Mom wasn't home when I got there. I guessed she was staying late at work, and that I would be on my own for dinner. Looking through the pantry, I realized that no one had been shopping in a long time, meaning that there would be nothing to eat. My stomach roared with hunger, filling the empty house with a loud gurgling noise.
I grabbed my keys and went back out to my truck. I was sure that I would find something at the supermarket that I could make for a quick supper. It was only a couple of blocks away, but I tried to fill the silence with some tunes.
I didn't want to think about today, and get too hung up on the idea that someone may like me. But as usual, my mind wandered back to the day's events. The new note and the mysterious bouquet of roses.
I sighed, 'For the time being, I will keep my identity a secret.'
In a perfect world, which this was not, it would be Jasper. That would never happen. He was so...beautiful, and I was...well not.
I pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. Beside me, I recognized the same silver car that had been parked beside me this morning. I shook my head and climbed out and made my way to the doors.
Inside, I could smell the sweet aroma of fresh bread and buns. I slowly made my way to the Deli, not wanting to make a large meal. I looked at all the sandwiches that were stacked in a row. Beside them, lay the salads. Nothing seemed to grab my attention.
Out of no where, I felt a hand on my shoulder. My heart jumped. I slowly turned to see who had scared me.
He had a smile on his face, the same as almost any other time that I see him. His eyes portrayed a deep feeling of kindness.
"Jasper!" I exclaimed, "Why do you always do that to me?! You and your family are going to give me a heart attack one day!"
He chuckled, "Sorry. I really am. I don't try to sneak up on you."
I glared at him. His eyes watched me, making me smile.
"Raya! What are you doing here?" a voice called from behind.
I groaned as I turned to see who I knew it was. He was advancing towards us quickly, a smile across his face. I doubt that he had seen Jasper.
"So what are you doing here??" he asked. He turned to look at Jasper. The smile that had once been across his face had now disappeared.
"Oh." His voice was harsh, "What are you doing tonight?"
I stood there, frozen. "I-I uh...I was actually--" I glanced quickly over at Jasper, searching for help.
"Actually, we were going to see a movie." Jasper chimed.
Cyrus looked over at him, annoyed. I let out a sigh of relief.
"Really?" he looked at me with pleading eyes.
I nodded my head. He turned his head away disappointed. I glanced up at Jasper and mouthed thank-you.
"If you want, you can come..." Jasper said.
I glared at him. He nodded at me and mouthed, watch. We both turned towards Cyrus.
"No, no that's okay. I'll see you later..."
I sighed. Japer stood watching me. His golden eyes made my heart flutter.
"Shall we go?" he asked.
"Huh?"
Jasper chuckled, throwing his head back. "I told him I was taking you to a movie, and I intend to not be called a liar."
"B-but. I"
He raised his hand in protest and smiled. "Come. It will be fine." He started walking away and then stopped. "Coming?"
I hurried behind him. He slowed to match my pace, making us side by side.
"I'm pretty sure that we both drove here, and neither of us will leave our vehicle here, so I will follow you back to your house. From there, we'll take my car to the theater."
I looked up at him. He had this planned out so...nicely. We were now in the parking lot. He walked me to my truck and opened the door for me.
I smiled and climbed in. He shut the door behind me, and then climbed into the little silver car beside me.
I turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot. The ride home was fast. It seemed like just a couple of seconds, when I pulled into the driveway.
I jumped out of my truck and slowly made my way over to the little silver car parked on the side. As I approached, the passenger side door flew open. The sweet smell of ginger filled the air. I climbed in slowly, almost cautiously.
All the while, I could feel Jasper's eyes watching me, silently smiling. As soon as I closed the door, we were off. He turned towards me, not watching the road.
"Oh My God! You're not watching the road!"
"Calm down, I've never been in an accident."
I stared at him, "There's a first for everything!"
He laughed and turned back to the road, "Better?"
I sighed, "Yes."
"What do you want to go see?" he asked slowly. He was careful not to take his eyes off the road.
"I'm not sure what's in..." I admitted.
Movies were not really my thing. In the whole time that I had lived here, I had gone to the theatre maybe once. I wasn't interested in any of the movies that played. They were all love stories; ones that made my life look so pathetic.
"Um...I think that there's one called Twilight, The Incredible Hulk, The new Harry Potter, and Kung Fu Panda."
"What's Twilight about?" I asked.
He was silent for a moment, seeking the right words to describe it. "It's a vampire movie..."
We were approaching the theater now. The bright lights shone against the dull sky. I looked over at Jasper. His eyes glistened in the bright lights.
"How bout that one? All the others seem...well kind of boring."
He smiled, "If that's what you want to
see."
I nodded. We pulled into the parking lot. Jasper found a
spot close to the doors and pulled smoothly in. Everyone around us
stared. I admit that this wasn't the classiest town, no. Most of
the vehicles here were old, and rusted. Even the adults had older
cars. My mom had always said, that the older, the better. When people
saw something new like this, they tended to stare. It was a given
right around here. Someone who was able to afford a new car such as
this would be considered rich.
Jasper cut the engine and climbed out. I undid my seatbelt, and as I was reaching for the handle, the door opened suddenly. A hand stretched out towards me. I took it without hesitation. The feeling of his cool skin against mine sent Goosebumps up my spine. In a swift movement, I was standing on my feet. I was so close to Jasper that I could feel him breathing.
The car door closed, and Jasper began walking. Only now did I notice that he still had my hand cupped in his. We walked towards the door in silence. He pulled it open for me and let me go first. Inside I could smell the aroma of popcorn and butter. He led me up to the teller.
"Two for Twilight, please." He handed the teller a 20 and then received his change. He led me into the lobby, where he stopped to look at me.
"Are you hungry?"
I shook my head, but my stomach had other plans. It let out a large growl of hunger, giving me away.
He chuckled, "What would you like?"
"Maybe...just some popcorn..."
He walked up to the snack counter and looked at the clerk on the other side. She was tall with a pretty face. She smiled at him, "What can I get for you?"
"A medium popcorn and just a water please." He gave her a ten.
She smiled at him. I could tell that he had the same effect on her as he did on me and everyone else. That charming smile and velvety voice...
She returned his change and set the popcorn and water on the counter. "Enjoy," she glanced at me, "the show."
"Thank you." Jasper replied, smiling. He turned away from her.
He led me towards the doors to the theater we were in. We found a seat in the back row. When we sat down he handed me the popcorn.
"You really shouldn't do that, you know."
"What?" he asked confused.
I had never seen him confused before, and it made me smile.
"You probably gave that poor girl a heart attack."
"What do you mean?"
Now it was my turn to chuckle, "You haven't noticed, have you?"
"Noticed what?" he was genuinely confused now.
"What you do to people. Its not healthy you know."
"What do I do to them?"
I stared at him, either he really didn't know, or he was a really good actor.
"It's like you...dazzle them."
"Really. And how is that?"
"I...don't really know...I think that it's just who you are..." my voice trailed off.
He nodded his head slowly. "And do I...dazzle you?" he sounded hopeful.
"It's been known to happen."
I looked over at him. His face had turned slightly harsh. He shook his head, almost angrily.
"What's wrong?" I asked, had I said something wrong?
"Nothing...we'll talk more about it later..." he trailed off as the lights went down.
The previews were nothing fancy. I had seen them all on TV a couple of times in the last couple of days. When the movie came on, it seemed somewhat familiar. The way that she moved there, the way that Edward acted in the movie...the way everything was just so...so much the same...well except that he had moved here when this started, not me...and neither of us was a vampire. I think.
But honestly, a vampire? No I think not. Although, so many things fit his personality. The sudden mood changes. His eyes changing colors allot. The way he never seemed to eat. Or be hungry. The way his skin was always cold, and transparent. He was super smart, like me. He was lightning fast. He had that charming smile, velvet voice...
What am I thinking? A vampire? Come on! There's no such thing!
I glanced over at him. He watched the screen. The lights danced around his face, illuminating his eyes. I couldn't help but wonder...the way he had hesitated in the car when I asked what the movie was about. The way that he seemed not to like my reply when he asked me if he had ever hypnotized me...
I turned back to the screen. Edward, couldn't go out in the sunlight. If he did, his skin would glitter like a thousand diamonds. He was strong and fast.
If I said something, would he think me nuts? Would he think I was crazy?
I glanced up at him again, this time he wasn't looking at the screen. He was looking at me. I smiled at him. He slowly returned the smile and looked back at the screen.
When the movie was done, we exited the theater. In the foyer, I could see that it had gotten brighter outside. I smiled secretly to myself.
Jasper stopped abruptly. I looked up at him wondering what was up. He was looking over in the corner with a harsh look. Almost protective. I turned to see what had gotten his attention.
Over in the corner there stood a dark figure. He was tall and hunched over. I couldn't really see his face, but his eyes glowed gold against the darkness that surrounded him. Just looking at him gave me Goosebumps.
He watched us carefully, making sure not to move. Jasper put his arm around my waist and slowly walked to the door, making sure that my back was to the man. He slowly opened the door.
The sun was covered by a cloud, giving everything a dull look. I was disappointed when we got into the car, but I tried my hardest not to let it show.
I buckled my seatbelt just as Jasper climbed in. We sat there for a moment in silence before he said something.
"He's been following us..."
I jumped. That creeper was following us? How come I didn't notice?
"Since the grocery store. he got there the
same time that you did, and was just a couple of steps behind us when
we left. he didn't follow us all the way to your house, but came
straight here where he waited until we went in."
I looked up at
him. "I wonder what he wants..."
"I don't think you want to know."
This surprised me. "Do you know?"
"Somewhat."
I looked down at the floor. We pulled out of the parking lot slowly, and then sped off.Behind us, I could see a small black car following us. In the drivers side, I reconized the man from the theater. I shuttered. Sensing my discomfort Jasper reached over and cupped my hand in his, though, he never took his eyes off the road.
"It's okay. I won't let him touch you." he said in a calm cool voice.
After hearing these words, I calmed down a little. There was something about him that made me feel safe. Safer than ever actually. We were headed towards an intersection where the light was about to turn red. Jasper stepped on the gas as we flew through the light. The light changed just in time to stop our unwanted follower at the intersection, as we raced away.
We circled the block a couple of times before Jasper decided it was safe to take me home.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
I nodded, "Yea, I think so."
He shook his head. "I'm sorry."
I stared at him with open eyes, "What do you mean your sorry? it wasn't your fault he was following us."
He turned to look at me. His eyes were so dark that they looked black in the car.
"No...thats not what I was apoligizing for..." he paused and leaned in closer to me.
His eyes burned into mine. I could smell the sweet ginger that I liked so much. His hand lifted and touched my face in an easy swift movement. He smiled at me as he leaned a little closer. Our foreheads were touching now.
"I meant that I am sorry for this..." And with a quick movement, he pulled me closer and locked our lips together.
