Edward Cullen

I sat at my piano, tapping the keys mindlessly. I'd had no inspiration to play anything for days now. I felt sick inside and I had no idea why. I pounded the keys down into the introduction of the Midnight Rhapsody. It sounded dark and frightening, and that's what I wanted right now.

I was still curious about the girl from the concert hall, Bella. How had she known me? She looked familiar, but just in one of those someone-that-you've-passed-before ways. How had I seen her before and never noticed how beautiful she was?

I couldn't allow myself to think those things. I had a girlfriend that trusted me and I could never be so dishonest with her. Anyway, Bella probably had a boyfriend. Girls like her didn't stay single for long.

Warm fingers with long polished nails ran themselves across my face covering my eyes. I felt a breath against my earlobe and I shivered. I had no idea she was that close. I didn't know what it was, but I didn't like Tanya being that close right now.

"Guess who?" she whispered in my ear.

I turned my face and she let her hands slide down my neck, trying to pull me up into a kiss. I dodged it neatly and kissed her lightly on the cheek. There now she couldn't complain about my lack of intimate enthusiasm. Today just wasn't the day to be close to Tanya.

She stood back, her bottom lip in a pout. A feeling of déjà-vu hit my stomach and twisted it with guilt. The image of Bella standing just like this with her full bottom lip pouting out slightly, while I stood near the piano, implanted itself in my brain. I felt guilty, that even when Tanya was trying to be sexy and cute, I still thought of Bella's face. What was with me? I'd met this girl once and here I was , standing in front of a girl who'd known me more than half my life, who I was fortunate enough to claim her as my girlfriend and get to stare at her beauty for as long as I wanted… And I couldn't take my mind's eye off of Bella.

"What's wrong?" she asked me, concern coloring her tone.

"Nothing, just don't feel good." I rubbed my fingers into my face, trying to wipe the guilt away with my hands, unsuccessfully.

Tanya pulled my hand away and I thought, to my dismay that she was going to try and kiss me again. Instead she just pulled me over to the white leather couch and sat down, patting the seat next to her. I sat, reluctantly, and she snuggled into my side. I put my arm around her, more out of courtesy and obligation as her boyfriend than out of real affection.

Tanya and I had begun to grow more distant, or at least I had begun to grow more distant. She wanted something more from me; and I wanted less and less from her. I wanted someone who was mature and traditional. Someone I could settle down with.

I had realized that Tanya was not that person. The only thing keeping me with her was my parents' relationship with her family. I knew Tanya would be upset with me if I left her. I knew that she would go to her parents. I knew that her parents would come to mine. And I knew that my parents would come to me. I was far too respectful of Carlisle and Esme to upset them that way. They seemed to think that Tanya and I, and Emmett and Tanya's sister, Kate, for that matter, belonged together.

I knew that Kate and Emmett were having troubles too. Emmett was a humorist. His talent was to find something funny in every one word a person said to him. It took a lot to put up with him. But you got used to it. I even enjoyed it now and then.

Kate didn't have quite the sense of humor Emmett did. And that was taking a heavy toll on their relationship.

As if mirroring my thoughts, Kate barged through the front door, Emmett hot at her heels.

"Katie! Wait, it was just a joke! I promise." Emmett was pleading with her.

"It's always just a joke, isn't it Emmett?" She swung around and glared right into his face.

He chuckled, "Yea actually, it is."

A pitched scream of frustration escaped from Kate's lips and she stomped her foot, doing a quick one-eighty and marching away from him. He sighed and a look of utter exasperation crossed his face.

"Katie! Come on! You know I was kidding." He ran after her.

I chuckled under my breath and shook my head.

"Edward! Why are you laughing?" Tanya had lifted her head off my shoulder and was staring at me.

"Because your sister stomped her foot. I've never seen that happen in real life before." I laughed a little louder. It had looked funny.

"Uhg! Why are men always so insensitive?" she rolled her eyes at me.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that men don't take the feelings of other people into consideration before doing something."

"Well, that was highly biased and stereotypical." I said harshly.

She pulled herself off the couch to stand over me. It was something she had taken up when ever we got into an argument. I guess she was trying to intimidate me by standing over me. It didn't work.

"How can you be so unfeeling?" She accused, "Kate's probably really upset at something stupid that Emmett said, and you're just sitting here laughing!"

"Emmett always says stupid things." It was my way of defending him.

"Yeah, and it always upsets Kate!" Her voice was raised, almost to a yell.

I kept my voice even and rational, "She knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to go out with him."

The same shriek of frustration that had come from Kate minutes ago, now found they're way out of Tanya's lips.

"You Cullen's are all the same!" she shrieked at me. I jumped a little despite my better judgment.

Tanya spun around and snatched her purse off of the front hall table while retreating out the front door. Kate ran down the stairs a few minutes later, and I guess that Tanya had called her from her car in the driveway. This was a ludicrous argument.

"Tell Tanya I said, 'See you later.'" I called after Kate. She turned around and flipped me off. I couldn't help but laugh, and that just made her all the more irritated.

I remained seated on the couch, laughing to myself at the look on Kate's face when she stomped her foot at Emmett. Emmett came down the stairs with a perplexed look on his face.

"What the hell just happened to us?" Emmett asked.

I laughed again. "I don't even know."

Carlisle poked his head through the kitchen door, glancing quickly around the room. I guess he had heard everything.

"Is the coast clear?" he stage whispered to us.

"All signs of unwelcome estrogen have been obliterated captain." Emmett saluted our father.

Carlisle laughed and came into the room. This confused me. Usually he was slightly displeased when we upset the Denali girls. I was beginning to wonder whether the Denali's were as well liked as I had assumed.