Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Twilight, Vampire Kisses, or any of the music/bands/labels, etc. mentioned. 'Nuff said.
Sorry for the slight delay folks, 'ehem... I absolutely LOVE you guys for the reviews!
I just want you to know I spent LOTS of time on this chapter; I have good reason it's my favorite one so far... emotionally and ideally. It may not seem like much in the beginning, but near the end I was practically trembling as I typed.
The date! Like you've been waiting for! The song of this chapter isGood Enough by Evanescence.
Bella's Point Of View
Shouldn't have let you torture me so sweetly.
Now I can't let go of this dream.
I can't breathe but I feel...
He was wearing a black, silk, long-sleeved, button-down shirt and sexy black slacks. His bronze hair was disheveled as usual, with the faint evidence of an (unsuccessful) attempt to tame it with some gel. But that made it all the more alluring.
"Um. Hello. Glad you could make it. You look lovely tonight." He murmured, his head tilted forward, just slightly, towards the ground, and his golden eyes glancing shyly up at me through his lashes. His hands were clasped behind his back, so I couldn't see if he still had that spider ring on his hand.
I was frozen. Stunned. Breathless. My heart seemed like it would burst. The muscles in my mouth seemed to stop working. I was far too busy staring at the God-like creature before me, with his silk shirt and all. If only he had fangs to match... sigh...
At last, I found my voice, and murmured just as shyly, "Hi. Thanks... for inviting me..." I smiled sheepishly, and he chuckled, a soft, mesmerizing sound. I felt myself melt inside.
He slowly brought his left arm around in front of him, his fingers clasped nervously around a bouquet of differently colored roses. I stifled the urge to gasp; the spider ring was till on his finger, just like the last time I'd seen him.
And the roses, oh, the roses! No regular guy in this century would dare give a girl, much less a girl like me, roses on the first date. They were lovely, seemingly fresh.
I silently took the flowers, smiling timidly, and brushing his fingers ever so slightly. They were ice-cold, and before I registered what happened, an electric shock seemed to spark between the infinitesimal contact, causing me inhale sharply and him to quickly withdraw his hand. Whoa.
"Thank you, they're beautiful." I exhaled slightly, before admitting, "No one has ever given me flowers before."
He seemed grateful for a second, before becoming curious, and slightly disbelieving, "Never before? I'm sure you must have had tons of boyfriends who've given you flowers." I blushed slightly, before shaking my head.
"I've never had a boyfriend." I told him truthfully, rubbing one of the roses's velvety petals between my thumb and index finger.
"Oh. Um, would... would you like to come in?" He asked, smiling crookedly and stepping aside, extending his arm, gesturing to enter. Wow, he was normally not so tongue-tied. Must be the situation.
"Please." I smiled, stepping past him and clutching the roses. When I was past the threshold of Berkshire mansion, I spun around to face him. He pushed the door shut.
"Dinner's ready." He grinned, and I felt my heart flutter. Did he make dinner? Did vampires eat human food?
"Did you make it?" I asked him curiously as he led me into a beige hallway filled with framed black and white photos. After tasting some of Charlie's creations, I wasn't sure I was ready to trust justanymale with culinary skills. He nodded nervously.
I laughed. "That's good. My father, Charlie, sometimes makes things that question the morality of food itself." I giggled, remembering the time Charlie had tried making some steak on the grill, and then ended up accidentally marinating it with a bottle of my fingernail polish remover instead of the mesquite lime stuff. The whole grill had gone up in flames. Thankfully, he hadn't made me eat it, afterwards.
Edward laughed as well. "Well, I should hope that my cooking standards don't leave such an impression on you."
"I should hope not." I smiled, already having a good time talking. Edward led me into a spacious room painted a light sage color. A long, mahogany table sat in the middle, with matching chairs encircling it all around. An empty glass vase sat at the center, with a doily under it. It was half full of water, and Edward nodded when I glanced at him. I stepped forward, cautious not to trip, and carefully pushed the roses into the vase. It was beautiful.
"I'll get the food, do you want something to drink?" Edward asked, walking gracefully towards another hallway on the opposite side of the room.
"I'll take anything." I said, marveling at the spacious room. Wait, wait, anything? As in, anything? Not the best of things when you're over at a possible-vamp's house, so I hurriedly corrected myself, "Um, actually I'll have water."
"Sure. Make yourself at home, I'll be right back." And then he disappeared.
Leisurely, I looked around the elegant dining room. There were paintings of far off landscapes, and the ocean. God, this house was full of pictures and paintings. There was even a crystal chandelier, hanging high above the table from the even higher ceiling. Strangely enough, I felt quite comfortable here.
I looked back at the table, finally noticing how a full set of matching dining utensils; plates, forks, glasses, etc., was arranged at either end of the table. Quickly, I scurried over to the nearer end and pulled the fancy chair out, making it squeak. I slowly settled myself onto the green velvet cushion, scootching the chair closer to the table and immediately tugging the embroidered cloth napkin out from under the assorted silverware. I smoothed it neatly onto my lap.
"Hello." I glanced up at the sound of the honey-covered voice. Edward. He held two bowls, one in either hand, in a way that would rival a professional maitre' D at a fancy restaurant in Paris. Two crystal goblets were simultaneously tucked expertly between his fingers. He swiftly glided over to me, as if the bowls weighed nothing at all, and set one of them down in front of me, along with the glass of water. I felt the steam of the dish rise up into my face, but right now I was too busy staring into his butterscotch eyes, not a foot from me.
Regretfully, he stepped back and made his way to the opposite end of the table. I shook myself to clear my jumbled thoughts. Christ, what did this boy do to me?
I watched as he set down his bowl and goblet down gently on the table, before sitting down himself.
"I hope you're hungry." He said as he gingerly picked up his spoon, almost as if he had absolutely no idea of what to do with it. I saw him glance up at me around the roses.
"I can't imagine a moment when I'm not." I quipped flirtatiously. I couldn't help it. I still hadn't looked to see what was actually on my plate, because the dimmed lights of the room set a very romantic setting, almost making his bright gold eyes smolder. I picked up my spoon. "What about you?"
He flashed a strange smile, before saying mysteriously, "Occasionally. But always thirsty."
Oh, right. You know, this was starting to become kind of ironic. Unless he wasn't joking.
Drink up sweet decadence.
I can't say no to you,
And I've completely lost myself, and I don't mind.
I can't say no to you.
Finally, I pulled myself away from his gaze and peered down into my meal. It was a buttery, yellow soup thing, garnished with chopped chives, minced dill, and a piece of cilantro floating in the middle. It looked good, and yet I continued to stare.
I supposed Edward noticed my stare, and said, "Oh, um, it's Belgian. Cream of Belgian endive soup." Ah, soup. Leave it to Edward Cullen to make a kind of soup I'd never heard of, from a country I'd barely heard of. But of course, if it were any other guy, for example, Snob, it probably would have been take out at "I'm hatin' it" McDonalds. (A/N: Sorry, if you like McD's. Oh, and also sorry if you work at McD's and you are for some reason reading this. Aren't you supposed to be frying up your wads of grease?)
Well, now that I at least knew what it was, I carefully dipped my spoon into the creamy substance, and slowly brought it into my mouth. I noticed Edward watching me the whole time.
All I can say is; WOW. It was a bit hot at first, but I quickly overlooked that. The Belgian soup was delightfully creamy, buttery, and smooth. There were the faintest murmurings of potato, garlic, and onion. There was a bit of pepper floating around, and that added to the great flavor. I quickly downed another spoonful, and then another.
Great God, what were those Belgians doing up there? I want to grow up to be a Belgian.
"I take it you like it?" Edward's voice seemed far away, and a bit smug. Wordlessly I nodded, swallowing another spoonful of the wonderful, creamy concoction. I wiped my mouth with the napkin, before looking up at him appraisingly.
I noticed he had not yet touched his soup. Had I really been eating that fast? Or was he waiting for me to finish? Or... something else?
"This is excellent!" I exclaimed happily, sipping another spoonful, "I think you have actually changed the way I look at Belgium and it's soups. Aren't you going to have some?" I tacked on slyly at the end. But I had meant the rest of my banter; goodness, this boy could cook!
"I like to watch you eat." He suddenly said, blinking, "I'm not so hungry, as I said before."
Okay. He liked to watch me eat. That's something new. But...
"Well, you don't know what you're missing, Bat Boy." I happily made up a nickname for him as I pushed the remnants of the soup around my almost-empty bowl. He quirked an eyebrow, smirking.
"Bat Boy? I wouldn't be so sure of yourself, Bat Girl." And then, quite abruptly, he pushed away from his seat and gracefully rose from his chair. My eyes followed him curiously as he quickly strolled to the seat next to mine. His eyes apologetically found mine as he seated himself anew.
"I'm sorry, it's just," He laughed nervously, "I can't see your face through the roses, and I'll admit you are far more lovely."
I blushed. I noticed his pallid cheeks also seemed slightly less chalky. Wow. No one on earth knew how to solicit like Edward.
"No problem. I was wondering why you had such a long table..." I grinned, relaxing. Edward always made me feel somehow relaxed.
"My family always eats together," he told me, before turning on his heart-stopping-and-completely-unconscious-on-his-part charm, "So, what made you come here? I'm sure Phoenix must have been far more... sunny." He asked me, a sudden wistfulness seeming to cloud his eyes as he mentioned the sun.
I contemplated answering, before finally admitting, "My mother got remarried last spring. She was unhappy." I quickly continued when I saw his mystified expression, "She was torn between her new guy and me. So, I decided to give her space and come to the 'Wonderful World of Forks.'" I said sarcastically. He chuckled, and then his face became sympathetic.
"I know how it feels to be torn." His face darkened slightly, before coming to life once more, "What about your favorite color?" He changed the subject. I supposed that story would be for another day. Wait, were we already confessing our life stories to one another?
"It changes. But normally black." I grinned a Cheshire cat grin, and he nodded solemnly. I was regretfully done with the yummy soup, and so I pushed the bowl slightly away and turned so I could really face him.
"For me, as well, but sometimes I think blue can a very enlightening color." He smiled.
Blue? Why blue? I decided to ask him about it, ask him about everything about him, when his head snapped up to scrutinize the window in an almost inhumanly fast jerk. I started, glancing at the window too. All I saw was darkness outside; black silhouettes of trees and the twinkling stars.
He suddenly stood, offering his icy hand to me and saying in a strange voice, "Come. Let us go to the living room instead." Mystified and eager at the same time, I swiftly stood and placed my hand in his, giving me pleasant chills.
He gracefully led me to the room with the ring of couches and, in a very gentlemanly way, allowed me the first choice of seats. I randomly sat down on one of the cushy couches, and he sat on a couch nearby, so he was facing me. I decided to pick up the conversation again.
"Why blue? Where were you born? What was wrong with the window? What is it like—" I rattled on, a sudden desire to learn about him and his life coursing through me.
"Whoa, slow down." He laughed, interrupting me. His eyes twinkled, and I found myself feeling inexorably drawn to him. Ugh. Maybe it was the soup. Curse those Belgians! "I'll answer your questions if you answer mine." He grinned a heart-stopping grin, and leaned back into the couch, his arms crossed.
"Fair enough." I nodded agreeably. I wondered how this would turn out?
He took a deep breath. "Blue is a very soothing color, and it gives me a sense of peace. That is a feeling I rarely am able to enjoy."
"Why?"
"There are always a lot of things running through my mind." He answered in a cryptic tone, shrugging.
He continued, "I was born in Romania, Transylvania, to be more precise, in the outskirts of a town called Sighisoara. (A/N: Pronounced sigi-show-ARA) It was a beautiful town, rather small, but the buildings were considered architectural marvels, by some." His eyes gazed off into space, and I could tell just by looking at his expression he was very proud of his heritage.
(A/N: I will also be changing Edward's history a bit, so he'll be more interesting for this. His whole history will be told later.)
"Wow, isn't Transylvania where Count Dracula lived?" I hinted, smiling innocently.
He glanced at me curiously, innocently, before grinning and chuckling, "Oh yes, but I'm afraid he never showed up for any of the family reunions." He joked, and we laughed. Edward was a lot more intelligent and funny than I had originally thought.
Shouldn't have let you torture me so sweetly.
Now I can't let go of this dream.
And oh, he was clever, very clever.
"And what was wrong with the windows?" I finally inquired after a quick, comfortable silence. I wanted to know this.
He appeared to tense up, just slightly, turning towards the now pitch black glass wall, but he said, "It was nothing, really. I thought perhaps a wild animal was lurking out there, and that would not have been too comfortable." He told me with enough sincerity that I easily believed him.
"Okay."
He turned back towards me, the questions almost visible through his eyes. "My turn."
"Fair enough." I said again, preparing myself for the upcoming interview.
"What are you thinking about?
Well, that wasn't what I had been expecting. I noticed he was staring at me again in that odd way; like he was searching, probing, but not coming up with anything. I rose an eyebrow.
"That's an odd question."
He grimaced. "Kindly answer it. I really want to know."
Okay. Weird... but... "Um, I don't really know. I guess I'm thinking about how this place feels so... right. So comfortable. It feels like..." I paused, fiddling with the hen of my dress," like... home." I found myself staring at the dark window-wall behind his shoulder, appalled at myself for being so unthinkingly honest.
Oh, crap, did I just tell him I felt at home here?
A-W-K-W-A-R-D.
But then, to my immense surprise, he nodded. "I do, too."
My jaw dropped to the floor. "But... but, huh?" I stuttered, completely thrown off my the rebuff-he-never-gave-me. He chuckled.
"It's natural, you see, most people feel naturally drawn to—" He suddenly seemed to choke on his words, snapping his mouth shut like a trapdoor. His face became guarded, heavily guarded. I just stared.
He let out a frustrated breath, and I suddenly noticed we were unconsciously leaning towards each other across the little coffee table.
"I always say too much around you." He finally muttered, more at himself that at me, but he suddenly glanced up at me through his lashes, "It is just so easy to be myself around you." And in his eyes, I saw a kind of helplessness, a kind of sadness, and a kind of... desire? I blinked.
He sighed. "Would you like to go outside?" He suddenly asked, standing up and offering his pale hand for the second time this night.
I took it easily, but then wondered aloud, "What about the wild animal you thought you saw?"
He smirked. "It should be gone by now."
He led me back to front door and opened it, letting me pass by first. He really was like a guy from, what, the 1920s? But that was one of things about him that made my cheeks redden.
The cold, November wind bit at my exposed ankles, but I disregarded the feeling, because I was too busy staring at the marvelous spectacle above; the stars. I passively wondered if this was the part where Edward was supposed to disembowel me and drink my blood.
No. I shook myself, wanting to enjoy this part of the night. But then I realized that I had been enjoying most of the night, anyways.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I heard Edward ask, and I turned to face him, fully expecting him to have been staring at the sky, like me. But I blushed when I realized he had been staring at me. I don't think I've blushed this many times in the last year than I have during this date.
"Yes. The night is very beautiful." I sighed when I turned away, my hair playing slightly in the cold breeze.
"It is the only time we can see the stars." Edward's velvety voice agreed. Suddenly, he was right next to me, the wind rippling through his bronze hair and black-tipped bangs. He took my hand, almost without thinking, and gently pulled me towards a small, orange pinprick of light, flickering off about fifty feet away into the dense woods. It was barely visible.
Edward carefully maneuvered me, Pleasers and all, around all the branches and crevices; how, I don't know. He must have great night vision.
The trees began thinning after what seemed like an eternity, but Edward's icy hand on mine seemed to numb my senses, making me less aware of time.
And then, we broke though the dark treeline, into one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen in my life.
I gasped, and Edward chuckled.
It was a meadow by the looks of it, perfectly circular in shape and covered in a sea of gently swaying wild grasses and flowers. And in the very middle of the clearing sat a tall stone statue; a memorial by the looks of it. A single, half-melted candle sat in a brass holder sat at its base.
Edward tugged me closer to the memorial-statue, and we slowly approached the thing. The whole image was almost unreal, almost dream-like, with the shadows cast by the candle and the stars twinkling high above.
I think I forgot who I was, where, and why. The chilling November wind simply blew my mind away. I was left breathless.
And to think, that all of it paled next to the glory of the person standing next to me. In all his intelligence, genteel, and wicked sense of humor. His stunning eyes, golden as they were, and the band t-shirts I now realized I longed to melt into.
I.
"It's my grandmother's." He said quietly, the glowing candlelight flickering off his face.
Was.
"The Berkshire was hers before my family inherited it." He inherited it? I didn't know that.
Falling.
"Sometimes I come here to pay respects. I was very close to my grandmother."
And.
"She knew what it was like to be alone. To be unaccepted." He sighed sadly. I longed to wipe the sensuous frown off his face.
Falling.
"I just thought you'd like to meet her." He said softly, staring into the twinkling sky above, like he was lost.
Hard.
"Thank you." I finally managed to whisper out, trying to absorb my huge revelation. I think I had known all along, but had not acknowledged it.
Why had I been so blind?
Who was I to question who he was, or what he was?
I was falling. Falling, and falling... I night have felt foolish; I'd only known him for, what? A week or so? But I couldn't help feeling overcome by something far beyond me.
Shouldn't have let you conquer me completely.
Now I can't let go of this dream.
Can't believe that I feel...
"Are you alright?" He asked me, suddenly noticing how glazed my eyes were. I swallowed and quickly blinked, banishing all traces of the oncoming tears. God, I hadn't cried since I was fifteen and my cat died.
I nodded. "I'm just touched you would trust me enough to show me this." I sighed, glancing up at the stars again. He nodded, smiling.
Suddenly, the night's silence was broken by the scattered screechings and flappings of... bats?
Edward and I turned to face the noise, a breeze ruffling my red velvet skirt slightly, and were surprised to see a large colony of bats flapping overhead. Their spindly wings beat powerfully, gracefully, against the cold wind, and their piercing cries shattered the night in a way I could not describe.
"What's your favorite thing about bats, Bat Boy?" I asked him playfully. His eyes sparkled oddly.
"The way they fly. On the ground, or in caves, they look so uncoordinated, like living umbrellas," He laughed, "But when they're in the air, they're like eagles of the underworld." We grinned as we watched the bats dive in and out in a complicated sky-dance.
"True," I contemplated, admiring the way they flitted around the speckled sky, "But I would have to say my favorite thing about them is..." I broke off, unsure as to whether I should voice it.
"Is?" Edward prompted curiously.
I relented. "Their vampire teeth." I grinned impishly.
To my slight surprise, he laughed, the sound being blown away by another gust of wind. I didn't feel cold anymore.
"You know," He leaned in closer to me, and my breath caught at the sight of the smoldering ocher of his eyes, "Not all bats have fangs."
And then he pressed his cold, hard lips against my own.
The bats shrieked and dived in the sky above, the stars speckling the night sky like nature's greats canvas.
Pour real life down on me.
'Cause I can't hold on to anything this good enough.
Am I good enough for you to love me too?
Next chapter I am definitely going to do THIS chapter in Edward's POV; there are some key points that can only be reached by him. Keep on remembering Mike and that weird window!
I think this was my favorite chapter to write so far. I had this sudden burst of emotion right in the middle, and I was on this emotional roll; I couldn't stop typing! I know this kind of sounds stupid, but I felt a little overcome myself near the end. Maybe it was because I was listening to Good Enough, by Evanescence, right now. That's a fairly emotional song.
Ah, Bella, Bella...
Do you like how I kind of melded Edward's meadow and Alexander's grandma's grave together?
R
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Bite Marks on Neighboring Carrots,
VeggieVamp
