Charlie Swan: Vampire Hunter

22

                                                                                              Bella

We ended up driving most of an hour to get to the Italian place. Edward drove in stoic silence and after the scene my dad caused I don't blame him. I spend most of the drive trying (and failing) not to stare at him. He looks more like a movie start than some of the movie stars do. Think Chris Hemsworth abs and Tom Holland's jaw and Daniel Radcliffe's hair. That would put you in the ball park but there is something else about Edward that is completely his own, but I can't put my finger on it. It's in his deathly pale skin, something about it is etherial and unknowable. 

Edward deftly pulls into a parking spot and jumps out to open my door. I shake my head as I step out, but grab his hand as he closes the door. I'm surprised by how cold it is, but he doesn't pull away as he leads me inside. "Are your hands always this cold?" I whisper as we wait for a table. 

"Most of the time." He replies quietly. 

The breath from his words tickles the top of me head and shiver a little and lean into him. Not that the rest of him is any warmer than his hands. It's odd how cold he is, but I ignore it. He's obviously healthy, his father's a doctor, and if his body temperature was too low someone in his family would have picked up on it by now. 

Dinner goes by in a rush of actual conversation. Edward, as it turns out, is actually very interesting guy, if somewhat reserved. I get the mushroom ravioli which, as Edward predicted is delicious. He only nibbles on one of the bread sticks, he doesn't even touch the coke he ordered. "Are you going to eat anything, or just watch me eat?" I ask eventually, its starting to feel weird being the only one eating anything of substance. 

"I ate a big lunch." He says.  "Unfortunately, that seems to have spoiled my appetite for dinner." 

I nod and push my mostly empty plate away. "I have an actual question now." 

He laughs a little, sitting back in his seat. "The ten million other questions you asked me tonight weren't 'real' questions?"

"No. They were not" I quip before plunging on. "Are you sure you're real? I'm legitimately asking because like look at you. You're gorgeous in every sense of the word and I'm not." He starts to object but I cut him off. "NOT that I'm saying I'm ugly, but I don't have the same unearthly beauty as you, so why me? and none of that 'you intrigued me crap' I want the real answer." 

Edward, who was watching me closely, takes a breath and nodes slowly to himself before answering in a silky soft voice. "I don't think you would believe me if I told you the truth and I really don't think either of our fathers would be happy with me if I did." 

He stops and waits, apparently done. I stare to him in disbelief. "You're honestly going to leave that as your explanation? Try me, trust me. I don't tell dear old dad everything, and I sure as hell don't talk to your dad. So as long as you don't spill the beans they don't even have to know you said a word!" 

I glare at him over my cup. He closes his eyes for several seconds before dropping the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. 

"You want the truth? Fine, here it is. I'm a vampire and so is everyone else in my family, although none of use are actually related by blood because we are actually a coven. Carlisle is our leader and our maker. He turned me during the civil war so I'm about 104 years old now. 

"I asked you out because you are the exception to the rule. As a vampire I have a gift, we all have something. Alice can see glimpses of the future, I can read minds. Everyone's is different. But I can't read your mind. Complete radio silence. And to top it all off you're may Cantante. Basically your blood is almost irresistible to me and as much as I wan't to I can't seem to stay away. 

"I know that I initiated this but I also need to end it. We can't be together. Ever. It won't work, we won't work." 

He looks down at his lap when he finally finishes. I raise my eyebrows. "That was the biggest, most elaborate, pile of dog shit lie I've ever heard! you don't want to be together fine. I get it. Take me home, but don't make up some bull shit story about being a vampire as an excuse. I get it, you don't need to lie to me."

"I told you you wouldn't believe me but you still wanted the story anyway. I gave it, it's not my fault you don't want to believe me." He meets my eyes and must see the anger burning there. 

"Take me home."

" Bella please, I'm sorry-"

"TAKE. ME. HOME!" 

He nods and quickly pays. I hid in the bathroom until he's ready to go. The drive home is even more silent the than one here but this time I stare out the window.