Without thought, I got in the car.
I was breathing hard.
looking out the window I see Edward crouched down toward the men.
Is he going to hurt them?
Do I care? I shook my head, he doesn't eat humans.
"Edward." I cracked out my voice sounded dry and meek.
Then he was beside me.
"Hold on." He bit out in a deep husky almost growl.
I was clutching the seat with both hands. He took a sharp left and racing forward.
His expression was murderously angry it looked scary yet I had never felt safer.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"No," he said through clenched teeth.
The car came to a sudden stop.
"Anna?" he asked, his voice tight, controlled.
I flinched at the name. Why? Why did my chest constrict in a painful way every time he said my sister's name?
"Yes?"
"Are you all right?" He still didn't look at me, but the fury was plain on his face.
"Yes," I said softly.
"Distract me, please," he ordered.
I looked to him unsure but I tried to focus o something to help.
"Um." I wracked my brain for something trivial. "I'm going to run over Tyler Crowley tomorrow before school?"
He was still squeezing his eyes closed, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Why?"
"He's telling everyone that he's taking me to prom — either he's insane or he's still trying to make up for almost killing me … well, you remember it, and he thinks prom is somehow the correct way to do this. So I figure if I endanger his life, then we're even, and he can't keep trying to make amends. I might have to total his Sentra, though. If he doesn't have a ride he can't take anyone to prom…" I babbled on.
"I heard about that." He sounded a bit more composed.
"You did?" I asked in disbelief, my previous irritation flaring. "If he's paralyzed from the neck down, he can't go to the prom, either," I muttered.
Edward sighed, and finally opened his eyes.
"Better?" I asked
"Not really." He said.
"What's wrong?" My voice came out in a whisper.
"Sometimes I have a problem with my temper." He was whispering, too, and as he stared out the window, his eyes narrowed into slits. "But it wouldn't be helpful for me to turn around and hunt down those…" He didn't finish his sentence, looking away, struggling for a moment to control his anger again.
"At least," he continued, "that's what I'm trying to convince myself."
I couldn't think of anything to say.
I looked to the dash to see the time.
"Oh no Jessica and Angela will be worried." I groaned when I saw the time.
Without a word, he started the car and we pulled up to the restaurant
La Bella Italia, and Jess and Angela just leaving, pacing anxiously away from us.
"How did you know where… ?" I began, but then I just shook my head. I heard the door open and
turned to see him getting out.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm taking you to dinner." He smiled slightly, I was fumbling with my seatbelt when I did get it off he was their opening my door.
"Thanks." I said as I got out of the car.
"Go stop Jessica and Angela before they leave."
"Jess! Angela!" I yelled after them, waving when they turned. They rushed back to me, the pronounced relief on both their faces simultaneously changing to surprise as they saw who I was standing next to.
They hesitated a few feet from us.
"Where have you been?" Jessica's voice was suspicious.
"I got lost," I admitted sheepishly. "And then I ran into Edward." I gestured toward him.
"You got lost?" Angela said but was cut off by Jessica.
"Well hello Edward," Jessica said sweetly.
"Would it be all right if I joined you?" he asked in his silken, irresistible voice. I could see from their
staggered expressions that he had never unleashed his talents on them before.
"Er… sure," Jessica breathed.
"Um, actually, Bella, we already ate while we were waiting — sorry," Angela confessed.
"That's fine — I'm not hungry." I shrugged.
"I think you should eat something." Edward's voice was low, but full of authority. He looked up at Jessica and spoke slightly louder. "Do you mind if I drive Anna home tonight? That way you won't have to wait while she eats."
"Uh, no problem, I guess…" Angela bit her lip, trying to figure out from my expression whether that was
what I wanted. I winked at her. I wanted nothing more than to be alone with my perpetual savior.
There were so many questions that I couldn't bombard him with till we were by ourselves.
"Okay." Angela said. "See you tomorrow, Anna… Edward." She grabbed Jessica's hand and pulled her toward the car, which I could see a little ways away, parked across First Street.
As they got in, Jessica turned and waved, her face eager with curiosity. I waved back, waiting for them to drive away before I turned to face him.
"Honestly, I'm not hungry," I insisted, looking up to scrutinize his face. His expression was unreadable.
"Humor me."
He walked to the door of the restaurant and held it open with an obstinate expression. Obviously, there would be no further discussion. I walked past him into the restaurant with a resigned sigh.
The hostess sat us in the back away from anyone at Edwards request.
I was irritated at the hostess and the waitress they kept flirting with Edward batting their to painted eyes at him.
I ordered a coke and mushroom ravioli, of course Edward didn't order anything besides a coke that he gave to me.
"How are you feeling?" He asked after the waitress had left to put in my order.
"Im fine."
"Really?"
"Yes?" I looked to him unsure as he watched me. "Why?"
"Im waiting for you to go into shock." Edward said. "Any normal person would gointo shock."
"Well I guess I'm not normal." I said as I looked to the coke and took another sip.
"All the same I'll feel better when you have some food and sugar in you." He smiled.
I took another sip and shivered from the child of the soda.
"You cold?"
"Its just the soda." I said as I shivered again.
"Dont you have a jacket?"
"Oh" I looked over to my side only seeing my remembered "I left it in Jessica car."
Edward surprised me by taking off his jacket. He handed it to me it was a dark navy leather jacket.
I thanked him as I put the jacket on It was cold like a jacket would be if you were just putting it on after it sat for hours without being on.
It smelled amazing I couldn't place it but the smell made me feel safe and warm all over. The sleeves were to long I rolled them up to free my hands.
He smiled and pushed the bread basket toward me.
"m really not going into shock." I said.
"Just incase." He pushed as he looked at me I was mesmerized by his eyes and I spoke my thoughts.
"I feel very safe with you,"
That displeased him; his alabaster brow furrowed. He shook his head, frowning.
"This is hardened then I thought," he murmured to himself.
I wondered when it
would be okay to start questioning him.
"Usually you're in a better mood when your eyes are so light," I commented, trying to distract him from whatever thought had left him frowning and somber.
"What?"
"You're always crabbier when your eyes are black — I expect it then," I went on. "I have a theory about that."
"A theory?"
"Yes."
The waitress came and dropped off my dish and flirted with Edward again trying to get his attention. He just staired at me never looking at her.
She walked away in a huff
"So you have theory."
"Yes well I will tell but I have a few questions first."
"just a few?" He smiled.
I shrugged.
"Ok then," he pushed.
I started then with the main question that I wanted to know."Why are you in Port Angeles?"
"another question."
"But that's the easiest one," I objected.
He shook his head.
I looked down, frustrated.
"Fine." I glared at him. "Let's say, hypothetically, that…
someone… could read minds."
He was quite.
"How does that work? How would he know is somone was in trouble?" I wondered.
"Hypothetically?" he asked.
"Yes." I said slowly.
"Well, if… that someone had been paying attention, the timing wouldn't have needed to be quite so exact." He shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Only you could get into trouble in a town this small. You would have devastated their crime rate statistics for a decade, you know."
I huffed Yet happy he played along which meant that I was right.
He seemed to be wavering, torn by some internal dilemma. His eyes locked with mine, and I guessed he was making the decision right then whether or not to simply tell me the truth.
"You can trust me, you know," I murmured. I reached forward, without thinking, to touch his folded
hands, but he slid them away minutely, and I pulled my hand back.