Authors Notes:
1. I dedicate this chapter to a girl named Molly who I have had the pleasure of getting to know these past few weeks. She is truly an inspiration and she has given me more motivation than she would ever realize. Also, a special thanks to Carol, who shared Molly's story with me and patiently answered my questions and set up ways for me to contact Molly. You both are great. :)
2. To all those struggling to gain freedom in Iran, my thoughts are with you. To all of you who have the luxury of accessing this page (or twitter, facebook, myspace, etc), take a moment and realize how fortunate you are. If you were where they are right now, you would not have the ability to do so.
3. Special thanks to my two amazing beta readers. Kaitlyn and Stephanie have been so awesome. They both got this chapter edited for me in a matter of 2 hours today so that I could post it. I wouldn't have been able to do it for several days otherwise because tomorrow I am getting all four of my wisdom teeth out, minus the convenience of any meds to knock me out. Yep. Totally coherent. I'm not looking forward to it.
4. This chapter took a while to come to me. I've had a terrible week. If you're from the US, you probably know about the shenanigans with General Motors. My dad is a GM retiree, so we've been dealing with all of that fun stuff lately. I've been looking for a job. Still batteling health issues. And there have been family issues that left me unable to form any non-angsty thoughts for several weeks. I apologize for the delay.
5. Alot of you have mentioned how you don't like the idea of Bella and Edward hiding their relationship. Without giving anything away, let me just say that this IS going some place. There is a reason for this that is directly related to the plot. Trust people. Trust. ;)
Lastly, and then I promise I'll shut up, I would like to thank you all for your reviews. I know I don't always have time to reply to everyone, but I really do appreciate it. I will make a conscious (though maybe slightly incoherent due to my prescription drugs) effort to respond to everyone while I'm moping around the house with icepacks held to my face through the creative method of a bra. Yes. Someone suggested it. If I'm in enough pain, I'll go with it. ;)
I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLL
BPOV
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a bright pink towel around myself. It felt good to take a shower. Almost as if I could wash the previous nights events away and start new.
I had awoken this morning to find myself in a very large bed with the most comfortable and soft sheets I had ever had the privilege of sleeping on. The bed smelled very strongly of Edward and I allowed myself to appreciate the distinct aroma for a moment before sitting up. Edward was just across the room, laying on the couch, still asleep.
He slept on the couch? I had felt a small pang of guilt which was quickly overshadowed by another feeling as the glass of water I had downed just before bed came back to haunt me. Not wanting to wake Edward up, I snuck out of the room, intent on finding another restroom.
Conveniently, I had found Alice just in the hallway and she had dragged me back to her room and set me up with a shower and my freshly laundered clothes from yesterday.
It was only 9 in the morning, and I was definitely still tired. No matter how late I went to bed, though, I had trouble sleeping past 8. I was never really one for sleeping in. Once the sun was up, I was up. Alice had gotten much more sleep than Edward and I had last night, so she was obnoxiously chipper this morning. She was probably obnoxiously chipper regardless of her amount of sleep though, I thought idly as I toweled my hair and slipped back into the comfort of my own clothing.
Alice was waiting for me out in the bedroom when I finally emerged from the bathroom.
"Feel better?" she smiled.
"Yeah," I nodded.
"So… how exactly did you come to be in Edward's room last night," she asked with a smirk.
"No, nothing happened," I started.
"Of course not," she smiled.
"I couldn't sleep and he came down for a drink of water and then he offered me clothes to use as pajamas and I fell asleep on the couch because he started singing," I explained, blushing a little at the last detail. It was probably not something I needed to mention.
"Edward's an awesome singer," Alice nodded. "You should hear him play the piano. Sorry, by the way, for forgetting pajamas last night. I feel like a tard," she apologized.
"A tard?" I chuckled.
"Yes, a tard."
We fell silent for a moment and I joined her on the edge of the bed, running the towel through my hair a couple more times before she started up again.
"Are you okay, Bella?"
I looked over at her questioningly.
"I mean… last night, and everything… are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm… I'm alright," I nodded.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Edward helped a lot last night… I mean… talking to me. It's okay. It could have been much worse." "Yeah," she said quietly. "You hungry? I think Ma' is making breakfast."
"Sure," I nodded. "Should we… um, wake up Edward?"
"No. He'll come around when he smells bacon," she smiled.
I laughed and followed Alice out of the room and down the stairs. I could already smell the distinct smell of sausage as we crossed through the living room and into the kitchen where Esme was busy at the stove.
"Morning Mom," Alice sang, kissing her mother on the cheek.
"Good morning Alice. Good morning Bella."
"Good morning," I smiled. She winked and then turned back toward the stove where about 12 sausage links were smoking. She rotated them and then produced another pan. She began trying to open a bag of bacon while juggling the sausage.
"Here, I can help you with that," I offered quickly, stepping forward and starting on the bacon.
"I'll make the orange juice," Alice smiled.
"Thank you girls," Esme smiled. "Is Edward still passed out?"
"Of course," Alice smiled.
I stifled a laugh and began arranging the bacon in the pan.
"So, how did you sleep last night. Bella?" Esme began conversationally.
"Oh, okay… for the most part."
"That's good. Edward didn't keep you up with his snoring?"
"No… I don't even remember falling asleep, actually. I was talking to him on the couch and then… I woke up."
"You weren't still on the couch, right?" Esme frowned.
"No… actually," I realized then that I had somehow made the transition from the couch to the bed without my knowledge of it. "I guess I never realized.."
"Edward must have moved her," Alice chimed.
"He knows hospitality. I taught him well," Esme beamed.
"Something smells good," an unfamiliar voice interjected. I whirled around to see a tall, lean, blonde haired man enter the kitchen. He looked surprisingly young, but there was also the distinct look of wisdom to his face. His blue eyes were depthless and looked as if they could hold more knowledge than an entire library of books. There were very discreet laugh lines around his eyes that suggested that he spent a lot of time smiling.
"Morning, Dad," Alice sang as she stirred the orange juice.
"Morning," he smiled, crossing over to the stove where Esme and I were still preparing the sausage and bacon. He encircled his arms around Esme's waist and placed his mouth next to her ear. "Good morning, beautiful," I heard him whisper. Esme smiled and turned her head to the side to supply him with a tender kiss. I looked away, my heart melting at his affection for his wife. I could certainly see where Edward got his manners from.
"And you must be Bella," he turned toward me, extending his hand.
I was in the process of flipping the bacon, so I slipped my unoccupied arm under my other one and shook his hand awkwardly. "It's nice to meet you Dr. Cullen."
"Please, call me Carlisle," he smiled. "I see they've already put you to work."
"No, I volunteered," I corrected him quickly. "It's no trouble, really. I do all the cooking at my house anyhow."
"Chief Swan's not a cook, huh?" he chuckled.
"Not by any stretch of the imagination," I made a face. Esme and Carlisle laughed.
Carlisle clapped me on the shoulder gently. "Is there anything I can do to help you ladies?"
"Set the table?" Esme suggested.
"Sure thing, mama," he winked. I smiled at his quip. I thought it was cute that he called her 'mama' and greeted her with "Good Morning, beautiful" in the mornings.
He set the table quickly and then seated himself back in the kitchen at the bar as Esme and I finished up with the meat.
"How many eggs would you like, Bella?" Esme asked, getting out a different pan and a carton of eggs.
"Just one, thank you," I said quietly as I finished transferring the bacon onto the plate with the sausage.
"I'll take that for you," Carlisle offered, reaching for the plate. I handed it to him and he transferred it to the table quickly.
"Over-easy alright?"
I nodded.
I didn't want to seem useless, so I made myself busy helping Alice, who had just started on the toast. I buttered it as it came out of the toaster oven. I glanced up in between slices to see Carlisle staring at me, a peculiar expression on his face. He noticed me staring back and his face spread into a knowing smile before he turned his attention back to Esme. I went back to buttering toast, but I noticed him staring in that same way at me several more times. It was like he was studying me appreciatively. Not in a weird way… but as if he was genuinely happy that I was standing in his kitchen buttering toast with his daughter.
"Edward still sleeping?" he suddenly asked, looking around as if he had just noticed that Edward wasn't present.
"Yep," Esme sighed. "Someone want to go wake his lazy butt up? Bella?" she turned and glanced at me. "Oh, you're helping Al. Carli-"
"No, that's okay!" Alice squeaked quickly. "I'm almost done with the toast. Bella can go." She nudged me with her hip and I stumbled away from the counter. Carlisle and Esme both smiled and looked down as I shot Alice a what-the-hell glance. She winked and went back to her toast, looking up after a moment to jerk her head toward the door, cueing my exit.
Scowling at Alice's not-so-subtle ploy, I left the kitchen and shuffled through the dining room and living room toward the stairs. I took them slowly, not entirely sure how to go about waking him up. Hopefully he was a light sleeper and would wake up just by me knocking on the door…
Fortunately for me, I didn't even make it that far. As I reached the top of the stairs, his bedroom door opened and he emerged. I caught a glimpse of his subtly sculpted abs as he pulled the white t-shirt on. He had changed into jeans, already, too.
"Oh!" he stopped when he saw me. "Bella, I… uh, Good Morning."
"Morning," I nodded, subconsciously biting my lip.
"How long have you been awake?" he winced.
"Couple hours," I shrugged.
"Sorry," he grimaced.
"It's okay, I'm always an early riser. They said you would wake up when you smelled the bacon," I smiled.
"Yeah. I smell bacon and sausage this morning," he wiggled his eyebrows and I giggled. I was about to turn and head back downstairs but he reached out and caught my arm before I could. "Hey, hang on," I turned back to face him. "I just wanted to apologize again for last night. I know you hate when I apologize… but this is an instance in which I could never apologize enough."
"No, Edward, it's okay. Really. Thank you for helping me and letting me stay over. You've been…" I looked for the right word, but eventually settled on "great."
"Great," he scoffed, rolling his eyes a little.
"No, honestly, though.." I rebuked. "Thank you for sticking up for me yesterday. And… yes, great. You're being extremely understanding. Just… even you offering to keep our," I felt my heart spring into my throat as I said the word - "relationship a secret… It means a lot to me. So, thanks,"
He smiled at me for a second, his eyes seemingly searching my face for some kind of answer. Suddenly, he took a step toward me and placed his hand on my lower back, drawing me toward him. Very softly, his lips found my forehead and lingered only for a moment before he wrapped his arms tightly around my back and captured me in a tight and comforting hug.
"Bella?" I heard Alice's voice call from downstairs. "Breakfast is getting cold, tell Edward to hurry up!"
Edward sighed and wound his fingers in mine, leading me down the stairs.
It was an amazing feeling to walk into a room of people, even if it was just Edward's family, holding his hand. It said something. It was a statement of something more than I had ever expected would be fact as far as Edward and I were concerned.
In his home, instead of a public display of affection being met with gawks and disapproving stares, we were met with smiles and pleased glances.
It was exhilarating, and I loved it.
Edward pulled out a chair for me, as per usual. I gave him a discreet smile and sat down. Esme and Carlisle beamed at their son. Alice was texting under the table.
We started eating in relative silence for a while before Carlisle broke the silence.
"I don't suppose you remember meeting me before, do you Bella?"
It took me off guard. I blinked several times and shook my head.
"You were about 6, I believe. You were staying with your dad for spring break and you broke your arm climbing that apple tree outside of your house."
"I remember that," I said quietly. "My mom was so mad at Char- at my dad."
"I was the doctor in the ER that night. It was pretty slow so I put the cast on myself. I had forgotten about it myself until just now," he chuckled.
"I was so young… all I remember is the pain. And that I hated that cast."
He laughed.
"So, what are your plans for this unusually sunny Saturday, kids?" Esme asked.
Alice looked up and smiled, "Jasper and I are going to go to LaPush to hang out on the beach. I'm not missing this opportunity to get a decent tan."
Esme smiled and turned her attention toward Edward and I.
"Oh, well… I have to go home and start on dinner pretty soon…" I supplied. I noticed Edward's shoulders slump a little as I said it.
"What on earth are you making for supper that requires that much time for preparation?" Esme continued.
"A pot roast," I shrugged. "It tastes better when it's cooked in the slow cooker."
"I see," Esme smiled.
"I agree. I like a roast much better when it's put in the crockpot all day," Carlisle added.
We exchanged several other inconsequential comments before the end of breakfast. I helped clear the table when we were finished, and I offered to help Esme do the dishes. Edward had excused himself after breakfast because he had to get something from his room, and had yet to return by the time Esme and I had finished dishes.
"Bella, are you sure you don't want to come to the beach with Jasper and I?" Alice offered for the third time.
"That's okay. I've got a lot to do at home…" I explained again, though I really didn't. If I was being honest with myself, going to the beach with Alice really did sound like fun. I could bring a book along and enjoy the weather. There were mainly two things that were preventing me from accepting, however. First, it was a Saturday, and it was sunny. Chances are, half of Forks High would show up at the beach today, and most of them were likely present at the party last night. Secondly, Alice was going with the intention of tanning. Tanning required a bathing suit. I hated wearing a bathing suit. It wasn't because I was insecure, I had just never found the point in showcasing my body like that. I felt weird to go out in public wearing less clothes than I wore to bed at night. Also… well, La Push meant Jacob would likely be present. Or at least he would if word got around that I was there. Especially since I abruptly disconnected our phone call the previous night. I was definitely going to have some explaining to do to him.
"Alright, but if you get bored -- you know where we'll be," she smiled. "I'm going to get ready. Are you leaving, then?"
"Yeah, I should probably get going," I nodded.
"Okay, I'll go tell Ed. I don't know where the hell he disappeared to," she frowned.
Esme wiped the soap water off of her hands and walked toward me. "Well, then, Bella. It was nice to meet you."
"It was nice to meet you too," I replied quickly. "Thanks for letting me stay over."
"Oh, it was a pleasure having you here, sweetheart. Don't be a stranger. You're welcome over here any time." She gave me a hug and departed, leaving Alice and I in her wake.
Alice was about to exit as well, likely to find Edward, when Edward walked in the door.
"Oh, where the hell have you been?" she frowned.
"I was…" he hesitated and then turned away from her, extending his hand toward me. In it was a purple CD case. "Ludovico Einaudi," he explained.
"Oh!" I smiled, accepting the CD from him. "Thank you."
"Right…" Alice gave us an odd look. "Well I'll see you in school, Bella," she leaned forward and gave me a brief hug before bouncing out of the room, leaving Edward and I alone in the middle of the kitchen.
"I'll walk you out," he offered.
I bobbed my head and followed him through the kitchen and out to the driveway. My heart began pounding as we neared the large red pile of metal that was my means of transportation. I didn't know what was technically supposed to happen now. He was walking me out. Was this the part where he was supposed to kiss me goodbye? What if he did? What if I was bad at it? Or worse, what if he didn't…
"Drive safe," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels.
"Yeah," I said awkwardly, fumbling behind me for the door handle. He seemed to be contemplating the same decision I had been in his head and I suddenly found myself panicking. I didn't want to be bad at kissing. I wasn't ready to find out if I lacked the talent yet, either. Could you lack that talent? Was that even considered a talent?
I panicked, and I jumped in the car before he could make any distinct move. He looked slightly disappointed for a moment, but his face changed the moment I turned the key in the ignition. My truck sputtered several times, but the ignition refused to turn over. I sighed and rested my forehead on the steering wheel as I again turned the key, rendering the same result.
"Stalled," I groaned.
"I'll pull my car over and jump it for you," he offered.
"Kay…" I sighed. "Thanks".
He disappeared for a moment, giving me just enough time to mumble out a few choice words for my truck under my breath. I tried to start it one more time, but to no avail. I popped the hood and jumped out of the truck as Edward pulled his car around.
"I'm sorry about this," I groaned as he popped his hood and extracted a new set of jumper cables from the back of his trunk.
"It's okay, Bella. Shit happens," he waved off my apology.
I extended my hands for the cables. I had done this many times with my truck, so I knew exactly what I was doing. I expected that Edward had never had to jump a vehicle in his life. His vehicles were always in great condition, I'm sure.
"I got it," he grinned, expertly placing the cables. Surprisingly enough, he seemed to know what he was doing.
In less than a minute, my truck groaned to life.
He grinned proudly as he put away the cables and shut the hood on his car. "Are you sure that thing is going to make it back to your house without dying on you again?" His face turned serious as he asked.
"Yeah, it should be fine.." I shrugged. Almost as if its intention was proving me wrong, my truck's engine whined slightly before the engine began grumbling louder.
"Are you sure?" he smirked.
I grimaced.
"I'll follow you home," he smiled. "Just to make sure."
"No, you don't have to do that…" I blushed, feeling guilty for wasting his time like that.
"It's okay, Bella. I have to go to the bank today anyway before it closes," he insisted.
I sighed and gave him my best stern look before rolling my eyes in defeat. "Fine," I said with mock annoyance.
He rolled his eyes back at me and jumped into his car.
The entire drive home I could almost see his impatience radiating from the car behind me. I was going much slower than he cared to even take corners at, I was certain. By the time we finally reached my home, I figured he might explode with frustration. Instead, he appeared by my door while I was gathering my things and opened the door for me, a smile on his face.
"You don't always have to do that, you know.." I said as I jumped out of the truck.
"I know," he shrugged.
I shook my head subtly and smiled as I shut the door. He seemed intent on walking me to my door, too. The fear returned to my stomach. Was this the part where we kissed? Was that part coming at all? I knew somehow that I was going to be really bad at it.
I surveyed the driveway and found that Charlie's cruiser was not present. I figured that he was probably already at work.
I stopped on the porch just before the door and turned to face Edward. He was staring intently at me, biting his bottom lip.
"Wannacomein?" I blurted out quickly.
"What?" he frowned.
"Would you like to come in?" I repeated. Was I being too forward? Should I be inviting him into my house when my father wasn't there? Did that mean something I wasn't aware that it meant? Shit, I was bad at this. "I mean… so that I can make you that CD," I added quickly.
"Oh," his face fell for a moment, but then he reinstalled the smile and nodded. "Sure."
"Okay.." I fumbled with the house key and finally managed to open the front door. I found myself to be absurdly nervous as I ascended the stairs, leading the way to my room. I had a feeling that if Charlie were here, he wouldn't be so fond of the idea of me having a boy in my room. Alone. But he wasn't here, and something told me he would have even more of a problem with that. I mean… Jacob was in there all the time. But only when both of our parents were downstairs. And besides, Jacob was like my brother.
I opened the door to my room, hoping desperately that I hadn't left anything embarrassing laying around. It would be just my luck to invite him into my room when a pile of dirty clothes was sitting by the foot of the bed or something. Luckily, I had just done laundry and cleaned my room, so there were no skeletons to be worried about.
I took a seat in the computer chair and started it up. I turned around and found him standing somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the room.
"You can sit," I giggled, nodding my head toward the bed.
He smiled and sat down, bouncing his leg as he waited patiently. I shuffled in the cabinet beneath the desk until I found a pack of blank Cds and a sharpie marker. I took the CD out of the case and wrote "Yiruma" on the top of it, sparing a moment to blush at my terrible handwriting before popping the CD into the computer and bringing up my iTunes program.
As the CD began burning, I rotated my chair back around so that I was facing Edward. His gaze was fixated on a corner of the room, and when I followed it, I found that he was studying a piece of blue construction paper that was tacked to the wall. It was a finger painting that I had no recollection of doing. I remembered the story my mom told me about it, though..
"Young artist?" he commented.
"Not really," I wrinkled my nose.
"Looks like a pretty creative piece to me," he joked.
I turned back to study the picture again. It was one of those things that I just took for granted. It had always been there, but I had never really taken the time to look at it.
"I don't remember when I made it, but my mom always told me the story about it. She had a habit of retelling stories fifteen times, thinking it was new information to me. I always let her do it because she liked to talk," I smiled fondly as I thought of my mother. It was almost painful how much I missed her, but yet… I knew we were both where we needed to be right then. "Apparently the principal called her and had her come pick me up one day towards the end of my kindergarten year because I claimed to be homesick. As soon as I got home, I grabbed some paper and paint and started making this picture. She asked me what the heck I was doing and I told her that I was making a picture for my dad. I don't know, I guess she was really confused and then she figured out that it had been bring your father to school day. Everyone in my class had been making pictures with their dads when I left," I chuckled, staring aimlessly at the wall, not really seeing the picture anymore.
"That must have been tough," Edward commented, drawing me out of my reverie. "Growing up without your dad."
I shrugged slightly, "Yeah. I mean… I was distracted when I was growing up. Renee jumped from guy to guy all through my childhood, so I learned how to take care of her and myself when I was young. She's really scatterbrained like that. I would always worry about her when she would send me to Forks to visit my dad. God, I hated Forks when I was a kid…" I scoffed.
"Why?"
"I hated the rain. I liked to be able to sit outside and read a book in the sun. I was used to the Phoenix weather of one hundred plus degrees. Forks was like a polar opposite of that…" I looked back over to the picture and studied it again. "My stick figures even look awful," I grimaced.
"I especially like how the skirt your stick figure is wearing is about eight times the width of the stick figure itself," Edward chuckled. "And I also like how your dads gun is bigger than his head,"
"Shut up," I rolled my eyes. "At least I drew pretty rain…." I glanced back at the light blue streaks decorating the page and the dark gray cloud that covered half of the picture. There were several long yellow streaks of paint though that broke through the clouds right above the terrible stick figures. I squinted at the picture closer and saw that I had tried to depict Charlie's and my own stick figures as holding hands… but it looked more like there were two small pin cushions attached to each of our hands. In the other "hand" Charlie held a very rough sketch of a gun. I always pictured Charlie with a gun when I had been younger. It made me feel safe when I was with him. Renee had told me that I used to ask all of her boyfriends if they had a gun to protect her from bad people when I was younger. I didn't really remember that either.
The computer behind me clicked and the CD drive popped out. I retrieved the finished CD and put it back in the case and handed it over to Edward.
"Why thank you, miss," he said jokingly.
"You're quite welcome, sir," I replied.
We exchanged a quick smile before an awkward silence presented itself. I bit my lip tentatively, unsure of what to say or do next and suddenly very aware that I was alone with a boy in my room while Charlie wasn't home.
"I should, uh… I should probably get dinner started…" I mentioned.
"Oh," his face fell slightly and I immediately felt remorse. I didn't mean to make him feel like he had to leave.
"Shall we move this party to the kitchen?" I suggested, trying to throw as much lightheartedness into my voice as possible.
"Sure," he smiled, standing up from the bed and following me out the door. I grabbed my iPod off of my desk and lead the way.
"I'm sorry," I apologized quickly. "I'm being a terrible host. I should have warned you that I'm really not that interesting."
"I disagree," his voice was calm and smooth from behind me as we entered the kitchen. "I think you're very interesting."
I smiled quickly, wiping it away before he could see it. "You can sit at the table. I just have to get this roast in now because it needs to be slow cooked for at least 7 hours," I explained.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" he offered. "After all, you did help make breakfast this morning."
"No, it's okay. Despite what you may think, a roast is probably one of the easiest things to make," I added.
He nodded and sat down at the table as I busied myself gathering things out of the refrigerator and cupboards. I was relieved when he began making successful small-talk. I had been running out of things to talk about, but he was much more creative than me. We discussed books and interests in more depth than we had before, only cut off when the phone began ringing. My hands were covered in potato peelings and I had a peeler in my hand, but I still managed to snatch the phone off of the cupboard and bring it to my ear.
"Shit," I mumbled, "This phone is dead."
"I can grab that one," Edward gestured to the wall where the phone was still ringing obnoxiously.
"Could you?" I asked uselessly. He nodded and sprinted over to it. A sudden pang of fear invaded my chest as I thought what if it's Charlie?
"Hello, Swan Residence," Edward's smooth voice fell from his lips like something sweeter than chocolate. I was momentarily dazed by how dulcet his voice could sound when he was trying.
"Hello?" he said again. He waited a moment before setting the phone back on the hook and turning to me with a shrug, "No answer."
I shrugged back, "I'll check the caller ID later."
He nodded and took his seat again, picking up our conversation where we had left off. I took the opportunity to suggest that he plug my iPod in during the first lull in conversation. I had forgotten that I brought it down and it was sitting on the table beside Edward.
"There's a dock right over there on the counter," I jerked my head to the side, gesturing toward it.
"You can pick whatever music you want," I shrugged, hoping that there wasn't any Spice Girls or something equally embarrassing accidentally uploaded onto it.
"Oh, okay.." he got up immediately to oblige. In several moments, the smooth melodies of "Kiss the Rain" by Yiruma were drifting through the kitchen.
"Mmm," I smiled. "You picked my favorite one."
He went back to sitting down at the table and quietly listened to the music for a while before commenting. "I feel like I cheated you."
"What?" I frowned, turning my attention from the carrots I was cutting up.
"This makes the CD I made you look amateurish."
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I smiled at him. He met my gaze for several seconds before nodding slightly.
"Very beautiful."
I don't know what it was about the way he said it that was so embarrassing, but I quickly turned back around to hide my blush.
We listened to the music for a little bit longer until it was interrupted by Edwards cell phone ringing, which was harsh in comparison.
"Hello?" I heard him speak into the phone in a much less comforting tone as he had answered my phone with. "What do you mean you lost your car?"
I frowned in confusion, turning around to shoot him a questioning glance. He rolled his eyes at the speaker on the phone and continued. "What park did you lose your car at, Emmett?"
I stifled a giggle and finished depositing the carrots into the pot and covering it.
"Find a road sign you moron," Edward continued behind me as I washed my hands and turned to face him, leaning on the counter.
"You're at Trombley park, then?" he frowned. " Have you been there since the party last night? Dumbass. Where's Rose? You lost Rose, too?"
I placed two hands over my mouth to stifle the sudden bout of laughter.
"Yeah, dude. I'll come find you. You so owe me for this, though." Edward repocketed his phone and let out a long sigh as I released my laughter.
"What?" I asked.
"He left Tanya's party after we did last night, but not before taking a 5th of vodka with him. Him and Rose went to the park and drank on the swingset. He just woke up on a bench and Rose was gone and he can't find his vehicle and his head hurts. That's the basic story." Edward groaned, rubbing his hand over his face in exasperation.
I laughed again, "He make's good choices."
"His moral compass is definitely a fascinating thing," Edward nodded in agreement. "But it seems that I have to be going so that I can pick up my severely hung over best friend and find his car and girlfriend."
"Did he seriously lose Rose?" I frowned.
"I'm guessing she just left his ass there and took his car after he passed out. That's something that Rose would do. She holds her alcohol very well."
I giggled.
"Neither of them should have been driving anyway," he frowned. "I hate when they get wasted like that and then drive. It's not as bad if they're only kind of buzzed. Anyway," he said, standing up. "Thanks for the CD…"
I began walking with him toward the door, my heart rate accelerating as we got closer and closer to the goodbye I had been stressing over all day.
He slipped his shoes back on at the door and I stepped out onto the porch with him.
"Well…" he rocked back on his heels a little and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Thanks again, Bella. For… you know, coming with me last night. And I'm really sorry about what happened."
"It could have been much worse," I reminded him. "And you're welcome. It was pretty fun… with that exception."
"Yeah… I'm… embarrassed." he said, running his hand through his hair.
"It's not your fault," I reminded him.
"Yeah. So… about our… situation," he continued. "Would you prefer if I didn't sit next to you at lunch? I mean… just so we can keep this… so we can keep us on the down low and prevent stuff like that.." He waved his hand behind him in an absent gesture.
I gulped. "I don't know. I don't want to… I mean… I would really like to be able to…"
"No, I know what you mean," he stepped in. "I don't want you to get hurt on my account. It would be selfish of me to expect you to do that."
I didn't say anything, I just looked up at him. His eyes were full of a mixture of emotions. Regret, sadness, determination…
"We'll just see how it works out?" I suggested questioningly.
"Okay. But we'll still have to be lab partners," he pointed out. "I don't think Mr. Banner would let me switch again… and I really don't want to go back to partnering with Tanya.."
I let out a small laugh and nodded in agreement.
"And we can… you know. Hang out after school and on weekends instead of in school…" he continued, looking up at me to gauge my response.
I nodded again, "That sounds like a plan," I said lamely.
"Are you going to tell your dad?" he asked suddenly, biting his lip quickly afterward, his eyes full of apology.
"Oh… um, maybe. At the right time. Are you going to tell your parents?"
"Yes. If it's okay with you. Alice will beat it out of me anyway… and my mom and dad pretty much love you already, so I'm sure they'll be thrilled. Alice won't say anything, though. Except maybe to Jasper. But he can keep a secret."
"Okay," I nodded.
"Right… well," he glanced down at the welcome mat beneath our feet and then back up at me again. "I guess I'll see you Monday.."
I nodded, giving him a slight smile and trying to figure out whether I should hug him or… shake his hand or… something.
He made an awkward hand gesture and then half turned to leave, but stopped short. He turned back to me, his face uncertain. "Can I…" he started hesitantly. "Would it be okay if I kissed you goodbye?"
I felt my heart melt. I knew he was chivalrous and polite and everything, but I hadn't expected him to be so polite as to ask me first. I couldn't say no…
"I…" I felt my heart jump up into my throat, efficiently blocking my speech. "I might be bad… I mean… I've never.." I flushed scarlet and felt my face heat up exponentially. "Yes," I whispered.
The corner of his mouth pulled up into a breathtaking half smile and he looked at me for a moment before lifting his hand to my face. He placed his fingers just beneath my chin and tilted my head up. I felt suddenly weak as he leaned toward me. His lips were warm as they pressed against mine. It was a moment of total bliss tangled in a mass of nerves. He pulled away almost immediately, smiling again. I don't know what I was so worried about. It was just a peck on the lips after all.
"Bye, Bella," he grinned, squeezing my hand once before heading down the steps and toward his car. I hadn't even remembered holding his hand in the first place, but I wasn't going to dwell on that right now. I stood on the porch, glued to my spot. My heart was racing and I felt my lips break into a huge smile. I watched as he got into his car, throwing me one last smile before putting it in gear and driving off. It wasn't until after he was gone that I noticed the other vehicle on the street.
A yellow Rabbit.
My heart plummeted. I knew that vehicle. And I knew the person sitting in the driver's seat. I felt my smile vanish as I stared back at him. Through the distance that separated us, I couldn't read his expression… but one could guess that it was not going to be one of approval.
I stood for another moment, uncertain of what to do. He continued to sit in his car, unmoving. Finally, I forced my feet to move. I walked down the porch steps and toward his car. He merely stared at me as I approached. His eyes were emotionless and dark. I was only 3 feet away when he finally moved. He opened the car door and stepped out, slamming the rusted door with excessive force behind him and crossing his arms as he leaned against it.
"Jake… what's, um… what's up?" I stammered. "What are you doing here?"
He stared at me for several uncomfortable moments, his expression still unreadable. "What do you mean what am I doing here, Bella? You hung up on me last night after you told an obvious lie as to your whereabouts. You never called me back or answered my calls the rest of the night. I call your house this morning first to find that no one is home, then again to a strange guys voice answering. I come over and I see you sucking face with… Bella, what's going on?" His voice grew darker and more solemn with each word until I was cringing at his tone.
"What do you mean what's going on?"
"Who was that?"
"It was…" I hesitated, knowing that he wasn't going to be happy about this. "Edward."
"Edward Cullen!?" His voice jumped several notches up in volume.
"Yes," I replied timidly.
"Isabella, did you spend the night with that boy last night? Did your dad know that you spent the night with a boy?"
Something about his condescending tone set me off. It flipped a switch in my brain and I was suddenly seething.
"That is none of your business, Jake," I growled.
"It is my business, Bella. If you're not going to look out for yourself, someone has to!"
"What makes you think that I need anyone to look out for me?" I began raising my voice more and more.
"Well obviously you do! What are you doing hanging out with Edward Cullen?" he spat the name out like it had an unpleasant taste.
"What do you have against Edward Cullen?" I challenged, placing my hands on my hips and taking a very defensive stance.
"He's not good for you!"
"And who are you to judge what is and what isn't good for me?" I growled.
"Your best friend," he stated simply.
"Well your attitude right now is proving otherwise," I snapped.
His face fell and he stared at me in disbelief for a moment. I almost regretted being so harsh, but I was too livid and angry to care at that moment.
After a little more silence, he said quietly, "You've already changed."
"No I haven't," I argued.
"You spent the night at a boys house and lied to your dad about it." It was a statement of fact, not a request for confirmation. That angered me further.
"How do you know that's what I did last night?" I snarled.
"Because you didn't correct me the first time I accused you."
"For your information, I went to a party last night. And Charlie knows that I spent the night at the Cullen's so don't you go waving around false accusations."
"Does Charlie know that you're making out with one of the Cullen's?" Jacob raised his eyebrow sarcastically.
"No, he doesn't. First of all, we weren't making out, and seeing as that is the first time it happened, I don't think you can fault me for him not knowing thanks." I said sarcastically.
"Bella… I can't believe you can't see how this has changed you. You just admitted to going to a party last night. That is so unlike you."
"Would you prefer that I spend my Friday nights at home with my dad for the rest of my life? I need to start living sometime, Jake."
"You could have come to the bonfire on the rez!" he argued. "You know we have a bonfire every Friday night. Why did you have to…. I mean… Bella, why him?"
"Why not him?" I retorted.
He stared at me for a moment before responding. "I told you. He's not good for you."
"What reason do you have to justify that? Do you know him?"
"It's… the whole family… they just.."
"What?" I frowned, wondering how he was going to pull the entire family into this conversation.
"They have a bad reputation on the rez," he explained.
"Why?"
"I don't know!" he threw his hands in the air. "I just know they're not… he's not right for you."
"Then who is?" I groaned.
He stared at me for a moment in disbelief before he shook his head and opened the door of his car.
"Wait, where are you going?" I grabbed the door as he climbed into the car.
"Home," he growled before wrenching the door out of my grip and driving off.
I stood for several minutes in the middle of the road, staring after Jacob's receding taillights before giving up and going back into the house. The music was still playing in the kitchen and I ended up sitting at the table, staring at the wall for about an hour.
I had been so ridiculously happy for the briefest moment and Jacob had to ruin it. I was so mad at him that it was almost unbelievable… but why did I feel so guilty about it. He had offended me in several ways, and I had been completely within my rights to say the things that I had said… but still…
I took out my phone and sent him a single text.
I'm genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. Why can't you be happy for me instead of ruining it?
After I sent it, the truth behind the words hit me. I really was happy, despite being sick with worry over my relationship with my best friend. Despite the knowledge that I would have to hide everything I felt toward Edward during school hours. Despite what almost happened last night…
I couldn't be upset about any of it because in truth, I was too happy about everything else.
I looked up at the clock, shocked to find that it was already 4 in the afternoon. Charlie would be home any time.
After some contemplation, I decided not to tell Charlie about Edward just yet. It wasn't the right time for me. I was too upset over Jacobs reaction, I didn't need to worry about Charlie's reaction on top of that.
When Charlie arrived home, I managed to get away with minimal conversation about the previous night. I didn't want to lie anymore than I had to, and I didn't want to make him suspicious. He seemed satisfied enough with the details that I did give him. I told him that Carlisle had told me to tell him "Hi" and then he got sidetracked discussing how much he liked Dr. Cullen. After supper, I excused myself to my bedroom, happy to have some more time to myself. I popped in the CD that Edward had given me and plucked my weathered copy of "Wuthering Heights" off of the shelf and plopped down onto the bed. Just as I had hoped, I was immediately immersed in the crinkled and dog-eared pages. I was lost to the world until about 10 at night when my phone went off, signaling a text message. I realized that I was tired anyway and put the book away as I reached for my cell phone.
I love this CD. Thanks for a great day. Can I call you tomorrow?
I was smiling before I had even read the end of the text. I responded - Right back at you, and yes, of course you can call me.
I set my phone down and quickly changed into my pajamas.
It only took him thirty-two seconds to respond. I knew because I counted.
Okay. I'll talk to you then. Sweet dreams, Bella. :)
I fell asleep with a smile on my face.