Alright, well, I was pretty anxious myself, so I thought I'd put this chapter out a day early, because I really do love you all.
Here's a very long EPOV, so I hope it satisfies you guys.
So the song of the chapter is Your Guardian Angel, by RJA (Yes, it is my favorite band)-
I'm pretty sure that there's no need to explain why I chose this song; You'll find out(:
Also, there's more about it below, but you can check out my website at the following link:
www(dot)simplydazzling(dot)webs(dot)com
Shout-out to all my AMAZING reviewers. You guys know who you are.
Rate and Review, as always!
-Justine
EPOV
I sat there, watching Bella Swan sleep. Her face looked so peaceful, and less strained then it normally did when she was awake. All the stress and worry her face always carried was gone. She also had the cutest little snore radiating from her nose as she slept. Every time I heard it, I'd smile.
I knew she wasn't used to having kind gestures made to her- that was obvious by the way her face looked so shocked when I handed her my hoodie. It was really the least I could do. She took it though, and I was glad she did. She looked like she really needed the sleep, and was worn out.
I honestly wouldn't have minded joining her. I got only a few hours of sleep last night myself, and sleeping in caused me to be late for school. Tardies did not make for a happy Esme. She liked all of her kids to be on time, and punctual. I got that lecture while I was scrambling to get ready and stuffing my english muffin in the microwave. No one at our house really liked to cook.
Bella suddenly started to fidget in her sleep. Her face became twisted in pain, and she began mumbling, "Make it stop, make it stop. . ." over and over again. It was just a whisper, but the pain in it was thick and heavy. I panicked and didn't know what to do. She was most likely having a nightmare, and by the sounds of it, it wasn't very pleasant. I didn't know how to comfort her, and when I tapped her on her shoulder to wake her up, she didn't, she just kept stirring in her sleep.
"Bella," I whispered loudly, tapping my foot against hers this time. "Bella, wake up," I nudged her elbow, and still nothing. I wasn't sure what I was suppose to do.
I watched as she continued to stir and moan in her sleep, and was completely helpless. I didn't want to hurt her by waking her up, but I also didn't want her to be embarrassed when people started hearing her. Plus she just looked so damn tired, and I wanted to let her keep sleeping.
"Bella," I tried one more time, using a bit louder of a voice. Still nothing. This time, I slowly inched my lips towards her ear, a little unsure of what I was doing myself. When I was hovering inches above one of them, just enough for me to feel the heat of her body radiating against my mouth, I whispered, "Bella." My breath blowing in her ear.
She stirred a little and her eyes fluttered slightly, but was still not completely awake. I tried it again. "Bella?" I whispered into her ear. Then, I moved my face back a couple of inches to give her some more space. Her eyes slowly opened, and realization suddenly dawned on her.
"Oh god," she whispered, horror-struck as she shot straight up in her seat. Her face turned as red as a tomato. Yeah, that was pretty damn adorable too. "I was talking, wasn't I?"
I nodded at her warily. She groaned and put her face in her hands, hiding herself. "That's so embarrassing." I her her mumble, shrinking into her seat. I disagreed. How was it embarrassing? Millions of people talked in their sleep. I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder and looked at her with a completely serious expression.
"Bella," I told her solemnly, "It's okay. I wasn't laughing."
She studied my expression for a little bit, to make sure I wasn't going to burst out in a fit of laughter or something like that I was guessing, until she finally gave me a small, sad smile. Why was she so sad? Always. God, she confused the hell out of me most of the time. And that was exactly why I wanted to know more. To get to know her. Lucky for me, I didn't have to badger the information out of her, and she gave me a nice window, I thought so at least.
"What did I say?" She asked, yawning. I gave her a questioning look, then realized what she was talking about. "Oh, um, nothing. . ." I told her. That was bullshit. I was the worst liar ever, and everyone who knew me knew it. Hell, she obviously knew it too by the way her eyes narrowed at me.
"That's crap," she glared at me, "I know you didn't just wake me up for no reason, Edward. What was I saying?" Her voice was so cold, so bitter.
Afraid to upset her even more, I decided it'd just be best to tell her.
"You were saying something along the lines of 'Make it go away', or something like that." I told her honestly. I didn't want to look into her pain-filled eyes, which I knew I'd see if I did look into them.
Once again, she moaned and sank even lower in her seat.
"So," I started lamely, "What was your dream about?" I was really curious what had her so angry and pissed off and upset. I mean, she had a bad dream, and yeah, that'd tend to put someone in a bad mood, but this was just cruel. Whatever it was, it was really bugging her.
"It was nothing," She told me sadly. She took out a book of hers and flipped it open to where she had the page bookmarked. Damn it, I really wanted to know more, but didn't want to bug her, all at the same time. I didn't know why I wanted this so badly, but I did. It was strange, why should I have even cared?
"Oh, okay," I told her. You could hear the disappointment very clearly clouding my voice.
She sighed and looked up from her book. Her eyes met mine, and there was that creamy chocolate that melted my soul. Her eyes were so deep, it was like I could see miles and miles into them, and into her deepest thoughts. Yeah, if only. "What?" She asked, irritated. I was some what taken aback by her hostile attitude, but tried not to let that influence my motives.
"It's nothing," I quoted her favorite line. She took it as an insult and glared at me. Her glare was cold, and hostile, making the cream in her eyes freeze. Like ice cream, but definitely not sugar-sweet. She though I was mocking her. Was there anything in this world that I could do right? Seriously, someone up there hated me, and I knew it. I guess I'd just have to face the facts eventually.
"Bella," I told her innocently, "I wasn't making fun of you, or mocking you, or anything else. I promise. I wouldn't do that to you," I assured her sincerely. She seemed to accept it, and her glare turned into more of a stare. I stared back until I realized she wanted me to continue. "I'm just trying to figure you out, okay?" I told her, giving up all the dignity I had left. What kind of sick power did this girl have over me? It was beyond weird by now.
Her stare then turned into a heartbreaking expression. Hell, it made my heart hurt. Why was she so damn sad? She stared sadly at me for a long while and finally turned back to her book.
"Don't." I heard her say quietly without breaking her gaze from the book. I wasn't going to just listen to her though. I'd figure her out, and of that I was certain. Well, I'd try at least. No, I wouldn't just figure her out, I'd help her. Help her in whatever way she needed it, and as much as she might deny it, she most definitely needed it. Needed something, at least.
The rest of the class went by rather quickly- I had worked on some of yesterday's homework, trying my best not to keep stealing glances at Bella the whole time. I couldn't help but notice how content she looked when she was reading. Like she was in her place. I made a mental note that Bella really must enjoy books.
The bell eventually rang, and I slowly stood up and gathered my things together. I watched as Bella hurried to make sure she was the first one out of the room, and debated whether or not to run after her and walk with her. I figured I'd talked to her enough to her liking for one day, and that I'd just keep my mouth shut until lunch came. Then I'd sit next to her, and talk to her like she was a normal human being, because that's exactly what she was. So why did everyone here treat her like she wasn't?
Lunch finally rolled around, and not a minute too late. Well, actually really late. I sat through all of English staring at the clock. Don't get me wrong, as interesting as listening to the stories about the Montague's and Capulet's hacking each other up, I couldn't concentrate on anything else except for a way to prove to Bella that I was in fact, a trustworthy person, and that I could be her friend. I needed her to trust me, if I were to help her in any way. And I wanted to help her, god did I want to- more than anything. I wanted to take away all the bitterness she held for the world, and to see her smile a real smile, and not one that was forced. I wanted to figure out what made her bitter like that too. That's what I wanted, and being as suborn as I was, I wouldn't stop until I got what I wanted. Until I saw that smile.
I grabbed a few different food items and set them on my tray, paid for my food, then headed for the table my siblings sat at yesterday with Bella. I spotted her from across the room and quickly made my way over. I noticed that I'd beaten the rest of my siblings to the table, and spotted them all towards the back of the lunch line. They were keeping to themselves and only talking to each other. They really didn't need anyone else, they had each other. This was great, it'd give me some time with Bella alone, because I knew once Alice sat down, there was no way I was getting her back.
"Hey Bells," I said cheerfully as I sat down next to her. I think I surprised both her and myself by calling her that. I didn't think it was that weird or anything. I mean, I think it was safe to say we were semi-friends. I hoped, at least. It was also kind of cute. Yeah, it definitely had a cute ring to it. Bells.
She did look a little surprised, but looked up from her food and smiled at me. "Hi." She said quietly, meeting my gaze. Her face turned a brilliant crimson color and she quickly looked back down at her food. I made her uncomfortable. Well, I'd have to put that second on my list: 1. Get Bella to trust me. 2. Don't make her uncomfortable...or mad. It seemed like a short list, but I knew it'd be next to impossible to achieve. I wasn't backing down though. Bella needed me, she needed someone to talk to, and I was positive of that. I was positive that I would be that someone.
There was a long pause of silence until it got unbearable and I had to break it. "How's your day been so far?"
She laughed humorously and gave me a look meaning: Are you serious? Wow, her day must've been shittier than mine. "You can tell me about it if you want." I hedged cautiously, not wanting to set her off like I had in Science. I was giving her a choice, a choice that she could simply refuse if she wished. I really hoped she didn't though.
"Thanks, but no thanks." She told me curtly. "The past is the past, and there's no need to bring up incidents that may have happened today. They don't matter anyways." She glared down at her food angrily.
It sure sounded to me like they did matter. This didn't sound good either. I wished I knew what the hell she was talking about, but I didn't. Sometimes, well, most of the time, she didn't make a lot of sense. What was crystal clear though, was her pain. The obvious pain she always tried to hide.
"I think it matters," I told her quietly, looking down at my food. The thing was, this wasn't a lie. I really did care. More than she knew.
She took a deep breath and sighed. "Your girlfriend told me to back the hell off, and to stay away from you. She told me no one like me could ever be good enough for someone like you. She told me I was a useless piece of trash, and a waste of space on this earth. She told me I'd never be pretty, and that I'd never be loved by anyone, and that no guys would ever like me, and she also told me a lot of other things I'd rather not repeat, okay?" At this point I could sense the angry tears she was fighting back so hard, as her voice cracked at the last part. Bella didn't like to show weakness to anyone, so she was pushing them back with everything she had. She wasn't succeeding though. A single tear was enough to break me. It slowly rolled down her cheek as I watched it. I wanted so bad nothing more than to reach out to her and comfort her, but I couldn't. "Do you want me to keep going? There was more." I heard her voice crack once again and more tears started rolling down her face. This time, she couldn't stop them.
I sat there in awe. Shocked and appalled by what she just told me. First of all, what girlfriend? I had no fucking girlfriend. Second of all, who the hell had the nerve to tell her any of this? And why on earth did I have the sudden urge to beat them to the ground and shove my foot up there ass?
"What girlfriend?" My voice was lifeless, almost robotic. It probably sounded about equivalent to how someone who just got the wind knocked out of them would. Hell, it felt like I just got the wind knocked out of me. Or worse, maybe.
"That one," She whispered, and nodded towards the girl now standing at my left, and finally broke down. More tears ran down her face as she ran out of the cafeteria. I was about to run after her when I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a red-head smiling angelically at me.
I recognized her, she was in one of my classes. Victoria, was it?
"People like her don't belong in our world, Edward." She snickered, rubbing her hands up my chest. This was the skank Bella must've been referring to my girlfriend as. I shoved her hands away from me. I sure didn't want her touching me, and the attempts she made to try and be sexy with me were instant fails. I also recognized her as one of the girls who'd written me a love note on my first day. I probably would have been more angry, and went off on her, but there were more important things I needed to do. Bella needed me.
"Get the hell away from me, Victoria," I spat at her. I didn't even bother looking twice at Victoria's expression as I turned to run out the lunchroom doors, following the same path Bella had. I pushed through the doors leading out of the school and onto the grounds as I frantically stood there, searching for Bella. I had no idea where she'd ran off to.
I looked around, and after a moment of desperate searching, spotted her about 200 yards away, sitting down with her head in her hands, leaning against the back wall of what I assumed to be the track shed. I sprinted my lungs out to get to her, and was huffing by the time I did. In the very, very back of my mind, I noted that I'd need to start working out again soon.
Her face was still hidden in her hands, and I could hear that she was still crying. Louder this time. At the back of my mind again, I also couldn't help but note how damn cute her crying was- how normally girls just wailed at the top of there lungs at a painful frequency to us men, and how Bella's was soft and quiet and almost dazing, but that was a seriously fucked up thing to think about right now so I shook it off.
She must've somehow sensed my presence, so she looked up at me. She looked up at me with a tear-stained face, and the absolute most heartbreakingly painful expression I'd ever seen in my life- it was really the saddest thing. My legs started wobbling, and I was afraid I'd collapse. Because I too was torn, torn by the girl now sobbing in front of me. She continued to stare at me like that, as tears slowly kept falling down the her face.
I stood there for a long moment, when I finally decided to hesitantly sit next to Bella. We sat there for a while, not saying anything to each other. I just listened to her crying silently next to me. God, I had to do something. I couldn't just sit there like the helpless moron I was anymore.
Then, she did something I wasn't expecting. She moved her head and gently laid it on my shoulder. I sat there, frozen, unsure of what to do next. Her head found the perfect place on my shoulder, and she sighed.
"I can't do this anymore," I heard her pained whisper, and somehow knew she wasn't just referring to Victoria and her friends. What I did next surprised myself even more. Slipping my arm around her tiny body, I pulled her closer. She nuzzled her face into my jacket and started to take deep breaths, trying to calm and get a hold of herself. She sniffed a few more times, and I hugged her even closer. I could feel the warmth of her body against me as she continued to cry silently.
In that instant, I decided that for the rest of her life, I'd be Bella's guardian angel. I'd be her crying shoulder, and everything in this world she didn't have. At first, I couldn't think of a reason for my actions, but I realized it was because I knew she needed this. She needed someone. And oddly enough, I might have even needed her as well.
We never did go to lunch. Or to our next class.
I kept my arms around Bella until I was sure she had it together.
"Thanks Edward," She told me quietly, blushing and sitting up next to me. I unhooked my arm from her waste and stayed sitting. She rubbed her face with her sweatshirt sleeve, and was about to stand up when I stopped her, "Let's just, not go to class. Okay?" She looked at me questioningly. "You've had a shitty day and deserve a break." I told her, matter-of-factly. I rolled my eyes at her reaction to my language, but she gladly agreed with me and sat right back down next to me.
"So. . ." she started, pulling at some grass from the ground, repeating her motions.
"We can talk?" I questioned, giving her a choice. I really did want to get to know her better. Thinking about it, I realized I hadn't really discovered anything about her, and had just always been looking to find something. I took this as my opportunity to learn as much information as I could.
She smiled a little. "About what?"
"Anything," I laughed, suddenly enthusiastic, unsure of where my good mood came from. I was just about falling apart less than a half hour ago. I went with it though, and let out a loud carefree laugh.
She looked really confused, and must've been wondering wear that came from as well, but let out a quiet little laugh of her own. Yeah, it wasn't a real laugh, but it was sure as hell a start. I'd get Bella to laugh. Just like I'd get her to smile and trust me too. Wow, there were now three goals, no, requirements on my list. I considered them that because they would be my top priorities until they happened. I would make sure of it. They had to happen.
"Okay," she told me. She crossed her legs and her arms and leaned her head against the back of the shed and let her fragile little eye lids flutter closed.
"Hey," I scolded. "I said talk, not sleep." I poked her side. That got her. She giggled. The sound was like the most beautiful bells from the most beautiful wind chimes. I poked her again, twice this time. She giggled again, swatting my hand away. I instantly memorized the way her little laughs sounded so I could replay them in my head later. I was just a god-damn creeper, and I knew it.
"Yeah, well you said talk not tickle." She shot right back at me, still giggling a little while trying to glare at me.
"You have a cute laugh," I told her, smiling. Shit, did I really just say that out loud? I really couldn't help it though, she did have a hell of a cute laugh. I decided that from this point on, being honest with her couldn't hurt.
She stopped giggling and smiled instead. It was still a little smile, and still some-what broken, but at least it was a smile. I smiled back, more intensely, getting another look into the dark brown pools of chocolate in her eyes. The kind of warm chocolate that melted my soul. Sometimes, it was like I could even see into her soul. She stared back, gazing into mine. Her eyes suddenly got really wide though, and she quickly looked away, blushing. I wanted more than nothing in that moment than to be able to read her mind. Her hands went back to fiddling with the grass as she cautiously looked up at me through her long lashes this time.
"What do you wanna talk about?" She asked again. What did I want to talk about?
"Um," I started lamely. "How about 20 questions?" It was lame, but if it would help me get to know her, hell, I was up for anything at this point.
She laughed and grimaced at the same time. "Sounds like something they'd do in a prison trial," She'd seriously never heard of the game 20 questions? Well, not so much as game, but a way to get to know a person better. Which is exactly what I was going to do.
"Yeah," I told her, "I can go first, and I'll ask you questions, 20 in total, that you have to answer. They'll just be about things you like and don't like, and other stuff like that."
She nodded hesitantly. I could tell she didn't like the idea of being put on the spot much. It was certainly something we had in common, but I wasn't nervous because it was just me and her. Bella and I.
I waited until she finally looked up and met my gaze again. "Bella, I'm not going to hurt you. You can trust me, I promise." This time, she nodded again, only with a little more confidence.
I was careful not to get too deep with the questions that I asked. They were always harmless little, "What's your favorite color?", or "Do you play any sports?" kind of questions. If I did by accident, touch to much into her personal life, I'd be able to tell by the way she would automatically cringe back a little, and the slight look of pain that came from her eyes. I'd figure what that was about eventually I kept telling myself, but for now I'd only get to know her. Simple as that.
By the end of my 20, I had learned so much about her that it almost overwhelmed me. She loved to be outside when it was raining, she had never owned a pet, but had always really wanted a dog, she had only gone out with one boy (I couldn't help but note how when I asked her about him her eyes seemed to hold some sort of venom and hate. She had also refused to tell me anything more on that subject. I was guessing she had a bad experience. I really wanted to know who it was though, and more about it.), her favorite thing to do was watch the stars at night, and various other things. I knew I had made her uncomfortable with some of my questions a few times, but she never said out loud that it had bothered her, so I figured it was just some weird sensitive shit, but then I thought about it again, and realized that it probably wasn't. I mean, all girls were so insecure about how they looked, and how they acted- Bella really wasn't though. A little, but not as much as you'd think a normal girl was. She wasn't a normal girl. And for some reason, this not-normal girl had herself in almost every thought I'd had since moving here. I didn't look at it in a creepy romantic way though, I thought of it more as an obligation. I had told myself millions of times over and over- Bella needed my help. I had never been so sure of anything in my life.
"My turn?" She asked questioningly. I nodded.
"How many girls have you dated?" She started out, smirking. Oh, she was going to be like that. Sure, she got off the hook because I asked her the most simplest questions that a five year-old could have answered. I grimaced at her and counted in my head. Damn, there were a lot of them. I felt so disgusted with myself, looking back at my dating history. That's why I was beginning on a new start at this school, this town- I'd really take into consideration each time I decided I liked a girl. Like, was it her personality. . .or just the breasts? I wasn't gonna be like that anymore though. I'd be better than that.
I made a face at her. "I'm not sure," Not meeting her obvious questioning gaze.
When I looked up, she didn't look surprised, and her tone remained indifferent. "That many?" I frowned and shrugged. She went on, seeming a little bothered or annoyed, though I couldn't imagine why. God, she must've thought I was a total asshole. I would have. In fact, I was a total asshole, so I definitely wouldn't blame her for thinking it. I almost asked her right then and there if she was, but thought better of it.
Thank god, the rest of the questions she asked were way simpler. They were sort of boring, I had to admit, but they were way better than going back and touching subjects with the first one.
She had only gotten to the 11th question, when we heard the end of the day bell ring from the school. I had completely forgotten it was still going on, or maybe just the time in general, and looked at Bella who had the hint of a smirk playing on her face.
"We really just skipped the whole day, didn't we?" I chuckled, running my hand through my hair as I stood up and stretched.
She laughed and then sighed. "I've never skipped. I bet Charlie won't be too happy. . ." Something about the way she said that sounded very suggestive. Like it was suppose to mean more than it sounded like. Maybe I was just beginning to be way to superstitious, but it just sounded off to me. I studied her, and she did this little thing where she crossed one of her arms, and held the other to her body. I stared at the way her arms were and looked up at her face. Her eyes were staring into mine, and looked a little annoyed.
"Hey, I still have my nine questions." She told me, as we started making our way back to the school. I didn't know why, but I had this strange urge to reach out and take her hand in mine. I didn't though, but I could have swore my fingers twitched to hers a couple of times.
"Well," I thought. I guess that it was fair that she got all of her questions in too, so it'd only be reasonable to finish where we left off. "If you wanted, I could drive you home and you could ask me them on the way?" This had nothing to do with the fact that I wanted to spend more time with this girl.
"Um. . ." She started hesitantly. "I'm not sure." She sounded a little worried for some reason.
"Alice can drive your truck home. I'll bet she'd love that." I assured her casually, not wanting to sound desperate. I had to think about it for a moment. Was I desperate?
She still looked worried and unsure, so I did it. I held out my hand for her to take it. I was half expecting her to just leave it suspended out in mid-air, but she took it. She seemed to take it with no hesitation, so in that instant, it felt like she trusted me, and that was all I could have ever asked for. She weaved her warm tiny fingers through mine, and nodded. It didn't escape my notice that the way her fingers fit into mine were a perfect fit.
"Come on," I smiled, tugging her to the parking lot.
I guess I wasn't surprised by how everyone we walked by, stopped and stared. I mean, taking notes on the way they treated Bella daily around here, it must've come as a complete shock to them. It shouldn't have though- It's not like we were dating or anything.
I also wasn't surprised when I spotted my very annoyed looking family standing by the Volvo as they came into clear view. I hadn't really factored them into my brilliant plan, so was a little nervous when we walked up to them about what I was going to do. Bella looked down at her feet, shyly, releasing my hand. I wanted to grab it again, but thought twice about it. It would definitely give my siblings the wrong idea, and I definitely didn't need any of their shit today. I was in a great mood, and didn't want it to be spoiled. God, I sounded like such a fucking baby.
I met the face of a very smug looking Alice, and turned to see the rest with matching expressions. What the hell? What they were thinking obviously couldn't have been good, so I glared at them. Plus, they were making Bella uncomfortable as hell. I guess it was already too late to stop them from getting the wrong idea, so I knew I'd have to deal with setting it straight once we all got home.
"I'm driving Bella home." I stated. I made sure to keep my voice sounding semi-detached.
Alice raised her eyebrows and her face broke into a wide, dazzling grin. I was pretty surprised that the little pixie didn't just break out into a touchdown dance right then and there.
"Alice," I asked her warily. "Do you think you could drive Bella's truck back to her house?"
Her eyes got impossibly wider and she nodded. "Of course!" Wonderful. Now what was I going to do with the rest of my family? Alice, being herself, sensed my distress and saved me. It was a little scary, like she could read my mind.
"You guys," she pointed at Em, Jazz, and Rose, "you can ride in Bella's truck with me." Bella started to protest but Alice smiled sweetly and assuringly at her. "We'll squeeze."
I leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Let's go." She quickly went around to the other side of the car and climbed in the passenger's side. I should've opened the door for her. It would've at least made her see that I wasn't a total ass and that I could be a gentleman if I wanted. I mean, girls loved that kind of polite shit, right? I started wondering what my intentions really were. I had been all set on saving Bella from whatever it was she needed to be saved from, and all of a sudden I was worried about what she thought of me, and worried about not being polite enough. You are a screw up, that's for sure Edward. The tiny voice in the back of my mind was saying. Maybe I was.
"Wooo! Joy ride!" I heard Emmett holler. I rolled my eyes and hoped they wouldn't break Bella's truck. It was so old and worn down, I was honestly worried. "No Em, I'm driving." I heard Alice sigh annoyed. Good, anyone but Emmett.
"Aw, there's no room!" I heard him complain. Such a fucking whiner. He crossed his arms, frustrated, and sighed.
"Come on Em," I heard Jazz call from inside the car. "You can sit on my lap." He gladly agreed and dove into the truck, only to be pushed out five seconds later. "Dude, what the hell? I was kidding!" Jasper yelled from inside the car. I could hear Rosalie and Alice laughing and whistling from the front seat. I trusted that they'd get home eventually, and decided I'd kept Bella waiting long enough.
"Sorry," I told her, getting in and buckling my seat belt.
She grinned. "No, your family's quite entertaining." She sounded amused.
I drove out of the parking lot and we rode in silence for a while. It wasn't awkward or anything, that definitely wasn't it. It was just how natural this all somehow felt- to have her presence with me, it was really calming.
"You know," I reminded her, breaking the silence finally, "you still have your nine questions."
"Oh right," I could tell that her mind was off somewhere else before that. I hoped it was somewhere good. "Um, what's your favorite color?" She asked lamely.
I snorted. "Brown." I had been bracing myself for way worse. "Come on, you can do better than that." I teased. "Eight left."
"What's one thing you want to accomplish before your life's over." She was all of a sudden serious. Okay, I'd been bracing myself for bad, but how the hell was I suppose to answer that question? I mean, I knew what I wanted, but I was definitely not going to tell her that. Also, no one had ever asked me a question like that before, so I was a little surprised.
I could feel her eyes on me as she waited for an answer. I still hadn't come up with anything spectacular. I could've just told her what I really wanted, if I wanted her to run screaming from me, and most likely put up a restraining order. It's usually not your average conversation you have with someone after knowing them for only two days- 'So, I actually really want to figure out everything I absolutely can about you, and I really want to make you smile a real smile that's not broken, and to make you laugh a real laugh that's not bitter. I want to save you from whatever it is that's killing you on the inside, and to protect you from any harm that shall ever come to you.' Yeah, that was definitely not something I'd be telling her. At least, not anytime soon.
"Uh, I want to go to college?" I said it more like a question, and could tell that she was a little displeased with my answer. She was probably hoping for me to say something more extravagant. Bella let it go though, and seemed to be in thought again of what her next question would be.
"Where do you want to go to college?" She asked curiously. Once again, I'd never really thought much about that kind of stuff, because I'd always figured that Carlilse would get me into the right places. I mean, he for sure knew the right people.
"Er, I'm not sure," I told her, staring ahead at the road. This wasn't going as well as I'd planned. I knew I was probably boring her to sleep by the minute. I frowned while continuing to stare at the road and not her. It was most likely another ten minutes before we reached her house. I still hadn't asked where it was.
"Oh okay," she said quietly, and went back to staring out the window. She didn't say anything for a while, and just kept staring at the cars and trees as we passed them.
"Seven left," I reminded her.
"Oh right," she responded. Bella was really unfocused today, it seemed like. I wondered if there was anything majorly wrong. Or that there was anything I should ask her about.
"Bella, are you alright?" I asked nervously, keeping my eyes on the road. She leaned her head against the back of the headrest and stared up at the ceiling of the car. "No," she sighed. "But don't worry, it's only a headache. I've had it all day, and I get headaches like this all the time." She sounded really angry when she said this. Angry and sad at the same time. Not at me though, it's like she was always blaming someone for what was wrong, because it sure didn't sound like just a headache that was bugging her. It was always more with Bella then she would let people see.
"Oh, really?" I asked. I could have asked her how she got it. I should have, but I really didn't want to come across to her as annoying. She probably already thought I was prying too much, so I kept my mouth shut.
She nodded. "Yeah. Hey, take a left here." She pointed at the street, right before we passed it. We were getting really close to my house- it was only a block or two away, maybe less. Did Bella really live that close?
"Alright, turn left at the white house with the blue shingles." She pointed out. This was her house? It was so close, I could basically see my backyard from here. Wait a minute, I could see my backyard from here.
"You live here?" I asked surprised.
She rolled her eyes. "No, I just like being dropped off at random stranger's houses." The sarcasm in her voice was heavy.
I chuckled. "No, I was trying to say that I live right back there behind those trees." I pointed at the thin strip of woods in the back of her house that you could barely see from where we were at the moment.
She was about to open the door when she paused. "Wait, you guys moved into the old Johnson mansion?" She asked, seeming a little stunned.
"I didn't know our house had a name, but yeah." I met her eyes and smiled. "We're neighbors," I whispered happily, holding her gaze. I don't know why I did it- maybe it was because of how the way the lighting in the sky made her face light up just right, or because I needed to reach out and feel to see if her face was really as soft as it looked. Either way, I reached out and lightly stroked it across, right below Bella's cheekbone. I did it once on her left side, and once on her right. Her eyes fluttered close for just a moment when I did, and opened up widely once I removed my hand.
"Thank you Edward," She said shyly, blushing as she got out of the car quickly. I knew she wasn't just thanking me for the ride home. I noted that her truck was parked in the driveway, with four eagerly bobbing heads that were visible from the back windshield. They could have walked, I sighed in my head. I watched as Bella opened up the front door and made it safely inside, feeling that so far I was doing an okay job as her protector, then watched my siblings come pooring out, one by one, out of the old Chevy.
They all piled into the Volvo, and I knew that they all noticed the unbreakable smile now spread across my face. I didn't care though, because as I pulled out of the driveway, I held on to the only important thought that mattered to me right then. Bella trusted me.
Awww, I loved writing this chapter...well, I love Edward in general, but I thought that this especially was just really bittersweet. I hoped you all thought it did justice, and that I didn't disappoint!
I just want to warn you guys in advance that the ExB relationship is NOT going to be rushed. I'm trying to make it as real as possible, okay? So try and bear with me.
Also, I wanted to let you know that I'll be answering everyone's questions.
Just review or PM me, but just letting you know right now that I will not answer questions like "What's going to happen in the next chapter?" or "How's this story going to end?" Sorry guys, I just don't wanna spoil you!
Also, I've made a website for my fic. (Yes, I'm an incredible looser. I know.)
It doesn't have much on it at the moment, but will eventually.
You can check it out if you'd like, if anyone cares-
www(dot)simplydazzling(dot)webs(dot)com
^Just change the (dot)'s to actual dots, and there you have it! xD
Fewwwww! This was a really long A/N.
I do like to ramble, don't I?
Reviews are better than a joy ride with Emmett(:
