Okay, I know this chapter is way to close to the book, but I wanted to show that my Bella has some attitude. By the end of writing this chapter I don't know if I've achieved that or not, but enjoy anyway. I never owned twilight and never will though.
We arrived outside the diner that we had agreed to meet at just as they were walking out. Jessica was talking hurriedly to Lauren while Angela just walked alone with a blank look on her face.
When I stepped out of the car, Angela's face turned to relief. "Where have you been?" She asked in a rush, drawing Jessica and Lauren's attention away from their conversation and towards me.
"We waited but then we got hungry, and we didn't know long you were going to take so..." She trailed off.
"Sorry, but we've already eaten." Lauren said bluntly, with a smirk on her face. Her eyes jumped to Edward as he came to stand behind me and suddenly that smirk was gone.
"I'm sorry I kept Bella from dinner. We kind of met up and got talking." Edward explained for me.
I swear Lauren's mouth dropped a little bit before she could regain herself.
"No that's perfectly normal, right." Jess said as if she was on a high. She had that dreaming face that she gets around guys and she's lost for words.
"Bella are you coming back with us." Lauren cut in sounding slightly angry.
"Or would you prefer if we went back inside while you had something to eat." Angela finished kindly for Lauren.
"Oh, know I don't want to be any trouble." I stuttered.
"I would like to make sure Bella has something to eat, if that's alright with you." He said turning to me. "I'll take her home." He explained turning back to some shocked girls.
"That's so thoughtful." Angela broke the silence.
It shook Jess and Lauren away from their thoughts as they slowly agreed.
"Sure." I agreed alone with them.
Edward side stepped around Angela clearly avoiding Lauren. I slowly followed as Jessica and Angela pushed a staring Lauren in the opposite direction.
"We'll see you tomorrow then." Jessica farewelled me.
"Sure." I answered in a slight daze at what was happening. It looked like our weekend might be out of the question now that everything might be explained tonight. Somewhere in the back of my head I was disappointed that I wouldn't get to spend the alone time that we had promised, though my fore mind was still working as I told myself it was better this way.
I hurried to catch up to Edward who was waiting at the tops of the stairs to the restraint for me. He held open the door for me. As I walked in I frowned. I didn't know whether I should feel thankful normally I didn't like people doing other stuff for me. It was bad enough that I had to be vulnerable in my world, but I didn't have to be when around humans. That was the only time I got to feel secure and equal. Yet Edward wasn't human.
We slipped past tables as a skinny, blond waitress directed us to a table at the back. Edward motioned for me to sit into the booth and then sat opposite me.
"Would you like anything to drink?" The waitress asked shifting her hips.
"Bella?" Edward asked me.
"Um, coke please." I smiled at the waitress who nearly had her back to me. She gave me a quick nod before turning to Edward.
"Two coke's." Edward smiled at her. She stood there frozen for a second before nodding her grinning face and walking back to the kitchen, wiggling her hips as she went.
I glared after her until she entered the kitchen doors, before turning to face Edward. He was staring at me obviously unaware of what had just happened.
"You've got to stop doing that."
His composed face finally changed to confusion.
"Do what?" He asked.
"Dazzling people. She probably behind doors hyperventilating." I looked back through the door she disappeared through, avoiding Edwards eyes.
"Do I dazzle you?" I still didn't look at him because I knew he would dazzle me with those annoying, gorgeous eyes. No, there was no way I could fall for him. Not now, not ever. So I didn't answer him, because I didn't really know the truth myself.
"Bella?" He asked, all teasing gone.
"So, do I get some answers?" I asked trying to distract him. It must have worked because he flinched at my words.
"What happened to the weekend?"
"What happened to public?"
"You don't have to be more then friends to be alone with someone."
I didn't like where this was going and my anger was starting to grow as well as his. So I stood up leave.
"Wait." He said weakly. I looked at him, this was a new tone of voice that I hadn't heard before. It looked like he was struggling with himself, fighting a battle inside his head. In a daze I sat back down.
"I... I feel... very... protective of you." He was still struggling with himself.
Me. I was getting scared. This wasn't going to work, to help. I couldn't let this happen. It would endanger us both. I couldn't do that to such a sweet man who held the door open for me. My mind lost all train of thought that he might not be a man, but was more concerned on keeping him safe.
Then I realised his words could be my own and I snapped back to the present.
"Protect me?" I nearly laughed but I was in too much shock. "From what?"
Edward's eyes shot up to look at me in surprise before turning to guilt and then quickly to confusion.
"Of everything." He said slowly. "You seem to attract danger. First the car and just now." He shook his head.
The waitress came back with our drinks then. I mumbled a thankyou as I looked at my glass.
"Are you ready to order?" She asked Edward.
"Bella?" He asked me.
"Hmm, oh, mushroom ravioli please." I smiled. She gave me a quick nod before turning again to Edward.
"And you?"
"Nothing for me." Edward said still watching me.
The waitress frowned before leaving.
"Why aren't you eating?" I asked as soon as she had wiggled her behind out of earshot.
"Let's just say I have a special diet."
"Okay. How did you know where to find me?"
"Are we really going to have that conversation now?" I looked towards the door and he sighed.
"Were you following me?" I asked half scarred of his answer. How long had he been following? Surely he hadn't seen anything.
"Hmm... somewhat."
"Somewhat?"
"Are you sure you won't go into shock or something?"
"I can take care of myself." My anger was rising again. "Fine. You said you knew what they were thinking? Are you going to explain that to me?"
We had to be interrupted again as the waitress decided to deliver my food. She asked Edward again if he wanted anything. He just asked for a refill of my coke, which when she took the glass he replaced it with his own.
He sighed bringing me back to our conve3rsation. "I can read minds." He whispered. If my hearing wasn't so good I would have missed it. I think Edward was half hoping that that would be the case.
"You can what?" I nearly shrieked. If this was true I was in some big trouble.
"Calm down." He peered around the crowd before looking back at me. No one was looking our way. "I can read everyone... except you."
I sighed in relief. "So how does it work?"
"Eat." He told me before looking around the crowd before speaking again. "Let's say hypothetically someone can read minds. There might be limitations, making it hard to find someone that they might not be able to read. Then they would have to search through the minds of others to find that person. It wouldn't be so hard if that person had payed attention to friends close by and would easily noticed if the unreadable person walked off. Then their timing in finding the person wouldn't have been so exact."
I had leaned towards him as he explained only nibbling at my food. He was watching me and had noticed my movement. He seemed to be battling within himself again. I wondered if he was thinking about telling me the whole truth now.
"You can trust me you know." I murmured.
"I don't know if I have a choice any more. But trust has to go both ways." My fork froze half way to my mouth. He had a point and I thought I might have had to explain right there and then. The thought scared me. I'd never told anyone before. I didn't know what their reaction would turn out to be like. Thankfully he kept talking and I kept eating.
"I was wrong in thinking I could keep you away from all this. Your much more observant then I gave you credit for."
I kept eating and he watched me for a bit. It was a nice silence.
"I followed you into town today." He admitted. "I've never tried to keep a specific person alive before. It's harder than I thought it would be. But that's probably just because it's you."
"Thank you for that. That's twice now." I reached for his hand but he pulled it away and I let my hand drop. Somewhere the back of my mind told me that if he kept following me like this he was going to find out, but at the present I didn't care.
I quickly took some more bits of my food, enough to not leave a waste behind before announcing I was finished. Edward quickly payed for the bill without even looking at the paper and the number written at the bottom. "Keep the change." He had told her with his eyes still on me.
I could feel daggers on my wings as Edward led me from the building.
"So is it my turn for questions?" He asked leading me towards his car.
"Can I ask one more?" I tried buying myself more time.
"One." He agreed as he opened the passenger door for me to get in. I waited until he was also in the car and had it started before I spoke.
"How did you find me exactly?"
He hesitated. "I told you, I followed the thoughts of others."
"Yes, but that would have led you to the bookstore, how did you know where to go from there?" I argued.
He sighed. "Fine then, I followed your sent." I sat still, processing this. It just help prove Jacob's theory
"So, I would like to know what you think of me. What has you inquisitive mind come up with?"
"Well not so much my mind." I internally sighed with relief that the topic wasn't on me. "I have a friend down at LaPush Beach tell me some old stories. His dad is one of the Quileute elders. We went for a walk and he told me of some old legends." I watched his face freeze, as if he'd been caught.
"I think he was just trying to scare me, but he told me one story..." I hesitated, watching his expression to see if he showed any other knowledge of it.
"Go on." He said keeping his face blank.
"About vampires." I whispered. I didn't look at his face now. I didn't want to know if I was right. I want him to tell it to me.
"And you thought it related to me?" He said in a calm voice.
"No... He mentioned your family." The car stayed silent.
"Then what did you do with this new information?" He finally asked. His voice sounded a bit tight. I dared a look at him, but his eyes were intently on the road.
"Well internet these days is a wonderful thing." I gave a short laugh.
"And that convinced you?"
"Well not really. Some of it just sounded stupid and silly. But then I realised it didn't matter." I said the last part a whisper and I watched his eye brows rise at the mention, before turning back to calm.
"It doesn't matter?" He asked just as calmly.
"No." I said. I defiantly hoped this worked both ways.
His face still showed no emotion."Are you angry?" I finally asked, breaking the silence this time.
"No. I like to know what you're thinking, even if it is insane."
"So I'm wrong." I challenged.
"What happened to it doesn't matter?" He avoided the question.
"So I'm right." I whispered.
"Does it matter?" He asked, almost hopeful.
"Not to me." I answered. But what would he think of me?
"But I on the other hand..." He trailed off echoing my thoughts.
"I didn't think you could read my mind?"
"I can't, but I'm getting better at reading your face." He looked back at the road and I realised I was in the clear as my house came into view.
"So when is it my turn to get proper answers off you?" He asked making my hopes drop.
"It might be easier if I show you." I said quietly. "That is if you can still wait for the weekend?"
"That's seems hardly fair, but that was the original deal, you just happened to be good at wooing people. He smiled at me and for a moment I forgot where I was. It wasn't until Edward said good night that I snapped back to the reality of being parked outside of my house. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said kindly.
I muttered a goodnight as well before exiting the car. This was about to get worse.