Edward Cullen; FHS/Junior (dazzlinglion) wrote in beyondwonderlnd, @ 2008-10-13 17:08:00 |
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Doing his best to tune out the thoughts from all his siblings, Edward made his way to an empty lunch table. He hadn't mentioned to her, his intentions on her joining him for lunch, but he would wait. Eventually she would see him, or one of her friends would inevitably notice the attention he was showing her - from the distance - and say something. This was his intention, however, he had no real idea if it would work or not. Something about going up to Bella and asking "Would you like to join me for lunch today?" seemed entirely too... ridiculous that he couldn't bring himself to doing it. The thoughts from his siblings ranged from eager (Alice) to outrage (Rosalie). Emmett and Jasper were somewhere in the middle of that scale, but he tried not to dwell to long in any of their minds. He was breaking their rules, breaking the protocol - everything that had kept them safe for all these years... and yet, it was something he had to do. They wouldn't be able to understand, but his obsession had quickly become a necessity. Edward watched her come in with her friends, and like every day, go through the lunch line listening to their trivial gossip. Their thoughts bored him, and yet, if it was the only way to 'hear' Bella, Edward would suffer through them. He watched, he waited, and he kept attempting to argue himself out of his outlandish behavior. However, before he even had himself half convinced that this was a bad idea, Edward had been noticed, and it officially became 'too late'. (Or, at least, that's immediately how he justified it in his mind.) "Edward Cullen is staring at you," Edward heard Jessica Stanley point out, her tone of voice masking her jealousy. Edward shuddered at the thoughts Jessica had about him, and yet, a part of him was foolishly wishing that Bella might see him the same way that Jessica often did. That was irrelevant, however, as today he was going to attempt to warn her away from him. He couldn't stay away from her, so it stood to reason that she had to stay away from him. Once she met his eyes, Edward signaled for her to join him. Would she do join him? As childish as it made him feel, Edward held his breath. Not to avoid her scent this time, but in anticipation for her acceptance or rejection of his invitation. How incredibly human he was acting. Bella had had an uneasy feeling in her stomach since walking into the cafeteria, which had to do primarily with the fact that, upon her routine glance at the Cullen table, she found Edward absent. She didn't know why it surprised her, though she was beginning to understand why she cared. An emptiness seemed to swell and blossom in her, and it was with bored disinterest that she followed Jessica and Mike up to the counter. Of course, she hadn't bothered to look for him elsewhere. Despite their flash of strained-cordiality a night earlier on the computers, it was simply asking too much for him to be there, to test out the new boundaries. And besides: if he wasn't with the Cullens, where else would he be? But a loud hiss in her ear made her stomach do a formidable series of gymnastic-like flip-flops, and she felt her cheeks flush scarlett when she searched out his eyes. His eyes. Her thoughts blurred and then re-focused, regaining some semblance of composure as she looked behind her. Surely some lithe blonde would be standing there, responding to Edward's beckoning. But the space behind her was empty, and as she turned back to him, she finally realized that yes, it was her that he wanted to talk to. "I'll catch up with you guys later," Bella said in an attempt to appear unruffled. Mike looked torn, as if he didn't want to leave her unprotected. "No, really. I'm sure he just has a question about biology." That's right. He had a question about homework, or something equally unimportant. Jessica looked hopefully after her, already pining for details. But Bella turned and walked cautiously to Edward, ignoring her friends. "Hi," she said quietly, unsure if she should sit. "Is there...do you need something?" Did he need something? That certainly was an odd way of greeting him. Did the idea of his company bother her so much that she had only come over to find out why he beckoned her? Surely that couldn't be it. Hm. Edward looked at her, raising an eyebrow, studying the girl whose thoughts were always silent, wanting nothing more than to know what she was thinking. "I was wondering if, perhaps, you would care to join me for lunch," he responded in a cool, even tone, feigning disinterest in whether she said yes or no. After all, he couldn't appear to eager, he refused to appear too eager. Still, there was something about the way that he said it that it didn't come out quite like a question. More like a strong suggestion. Edward took a moment to breathe in her scent. Tough he took all necessary precautions to satisfy his thirst before school, the scent filled him with desire. He noted, however, after spending most of the night in her room, surrounded by the concentrated scent, the blood lust was a bit more tolerable. As if, somehow, he managed to desensitize himself to it, even just a bit. This pleased him, as it bode well for his ability to control himself. He couldn't stop a small smile from forming on his lips, though he did his best not to show his shiny white teeth entirely - knowing that a full smile from a vampire would be quite off putting to most humans. Despite the fact that this meeting at lunch was to warn her away from him, the last thing that Edward wanted to do at that moment was startle her. Bella tried to remind herself that this was about homework. Strictly business. After all, they were lab partners, wouldn't they? Of course he'd asked her to sit with him. Displeasure aside, communication was necessary when you studied chemistry next to each other. Right -- that's what it was. Setting herself up for anything else would only cause disappointment and, she admitted grudgingly, heartbreak. It was with a bit of a smile and a light nod that she slipped her near-entry tray down, and sat in front of it -- and him -- as gracefully as she could manage. "Ow," she mumbled, smacking her knee as she maneuvered over the bench. Once settled, she looked down at her apple to keep from staring at his eyes. But it was no use. She kept stealing glancing at him, to make sure he was really there. Every time she was greeted with his face, she felt it difficult to believe her luck. Even if it was just homework, not many people could count 'male god' amongst their study partners. "Is this about the biology quiz?" She asked curiously, worried that if she didn't break the silence she'd fall into an open-mouth stare. What she really wanted to know was why he wasn't sitting with his siblings -- but that felt too personal. Made it too obvious she watched him all the time. Edward shook his head, finding it interesting that she still believed it was only about something he needed, or about classwork. Well, then again, it wasn't every day he sought out the companionship of anyone other than his siblings. He purposefully avoided looking in the direction of where the rest of the Cullen/Hale clan was sitting, knowing that the moment he did he would be bombarded with their thoughts. No, he would focus solely on this table, and the girl sitting if front of him. "Are you worried about the quiz?" he asked, thinking perhaps it would be comforting to go along with, if only for a moment, the whole school related theme. Though, he doubted that she'd be nervous. From the previous labs, he could tell that she was advanced for that class - much like he was, though he highly doubted if it was to the degree that he was. "I figured that I owed you an apology, in person, for my incredibly rude behavior," he admitted before she could answer about the quiz. "It is better if we do not speak, for your own good," Edward looked down as he said that, wishing it were not true. "Still, I haven't been going about this in a very polite manner, and I do apologize, sincerely, for that." And for the monster that I am and the danger that I'm putting you in, he added silently in his head. The apology hit Bella a little like a train -- heavy and unexpected, it took her a moment to realize what it was he was saying. Though she'd done a fairly good job of ignoring him, outwardly, internally she'd fought everyday to keep from thinking about him, staring and...well, perhaps 'stalking' was a bit too strong a word. It felt a little relieving, hearing him say the words, but they didn't add up. She'd drawn conclusions, done the math. "I don't think it matters how polite you are when you regret saving someone," Bella said, her voice full of strained amusement. She tried to make a joke at her own expense, but even she could notice the hint of sadness her words. "I mean, you could have ignored me with a smile and I think the impact would have been juuust about the same." Here, anger entered the tone of her voice, and she made it clear for the first time that she hadn't wanted to be ignored. "I never really got the chance to thank-you, though, what with the whole wall between us." Bella bit her lip, and leaned in a little, her expression awash with sincerity. He certainly had a way of keeping her emotions and expressions on a bit of a roller coaster. "Thank-you," she said sincerely, repressing the urge to brush his hand. "For saving my life that day." Edward looked at her incredulous. She didn't really believe that he regretted saving her did she? He had to fight back the urge to interrupt her, reminding himself that he so desperately wanted to know what was on her mind so he would have to listen to her words. In doing so, in really trying to listen, he picked up on the fact that she wanted his attentions. How curiously odd. "You think that I regret saving your life?" Edward finally asked once she had finished thanking him. "Bella, that's absurd," Edward's voice was not doing a very good job masking the hurt and anger by that assumption. Of everything he had done since she met her, he was certain that that was the first - and probably only - right thing. He pursed his lips, confused, and trying to make sense of the girl sitting across from him. How could she possibly even think that, or say it in jest? "You don't need to thank me, for the record, but you are welcome." Edward was tense, but he tried to will himself to relax. This wasn't exactly the conversation he'd pictured, but at the same time he was glad that he knew what she was thinking, despite how absurd they might be. He shook his head. Bella didn't know why she felt foolish, but she did. The incredulity in his voice made it quite obvious she'd been mistaken, but how could she be when his actions had spoken so loudly. "I don't know," she replied sheepishly, her cheeks burning with annoyed embarrassment. "You went between treating me like I was invisible to acting as if I had the ebola virus and you didn't want to catch it." Her shoulders shrugged lightly, not wanting to let him see how deeply it had all effected her. "What was I supposed to think?" Bella raised her eyes to look at him, though she didn't know if her question actually warranted an answer. Instead, she fingered the apple she had on her tray, and waited in silence for him to direct the conversation. It felt like it was getting too close -- to personal. If he pushed the right way, he might stumble upon just how much she'd thought of it, and of him. And then he wouldn't be eating lunch with her again. Edward tried not to laugh, but her describing the situation that way - as if he was trying to avoid catching the ebola virus, well, it amused him. He quieted the laughter quickly, scolding himself in his head for being so free with his expressions. He should have better control over them than this. Edward sighed, "If I told you to stay away from me, would you? Wait, before you answer let me explain. I mean that in the sense that you would be better off without my company, and not in the manner that I don't want yours- if only it were that simple." He was making a mess of this, and he was beginning to wonder if he had made a mistake in asking her to join him. How could he make her see what she needed to see when deep down he didn't want her to see the truth? How could he warn her, when he wanted her to stick around? How could he warn her without revealing too much? He looked up at her, again, and grinned. "See, I've come to the conclusion that I simply cannot stay away by my own doing, and it would help me greatly if you could take me seriously when I say that you'd be better off without me." Yet, considering he just admitted to wanting her company, his warning in the end lost its power. "Am I making any sense to you?" Edward began playing with an empty bottle cap that had been left behind on the table a foot away from him. He grabbed it and began spinning it idly as he waited for her response. He would wait patiently, or do his best to try to, knowing that he was full of contradictions as he spoke. He told her to stay away, yet said that he didn't want to stay away from her. He implied that he wanted her company, yet had, up until this point, acted as if he loathed her very existance. He would have done anything to read her thoughts, but instead he would have to wait until she spoke. It took a great deal of effort for Bella to pay attention -- she was at once drinking in his words thirstily, and at the same time allowing her mind to wander, captivated as she was with the small details of Edward's face. Oh God, she thought silently to herself, disgusted. I'm pathetic...really and truly pathetic. But it didn't stop her from staring at him. Fortunately, she maintained enough cohesion to take in, process and respond to his words. Though it was something of a struggle. Thoughtfully, Bella weighed her options. "You're making sense," she nodded, her words slow and meticulous, drawn-out, somehow. "But I can't pretend that I have any clue what it is you're talking about. I guess you're saying that us being friends would be unhealthy for me? Right?" Perhaps he'd hit the nail on the head; he knew she was infatuated and also knew that the feelings would never be reciprocated. So then, what? He was letting her down gently? But why talk to her at all? "So you want my company, but I shouldn't want yours." This time, Bella was confident in her statement, and she sat up straighter. She could take care of herself, emotionally damaging though a friendship might be. "But I do want your company." It was said so openly, honestly and plainly, that she was almost surprised herself. Still, Bella lifted her shoulders in a shrug to emphasize the simple nature of the fact. "I guess I just have to risk it, then." Edward inwardly rejoiced at the fact that he had attempted - all be it lamely - to warn her yet she had decided he was worth the risk. He knew that it was because she didn't know the truth, something he never wanted her to find out. His conscience told him he ought to do a better job warning her of what he is, however, he was selfish enough to quiet that voice. After all he had tried, which was all that he had set out to do. Giving her a cool, nonchalant shrug, Edward spoke, "Well, if you choose to take the risk, than I will not stop you from doing as you like." Edward gave her a smirk, it seemed almost mischievous considering the meanings that were hidden behind it. "As long as you've been warned." In his head there was a voice that was screaming Run, Bella, run! as there was one that was equally as loud screaming Stay, Bella, please stay! Edward was certain that he had lost his mind entirely due to this girl, this beautiful girl sitting across from him. His eyes glanced over her soft features, so delicate, so fragile. He watched the hint of blush become more prevalent against her pale skin, and what surprised him was the urge he had to reach his hand across to touch her cheek. No, he wouldn't give into that urge, but it was there. When he looked at her today, he wondered how he could have ever thought that a girl like Bella was 'ordinary', how foolish and unobservant he had been! When his eyes moved down, studying her posture, her body language, he noticed the untouched apple. Odd. Humans depended on eating food to keep themselves sustained, was she feeling alright? He was immediately worried about her again, and this time, he was glad he could actually ask instead of spy on her through the minds of others. "You're not eating," he commented, as if making a simple observation. "Are you feeling alright?" Edward asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity, attempting to mask the level of concern he had for the girl. Bella felt the hairs on the back of her neck and realized, perhaps for the first time, that though she felt oddly comforted in Edward's presence, she was afraid of him, too. She couldn't tell if the shudder she gave at his 'warning' was visible, but she rubbed her hands up and down her goose-bumped arms -- an action he surely couldn't miss. Still, she nodded, indicating that the message had been received. Loud and clear -- over and out. The fact that he'd noticed her apple embarrassed her enough that she didn't think she'd be able to eat in front of him now, even if she wanted to. Letting go of the fruit as if it were rotting, she shook her head quickly -- too quickly -- to indicate that she was fine. "I'm fine, I'm just not that really hungry. My stomach is--" She stopped, abruptly. In knots? Doing flip-flops? Filled with butterflies. None of those answers seemed like they could be said aloud. Not to Edward; it was too much information, a fact she found she often had to remind herself when she was close to him. But then, something changed, and her brows knit together as if she was trying to make a desicion. "My stomach feels funny. I feel funny." She paused, not wanting to add that somehow, she felt like spring. The analogy didn't make sense, not even to her. But it was a lot like waking up for the first time. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to mask what she'd just let out. "And I'm still trying to figure out what you are. I've narrowed it down to a few theories, you know." It was said with humour, off-the-cuff. But there was truth behind her words, and she hoped he'd sense it. Edward had, indeed, noticed her shiver, but more than that he noticed her rubbing her arms. He pursed his lips out of concern, and a bit out of dismay. Perhaps she was afraid of him. She should be, that much was true, but that didn't mean that he wanted her to be. Still, he hardly had time to dwell on that concern, or the worry of her admitting to feeling funny, when she continued on about trying to figure out what he is. That could be problematic. Edward tensed, though, his jaw clenched when she brought up the subject. He had to remind himself to stay relaxed, though he couldn't stop his expression turning cold, even for a moment. "I wish you wouldn't try," he said almost under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear. Then, all at once, his demeanor changed. She had theories, and he wanted to hear them. In fact, he had to know what her theories were. He could justify to himself and the others that it was for their own well being, but the truth of the matter is, knowing what her theories had little to do with protecting his secret. The desire to know her theories came solely from wanting to know what goes on in that mysterious mind of hers. Edward rose an eyebrow at her, and leaned in slightly towards her. Not enough to really become closer to her, but just enough to show his interest. "Theories, you say? Might you share them with me?" He gave her a small, easy going smile, one that he'd perfected over the many years of his existance. One that he had found put most humans at ease. Edward was doing what he could to appear open to these theories, wishing he could just pick the answers from her mind. Bella only just got a flash of his dark murmurings, but found herself oddly at ease when he decided to play along. Offering up a fresh blush and a sheepish smile, she met his eyes momentarily before picking up the apple and fidgeting with it again. "I'll share them, but I can't promise you'll like them. Which means you can't get mad." Raising her eyebrows, she made a vague attempt to appear stern without much success. "Okay. Don't laugh! But...well...radioactive spider?" She paused, holding her breath, and playfully gaging his reaction. "Bruce Wayne's long-lost-son? You have the clothes..." She indicated his sweater, which looked like it was expensive and designer. "But the thing is, you'd need technology to be batman, wouldn't you? And I get the impression Edward Cullen doesn't need much more than himself." Bella bit her lip, hoping he'd give her some insight. The moment she had uttered the words radioactive spider Edward was on the brink of laughter. Barely able to hold it in to let her finish - and if it had been with anyone else he wouldn't have been able to do so, except he had to if he wanted to hear her thoughts - Edward let out a rather loud, hearty laugh. He couldn't help it. Shaking his head, still grinning. "Is that really the best you could come up with? Comic book heroes?" It was amusing, it really, truly was. "I'll give you a hint, Kryptonite has no effect on me, either." He was relieved, immensely so, at how far off from the truth she was. Yet, despite his immense relief washing over him, a part of him was troubled by her guesses - rather, troubled at the hero aspect of it all. "What makes you so certain I'm one of the heroes?" He asked, the grin fading from his face. "What if I'm one of the bad guys?" Bella was surpisingly delighted by his response; though there had been truth behind her theories (though perhaps not those exact ones), it made her feel warm making him laugh, and not just for saying something stupid or clumsy. She'd at least intentionally inserted the humour, this time, and her own mouth lifted with his, stifling a few bashful laughs of her own. "Not Superman, then." With a nonchalant shrug, she mock-sighed. "Guess I'll have to keep looking, then." But as the mood shifted suddenly, Bella felt herself shiver again. There was a pregnant pause after his question, and she felt the air get palpably more tense. "Oh," she gulped. "I see." He was dangerous; it was what he'd been trying to tell her along. And somehow, suddenly, she knew as well as she knew that the sun would rise again tomorrow that what he was telling her was the truth. "So you're dangerous." The stated fact sounded less ominous than it felt, her arms once more goosebumped with fear. And then, her voice softer, she looked up at him intensely. "But not bad." There was nothing that this impossible angel could do to make her believe he wasn't good. He radiated in spite of himself, and there was something terribly safe about sitting near him. "No, I could never believe you were bad." Everything suddenly felt very important and intense. Her voice was soft with hushed emotion. "You're wrong," Edward said quietly, and sincerely, a trace amount of sadness in his voice. "If you were smart, you'd stay away." One last warning, perhaps, as the internal battle within him waged on. He was glad that she was not afraid of him, glad that she didn't believe he could be bad... yet, if he was a good person, Edward would have stayed away. The fact that he was an incredibly selfish creature, seeking out her company despite the impossible circumstances that surrounded them, was proof enough that he was not good. The thought occurred to him that she was putting on a brave face. He couldn't actually read her mind, so he had to guess that she was even telling him what she meant. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach that his warnings had sunk in, and this was going to be the last he ever got to speak with Bella before she distanced herself as far as she could. Would it be too sudden to admit that he was undeniably in love with her? Edward smirked, a very tiny smirk, at that thought. Certainly that unpredictable announcement would scare her off, the moment she realized what an obsessive creep he was. Edward purposefully let the bottle cap spin closer to her, as a mere excuse to stretch his hand closer in her direction to stop it. It was a simple test, to watch if she would flinch or move away from him as he came nearer. To gauge if she really did think of him as someone who could never be bad or if he should begin preparing himself for the rapidly nearing rejection. As the bottle cap spun closer, as Edward moved to reach his hand out to stop it, Bella inched almost involuntarily closer. Her body moved toward him, as if drawn by some unknown magnet, as if something was physically pulling between them, from his chest to hers. Without thinking -- without processing the danger that had registered somewhere in the back of her mind earlier -- she reached out a hand and stopped the cap, fist enclosing it. Meeting his own eyes, she shook her head softly. "I'm not wrong." Edward smiled (despite knowing the many levels that this was wrong) when she had passed his silly little test. Bella honestly did not think of him as someone who was bad. Dangerous, perhaps, but not bad. He briefly wondered, again, if perhaps there was something wrong with her head, but on the inside he couldn't have been happier. The girl that he loved, (yes, loved, no matter how sudden and unexpected) did not think him to be a monster. This was good news. "Your boyfriend thinks I'm going to keep you from class," Edward said, emphasizing the word boyfriend with a bit of annoyance. He gestured towards Mike who was hesitating as the rest of the student body was making its way into the hallway, trying to decide if he was going to come over and make certain that Bella knew lunch was ending. Edward was not excited about the lunch period drawing to an end. It was as if, during that time, only they existed. He hadn't paid the attention to anyone else's thoughts, and really, had almost forgotten that they were sitting at a table in the middle of the cafeteria. Funny, the way time seemed to slow down and speed up in random intervals now that Bella was around. That would take some getting used to. Still, at least they had biology together. How ironic! The first day she'd sat by him and he hated her with every fiber of his being, hated her for tempting him so deeply. Now? Now he was grateful that his had been the only desk left. The entire school year - no, his entire world - had spun into a chaotic and unpredictable blur of motion, and Edward had only one person to thank. Her. Finally, his life wasn't dull, routine; Bella gave things meaning and made things interesting. Startled by his suggestion, Bella turned her head to determine what -- or who, rather -- Edward was talking about. Her face scrunched in confusion and annoyance, she turned back to him, arms folded over her chest. "He's not my boyfriend," she replied, a bit too huffily. The red in her face could be interpreted as guilt or embarassment, but the expression in her dark eyes signalled her annoyance. "I don't have a boyfriend, thank you." Bella's expression was stormy as she made her pointed reply. But as her eyes moved around the cafeteria, she noticed that it was incredibly empty. That an entire period had passed by and she'd hardly even noticed. Glancing back at Edward, she seemed both startled and then confused -- until she caught hold of his eyes. Her breathing became a bit more shallow, realizing now how very alone they were, despite the fact that Angela was practically dragging Mike away. That was why she hadn't noticed -- how could she, when Edward was in front of her? It was infuriating that he had this spell over her, that no one else seemed afflicted. She was weak and stupid and -- Well, late for biology. "I didn't notice the time pass," she murmured, a little dazed. The table the Cullens had been occupying was suddenly empty, and at this Bella knotted her brows. "Your brothers and sisters didn't wait for you. Is everything alright?" Edward was both amused and happy at her reaction to his boyfriend comment. Good, he could scratch Mike off of the list of competition, for now. His mind couldn't linger on that long, the fact remained, they were bound to be late if they sat there much longer (Bella couldn't move at the speed he could, technically he could wait a few more minutes and still not be late, but that was irrelevant). As Bella brought his attention to the empty table that he usually sat, Edward shrugged. Things weren't alright, far from it, but they would be. In time. "Let's continue this conversation as we walk to class." We. The fact that he called them a we made Edward happier than he'd want to admit to anyone. How was it she brought out such human reactions out of him? Strange. He was at no risk for catching the Ebola virus, as she'd joked about earlier in their conversation, but Edward certainly seemed to be catching her Human-ness. Edward stood, and slung his backpack over his shoulder gracefully as if all in one fluid moment. "My siblings do not approve of my recent behaviors," he admitted casually, "however, it is nothing that won't be mended soon enough." Edward pondered over his thoughts a bit more, and then grinned. "I told you earlier that I couldn't stay away, and well, now I'm simply doing what I want and letting the chips land as they may." While he didn't expect her to really know what he meant, there was one thing that was clear: Edward had a problem when it came to saying too much around her. He would have to be more careful in the future. The 'we' did not go unnoticed to Bella, either, and her stomach did a series of dangerous acrobatics in response. She watched with awe as he moved fluidly out of the seat and slung his bag over his back; she, on the other hand, got tripped up, stumbled and had to try very hard to look like she wasn't falling under the weight of her messenger bag. Adjusting her blue sweater over the band of her jeans, she tried to look as if she hadn't just been in a fight with the cafeteria bench. But graceful wasn't exactly Bella's forte, especially not with Edward standing so close. She wondered as she stared up at him how, exactly, they'd gone from hardly speaking to walking with one another to biology. And, more importantly, how his words seemed to imply that she was part of the actions his family didn't approve of. Her mind raced curiously, trying to locate something she might have done to offend them -- it landed with a thud of reality on her lack-lustre appeal. Surely they thought she was too plain to be seen with their brother. "I hope I haven't done anything to upset them," she replied, biting her lip. As they turned the corner, Bella slipped her hand in her pocket to keep from brushing it against his, a desire which seemed to momentarily overwhelm her. His words sat heavily upon her, filling her with a bit of hope -- he couldn't stay away. But why? Was she some sort of science project? A social experiment gone wrong? She'd seen that in a teen movie once, and -- "I don't see why you can't stay away." She said firmly, looking up at him. "I'm really not that interesting." I'm not like you. "You really don't need to be worrying about my family, Bella," Edward said, honestly meaning it. Despite the fact that they disapproved of his behavior, he had, for the time being, the upper hand of sorts. They would not harm her or interfere with what he was doing, especially without Carlisle's blessing, and that would have to be sufficient for now. "My siblings aren't the only ones who seem to have a problem with this development," he commented attempting to shift the focus away from his family and back on to the masses of Forks High School. Edward frowned when Bella commented about how she wasn't that interesting. From where he stood, that couldn't be father from the truth. Edward shook his head, "On the contrary, I find you quite interesting." Honest, straight forward, though there were many different meanings behind it that she could never possibly guess. "If nothing else, considering we're lab partners, I think it's safe to say we're going to at least be on speaking terms this year, or it could be miserable for the both of us." Of course, he wanted more than that. More than just speaking terms. More than just her friend. But he could never tell her that, no matter how much he wanted it. How could she ever want him.. like that? "Of course, if you ever decide to listen to the warnings I've given you... I will respect your wishes and leave you alone." However, he sincerely hoped that the day she finally realized he was a monster was one that was far off into the future. He hadn't had enough time with her yet. (Would he ever have had enough? Not likely!) Bella looked on in confusion, wondering what he meant by the development and further confused by who would be concerned about it, if not his family. It just wasn't even a possibility that Edward Cullen had any sort of interest in her, a fact that seemed cemented when he made sure to remind her that, on some level, their communication was academic-based. Still, she was hopeless: his feelings aside, she suspected that it would almost be enough just talking, just having these intervals of time when they seemed, momentarily, seamless. "Look, Edward," Bella's voice faltered after his name had fallen easily from her lips, surprised, somehow, at the sound -- not enchanting, as when he spoke, but better all the same for the fact that it was his name. "It's not going to happen. I'm...in this. Whatever this is, so stop trying to get me to leave. Okay?" They had found themselves rather close to the entrance of the classroom. She didn't want to end the conversation, but as the class was already settling down, she knew she would have to. "If you insist," Edward smiled (or was it a smirk?) at Bella as she told him to stop trying to get her to leave. As a gentleman, which he prided himself on being, he felt it was only his duty to agree to her request. Well, at least, that was how he would justify it to himself. Edward was doing this for one person's sake, and that was his own. If he had been truly doing this for her, he would have ignored her insistence and left her alone from this day forward. No, that was impossible. This year was going to be incredibly difficult for Edward, and yet, it was beginning to feel like the best year yet. Interesting. Reaching the door, Edward back and let her enter first. He secretly wished that class wouldn't begin, as that meant this conversation was over. Despite the fact that he felt like he always gave away too much information around her, Edward also worried that each moment with her might be his last. He had no idea how long it would take before she came to her senses and wanted nothing to do with him, but he was certain that day was coming. Entering the room, Edward was immediately bombarded with Mike's angry yelling inside his head, the jealousy seething through. It was clear that Newton hadn't appreciated Edward being the one to walk her to class today. Edward smirked, gloating internally, as it made him happier than it should. |