Another week passed and then it was almost mid-June. I hadn't realized just how quickly my life in Forks had passed and more so, I made it through my first year in high school. I was more impressed with the fact that I could attend a normal school with people who could actually see. Of course Adrian was around to help out a lot and guide me through the halls but besides that I did fine. Mary was officially warmed up to her school and her classmates and had even gone to a friend's house a few times. The first time I was filled with complete worry but of course I let her go since I never wanted to hold her back of spoil her fun. I didn't want to do that to anyone.

That's probably why I also agreed to go to the bonfire with Seth. Before he came to pick me up I told Lizzy about it and again she began to get skeptical just as she had been when she first met Adrian. I bet if I told her Adrian was taking me to a party with actual alcohol she might've been more trustworthy. But then again, that's Lizzy for you.

I didn't see what she got me to wear, but she told me that I was wearing light brown jeans so I could almost imagine what those were like and then a light blue blouse. I felt that the blouse was soft and flowy but of course I couldn't imagine the colour. Then she tied my hair up in two simply ponytails and waited with me outside on the porch. Although it was almost summer, it was still relatively cool outside so she also gave me a sweater just in case.

I heard a car approaching way before she did and in just a bit I heard a car door slam.

"Hi I'm Seth," I heard Seth greet in his familiar voice and as usual, he sounded like he was smiling.

It took Lizzy a few seconds to actually respond, although I didn't know why. "H-hello, I'm Lizzy. I understand you're taking Charlotte out tonight to a..."

"Bonfire," Seth finished. It surprised me how grown-up he could sound sometimes. Lizzy was pretty much playing the mother-figure right then so I suppose that first impressions counted with her.

"Ah I see. Well then, I'll just let you go," Lizzy said. She tried to help me up but just to show her that I wasn't weak by myself, I stood up and even walked forward. I reached my hand out and in an instant Seth's hand was around mine.

Lizzy sighed and reluctantly opened the door to go back into the house. "Have her home by eleven at the latest," she said. "I understand these things may sometimes last over midnight."

"I understand," Seth said and then the door closed and Seth was half-lifting me down the stairs. No, wait a second, he was lifting me. Both of his hands were around my waist and he was carrying me as if I was no heavier than an empty cardboard box. Before I could protest against anything, I was already seated in his car and my seat-belt was fastened. Another second and then Seth was beside me and starting up the engine.

I liked his car. It smelled so...earth. Like dried roots, but the good herbal kind that some people used for relaxation. Like Seth, it felt very warm.

For a while we were both silent, but it couldn't last for long. I was the first to speak up. "So um, hey."

"Hey." It sounded like he was stifling a laugh.

"So...these bonfires, um, what do we do at them?"

"Oh it's nothing too out of the ordinary, not for us anyway. Basically a lot of us gather around a bonfire and the Elders tell us stories about our tribe. Tribal legends and whatnot. Most of them are quite true though. A lot of them explain our traditions and customs and whatnot."

It did sound interesting the way he explained it. I didn't know much about worldly cultures, so maybe this was also an excuse to learn a bit.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you away from the fire," Seth said.

I laughed. "Just make sure to have an extinguisher ready,"I joked.

"You know you'll be meeting all my friends, right?" he asked.

"Besides Jacob?"

"Yeah. Jacob and Nessie'll be there and then there's a ton of my other friends. You think you can keep up if I introduced you once?"

I thought of Britney and her friends and how I couldn't keep track of who was who. But then again with the Cullens it was easy to remember. With Seth's friends I would also make the effort.

"I'll keep up," I promised.

"Good. Uh...there's one thing you should know before we get there," he said.

"What?"

"Um...my sister Leah. She'll also be there but she's not the friendliest person as I've already told you. And the thing is that she doesn't know I've been hanging out at the Cullens' so it's better if you don't mention it."

"Why shouldn't she know?" I asked. It seemed natural to me for a sister to know these things. I was also an older sister and if even for a second I didn't know where Mary was, I would be worried.

"She's not as close to the Cullens as the rest of us," Seth said.

I felt like I was going to cry. It was a lie, what Seth said. That wasn't the reason that his sister shouldn't know anything. That wasn't the reason at all. Of course others had lied to me before, but not Seth. I could accept a lie from anyone but Seth. He wasn't the type to lie...it wasn't in his nature and...I didn't get why he felt the need to lie to me. I hadn't asked about the Cullens this time and I was getting used to lies about them so that was fine. But why would Seth lie to me about something other than the Cullens? At first when I met him I might've accepted any lies but now that Seth had become so close a friend to me, I felt it was unfair.

"Hey! Hey, what's wrong?" Seth asked.

I realized that he had stopped the car and my eyes were full of tears.

At first I wanted to dismiss it as nothing but I could feel his gaze on me and my left hand felt warm. His hand was slowly starting to take hold of mine. I decided to tell him the truth.

"J-just...why would you lie to me about your sister?" I asked. "Seth, I can tell when people are lying and I'll accept lies about the Cullens because I get that it's not in your place to tell me anything about them. But about you and your sister...w-why aren't I allowed to know?"

He sighed. "You really want to know?"

I nodded. "Yes! Please, just let me know something! I only feel blind when someone tries to hid the truth from me and...I thought you were better than that Seth. Do friends lie to each other?"

"Friends..." he chuckled at the word and it wasn't his usual chuckle. Suddenly things had gotten serious. "Is that all I am to you?"

I didn't know what to answer because I didn't know what he meant by the question. Of course he was my friend but...no, he was more than that.

"You're the closest friend I've ever had," I said. "Almost like family but I don't think I could ever think of you as a brother..."

"Then what do you think of me as?" he asked, sounding eager now.

"I-I don't know..." I stammered. "S-Seth you're important to me...you've become really important!" God, I was starting to sound like a love-struck teenager on a soap opera! "And I don't want to lose you and I like spending time with you and..."

Suddenly Seth clutched me to him, one hand at the back of my head and the other wrapped securely around me. "Would you say that...you love me?" he asked in barely more than a whisper.

I was frozen in place in his arms, but I didn't really want to move either. He was warm and it felt nice. But I needed to think because his words were important. I knew exactly what he meant by them and now he was asking me if I felt that way. I wanted to answer him but then for some reason I felt a cool shiver down my spine that reminded me of Adrian.

Adrian...now there was another important person to me. But was he as important as Seth? Could he ever be? It felt like a sort of moment of truth and I was being asked who I loved and cared for most. I was being asked to choose between Seth and Adrian and at first I felt as if it was a decision I just couldn't make. Summer and winter...Seth and Adrian...they were both just so different, so could a comparison even be made?

On one side I had Adrian, my first real friend. He voiced him opinion clearly to me ever since we met and ever since then he was always there for me. He cared about my blindness and had tried his best to help cure it and when it was impossible I felt as if he would tear someone's head off just for the heck of it. He cared about me, also as a person. It was a conceited thought to think that Adrian might love me, but what else could I think?

Then on the other side I had Seth, my best friend. He couldn't do as much as Adrian had done to help me with my eyes but that hardly made a difference. Seth didn't only care about my pain, it seemed like he shared it. It was him who empathized with me over losing my parents since he lost his dad. It was him who sounded like the pained one whenever something that made me sad was mentioned. When I talked about Mary and how much I loved her and other small things, Seth almost reflected my emotions back at me. He understood me better than anyone ever could. And the thing is...I also understood him. Rather than just being two people, it was as if we formed one individual. One puzzle piece.

With Adrian it could feel like we were two halves of a puzzle, but with Seth we were two halves of a puzzle piece. I realized then that I did love Adrian, but not in the way I loved Seth. Maybe things like that would never change...

Seth was holding me tightly, but I managed to shift my arms enough so that my hands were near his face. I tilted my head up towards him and slowly put my fingers over his chin and then I moved up to his cheeks, his lips, his nose, his eyes and his forehead. Never before had I felt so close to Seth. It was almost as if I could imagine his features. And he felt so warm...always so warm.

"Yes, I love you," I replied at last.

I felt his smile under my fingers but then it disappeared again. "Would you say that you love me like this?" he asked.

Then the next moment, his lips had suddenly moved from under my hands and to my own lips. Now I felt warm, but pleasantly so. His lips lingered for a bit on mine, but his kiss was soft. He moved his lips away and I found that I was a bit disappointed. I wanted them back on my lips...

"Yes," I whispered. "Like that."

He leaned forward again, and this time paused, his forehead on mine. "I love you Charlotte."

I had to say it directly back at him. I wanted him to know and to understand. It was like the final clarification for what I felt. "I love you too Seth."

He was about to brush his lips to mine again, when suddenly he pulled back.

"Holy sh-! We're going to be late for the bonfire!" he exclaimed.

I laughed loudly, finding that comedic for some reason. "J-just don't break any speed laws," I gasped, my stomach aching.

But I was still laughing. Seth joined in and then finally the car got moving again. Only this time Seth kept one hand firmly clutched around mine. Never had it felt warmer.

Ok so it's well decided who Charlotte loves and all, but this story is far from being over. There are still a lot of things that need to happen and Adrian still plays a major role in this entire story.

Oh and please let it be made clear that this is not going to be a whole werewolf-vampire thing where Charlotte is caught in the middle. I just want it made clear that she loves only Seth in that way and that Adrian won't be her love interest.

Please tell me what you think :3