*by Stephenie Meyer*



TWILIGHT - chapter 14 - MIND OVER MATTER


He reached for the door ahead of me and opened it for me. I paused halfway through the frame.
"The door was unlocked?"
"No, I used the key from under the eave."
I stepped inside, flicked on the porch light, and turned to look at him with my eyebrows raised. I was sure I'd never used that key in front of him.
"I was curious about you."
"You spied on me?" But somehow I couldn't infuse my voice with the proper outrage. I was flattered.
He was unrepentant. "What else is there to do at night?"
I let it go for the moment and went down the hall to the kitchen. He was there before me, needing no guide. He sat in the very chair I'd tried to picture him in. His beauty lit up the kitchen. It was a moment before I could look away.
I concentrated on getting my dinner, taking last night's lasagna from the fridge, placing a square on my plate, heating it in the microwave. It revolved, filling the रसोई, रसोईघर with the smell of tomatoes and oregano. I didn't take my eyes from the plate of खाना as I spoke.
"How often?" I asked casually.
"Hmmm?" He sounded as if I had pulled him from some other train of thought.
I still didn't turn around. "How often did आप come here?"
"I come here almost every night."
I whirled, stunned. "Why?"
"You're interesting when आप sleep." He spoke matter-of-factly. "You talk."
"No!" I gasped, heat flooding my face all the way to my hairline. I gripped the रसोई, रसोईघर counter for support. I knew I talked in my sleep, of course; my mother teased me about it. I hadn't thought it was something I needed to worry about here, though.
His expression shifted instantly to chagrin. "Are आप very angry with me?"
"That depends!" I felt and sounded like I'd had the breath knocked out of me.
He waited.
"On?" he urged.
"What आप heard!" I wailed.
Instantly, silently, he was at my side, taking my hands carefully in his.
"Don't be upset!" he pleaded. He dropped his face to the level of my eyes, holding my gaze. I was embarrassed. I tried to look away.
"You miss your mother," he whispered. "You worry about her. And when it rains, the sound makes आप restless. आप used to talk about घर a lot, but it's less often now. Once आप said, 'It's too green.'" He laughed softly, hoping, I could see, not to offend me further.
"Anything else?" I demanded.
He knew what I was getting at. "You did say my name," he admitted.
I sighed in defeat. "A lot?"
"How much do आप mean द्वारा 'a lot,' exactly?"
"Oh no!" I hung my head.
He pulled me against his chest, softly, naturally.
"Don't be self-conscious," he whispered in my ear. "If I could dream at all, it would be about you. And I'm not ashamed of it."
Then we both heard the sound of tires on the brick driveway, saw the headlights flash through the front windows, down the hall to us. I stiffened in his arms.
"Should your father know I'm here?" he asked.
"I'm not sure..." I tried to think it through quickly.
"Another time then..."
And I was alone.
"Edward!" I hissed.
I heard a ghostly chuckle, then nothing else.
My father's key turned in the door.
"Bella?" he called. It had bothered me before; who else would it be? Suddenly he didn't seem so far off base.
"In here." I hoped he couldn't hear the hysterical edge to my voice. I grabbed my रात का खाना from the microwave and sat at the तालिका, टेबल as he walked in. His footsteps sounded so noisy after my दिन with Edward.
"Can आप get me some of that? I'm bushed." He stepped on the heels of his boots to take them off, holding the back of Edward's chair for support.
I took my खाना with me, scarfing it down as I got his dinner. It burned my tongue. I filled two glasses with दूध while his lasagna was heating, and gulped mine to put out the fire. As I set the glass down, I noticed the दूध tembling and realized my hand was shaking. Charlie sat in his chair, and the contrast between him and its former occupant was comical.
"Thanks," he कहा as I placed his खाना on the table.
"How was your day?" I asked. The words were rushed; I was dying to escape to my room.
"Good. The मछली were biting... how about you? Did आप get everything done that आप wanted to?"
"Not really - it was too nice out to stay indoors." I took another big bite.
"It was a nice day," he agreed. What an understatement, I thought to myself.
Finished with the last bite of lasagna, I lifted my glass and chugged the remains of my milk.
Charile suprised me द्वारा being observant. "In a hurry?"
"Yeah, I'm tired. I'm going to बिस्तर early."
"You look kinda keyed up," he noted. Why, oh why, did this have to be his night to pay attention?
"Do I?" was all I could manage in response. I quickly scrubbed my dishes clean in the sink, and placed them upside down on a dish towel to dry.
"It's Saturday," he mused.
I didn't respond.
"No plans tonight?" he asked suddenly.
"No, Dad, I just want to get some sleep."
"None of the boys in town your type, eh?" He was suspicious, but trying to play it cool.
"No, none of the boys have caught my eyes yet." I was careful not to over-emphasize the word boys in my quest to be truthful to Charlie.
"I though maybe that Mike Newton... आप कहा he was friendly."
"He's just a friend, Dad."
"Well, you're too good for them all, anyway. Wait till आप get to college to start looking." Every father's dream, that his daughter will be out of the house before the hormones kick in.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," I agreed as I headed up the stairs.
"'Night, honey," he called after me. No doubt he would be listening carefully all evening, waiting for me to try to sneak out.
"See आप in the morning, Dad." See आप creeping into my room tonight at midnight to check on me.