Twilight Fan Fiction ❯ The Fragrance of the Perfect Lie ❯ The Date ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Right as Bella was about to place a plate of leftover nachos into the microwave, the front door slammed wide open.

“What a nightmare,” Charlie grumbled as he set his gun aside and plopped down on his armchair. He sat crouched over, pinching the bridge of his nose with a loud sigh.

Not wanting to disturb him, Bella silently prepared Charlie’s dinner and handed him his plate. She bit her lip as she studied the clock on the wall. It was 7:05 pm, and she wanted to get dressed and leave for Port Angeles as soon as possible.

“Four hikers went missing today,” Charlie announced tonelessly. “One of the Canadian wolves was found dead and mutilated in the woods.”

Bella stopped dead in her tracks once she heard this. Who…? She felt her blood run cold as she tried to envision Jacob, the once kind-hearted and gentle Jacob, ruthlessly attack one of the Spanish werewolves.

Bella, completely absorbed in the thick silence, nearly jumped in the air at the sound of the doorbell. She quickly regained her senses, walked across the hall, and opened the front door.

Her heart sped up at the sight of Edward, looking quite handsome in his dark green sweater and his khakis.

“Hello Bella,” Edward greeted with a polite smile.

“Hi Edward,” Bella’s face turned beet red. “I didn’t know you’d be stopping by.”

“Cha-Dad,” She quickly corrected herself. “This is Edward Cullen.”

Charlie’s sullen frown turned into a strained grimace, yet he stood from his chair and shook Edward’s hand.

“Where will you be taking my daughter tonight?” Charlie questioned, still wearing the same grimace. “I trust she’ll be back before long.”

“Of course Mr. Swan,” Edward replied amiably. “We’re just going to Port Angeles for dinner.”

“Good, good.”

“I’ll be right back,” Bella excused herself from the conversation to go to her room.

Miraculously, Bella got dressed and applied make-up in under five minutes. She studied herself in her full-length mirror, surprisingly liking what she saw. Her heart-shaped face had a healthy glow and her blue dress hugged the contours of her body perfectly. After grabbing her scruffy wallet and stuffing it into an unused purse, she carefully stepped downstairs.

Bella’s favorite crooked smile appeared on Edward’s face, and he opened the front door for her.

“Bye Dad,” Bella said, feeling strangely giddy.

The ride to Port Angeles was one full of chatter and laughter. However, although Edward was kind and charming, there was something off about him. Maybe it was his fairly modern dialect, or maybe it was the faint cologne he was wearing.

What are you complaining about? You’re with Edward, a small voice nagged.

Yeah, but this isn’t my Edward, she argued back.

Bella instantly felt guilty for even having this internal argument in her mind in the first place.

Get your head out of the clouds and face reality!

“Do you want to eat here?” Edward asked, pointing at La Bella Italia as he parked into a half-full parking lot.

“Sure.”

A wave of nostalgia ran through Bella’s limbs as she followed Edward into the crowded restaurant. Her eyes widened in surprise; Bella swore that their host was the same blonde that was in her dream. She blinked again and instead saw a girl around her age with long, red hair. The red-haired girl led them to the exact ring of booths dream-Edward and Bella had gone to.

“Are you okay?” Edward asked with a concerned frown. “You look exhausted.”

“I’m all right,” Bella reassured. “I’m just a little stressed out about that Biology test we have tomorrow. Isn’t is worth around 100 points?”

“Yes, I think so…” Edward replied, wrinkling his nose.

After a few minutes, a brunette by the name of Madison came by to collect their orders.

“I’ll have mushroom ravioli and a glass of Coke.” Bella replied with a slight smile.

“I’ll have spaghetti with red sauce and a glass of water.” Edward ordered.

They then discussed about their aspirations for the future as they ate.

“What would you like to do after high school?” Edward asked.

“I’m not sure yet,” Bella admitted, her face turning pink. “I think I’ll go to college and major in English.”

“Cool,” He said with a smile. “I am considering going to medical school and becoming a doctor, like my father.”

Bella and Edward continued to chat and eat until they finally noticed the last few customers leaving.

After paying the bill and leaving a tip, Edward led Bella to his car, and opened the door for her.

“I had a really great time,” Bella said with a small smile.

“Me too,”

Before Bella could even put her seat belt on, Edward leaned into her face to softly press his lips against hers. A little surprised, Bella shyly returned the kiss back. The faint, yet spicy cologne Edward was wearing flooded through her nostrils. A slight moan escaped his lips, and his kisses quickly became rougher. Not exactly liking where this was going, Bella was just about to pull away when her cell phone began to vibrate.

“I have to take this call.” Bella announced, keeping the relief out of her voice.

Edward would have never kiss me like that! A small voice shouted indignantly.

“Hello?”

“Bella, you need to come down to the La Push reservation immediately,” A male voice demanded. “Your father has been hurt.”

“What?” Bella replied with wide eyes. “Who is this?”

“Harry Clearwater,” He replied impatiently. “Now get off of the phone and go!”

Tears already began to cloud her vision before she snapped her phone shut.

“Who was it?” Edward asked. “What happened?”

“M-My dad is hurt,” Bella sobbed. “A friend of his t-told me to drive to La Push a-as soon as p-possible.”

“I’ll drive you down there.” He promised, turning the ignition and swiftly exiting the parking lot.

Please keep him safe! Bella silently prayed in her mind, squeezing her purse.

The next twenty minutes were the longest twenty minutes Bella had ever experienced in her life. As she helplessly studied the view from her window, she swore that the nearby herd of deer was moving faster than the car was. The deer soon became blotted out of her vision as a fresh wave of tears welled up in her eyes. She was about to snap at Edward to drive faster, when she noticed a line of unmoving cars on the horizon.

“Oh no,” She groaned. “No, we’ll never get there!”Edward, feeling nearly as helpless as Bella, wrapped his arms around her and allowed her to cry on his shoulder.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the window. Edward quickly rolled the window down once he saw who it was.

“Excuse me,” A police officer said. “Is there an Isabella Swan in here?”“That’s me,” Bella replied wearily, removing herself from Edward’s embrace.

“Your father hadn’t been transported to a hospital yet, but a doctor is tending to him. Follow me.”

“Go,” Edward said with a somber gaze. “I’ll see you later.”
Bella gave him a weak smile and left the car, following the police officer. Her heart sunk as she noticed police cars with their flashing lights surrounding the area. Although her instincts shrieked at her to run far, far away, she forced her limbs to move forward.

“Here he is.” The police officer led Bella to the edge of the woods, where a blonde doctor was hunched over Charlie.

“Mr. Cullen?” Bella hesitantly spoke. “Will my dad be okay?”
Bella’s heart froze as an unusually pale Carlisle Cullen with topaz-colored eyes turned around.