Chapter 6

Tiff opens her front door with a large smile on her face. "Edward, come in come in! You clean up rather nicely after baking in the sun all afternoon. Let me introduce you to my cousin Bella," Tiff exclaims as she gestures towards me. Edward finishes taking his shoes off, and Tiff leads him over towards the table to meet me.

"Edward this is my cousin Bella Swan, Bella this is my neighbor boy Edward Cullen."

Edward looks sternly at me, his face is tanned from the sun and completely free of any imperfections. Even his eyes are the perfect hazel. Much different from my pasty complexion and lack of color. He extends his hand, callused, I notice. "It's nice to meet you, Bella Swan." He included my last name? He grips my hand firmly and shakes as if he has just closed a large business deal.

"It's nice to meet you too, Edward…Cullen." I can't keep hold of his eye contact though, and my eyes sweep down to the floor.

Tiff's smile covers her entire face. "Great! Now I'll go grab the lasagna out of the kitchen quickly! Hang tight!"

The kitchen is connected to the dining room, so even though Tiff does not go out of sight, I still feel very alone with this "neighbor boy" Edward as he sits down in the seat at the left edge of the table.

I look up at him, but he's already looking at me. Sharply. As if he can see straight through my body. My eyes quickly drop down into my lap. Why is he looking at me like that? What the hell?

He breaks the silence and my heart jumps a little higher in my chest. "I saw you this afternoon."

Well shit.

I let out a muffled laugh of awkwardness. "Haaa, yeah I sure picked a nice day to arrive to Tiff's. Great weather we're having."

'Great weather we're having.' What, am I in a nursing home?

"Yeah, something like that," Edward replies coldly.

What is this guy's problem?

Again, I let out another muffled laugh. "Haa, yeah… How was… mulching?"

"Great."

Damn Tiff how long does it take to bring a lasagna back from the kitchen? I glance over my shoulder to see if she is on her way yet. Finally she comes bearing the food. I see Edward's face soften. Huh. Maybe he's just hungry. Boys and their food.

"Dinner is served!" Tiff must have been a waitress at some point in time, because not only is she carrying the pan of lasagna, but she has hold of green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and a bowl of corn.

"Mmm Tiff this looks scrumptious!" I immediately begin to dig in to the lasagna and the mashed potatoes. I notice Edward takes a large portion of lasagna, and much smaller portions of everything else. Must be an Italian boy.

"Edward thank you again for your beautiful landscaping job!" Tiff praises.

"Really, it was my pleasure. You have such an elegant house with a gorgeous view. It's expected that you should have a beautiful property to match it all. I'm humbled to be the hired man."

Geesh Edward where is this all coming from?

Tiff's face turns a shade of red as she blushes. "Oh Edward you are such a fine young man! How old are you now? Twenty?"

"You're close, Miss Carter," Edward's eyes are soft and playful as he looks up at Tiff. "Just turned twenty-one last month."

Tiff eats this Edward kid up. "Oh how phenomenal! You're just barely older than Bella then! You're pushing twenty-one, aren't you Bella?"

I can feel by cheeks warming up now that the attention is on me. Announcing my age has always been rather embarrassing to me, for opposite reasons than why age is hidden, I feel. I have always thought I look much younger than I really am, and I have always gotten the notion that people are secretly embarrassed when I tell them I am almost twenty-one. Most people would probably have guessed sixteen.

"Yes, in mid-July actually."

"Oh wonderful, just as I thought! Don't worry, Bella, I will bake you a beautiful cake, and maybe Edward will come over and help us eat it!" Tiff smiles her toothy smile up at Edward, who is directly across the table from her. He smirks.

"Oh of course, Miss Carter. If your lasagna tastes this delicious, I cannot fathom how delightful your dessert would be."

I am getting even warmer in my seat. I've finished eating my small piece of lasagna and I am exceptionally full for my portion size.

"Tiff, this meal has been wonderful. Edward, it has been a pleasure meeting you. I'm afraid that I am awfully worn out from traveling all day today, so I believe I will clean up and hit the hay."

"You can leave your dishes on the table, Bella, I can take care of them later!"

"Thanks Tiff." I give Edward a quick grin and push my chair back into the table. As I turn to go back down the hallway, I feel eyes burning into my back. However, I cannot turn around. I get to my bedroom door and close it as soon as I'm inside. I swiftly open the sliding glass door that leads out to my own little deck. I didn't even realize how long I was holding my breath. The fresh air feels comforting to my face. I breathe in. I breathe out. It's time for a shower. It's time to get some sleep.