No Longer Invisible
Image #29
Word Count: 6,081
Rating: T
Summary: She watches him from a distance, blending in with the background. Until one day she realizes maybe she's not the only one watching. E/B pairing.
From a distance, she watched him. School, work, the music store; it didn't matter; wherever he was she found a way to be there too.
She was boring... a quiet bookworm of a girl. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height, average build. It was easy to watch him, unnoticed.
He was popular, one of the beautiful people. Green eyes, reddish brown hair, tall lean build. Unique and exceptional in every way. He was noticed, a lot.
She didn't have a lot of friends; none that went to school with her. The people she knew best were just characters in books. They lived in imaginary places where she could lose herself. She loved to disappear from her boring life and live as one of the characters even if it was for a few hours.
She rarely pulled her nose out of her current book long enough to prevent bumping into something, or someone. The fact she noticed him at all is a testament to his remarkable looks and magnetic personality.
The day she first saw him began like any other. She was eating at a table by herself in the cafeteria, blindly grabbing carrot sticks from a baggie on the table while focused on the book in her hand. The white noise of the cafeteria suddenly died down and for once she lifted her head to see what had happened to cause such a silence. The five most beautiful people were winding their way to an empty table. Every eye in the place was trained eagerly on the new shiny toys. Everyone hungry for a bit of information, wanting an in, with the new beautiful students.
Four had walked in sets; obviously in relationships prior to coming to the tiny town of Forks. They were followed by the most beautiful boy she had ever seen. Unconsciously she had been staring at him when he turned his head and made eye contact. Lowering his head a bit, he gave her the most delightful crooked grin before running one hand through his hair and turning his attention back to his group. Her face had burned so hot she thought it might be permanently tinted red. Promptly lowering her head, she hid behind her book and the curtain of long dark brown hair.
Later he had shown up in her biology class; the only empty seat being beside her. She slid her seat as close to the window as possible and made sure there was lots of room on the table for him to use. It would be easier for him to ignore her that way. She wasn't in his social class, so she was sure he wouldn't take time to acknowledge her. But he surprised her.
"Hi, I'm Edward." He placed his books down on the table and turned her direction on his seat.
In a state of shock she turned her head just enough to see past the curtain of hair to look at the boy who had noticed her.
"Bella. It's nice to meet you." She managed to whisper.
He smiled back and turned to the teacher who had begun class.
Something changed in her that day. He had noticed her, he had talked to her without being pushed, he hadn't turned his nose up at her total inadequacy.
The next day, he asked her a question about the assignment. The day after that he asked what she was reading. Later he asked what she was listening to when she dropped her iPod getting a book out of her bag.
She had to will her voice to work. The nervous feeling threatening to make her voice shake along with her hands. She was used to being alone, closed off to everyone. She didn't know how to interact with non-fictional characters. A real life person that wanted to talk to her seemed too far-fetched.
"Do you know any good music stores near here? I need new guitar strings." He asked during a work period.
"Uh, yeah. Port Angeles, about an hour away." She could still only manage to speak a little beyond a whisper even after two weeks.
"That's awesome. Thanks." He smiled and they both focused back on their notes.
She saw him later on in the hall talking to a tall blonde guy and a tiny black haired girl. She overheard their plans to go to Port Angeles that night.
Somehow she managed to see them from down the street as they went into the music store. And later she saw them go into a popular restaurant. She convinced herself that it was just coincidence that she would drive to Port Angeles to pick up a book and manage to see them twice.
The next week, he made the soccer team. She suddenly began reading out on some benches which gave her a good vantage point to see most of the practices. She had never really felt drawn to read outside before but now it seemed like an ideal spot.
He continued to talk to her every day. How he managed to come up with something new to ask was beyond her. The most basic from favourite food or color to the more complex why did you leave Phoenix. Occasionally she would ask one back, but for the most part she gained her information from watching him.
"I'm Alice. Edward's sister." The black haired girl she had seen talking to Edward was standing behind the locker door as Bella went to close it.
"Bella." She took Alice's outstretched hand and limply shook it.
"Just thought I'd introduce myself. I think we'll be good friends." With that confusing statement, the girl turned and skipped down the hall humming to herself.
More than a little confused and freaked out Bella continued on her way to class.
That day while watching Edward across the cafeteria, she got a weird feeling in her stomach. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she could feel eyes on her. She focused on her book for a moment before looking back at him. No, he wasn't watching her. She started scanning the room and met the pointed look of Alice who smirked and turned back to Edward.
She knows. Bella's stomach dropped to the floor worried that her secret would be revealed. Would Alice tell Edward? Would he stop talking to her?
Even with the possibility that he knew of her watching, she couldn't stop. She wouldn't call it stalking. She never went to his house or tried to find out his plans. She was the police chief's daughter. He would figure it out if she was suddenly disappearing to follow a boy around.
A week went by with no more acknowledgements from Alice. She didn't look at her or surprise her at her locker again. Maybe it was a coincidence?
She went to the soccer practice since the Forks constant drizzle had suddenly stopped right as school finished. Today the guys were playing a practice game of Shirts vs. Skins. And Edward... didn't . have. A. Shirt. On.
She barely remembered to open her book in front of her. Breathing was almost forgotten as she watched his muscles ripple and stretch as he ran. His muscular shoulders tight as he used every ounce of strength to kick the ball to his team-mate. Her mouth went dry as he turned and a black tattoo became visible on his left pec muscle.
"If he weren't my brother, I'd be drooling too." A whisper sounded right in her ear.
Turning bright red, she ducked her nose down into her book before peeking over the top at Alice who was sitting on top of the picnic bench grinning like the cat that ate the canary.
"I-I don't know what you mean." Bella stuttered out, failing miserably at lying.
"He talks about you, ya know." Alice stated, turning to sit on the bench beside Bella.
"What? Why would he talk about me?" She was back to whispering, shocked by the fact that the beautiful boy would talk about her.
"He does. A lot. It's actually kinda annoying. 'Her long mahogany hair is so beautiful' or 'She smells like strawberries and flowers'. Seriously it's gag worthy"
"I think you're mistaken. I have plain brown hair, dull brown eyes, and average everything. He must be talking about someone else." She wrapped her arms around her middle, the book she'd been reading forgotten on the table.
"I'm never wrong." Alice chuckled a bit and turned to her bench companion with compassionate eyes.
"How long have you been following him?"
Bella studied Alice for a moment, looking for the anger or pity that she assumed would show in her eyes. There was none. Only compassion for the girl who could never have the boy she followed around like a lost puppy.
"A while." She finally whispered out. Sure that by tomorrow her pathetic routine of catching glimpses of him would be gossip for the entire school.
"You should talk to him. Let him know you're interested." At Bella's head shake, Alice sighed. "I'll keep your secret." She whispered before sitting up straighter and waving across the table.
Bella's head lifted to follow where Alice was waving. Edward was striding toward them with a smile on his face. Bella wanted to shrink, disappear into the ground but she couldn't.
"Hey!" He smiled at the two of them. Alice smiled back but Bella was sure her smile wasn't as happy and bright. "I didn't know you two knew each other." He gave Alice a pointed look. Did he not like that they had been talking?
"Just getting to know each other. I've heard so much about Bella I thought I'd introduce myself." Alice patted Bella's hand under the table; a quiet reminder that she wouldn't tell him about her watching him.
"It's nice to see you outside of class Bella." He smiled down at her. His bright green eyes seemed to try and say more than his words.
She closed her book and pulled her bag into her lap, needing something to hold onto in front of her. She managed to look into his eyes for a moment and smile.
"I've got to go. See you tomorrow." She squeaked out, hoping they heard her before scurrying away from the table.
When she reached her truck, she locked herself in and was finally able to take a deep breath. Edward would know. He would realize how pathetic she was.
She spent the night willing herself invisible; Praying for everyone, including Edward and his sister, to let her pass as a shadow, unnoticed.
The next day went as every other had since Edward arrived at school. Thankfully nothing had changed after their interaction the day before.
She continued watching Edward at every possible opportunity. Occasionally Alice would show up and sit with her, or just smile at her across a room. She knew that sooner or later Edward would catch on and she would have to stop, but decided to enjoy it in the mean time.
Today Edward had asked what her favourite restaurant was. Without thinking, she responded with the name of the Italian bistro near the music shop in Port Angeles.
"I went there last month. It was really good." He pulled out his phone and discreetly texted someone while she continued the lab work.
She didn't even notice he had texted back and forth during the class until he asked her a non-assignment related question.
"We're going tonight. Do you want to come with us?" It took a moment for her to realize he was speaking to her again.
"You want me to come with you?" She had slipped back into a whisper. Thankfully he seemed to hear her.
"Yeah, of course, it'll be fun." He smiled his crooked grin at her waiting for an answer.
She had trouble accepting his invitation immediately. She had played out her plan for weeks now. Watch him, dream about him, the odd polite conversation. Then he would find a girlfriend, someone ridiculously beautiful just like him. But nowhere in the plan did they become friends, or dinner companions, or people who socialize in any capacity outside of school.
But her heart clenched and she knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She knew she would regret it if she turned him down.
"Yes. Sure. I-I could come." Wait, he said we. "Who, uh, who's we?"
"Oh sorry. My sister and her boyfriend want to come too. Is that ok?" Oh it was a group thing. Alice probably asked him to invite me. Stupid, hopeful subconscious, jumping to conclusions.
"Yeah. Alice is great." She was nodding so hard she thought she might give herself whiplash.
"We'll pick you up at 5:30, ok?" He grinned at her as they packed up their bags.
"Yeah no problem, I'll be ready." She wrote her address down on a piece of paper and gave it to him.
She got home and had to will herself from collapsing on the floor. She was going to spend time with Edward, outside of school. She would have to talk to him. This wouldn't just be watching.
She dragged her suddenly heavy legs up the stairs and spent a few long minutes finding something to wear. Jeans were a given and she found a sweater she felt comfortable in. By 5:15 she was sitting on the stairs clutching her purse on her lap. Rocking back and forth, she was working on stopping her body from quivering with anxiety.
The knock on the door almost sent her flying to the floor in surprise. But she managed to keep it together and stand steady enough to pull the door open. She was able to fill her lungs with air for the first time in a few minutes at the person on the other side.
"You look like crap." Alice pushed her way into the house and dragged Bella up the stairs.
"Hi, Alice." She managed to say as the little ball of energy started rummaging around on her dresser. She came back over to the girl who was perched on the edge of the bed.
Alice placed herself on her knees behind Bella and began brushing through her long hair.
"You need to chill out. This is just some friends going to dinner." She pulled a chunk of hair from the front and twisted it neatly before clipping it at the side. "You will have fun. You will eat good food. You will get to know Edward outside of school and stalking." She said firmly, finishing the other side.
"I-I don't think I can do this." She managed to whisper as the other girl climbed off the bed. She came to stand in front of the now shaking brunette and took hold of her shoulders.
"You can and you will. None of us bite. Well Edward might if you ask." Alice looked deeply into Bella's eyes. "You're acting just like Edward was getting ready to come here. Now interpret that however you want."
She turned and strutted out the door leaving Bella to pick up her purse and follow pausing to lock the door.
Edward was standing holding the back passenger door open for her in all his smirking glory.
What's wrong with me? I can follow him all over the place but can't spend one evening in his company.
"Good evening Bella." His voice was smooth and warm, so different than the way he sounded at school.
"Hi Edward. Thank you." She ducked into the car, glad that she was sitting in the back with Alice.
Out of habit, she tried to hide behind her hair but the way Alice had pinned it back didn't allow her too. She began wringing her hands, eyes focused on her lap. A tiny hand covered both of hers and squeezed a little. When she looked over at Alice, she saw nothing but warm support in her eyes.
The drive was quiet. Light music playing through the speakers mixed with the comfortable chatter of the three other occupants. She knew she would have to talk at some point, but right now no one directed the conversation toward her.
Edward came to her door and opened it for her. He held out his hand and smiled when she took it to help her out. Her skin tingled after he let go, but he didn't acknowledge the feeling. She knew he couldn't feel anything for her.
They were quickly seated at a booth along the back of the restaurant. Alice and Jasper were cozied up on one side leaving Edward and Bella to sit, much like they did in Biology, with lots of space between them.
"You're not going to open your menu?" Edward's breath brushed across her neck and his close proximity surprised her.
"Uh, no, I know what I want." She was back to insecure whispering.
"Let me guess. There's guys at the table so you'll just order a salad." His voice was sarcastic, but when she turned to look at him, his eyes looked amused.
"Actually, no, I really like the mushroom ravioli with extra garlic bread." His playfulness caused her to relax and answer freely; a rare thing with her usual shy, anxious personality.
He smirked and nodded, apparently happy with her answer. The waitress came back and they all ordered.
Conversation was scarce as they dug into their food. Alice gave Edward a few pointed looks but Bella assumed it was a sibling thing; nothing to do with her.
"So Bella, do you play an instrument?" Jasper asked casually as Edward and Alice continued their silent conversation.
"A little piano but I'm not very good. You?" Basic conversation skills seemed to be coming back to her as long as it wasn't Edward trying to talk to her.
"Guitar mostly. Edward's the one with all the talent though." Jasper pointed his fork in Edward's direction.
She smiled and nodded. They had talked about his need for a music store a few times in Biology. She began to realize she actually did know a lot about him.
"Oh Jasper, I need a couple of things for that sewing project. Could we walk up to the sewing shop?" Alice piped up.
"Sure thing. It's nice enough out for a walk." Jasper smiled at her and their feelings for each other were obvious in that one look.
"Do you want to hang with me at the music store? I really don't want to go along with Alice." Edward had leaned over conspiratorially. "Ouch, Alice. Unnecessary violence."
"Oh necessary, brother dear, very necessary. Maybe Bella likes to sew too. Ever think of that?" Alice crossed her arms and huffed a bit. Obviously this was not a new argument.
"Actually, I'd prefer the music shop." The whisper was back, but at least she made her feelings known.
Suddenly Edward's arm was across her shoulders. She tensed for a moment at the unexpected physical contact. He was warm and inviting and... way out of her league. Her head knew he was just being friendly but her heart was jumping for joy that he might feel something for her.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you." Edward whispered next to her ear. She could feel his nose pressing into the side of her head.
She couldn't stop her eyes from closing for a moment. She wanted to remember the feeling of being in his arms, knowing it wouldn't be a regular occurrence.
"Fine then, we'll meet you back at the car." Alice's smirk betrayed her angry tone as she looked at her brother and new friend getting closer. "Don't even ask Jasper; you're stuck with me."
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else darlin'" He drawled, standing up from the booth and holding his hand out to pull her into a hug.
Edward pulled out some cash and set it on the table as Bella rushed to get her wallet from the bottom of her purse.
"I got it. Let's go." He slid out of the booth and offered her his hand.
"I can't let you pay for me." She was not used to being taken care of and was extremely uncomfortable letting someone who might be a friend pay her way.
"Yes, you can. I invited you." His voice was firm, leaving no room to argue.
She took his offered hand and noticed the warm feeling again. So focused on analysing the feeling, she didn't realize he still held on to her until they had left the restaurant. She tried to pull her hand from his gently but he squeezed tighter.
"Is this ok? If you're uncomfortable..." He trailed off looking really unsure of himself.
"No, it's fine. I'm just..." She didn't want him to know exactly how much of a loner she really was but what else was she going to say. "I'm not really used to being so close to someone."
"Well I'd like to be close to you." He looked like he suddenly realized he had said that out loud. "Tell me if you get uncomfortable, ok?" He smirked a bit and squeezed her hand again before leading the way to the music store.
She was lost in her thoughts and didn't remember walking across the street. Good thing Edward still had a hold of her.
They spent a long half hour browsing through CDs and looking at different instruments. Conversation flowed easily and she felt the last vestiges of anxiety leave her system.
He was everything she had seen in class and from a distance. She felt a warm feeling start to tingle around her heart. She was falling hard for him and she knew it would hurt a lot when he found someone worthy of him.
They met Alice and Jasper at the car and climbed in. It had been a long day of school and none of them wanted to be out very late. When they pulled up to Bella's house, her dad's cruiser was sitting in the driveway.
"Can I walk you to the door?" Edward asked over his shoulder.
"Uh, yeah, I guess." This hadn't been a date so why would he walk her to the door?
Alice giggled as a very confused Bella climbed out of the car. Edward had his hands in his pockets and walked beside her the entire way. She turned to him before opening the door.
"Thanks for dinner. I had fun." She kept it simple so she didn't ramble like crazy.
"I'm so glad you agreed to come with us." He was shuffling his feet and looking nervous.
"I should probably go. Charlie's not used to me being out." She pointed to the door equally nervous, but not really understanding why.
He reached up and softly touched her cheek with his hand. She felt the blush creep up her face before she turned into his touch. She felt his lips press softly on her cheek and then he pulled back.
"See you tomorrow." He whispered before removing his hand from her face.
"Bye, Edward." She watched as he walked down the steps, turning once to smile at her before almost skipping back to his car.
As soon as the door was closed behind her, she couldn't help but touch her cheek where his lips had been. She felt a giggle bubble up in her chest but quickly squashed it down not wanting her Dad to hear it.
Was he just being nice to a plain girl? Did he feel sorry for her?
Not wanting to dampen the moment with negative feelings, she chose instead to put it out of her mind. She had a great night and nothing was going to ruin it.
"Hey Bells! Have a good time?" Charlie called from the kitchen.
She moved to the doorway to answer him. "Yeah, it was nice. We went to that Italian place in Port Angeles."
"Who'd you go with?" Being the Chief, her Dad knew everything and everyone.
"Alice Cullen. And her boyfriend and brother." It had just come out that way. She hadn't consciously decided to only mention Alice by name.
"Ah, the new doc's kids. They're a good bunch from what I hear." He smiled up at her, probably happy at the fact that she had left the house for once.
"They are. Really friendly. Well goodnight. I'm off to bed." She wanted to get upstairs and mull over the cheek kiss some more.
"It's good to see you spend time with some people your own age Bells. Have a good night."
She dreamt of green eyes and warm touches. She knew her heart was going to get hurt, but she already felt so much for him. She would deal with whatever came as it came.
The next day, a smiling Edward stopped to talk to her in the hall before first period. Before going the opposite direction to his class, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. At lunch, Alice invited her to sit with them. She didn't say much but she felt comfortable surrounded by the group. Again Edward touched her hand before asking if she was ready to walk to Biology.
Over the course of a week Bella realized three things. One, Edward liked to touch her, a lot. Two, she really didn't know how he could possibly feel something for her. And three, she was falling fast and hard for him.
These realizations kept her up at night. Playing all the unknowns in her head was driving her nuts.
After a particularly restless night, the morning came too soon. She blindly walked through her morning routine of shower, dress, breakfast, and drive to school. Not paying attention to her surroundings was never a good thing for someone as prone to injury as she was.
She was walking and digging through her backpack. Her iPod was in there somewhere and she really wanted it for the walk across campus to her first class. Suddenly something hard hit her from the side and she was sent to the ground. The squeal of tires drew her attention and she saw a car barely stop right on top of where she had previously been digging through her bag.
She quickly realized there was a person half on top of her, a person who had pushed her out of the way of the oncoming car. Next she realized that there was a piercing pain coming from her leg. All other thoughts vanished as she tried to untangle herself from the person so she could examine her lower limb.
"Bella? Are you ok?" The person asked as they lifted themselves off of her.
"My leg. Oh fuck that hurts. God damn it." She was clutching where it hurt and could already tell it was broken.
"Bella look at me." Two strong firm hands grabbed either side of her face. "You need to look at me, ok?" Edward's dark green eyes came into focus as he tilted her head toward him.
"Edward?" She asked in a tight voice.
"I'm so sorry Bella. I tried to get you out of the way... but I must have landed on your leg." His eyes looked so sad.
"No, you don't need to be sorry. You, you saved me. I was right there. I was..." she trailed off as the pain in her leg became more noticeable.
"Fuck." He repositioned so he was sitting up beside her without letting go of her cheeks. He was rubbing soothing circles on her jaw with his thumbs.
"Oh my God. Bella!" Alice's frantic voice carried to them.
"Please call Dad Alice. Tell him I'll be coming in with her." Edward didn't move his eyes from her face as he spoke to his sister.
"Hi Dad, Edward's on his way in... no, no, it's our friend Bella..." Her voice trailed off as she moved away. The siren's alerting them that the ambulance was coming into the parking lot.
"Bells? Bella?" Charlie's frantic voice carried over the mumble of the crowd.
"Dad?" She could barely whisper. She was feeling so tired all of a sudden.
"Chief Swan? Over here." Edward called over her shoulder. "Bella, don't go to sleep baby. You gotta stay awake for me, ok." His voice sounded a little frantic.
"What happened?" Her Dad was suddenly beside Edward, looking back and forth between them.
"Edward saved me. But I don't fall so good." She managed through the tired fog that was settling in her head.
"Tyler was flying through the parking lot and almost hit her. I managed to push her out of the way but landed on her leg. I'm so sorry Mr. Swan." Edward sounded so sad.
"You did good, son. You're Dr. Cullen's boy?" Charlie had a hand on Edward's shoulder.
"Yeah. My sister called him. He'll be waiting for her arrival."
"So tired." She was trying to follow their conversation, but it was all sounding like gobble-de- goop.
"No. Bella. No sleeping. Remember keep looking at me." Edward's hands became firmer on her face. "Your Dad's here. The EMT's are getting stuff ready for you."
Just as he said it, the EMT walked up with another following behind the stretcher. It only took moments for them to have Bella secured and ready to make the short drive to the hospital. She only screamed once when they jostled her leg putting her on the stretcher. Edward never let go of her hand, having been forced to let go of her face.
"I'm coming with her." He said firmly to the EMT in the back.
"Chief?" The guy called over Edward's head.
"Let him ride. I'll be at the hospital once I speak to everyone here."
"Ok come on up."
Bella had closed her eyes and wasn't really sure if she was awake or not.
"You her boyfriend?"
"Not yet. Hopefully... if she'll have me."
"From what I hear, you saved her today. That should help in earning the title."
"I hope so."
The unique smell possessed by all medical facilities met Bella's nose. It was very quiet as her eyes fluttered and she woke from the foggy sleep she had been in.
"Bells?" Charlie's voice questioned from nearby.
She opened her mouth to respond to him while her eyes fluttered and tried to open. It felt like she had sucked on cotton balls. She licked her lips a few times trying to find her voice.
"Here take a sip." She heard as her eyes finally focused on her Dad's hands holding a cup with a straw a few inches from her mouth.
"Thanks." She managed to say as she squinted against the harsh florescent lights.
"You scared your old man today." He let out a big breath and fell back in the chair. He had been tense since arriving at the accident scene a few hours earlier.
"Sorry." She looked around trying to assess her situation.
An IV was in one hand; ugh, needles. The most interesting thing however was the size difference between the bumps in the sheets where her legs should be. One was significantly larger than the other.
"I broke my leg?" Flashes of the accident began to flood her mind. Squealing tires, hard pavement, a warm body.
"You didn't just break it. The doc called it a compound fracture. The bone came through the skin." He laughed a bit. "You don't do anything half way kid."
She swallowed thickly as her dad chuckled to himself. She was saved from having to respond by a quiet knock on the door.
"Surprised he wasn't back sooner." Charlie mumbled standing to open the door. "Give him a chance; as much as I hate to admit it, he deserves it." He looked in his daughter's eyes before turning to pull the door open.
Give who a chance? What was Charlie talking about?
"Hi, Chief. Any change?" Edward's velvety voice floated around the door to where Bella lay.
"Come on in. I'm just heading out to grab some coffee and call the station." He looked over his shoulder and winked at his daughter. The boy had proved he would look out for his daughter and that's all the man could ask for.
Edward was watching the floor as he passed Charlie in the doorway. It wasn't till he was halfway to the chair beside the bed that he looked up.
"You're awake!" The smile on his face was huge and his eyes twinkled. He moved quickly to her bedside and pulled the chair closer before sitting.
"You're here?" She asked, puzzled that someone would be here to see her, especially someone like him.
"Where else would I be?" He gently lifted her hand and wrapped his strong fingers around it. "I'm so sorry Bella."He leaned forward on his elbows, placing his forehead on top of their intertwined hands.
"What for?" She couldn't begin to figure out what was going on.
"I broke your leg. Pushing you out of the way, I landed on you. Your leg broke hitting the curb." He rambled out, still face down to the bed.
"But? But the van... I was almost hit." The machine started to beep faster as she gasped for air. He looked up, concern twisting his features.
"Shhh, Sweatheart, you need to calm down." He moved his hands to her cheeks much like he had in the parking lot.
"You saved me." She whispered between gasps. She closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down, focusing completely on the boy who had captivated her for so long.
"You came out of nowhere. How did you get to me?" She asked quietly once her breathing finally settled, her eyes remaining closed.
"I watch you too." He whispered.
Her breathing caught in her throat as the words he spoke sank in. He knew. He knew she watched but didn't run away. He didn't laugh. He watched her back?
"Why?" The idea so unfathomable she had to question it.
"You don't see yourself clearly Bella." He pulled back and she finally opened her eyes to meet his green gaze a few inches away. "You are the most interesting, beautiful person I have ever met. From the first moment I noticed you sitting reading in the cafeteria, I have been drawn to you."
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. It was almost impossible that this perfect boy would be interested in her.
"I watched you back. Everywhere you showed up, I noticed you." He brushed his knuckles across her cheek. "You tried to blend in to the background, but I saw you, every time, I saw you."
He leaned in and brushed his lips against her chapped ones, the sudden affection causing her to freeze before melting into him.
He pulled back giving her his crooked grin. He didn't hesitate in wrapping her hand in his again. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts, just trying to absorb the information shared since she woke.
"Can I ask you something?" He asked quietly breaking the silence.
"Of course, although I'm not sure I'll know the answer." She still felt confused and unsure of what was happening between them.
"Well, I hope you do." He leaned forward again, needing to be closer to her. "Will you be my girlfriend, Bella Swan?" His eyes pleaded with her. He hoped she could push her insecurities away and say yes. He knew she would need him to prove that they belonged together, but the first step was defining the relationship.
"I'm not still unconscious right? This isn't some drug-induced hallucination?" The slight smile she had was giving him hope that she would agree.
"No, I'm very real. And I'm seriously nervous about asking you, so an answer would be greatly appreciated." He lifted her hand and kissed the back gently.
Could she do this? This wasn't in the plan. Being friends wasn't in the plan, so being more than friends definitely wasn't. She had to see where this went. She had to give it a chance, or there would be so much regret.
"Ok, I'll be your girlfriend." She knew her doubts showed on her face, anxiety creeping in that it would all be a cruel joke.
"Thank you!" He stood up leaning over to lightly kiss her again. "You won't regret this. I'll prove to you that we belong together. I know you don't see it, but I do."