Chapter Summary: They go out on a second date, Edward drops a bomb on Bella.
Bella's phone rang early one rainy Saturday morning.
"Good morning Bella," the velvet voice said on the other end of the line. Bella smiled to herself and thought what a great way to wake up.
"Do you have plans for this afternoon?" Edward asked.
"No, Charlie is out all day, fishing this morning, then working into the evening," Bella replied.
"Wonderful. Would you like to go to Port Angeles with me today? I hear there is a great antique book store we could check out. We could spend the afternoon together. I know the weather isn't great. It will be cloudy all day but the rain is supposed to stop soon."
"Sure, that sounds great. Pick me up at noon?" Bella asked.
"Yes, I will be there."
Edward picked Bella up and they left for Port Angeles. The trip was uneventful. The rain went from sheets of water to a slow drizzle during the hour drive. Once they found the book store, Edward dropped Bella at the door and went to park the car. He found her wandering the shelves, arms already loaded down with books.
"Bella," he said chuckling, "you've only been here ten minutes".
"Sometimes you just need to shop around, hang on to all the options. I don't want someone else to pick up something I want," she said, as she unloaded some of the books in his open arms.
They browsed the shop for close to an hour before Bella made her final choices. Three books were perfectly reasonable she told herself heading to the cash register, Edward following behind. As they stood in line, Edward stepped closer to her and softly put his hand on her lower back. Bella smiled to herself and leaned into his touch.
Together they explored the rest of Port Angeles Square. They went into a handmade soap shop, a quaint bead store, and a store that sold nothing but beautiful stationary and pens. Edward made a mental note of how Bella's eyes lit up when they walked in. She slowly browsed the shelves filled with every style of paper imagable and pens in every color. She ran her hands along the handmade paper and matching envelopes, smiling as she explored all the textures. As they were leaving the store, Edward heard Bella's stomach growl. It was almost six o'clock.
"Are you hungry? Should we get something to eat before heading back home?'' he asked.
Bella thought for a moment. She was hungry. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.
"Sure, dinner sounds great".
"There is a burger place on the corner, or the next block over there is an Italian restaurant. You pick." The thought of hot curly fries made her mouth water.
"Burgers sound perfect," she said, eyes wide with a smile across her face.
The restaurant was busy but they were seated right away. Bella looked over the menu.
"What can I get you to drink?" The waitress asked Bella.
"Chocolate milkshake please."
"Just an ice water thanks," Edward said.
"I'll be right back to take your order" the waitress left the table. Bella looked over the menu, before deciding on a cheeseburger and curly fries to go with her shake. She glanced at Edward over her menu, blushing as she thought about how if someone would have told her a year ago, that not only would be living in Forks with Charlie, but dating her lab partner she would have thought they were crazy. Here she was in this 50s-themed diner eating burgers with this adorable guy. He was sweet and attentive and made her pulse race.
Edward broke into her thoughts "Have you made a decision?"
"Yup, I'm ready".
The waitress came by and took her order.
"Nothing for me thank you," Edward answered when it was his turn.
"Aren't you hungry? We haven't eaten anything all day?" Bella asked, concerned.
"No, I'm fine. Big breakfast." He replied. He didn't even believe this stupid lie. It was getting harder and harder to keep this secret from her. He knew he had to tell her. If he was going to continue to date her, she had to know. If she chose to leave him that was a consequence he would have to deal with. She needed to understand the risks she was taking by even being in the same room with him. Tonight, on the way home he would talk to her. Edward let out a deep sigh, this may be one of the last moments they had together. He was going to cherish it.
When the food came, Bella picked at her fries and stirred her shake with the straw. Why would he offer to take me to dinner then not order anything? She wondered to herself.
"Is your burger okay Bella?" Edward asked, noticing she was just playing with her food.
"Oh, yeah" she replied shaking her head, "just, um, hot"
This was not a well-thought-out plan on his part. He knew she needed to eat, they had been together all afternoon. Take her to dinner, and feed her, but he didn't think about her position. She sat there looking so awkward, no one wants to be the only one at the table eating.
"I'll be right back," Edward said standing. He headed off in the direction of the bathroom. Bella took this moment of alone time at the table to wolf down her food. She was starving and this might have been the best burger she had ever seen.
Edward came back to the table when he felt she had had enough time to finish her food. He sat down as she was dragging the last fry through ketchup. He pulled out his wallet and laid cash on the table to cover the check.
"Thanks for dinner," Bella said. " You didn't need to buy, since you didn't get anything."
"It's alright I like treating you to dinner. Are you ready to head home?" He asked anxiously. He wondered if the drive home was the best place to have this conversation but this could not wait, he had to tell her.
Their day together was a lot of fun, Bella thought. They laughed and flirted. Except for an awkward dinner, she would not change a minute. Bella decided to be brave. She wanted to show him some affection. She was falling in love with him, but they had barely touched in fact, only today he had put his hand on her lower back when they were standing in line at the bookstore. There was something to be said for taking things slow, but come on. Bella reached across the console to take Edward's hand. He immediately recoiled from her touch, and thought she heard him make a low growl.
"Bella," Edward stammered. "I'm sorry." He looked for the right words and came up short, as tears filled Bella's eyes. She was not going to let him see her cry. Why would he pull away like that? It seemed to her that he liked her too.
Edward broke the silence to say quietly, "We need to talk about something."
"Okay," Bella whispered.
"Bella, this is hard. I need you to listen and try your best to understand, and know that you will be taken home safely even if you never want to see me again." Edward said, staring at the dark road.
What was happening here? What could be so bad that one, she wouldn't want to see him again and two, she needed to worry about getting home in one piece?
Edward inhaled sharply. He seemed to be in physical pain.
"Bella, I have never told another human soul what I am about to tell you and you have to understand that you cannot tell anyone, not just for my sake but my entire family."
"I understand," Bella muttered.
"So, I met Carlisle in 1917. I was dying of the Spanish flu. He was a physician at the infirmary. My mother and father had already succumbed and I would not be far behind." He glanced in Bella's direction. Her eyes were huge, her mouth was slightly open, and she was hanging on every word.
"Carlisle sat by my bedside while I was burning up with a fever and was in my last hours. Carlisle and I had become close in my time at the hospital. He would read to me into the evening after his work day ended. He told me when I recovered I was welcome to come to join him and his family since mine had passed, but as time went on it became clear I was not going to recover."
Edward continued, but this next part was a bit hard to remember. His human memories are always hazy. "All I remember next is the burning. I thought it was the fever, but the burning lasted for what felt like days. I couldn't wake up, I couldn't speak. When I finally came to, everything had changed. I was no longer in the hospital. I was at Carlisle's. He had brought me back to his home as he had promised, but something was, not wrong, but different."
He glanced again at Bella. She looked back at him now, tears in her eyes. What was she thinking? At this moment Edward would have given anything to hear her thoughts.
"Bella, Carlisle turned me."
"Turned you?" She questioned.
"Yes Bella, I am a vampire."
All the oxygen went out of the car. A ringing began in Bella's ears. None of this made any sense. A vampire. A vampire. The phrase beat in Bella's mind like a pounding drum.
"Edward, I don't know what to say." She said her tone was flat from the shock.
"You don't need to say anything Bella. I understand it is a lot to take in. Honestly, you seem to be taking it better than I had imagined." He smiled weakly.
"I need a little time to process this".
"Of course, you will be taken home safely, I promise. During my time with Carlisle, I have learned to control my thirst for human blood. My family and I only live off animal blood. We hunt so we can be around humans."
Bella wanted to run, scream, and kiss him. Her emotions were all over the place. She was terrified. Vampires existed in horror movies or gothic novels, not Forks, Washington. She had spent weeks getting to know him. They had spent time together, alone. She was still safe and alive.
Her heart was beating out of her chest. "Edward," She whispered. "I want to be with you. I will need a little time to process all of this, but… I mean…you haven't eaten me yet right?" She said with a nervous laugh.
Edward stared at her with surprise. She wasn't screaming in terror or shrinking back towards the door. She reached back over and took his hand in hers. She was surprised at how cold he felt. Of course, he's cold, Bella thought to herself. He's… dead. The thought both intrigued and scared her.
She was quiet for several minutes. Bella broke the silence with a question.
"So," Bella asked slowly, "Is that why you didn't eat anything at dinner tonight?" A shy smile came across her face.
"Yes." He said.
"Alright. "
She gripped his hand a little tighter as they pulled into the driveway. Charlie was still gone. Edward parked behind Bella's truck and got out to open her door. He took her hand to help her out. She reached out and took his other hand and they stood face to face. The rain had stopped and the moon was peaking through the clouds casting just enough light that Bella could see Edward's face. They locked eyes for what felt like an eternity. Edward leaned down slowly and put his lips to hers. They were cold to the touch, but between them, there was a jolt of electricity. He let go of her hands and put them on her waist pulling her closer to him. She reached up and put her arms around his neck. Her eyes fluttered shut as she got lost in the moment, leaning her head to the side and parting her lips just slightly, allowing him to deepen the kiss. They stood in the driveway, their lips locked together in a passion they both wanted to explore. Finally, Edward broke the kiss as he put his forehead against hers.
"Charlie is almost here," as the headlights of the police cruiser came around the corner. Charlie parked on the street and walked up the sidewalk. The two broke apart. How did he know that she wondered?
"Ready to go inside Bella?" Charlie asked, while eyeing Edward.
"Yeah," Bella said dreamily.
"Have a good night Edward," Charlie said, as he walked Bella to the front door.
"You too sir," Edward answered as he got back in his car and drove home.
When Edward got home Carlisle was waiting for him. "How did it go?" He asked as Edward took off his jacket.
"I told her." He said flatly.
"And?"
Edward looked Carlisle in the eye, "It went well. She didn't scream and I even kissed her." He said unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face.
"Just be careful son. It's easy to let things go too far and to lose control. I trust you and she must as well. Do everything you can to not ever break trust. I can see how much she means to you." Carlisle smiled and patted Edward on the shoulder as he headed upstairs.
Later that night Edward was out for his run. Ever since he started seeing Bella he couldn't stay in the house at night. Everything was too quiet, nothing to distract him from his thoughts of her. Tonight he found himself in the woods behind her house. He hadn't meant to end up there, but it was almost as if he was being pulled to her by an unseen force. He paced back and forth at the tree line. Her light was on in her room. What was she doing up there? He thought to himself. What was she thinking about? His inability to read her thoughts was maddening. He moved closer to the house and stood under her window. "This was wrong," he told himself out loud. He shouldn't be here. Bella was safe. She deserved her privacy. He needed to turn around and go home. Walking back towards the safety of the woods he saw her light go out. He stopped, as he thought to himself, do not turn around. He kept walking towards the trees. He let an hour pass before finding himself right back where he started. He stood under her window arguing with himself again. Then something caught his eye, he saw the curtain blow through the open window, it was like an invitation. This was the first night Edward spent the night watching Bella sleep.