Chapter 4: The Start of a Friendship

Bella's POV

I expected Rosalie's room to be dark and uninviting but it was the exact opposite. Her walls were painted a crème colored white, with a boarder running along the top of her wall matching her black and red comforter on top of the king size bed in the middle of the room. She had a beautiful wood desk in the corner of the room by the wall that contained nothing but a huge window and a door made from glass. One the opposite wall was a sitting area and bookshelf. Two doors separated the mini library and the sitting area.

"Bathrooms through the door on the left." Rosalie pointed to the door next to the sitting area.

I did my business in her massive bathroom, with a jet powered Jacuzzi and a gorgeous shower with glass doors, quickly and met Rosalie back in her room. She was still standing by the door.

"I'm sorry." I blurted out before I could stop myself. I really didn't want to apologize to her, since she insist on being mean to me, but the thought of her being mad or upset at me made me disgusted with myself.

"For what?"

"For everything. If I had known my moving to Forks was going to cause all of this to happen, and completely alter my view of what is real and what is fiction, I wouldn't have come." I inched my way over to the bed. I really just wanted to lie down and absorb everything that had happened today. "May I?"

"Of course."

I flopped down on the bed and laid down, facing the window. I could feel Rosalie's indecision; her hesitancy on rather or not to join me on the bed. It didn't take long for her to decide though and for me to feel the bed dip ever so slightly at her weight. She kept her distance though, and I was happy for that.

"I would have mated with you one way or another, Isabella." She softly murmured. "Why did you move up here anyways?"

"Renee, my mother, remarried."

"And you don't like your step-father?"

"No, no. Phil is great. He makes my mother so happy. It's just he's a baseball player, for the minor leagues, and he travels around so much. Renee stayed home with me most of the time and I could just tell-" I closed my eyes picturing my mother's beautiful face. "I could just see how much she missed him when he was gone. How much she wanted to be with him. So by moving here, I am allowing her to do what she wants and should do."

Rosalie was silent for a moment. "At the cost of your own happiness though?"

"I'm happy." Great I thought I answered too fast, which will make my answer sound automatic, which she'll know means I lied.

"You hate it here."

"So? Why do you care?"

"I don't." Was her short, indifferent reply.

I tried to stop the feeling of rejection from showing in my body language, but I couldn't stop the involuntary flinch.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. We barely know each other so why should you care?"

Again she was quiet.

"How old are you?"

"18"

"…For how long?"

"I was born in 1915. So you're sixteen? Why are you taking a senior class?"

I could easily tell that information about my vampire mate's past was off limits for now so I allowed the abrupt topic change. "Guess I'm just really smart."

"You should be a sophomore." It was a statement not a question but I gave her an answer anyways.

"Yes."

"What grade did you skip?"

"Fifth. Since forks is so small they just decided to stick me in senior classes so I wouldn't get bored."

"Do you?"

I slowly turned around so I was facing her. "It's only been a day. I can't tell yet."

Her golden eyes locked onto mine. "Good point, Isabella."

"Do you think we can really just coexist?"

"Do you wanna watch a movie? I can get a movie from Emmett's room?"

I sighed. "Sure, Rose."

"I'll be right back." She was gone before I could even register what she said and back before I could form a response.

"Wow." I breathed.

She smirked.

"You should do that more."

"What? I'm a vampire, Bella. I thought we talked about this. I'm fast." Rosalie said, as she popped the movie in the DVD player.

"Not that. Smile. You should smile more."

I watched as her lips moved barely a fraction of an inch and she rolled her eyes. I could feel the annoyance coming off of her.

"Will you tell me what was just said to you?" I tried.

"No." She pushed a button on the remote she brought with her over to the bed and the curtains I hadn't noticed before, covered the large window, making the room dark. "It's not my fault you're a human and you couldn't hear the conversation I just had."

Rosalie's mean comments were starting to get to me more than I wanted for them to. I wish I could just leave. I thought. And not actually want to be here. Next to her. Especially after all the things she said to me.

I grabbed a pillow and hugged it to my chest as The Notebook started playing.

"Alice said you liked this movie." Rosalie explained, as she laid down next to me and very casually slipped her arm around my waist. Some would say that we were spooning. This thought excited me, like most of my thought about Rosalie, more than I wished it to.

"How does Alice know all of these things?"

"She has visions of the future."

"Should have seen that coming. I mean if vampires exist, why couldn't one of you see the future as well." I frowned. "She is the only one who can see the future right?"

"In this family, yes. There may be others, but I doubt theirs are as strong as hers. No two Vampires special gifts are exactly alike."

"Do all Vampires have a special gift?"

"No. Jasper can control or, for a better word, manipulate, people's emotions. Edward can read minds."

"He can?" I asked shocked.

"Don't worry. For some reason, he can't read yours. Emmett brought with him his strength."

"Brought with him?"

Rosalie sighed and paused the movie. "Some would say a big part of who we were as humans get exaggerated when we become vampires. In Emmett's human life he was very strong. That carried over and multiplied to his life now. You could say the same for Edward and Jasper."

"And what about Carlisle, Esme, and Katherine?"

"Carlisle brought with him his compassion. That is why he started this vegetarian way of life, and why he can help humans on a daily basis as a doctor. Esme brought her ability to love. Kat brought her green thumb with her. She can, in a way, control plants. She'll have to show you."

"And what about you?"

"Beauty. All vampires are beautiful to attract our prey. But I am a little bit beyond the average vampire in looks."

"Oh…" Was my intelligent response.

"Since we're still asking questions, even though we were going to watch a movie, who is Jacob and what is he to you?"

"Jacob Black is my ex and he's just that to me. My ex."

"Does he live in Arizona?"

"No, he lives over in La Push actually."

"Do you love him?"

"Does it matter?" I didn't mean for that to come out harsh, but it did.

"It's not like we're together. So do you?"

"I love him, yes. But I'm not in love with him."

I could tell she wanted to say something else but she remained quiet. After a while she started the movie again and only paused it again to ask me what I wanted for dinner.

Strangely laying in Rosalie's arms felt normal. Yeah, because a human lying in a vampire's arms, still alive, is so normal. I laughed out loud at my thought.

"Was that funny to you?" Rosalie asked. She actually sounded interested.

"It was just a passing thought that made me laugh."

"Hmm…Well your food is here. Would you like to eat up here or downstairs?"

"Downstairs?"

She got up and I instantly missed her hands around me. "That's fine."

I got up and followed the beautiful vampire down the stairs. I could smell spaghetti and garlic bread coming from the kitchen.

An overwhelming need to know something besides the fact that she's cold and can be a bitch 24/7 came over me, so instead of staying quiet I tried to start up a conversation. "Do you like spaghetti?" I felt like an idiot after I asked that, knowing that they only drink animal blood.

A perfect eyebrow rose at my question. "You did say you skipped a grade right?"

I blushed. "Sorry, I forgot. When you were human did you like it?"

"My human life is off limits to you."

"Okay…" I followed her into the kitchen and had a seat in front of my food.

Rosalie had a seat across from me and had a disgusted look on her face the whole time I ate. Part way through my dinner the door to the kitchen opened and Rosalie hissed. Whoever was about to come in, quickly left.

I sighed. "So, that was you being protective over me or something?"

"Sorry."

"You know, we can be friends." I boldly stated.

I could have sworn I heard her grunt a reply to my statement. But a creature as beautiful as her wouldn't grunt…Right?

"Did I say something wrong?"

Rosalie ran a hand through her long blond hair. "We can't be friends, Bella."

"No need to be so negative."

"I'm not. I'm just a realist."

My frustrations with the beautiful creature in front of me were increasing rapidly. "Look I need you and you need-"

Rosalie stood up so fast I only saw a blur as she moved around the table, twisted my chair around and leaned over me. "Rosalie Hale does not need anyone." There was so much conviction in her voice that I would have found it hard to not believe her if it weren't for the fact that her arm wound itself around my waist, as if it belonged there, and our bodies lined together perfectly, as if we were made specifically for each other. "But I'm also not unintelligent. I know we're mated. I know, in time, I will actually start to like you." A smile tugged at her full lips. "I know your very existence here on earth keeps me sane, and now it gives me a reason to live."

Her sweet breath was making it hard for me to think clearly. To think about the fact that I did not want to be an a long-term relationship at the age of sixteen, the fact that this whole relationship was not natural, and the fact that her lips was only inches away from me and all I could think about was kissing them.

"Rosalie…" My breath came out ragged as I tried to push her away from me.

She went on as if I hadn't spoken, only her arm around me tightened. "What is it you young people like to say now days? It sucks?"

"Um-"

"Sure it sucks that I'm mated to a human. I mean it really, really sucks, Bella. You're weak, and slow. I could kill you with just a flip of my wrist." She finally released me and looked away. "And that scares me…"

I stared at the beauty in front of me as she gazed out the window into the back yard. To lighten the dark mood that had settled over us like a heavy blanket, I decided to say something. Anything really. "Wow, is that a vampire thing too? Sudden mood changes?" Okay, Bella, maybe not that…

To my surprise though, Rosalie broke out into an ear to ear smile. "Yes, Bella, let's try to be friends for now, okay?"

I smiled back. "I'd like that."