Chapter 4:

Requests Denied

Edward's POV

The month following the accident was the hardest month of my immortal life, staying away from Bella when my curiosity was peaked. She had almost addressed me by my human last name. How would she know that?

I had kept this information to myself, with the exception of Alice, who saw our conversation. She was monitoring Bella through Jasper's gift when she could focus on Bella's future.

Alice said it was like everything is in flux, waiting on decisions Bella's future was, as she said, uncertain. This oddly caused a panic in me. Keeping a low profile and staying away from Bella were my top priority, but the look on her face when she tried to talk to me in Biology II nearly tore me apart.

I watched as Mike, Eric, and Tyler followed her around like puppies, their thoughts enraging me more than they should. Jasper could feel her sinking into depression, but her outward actions weren't giving anything away.

One human, Jessica I believe her name is, was thinking about how to ask Bella if it was alright to take Mike to the Girls' Choice Dance. I gritted my teeth thinking about Bella with anyone. I seethed as Jasper stared at me in surprise, his grip tightening involuntarily on Alice's waist. Closing my eyes I willed my emotions to calm down as Jasper aided silently.

The next day Mike was planning on how to ask Bella to the dance, a Girls' Choice Dance, the imbecile. Continuing to avoid any recognition from the frail human whose blood calls out to me, I watched through his thoughts as he asked out the woman sitting next to me.

At some point during their conversation of Bella turning him down and convincing him to take Jessica to the dance, I stared at her. The electric pulse picked up as she stared back, my curiosity and frustration must have been rolling off of me in waves as I clung to my chair, resolute that I would not drink her delectable blood dry.

All too soon Mr. Banner asked me a question, quickly I searched his mind for the answer he was almost screaming at me, answering without pause before I reluctantly looked away from her beckoning face. The rest of the hour I spent trying to find a way to approach her innocently.

Our banter quickly turned awry as I tried to warn her off me again. She thought I regretted saving her from the van. I was astonished; this is what she thought of me. I didn't believe the words that came out of her mouth, and then I got angry, "You think I regret saving your life?"

"I know you do," she snapped.

"You don't know anything," My angry was growing as I fumed in front of her.

And then she tried to run away. She tripped on her way as her books smashed to the floor; I quickly moved to help gather them together. Handing them to her, my face was store as I tried to think. Her voice was frozen like ice when she thanked me.

I watched as she dangerously and barely survived gym class, only to be headed off by Eric. I almost felt pity for him when he shuddered and his voice cracked when he proceeded to ask her to the dance. Firmly she stuck to her story about going out of town; I chuckled passing by her truck, the perfect witness to her diplomatic answer.

Waiting for my family I hear Tyler's plans start to form and took a chance to further my delight as I knew she would again turn down one of the puppies that happily followed her around. Reversing, I barred her from leaving the parking lot as Tyler moved his car behind her. His plans humored me as I waited for the onslaught of conversation to delight me.

My laggard pace frustrated the beauty behind me as Tyler went to take his futile attempt. I shook with laughter as his attempt as my family joined me, having heard their conversation themselves. Alice made her disapproved evident in her mind, as I speed away.

All night I thought of her and the death trap she called a truck. Her blank mind, almost saying my human name, and not being frightened of us was driving me insane. I needed to be with her, to know what she was thinking, to know what she knows.

I watched her getting out of her truck, dropping her keys into a puddle I flashed over to get them before she could. I leaned against her truck as casually as I could.

"How do you do that?" she asked in amazed irritation.

"Do what?" I held her keys out as I spoke.

"Appear out of thin air."

"Bella, it's not my fault if you are exceptionally unobservant."

She scowled at me, her brown eyes taking me in. Looking down she asked, "Why the traffic jam last night? I thought you were supposed to be pretending I don't exist, not irritating me to death."

"That was for Tyler's sake, not mine. I had to give him his chance." I snickered.

"You…" she gasped, her eyes spitting fire at me as I longed to touch her, the electric pulse drawing me closer.

"And I'm not pretending you don't exist," I continued trying to distract myself from her quickly moving chest, rising and falling as her heart beat picked up and her blood pulsed hotly in her veins.

"So you are trying to irritate me to death? Since Tyler's van didn't do the job?" Anger took ahold of me; all humor vanished, as my sexual desire for her pulsed along with my fury in her statement.

"Bella, you are utterly absurd," I knew my voice was cold and unrelenting.

She seemed to try to restrain herself from physically hurting me, when she finally turned to go.

"Wait," I called as she kept walking, sloshing angrily through the rain. Easily I got to her side and kept pace, while keeping my human façade in place.

"I'm sorry, that was rude," I said as we walked. She ignored me. "I'm not saying it isn't true," I continued, "but it was rude to say it, anyway."

"Why won't you leave me alone?" she grumbled nagging on her lip.

"I wanted to ask you something, but you sidetracked me," I chuckled, recovering from my angry.

"Do you have a multiple personality disorder?" she asked severely.

"You're doing it again."

She sighed, "Fine then. What do you want to ask?"

"I was wondering if, a week from Saturday - you know, the day of the spring dance -"

"Are you trying to be funny?" She interrupted me, wheeling toward me. Her face got drenched as she looked up at my expression.

I continued amused, "Will you please allow me to finish?"

She bit my lip and clasped her hands together, interlocking her fingers as I looked on waiting for her to settle before I continued.

"I heard you say you were going to Seattle that day, and I was wondering if you wanted a ride."

"What?" she clamored.

"Do you want a ride to Seattle?"

"With who?" she asked, mystified.

"Myself, obviously." I enunciated every syllable, did she not understand her own allure.

"Why?" she tried to find an explanation in her thoughts I so longed to hear.

No matter how dangerous I knew the situation was bound to be, I could not keep my distance. Isabella Swan fascinated me to my core. I needed to know more about her.

After a confusing turn of events, I told her she needed to stay away from me, but I needed to be close to her. Her confusion was clear on her face, but there was no way for me to make it plainer to her. Eventually she nodded in agreement to go to Seattle with me as she tried to calm her ferociously beating heart.

"You really should stay away from me," I ended the conversation, "I'll see you in class." I walked away taking an unnecessary breath.