Ok, and back to normal... And breathe
Chapter 7 - Why say goodbye?
Bella POV
It had been a wonderful day. Like a dream. Walking in the park and holding his hand, feeling his warm skin against mine, so very normal. It had taken some getting used to seeing him with a little colour in his cheeks, and there was something very strange about being able to hear everything he said, but now I was fully at ease. This was better than I could have dreamed, but now it had to end, like all great things.
This was it. I had to tell him that I was going away and would never return. Despite the fact that this day had been amongst the greatest of my life it now had to end on a sour note. I sat on the blanket and took a deep breath but he spoke first in that wonderful lilting tone of his. "You have to go." He said, matter of factly. "It's ok, Bella. I will miss you, and think of you always, but we can never be together, I understand that."
"But..." I stammered, my mouth hanging open. Then I remembered. It hadn't come up all day, maybe because he still couldn't read my mind, or maybe because he was thinking about other things. "You read Jake's mind." I concluded, quiet, sullen.
"How did you know?" His eyes were wide. "Mother is the only other soul I have told, not even father knows."
I gulped. I had avoided giving myself away for so long, but one simple slip of the tongue. "I assumed that must be the case." I riffed on the fly. "I have an uncle with the sight." I felt uncomfortable lying to him, like I was cheating somehow.
His face softened into that all to familiar crooked smile. "Oh. Well it is good to know that others suffer my affliction." He rubbed his forehead. "It comes and goes of it's own volition, which can be rather off-putting, but when I really concentrate the thoughts will come to me. Except you." He stared deep into my eyes. "So yes, Jacob told me with his mind that you have to go..." He trailed off leaving the way clear for me.
"Edward I am so sorry. I wish I could stay here with you forever but I can't. I'm not from here, and I need to go home, my dad needs me." I shook my head, my hair shaking loose the daisy chain he had made. "The train leaves in the morning. Please don't be mad." The last part came out in a croak as my voice cracked.
"Bella, my love, I could never be mad with you." He said, melancholy yet at ease. "If your destiny is elsewhere, then so be it. As much as I would love for you to remain I know that my path lies here and yours elsewhere. But please promise me one thing." I gripped his hand and looked him in the eyes. "Have dinner with me, tonight. We shall say goodbye, and you can depart in the morning."
He drew me close. "The train won't wait..." Breathed as he gently pulled me to him, until I could feel his warm breath in my cheek. It didn't smell as good as I remembered, but I didn't care. I closed my eyes, ready for the kiss, and then Jacob started coughing wildly. Asshole. I looked around to see him waving his arms frantically, and coughing loudly. Oh, so he was going to do the bee dance was he? Well I would be taking revenge at some fact now seemed like as good a time as any.
"Tonight... " I told Edward before I stood and walked back to Jacob, who had settled and was eyeing me cautiously. He could no doubt see the anger on my face. "Finished fighting with that 'bee'"? I asked sarcastically. All he could do was nod sheepishly. "Come on, then. I have to get ready for my date tonight with Edward." His face fell and his mouth dropped open just a little but I grabbed his hand and lead him away.
oOo
Soon enough I was seated at a table in a small restaurant just down the street from his house. I had done my best to tidy up, and done what I could with my hair and makeup, but still felt horribly under dressed seeing the other ladies in the room. However, his gaze made me feel like the only person in the world. I didn't even have to worry about Jacob ruining the moment because he was back at the house playing backgammon with Elizabeth and a few of her friends. We had ordered our food and Edward leaned closer, across the table.
"You know, today has been so special." He said, his voice barley audible. "And I shall miss you greatly."
I took his hand. "And I'll miss you too. But I'll never forget today." And with that we gazed into each others eyes until the food arrived. When it did we both moved the food around on our plates with our forks, until we admitted that we were just not hungry. We chatted for a long time, him talking about his family, the charity work his mother did, the hard work his father did. Me talking about Charlie but in a guarded way, so as to not give anything away. He looked shocked when I told him how much it rained in Forks, and how little the sun appeared. How ironic. He seemed genuinely interested in everything I said, and was engrossed when I mentioned that Charlie was Chief of Police.
Before I knew what was happening he was escorting me out the door and I noticed the place had emptied thoroughly. We walked hand in hand the short distance back to is house, and he let me in. The lights were off downstairs, so he held a finger to his lips, and we crept inside. At the bottom of the stairs he told me goodnight, and we hugged, then I stood up on tip toes to kiss his lips. The kiss was wonderful and lasted a lifetime. Despite the dark I could see flash bulbs popping in my head like I was surrounded by paparazzi. When he finally released me I almost fell to the ground and had to catch myself. He leaned his face close to my ear and whispered.
"Good night Isabella Black, I hope the fates allow us to meet in another time." And he was gone, swiftly up the stairs and out of sight. I sighed and made for the guest room. I opened the door very quietly and crept around the outline of Jacob on the floor, pulling off my dress and shoes, quietly slipping under the sheets. I closed my eyes, wondering if I would dream, and just as I was on the very verge of sleep he spoke.
"What time do you call this?" We both burst out laughing. If he was anything, Jacob Black was a master at breaking tension in a room. We talked long into the night in hushed voices, me telling him about the food I could barely remember, and him telling me about Elizabeth and her friends, the cheating Louise and the grabby Helen. In fact he seemed rather distressed about Helen's advances. I pictured him fighting off a middle aged woman and chuckled. That would be just the image I would need to get myself a good nights sleep.
