Who needs a life when you have Fanfiction? *internally sobs* (I do not own Twilight!)
I decided I wanted to fix things with Bella the next night, that I wasn't the possessive, overbearing jerk I'd been the day before at school. I had gotten lost in my own emotions, my own fears for her safety, and I knew I'd hurt her. I wanted to make it right. I wanted to apologize; to show her I could be more than just the guy who hovered and tried to control everything.
I had left my home right before sunset, on my way to Bella's house. I knew her father had gone to work for the night; he always worked an overnight shift on Saturdays. But when I got to the house, it sounded empty, I couldn't detect Bella's heartbeat. I snuck into her room through the window and felt uneasy as I scanned her room. The bed was empty.
There was no sign of her. The moonlight from outside cast long shadows across her room, and I felt a sudden, irrational panic rising in my throat. Where could she be? She was supposed to be here. Had she gone out?
That's when I saw it.
A familiar crumpled piece of paper on her desk, partially hidden under a pile of books. I recognized the words immediately. It was Mike's phone number, and next to it, his address. My stomach turned.
She wasn't at home. She was with Mike.
I hated myself for feeling the surge of anger and jealousy that ripped through me. This isn't right, I told myself, shaking my head. You're just friends.
But the words felt hollow in my mind. I didn't want to be just her friend. And the idea of Mike, of any guy, getting too close to her made my fists clench at my sides. I could feel the possessiveness rise in me, and it terrified me. I had to see for myself, had to make sure she was okay.
Without thinking, I grabbed the paper and sprinted to Mike's house. I moved with the speed and grace of a shadow, my vampire senses guiding me as I darted through the trees. I couldn't stop myself. I needed to know what she was doing. I needed to see her with my own eyes.
The party was already in full swing when I arrived, the noise spilling into the night like a living thing. People were laughing, talking, music blasting from the house's speakers. But in the midst of it all, my mind was focused on one thing—Bella.
I tracked her instantly, my senses honed to her presence. I saw her through the eyes around her. She was in the kitchen, standing with a drink in her hand, probably something alcoholic. Her eyes seemed distant, unfocused, as if she were somewhere far away. Mike handed her another drink, and she took it without hesitation, downing what was left in her other cup. That's when I felt it, the unease, the sadness radiating off her.
What is she doing?
She wasn't drinking for fun. She wasn't drinking because she wanted to. It was like she was trying to numb something, trying to escape the weight of something pressing on her. The thought of her in this state made my chest tighten with anger. Why wasn't Mike taking care of her? Why wasn't he seeing how drunk she was getting? I could see it in her posture, in the way she swayed ever so slightly. She was losing control, and Mike... Mike was too busy trying to win her over to notice.
My vision sharpened, and I couldn't ignore the thoughts invading my mind. Mike was looking at Bella like she was his prize to claim. He thought this was his chance to make his move, to get closer to her. I saw his intentions, clear as day. He was going to kiss her.
Rage exploded inside me. I couldn't—wouldn't—let that happen. She was mine, damn it. And I was going to keep Mike's grimy hands off her.
Mike was talking to her, leaning in a little too close, and I saw it: his lips moving toward hers. Bella looked hesitant, but she didn't pull away. That hesitation... that was enough for me to snap.
I moved faster than I'd ever moved before, my vampire speed undetectable by any human. I grabbed Mike by the arm, pulling him away from Bella with more force than I intended. He stumbled back into the wall, hitting his head hard, his eyes wide in shock.
The room went silent.
Bella's face flushed with confusion, trying to comprehend what just happened. Her eyes racked over the scene before her, the alcohol slowing her reaction. She saw Mike, on the ground, holding his head as he looked on the verge of passing out. Stares and whispers started to invade the room. I knew I needed to leave but I wasn't leaving without her. I grabbed her hand and yanked her away from the crowd, dragging her through the house and out into the cold night air.
"You're making a scene," she snapped, her voice sharp and angry.
"I don't care," I muttered under my breath. "We're leaving."
The partygoers' chuckles and whispers only fueled my anger. I could feel her hand trembling in mine, but I didn't stop. I wouldn't stop until we were far enough away from Mike and that damn party.
We didn't stop until we were deep in the woods, the sounds of the party completely gone. I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want to apologize just yet. My anger was still too raw, and I could feel the heat of it burning inside me. But Bella was furious too. I could see her fire in her eyes through her drunken gaze.
"Why did you do that?!" she demanded, her voice trembling with anger.
I winced. Her angry tone hit harder than I expected. "Preventing you from getting assaulted!" I said, though my voice came out more as a yell than I intended.
"I wasn't getting assaulted!" she shot back, her eyes blazing. "I don't need you controlling everything I do!"
Her words were like daggers, and I hated the way they cut through me. But she was right. I was controlling. I had no right to stop her from doing what she wanted. I had no right to interfere in her life like this.
But then, before I could stop myself, I blurted out the question that had been eating at me.
"Did you want to kiss him?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Bella didn't answer immediately. She stood there, her breath shallow and uneven, her eyes flickering between anger and something else. Something more vulnerable that I couldn't quite decipher. She bit her lip, like she was holding back something, and that only made my chest tighten further.
Finally, she spoke, and her words were sharp. "You don't get to choose who my first kiss is with, Edward."
Her words stung, more than I cared to admit. She was right, of course. I didn't have any right to control who she kissed, or when, or why. But the thought of another guy's lips on hers, especially Mike's, was enough to make something inside me snap. It was like my body couldn't contain the intensity of what I was feeling anymore. My jealousy, my desire, the way I wanted her so badly, all boiled up and demanded to be heard.
I wanted to be her first kiss, the one she would remember forever. But I couldn't tell her how badly I wanted her to be mine, in every way that mattered.
I took a slow step forward, closing the space between us. Bella backed away from my sudden closeness, I could feel her hesitation, her frustration swirling around us like a storm waiting to break. She had backed into a tree behind her, and I had her pinned. I wanted her to see the emotions in my eyes, even if my words betrayed me.
"You deserve more than someone like him," I said softly, trying to keep the rawness from my voice. "Someone who knows you, someone who won't just see you as some... conquest."
She scoffed, her lips curling into a bitter smile. "I don't need anyone to treat me like I'm special," she snapped, her eyes narrowing. "You don't get to decide what I need, Edward."
Her words cut deep. She was so... independent, so fierce in her need to be free of everyone's expectations. And yet, I couldn't stop myself from wanting to give her everything she deserved, everything that Mike or anyone else would never be able to give her. The thought of her settling for less than she deserved made the protective side of me flare up again, even though I knew I had no right to feel that way.
I stepped closer to her, placing my hands on either side of her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. Her gaze softened for just a moment, and I could see the conflicted emotions playing out in her eyes. She was angry, yes, but there was something else there too. Something quieter. Something that made my heart race.
"I just don't want you to make a mistake," I whispered, my voice low. My breath was catching in my throat now, my senses on fire. "I don't want you to kiss someone who can't see how incredible you are, Bella. You deserve so much more than that."
I was so close to her now that I could feel the heat radiating from her body. The air between us was charged, thick with unspoken tension. I could feel her breath on my skin, could see the way her lips parted just slightly, like she was struggling to breathe normally, like the weight of the moment was affecting her just as much as it was me.
For a brief moment, I thought she was going to push me away, tell me to leave. But instead, she leaned just slightly into me, her body almost imperceptibly moving closer. Her eyes flickered to my lips, then back to my eyes, and I could feel everything inside me snap.
She wasn't pulling away. She wasn't telling me to stop. Her body was drawn to mine, and that realization made the fire in my body come alive. I hadn't realized how close I had gotten until I could feel the soft brush of her breath against my lips.
I leaned in just a fraction more, my face inching toward hers, I could hear her heart hammering in her chest. Every cell in my body screamed for me to close the distance, to finally take what I'd wanted since the moment I met her. To kiss her, to make her understand how much she meant to me in a way words could never do justice.
I wanted her…no, needed her. To make her mine, to make her understand how I felt in the only way I knew how. Friends were never enough for me; I should have realized it from the beginning.
This was it; this was what I'd been waiting for, the moment our friendship could never come back from. I closed the distance, my lips brushing against hers.
But then… she was gone.
She had somehow slipped from under me, her hand shot to her mouth, and I saw her face twist in discomfort. She gagged, and then the alcohol she'd consumed earlier hit her all at once.
My heart sank as I watched her lean over, clutching her stomach. The sound of her throwing up filled the air and my emotions turned with a violent mix of anger and guilt. I could feel the bitterness building up inside me, not at her, but at Mike. He had done this to her.
I reached out instinctively, steadying her, catching her before she could stumble. "Bella," I whispered softly, my hands shaking as I gently pulled her into my arms. Her body was limp, her face flushed with humiliation and the effects of the alcohol. She barely registered that I was holding her, but I didn't care. All I could think about was getting her away from here, getting her somewhere warm.
I swept her into my arms, moving with lightning speed, her small frame cradled against my chest. I didn't stop until we reached her house, my mind only focused on getting her home, getting her to safety. The rage inside me burned hotter than ever towards Mike, but I knew there would be time for that later. Right now, she needed me.
When I finally reached her room, I carefully laid her down on her bed. She was barely conscious, mumbling incoherently in her sleep, but when she murmured my name—"Edward"—my heart clenched.
I leaned over her, brushing her hair away from her face, my fingers lingering on her skin. "I'm here," I whispered. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
And even though I couldn't be sure if she heard me, I meant it more than anything in my entire existence.
Not the reaction Edward was hoping for, but close enough! Hope you enjoyed!