Chapter 10 – Dinner and a Talk
Bella's POV
Previously in Midnight Choices…
"Thank you," he said. I looked up. "Thank you for saving me. So much." I smiled.
"Of course. You're very welcome," I replied.
It was nearly impossible for me to sit that close to Edward and keep my sanity. He just smelled so absurdly good, and in my tiny car…. Well, the smell was only amplified. I sat, completely silent, trying to get a grasp on my control. True, it had been over 45 years since the last time I had tasted human blood. And Edward wasn't scratched or bleeding at all. But his heart was beating so fast, pumping his delicious – no, delicious wasn't a strong enough word. Irresistibly, impossibly desirable blood would be a better description – through his veins. Did he have any idea how much danger he was in right now? Of course he didn't. He couldn't possibly. I wouldn't lay a finger on Edward. My resolve flickered slightly, however, as he ran a shaking hand through his magnificent, bronze-tinted hair. The simple action, however innocent, released a flood of his scent that hit me face on. I gasped slightly, inhaling a lung-full of it. Slowly, trying to regain my control, I breathed out through my nose. For a minute all I could do was focus on breathing right. In, out, in out. I couldn't just stop breathing – Edward was too close, he would defiantly be able to tell. Finally I started to calm down a bit and get a grip on my control… until the first notes of the Beatles' Help! blared in the car. I gasped again, inhaling another lungful of Edward-scented air. Will this never cease? I thought angrily. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Edward sheepishly pull his cell phone out of his coat pocket.
"Hello?" he answered. I could hear every word on the other end crystal clear, but pretended not to listen.
"Edward, man, where are you?" Mike said, on the other side of the line.
"Um, I'm not quite sure where I am, to be honest," Edward replied.
"Corner of Holly Street and Creek Boulevard," I reminded him quietly. He repeated the information to Mike as I started my car and pulled into the street, avoiding the red car that I had effectively disabled. I already knew the restaurant that Mike was at, I had passed by it on my mad rush to find Edward.
"Oh. Well, we're at the restaurant right now. It'll probably take you a good 20 minutes to get here from there if you're walking… and we kind of just finished eating…" Mike trailed off.
"Oh!" Edward exclaimed. "Well, I can meet you guys at the restaurant, I don't need to eat or anything."
"I'll drive you home, Edward. You need to eat," I said before I even knew what I was saying. WHAT?? My brain screamed. Why in the world did I just do that? Did I really have that much self control?
"I wouldn't want to make you do that," Edward said quietly. This is your chance out, my brains said.
"No, I want to." What in the hell of it was I doing? Was I trying to make it harder for myself?
"Well, if you insist," Edward said reluctantly. "I can get a ride back, actually," he told Mike. "You guys can leave without me."
"Really?" Mike asked curiously. "With who?" By that time we had pulled into the parking lot, directly across from Mike's mother's minivan. He was leaned against the drivers side door, talking on his phone. In one smooth motion I opened my car door and stepped out, holding the top of the door.
"With me," I said, smirking slightly. I could hear Edward slowly snap his phone shut and see Mike's jaw drop. "That's okay, right?"
"Yeah… yeah, that's fine…" Mike stammered. Edward opened the passenger side door, too, and stood up.
"I'll see you at school then, okay?" he called to Mike.
"Yeah… I'll see you at school…" Mike mumbled. I tried to hold back a smirk. Mike had been… rather romantically interested in me ever since I had come to Forks High School. It had taken a number of attempts on my part to dissuade him from his fantasies, which you could tell was still a sore spot for him. To see Edward, the new kid, getting a ride with me (something that had most definitely never happened to Mike, no matter how much he had hinted that was what he wanted) probably hurt Mike more than he would ever let on. But still… Mike needed to finally get over me. As he fumbled with the handle on his van door and slammed it shut once he was inside, I hoped that this would be it from him. A few seconds later he was gone, his van-load of teenage friends comforting him as he stared blankly ahead.
"Come on, Edward," I said as I closed my car door as gently as I could so that I wouldn't dent the metal. I had already done that once this week – Rosalie swore that she wouldn't fix it again if I happened to lose my temper. Edward swung the door closed too, trying to match the care that I took. I locked the doors and then started walking towards the front doors of the restaurant. The parking lot was practically deserted, so I cut through the parking lot. Edward followed me, jogging slightly to keep up. I slowed down forgivingly, also something that I had never done for anybody before. What was happening to me? When we reached to door Edward held it open for me. My eyebrows raised in surprise. Who said chivalry was dead? And he had done it so naturally, too… his mother must have taught him good manners.
"May I please lead you to a seat, ma'am?" the young waiter manning the counter said as soon as Edward and I were through the door. He completely ignored Edward, instead focusing only on me.
"Yes, thank you," I replied, nodding.
"Party of two, then?" he asked, taking two menus off a stack on the counter. I nodded again.
"Yes."
The waiter led us to a table in the middle of the practically restaurant that could have seated at least 8 people. Just for Edward and me. I was not impressed.
"Somewhere a little more… private, if you don't mind," I told him. Both Edward and the waiter looked surprised.
"Um, sure. Is this all right?" he asked, leading us to a booth by a window.
"Yes, that's good. Thank you," I said.
"Would you like anything to begin with?" the waiter asked as he set the menus on the table.
"Edward?" I prompted.
"I'll have a coke," he said.
"Make that two," I added. I wouldn't be drinking it, of course, but I had a feeling that Edward might.
"Your server will be out in a few minutes," he told us, then turned to go back to the kitchen. Edward stared after him, looking… smug? Maybe… I couldn't quite tell what it was. I frowned slightly, then opened up the menu in front of him, laying it out on the table so that he could see read it. He raised his eyebrows slightly, leaning up against the table with his elbows. I leaned back in my seat, folding my hands in my lap.
"So…" Edward said.
"So," I repeated, nodding, looking into his face. His eyes were just so green…
"Can I ask you a question?" Edward asked. I frowned again.
"That depends on what the question is."
"Well, that's not fair, then." We were silent for a minute until the waiter arrived.
"I'll be your waiter tonight," he said to me, completely ignoring Edward and setting the glasses of Coke on the table. "Have you decided what you'd like tonight?" I looked at Edward pointedly.
"Um…" he glanced down at the menu, "I'll have the mushroom tortellini."
"And for you?" The waiter asked, giving me his undivided attention.
"Nothing, thanks," I said unsmilingly.
"Are you sure?" he pressed.
"Very sure," I replied, handing him the menus.
"All right, then. If you change your mind I'll be happy to take your order." I nodded solemnly as the waiter returned to the kitchen. Edward rolled his eyes as soon as the waiter was gone.
"What?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Did you not see that?"
"No. What was I supposed to see?"
"Never mind. It really doesn't matter."
"Okay," I shrugged. I could take it up later if I really wanted to. We were quite for a minute.
"So…" Edward started, "What brings you to Port Angeles."
"I was shopping… with Alice, remember?" I reminded him.
"Oh, yes," he nodded. "And how was that?" To be honest, I was rather shocked. Edward had just almost been hit by a car and he was asking me if I had fun shopping with my sister? He should be going into shock right now! I knew I practically was. Instead he was… calmly sipping his soda as he waited for me to answer.
"Edward, are you okay?" I asked, voicing my concerns. "Are you feeling cold or out of breath or anything?" He looked at me, his eyebrows knitting together.
"I'm fine, Bella. Why?"
I sighed, shaking my head. "You are absolutely ridiculous. You almost died, and you're asking my how my shopping trip with my sister is. What you should be doing is going into shock."
Edward shrugged. He SHRUGGED! I pursed my lips and pinched the bridge of my nose, breathing deeply to calm myself.
"Umm… I'm sorry, then," he apologized, making it sound more like a question than a statement.
"Don't be," I growled. It wasn't his fault that the stupid drunk driver had almost hit him. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't reacting the way that most human beings would be. It wasn't his fault that I pulled dumb-ass moves like offering to drive him home without even knowing if I would be able to handle it.
"Why not?" he asked. I looked up.
"It's not your fault…" I trailed off, voicing my thoughts. It was more of a whisper, really.
"It's not your fault, either."
"Yes. Yes, it is. I should have been paying better attention… I should have…"
"You're not Superman, Bella. You're just human, you're only-" then he cut himself off. After a second he laughed. "Okay, maybe not. But still, you can't blame yourself for what happened. Even if you aren't… normal."
"You noticed that?"
"You stopped a car with your bare hands. And ripped the door off the car. And tied that guy's key in a knot."
I nodded slowly. "So, you know that I'm… different…"
"Yes. But…"
"But what?"
"I am curious."
"About what?"
He was quite for a second, looking as if he was trying to word his question right. "Is there anything else… different… about you?"
I nodded slowly. "Yes. There is."
"Will you tell me?"
"Later, Edward. When there are less people around."
He looked solemn. "But you will tell me?" I was quite as I considered how to answer him. The waiter took that moment to appear.
"One mushroom tortellini," he said cheerily, completely unaware of the somber, tense mood. Then, turning to me, "Are you completely sure that you don't want anything?"
I nodded. "Yes, I am." This time I did notice that he seemed to be paying way more attention to me than to Edward. Ha. If only he knew how easily I could have killed him, he wouldn't be staring at my chest so audaciously. I stared at him pointedly until he awkwardly turned around and went back to the kitchen.
"You really shouldn't do that," Edward said, spearing a tortellini with his fork.
"Do what?" I asked, once again confused.
"Scare people like that." I was actually surprised at that.
"I scare people?"
"On a regular basis, really."
"Do I scare you?"
"Not particularly."
I raised my eyebrows.
"Is that so, then?"
Edward nodded, thoughtfully chewing on a tortellini. I drummed my fingers on the table top, waiting for him to swallow.
"Should you scare me?" he asked morosely once he had swallowed.
"Probably," I admitted sadly.
"Is it bad that you don't?"
"Probably." We were completely silent until Edward had finished eating. Quickly he drained the first coke, so I pushed mine towards him.
"No, I can't take yours," he said, shaking his head. I rolled my eyes.
"I don't want it. Please, just take it."
"Okay…" he shrugged and then drained it as well. As if he had been watching, the waiter arrived.
"Would anybody like dessert tonight?" he asked me, not even glancing at Edward.
"No. I would like the bill, however," I replied curtly.
"Oh. Okay, then," he said, pulling out the bill. I folded a 50 bill into his hand before he even knew what had happened.
"Keep the change," I muttered. It was all he could do to walk, wide-eyed, back to the kitchen. Edward laughed as he stood up. I rolled my eyes and stood up too.
"Come on, Edward. Let's go."
A/N: Okay, you guys. I'm really, really, really sorry that this took soooo long to update. I know it was kind of filler, more will come soon! Reviews are welcome and looked forward to. I've found quite a few really good fanfics recently and I wrote a one-shot so… go check that out, if you have the time.