are you looking at?" a velvet voice startled me, I pressed my lips together and swallowed, I turned my head slowly, unwillingly, and he was smiling at me, and I was undone. My heart melted, and I exhaled as thought id just been run through by a steam engine. His smile faded and a shadow came across his face, his alabaster brow furrowed. I opened my mouth to introduce myself and dispel the strange awkwardness that suddenly engulfed us, when the girl the other side of him beat me to it,

" Hi! I'm Amelia," She started in her monotone drawl "Emy for short, its less syllables, easier to shout in an emergency situation don't you think?" He smiled into his desk as though he was fighting back laughter or a…. comment, I sighed and started tracing round the heart in the wood again, I noticed his head tilt towards me but he didn't say anything and I wasn't in the mood for mystery. I held my head still, probably too still, waiting for his reply to Ems. As soon as he started talking I closed my eyes, to take away the temptation to stare. " I suppose it would be…. easier. Yes" He said slowly as though he was picking every word he said very carefully.

By his inflection I knew as far as he was concerned that was the end of their little discussion, but Amelia, not knowing the word inflection exists in the English language let alone how it manifests itself, pressed on,

"So, what's your name then…. in case we have a fire drill or something?",

what was she talking about?! I smiled to myself, poor Emy if only she had half a brain.

"My name is Edward Cullen, pleased to meet you Amelia."

Butterflies had replaced where my heart used to be and they seemed to want to burst through my chest.

His words were sincere but there was something innately disinterested in his tone, as though his thoughts lay elsewhere. At that moment though, my thoughts where clear. They lay right next to me in the form of a god. I found myself concentrating very hard on breathing, in and out. I felt dizzy, I must have been hyperventilating, my brain felt strange and vague, it was swirling. I groaned and lay my head on my arms waiting for the nausea to pass.

"Is she okay?"

I froze as his voice washed over me, my eyes snapped open still buried in my forearms. Mals voice answered from somewhere over my head,

"She's probably just sleeping, we had a big night last night, if you know what I mean"

Even in the darkness I could hear the wink in his voice. I snorted and burst out laughing raising my head enough to see where to hit him, he ruffled my hair playfully, and laughing to himself mock-whispered,

"She doesn't like anyone knowing, we're still in the honeymoon stage"

Raising my head so suddenly bought on a whole new wave of nausea, I emitted a strange laughing groan as I rested my head back down whispering "Fag".

I heard Edward Cullen laughing and I smiled at the sound. Malachi didn't have his own love life so he liked playing with mine, not that I had much of one either if I'm honest, but if I did Edward Cullen would be it.

Suddenly I felt breath on my hair by my left ear,

"Do you want me to take you to the nurse?" he whispered I bit my lip as a smell sweeter than chocolate washed through my senses, with a little effort I raised my head to face his, and I was caught like a deer in headlights as for the first time, my eyes locked onto his, they looked like caramel and I was drowning in them. I hardly needed to go to the nurse, but why would I refuse an offer that good. He stiffened as our eyes met, and I realized they held the same look of shock that I could feel in my face. Why did he keep looking at me like that!

"…. Well?" he said, his gentle tone fading, I noted irritation in his voice. I didn't like it,

"No" I blurted out, surprising myself, "No thank you", then I had a sudden thought, I'd never been one for confrontation, I'm a great believer in subtlety….and cowardice,

"…I'll go by myself" I told him; or rather his desk, in the most confident voice I could muster. I got up swiftly careful not to look at his face, and stumbled to the door, gripping several desks for support, I made my excuses to Mr. Williams and started down the corridor debating whether to go to the nurse or not when I heard soft footsteps behind me…