Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. But I wish these dorks could belong to me.
Once again, I missed the simplicity of Forks.
If I were to ever desire to take a girl out for sushi, we would have one choice in trusty Port Angeles and that would be the end of it. In LA, there were almost a million places where I could get sushi, all in a vast variety of locations. I could hardly take Bella on a date to a seedy place off the side of a six-lane highway, and I couldn't accidentally stumble upon a place where one roll cost a hundred dollars because all the fish once belonged to a celebrity.
There was only one person in the household to ask. Alice prided herself on knowing everything about everything, so she would know the best restaurants in all the best places. However, she also liked to extend her knowledge to people. So, if I wanted my date with Bella to remain a secret from the family, I needed to tread lightly.
I tried to keep my expression smooth as I knocked on her door.
"Come in!" she called in a sing-song voice.
Inside, there was a girl sitting on the chair in front of Alice's vanity, getting her make-up done. Three more sat crossed-legged on the floor as if they were waiting their turns. This was a typical afternoon for Alice; it seemed every day she was toting a different girl through to house to borrow a shirt or get her bangs cut.
"Oh, Edward!" Alice chirped, "Girls, this is my new little brother! Isn't he the cutest?"
The five girls giggled. I felt my ears get hot.
"Alice, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," she said, bending down to apply mascara to the girl in the chair.
"In the hall?" I asked, trying—unsuccessfully—to avoid eye contact with the girls in her room.
Alice dramatically displayed her annoyance to her friends who all giggled some more. She promised her friends she'd be right back, met me in the hallway, and clicked the door shut. "So, what's this super, secret question of yours?"
"Where can I get sushi in town?"
"What kind of sushi?"
That question threw me for a loop. "Um, fish?"
She laughed, "No, silly. Like, are you looking for take-out, hole-in-the-wall, date-night," she raised an eyebrow at me, "downtown, on the beach?"
I wasn't going to give her the information she wanted, "On the beach."
She narrowed her eyes and looked me up and down. I had known well enough to wait until after I asked Alice to change for the date itself, so I was still in my sweatpants and t-shirt from my workout with Emmett, giving her nothing to work with.
"Fine," she crossed her arms in front of her, "Hama Sushi in Venice Beach is cute. And if you happen to ever need a spot for a date, Wabi on Rose is a few blocks away."
"Thank you, Alice."
"Anytime," she smiled, "Good luck."
Back in my room, I showered, brushed my teeth, put on cologne, decided against the cologne because it felt like I was trying too hard, and showered again. I put on the clothes Alice had bought when I first moved here and told me went well with my hair, hoping Bella would appreciate whatever that meant. Once I deemed myself acceptable for the public eye, I headed downstairs.
I held onto the frame of the entry to the kitchen and called to Esme, "Hey! I'm heading out!"
"Wait, wait!" I heard her bustle for a few moments before she popped in front of me. "Carlisle!"
Great. This was going to be a whole thing.
"You look very handsome," she smiled knowingly, "Are you meeting with that girl you've been studying with?"
"Angela and I really do study together," I said, addressing her presuming tone. I was happy I didn't have to lie, "And no, I'm meeting with someone else."
Esme pursed her lips. Before she could say anything else on the matter, Carlisle rushed down the stairs, "I'm here." He appraised me for a moment, "Aren't you dressed to kill?"
I was wearing a green button-down, for crying out loud.
"Your father and I have been meaning to give you something," Esme started, leading me back into the kitchen with Carlisle following behind us, "we apologize that it's taken us so long…"
We stopped abruptly in front of the built-in cabinets that made up Esme's desk. Carlisle placed his hand on my shoulder while Esme dug through a few drawers, searching for something. When she discovered it hidden beneath a stack of envelopes, she whirled and placed a shiny, plastic credit card in my hand.
Shocked, I immediately tried to give it back, "I worked at that sporting goods store in Forks… I'm okay. I have money."
Esme pushed my outstretched hand away, "We give these cards to all of our children, and you are no exception."
Carlisle held on to my shoulder, "There's a five-hundred-dollar limit each month. If you ever need to go above that, let us know and we can discuss."
Five-hundred-dollar limit? What could a seventeen-year-old ever need in a month that would cost over five hundred dollars? "Wow. Um, thank you."
"Of course, darling," Esme smiled, "Now you go have fun on your date."
I quirked an eyebrow at her.
She held up both hands, "Sorry, sorry. I meant, have fun going somewhere with someone."
I knew she was still pulling my leg, but I dropped it. "Thank you."
Before anyone in the house could comment on my shirt or offer me another absurd gift, I hurried out the back door into the main garage where my Volvo was parked. Bella and I had agreed to meet at the ancillary parking lot at the school where I would drive her to the restaurant I chose. I was slightly disappointed that she didn't let me pick her up from her house, but I couldn't really blame her since I, too, was trying to keep this relationship on the down-low until we were ready. Besides, I sort of liked our first date was going to start in the first place I saw her.
When I pulled into the parking lot, her old red Chevy was already in the spot closest to the entrance. I stepped out of the car to see her climbing down the form cab. The billowy green sundress she wore was one of my favorites. Her hair was still damp from her shower, I assumed, and strands of wet hair clung to her bare shoulders in a painfully alluring way.
Her sweet smile widened when she looked me over. "We match," she signed.
I looked down at my green button-down, which was the same color as her dress, and chuckled, "We do."
She wrapped both hands around my wrist and pulled my arm towards her, so my sleeve was right next to her chest, and took a moment to admire the matching fabric. Still holding my arm, she looked up at me with sparkling eyes and a smile so dazzling, it caused my heart to skip a beat.
I swallowed loudly, overwhelmed by the touch of her hands on my skin and the perfect shape of her lips.
As if she didn't just cause my heart to short-circuit with a mere smile, Bella easily released my arm and walked around me towards the passenger side of my car. I hurried to beat her there so I could open the door for her.
I wasn't going to be able to watch her hands while I was driving, so any conservation was out of the question. Instead, I handed her my iPod and told her to play what she wanted. We listened to less than half of about a hundred songs by the time I found a parking spot close to the restaurant.
As we walked down the street, I let my hand brush against hers, and to my extreme delight, she wove her fingers between mine. Bella must have found every loose brick and uneven surface because she spent most of our walk tripping and stumbling. During one particularly bad slip, I had to let go of her hand to snatch her by the waist before she could end up sprawled on the ground. Each time I caught and steadied her, she thanked me with a smile that made my brain stumble over itself as badly as her feet did.
We found the restaurant hiding behind an immaculate garden of white, pink, and purple flowers. The garden continued onto the patio and wrapped around semi-circular booths, making each table feel like it was in the middle of its own private garden.
I made eye contact with the hostess, but Bella took it upon herself to stroll up to one of the booths and plop down before we could speak to her.
"Uh," I started when the hostess approached me, "Table for two?" I asked. I nodded towards Bella, "It looks like my date likes that one. Is it available?"
The hostess smiled kindly despite the faux pas and handed me two menus to take to the table.
I sat down on the opposite side of Bella, but she was not having it. She scooted the entire length of the semi-circular booth until she was pressed up against my arm.
"Hello, there," I chuckled and draped my arm on the top of the booth behind her.
She looked at the flowers surrounding us and delicately played with the petals between her fingers. Her gaze rose to the beams above us, to the ornate glass pendant that hung over the round table.
"I know," I said, agreeing with her wide-eyed assessment.
"You did good," she signed.
"I would love to take the credit, but my sister gave me the idea."
"Sister?" I figured she was posing it as a question.
"Yup. Alice. She goes to UCLA with my two brothers, Emmett and Jasper."
"Wow," she signed.
"Yeah. They're... a lot," was the most polite way I could put it, "My other sister is in your class."
She cocked her head to the side.
"Rosalie."
She furrowed her brow but didn't ask the question she was thinking.
"What about you? Siblings?"
"Sisters," she signed.
That surprised me. I thought she was an only child; I had only asked the question out of politeness, "Really? How many?"
"Too many."
I chuckled, "Yeah, I feel that way, too. And I only have the two."
At that moment, a smiling waiter came with our waters and asked if we needed help with our menus. Since I was sitting beside a self-proclaimed sushi aficionado, I thanked him and told him we would be okay for now. After he bustled away, I grabbed one of the menus from the center of the table and handed it to Bella. She took one side while I held up the other.
"What are you getting?" I asked.
She pointed to the sashimi. From what I could tell from the description it was raw, sliced fish.
"Should I get that too?" I asked, not really sure what to make of it.
She pursed her lips but shook her head. She pointed to the section above it that said Specialty Rolls.
"Okay…" I began skimming the description of the rolls, "Are there any that look good to you? That you would want to share?"
Again, she shook her head, which I found strange.
I had no idea what I would want in a sushi roll, so I went with the tried-and-true method of just choosing the ones with the coolest names. There was a roll on here called the Rick James, which I obviously needed to get, as well as one called the Matador.
When the waiter returned, I gave him the names of my rolls, as well as the pieces of sashimi Bella pointed to on the menu.
"I have no idea what I just ordered," I whispered to Bella.
She shook with her silent laughter. She pulled her notebook and three pens out of her bag and wrote, you really never had sushi?
"Not really," I shook my head, "The closest I got was when Renee—the woman I lived with before here," I interjected quickly, "got a sushi-making kit from her husband. She was awful at it. She didn't have most of the ingredients, so her sushi ended up being canned tuna, avocado, and quinoa in a whole wheat wrap." I smiled down at Bella.
Why did you live with so many different people?
Her question surprised me; I figured everyone at our school knew about the Cullens and their teenage orphan collection. "I grew up in foster care."
But Rosalie is your sister?
"Adopted sister," I corrected, "We're not actually related. The Cullens adopted her three years ago. And they adopted me back in August, but I didn't officially get here until January."
I watched two things click together in her mind.
"What?" I asked.
I was trying to figure out why Rosalie was in school before you were. Makes sense now.
"How do you know you simply didn't notice me at first?"
An alluring blush colored her cheeks and she simply wrote, I knew.
The waiter floated back with our plates. In front of Bella, he placed a plate of raw salmon and tuna, sliced thinly and shaped into roses, adorned with real flowers. Wabi on Rose certainly picked a theme and stuck to it. My plate wasn't nearly as pretty, but I had to admit, mine looked much more appetizing.
Bella ignored the chopsticks at the table and used her fingers to pluck a piece of fish from her plate and drop it in her mouth. Mine was covered in sauce, so I wouldn't be able to do the same without making an embarrassing mess of myself, so I was forced to brave the chopsticks. They were much more intuitive than they seemed, and soon I was eating my sushi with only a minor struggle.
She wrote her next question, why were you in foster care?
Well, Bella didn't bother to beat around the bush, "My parents died in a car accident when I was a baby. They were both only children with deceased parents, so I had nowhere else to go."
"I'm sorry," signed.
"It's okay," I reassured her, "It happened a long time ago."
But the Cullens are your family, now.
"Yeah..."
What are they like?
"Perfect," I answered automatically, "A family anyone would dream to have."
You don't like them?
"No, no," I corrected, "they're great."
Then what's wrong?
"I just don't understand why they would have wanted me to be a part of it. All I hear about is the generosity of my prodigy parents: Carlisle on his way to be the top spinal surgeon in the country and Esme, the youngest owner her company ever had. And it doesn't stop with them. Their kids are just as perfect.
"They lucked out with Esme's niece and nephew, or perhaps greatness is just in their genes. Emmett is a football superstar—as a college sophomore, he already has scouts sniffing all over him. And Alice takes perfection to a whole new level. They joke that she can see the future because every choice she makes is the right one, every trend she sets takes off. If wasn't destined to become a fashion mogul, she probably could have been president.
"From there, it's like Carlisle and Esme hand-selected the most perfect children to join into the family. Jasper and Rosalie are insanely talented. Every piece of art Jasper creates evokes something out of you that you never expect. It's like he's pumping you with whatever emotion he chooses. And Rosalie—well I'm sure you know all about Rosalie—valedictorian, top of her class, adored by everyone she meets."
I sighed and poked at my sushi with my chopsticks, "I bring nothing."
Bella took my chin between her fingers and turned my face so I was looking at her. As she scrutinized my expression, my gaze lowered to her lips. I wondered how long I had to wait until it would be considered acceptable to kiss her. Third date, right? Did our lunch dates in the library count as dates? I tilted my head to the side and leaned in slightly, asking her the silent question.
She didn't take me up on my offer. Instead, she lowered her hand and wrote something in her notebook. I bit my lip to hide my disappointment.
I understand how you feel. I'm the black seal of my family, too.
"Black seal?" I questioned aloud, "Do you mean black sheep?"
Before she could respond, the waiter stood in front of the table, "We're very sorry to have to do this, but it's going to rain in the next few minutes, and we're going to have to move you to a table inside."
Beside me, Bella stiffened.
"What?" I craned my neck towards the sky, and did see the black clouds rolling in, "I thought it wasn't supposed to rain until tomorrow."
The waiter smiled, "It looks like the storm came a bit earlier than expected."
I rose from the booth and helped Bella stand, who now looked paler than a ghost. I grabbed her plate and her water after the waiter took mine and followed him into the restaurant.
Inside the restaurant was just as spectacular. The flowers continued into the building, but this time, as wallpaper. The waiter led us to a small table in the back corner of the restaurant and hurried off to get the other outdoor diners moved and settled.
As I set down Bella's food, I felt her tug at my sleeve, "What?"
"Bathroom," she signed.
"Oh, okay. Um," I scanned the room, "I think it's over there," I nodded my head towards a hallway in the front of the restaurant that looked promising.
She stood beside the table expectantly.
"I'll be here," I promised, sitting down in my seat.
Her smile was almost wistful as she looked me over one more time before she turned to go.
After five minutes of waiting for Bella to return from the bathroom, I began to grow concerned.
Five minutes became ten, and Bella had still not returned. I was at a loss for what to do. I didn't know if I check on her to make sure she's okay. Maybe she got sick. But if she got sick, she might not want me to know about it.
Fifteen minutes after Bella left, a girl from the waitstaff who wasn't my waiter came up to the table, nervously twisting her hands, "Um, sir?"
This wasn't a good sign. "Yes?"
She looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your date left."
I stood so fast, my chair fell to the floor. I felt the eyes of the other diners, but paid them no mind, "What? When? Was she okay?"
The waitress flinched, "Out the front door. She looked okay. She left about fifteen minutes ago."
I was out the front door before she could remind me that I still had to pay my bill. Outside, the rain was coming down in buckets; I was completely soaked through in a matter of seconds.
Shouting Bella's name, I ran back to the car. When she wasn't waiting at the car. I looked in the shops nearby, hoping that maybe she chose to wait for me in a dry spot. I didn't see her in any of them, so I ran back towards the restaurant, turning down a few alleyways, hoping to find her on any of them, turned around and trying to find her way back to me.
It took one more loop around that circuit for me to realize that Bella was not lost, and she was not just gone, but she left. She left right in the middle of our date. I had no idea what I did wrong to make her want to leave. Or perhaps she had this plan all along, and she was going to leave no matter what. I had no idea which was worse.
Defeated, I trudged back into the restaurant. I sank back into my chair. I couldn't bring myself to care that my wet clothes were ruining the upholstery.
I felt the waitress appear beside me, "We're so sorry, sir," she whispered.
Without looking up, I fished my debit card from my wallet and held it up to her.
"Don't worry," she waved it away, "it's on us."
The perks of being publicly rejected.
"And here," she placed a brown paper bag on the table, "something warm and chocolate. It'll help."
"Thank you," I muttered.
I snatched up the bag and left both of our half-eaten dinners at the table. With no need to rush since I was already soaking wet, I walked back to my car. Once inside, I gently placed the now-ruined bag on the passenger seat. I sat completely motionless for a few seconds until something exploded inside of me. A pathetic mixture of a cry and a shout rippled through me as I pounded both of my fists on the steering wheel. After a few good punches, the frustration burned away, leaving only devastation in its wake. I shut my eyes and leaned forward so my forehead rested on the steering wheel I had just attacked.
Then, I reached over blindly towards the dashboard of the car and switched off the music.