I do not own Twilight.
WOW. I have been a horrible author. I honestly have no excuse, just…life.
I hope you enjoy this chapter, if anyone is still around to read it :)
P.S. I have another two to three sketched out.
"You have to leave first."
I blink up at Edward, having been lost in my own thoughts. He looks not unhappy, though not ecstatic, either. I wonder what he thinks of my visits. I wonder if this is how he looks when Emmett visits, but now all I can think about is how I won't see him for a while again. I have to get back to school.
"I do?" I ask, glancing around at the surrounding tables. A few of the others that were here earlier have already left. Some new groups have joined empty tables.
"Yeah." Edward glances away towards the clock on the wall. "I can't leave the table until the guard takes me."
I sit for another second, not saying anything. This feel remotely like high school, late at night on the phone, telling each other to hang up first. He never would; I always had to before my mom heard me on the phone. But this was different. He couldn't hang up first. I had to.
With a sigh, I start to get up, bracing my hands on the table, but Edward's voice, soft and timid makes me freeze.
"Bella?" He looks uncertain, like he wasn't sure he was planning on saying anything. "I just..." He pauses. "I don't expect anything from you."
My brow furrows and I'm confused by the implication to his words.
"You visiting me, I mean," he says quietly. "I don't expect anything to come out of this. I want to...to respect your distance. I know it's what you want." His green eyes are smoldering, ablaze in the frame of his long dark lashes and my throat tightens. The air is suddenly heavy and it's hard to breathe.
I shake my head, fighting the urge to grab for his arm this time, to hold his hand this time. The truth. I should just tell him the truth. There's no point in holding back my feelings. "I don't...I can't say I don't want something to come out of this."
His eyes immediately soften. They sadden. "Please don't say things you don't mean."
"I'm not." My answer is instant. Honest.
Edward bites his lip, says softly, "Okay," before the corner of his mouth turns up. It's small, nothing close to the heart-wrenching smiles I know he can muster, but it's something. There's a fluttering in my chest and I smile, too. After another second, I stand, watching as his eyes follow my movements, never leaving mine.
I'm surprised at the intensity the idea of walking away from him leaves me with.
Instead of moving around the table, step to his side and flash a quick glances at the sign hanging beside the door. The guard is watching me, though not closely. I think, maybe, they don't care much about the touching rules other than the passing of items.
Edward watches me carefully, his eyes almost glistening like he's wary of what I'm about to do, of how I'm about to make him feel. I ignore the warning signs and reach out, placing my hand carefully on his cheek. Simultaneously, we pull in a breath. He closes his eyes, leans into my touch.
His skin is soft, smooth. He's recently shaved and it makes me happy that he's taking pride in his appearance once more. I don't know how often he's allowed to shave in jail, if he's even allowed to shave his own face, but he looks…better. Stronger emotionally—because physically, he's always in good shape.
"I'll see you next week?" I whisper.
Edward opens eyes and smiles at me. It's shy, almost. Like he isn't sure how he should feel. I guess we both have that in common. We still have a lot of ground breaking to do.
"I'll see you next week," he answers softly.
I curl my fingers on his jaw ever so slightly before letting my hand slip away.
It's still tingling as I leave the building.