Aiyanna
The next week, nothing really interesting happened.
On Monday, when I saw Edward, he seemed to be better compared to Friday when he kinda got cold towards me. Until this day I still didn't know what happened because I didn't want to talk about it, and see him be upset again. It probably had nothing to do with me.
Although I had my own car, Edward insisted on picking me up every morning. Saying that I didn't like car rides with him would be a tremendous lie. What I loved the most were the conversations we would have, once he'd park his car in front of my house. I quickly realized that it became a routine. But the thing I was starting to realize as well, was that we were always together. Glued to each other. How did we end up in this situation ?
My body was seeking for his presence so bad, that even when we had to part ways after school, it was hard for me to do so. Different feelings were rummaging inside me at the thought of it. I loved his presence but at the same time, I hated how much I loved it.
It made me wonder if Edward struggled with this feeling too. Did his heart skip a beat when he saw me in the morning ? Did he hate time for going by so fast, when I had to go back home ? Did he enjoy my presence as much as I enjoyed his ?
Although Jessica had told me that she hadn't seen Edward be that close to anyone else and smile that much even with his family, I couldn't let her assumptions get the best of me. I felt as if what I was starting to feel was wrong, especially for someone who claimed that she didn't want to catch feelings nor date anyone. Every time I was with him, I tried to control my thoughts and tried to see him as a friend but that smile that seemed to be crafted for my eyes only, and his gaze... How could I keep my calm ? How could I only see him as a friend ?
I did consider keeping my distance with him, in one of the long nights where I let my thoughts take control over my sleep. However, I doubted I'd ever get the strength to do so. He would notice if I tried to stay away from him, and then ask for an explanation I wouldn't be able to give.
The other Cullens were becoming more and more comfortable around me. Or was it just me getting used to their powerful aura ? Like Angela, I was getting used to their beauty and their presence. It didn't amaze me as much as it did in the beginning.
The closer I got to them, and the more I noticed how in various ways, they looked like each other. After being hugged by Alice on my birthday, I quickly deducted that if two of them had hard bodies, the three others must be hard as well. If they hadn't seemed physically well, I would've been worried about them. And their eyes, were all the same color. They were either black or golden yellow most of the times. But to that, they answered that they often wore contact lenses.
As I believed that I was exhausting my brain for nothing, I stopped pointing out their differences and ressemblances and let them be. It was rude to do so, even in my head. They were just like the rest of us. Well, a lot more handsome version of us but still.
That weekend, I went shopping with Alice and Rosalie, as planned. Contrarily to what I had expected, Rosalie didn't really like shopping. She was walking with us, as if she had been dragged. I felt sorry for her because Alice was overexcited right now. I wondered what it felt like to live with her and handle her energy even at home.
As we walked through another aisle, I started getting tired. I needed to sit down. I liked shopping but not for a long time. Besides, I didn't like trying on everything I'd be interesting in. It was way too exhausting.
"I'll be sitting here for a while." I sighed as I sat on one of the couches meant for people who wanted to try shoes on.
"Why do you look like you've been running a marathon ?" Rosalie asked me as she stared at my face with a mocking smile.
"If this is not a marathon, then I don't know what it is."
"You haven't seen anything yet. Alice is at...I'd say 60% of her capacity right now."
My sigh quickly turned into a fake cry at the thought of it. How could someone be this excited over a basic activity like this ?
Alice walked up to us with a pair of boots in her hands. They were simple but the big golden chain in the front were the key points.
"What do you think of these ones, Aiyanna ?" she asked me.
"I like them." I answered honestly, which made Rosalie shake her head.
If I desperately wanted to go back home, I could've said that I didn't like them, but they were indeed pretty. Alice's smile grew bigger as she put the boots in front of me.
"I knew you'd say that. Try them on."
I shook my head. I looked at the shoe sole and saw that it was my usual size.
" I'll just take them. I'm too lazy to try them on right now."
"But what if..."
"It's okay. If they're way too big I'll put insoles in them. Let's go home now. It's getting late." I cut her off while picking up the shoes and my bags. I put my hand on her back to push her towards the checking point. "I think we've done enough shopping for the whole year."
Alice pouted but I didn't give in. If none of us controlled her, we would be roaming around Port Angeles until tomorrow. I was surprised that she didn't even mention going to Seattle to visit more stores.
As soon as I paid for the pair of boots, I came out of the store. I breathed in the air as if I had been suffocating inside. I was happy that we were finally able to go home.
The three of us put our bags in the back of Rosalie's red convertible car that made other guy's eyes spark as they walked past it. We sure didn't go unnoticed likr that.
Alice, Rosalie and I hopped on the car seats, our every movement followed by the eyes of the car's public or maybe Rosalie's and Alice's public. Just like the car, both Cullen's beauty was undeniable.
I let myself sink deeper into the backseat while I closed my eyes during the drive. The first thing I wanted to do was sit down, and not be on my feet for the rest of the day.
In a movement, Rosalie turned the ignition on and was on the road the following second.
I opened my eyes quickly when I felt how dangerously fast she was driving. I almost forgot about that detail. The wind kept on hitting my face just like my body kept on going right to left as she drove past slower drivers.
"I swear to you Rosalie, if we get arrested and my parents find out about it, I'm going to say you kidnapped me. There's no way I'm telling them I willingly got in your car." I warned her, in a louder voice.
I saw her smirk as she stared back at me through the rear view mirror. And instead of taking my warning seriously, she went even faster. The chances of us getting in a car accident were exploding. We'd never come out alive.
I held Alice's seat for dear life, and put my head down. How could Alice smile through this ? What kind of experience have they gone through to not be scared of speed like that ?
"ROSALIE ! IF YOU DON'T SLOW DOWN I'M GOING TO... "
The car suddenly came to a halt, and I gasped. When I looked up at Rosalie with my eyes wide open, she was looking back at me with the same smile she gave me earlier.
"We arrived." was all she said.
I frowned and took a look around to see that we were indeed, parked in front of my house next to my car.
I looked back at her. " I'm never getting in your car ever again." I told her which made her scoff. "I was seriously hoping you'd get arrested, you know ?"
"It wasn't that bad." Alice intervened which made me turn my head towards her so fast that I feared I'd get a whiplash.
"Come again ?"
Dumbfounded, I quickled hopped off Rosalie's car. As I came out, my gaze followed the black car that came towards us before it parked next to Rosalie's red one. I immediately recognized it as my mom's. Today was her day off. Considering that it was Saturday today, there were 99% chances that she went for grocery shopping.
When she came out of her car, her expression quickly went from a neutral one to a confused one. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked down at both Rosalie and Alice.
"Mom, these are my friends Rosalie and Alice." I introduced them to her, hoping she'd soften her face while meeting them for the first time. "Guys, this is my mom."
The girls quicky came out of the car and greeted my mom.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms Brown." Alice said as she stretched her arm towards my mom to shake hands with her.
My mom didn't seem to be functionning correctly. Or was she just admiring their beauty ? I didn't know. She was staring at every detail of Alice's face.
"Mom ?" I intervened while walking up to her.
She seemed to finally wake up when I put my hands on her shoulders. She was tensed. More than that, she seemed to be frozen in place.
"Oh, sorry. I was out for a moment." she apologized to them, before she shook Alice's hand.
The moment their hands connected, my mom froze again. The frown that disappeared when she talked, came back again as she held Alice's gaze. They looked like they were communicating. What felt like forever, actually lasted for a few seconds, because my mom hurriedly let go of Alice's hand. She gave Alice an awkward smile before she quickly shook Rosalie's hand.
"Would you guys like to come in ?" I asked them.
"Thanks, but we have to go. Maybe next time ?" Alice suggested.
I nodded, understanding that there was indeed, a tension that would've been uncomfortable if they stayed in the same room as my mom.
"It was a pleasure, Ms Brown. Have a nice evening." Alice told her, always with her smile on her face.
"Thank you." My mom murmured.
I grabbed my shopping bags from Rosalie's car, and made sure to turn my back to mom, so she couldn't see me actually silently apologizing to Alice and Rosalie for my mom's behaviour.
Alice shook her head, reassuring me that it was okay. Rosalie stared in front of her, trying not to meet my mom's eyes.
"See you on Monday." I said as I waved at them while Rosalie starting driving away.
They waved back at me, and were quickly out of our sight. When I looked at my mom, she was also looking towards the direction they went.
"What was that, mom ?!" I asked my mom, annoyed.
"Aiyanna." she finally answered after a long silence. "Stay away from them."
"Not without an explanation."
"Something's off. I don't like it."
Like my grandmother, my mom always had a good intuition. Which was actually what scared me the most right now. I didn't want to believe her. I didn't want to think that this time again, she could be right about what her guts were telling her.
"They're my friends, mom. It's my choice to stick around with them." I sighed.
She turned towards me, and her face was so serious that it scared me.
"Never let your guard down. Do you understand me ? I don't know exactly why I don't trust them, but you shouldn't either."
Trying to defend the Cullens wouldn't change anything to my mom's judgment. She was dead serious, and wouldn't take no for an answer.
I hated to think that by accepting to always be on my guard, meant that I was understanding why my mom was doubting them. Why was it so hard to just be friends with them without having second thoughts ? Why was I so curious about who they were ? Why did I doubt that their life was as simple as ours ? I hated this feeling.
It was with a long sigh, and my head down, that I nodded.