Alissa Swan

Part 48

Edward was driving me home in my Ferrari. A large red bow hung from the new stereo in the dashboard. Edward drove in silence.

I studied him. "Say something," I said.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked.

"That I'm a klutz," I replied. "That I should have been more careful."

"You got a paper cut. Normal people get paper cuts. And a normal boyfriend wouldn't have flung you into a stack of plates. A normal boyfriend wouldn't have had to fight the urge to kill you." He looked at the road.

"Stop," I told him. "I don't want normal, I want you."

He didn't respond. He pulled my truck into the driveway. The Ferrari stopped.

"You can't protect me from everything. Something's going to separate us: accident, illness, old age... as long as I'm human."

Edward looked at me, appalled. "That's your solution? My ending your life?"

"Your giving me forever," I corrected.

He faced forward again, jaw tight, mind working, tormented.
I reached for his hand. "Carlisle told me how you feel, about my soul, but I don't believe that."

He subtly moved his hand away from mine. "You should go in. It's late." He climbed out. He instantly opened the passenger side door for me. I climbed out. He looked down at my face. He softened as he took it in. He put a hand on my cheek.

"I'll leave my window open for you," I told him.

"I won't be coming back," he replied. "Not tonight."

"Then... can I ask for one thing?" I asked. "It's still my birthday."

He nodded.

"Kiss me?"

He lifted my face to his, and kissed me. He began carefully, gently... but it changed. He became urgent, with an almost painful edge, as if it were goodbye. Abruptly, he pulled away. With a last look, he turned and walked off into the night.

A printer spit a picture out. It was the picture Alice took of Edward and my embrace. I, troubled, put it in my scrapbook, my bandaged finger running over it.