We Three Witches (Twilight)

Chapter 10 - Hungry For More

Edward's POV

February 8th, 2003

I shook my head and dropped the topic—as I was quickly learning, arguing with Bella never ended well. I picked up my menu and glanced at the sides section. It would look weird if I didn't get anything, and this was the easiest way to avoid that.

I glanced up at Bella. She was completely absorbed in choosing her dinner, and the image warmed my heart. She seemed so content, with that slight pucker between her brows; the way her head tilted ever so slightly and the gleam that entered her eyes when she saw a dish that she was considering. It was enthralling, just watching her. She was amazing, and I hated how much I wanted her.

I hated that I wished this was a real date. Because just like that I couldn't help but wonder what she would even do on a real date. Suddenly, I had this image of us together, in a much nicer restaurant, holding hands and laughing, drunk on each other's company. We wouldn't be fighting; she'd probably still insult me every other sentence, but this time she would be just teasing—and not in the malicious way she does now.

I mentally shook my head, berating myself. Of course she was malicious towards me—she was the enemy, and unfortunately, she hated me. If this were a fanciful story where happy endings were guaranteed, I might have hoped to change her mind about me. I rolled my eyes internally. I could just see it now; love cracking the ice surrounding her heart—perhaps she would even forgive Carlilse—and we'd live happily ever after.

I barely withheld a snort. Unfortunately those things just weren't possible, and this wasn't a story. This was real life, and the fact of the matter was, my brothers and I were all playing a dangerous game. We were playing with fire; deluding ourselves into thinking we could play with these witches and not get burned.

I was honest enough with myself to admit I was gone already, though despite my perfect memory I couldn't remember exactly when I'd fallen so hard. And my brothers were just as done for as I was. It was ridiculous really. We'd all fallen for the three women we could never have—no matter how my brothers deluded themselves otherwise—and sooner or later our carefully built house of cards was going to come crashing down. Probably because Bella hit it with a wrecking ball.

I sighed silently. She seemed like she'd enjoy actually doing that.

Bella smirked and looked up from her menu "I'm going to get the mushroom ravioli, you'll get the...chicken parm with the caesar salad."

She put down her menu and I looked at her curiously. "Why that specifically?" I asked. The menu had ridiculous pictures of their items and those two didn't look particularly...appetising. Though perhaps I was biased. Still, I couldn't understand a single thing she did—what I wouldn't give for just a glimpse into her mind.

"Because it looks good, and you're not going to eat anything, so I might as well." She shrugged. "You're paying so why wouldn't I go all out?"

I nodded; though I hated to admit it, that was actually a good idea. It would definitely look conspicuous if I got a snack while she had a full meal. "I didn't take you as the type to be able to eat two whole plates," I teased. There was something about pushing her buttons that was so irresistible, even if she did take chunks out of me in return. "I'm a bit surprised, you seem so..." I trailed off when her eyes narrowed.

"Okay, first; I could get easily offended by that—don't make me break you in public. Second, we're supposed to be at war, and you're not observant enough to ever notice how much my sisters and I eat?" She rolled her eyes.