23
I take a quick shower, not caring but sort of hoping I'll accidentally slip and break my neck because death would be a reprieve from the mortification of running downstairs half-naked. Unfortunately, I manage to get through my morning routine unscathed. Clean, shaved, and dressed in actual clothes, I'm contemplating trying to sneak out the window when Angela calls up the stairs that the food is done.
I take my time walking down the stairs and find the girls sitting at the island, watching Bella hand squeeze oranges into a carafe. She's literally using her bare hands to juice them.
She looks up with a toothy grin and winks. "Ah, he does own clothing."
"Uh, yeah." I run my hand through my still damp hair.
"Coffee is fresh, and your plate is in the oven."
"What's going on?" Alice asks with her mouth full of half-eaten food.
"Nothing," Bella and I say, but Angela perks up.
"Dad ran down here in nothing but those underwear you got him for Christmas," she explains.
I'm reaching for a coffee mug when she says it, and Alice starts cackling at my expense. I almost drop it when I see Bella freeze. Her eyes are so dark they're almost black, and her nostrils are flared.
"Girls, go upstairs."
The twins, oblivious to the situation, start arguing.
"Don't talk back. Go. Now," I insist, not taking my eyes off Bella as I move to put myself between her and my twins.
They grab their plates and shuffle out of the room. As soon as they're out of earshot, I glare. "I thought you were a vegetarian."
"I am," Bella says, her hands pulverizing the orange she was squeezing; she drops the remnants in the sink. "I've never tasted human blood before. I'm so sorry."
"What just happened?"
She looks down at her feet. "Uh, you blushed. It caught me off guard."
"I blushed?" I yell. "I'm human; we tend to do that sometimes."
"I'm sorry. Jane warned me that your blood was appealing. I just. I wasn't expecting it. I'm sorry."
"It's okay." It's totally not okay. My voice cracking signifies that I don't think it's okay.
Bella pours me a cup of coffee, tells me to take a seat, and a plate of food appears in front of me.
We're not even twenty-four hours into this trial, and I'm already having doubts.