Chapter 9 – Part 2

When Edward was about to answer me back, with that panic in his eyes, the bell rang and everyone started emerging from the exit. While the students passed by the parking and entered their average cars, my mind started working on what would happen today at the tour… What would happen with the newcomers, with Edward, with Jessica. Oh, Jessica!

"Jess!" I shouted from the car, while getting out. She had just gone out the school, and was heading toward us.

"Hey Bella… So when is this famous tour happening?" she grinned. She suddenly realized Edward was there, and tried to hide her excitement, ashamed. But failed in the attempt, she was too thrilled.

"I was going to look for you, we are waiting for Liam and his sister Adeline, and we go now"

Jessica giggled, anxious.

I turned to look at Edward, to try to predict anything that could happen, but I just couldn't read his expression. He was trying to hide what he truly felt now. I stared at him, absentminded, trying to realize why he was hiding his feelings, but shriek of joy coming from Jessica pulled me back, Jeez did she always need to cut whatever I'm doing off like that? Liam and Adeline were heading to the car now. The corners of Jessica's mouth seemed to be tied to her temple of how wide she was grinning, and her eyes were sparkling so much it seemed they were going to get on fire.

Oh boy, this was going to be a really long day…

Almost everyone agreed on going on the same car, so it was better to show the town around. I said almost everyone because Edward really didn't want that. He didn't like the perspective of Liam being just inches from to me, he didn't say anything though, but his intense look showed me all. I gazed him with a 'please-behave-well' look in the politest way, I really didn't want to fight again… He rolled his eyes, annoyed. But let it off anyway.

We climbed to Edward's Volvo, and headed to the center of Forks.

The scene that was going on in the car seemed almost surrealistic. We were all quiet, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the fast car on the road – though I could see how Edward was trying to ride as normal as possible, but anyway the speed didn't drop from 50 mph- and some nervous giggles from Jessica directed to Liam, who was sat next to her.

If it wasn't for that, the car would be surrounded of a deafening silence.

But the intense part was all the implicit situations going on noiseless, just with glares. The mirror on my front was picking up every one of them that were occurring in the car. If a review of silent films would have been looking at the situation, I swear we would have won the Oscar:

Jessica was almost eating Liam with her eyes, unable to look away from him.

Adeline was throwing period looks to Edward, whenever she thought I wasn't looking at her. Her look was more innocent than Jessica's one, but anyway she was craving for Edward's attention every time she glared at him. And that was starting to piss me off.

Liam, whenever he saw Jessica was melting at him, looked away and tried to suppress a laugh. Poor Jess, she was really into him. But well, he luckily was not… luckily? Did I just think that was luck? Those feelings again, Jeez…

I also could see how he peeped on me, every chance he could. He would look at me from the corner of his eyes, and smile slightly. And every time I tried to look away, ashamed and worried that Edward would saw that and well… bye bye Liam!

Edward's gaze was severe when he realized Liam was seeing me that way. His lips turned a thin line and his teeth were clamped so tightly I could even hear a low grind. Angry, his sped up to 60 mph…

"Wow, slow down man…" Liam broke the silence that was lingering for a long time.

"I will, if you do" Edward growled under his breath. I gave him a dead look. Was he really doing this? Everyone stayed quiet for some seconds, so I thought luckily Liam hadn't heard him.

"I'm sorry?" He said, confused. Oh well, maybe my luck had abandon me today.

Please Edward, I hope this century of experience have taught you at least some manners. I thought to myself, in vain, for the first time I hated him not being able to hear my mind.

"Huh?" Edward said faking innocence.

"Did you say something?" Liam voice grew louder now.

"Oh, that I sure will slow down… slow down" he mumbled.

"Oh, right…" Liam said nervous, and stopped talking after that.

"So… How long have you two been together?" Adeline asked glaring at Edward, with a bitter tone when she said 'together'.

I was even more jealous now. How did she dare asking about us with that tone?

OK I hadn't live for a century, but in my short life, Renee did teach me manners.

"A year now, we have been together since I first arrived" But she had also taught me strategies. I grabbed his hand to reassure my position.

"Oh. So you like newcomers?" She grinned to Edward. Oh she didn't just say that! Who did this girl think she was? She think because she was pretty she could come here and do things as she pleased?

"No, just one" He grinned, sure of his statement. But I could see the amusement in Edward's eyes or was I imagining it?

By that time we were already in the center, looking for a place to pull over. When Liam suggested, "Hey, here at two blocks it's my mother's restaurant. Maybe we can start the tour from there, so we can show you the place and possibly drink something warm… Though I'm pretty warm anyway." He looked at me for a millisecond while saying this last part. But it was enough for Edward to see him responding at it with a low but deep growl, which Liam carefully ignored. Seriously, I couldn't help him much longer, if he was so keen on dying I wouldn't be the one ruining the party.

"That's a great idea" Jessica grinned touching her hair, demanding his attention.

The restaurant was beautiful. It was French-like, very refined. It was painted in different shades of blue, with a lot of flowers resting in the hall. And the name 'Les Sentiments' was perfectly set in the middle of the old façade.

Everything inside was deliberately decorated, with tables and chairs made of woods, and floral arrangements in every table. In the second we arrived, a graceful woman came to greet us.

"Oh Adeline baby, Liam what are you doing here?" She grinned and gave each one of them a kiss in the forehead. She was really beautiful; she had short black haired, the same incredible slant blue eyes as their two children and pale skin.

"Hi mom, we came to show our new friends your restaurant. Mom these are Edward, Bella and Jessica. This is my mom Moira." Liam introduced us, he loved to do that…

After talking a short time about random things like the school, the weather; Moira decided to bring us some hot chocolate; oh I really needed something sweet right now... All this time Edward had been really rigid, with a thoughtful look. When the chocolates were finally here, he excused himself to the bathroom. I looked at him confused and worried; he obviously was going to do something else. What could have happened?

Moira returned to the kitchen, and Adeline wanted to show Jessica something in there, so Jessica went not without grumbling annoyed first. She obviously wanted to stay with Liam there.

So there we were… Liam and I on that empty restaurant, drinking that exquisite chocolate.

This was the first time in all the afternoon I looked at him from a close perspective. But there was something really weird I've noticed in him, something seemed to have changed since the last time I saw him in the corridor. It wasn't anything glaring, it was very subtle. Not something you could see, it was more like something you could sense…

"Hey" I called him "Have you done something different to you?"

"Mmmh… not that I remember… Why?" He mouthed, confused. I thought I saw a pinch of worry in his face, but he recomposed so fast I couldn't really tell.

"I don't know… you just seem… different. Never mind, it must be me that I'm just starting to know you…" I said as letting it pass. But I wasn't really doing that, I was mentally taking notes of every single aspect I saw on them, just as Carlisle had asked us to. Suddenly he made a step toward me.

"Oh wait…" he mouthed.

"What?"

"You have chocolate here…" he hesitated with his finger in the air and then slowly started cleaning the side of my mouth with his thumb.

And I just let him do it. Not just because I was feeling embarrassed because I looked like a two year old when it was about eating chocolate, it was also because something really weird in me woke up, an irrational feeling wanted him to keep his thumb just inches from my lips. He 'cleaned'that place more than enough lingering there. Now his thumb had reached my lips, very slightly. It was almost a ghost touch.

But I was frozen, my brain was frozen. Although I wanted to get out of there, knowing what it was happening was wrong, really wrong! My mind just didn't respond me. The only sign that it was giving to my body was that I must stay there.

Then he look at me deeply in they eyes and slowly leaned towards me…