Say You Love Me.

t w o.

Reunions and First Encounters.

“Hello, Edward!” I shouted from the top of the staircase, waving frantically.

Soon after I’d gotten settled in, he finally arrived. I was more than delighted to see him, seeing as the last time we talked, he had run away to Alaska for a couple of weeks because of a certain girl.

Out of all of the Cullens, Edward and I were the closest. He was like the older brother I never had; he was extremely annoying, nosy, and overprotective, yet loving and caring at the same time.

Letting my excitement get the best of me, I stormed down the stairs too quickly, causing one of my feet to miss a step, and I ended up sliding down the rest of the way, groaning loudly as I landed on the spotless, tiled floor.

“Damn it,” I hissed. “That really hurt.”

Emmett smirked. “Maybe if you weren’t so eager, you’d actually walk down the stairs like a normal person.”

“Maybe if you weren’t so large, you’d actually fit through doors.”

I could tell by his begrudged expression and loud snarl that he wasn’t happy I’d won the argument. I cast him a triumphant look and a teasing grin before sauntering towards Edward.

“I missed you!” I smiled, throwing my arms around his lean frame tightly.

“I missed you too,” he said, wrapping his freezing arms around my waist. We embraced for only a couple of seconds, pulling apart as someone cleared their throat.

Big, chocolate brown eyes glowered at me as I stood next to Edward, the girl’s expression harboring irritation and a hint of anger. She was a bit taller than Alice and about her size as well, the only difference being her cascade of brown waves. She was also very pale, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that she was a vampire. But the enticing beat of her heart told me otherwise.

“Hello,” I greeted, trying to disregard the harsh glare she gave me. “You must be Bella. I’ve heard a lot wonderful things about you.”

“Funny,” she said stiffly, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ve never heard of you.”

“Really?” I turned to Edward and gave him a questioning glance, to which he replied with a casual shrug. “Well, I’m Iris, a close friend of the Cullens. I’ve been for decades now.”

“Well, Iris, is there anything I should know about you and Edward, seeing as you two are so close?”

I noticed that she spat my name with distaste, and I had to resist the urge to laugh in her face when I realized what she was implying.

“You think I have… feelings for him? No one, and I mean absolutely no one, has ever assumed that about us before,” I said as if it were the most hilarious thing in the world. “I love him and all, but not in the way you think. He’s my best friend, and I can assure you that I’ve never felt that way for him, nor will I ever.”

Finally, her suspicious demeanor disappeared, and a sheepish smile replaced the scowl she previously wore. “Sorry about that. I just… never mind. I’m Bella, Bella Swan.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Bella.” I held out my hand for her to shake. When she grasped it, she gasped lightly.

“Wow, you’re extremely… warm. How did that happen?”

“I’m not a normal vampire,” I answered, unfazed by her taken aback expression. I told this story so many times before that it was almost second nature to me. “My father is a vampire, and my mother was a human, making me half of each.”