Clearer (J.HALE)

17

"Edward Cullen."

Bella stirred her coffee. "What about him?"

"He's, uh..." I trailed off, searching for the right words. "...intense."

"Yeah," she said. "He can come off a bit odd."

"But you two are pretty serious, right?"

"What makes you say that?"

My mind flashed back to the conversation Carlisle and I had in my first hospital appointment. "Jasper just said you guys have been together for a while."

She shrugged. "We have, but I don't like to put pressure on things."

For some reason, that statement felt false to me. Bella seemed to be a little intense herself, and the thought of the two of them in a relationship—silent and angst-ridden, practically bursting with obvious, yet sexually-charged, discomfort—was difficult to fathom in a non-serious context. She'd given me, a stranger, her jacket when I'd been crying on the floor of the public library; I didn't take her for someone who did half-measures.

"How long has it been, exactly?"

She lifted the cup to her lips. "Coming up on a year and a bit. We took a little break earlier this year, though."

"Why's that?"

She didn't answer right away. "His family moved away for a while. Carlisle got a job offer, but it didn't work out, so they came back."

That was definitely a lie.

"So, how are you?" she said brightly, eager to change the subject.

"Yeah, alright, I guess," I said. "Baby's healthy, I'm-

"Uh..."

I put my head in my hands at the shocked confusion on her face and groaned. "Oh my God. I forgot to tell you, too, didn't I?"

"Little bit," she laughed.

"For something that's quite significant, it's very forgettable when making new friends," I sighed, chuckling along with her.

"Well, congrats," she said, toasting her coffee mug to me.

"Thanks," I said, removing the teabag from my cup.

Rain pitter-pattered against the coffee shop window, which was partially misted with the breath of chattering customers. The whole place smelled of old leather chairs and vanilla syrup and was rather empty, but that was nothing new. I hadn't entered an establishment that was anywhere near full capacity during the entire time I'd been in Forks.

"You're getting tutored by Jasper, right?" Bella asked.

My stomach flipped. "Yeah."

She paused a moment, the corners of her lips twitching upwards. "What's up with that?"

"With what?" I said quickly, avoiding her eyes.

"That," she said, gesturing to my face.

"Rude," I grumbled.

"Is there something going on with you and Jasper?"

I scowled down at my tea. "No."

"Do you want there to be?"

My silence was far more telling that I intended, and her smile turned smug.