A/N-thats all for today, and a lil while. hope you like this. review if ya have anything to say, i'm open to flames too:)
EPOV
"Oh my god, it's Edward Cullen!"
I groaned quietly to myself, rolling my eyes as I picked up my pace to catch up with Emmett and Jasper before the obsessive teenaged girls could stalk me down. The last thing I needed was a hoard of girls trailing behind me when I arrived at Chief Swan's house. I didn't quite understand how fighting for our country for ten short months was such a big deal, especially after . . . I pushed that from my mind. I already felt enough guilt with the amount of people that were caring to our every need. Besides, it wasn't like we'd even been injured or high ranked officials, just average soldiers. It hadn't seemed like I'd been gone for all that long, except for that last month. . . I just wondered how long it would take to clue the girls back in that I don't date before I got called back to war again, if I got called back, and had to start all over again. Surely it would get easier.
The three of us slipped into my Volvo, it was in the same condition as I'd left it. We had to go pick up Rosalie and Alice before heading to the Swan's. Great, another night to remind me why I was the odd man out.
It didn't take as long as we'd expected to work out the directions to Chief Swan's. His house was plain and small with a short path leading from the curb to the steps up to the door. In the small driveway sat his police cruiser and, taking up half the curb in front of his house, was an old, rusted red truck with a bulbous cab. Emmett instantly broke out laughing at the sight of it. I smacked him in the side of the head. Good old Emmett.
We all piled out of the car and rose to the curb, starring up at the entrance of the small white house. "Who wants to ring the forbidden door bell?" Emmett teased. He raced past us, pulling Rosalie with him, and pressed his oversized thumb into the small button to the right of the door. No sound came in response.
"Think it's broken Em." Jasper pointed out as he approached the door at a leisurely pace with Alice. I lagged behind. Alice flitted forward and tapped lightly on the door. Charlie could be heard yelling something and I heard light footsteps approaching the door in response. After a slight pause the door swung open, revealing who I assumed was the Deputy's daughter.
Her porcelain skin and long brown hair stung as it pricked at the memory I'd hidden so well, I looked away. Her eyes flickered from Emmett and Rosalie to Jasper and Alice. Her eyes didn't linger and I realized that she looked bored, not even the slightest bit curious of what the legendary "War Heros" looked like. Her eyes landed on mine and she immediately looked away. I was a little shocked as I met her round brown eyes. They had depth, not shallow and flat like all the brown eyes I'd spent the last couple of months starring into. I was a little disappointed she looked away so fast. Despite the sting, her eyes were quite enchanting.
She looked down, blood reddening her cheeks as she motioned for us to enter. I paced in after the others and let my eyes follow the girl. It was no surprise to me that she was blushing, but this wasn't the blush I'd grown to hate from girls. No, this was just innocent shyness and she didn't look back at me. Wait, this girl didn't like me?
"Welcome to the Swan Residence!" Charlie boomed, extending his hand. I placed mine in his, half my attention elsewhere. I snapped my face to his when he covered mine with both of his and shook heartedly. I faked a smile. I could tell already that he had intentions to have us around a lot. "This is my daughter, Bella. She was the one who cooked for us tonight."
Bella hesitated before spinning around reluctantly at the sound of her name. She half raised her hand in a weak attempt for a wave. "Hi." she murmured, her cheeks flushing a darker red. I get it, she's shy. I turned my gaze away from hers', she was no different then the other girls. She'd end up being annoyingly obsessive and I'd have to find a way to get her to leave me alone. Ugh, why did I keep looking at her? More importantly, why wasn't she looking back?!
"Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Edward." Emmett pointed a finger lazily at each of us. Would it kill him to be formal every once and awhile? We'd all assumed that being in the army would straighten him out. Guess we were wrong. I failed to find myself surprised at this.
"Well," Charlie began enthusiastically as he clapped his hands together. "Let's dig in, shall we?"
"Sure." I murmured so low I was positive that no one else must have heard me. I trailed off behind the group, my eyes following Bella as she rushed off into the kitchen. She didn't even look back over her shoulder. I could only hope that she was a good cook.
A small table rested near the far wall of the cramped living room. I made due, squeezing in beside Alice. I sat straight and stiff, my eyes speculating the room as I ignored the ongoing conversations around me. It wasn't like the others expected me to be paying attention, Jasper even knew why I was . . . like this. I just wasn't going to allow Chief Swan to praise me for my "achievements" well I was on duty. I kept my face composed and expressionless as Bella came in with plates of food and placed them in front of us. She didn't hesitate to leave and, in her haste, she tripped over her own feet and was sent sprawled across the floor. Obviously this was something that happened often for Chief Swan didn't make a move to help her to her feet. Emmett burst out in laughter and I shook it off. Klutz.
I was completely shocked by the quality of Bella's cooking. It was perhaps the best food I'd eaten since I'd been sent to war, possibly ever. I wasn't about to say anything about it though. I was sure that if Chief Swan heard me talking he'd keep prodding me until we'd had a lengthy conversation and, honestly, I was in no mood to talk. Nor was I ever anymore.
I offered silently to bring in Emmett's and Rosalie's plates when they finished at the same time as me. Chief Swan insisted that this wasn't necessary, but I ignored him. I was dying to just be out of this miserable room. I trotted silently towards the kitchen and stopped short.
Bella looked up at me with a look a shock on her face. My eyes drifted from her face to her barely touched plate of food with disapproval. Without too long of a hesitation, I turned and headed around the island to the sink. Dropping them in I heard Bella move.
"You can just leave em, I got it." She told me, her voice impassive. I looked at her in bewilderment. This reaction from females was not something I was attuned to, had I done something to offend her?
She dumped her food and stepped up next to me, filling the sink with hot, soupy water before dropping her plate in with the others. I hesitated, contemplating whether I should say something to her. No, that might give her the wrong idea. I turned and began to walk out without a word.
As I reached the end of the island I lengthened my strides, realizing that even if I had wanted to respond my voice had been lost in the pain that was now trickling in my memory.
