Evening Star: Edward's Story

Chapter One: The Prom

This is all Stephenie Meyer. I'm just playing with her characters, taking a stroll through her world.

Evening Star shows my view of what could have happened between the end of Twilight and partway through New Moon.

Enjoy, and like and vote!!!

Chapter One: The Prom

I held Bella on my lap, her head laid trustingly against my shoulder. The music from the prom sounded behind us, reminding me of why we were here, why I had insisted on taking Bella to this dance, knowing how much she would resist. Alice had been right: she never would have come if she had known about the prom beforehand. I gathered her to me more tightly as twilight morphed into night, a clear night-an unusual sight in Forks, with its constant cloud cover. As we sat under the madrone trees, not needing to speak, the stars slowly appeared, one by one, spreading across the sky in the beautiful patterns of their ancient myths. We watched, spellbound, by the majestic light show of a perfect, starry night, the evening stars seeming to wink at us personally. I could have stayed there, Bella curled in my lap, for eternity.

 But soon I could hear couples slipping from the gym, looking for the privacy that we had sought, thus disturbing ours. A familiar giggle almost made me turn my head to glance over my shoulder, but I resisted the impulse to see what Jessica and Mike were up to as she led him toward another grouping of madrone trees.

Bella also noticed that we were no longer alone. Reluctantly she shifted in my arms, pulling her heavy plaster cast awkwardly over my leg and setting both feet on the grass. I heard her sigh softly, as if she, too, were loathe to let this moment go. But both Mike's and Jessica's thoughts and intentions were quite clear...and more than a little distracting. Rather than let her see what Mike and Jessica were doing in their semi-private area from which emanated the distinct sounds of lips moving together frantically and the crush of Jessica's silky dress against Mike's tux, I rose to my feet and, wrapping my arm firmly around Bella's waist to help her to her feet, started to lead her back to the gym. But as we stood, Bella's poor sense of balance, more of a problem than usual because of the cast on her leg as well as our long time sitting still, caused her to stumble forward. I immediately caught her, both my arms around her waist as she collided with my chest. She quickly took advantage of the situation, wrapped her arms around my neck, raising her face to mine in the starlight. Every thought of Mike and Jessica behind us disappeared as she smiled at me slyly, her chocolate eyes warm and melting.

"You did that on purpose," I accused softly, holding her even more closely against the pleated front of my tux.

Bella said nothing. She smiled up at me a little flirtatiously, and I found myself staring at her full lips. A hunger grew in me ... not mere thirst at her incredible scent which still burned my throat with each breath I took ... but the hunger to kiss Bella and never, never stop. As our eyes looked deeply into the others', I heard her breathing accelerate and her heart begin to race. I had to be so careful with her...so careful. Her human system reacted so strongly to my presence that I couldn't help feeling a slight chill run down my spine...a chill of fear. She was so delicate, so easily broken. I could kill her if I lost control for a split-second.

I could never lose control with her.

And it was so difficult as Bella constantly undermined that self-control. Here she was, smiling up at me, her eyes deep pools, inviting the kiss that I wanted to give her so badly. And how I wanted to kiss her, to crush her against me and kiss her as passionately as I could.

If I did, she would die. It was truly that simple.

All these thoughts flew through my mind in the split-second before Bella had twined her arms fully around my neck. She leaned into me, reading my hesitation, knowing well the reason for it. I could feel the indecision on my own face. And then I felt it fade as I bent my head and carefully, gently, touched my lips to hers. Her mouth was so soft, so warm, her breath so sweet. Her warmth permeated her delicate dress and my thin tuxedo shirt until I felt warm all through, as if I were a human man and not icy stone.