A country song is playing through the speakers in the diner, a crooning broken man lamenting about his forbidden love for the preacher's daughter accompanied by a generic guitar melody.
I hate it immediately. How forbidden can a relationship between two white southerners be? So, her daddy didn't like that he was a farmer and wanted his daughter to marry another preacher man. Oh, cry me a river, Billy Ray Cyrus. People are dying!
I'm spiralling. I have no reason to attack a song that is clearly not targeted towards my demographic; however, I'm grasping at straws here. I'm anxious and Edward hasn't said anything since I agreed to hear him out, well he hasn't said anything of substance anyway.
"How about this weather we're having?" He asks me yet another trivial question, as he nervously taps his thumb on the diner table.
"You mean the rain?" I look at him dispassionately with a raised brow.
"Yeah." He smiles hesitantly.
"Its good." I say simply. Too stubborn to give him a real answer.
"Do you want anything else? Something to drink maybe?"
"No," I clear my throat. "I'm fine."
"What about some more fries?" He goes on. He can't be that oblivious, can he?
"No thanks." I grit out, growing more and more aggravated each second that passes with his deflection.
"Some cherry pie? Arlene was raving about it to me while you were in the bathroom. I know you prefer pecan, but it's all sold out. But I'm sure the cherry will taste just as good."
What the hell is he going on about now. For fuck's sake… pies?
He's stalling and I can't see why, he's the one that wanted to explain himself. I'm giving up my precious time to listen, so he better step up or I'm gonna step out.
"Edward- just say what you need to say." I tell him sharply.
"I'm sorry." He lets out a shaky breath. "I'm just nervous."
He combs his hand through his damp hair, pushing the strands that were laying over his brows back onto his head.
"Were do you want me to start?" He looks anxious too, it's an odd sight. Edward is always so collected decisive, it's almost unsettling to see him like this.
"The beginning would be a good choice." I mutter staring numbly at my fingertips on the tabletop.
"Well uh-." He clears his throat curtly and straightens himself up.
"I should start by letting you that I really, really don't want to be with Bella." He says with so much conviction that it lifts the heavy weight off of my shoulders and changes my demeanour entirely.
I relax my frigid posture and let out an inaudible sigh. So, it was all just one big misunderstanding. I can feel the tension slowly ease out of my joints.
"But I sort of have to." He adds dejectedly, bowing his head down to avoid looking at me.
"What was that?" I ask him incredulously. Leaning forward just in case I needed to hear him clearer.
"A few days after you left. Bella became a lot more... Persistent. But I suppose it all escalated from that kiss."
I cringe and make a gagging sound to express my disgust. I can see the corner of his mouth fighting a smile, but he continues.
"I had been assigned her tutor for biology and much to my chagrin I couldn't get out of it. I didn't want to give her any ideas by inviting her to my house or meeting outside school hours, so I suggested that we have our tutorial sessions during the lunch break in the biology classroom."
"Unfortunately, my plan to avoid her affection was pointless, she kissed me which I know you saw, though what I'm sure you didn't see was me resisting the kiss and eventually pushing her off of me. I truly didn't want any part of it." He stresses out, his bright eyes zeroed in on mine.
"I told her that I wasn't interested in her and that I was still in love with you. But I could tell that everything I was saying was going through one ear and coming out the other.
After that she became relentless, she would intentionally bump into me in the hallways at school and I could feel her following my every move. I couldn't say anything to her, I suppose I was sort of in a catatonic state without you, so I didn't really care enough to say anything."
"One day Bella caught my family and I while we were playing baseball. It's one of the only times we truly get to be free, we were all so carefree that when we finally sensed her it was too late.
She said that she was taking a walk and just happened to stumble upon us, but we were always so careful, and the clearing was so far out into the woods. Just as I had agreed to take her home a group of nomad vampires found us at the clearing. We did our best to try and conceal her scent, but our efforts were futile."
"One of them, James took a particular interest in her, just like that book said he would. He was obsessed. I knew that he wouldn't stop until he had her. So, I told them she was my mate, hoping that might set him back. I thought that since I knew what was going to happen, I could somehow prevent it all. But all I did was hasten it."
A ball has formed in the middle of my throat and I'm finding it hard to swallow.
"He approached her, at her house the next day. Luckily her father wasn't home, and Alice managed to foresee the attack. Emmett and I handled James while Rose and Alice kept Bella out of harm's way."
"But that wasn't the end of it."
I groan forlornly, of course not.
"Victoria, James' mate, has been after Bella for the past four months, determined to get her revenge. We've all been doing all that we can to protect her. The shifters and my family have been taking turns watching over her house, and whenever she's out she's never alone. We've all been on high alert, we know Victoria will strike soon, but we don't know when or just how hard."
"Shit, Edward. I'm so sorry." I exhale wearily.
"It's not your fault, Amiyah." He smiles tepidly at me.
I stay quiet for a while, soaking myself in shame
"Well... I feel like maybe a teensy tiny part of it may be."
"What do you mean?" Edward doesn't try to hide his confusion.
I groan inwardly and brace myself. "She found the book at my old house. Twilight."
"What? When?"
"A while ago, I guess. I didn't know until she confronted me about it this morning."
"What did she say?" He asks me, his voice becoming frosty
I release a long sigh. "She told me that uh you and she are meant to be. And despite my really great efforts, she didn't believe me when I tried to tell her that it was just fiction."
"Oh God. That explains so much." His hand flies to his head and his fingers burrow themselves into his hair,
"It's okay!" I jump up in my seat frenziedly. "I'm back now and I can fix it. I'll make up some outrageously story that she'll have no choice but to believe. I'm a very good liar. Well not the best, not even really that good if I'm being honest with myself, but I've got a pretty wild imagination, I'll think of something."
I don't know if my words encourage him, he stays quiet for much too long. I realise that he's stowing on something, so I allow him his space to think.
"Where were you? You just vanished without saying anything and you were gone for so long I was starting to give up on hope that you would return." His voice has shifted into a low husk, emanating his pain.
"… It's a long story." I bite on my lip lightly.
His expression is unfaltering, and I know that I have to show him the same candour he gave me.
"It turns out I wasn't recruited for this job coincidentally." I tuck a stray tendril of hair behind my ear and pull the sleeves of my hoodie over my hands.
"My estranged father and his sister thought that it would be a good idea to hide me in a different world from some unknown forces that want to kill me… not just me but this whole other family I didn't know about. I wasn't told much while I was gone, even after everything he was still keeping secrets from me. I-."
I stop myself from oversharing and shake my head to clear the negative thoughts that were beginning to form.
"I really didn't mean to leave you for so long. I'm sorry."
Edward's eyes have softened and he's looking a me empathetically
"No, it's alright Amiyah, you shouldn't have to apologise, you've been through so much I know it's all overwhelming… Are you alright?" He looks pained for me, no one's ever cared so much about me to try and carry my own emotions. My heart clenches as I think of how much I love him.
"Yeah… yeah. Well, I will be." I try to give him a reassuring smile.
"Now that everything's been cleared up, we can be together again, right?" I don't know where this bad feeling is coming from, but it settles in my stomach like an anchor weighing me down.
"Amiyah," I can tell that he's having trouble letting the words out. "I think we should stay away from each other for a while."
My chest caves in on itself and my breaths become rapid.
No No No
"What. Why?" I hate the way my voice sounds; shaky, and completely helpless.
"Victoria is still out there. The only reason she is so dead set on killing Bella is because she believes her to be my mate. I killed hers and she wants vengeance."
"If something were to happen to you. I wouldn't take it."
I let a puff of air escape my lips and squeeze my eyes shut in reflection.
"So, you're telling me, you'd rather have Bella get hunted by a revenge crazed vampire than me?"
He looks down at his untouched coffee. He doesn't have to say anything. I can read him like a book.
"Well, that does make me feel better." I choke out.
He releases a pained chortle and lifts his gaze back up to look at me intensely
This fucking sucks.
"I don't expect you to wait around until all of this is over. You have your own life and I don't want to stop you from living it."
"Shut up. I love you, dummy. Of course I'll wait for you." I roll my eyes through the unshed tears.
"Amiyah-."
"No Edward. I'm serious" You can't change my mind. I let the words float mentally.
Silence falls between us as he lets my words settle.
"It won't be forever. Once Victoria is taken care of, everything can go back to normal."
I'm not sure if he's trying to convince me or him as he takes my hands and squeezes my palms gently.
"You promise?" My voice is hard, barely reflecting the utter grief I feel.
"I swear on my life." He says seriously, his amber eyes stating their claim over my own.
"That's not enough..." I pause. "Pinkie swear." I say with a tight smile, hoping to lighten the mood.
It works as Edward releases a short, yet genuine laugh, throwing his head back, before indulging me with a wide grin and interlocking his pinkie finger with mine.
"I love you." He says seriously, his eyes locking onto mine and projecting their own truth.
"I love you too," I sniff. Overcome by so emotions it's hard for me to even think. "I wouldn't mind that cherry pie slice now."
A/N Sorry for the info dump. I tried to get this out sooner, but its just been one test after the other. I'll try and get the next update out in the next few weeks. Thank you. Don't forget to review please!