Alissa Swan

Part 36

I woke up the next morning. My first instinct was to look at the couch. Edward was sitting there, looking at me.

I smiled. He hadn't left. But I looked at his outfit. It was different than it had been the night before.

"You left last night?" I asked, defeated.

"Yes," he replied. "But just for a few minutes. I got this outfit and came back. I didn't do anything else."

I sat up. I realized that he could have only left for a few minutes, considering how fast he was. I looked away. "Did anything happen while I was asleep last night?" I looked back at him, wondering.

"No," he replied. "Not that I know of. When I went home, I didn't have enough time to read Alice's mind, because I had to get back to you. You would've been upset if I was gone when you woke."

I looked away. "Yeah," I said. "I would've. But I don't want to keep you from doing the things that you actually need to be there for. What if something actually happened, and you weren't there to help?"

Edward walked over to me. "Alissa, don't think about that. What I need to be there for is you." He leaned over and kissed my forehead. He stood back up and held my hands. "There are six members in the Cullen family, not including me. Those six other vampires can manage without me."

"But what if they can't?" I asked, my hands still in his.

"Trust me," Edward said to me. "They can. At least for a day. And if they can't, they all know how to contact me."

"I know," I told him. "I'm just scared. If you use too much of your time caring for me, what will happen to your family, and vampires in general? I know that you're a vampire. We could get into a fight, and I could tell anyone your secret. I don't want to do that, but when it comes to that, I just don't know."

He crouched down so that he was at my level. "Alissa," he said, "don't worry about us. That's not something for you to worry about." He squeezed my hands, and let go. He stood up and grabbed his jacket.

"Thanks for staying with me," I told him. "Even when I thought you were mad at me. I love you," that last part surprised me. "I mean-"

"I love you too," he said to me. He walked over, kissed my forehead again, and walked out of the room.

I was frozen in shock. I didn't know what to think. I told him the truth on accident and he said he loved me?

I was amazed, and happy beyond happy.

A/N: Who else is sad beyond sad about XXXTENTACION's death? He and his songs got me through some stuff, and to know now that he's gone. It really hurts to know that he's gone. I wish that I could've met him, but maybe in heaven. His song, Changes, was (and is) my biggest inspiration to create (and add to) this story. I'm sorry if I'm just rambling on about this death, but if I don't post in a while, I just want you to know why. And I'm not saying I won't post for a while. I'm just saying that if I don't, now you know why. I'd like to send all my respect to his family and friends. They've gone through a tragic loss, just like all of his fans. Their loss is worse, since they actually knew him before and after he got famous. Anyway, I'd like to thank you all for reading this story, and I love you all so much. Thanks.