𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐒, Cullen Coven

16

I WASN'T THE SMARTEST PERSON WHEN IT CAME TO BEING AFFECTIONATE TOWARDS THE GIRL I'M MATED TO. Despite knowing that I was into women as well as men from a young age, I feared that Bella and I would be going through the homoerotic female friendship phase within no time.

Not that her actions made things any better. She couldn't keep her eyes off of me and I couldn't stop winking at her at random times. Cat's out of the bag, I suck.

Nevertheless, that last for about two weeks. The winking, the perpetual flirting without it being seen as homosexual activity because of Edward (who loomed over every conversation- poor Bella, she didn't even realize what was happening). My resolve lasted for maybe half of that two weeks, but I knew I couldn't do anything until we figured out what we would do about the whole... vampire thing.

Carlisle was convinced she should be told and turned as soon as we were out of high school. I was already eighteen, but Bella wasn't and therefore her father was legally obligated to care for her. I didn't need Charlie knowing about any of this, he did not need to be turned.

The rest were not as convinced that things could wait that long. Alice was hoping to get to know her and tried to assure Carlisle that the odds were in our favor. He didn't like the idea of going behind Charlie's back and seducing his daughter.

Whoops. I already halfway did that.

So, obviously, we went with Alice's plan, which didn't sit as well with Edward as I'd hoped.

"I can't control myself around her," Edward moaned as he dramatically allowed a copy of Emma drop from his hands. "I'm a mess."

"Carlisle said it's impossible to harm your true mate," I tried to reassure him. "But you are a mess."

"It's not even funny anymore." Edward gloomed at the ceiling. "My life is falling to pieces and 

there's actually nothing I can do about it."

I let myself get spread out on top of him while he gloomed and doomed all over his messy bed. 

"Then let me do something about it."

"What is the worst thing that could happen, Edward?" I asked. "Even if you turned her, we'd just 

have to blow town and let her death be some crazy mystery that attracts tourism."

"Heartless."

"Realistic, I think." My insistance was getting nowhere with him. Still, I tried. "We've had this same conversation before, Edward. Like, two or three weeks ago. We've been having the same 

family meeting over and over again and the outcome has been the same."

"Everyone has too much faith that I'll be able to control myself when the going gets tough."

"You went through med school, you can handle this."

---

"YOU'RE GOING OVER TO THE CULLEN HOUSE AGAIN?"

Bella frowned deeply. Charlie looked up at her from the bottom of the stairs. She'd already gotten her backpack, hoping for the best. Fennie's ringer was distinct, she'd paid for the song 

two days ago and her heart nearly skipped a beat when she heard it coming from her room.

"I don't know, it just seems like you're spending a lot of time with that girl and her boyfriend," 

Charlie tried to sound reasonable. "I don't know them at all."

"Don't you want me to have friends?" Bella asked with her arms folded.