*by Stephenie Meyer*



TWILIGHT - chapter 4 - INVITATIONS


The successivo morning, when i pulled into the parking lot, I deliberately parked as far as possible from the silver Volvo. I didn't want to put myself in the path of too much temtation and end up owing him a new car. Getting out of the cab, I fumbled with my key and it fell into a puddle at my feet. As I bent to get it, a white hand flashed out and grabbed it before I could. I jerked upright. Edward Cullen was right successivo to me, leaning casually against my truck.
"How do te do that?" I asked in amazed irritation.
"Do what?" He held my key out as he spoke. As I reached for it, he dropped it into my palm.
"Appear out of thin air."
"Bella, it's not my fault if te are exceptionally unobservant." His voice was quiet as usual - velvet, muted.
I scowled at his perfect face. His eyes were light again today, a deep, golden honey color. Then I had to look down, to reassemble my now-tangled thoughts.
"Why the traffic marmellata last night?" I demanded, still looking away. "I thought te were supposed to be pretending I don't exist, not irritating me to death."
"That was o Tyler's sake, not mine. I had to give him his chance." He snickered.
"You..." I gasped. I couldn't think of a bad enough word. It felt like the heat of my anger should phisically burn him, but he only seemed più amused.
"And I'm not pretending te don't exist," he continued.
"So te are trying to irritate me to death? Since Tyler's furgone, van didn't do the job?"
Anger flashed in hid tawny eyes. His lips pressed into a hard line, all signs of humor gone.
"Bella, te are utterly absurd," he said, his low voice cold.
My palms tingled - I wanted so badly to hit something. I was surprised at myself. I was usually a nonviolent person. I turned da back and started to walk away.
"Wait," he called. I kept walking, sloshing angrily through the rain. But he was successivo to me, easily keeping pace.
"I'm sorry, that was rude," he detto as we walked. I ignored him. "I'm not saying it isn't true," he continued, "but it was rude to say it, anyway."
"Why won't te leave me alone?" I grumbled.
"I wanted to ask te something, but te sidetracked me," he chuckled. He seemed to have recovered his good humor.
"Do te have a multiple personality disorder?" I asked severely.
"You're doing it again."
I sighed. "Fine then. What do te want to ask me?"
I was wondering if, a week from Saturday - te know, the giorno of the spring dance - "
"Are te trying to be funny?" I interrupted him, wheeling toward him. My face got drenched as I looked up at his expression.
His eyes were wickedly amused. "Will te please allow me to finish?"
I bit my lip and clasped my hands together, interlocking my fingers, so I couldn't do anything rash.
"I heard te say te were going to Seattle that day, and I was wondering if te wanted a ride."
That was unexpected.
"What?" I wasn't sure what he was getting at.
"Do te want a ride to Seattle?"
"With who?" I asked, mystified.
"Myself, obviously." He enunuciated every syllable, as if he were talking to someone mentally handicapped.
I was still stunned. "Why?"
"Well, I was planning to go to Seattle in the successivo few weeks, and, to be honest, I'm not sure if your truck can make it."
"My truck works just fine, thank te very much for your concern." I started to walk again, but I was too surprised to maintain the same level of anger.
"But can your truck make it there on one tank of gas?" He matched my pace again.
"I don't see how that is any of your business." Stupid, shiny Volvo owner.
"The wasting of finite rescources is everyone's business."
"Honestly, Edward." I felt a thrill go through me as I detto his name, and I hated it. "I can't keep up with you. I thought te didn't want to be my friend."
"I detto it would be better if we weren't friends, not that I didn't want to be."
"Oh, thanks, now that's all cleared up." Heavy sarcasm. I realized I had stopped walking again. We were under the shelter of the cafeteria roof now, so I could più easily look at his face. Which certainly didn't help my clarity of thought.
"It would be more... prudent for te not to be my friend," he explained. "But I'm tired of trying to stay away from you, Bella."
His eyes were gloriously intense as he uttered that last sentence, his voice smoldering. I couldn't remember how to breathe.
"Will te go with me to Seattle?" he asked, still intense.
I couldn't speak yet, so I just nodded.
He smiled briefly, and then his face became serious.
"You really should stay away from me," he warned. "I'll see te in class."
He turned abruptly and walked back the way we'd come.