𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒 ⸻ 𝖻𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋

→ chapter eighteen.

Ever since she Phased, Leah had never thought she'd be making friends with a bloodsucker. Vampires were the enemy, no matter what they said. They were blood-drinkers. They had no heartbeats and no morals. And yet, she was thinking there might be some decent ones.

It was out of the blue that Rosalie called her, simply said, "Get dressed and meet me at the Treaty line in an hour," and hung up. She was brusque like that, and though Leah had her doubts, she obeyed—showered, moisturized, sped through her hygiene, and dressed. Then she walked to the Treaty line like a good little wolf and waited.

Rosalie appeared abruptly—without any sound except the whoosh of her clothes and the sharp crunch of frost beneath her boots—and extended the car key to Leah, the ring hanging on her finger. "Wanna take my baby for a spin?" she asked with a smile that lit up her usually sour face. It even crinkled her eyes.

Out of all the Cullens, she and her husband had been the only ones Leah didn't purely hate. Rosalie was acerbic and an unapologetic bitch who didn't defer to anyone, and Emmett was funny and boisterous, letting his wife take the lead more often than not, something he seemed very much to enjoy. He certainly hadn't been shy about it either. Which made Leah amused, largely because it was cute to see this giant brought to his knees by his little spouse and also because it made the rest of the Cullens uncomfortable.

"Where am I going?" Leah asked as she stood there, rooted by Jake's previous command. "Sorry. I'm not—Jake ordered me to stay off Cullen territory. After last time."

"Oh, shit. I didn't—" A curious look flitted over Rosalie's Raphaelian features, a furrow creasing her brow. "So he just...tells you to not do something and you have to do it?" she asked as she backed up and vanished in a blink. The roar of engine filled the air, cutting the silence, and there been a flash of red as Rosalie drove towards Leah.

"I mean, yeah. That's kind of how an Alpha order works."

The shiny, cherry-red sports car rolled closer and came to a stop. The driver's door popped open, and Rosalie stepped out, shaking out her golden curls.

"Sounds like a nightmare," she remarked sourly, pursing her mouth, "all things considered."

"You're telling me," Leah murmured as she caught the key Rosalie tossed to her. "Where to?"

"Benny's."

Leah nodded and slid into the luxurious leathery seat, buttery and warm. It smelled brand-new but also like Rosalie's sweet freesia perfume, mixed with the sharp bleach of vampirism. She rolled the windows down and inhaled a gust of fresh, clean air, free of the vampire scent that had begun to make her twitch, make her instincts scream for her to Phase.

Then Rosalie climbed into the passenger seat, turned up the music, and told her to floor it.

Leah whipped onto the right side of the road, grinned, and floored the accelerator.

➽───────────────❥

Benny's was unassuming and quaint, decorated with black-and-white blown up photographs set in black frames that hung upon the walls, checkered tiled flooring, red leather seats and bright, humming fluorescent lights that threw everything into sharp contrast. It was largely empty save for a family tucked away in the corner, and Rosalie asked for a large table for the two of them, enough space for them to converse and not set one another off with their scents.

"Why did you ask me out here?" Leah asked, straight to the point and uninterested in any sort of pussyfooting. Considering she could be catching up on sleep she'd lost due to nonstop patrols thanks to all the new vampires in the area, she was more than a little miffed at being dragged out of her house. It was the promise of good meal that she didn't have to pay for that enticed her out of bed, if she were being truthful. Plus she was far too curious for her own good about Rosalie Hale, the blonde beauty of the Cullens that equally despised Bella. Try as she might, Leah couldn't figure out why Rosalie hated Bella. It wasn't like Leah's life, where everything had gone to shit since Bella moved in.

Rosalie picked up and menu and snapped it open. After a minute, she said, "Can I be honest?"

"I'd expect nothing less." Leah perused her own menu.

"When you called Bella out, I saw a lot of myself in you. We're both bitches and unapologetic bitches at that. We've gotta stick together." She laughed and then fell quiet for a second before she pushed on. "I saw how Alice and even Carlisle stood by while you were ill treated. You who was helping us clean up a mess Bella and Edward had made."

The waiter appeared and they both ordered an ice water and asked to be left alone to decide on either an appetizer, an entree, or perhaps both. Once he left, Leah fiddled with the napkin-wrapped silverware and the salt and pepper shakers to give herself something to do. It felt odd that someone had noticed the others treatment of her. What was even more foreign was someone not only taking notice but feeling apologetic of her treatment on her behalf. When was the last time someone had felt empathy for her? Surely before she Phased, before her life was turned upside down. Three years ago.

"I want to be your friend, Leah. I think—no, I know you aren't that bad." Rosalie wasn't looking at her as she spoke, like the words were difficult for her to express. "I like you. Emmett was right; you're fresh air that I desperately need. Plus" —she added with a small, amused smile— "you called Bella out. She's always been scared of me, even now, because she's so desperate to have every single person she meets love her. First Edward, then Alice, and then the rest of my family. I was the only one who didn't fall over myself to welcome her. I would give everything to be human again and here she was, jumping into the jaws of death so she could be a vampire the way we do it. We've had hundreds of years to tailor our lifestyle to suit us."

"She's...stubborn, I'll give her that," Leah said.

The waiter returned with their drinks and jotted down their orders. Leah, at Rosalie's nod, ordered a mouthwatering steak (two actually) and Rosalie asked for a glass of exuberant, luxurious red wine that, upon glance, cost more than anything Leah could hope to buy. At least, outside of the flashy car and the well-made clothes she wore that didn't sport brand logos, she was rather modest and humble. Her and Emmett, who often wore shapeless jeans and tight tank tops, were the least gaudy of the Cullens.

Rosalie trilled a laugh, the sound light and sweet. "Stubborn? More like idiotic. I wouldn't wish this life on my worst enemy. But enough about her. What I'd like to know is how you put up with those boys..."

Leah relaxed and warmed up to Rosalie, privately and fervently hoping that when all this was said and done, they could remain close.