I turned my gaze to Bella, "I'd like to hear you play," Bella insisted.
"It's settled then," Esme pushed me to the piano.
At the look on Bella's eager face it was inconceivable to think to say no to her. I conceded. I reached for Bella, bringing her into my side and taking her to the piano. I breathed in her heady scent while the electric pulse that always came from our touch surged through my body.
He just casually touches her...how fantastic. Esme thought.
We sat at the bench, her warmth warming my cold skin from the inside out. I turned my gaze to her, gauging her reaction. I didn't know what to play.
Her song Edward, her song...Esme encouraged.
I was still looking at Bella and she could sense the exasperation in my face. I placed my hands on the keys then, and settled on playing Esme's favorite. I was measuring Bella's expression. After a few seconds I watched her face go from peaceful to shocked instantly. Her mouth opened in astonishment. I heard my family members chuckling behind me at Bella's reaction. I was probing their minds to see all the different views of Bella at once. What was she thinking? Was it good or was it bad?
"Do you like it?" I inquired.
"You wrote this?" she inhaled quickly, realization in her eyes.
I nodded, "It's Esme's favorite." I noted.
We are just going to leave you two alone. Esme nodded to the others to leave, she is wonderful... no wonder he is so protective of her.
I ignored the crowd leaving the room because I was so absorbed by Bella's every reaction. I watched as she lightly closed her eyes in exasperation and shook her head back and forth. Did I do something?
"What's wrong?"
She looked saddened, or upset. "I'm feeling extremely insignificant." she explained.
I decided to take Esme's advice and play her song. The music slowed, and I began playing the beautiful song that I had composed and changed many times since I had met her until it became the sweetest of notes blending together to make magic.
"You inspired this one," I whispered, making sure she understood that she was the most significant thing in my world. She was speechless. The silence of her thoughts was just as frustrating as ever. I breathed her in, letting the flames rip down my throat. Desire was constantly raging a war inside me. She was still silent.
"They like you, you know." I admitted, "Esme especially."
Her eyes darted over her shoulder and then around the room. "Where did they go?"
"Very subtly giving us some privacy, I suppose," though I knew they could hear everything that was going on in the room.
Bella sighed and I turned to look at her again.
"They like me. But Rosalie and Emmett..." she trailed off but I understood where her thoughts were going, for once, I added.
Of course she would notice that they weren't here. I didn't want to talk about Rosalie. My lips turned down, "Don't worry about Rosalie, she'll come around." I lied smoothly, though I hoped one day she would.
She looked unconvinced, "Emmet?" she wondered.
"Well, he thinks I'm a lunatic, it's true, but he doesn't have a problem with you. He's trying to reason with Rosalie," I tried to explain.
I looked into her wide eyes, trying to read her thoughts. I saw the line between her eyes crease at the complexity of her mind, "What is it that upsets her?" she finally asked. She looked anxious, waiting for my explanation.
I didn't want to tell her something that would possibly upset her. The thought of causing her any type of pain sent an overwhelming feeling of remorse through my body. I took in a deep breath, a sigh really. The burning temptation was still present. I distracted myself, no more secrets, "Rosalie struggles the most with...with what we are. It's hard for her to have someone on the outside know the truth. And she's a little jealous." I explained, the words coming quickly.
Her eyes grew wide during my explanation, "Rosalie is jealous of me?"
"You're human," I shrugged. I thought it was obvious why she would be jealous of something as magnificent as her, "She wishes that she were, too." I continued to explain after seeing her question my first statement.
"Oh," she looked upset by this, but shock was still present on her delicate face. Her facial expressions changed to contemplation. I wanted to groan in exasperation from her quiet mind. What was she thinking? Her short pauses