Fatal Desires | Edward Cullen ¹

3 | the talk

Bella scrunches her nose at Mike's cheekiness.

"Better get used to it, girl," Mike adds teasingly.

I roll my eyes at Mike before I notice Eric standing next to Bella. I guess Eric and Bella had been talking before Mike interrupted.

Eric twirls his earbuds in annoyance at Mike. "Yeah, Mike, hey, you're real cute, man," Eric says sarcastically. Eric is obviously annoyed at Mike for interrupting his conversation with Bella.

Me and you both, Eric, me and you both . . . what the . . . I almost don't believe my eyes. Edward Cullen is sitting in his seat next to my empty one. He's here. He's actually here. Either I missed seeing him at lunch or he got to school late or something. But that doesn't change the fact that he's freaking here, in the flesh!

I gulp. It's been a whole week since the incident, and even though I was prepared and ready to confront him last week. This week I don't feel so brave anymore. Seeing him with my own eyes has completely ripped my confidence away like a tablecloth in a magic trick.

I push my lips together into a fine line before releasing them into a confident expression. I'm not going to let whatever power Edward has over me ruin this class for me. I confidently walk towards my seat. Without even giving Edward a glance, I slide my backpack off my shoulders before pulling out my chair and taking a seat. I fold my hands together on the desk and keep my focus straight ahead. If Edward wants to make this class awkward for the both of us, then so be it.

"Hello."

My eyes widen. Did Edward just say "hi" to me? Or did I just imagine that? I hesitantly turn my head towards the boy to find out.

Edward looks me straight in the eyes, which makes my stomach drop. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce myself last week," Edward says. "I'm Edward Cullen. You're Rebecca?"

Oh my gosh he really is talking to me. I blink my eyes a few times before answering his question. "Um, yeah, I'm Rebecca."

Mr. Molina begins to talk, causing me to turn my attention to the front of the class. My heart is still beating rapidly though. I can't believe that Edward is actually talking to me!

Mr. Molina gives us our assignment instructions for the day. "Onion root tip cells, that's what's on your slides right now. Okay? So, separate and label them into the phases of mitosis, and the first partners that get it right are gonna win the golden onion." Mr. Molina proudly holds up a trophy of a golden onion. "All right? Good," he finishes.

"Ladies first," Edward offers, gently pushing the microscope across the desk towards me.

I put my eye up to the microscope and adjust the lenses a bit. When the onion root cell comes into focus, I assess in my mind what phase of mitosis it represents. "I think it's prophase," I say. When I'm done, I look Edward in the eyes. Now it's my turn to question him. "So . . . where were you all last week?" I ask.

Edward's gaze shifts down to the desk before he answers my question. "Yeah, um, I was out of town for a couple of days." Edward lifts his gaze, allowing his eyes to meet mine. "Personal reasons," he explains with a slight laugh and a smile.

He has a very cute smile that makes my heart go aflutter. But once I register his words in my mind, I mentally frown. "Personal reasons" is just another way of saying "I'm not going to tell you where I went and why." Which, I mean, I guess is fine. Edward does have a right to his privacy after all.

"Do you mind if I, uh, look?" Edward asks politely, referring to the microscope.

I nod my head.

He scoots the microscope back towards himself. He takes a quick look through the eyepiece. "It's prophase," he confirms before quickly jotting the answer down on our answer sheet.