Dusk Till Dawn

Questions

"So, how old are you?" Rosalie asked. Her voice was filled with curiosity, her arms crossed on top of the steering wheel to give me her full attention; I could feel my cheeks heat up at her stare. The rain was so heavy that I could barely see the house at all. I was like the car was submerged under a river.

"Eighteen, why?"

"Merely curious— you act a lot older," she answered.

A humorless chuckle escaped me. "Renee used to say I was born thirty-five and get more middle aged every year." I sighed quietly. "One of us had to be the adult.

"Why else did you move here?"

"I've always been closer to Charlie than Renee," I confessed. "And Charlie didn't care that I came out to him...just as long as I was happy."

Rosalie was quiet for a few seconds. "So, does his approval really matter to you?" She asked, her eyes searching mine.

"Not-Not really," I stuttered. "I'm sure he'll like whoever I bring to him."

Rosalie finally turned away, looking down at her lap. She whispered quietly, "Good to know."

Please don't give me false hope, I thought. I cleared my throat to recollect myself. "You asked me a lot of questions, is it okay if I ask you a few?"

"If you want."

"How about you tell me about your family," I asked. "It's got to be a more interesting story than mine."

She was instantly curious. "What did you want to know?"

"The Cullens adopted you?" I verified, receiving a confirming hum. "But, if you don't mind me asking—"

"They're dead," she answered simply. "Carlisle and Esme are the only parents I can clearly remember."

"Right," I mumbled. "Of course, that was a dumb question."

"Not dumb, we're just always asked that. It gets kind of repetitive." She smiled. "But I couldn't imagine two better people."

"You're very lucky."

"I know."

"What about your siblings?"

She glanced at the clock on the dashboard.
"My siblings will be upset if I'm not in my next class, I already skipped one without telling them."

"Oh, right, I guess you have to go." I didn't want to get out of the car.

"And I'm sure you want your truck back before Charlie gets home, so you don't have to tell him about the fainting incident." Rosalie's slight smile turned into a full grin. I noticed she had a slight dimple in her cheek.

"I'm sure he's already heard. There are no secrets in Forks."

"Right." There was a slight edge to her voice. "Have fun at the beach...good weather for sun bathing." She glanced out at the sheeting rain.

"Won't I see you tomorrow?"

"No, Alice and I are starting the weekend early. Going hiking in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, just south of Rainier."

I remembered Charlie had said that their family went camping frequently.

"Have fun, then, Rose." I tried to sound enthusiastic. I don't think I fooled her, though.

Just as I reached for the door, a cold hand wrapped around my wrist. It was quick, almost as if I just imagined it but I definitely felt the imprint of her soft lips against my heated cheek.

"Stay safe, okay?" She whispered against my skin, letting out a soft laugh at my flustered state.

I quickly rushed out my answer, trying not to make an even bigger fool out of myself. I could feel her eyes on me when I quickly ran up to the poach. When I searched my keys buried deep in my jacket pocket, I noticed something. My car key was missing.

And I turned around to look once more at Rosalie, the red BMW was nowhere to be found.

*

As I sat in my room, trying to concentrate on the third act of Macbeth, I was really listening for my truck. I would've thought, even over the pounding rain, I could have heard the engine's roar. But when I went to peek out the curtain— again —it was suddenly there.

I wasn't looking forward to Friday, and it more than lived up to my non-expectations. Jessica seems to turn her attention, which was usually equally split between Mike and I, all onto me. Constantly hovering and pampering.

"So what did Rosalie want yesterday." She especially seemed to like that the blonde was missing.

"She never really got to the point," I answered truthfully.

"You know, I never seen her sit with anyone but her family before. It was kind of weird."

The worst part about Friday was that, even though I knew she wasn't going to be there, I still hoped. When I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica and Mike, I couldn't keep from looking at her table. Edward, Emmett and Jasper sat talking, heads close together.

That night at dinner, Charlie seemed enthusiastic about my trip to La Push in the morning. I think he felt guilty for leaving me home alone on the weekends, but he'd spent too many years building his habits to break them now. He seemed to approve. I wondered if he would approve of my plan to ride to Seattle with Rosalie.

"Dad, do you know a place called Goat Rocks or something like that? I think it's south of Mount Rainier," I asked casually.

"Yeah, why?"

I shrugged. "Some kids were talking about camping there."

"It's not a very good place for camping." He seemed surprised. "Too many bears. Most people go there during the hunting season."

"Oh," I murmured. "Maybe I got the name wrong."

Rosalie doesn't seem like the hunting type.

That's interesting.

_______________________

Has it been a while since I've done show recs? Imma do one anyways

For all of my murder mystery lovers, I recommend The Glass Onion on Netflix, the sequel to Knives Out, another great movie. Why should you watch it?

Janelle Monáe and Kathryn Hahn should be the only reasons

Bye!