Robin heard the dogs barking irritated and someone trying to shush them. She fought to open her heavy lids her body feeling fuzzy from the hydrocodone. She heard the television turn off followed by the stereo system. Her eyes opened into little half moons as cold strong arms scooped her up. "Mmm Edward?" she asked sleepily looking up into his handsome face. She felt his body stiffen against hers as he easily carried her to the large master bedroom. He didn't respond when she called his name again. She sighed and buried her face into his chest. It was cool like the other side of the pillow and smelled amazing like fresh linen sheets you wanted to slip between.
"What are you doing here?" she asked looking up at him through her mess of curls. Again Edward was silent as he shifted her in his arms. "Close the door or the dogs will get in the bed with us." she said softly. Like a silent specter he pushed the door closed with his foot then carried her to the bed. He set her down in the middle of the big disheveled bed. He fished the remote from between the sheets and looked at it. Robin opened her mouth to tell him she needed noise to sleep peacefully but found it dry.
As if knowing what she wanted he pressed the play button and covered her up. She dry swallowed and attempted to push herself up in bed. He pressed her into the bed with one hand and shook his head. She tried to resist past him but he was adamant she lay there on the bed. She just didn't have the strength or presence of mind to fight him. He removed his hand and sat on the edge or the bed his fingers thin and sure running through her chin length curly hair playing with the ringlets that formed in her sleep.
"This is nice." she said dreamily. "I am sorry I punched you, but sometimes your so…" she rambled feeling sleep wanting to wash over her. "You have nice fingers, I bet you play piano, I used to play before I took up sketching." she continued to ramble thinking it was strange that he wasn't saying anything to her.
Edward just stayed silent, ghostly in her barely opened eyes. She closed them yawning and didn't fight to open them again. She didn't feel anything but she knew he was getting up as if an instinct. She reached out her hand hitting the bed where he had sat. "Stay…" she grumbled turning on to her stomach cuddling the pillow.
Robin woke up groaning as the dogs scratched at the door. She sat up alarmed, she hadn't remembered getting up and going to the bed last night. She reached in the sheets for her phone to check the time before remembering the shards on the table. She frowned getting out of bed still clothed. If she had walked to bed she would have at least stripped down to her tee shirt and under ware if not pulled on pajamas.
She opened the door to the waiting dogs and padded to the deck door. She checked the clock on the stove and swore. She should have been long at school, she slapped the marble counter and swore as pain shot through her hand. She had forgotten she had almost broken it yesterday trying to punch out Edward.
Edward. The dream of his nightly visit caused her to smile. Dream Edward had been so gentle and caring. He hasn't been smug, or hiding anything, just nice. She popped another pain pill feeling her stomach gurgle as it hit her empty pit. She shrugged, she was already late and she couldn't drive with a laid up hand. She grabbed the land line phone and dialed the school to call herself in while she dug in the fridge.
Convincing Mrs. Lockheart was easy she had seen Robin's hand. Robin assured her she was fine she just needed a day to rest before hanging up. She started eating fruit from various containers giggling as the cold juice ran down her chin. Once she was full she closed the fridge wiping her chin. "I am such a hobo." she giggled going to open the door to let the dogs in. They whined at her pawing their empty bowls.
"Hmm, lets see…" she sighed not having any left over fast food for them. She opened the cupboard to find some of the wet dog food her parents had in the back for when they gave the dogs pills. She grinned shaking her head. In the bottom of the cupboard was an bag of Iams Weight Control dog food. Robin opened the bag and retrieved the bowls to fill them. "I really do owe Esme and Rose an apology."
After feeding the dogs she grabbed a large glass of ice water and went to the living room. She popped in 40 Year Old Virgin. A few minutes into the movie the pain in her hand started to dull and she felt herself giggling at everything. She sipped from the water to combat the cotton mouth from the pain pill as she stretched out on the couch.
A knock sounded from the front door and Robin jumped. Her movie had long since finished and she had movie to watching movies on HBO. She pressed the information button and her mouth fell open. School had finished already and all she had accomplished that day was finding the dog food.
The knock sounded again and the lazy dogs jolted from their sleep and started to bark. She grunted pushing herself off the couch and went to the door flinging it open. Edward stood there a packet of papers in his hand. He looked so perfect standing there against the overcast sky. "Hey." she said tersely. "Hey, I brought copies of my notes for you." He said holding out the papers. "Thanks." she said taking the papers quickly. "So I take it you're still mad at me." he stated.
Robin blushed, she wasn't mad. She was thinking about the romantic Edward from her dreams whose thin fingers had played in her hair. "No." She shook her head running her hand through her curls self conscious of her unwashed appearance in the same clothes from yesterday. "Then what is with the one word answers, normally you have a lot more to say." he grinned at her. "Just, this pain pill." she sighed.
Edward stepped in and pulled the door closed. "How is your hand?" he asked taking her hand in his as if he were inspecting it. "It is kind of sore, no big deal." she said quickly pulling her hand back. "Well, I just wanted to check on you. Alice and Rose said they have been trying to call you since last night." he said leaning against the molding around the door.
"Well I didn't O.D. on pain pills, vodka, and Taco Bell. No worries, I just broke my phone in a shiny fit of rage and embarrassment." she laughed shaking her head. She paused waiting for some comment on how she tended to frequent towards those fits. None came and she smiled, a real smile not a sarcastic or I'll be ok smile. "I just didn't feel up to driving to get a replacement. The store is all the way in flipping KC." She made a face. "I could take you." Edward offered.
Robin bit her lip contemplating. Real Edward never did anything without an ulterior motive. "What's the catch?" she asked looking at him. He sighed and pushed himself off the door frame. "No catch, I just want to do something nice for you. Maybe if I keep being nice to you, you might be nice back." he said softly. "I am not a nice girl. Just ask around school." she snorted.
Robin couldn't afford nice. Nice people got walked on, or coddled. She could afford nor withstand either. "I did ask around." he said. "See, not a nice girl." Robin shook her head. "No, that is not it. You're headstrong, smart, tough, and hurt. You just hide behind meanness, when your comfortable you are fun to be around. Walking to lunch yesterday talking about Lit class." he said softly. That had been pretty fun, easy even like everything didn't have to be calculated.
"Yeah, ok." she nodded deciding to let him take her to get a new phone. "Yeah, ok what?" Edward asked grinning at her crookedly. "Give me half an hour and we can go." she said turning to go into the master suite. She paused and looked at him over her shoulder. "If you want, there is a piano upstairs." she pointed at the stairs. "How did you know I played?" he asked. Robin smiled thinking of Dream Edward's slim fingers. "Just a hunch." she said before disappearing into the room.
Robin looked at her reflection in the mirror satisfied with her appearance. She wore a long flowing black skirt, purple ballet flats, and a white screen print shirt with a black relief of Billy Idol on it. She topped it off with Tahitian pearls, and exchanged her almost trade mark purple CK frames for a set of contacts. She looked a little girl next door meets rocker queen.
She left the bathroom in the master suite that was now her room and paused in to door way. She could hear Edward playing the piano upstairs. The tune was upbeat, quirky, and friendly like Alice personified. She moved quietly to the bottom step and sat down closing her eyes. She let Alice's form paint itself on the backs of her eye lids as Edward's fingers crafted the image.
Edward's song changed, this one was warm and caring, it made her feel like she would be loved no matter what. Edward's melody had painted Esme this time. Robin could feel a smile creep across her face and wondered what her song would sound like if she had one. The song started to change again, this one she couldn't place. It was beautiful and strangely alluring making her want to grasp the notes out of thin air.
Edward stopped playing and leaned over the railing causing it to creak. Robin's eyes snapped open and she looked up at him. "You play beautifully." she said softly. "Thank you, do you play?" he asked. She shook her head. She had when she was little, her Mother had insisted she take it up. She always had been more interested in art. "Then why is this up here?" he asked looking across the way to the room that was there.
She sighed. Her old room, she hadn't been up there since her parents had died. In fact the whole upstairs that used to be her domain when they were home seemed taboo now. "I used to play. When I was a kid. My Mom thought every child should have music in their life. I was just more drawn to drawing, painting and stuff." She nodded.
"Are these yours?" he asked pointing at a wall lined with different sized canvases. They were Robin's favorites her parents had framed to adorn the wall. "Yeah, it's kind of lame." she chuckled. She could barely remember what hung up there. "Why don't you come up here and show me." Edward suggested looking back down at her. "I don't go up there anymore." she said her mouth going dry. "Why not?" Because the top floor had been hers, the main floor and the finished basement had been theirs. She wanted to immerse herself in that feeling. "I just don't. Can we please go?" she asked.
Edward started down the steps and offered her a hand up once he reached the bottom. "Is your room up there?" he asked. "Not anymore." she shook her head. That part of Robin, the happier part was locked up there. "Let's go, we can take the Aston Martin if you want." Robin offered changing the subject. "How about the Lotus?" Edward counter offered. "If you want." she smiled. She grabbed her purse and the broken phone from the table before going to the garage door. She grabbed a set of keys from the key rack and tossed them to Edward.
As soon as they were in the car Robin hooked her iPod up to the auxiliary jack. "The one thing the Lotus has over the Martin." she grinned turning shuffle on. "I hope you don't make me listen to the Cupid Shuffle." Edward grinned. "Hardly." Robin shook her head letting Counting Blue Cars by Dishwalla come on. "Oh this is a great song." He smiled as he pulled on to the road. "I know, right." She laughed watching the woods disappear.
No matter what came over the speakers Edward seemed to be ok with, everything from classic rock to underground British punk. "So are you working on anything new?" Edward asked looking over at her for a brief second. "Art, no, I don't do that anymore." she shook her head. "You don't do a lot of things anymore." he said as Rob Zombie's Living Dead Girl came on. Robin started to laugh at the irony of it.
After her fit subsided she looked over at him her brow raised. He was being strange, well normal but strange for him. It was almost like her Dream of Edward had bled into real life. She shook her head, she had known him all of three days, she had no idea what his normal was. "Are you in there?" Edward asked looking over at her. "Oh yeah, what were you saying?" she asked.
"I asked if Dracula was getting to you yet?" he repeated the question she had half heard him ask. "Not really. I mean, it's creepy he is a bad vampire." she shrugged. "What's that mean?" he asked his brow raised. Robin wondered if she told him her thoughts on vampires if he would turn around and drop her crazy ass off.
"I guess the idea of bad vampires scare me. If a bad vamp had it out for me I would be toast. I am not really living the best life right now, but I still value it." she shrugged. "You keep saying bad vampire, what's up with that?" Edward asked turning on to the highway. "Well, good vampires don't scare me. I mean they're people too, so they come in the same variety of good and bad I suppose." she sighed. "You say that like.." Robin cut him off. "Like I believe in vampires? I do." she said plainly.
"You believe in vampires?" he asked calmly. "Of course, I mean a lot of stuff I think is probably myth and misunderstanding but why not? It had to start somewhere and it is absurd to think that there is nothing above humans. We only use a certain percentage of what our brains and bodies are capable of. Why wouldn't there be a mutation or evolution on that?" she said blushing looking out the window. "You think so?" he asked. "Yeah, I do. I know it sounds crazy but…" she sighed and bit her lip. Did she really know Edward enough to have a conversation where he would seriously question her sanity.
"I just think that there are things out there that normal people can't understand. Which is why I guess they are painted as monsters. You know maybe they need blood to tap into that extra percentage that we as normal people don't use. I eat meat so really is that different then drinking blood? Hell I take my steak medium rare. I just think that it isn't impossible, so you know the idea of something faster, stronger, smarter, that will out live me. Then if it had malicious intent towards me, scary stuff. I just also happen to believe that they have the same emotions as people and with all the power it can corrupt them. But just like people there is the possibility of goodness." Robin sighed as Edward didn't speak..
"You think I am crazy don't you?" she asked playing with her necklace nervously. "No." he shook his head speeding up. "Then what are you thinking?" she asked frowning. "I am just wondering what you would do if you met a vampire." he sighed. "Well, it's sort of like wondering what I would do if I was pregnant. I can theorize all day if I would get an abortion, but I'll never know unless I live it." she shrugged. "Well why don't you theorize?" he teased.
"Well a bad vampire, pretty sure I would fight. I know I would have like zero hope, but I couldn't just give up, it's not in me. Any other type I would just leave it alone, don't bother me I won't bother you. If it wanted to make friends that would be ok as long as our personalities didn't clash to bad. For instance, lets say that Anna girl from school was a vampire. I would avoid that shit like the plague." she laughed. Edward just glanced over at her.
"What about you Edward? What do you think you would do?" She asked. Edward still didn't speak, it reminded her of her dreamy encounter. She reached out and placed her hand on top of his on the gear shift. "E you in there?" she asked softly. Edward looked over at her and then back at the road as Kansas City came closer into view.
"Yeah, so you said there is a lot of myth and misunderstanding. So what do you think a vampire is like? Physically I mean." He asked. She shrugged making a face. "Well, I don't know I guess just stronger and faster. Maybe smarter, I would imagine so. I bet they don't have silly allergies like garlic or whatever. I think that is a where a load of stuff gets messed up. Maybe the particular vampire that was about hated garlic, or was an atheist." she shrugged. "If you want to turn around and take my crazy self back to my house I'll understand." she offered at his silence.
"I don't think your crazy." was all he said exiting turning toward the shopping center. "You have been here before?" Robin asked wondering how he knew where to go. "Uh yeah, the store is right by Barnes and Nobel right?" he asked. "It is." she nodded.
Expertly Edward parallel parked the Lotus in front of the ATT store and turned the car off. "I need to make a call. Is it alright if I stay out here?" Edward asked. The question sort of caught her off guard but she nodded. "Yeah alright." She opened the door and climbed out of the car.
She browsed through the phones. Ignoring the sales people deliberately she picked up a demo iPhone and started to play with it. She sat it down not liking the texting function. She went to the Motorola phones, she loved the texting on her old razor. She started to play with a sleek new slider really enjoying it. She moved to compare a few other phones to see if she liked any other phones.
She called a salesperson over to get the phone for her. She paid for the phone and inserted her SIMS chip and then left the store. Edward sat in the car talking on his phone. She didn't want to bother him so she smoothed her skirt and sat on the curb. She started to play with her new phone setting it up how she liked it.
After a few moments Edward got out of the car and locked it. "You get what you wanted?" he asked. "Yeah." she nodded. He offered her an hand up and she took it grateful she didn't have to stand in the skirt alone. "So, um there is a really nice place, Italian right around the corner." Robin said nervously. This will be his test, if he says no he thinks I am a crazy mean bitch, if he says yes then I cross that bridge when I come to it, she thought. "Are you asking me on a date?" Edward asked grinning at her.
Robin shook her head quickly. "No, no just a thank you for driving me down here." she said even quicker. Edward shrugged. "I got to drive a really awesome car out of the deal." he said looking at her. Robin nodded, "Yeah I guess your right." but I still want to go with you even though you're the most arrogant confusing man I have ever met! She said softly but mentally screaming the last part.
"On the other hand I do have to eat." Edward nodded. Robin blushed looking down at her purple flats. This was where the confusing part of Edward came to life. "Ok, well lets go." She started to walk quickly her legs growing cold from the chilly weather. "Am I allowed to walk with you right now or no?" Edward teased. "Ha that is funny, want to get punched out again?" she said back trying to sound serious. "Ok, as long as you actually try this time." he said just as serious. Robin laughed shaking her head as Edward held the door open for her.
They sat down and the waitress came to take their drink orders flirting with Edward. It was a little offensive for the girl to assume they weren't dating or just not care. Once they were done ordering she left to put their orders. "Wow, you should drop a button she might give you free stuff." Robin laughed. "Your not offended?" he asked looking at her. "Why would I be? We aren't together or dating." Robin shook her head. Truthfully, she had a little pang of jealousness welling in her chest but it was ridiculous.
The waitress came back with the drinks and sat down to recommend to Edward what was good to eat. Robin found it a little more then amusing when Edward was cool towards her and just ordered some chicken carbanara. Robin's mouth fell open as the waitress stood to put in Edward's order without taking hers. "Wow, that was wow. You sure are a lady killer." Robin chuckled. "You aren't hungry?" Edward asked raising his brow.
"Oh no, she doesn't want to take my order that is cool." Robin shrugged. She was trying to play it cool but the whole thing was insulting. "Besides, I'll just eat yours." she teased sipping her peach tea. "You don't have to pretend that it doesn't bother you. It was incredibly rude." Edward said plainly. "Well I guess I don't warrant attention when I am with you. I'm no Rosalie after all." she shrugged. "Stop it." Edward said his jaw getting tight in anger. "What? It's just a joke calm down. It is not that big of a deal. I am not some knock out or anything average at best." Robin snorted running her hand through the short hair at the nape of her neck.
"You are just as beautiful as Rosalie if not more. You shouldn't let anyone take that from you." Edward said sharply. Robin blushed and looked down at her menu still in front of her. Edward was so heart rendering gorgeous it sometimes was painful to look at him, and he was calling her beautiful. She could only hope that he was kidding because if he wasn't it would make their fledgling relationship that much more complicated.
"I will be right back, I need to use the facilities." She watched him rise and leave before slumping in her chair. She sighed, she should just tell him she wasn't feeling well and have him take them back. Things were getting to complicated too fast. Edward was so old world and polite sometimes, then other times he was directly challenging her. Of course that was probably her own defense mechanism pushing against someone she was attracted to.
"Ma'am?" a soft voice asked at her side. Robin sat up her brows knitted together. "Yes?" Robin asked. "I am the manager here, Linda Poindexter. Your boyfriend just informed me of the situation. Please understand that on behave of Casconie's I apologize. It was not our intention to ruin your anniversary dinner. If I could please take your order?" The woman said looking earnestly at Robin. "Oh, um could I have the eggplant parmesan with the house salad please?" Robin said making a face. "Of course." The woman said leaving the table.
Robin sat up in her chair straighter as Edward returned to the table. "What did you do?" she hissed leaning across the table. Edward grinned at her leaning towards her. "I asked for the check for our drinks. I mentioned what had happened and told them it was our anniversary and that my girlfriend was practically in tears over the whole thing and we would rather just leave." Robin shook her head smiling. It was brilliant and completely sweet. "Well played Sir." She bowed her head to him with a slight flourished hand gesture. "What anniversary are we celebrating?" She giggled.
"Oh, well honey, I can't believe you forgot about our one year anniversary. I guess that means you didn't get me anything?" Edward chuckled lowly. Robin laughed so hard she snorted and then covered her beet shaded face with her hands. After a few seconds her laughter subsided and she sat back in her chair. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed like that, her sides had stitches in them and her face was flushed.
When a waiter brought their salads Robin stopped him before he left. "Do you think we could have some crayons please?" she smiled up at him. Casconie's had always been a favorite of Robin's because of the butcher paper on the tables. He nodded and handed them two crayon packs form his apron with a red, blue, and yellow crayon. "Thanks." Robin smiled.
Edward raised his brow catching the pack she tossed at him over his salad. She didn't know if he planned to use his but she had plans for hers. If he wanted an anniversary present she would give him one. She started to eat with her left hand her right starting to sketch. "What are you doing?" Edward asked. "You'll see." She grinned after swallowing some salad. Once she was done with her salad she pushed the bowl aside and covered her sketch with her now free left hand.
"So, lets see. I know you have great taste in music. You drive stick, and handle it well. You are competitive and smart… You have no family except for your dogs. What can I ask you?" Edward asked looking at Robin. Robin looked up at him and shrugged. "I don't know." She looked back down trying to get Edward's lopsided grin right in her mind before attempting to draw it.
"When is your birthday?" Edward asked grinning at her. She looked up and smiled because he was modeling perfectly for her. "My birthday? Lets see." She paused and made a face, when was her birthday, it had been so long since she had thought of anything so trivial. "You don't know?" Edward asked his brow raised. "No I do.. August twenty fifth." She said remembering that her birthday had just passed and she had turned seventeen. "So you just turned seventeen a couple weeks ago?" he asked. "I guess so." she shrugged. It seemed like she had been seventeen for years. She always spoke about being emancipated at sixteen as if it had been years ago, and her parents death as if had happened a year ago, she counted the months in her head. It had really only been about sixth months. Time was passing her by and she just stayed put it seemed.
"What do you mean, you guess so. It is your birthday." Edward made a face. "I didn't really do anything, I just went from being sixteen to seventeen. It didn't seem important. Well it doesn't seem important. Just another day. When is your birthday?" she asked. "June twentieth." he replied easily. "Oh look at that no thought required." she laughed. She made a few more polishing lines at her drawing and tore the piece of paper off. "Happy anniversary Darling." she grinned handing him the sketch. "I thought you didn't do this anymore." he said leaning back as their main dishes were brought.
"It is nothing I made it between salad and pasta." she shook her head sipping her tea. "You don't like it?" she asked blushing looking at her steaming food. "No, it is really good. You have talent, you should think about starting again." he said folding it and slipping the butcher paper into his wallet. Robin sighed in relief starting to eat her pasta.
"So, those songs you were playing up there, what were they?" Robin asked cutting a piece of her breaded eggplant. "Well sort of theme songs I guess." Robin smiled taking a bite then washing it down. "Well I thought so, Alice, then Esme. That last one though, I couldn't place it, I guess it could be Jasper, I don't know him that well. Just it didn't feel like him." she shrugged. "You have a good ear. The last one I was just playing around, it wasn't anyone." He said looking at her. Robin sighed and made a face. For some reason the hunting but beautiful and alluring song suddenly made her think of Edward.
"So is your food good?" Edward asked looking at her plate. "Yeah, I always get this, it is the best. What to try it?" she asked cutting a piece for him with her fork. "If it is that good sure." Edward said leaning towards her. "What are you doing?" she asked making a face. "It is our anniversary remember?" He grinned at her. "Oh yeah, well here you go Darling." she laughed feeding him the bite.
"That is good." he said after swallowing the food. "Here." he said fixing her a bite and offering it to her. "Oh no thanks…" Robin said leaning back. "Come on, I tried yours." he said offering the fork toward her. She leaned over the table and allowed him to feed her. It was good, the bacon wasn't overpowering, the perfect carbanara sauce. "Yum, maybe I should try something new next time." she smiled sitting back in her chair.
A few more bites she pushed her bowl away. "I am so done." she groaned patting her stomach. "You want a box?" she asked looking at Edward who had already set his fork down. "No do you want it?" he asked. Robin shook her head. "Pasta dries out the second go around."
Robin pulled her purse off the back of her chair and fished out her bill fold. "What are you doing?" Edward asked. "Getting my card." Robin said rolling her eyes. "Why do you need a card?" he asked taking out his bill fold. "Because we just ate a meal." She said pulling her bank card out. "What are you doing?" she asked watching his thin fingers pull out crisp bills. "Paying." he said. "Your not paying I am paying, at least for my half." she shrugged. If it had been a date she would have let him pay, but it wasn't. "Robin, don't be so stubborn." he said shaking his head.
Robin bit her lip and sighed. "Ok, but the next one is on me." she said pointing at him putting her card back in her wallet. "We'll see about that." he chuckled. The waiter who had replaced the waitress brought the bill and Edward left the bills tucked in the books telling him to keep the change.
They left the restaurant walking in silence to the car. "Thank you for letting me take you out." Edward said unlocking the doors. "Thanks for driving my car and bullying me into letting you pay." she laughed climbing in the car. "No problem, anytime what's tomorrow look like for you?" he asked grinning closing her door before going around and getting in himself.
After a while when Edward was back on the highway he looked at Robin. "So, who are you wanting to take you to homecoming?" he asked. Robin shrugged and turned her body to look at him. "I don't know when it gets closer to time I'll decide." she shrugged again. "How much closer are looking for it to be? Homecoming is next week, a couple girls asked me today." he said laughing a little. Beings that I wasn't there to stake my claim, she thought. "Oh well I probably wont go." she made a face. "Why not?" he asked.
For starters no one had asked her. "I haven't been asked." she replied honestly. "Well, what id someone asked you?" he asked taking his eyes off the road to look at her. She suddenly felt nervous, there were really no other cars around but that wasn't why she was nervous. "It would depend on who is asking." She said her voice sounding breathless and quite. There was no way that Edward Cullen was about to ask her to homecoming. "I am, will you go to homecoming with me?" he asked his eyes still on her.
"Edward the road." Robin swallowed hard feeling her face flushed. Surely he meant just as friends, they were sort of friends, maybe she was the only girl he was comfortable with. He turned his intense gaze back to the highway. "Was that a yes?" he asked his mouth breaking into a boyish grin. "Yeah, so who else is going to be there?" she asked folding one of her legs underneath her. "Lots of people I assume, but on our date it will be just you and I." he said glancing at her. "Date, so it's a date then?" she asked her brows knitting together.
A date, as in matching dress and tux, with dinner, dancing, and kissing? Robin Gann, little alternative rocker, with gray eyes, short brunette hair, that girl was going not just on a date but on a homecoming date with the single most beautiful man she had seen. Unlike his beautiful brothers he was overly muscled, he just had something about him that even escaped Carlisle.
"Is that alright?" he asked grinning at her. "Yes, it is fine. I just don't have a dress." she sighed wondering if she could find something she liked in time. "What are you wearing, I can shop to meet your tux color." Robin offered. "You should get something purple." he said nodding. Robin giggled thinking of Edward in a purple accented tuxedo, sort of like a high class pimp. "Well that is your favorite color so you should wear it." he nodded. "How did you know that purple was my favorite color?" she asked wrinkling her nose in surprise. "How could I not know, you wear: black, white, a little red, and then purple." he laughed turning off the highway.
"Well then what is your favorite color?" she asked wrinkling her brow. "I like green." he said closing his eyes for a beat. "Well they say geniuses pick green you know?' she laughed. He simply nodded and pulled on to the gravel road. "So, I guess, you will need a ride to school tomorrow?" Edward asked turning up her drive way. "No, it think I'll be ok." she shook her head. "Well to be on the safe side we will pick you up at seven." he said hitting the garage opener on the visor. "Ok, I'll be ready." she sighed and set the alarm on her phone.
He pulled in and turned the car off then got out of the car. Robin followed suit and stretched until her back popped. "So do you want to come in and hang out for a while?" she asked pointing with her thumb at the door. "We could watch a movie, or start the tree book." she offered. Edward grimaced and spread his hands. "I have some family stuff they are waiting on me for." Robin bit her lip and nodded.
"Ok well I'll see you tomorrow." She sighed. "In the morning at seven." She nodded, and bit her lip wondering if she should kiss him. Robin closed the distance between them but then shied away blushing. Edward smelled like the same fresh linen he had in her dreams. "Well later E." She said backing away and turning to go inside.
She went inside and turned the dogs loose filling their bowls with the dog food so it would be all set for when they came in. Robin bit her lip looking for where she had set her purse. Remembering it was in the car she went into the garage and opened the Lotus. Her purse was in the floor board with her new phone inside. She grabbed it and paused hearing a buzzing sound. She checked her phone, it wasn't hers.
She reached across to the driver's side and between the seat and console Edward's phone lay buzzing. She grabbed it and smiled. When a people left things behind it meant they liked you. She opened the phone to program her number and to get his. New message: Emmett Exit or Read the phone asked.
Robin hit read, it was a little invasion of privacy but she couldn't help it. What r u going 2 do about your gf? She believes in vampires? Think she will put it 2gether? Did she say ne things about us being vamps? Robin's mouth fell open in shock. He had told his whole family about the sad little orphan down the road that believed in things that go bump in the night. Not only that he had made a fool of her by asking her out to homecoming.
Then she bit her lip re-reading the message. If she would put things together, them being vampires. She thought back to the first moment she had seen them. They were all pale, with strange eyes and so beautiful. Then there was Esme and how her arm barely moved if at all as she wrote. Alice and Jasper's habitual natural reflexes. Edward and Emmett moving so silently she didn't notice. Comments about seeing things they shouldn't be able to see, like her fat dogs or color flecks in her eyes.
So many things felt like they were suddenly sliding into place. The habits she had noticed, the overwhelming sense they were hiding something, the animals not really liking them. Then the long buried debater in her surfaced. If someone was as hostile to her as she had been she would go on the defensive too. She had been rather distracted each time the Cullen boys had got the jump on her. Were breathing patterns really that uncommon? Perhaps Jasper's eyes were dry and he had just been reacting to that. They did go out in the day, but it was always overcast. Maybe the sunlight thing was just a myth.
Robin growled in frustration. She could debate the issue all night, she was her own worst enemy, in prep for debate it was a great asset right now it was maddening. She grabbed the phone and her purse leaving the car. There was only one way to really settle it, she couldn't just ask them point blank she had to test it.
She went into the house and dropped her purse on the counter and went to the butcher block. She took out the small paring knife and folded it in the waist band of the skirt. She let the dogs in and kissed their heads giving them scratches behind the ears. She stood and then went back into the garage and started the Lotus, it was faster, if she had to run. If she lived to run. It was morbid but, who knew what lengths they would go to if it meant they stayed hidden.
She adjusted the seat and then opened the door to the garage. Her hands slipped on the wheel her palms sweaty. Once the door was open she backed out Edward's phone vibrating in her lap. She flipped it open. Get home now, I am on my way. It was from Alice. Robin snapped it closed and pulled out of her driveway faster then she normally would not wanting to risk paint damage. The text message instilled that she needed to spill some of her blood in front of them. She had to know.
Once she was in the Cullen's drive way she got out her car in park, still on no parking break. She grabbed the phone and marched to the front door and knocked. Esme opened the door smiling at her. "Robin, how are you dear?" she asked. "I am fine, can I talk to Edward right quick? I know your doing a family thing, so I just want to give him something he left in my car." Robin smiled.
"Oh he is in the shower." Esme smiled. "It's ok I'll wait." Robin said sliding past her. She moved to the living room where Emmett and Jasper sat playing Halo 3. Jasper noticeably stiffened as she sat down. "Hey guys." she said smiling. Jasper's phone started to ring and Robin raised her brow watching as he paused to answer the phone. "Alice…"
Robin unrolled the paring knife from her waist band and pressed it to the tender flesh inside her left arm. She tore the blade across that flesh rivulets of blood springing to the surface. She didn't know what to expect but suddenly everything slowed down and her heart pounded in her ears.
Jasper leapt towards her and was slammed by Emmett into the wall. Alice and Rosalie rushed into the room to help subdue Jasper. She rose she had to help him. She had to help Jasper, he was all that mattered. Jasper, Jasper, Jasper. JASPER. She felt a cold hand wrap around her and started to pull against her. She fought she had to get to him. It wasn't fair, Jasper needed her.
The hand pulled her hard and she turned pulled into Esme. "Esme, Jasper needs me to go to him." Robin said breathlessly. The deck door flew open and Edward came through his face twisted as he rushed to help against Jasper. "No Jasper!" she screamed as he was forced out the back door snarling to get past them.
Esme retrained Robin with ease as she fought to follow them. After a few minutes the feeling passed and fear welled up in her body. "What was that?" she asked putting her face in her hands. A second passed and she realized she was alone with one of them. She jumped up and looked at Esme, where did she drop that knife? "I have to go." She said quickly her eyes darting around the room. "I don't think that would be wise." Esme shook her head.
"It will look worse if I get found dead here, I am already bleeding all over the place." Robin said quickly. Esme shook her head and took a step towards her. "I wont tell anyone I promise." Robin said quickly inching to the front door. "I am not worried about that, we will deal with it when it comes times for it. Right now I am worried about what might happen between you, Jasper, and Edward if I were to send you home tonight." Esme said holding up her hands. Robin swallowed hard thinking about how Jasper had jumped at her and she had wanted him bad. None of the others had reacted that way, in fact they had acted exactly opposite.
"You're trying to protect me?" Robin asked swallowing hard. "Of course we are." Esme smiled at her kindly taking another step closer to her. Robin started to back away but realized that if she wanted Esme could have already killed her. "Let's get your arm to stop bleeding, once he gets home we can have Carlisle take a look at that cut."
Robin tentatively stepped toward Esme and tried to control her shaking body. She stopped and bit her lip. Stop it, she is still the same nice woman who gave you dinner and stocked your fridge. Of course she could have been trying to fatten you up, he debate voice chimed in. "Shut up you." she murmured. "Not you, me, debate me." Robin quickly explained closing the gap between them still shaking.
Robin was terrified.