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I waited by my car, wondering wryly if I looked as excited to see her as I thought. Why didn’t time pass faster?

Finally she came, the smile on her face so large in brilliant that I smiled in response. I found myself mirroring her emotions more and more-if she was happy, I would myself happy also, despite my mood before I saw her.

I wanted to know about her life before here, to understand why she missed it. We never lived in the South West, it was too sunny.

“It’s beautiful there, not that Forks isn’t nice, but there it’s warm and sunny all the time. It’s hard to be in a bad mood when the sun is shining. The sky is so blue and so big- everything opens up. You can see the stars every night and there are so many of them! Like a child spilled glitter on a black piece of construction paper.”

She used her hands to talk, her eyes looking out but not into anywhere I could see. She was in Arizona, telling me everything she saw.

I never thought about the appeal of the South West-or really any place that the sun was a constant presence. Bella made me want to visit these places, to expierence things that I never thought to imagine before.

They made her happy. I wanted to see her happy.

“Did you have any friends there?” I asked her softly.

She shrugged. “Not really. More like acquaintances. No one really noticed me.”

Notice her? How could they not notice her? She was such an amazing person-so warm and smart and kind. How dare they treat her as a part of scenery?

“My high school was huge-nothing like it is here. There were 400 people in my graduating class alone.”

“Yet you didn’t have any friends?”

“There were people that I talked to. But my closest friend was my mother. I still miss her,” she said quietly.

“And you liked it there.”

“I loved it there.”

It was dark now, Chief Swan would be home soon. I hadn’t realized how late it was-time had no meaning when I was with Bella.

“Are you finished?” she asked with relief.

I chuckled. “Not even close-but your father will be home soon.”

“Charlie!” she panicked. She looked out the car window, desperate to see something. “How late is it?”

“It’s twilight,” I murmured, wishing that I didn’t have to quite wake up from this dream. I thought about the sun, about how much I wanted to be there.

Bella belonged there-in the sun and in the warmth. So delicate, choosing the sit in the darkness, just because of me.

I looked at her, wondering what it was that she saw in me, wondering why she came here, a place that she didn’t like-at least not as much as she liked Arizona.

She was staring at me, asking me wordlessly for an answer.

“It’s the safest time of day for us, the easiest time. But also the saddest, in a way…the end of another day, the return of the night. Darkness is so predicable, don’t you think?”

“I like the night. Without the dark we’d never see the stars,” Bella said. She frowned, looking at the sky. “Not that you can see them here much.”

I laughed, so delighted by her disappointment at not being able to see the stars. It was such a carefree disappointment, something so simple and refreshing that it pulled me out of the darkness that I found myself in.

“Charlie will be here in a few minutes. So, unless you want to tell him that you’ll be with me Saturday…” I raised my eyebrow in question. I wanted him to know, to know that someone would know that she was with me, giving me incentive, to make sure that I would never get that far off.

“Thanks, but no thanks. So is it my turn tomorrow then?”

“Certainly not! I told you I wasn’t done, didn’t I?” I teased.

“What more is there?”

“You’ll find out tomorrow,” I promised her. I reached across, opening her door for her. My ear was near her heart, I could hear the increased rhythm like it was a timpani.

Though that the primary thing I heard was her heart, though I was enveloped in her scent, I still could hear them. Smell them.

“Not good.”

“What is it?” She asked, alarmed.

I glanced at her. Wishing I could have just one more minute. “Another complication.”

I flung the door open, hoping that Bella would get out soon. The smell of those dogs was too strong.

They couldn’t have picked a worse time.

She stood there, startled by the headlights of the dog’s car.

“Charlie’s around the corner,” I warned her, continuing to staring at the dogs, waiting for them to make their move.

I had every right to be here. We kept the terms of the treaty, there was no reason for them to confront us.

The younger one-he was eager to see Bella. He volunteered to take his father. He was happy she was here-he saw her at the beach. He wanted to talk to her again. I saw the images in his mind, they walked down the beach together.

He had told her the stories. He told her the secret, albeit unknowingly.

Still, his eagerness was frustrating. I disliked it. She was mine.

I revved the engine, not looking to start a fight, thankful that this car was as fast as it was.

I slammed the car door, frustrated that the dogs deprived me of at least five more minutes with Bella. I could have persuaded her to introduce me to Chief Swan.

Jasper sighed. “You know, for someone in love, you’re in an extraordinarily bad mood.”

“Edward enjoys brooding. He probably doesn’t know how to be happy,” Rosalie commented. She was reading one of her fashion magazines that she subscribed to. “Ugh. That’s back in? Wasn’t it bad enough in the eighties?”

“Don’t worry,” Alice said. “Summer will be better. We should plan a trip soon to Milan, see the show. It looks fantastic.”

I rolled my eyes. I expected the frivolousness out of Rosalie, but sometimes it was hard to hear it from Alice.

“What’s got him in such a bad mood?” Jasper asked Alice as I left them.

“Oh, his time with Bella was cut short. He wanted that extra minute.”

“Doesn’t he still visit her at night?”

“Yes. He will tonight. Don’t worry, he’ll be in a better mood afterwards.”

“At least he spends less time here. His bad moods are extremely tiresome,” Rosalie said.

I growled, disliking the fact that my frustration was being made into parody. But I would get to see Bella tonight.

I had a few hours. I hurriedly did my homework, it was child’s work at best. I failed to see why teachers insisted using worksheets, no one ever learned anything from them.

I would need to go hunting tomorrow. The thought of spending all day with Bella was both exhilarating and terrifying.

I would have to make sure there was no question of being thirsty.

I went to Alice and Jasper’s room, knowing that Alice was going through her closet yet again.

“I would love to go with you,” she said, holding up a shirt against her.

“What do you think of this?” she asked. Not pausing to let me answer, “Ugh. You’re no help. It’s a miracle that your socks match.”

She put it back in her closet. “I have one condition. You get to drive her truck back to the school. I’m not doing it.”

I smiled. “Deal.”

She nodded, turning back to her closet. “She’s going to sleep soon.”

I smiled, the thought of being able to see Bella was immensely appealing.

The rain had stopped, Bella wouldn’t be restless tonight.

I sat in the rocking chair across the room from her bed. She smelled faintly of dog, though it didn’t mask her scent completely.

I hoped that she would like spending the day with me. I wondered, expected that she would realize that I was not good for her, that she would be better off without me.

She slept peacefully, murmuring every once in a while.

“Edward,” she whispered, more than a few times.

“I’m here,” I whispered. “I’m here as long as you want me.”

And I wanted it to be forever.

Description
I waited by my car, wondering wryly if I looked as excited to see her as I thought. Why didn’t time pass faster?

Finally she came, the smile on her face so large in brilliant that I smiled in response. I found myself mirroring her emotions more and more-if she was happy, I would myself happy also, despite my mood before I saw her.

I wanted to know about her life before here, to understand why she missed it. We never lived in the South West, it was too sunny.

“It’s beautiful there, not that Forks isn’t nice, but there it’s warm and sunny all the time. It’s hard to be in a bad mood when the sun is shining. The sky is so blue and so big- everything opens up. You can see the stars every night and there are so many of them! Like a child spilled glitter on a black piece of construction paper.”

She used her hands to talk, her eyes looking out but not into anywhere I could see. She was in Arizona, telling me everything she saw.

I never thought about the appeal of the South West-or really any place that the sun was a constant presence. Bella made me want to visit these places, to expierence things that I never thought to imagine before.

They made her happy. I wanted to see her happy.

“Did you have any friends there?” I asked her softly.

She shrugged. “Not really. More like acquaintances. No one really noticed me.”

Notice her? How could they not notice her? She was such an amazing person-so warm and smart and kind. How dare they treat her as a part of scenery?

“My high school was huge-nothing like it is here. There were 400 people in my graduating class alone.”

“Yet you didn’t have any friends?”

“There were people that I talked to. But my closest friend was my mother. I still miss her,” she said quietly.

“And you liked it there.”

“I loved it there.”

It was dark now, Chief Swan would be home soon. I hadn’t realized how late it was-time had no meaning when I was with Bella.

“Are you finished?” she asked with relief.

I chuckled. “Not even close-but your father will be home soon.”

“Charlie!” she panicked. She looked out the car window, desperate to see something. “How late is it?”

“It’s twilight,” I murmured, wishing that I didn’t have to quite wake up from this dream. I thought about the sun, about how much I wanted to be there.

Bella belonged there-in the sun and in the warmth. So delicate, choosing the sit in the darkness, just because of me.

I looked at her, wondering what it was that she saw in me, wondering why she came here, a place that she didn’t like-at least not as much as she liked Arizona.

She was staring at me, asking me wordlessly for an answer.

“It’s the safest time of day for us, the easiest time. But also the saddest, in a way…the end of another day, the return of the night. Darkness is so predicable, don’t you think?”

“I like the night. Without the dark we’d never see the stars,” Bella said. She frowned, looking at the sky. “Not that you can see them here much.”

I laughed, so delighted by her disappointment at not being able to see the stars. It was such a carefree disappointment, something so simple and refreshing that it pulled me out of the darkness that I found myself in.

“Charlie will be here in a few minutes. So, unless you want to tell him that you’ll be with me Saturday…” I raised my eyebrow in question. I wanted him to know, to know that someone would know that she was with me, giving me incentive, to make sure that I would never get that far off.

“Thanks, but no thanks. So is it my turn tomorrow then?”

“Certainly not! I told you I wasn’t done, didn’t I?” I teased.

“What more is there?”

“You’ll find out tomorrow,” I promised her. I reached across, opening her door for her. My ear was near her heart, I could hear the increased rhythm like it was a timpani.

Though that the primary thing I heard was her heart, though I was enveloped in her scent, I still could hear them. Smell them.

“Not good.”

“What is it?” She asked, alarmed.

I glanced at her. Wishing I could have just one more minute. “Another complication.”

I flung the door open, hoping that Bella would get out soon. The smell of those dogs was too strong.

They couldn’t have picked a worse time.

She stood there, startled by the headlights of the dog’s car.

“Charlie’s around the corner,” I warned her, continuing to staring at the dogs, waiting for them to make their move.

I had every right to be here. We kept the terms of the treaty, there was no reason for them to confront us.

The younger one-he was eager to see Bella. He volunteered to take his father. He was happy she was here-he saw her at the beach. He wanted to talk to her again. I saw the images in his mind, they walked down the beach together.

He had told her the stories. He told her the secret, albeit unknowingly.

Still, his eagerness was frustrating. I disliked it. She was mine.

I revved the engine, not looking to start a fight, thankful that this car was as fast as it was.

I slammed the car door, frustrated that the dogs deprived me of at least five more minutes with Bella. I could have persuaded her to introduce me to Chief Swan.

Jasper sighed. “You know, for someone in love, you’re in an extraordinarily bad mood.”

“Edward enjoys brooding. He probably doesn’t know how to be happy,” Rosalie commented. She was reading one of her fashion magazines that she subscribed to. “Ugh. That’s back in? Wasn’t it bad enough in the eighties?”

“Don’t worry,” Alice said. “Summer will be better. We should plan a trip soon to Milan, see the show. It looks fantastic.”

I rolled my eyes. I expected the frivolousness out of Rosalie, but sometimes it was hard to hear it from Alice.

“What’s got him in such a bad mood?” Jasper asked Alice as I left them.

“Oh, his time with Bella was cut short. He wanted that extra minute.”

“Doesn’t he still visit her at night?”

“Yes. He will tonight. Don’t worry, he’ll be in a better mood afterwards.”

“At least he spends less time here. His bad moods are extremely tiresome,” Rosalie said.

I growled, disliking the fact that my frustration was being made into parody. But I would get to see Bella tonight.

I had a few hours. I hurriedly did my homework, it was child’s work at best. I failed to see why teachers insisted using worksheets, no one ever learned anything from them.

I would need to go hunting tomorrow. The thought of spending all day with Bella was both exhilarating and terrifying.

I would have to make sure there was no question of being thirsty.

I went to Alice and Jasper’s room, knowing that Alice was going through her closet yet again.

“I would love to go with you,” she said, holding up a shirt against her.

“What do you think of this?” she asked. Not pausing to let me answer, “Ugh. You’re no help. It’s a miracle that your socks match.”

She put it back in her closet. “I have one condition. You get to drive her truck back to the school. I’m not doing it.”

I smiled. “Deal.”

She nodded, turning back to her closet. “She’s going to sleep soon.”

I smiled, the thought of being able to see Bella was immensely appealing.

The rain had stopped, Bella wouldn’t be restless tonight.

I sat in the rocking chair across the room from her bed. She smelled faintly of dog, though it didn’t mask her scent completely.

I hoped that she would like spending the day with me. I wondered, expected that she would realize that I was not good for her, that she would be better off without me.

She slept peacefully, murmuring every once in a while.

“Edward,” she whispered, more than a few times.

“I’m here,” I whispered. “I’m here as long as you want me.”

And I wanted it to be forever.