Autumn (ch. 1-2)

My life wasn't that great.
I got up early. I took a shower. I threw together an outfit my boss always seemed to sneer at. Or maybe it was my short-pink hair. I went to a coffee shop and used to always see a tall, important-looking man there. He was always gabbing on his cell phone or texting so he probably never looked at me. I went to to my job at the newspaper I worked at. I wrote articles. I did research. I made coffee and bought lunch for all of my co-workers. I came home to my empty apartment that my boyfriend of four years was supposed to be in with me. I read. I slept. Then the whole thing started over again.
That was my everyday routine for three years, but in the middle of the fall, everything changed.

~*~

One day I woke up late, immediately trying to think of a way not to be late.
I could skip out on going to the coffee shop, but that would mean falling asleep on my keyboard at work. I would probably accidentally electrocute myself from the drool dripping onto the electronics. That was the mental image my mind sketched for me, anyway.

I rushed through my shower, did my hygiene routine vigorously, and threw on an orange, long-sleeved shirt, a frilly, teal skirt, a brown belt, some brown, warm shoes and my coat.

On my way out of the door my boyfriend groaned in bed.
I ran back to the room. "Justin, are you okay?"
He rolled over to look at me, "Will you stop nagging?"
I sighed heavily, walking out of our apartment to go get coffee. I could be late to work once in my life.

I practically ran to the parking lot of our apartment building and to make things even worse I forgot where I parked the car. It wasn't like our car was different from all of the other cars in the parking lot. No, everyone's looked the same. Black, compact-and dusty, it seemed.

I walked down several aisles before finding my ancient little Honda Civic sitting in it's dust-ridden glory. When I put my key in the ignition to start it the engine sputtered and made a weird sound I had never heard before. I grumbled to myself, going to see what was wrong with my car. "But how am I gonna figure out what's wrong?" I thought worriedly.
I patted my pants and coat to see if my cellphone was in them, but it wasn't. Now I felt a little panicky.

I retraced my steps aloud from yesterday from when I did have it to...whenever I didn't have it. "Okay. First, I was at work and it was almost time to go. So I called the apartment and talked to Justin. Then I went to the trunk to put my bag in there. Then I drove home. I put my keys on the coffee table. Oh! Maybe its on the coffee table!"

I wasn't paying attention to the cars speeding down the aisles, so I would've stopped and wait for a black corvette to speed by. I didn't notice until I heard a blaring horn and felt a man's hand firmly grasped around my arm that I was almost hit by a car. I chuckled to myself and I was about to thank the man for saving my life until I looked up at his face and all time stopped. My breathing faltered, my heart raced, and I began to feel cold.

This man that was touching me in the most insignificant way, literally, took my breath away. His messy brown hair was right above his eyes. He had pale-white skin, very dark-almost black-eyes that seemed to have a blue tint. He had pale-pink full lips and a straight nose. All in all he was utterly gorgeous. And I would have interpreted this as love at first sight if it wasn't for the fact that this gorgeous man standing in front of me, touching me, made me want to scream. His beauty was too much for me to handle and there was something about him that made him seem dangerous. Like he was on the verge of killing me. But I had a feeling I could never look away from this man, again. I was repelled to him by instinct, but my mental association, to me, was “Come closer”
"Are you okay?" He said in the smoothest, silkiest voice I had ever heard. I didn't speak for a moment, trying to clear my head. He spoke again, a little concerned. "Umm, hello? Are you okay? I can always escort you to the emergency room..."
"I'm fine." I whispered, hypnotized by his dark eyes.
He seemed to notice this intimacy so he let go of my arm and stepped a little away from me. He got this protective, solemn look on his face that let me know he was thinking about something deeply. I got a very strong feeling that he didn't like me.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yes." He answered quickly.
"Are you new here? I've never seen you before."
He didn't relax his stance, but he did seem more friendly. "I am staying here with my brother and his girlfriend for a little while. Maybe you know them? Bella and Edward?"
I nodded, thinking of those two. They were always together and they were so cute. When he looked at her, it was with the most passionate eyes I have ever seen worn on a man; and when she looked at him I could tell she was melting inside. Edward was astoundingly gorgeous, just like this guy right in front of me. But something always irked me about Edward, too. He gave me that dangerous feeling his brother gave me three seconds ago.
It was a little odd to think those two were related. They looked nothing alike, accept maybe their eyes. Edward's seemed to change, though. I wondered if his brothers did, too.
"Oh yes. I know them. They are so cute together." I blurted, a blush threatening to come forth.
Edward's brother just stood in place, his arms were casually crossed over his chest. "They are, aren't they?" He seemed to be admiring them.
"Yeah, well, I'm sorry to make you late to wherever you're going."
Edward's brother pressed his lips together for one moment, but then he smiled a small smile. "Its okay. I would save you any day."
My heart skipped a beat – try ten. “Was he flirting? I think he was.” I thought frantically. “Well, I wouldn't mind being saved by you." I said quietly, looking down at my watch. I practically had a heart attack seeing the time and that I was really, really late to work. I grimaced. "Do you have a cell phone?"
He pulled a thin, black cellphone out of his pocket and handed it to me swiftly and when I touched it, it was ice-cold.
I called my house phone, which no one answered. So I decided to call my cellphone. Almost instantly, I heard a a faint ringing coming from the trunk of my car. I pressed “end” and handed the phone back to Edward's brother. I opened my trunk and looked through my bag - the only thing in the trunk- and after taking everything out, I found my cell phone.
I thought Edward's brother would've left by then, but I felt him over my shoulder. "Are you a publisher of some sort?" He asked.
I laughed a disbelieving sort of laugh, "No, just a journalist hoping to become a book editor. I really hate writing articles and doing research." I sighed and looked at his face. His eyes lit up when I said I wanted to become a book editor.
"Really?” His eyebrows were raised, “How interesting..." He finished skeptically.
I shrugged. "Not really," I looked down at my cellphone. "What do you do?"
"I don't have a job." I looked him up and down. His clothes didn't scream "I don't have a job" so he must have been rich. My eyebrows furrowed, but he corrected himself. "What I mean is that I don't have a job, I am a full-time student and then some."
I ahhed to myself. "What's your major?"
"I'm in medical school. I want to become a neurosurgeon."
My nose crinkled. The human body was fascinating and all, but you would never catch me in scrubs. "That's cool." I said, nodding my head a bit.
Then it got quiet, I kept on watching his face, but his eyes were boring into me, etching out their own memory in my brain, so I looked away.
He finally sighed. "Well, I'm parched. Would you like to get some coffee with me?"
"Sure," I breathed. "where do you go?"
He smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know, I was on my way to find out."
I smiled back, almost too shell-shocked to respond. Luckily I wasn't that distracted by his perfection so I responded, "Well, you're looking at a caffeine addict right now. I know where one is."
"Great. Where is it?"
"Um, its about ten blocks away from here."
"We should get walking, then."
I scoffed. "Yeah right. I'm not walking."
He rolled his eyes. "Its not hard to walk ten blocks."
"Says you. I'm not in shape." I looked down at my body regretfully. Even though I only weighed 120 pounds, didn't mean I was in shape.
"Well who's fault is that?"
I rolled my eyes. "Mine, but still. I'll be huffing and puffing when we get to the coffee shop, plus, that will make me at least an hour late for work." I looked at my watch to confirm my decudction.
He nodded, understanding the situation. "Ditch."
I was surprised I hadn't thought of that before, but it sounded a little juvenile to ditch. "I haven't ditched since high school."
"So?" He was being serious.
"So...its probably not a good idea to start, again."
"You won't become addicted to ditching if you ditch only once."
"Ditching is like heroin."
"No, I believe ditching is more like nicotine." He protested.
I sighed, giving up. I knew he was going to win anyway. "Fine."
It was a good thing we didn't run, I would've stopped at block three. I was getting a bit winded when we finally got to the coffee shop, though.
I ordered a vanilla macchiato, he ordered a café mocha and we sat by the window, talking for ages.
His name is Travis Cullen. He is twenty-four years old. He doesn't have a job. His dad died a long time ago and gave him money, and lots of it. He has deep, dark, blue eyes. They almost looked black. He used to work for a newspaper, just like me. He loves books, and reading, just like me. He is living with his brother, Edward until he can find his own place somewhere. He was born in Hollywood, California. He likes to go fishing. He likes to kick box. He loves chess. He can't stand the smell of lotions and girlish things. Accept perfume was tolerable, as long as he could stand it.
Everything about him I pretty much loved.
He asked me questions, too. The first couple of questions were my name, birthplace, schools, interests, hobbies, goals. I replied with: “Autumn Chapman. Astoria, Oregon. The most important school, Astoria High School. I love reading, occasionally writing, and I used to play basketball. My goal in life is to be happy no matter what.”
He seemed to admire the last one.
He asked how long I've dreamed of becoming a book editor. I said, “Ever since I read the Harry Potter series, which I started at age eleven.
He laughed and said, “How cute.”
He also asked me a lot of insignificant questions that I was embarrassed to answer, but did anyway. I noticed that he hadn't even had a sip of his drink and this kind of set me off, but I decided that it didn't matter.

I finally changed sitting positions after two hours of not moving and I groaned in pain. My legs were stiff and they felt like they would break off. Travis gave a look of concern, but I smiled and said, "I'm stiff."
He chuckled, but I didn't think he was laughing at what I said, it was more like he remembered a joke from a long time ago. "Me too." He agreed, stretching his legs under the table.
I stood up, finally. "Well, I think its time for me to go."
He tilted his head to the side. "Go where?"
"Home."
"Why?" He asked incredulously.
I blinked. "I don't know. So I can go see my-" I stopped talking immediately. I didn't tell him that I had a boyfriend, yet I was going out to get coffee with him. Does that mean this guy likes me? Or would that mean I like him? I sat back down. "Well, Travis. Where am I going if I don't go home?"
He thought for a moment, "I'm glad you asked," his grin went from ear to ear.

~*~

Next thing I knew we were back in the apartment building I lived in, heading up to the third floor. "I thought I wasn't going home."
Travis chuckled. "You aren't."
"Where am I going then?"
He grabbed my hand tightly, our fingers intertwined and he gave me a serious, but joyful, look. "You are going to meet Edward and Bella."
I scoffed. "I've already met them."
I didn't say anything, but my heart was beating fast, my breathing increased, and his hand touching mine made my bones ache from the cold, but I was perfectly content, and I think he knew that.
"Don't be nervous," He said simply.
I sighed, knowing that he'd know how I felt. Like he seemed to know how I felt ever since I met him three hours ago.

Finally, he knocked on apartment 280C. I fixed my coat and my hair a little bit, knowing that it wouldn't matter anyway. He didn't let go of my hand as he waited for someone to answer the door and when he saw me fidgeting he leaned in close to me and whispered in my ear, "You're gorgeous." I had to put my head down, an automatic thing to do whenever I blushed, but I put my head up again, realizing that there was no point in hiding it. He looked at my face and winked. I felt my blush go deeper.
Then the door opened and little Bella beamed. "Hey Travis," She said in her sing-song voice. I half-expected Edward to be behind her, like he always was, but he was in the dining room setting out plates. I smiled at Bella as she took in the sight of Travis and I holding hands. "Hey Autumn. I didn't know you know Travis."
Travis smiled widely, "I saved her life this morning."
Bella nodded. "Ah, he's already pulled you in, has he?"
I was at loss for words so I just nodded and looked at my feet and when I looked back up Edward was at her side.
"Well please, come in." He said in a smooth-as-silk voice. And just like Travis, Edward scared me too.
His beauty was so astoundingly beautiful that I was frightened.
Travis pulled me out of my thoughts and dragged me inside their apartment. It was very homely and it was sort of an organized mess.

We sat around their dining room table, Travis and I on the chairs, Bella and Edward on their odd couch seating against a corner of a wall, holding each other - like always.
We talked about college, jobs, life, and we even talked about books - my favorite subject. After a while of sitting around Bella asked about food. Edward looked at Travis, his eyes hardening for a bit. My eyebrows furrowed as I noticed this exchange. “Are they going to fight over who gets to cook or something?” I thought.
Edward glanced at me and a smile broke across his face. It almost felt like...he read my mind, but I didn't pay attention to that little detail. I was trying to figure out what Travis was thinking. His eyes still held whatever emotion that little exchange between him and his brother shared, and I didn't know what to do.
"Well, Bella and I will make something to eat. Autumn, what would you like?" Edward asked, both he and Bella getting up.
I felt nervous for a moment. I didn't want to suggest something they didn't have, after all. "You choose. I'm not a picky eater." It was true, I wasn't a picky eater. But if they handed me frogs legs I probably would've lied and said I wasn't hungry.
Edward chuckled and I got that strange feeling he read my mind, again, but he simply said "Okay," putting his arm around Bella and headed toward their kitchen.

It was ever so convenient that their kitchen was behind a wall so I could talk to Travis alone. "Edward and Bella are great together, don't you think?" That was one way to break the ice.
Travis leaned back in his chair, grabbing my hand. "Yeah. They are, aren't they? Can you believe they're only eighteen?"
My jaw dropped. "Eighteen? And they've already moved in with each other? Wow, I would expect a guy like Edward to be having random hook-ups in his own bachelor pad." I shook my head, dazed by the thought.
Travis chuckled. "Well, Edward isn't like that. He's always been the... conservative type."
“Conservative?” I thought. "What do you mean?" I asked curiously.
"Well," He started, positioning himself for a long story, I supposed. "Edward has always been picky about his girls. Not necessarily looks-wise, more along the lines of personality, morals, and beliefs. All of that stuff."
I knew he was editing something out of his explanation but I decided to dismiss that for the time being. "Really? I would think that a guy thats still in his teens would want to experiment with girls. Bella, too. She's really pretty. I bet she could get any guy she wanted." I laughed to myself. "She's lucky she landed Edward, though." Travis looked at me thoughtfully, which made me look away.
"How old are you?" He asked.
I hesitated to answer. "Twenty-three," I paused. "why?"
"I just wanted to know if you're too young for me."
My eyes bulged and time seemed to speed up. I felt as if we were looking at each other for hours even though it was only seconds.
"Autumn?" Travis said.
I snapped out of that dream-like trance and asked, "And if I was?"
He leaned close to me, automatically making me want to pull him against my body, but I resisted the urge as the distance between our faces decreased. "I probably would've lied about my age." He said in an exasperated tone.
I breathed in his breath, wanting more than anything just to kiss him, at least once. I looked into his eyes which tightened a little bit - I half expected him to pull away from me - but he just leaned closer until all I would have to do to kiss him was move two millimeters. "Why would you have to do that? Are you that attracted to me?" I said, mystified by his scent. I couldn't exactly pinpoint the smell since I was so out of it, but I knew that it was familiar.
He laughed, "I'm probably more attracted to you than you are of me right now."
Then, all-too quickly, he leaned away from me, back into his chair, the biggest show-offy smile I had ever seen on a guy was planted on his face.
I had to catch my breath before I could talk, again. "I have a boyfriend." I said.
He put his head back and laughed for two seconds then looked at me, again. "I know you do, silly girl."
I was confused now. "Then why are you still trying to...hit on me?" I couldn't come up with any better term for what he was doing to me.
He shook his head. "Tsk. Tsk. The question is not 'why I am hitting on you' The question is 'why didn't you think about your boyfriend at all the first time we met?'"
I didn't have a good answer so I sighed instead.
He laughed, again. "Exactly." he got up, heading toward a hallway that led to who-knows-where. "Seems like someone is getting a little crush on me." His tone was mocking.
"Look who's talking." I grumbled.
He smiled at me once more before heading down the hallway and all I could do was fume.

He was right.
I had a crush on Travis Cullen. The guy who's breath smelt like mint-chocolate.
Perfect.




CHAPTER2



And just like that Travis and I were around each other way more more often.
He would meet me at my door every morning, lead me to his car, drive us to the coffee shop, drop me off at work, and pick me up after work.
Then I would just go home, or we would go to Bella and Edward's place.

I learned a lot about him, too. He reads all of the time, and he likes to quote the books word-by-word. That guy is either insanely smart or he has some special powers. He didn't just quote books, though, he also quotes philosophers and scientists.
One of his favorite people in the world is Einstein. I asked him a question about the difference between fission and fusion and it was like being in Chemistry all over, again, accept he elaborated on the subject and went to the speed of light and energy. It was very interesting to hear him talk about science. It was the only time I think he really was really at peace with the world – thats what it looked like to me anyway.
I also learned that he was a very complex individual. He had very strong opinions about a lot of important things like politics, and the meaning of life. Again, hearing him talk about things he believed in was the only time he is ever really at peace with the world.
Our conversations never got dull, either. He would just bring up random things and we could talk about it for hours.
He was also the kind of person that would let you think in peace, without having awkward tension from the quiet. It was really convenient whenever I would cry to him about Justin because he would just sit across from me, looking at me, questions in his eyes but no words coming out of his mouth. He knew when I needed silence.

This whole routine of Travis being around started getting normal for me and pretty soon I just expected Travis to be there all of the time.

He would be there when I went to get groceries.
He would be there when I went furniture shopping.
He would be there when something needed fixing.
He would be there when I needed someone to talk to, which was ninety percent of the time.

This went on for almost one whole year until one Saturday...

~*~

It was spring, and even in spring in the cloudiest city in the United States, it was freezing. The sun was blocked by heaps of clouds that smudged the sky with something similar to depression. I woke up next to Justin, who rolled over and put his arm around me.

I leaned toward him, plating a kiss on his neck. He woke up with a groan and a sort of startled look. "Hey, sleepyhead."
He rubbed his eyes and sat up. "Hey." He answered groggily.
"You didn't come home until three, where were you?"
He rubbed his eyes some more and yawned, which caused me to yawn. "I was out with my friends."
I got up and put sweats and a long-sleeved shirt on, a little discouraged.

Justin's code for, "I was out with my other girlfriends" was usually, "I was out with my friends."
I didn't know how I ended up with such a guy.
Well, I knew why. I met him at my fathers funeral five years earlier. He was the son of one of my dads best friends. He comforted me and he showed me a really good time at one of the worst times in my life. He was really charming, and he knew how to treat me - for the first couple of years anyway.
When it came close to our third year he cheated, a lot. At first I would yell and complain to him. He would always apologize and promise he would never do it again, but a month later I would find him with some new girl.
I could never let go of Justin, though. He was handsome, smart, funny, and he was there when no one else was. How could I let go of that? He helped me become sane when I thought I was going to go crazy. He helped me when I was at the lowest points in my life and he's seen the parts of me I never wanted anyone else to see - yes, that can be interpreted in many ways and I mean them all.
Even though he sometimes treated me like crap and cheated on me, I knew that somewhere deep inside of him he would realize that he really loved me, and only me, and I was determined to stick around until then.

I made some eggs and toast for myself, knowing Justin was just going to get a bowl of cereal and coffee and leave in thirty minutes.
I sat on the couch cross-legged and put on some Saturday morning cartoons until the doorbell rang.
I heard Justin groan, "I'll get it." He half-yelled.
I just looked toward the door and waited for Justin to come back. It seemed to take too long, though, so I walked to the door to see who it was.
"Is Autumn here?" I heard someone ask.
Justin grimaced. "Yeah, who are you?" I finally reached the door and there, in his tall, brown-haired, blue-eyed glory was Travis. My mouth hung open as I studied this scenario. Justin didn't really know about Travis, I just told him I was going out and he said okay, or he didn't say anything. And I already knew Travis knew about Justin, so there was nothing to worry about there, but still. It was the awkwardest thing I had ever been through.
"I'm Travis." He said with a stupid grin on his face.
Justin looked back and I saw him jump a bit when he saw I was right behind him. "Oh, hey." He said to me, giving Travis a scowl. "I'm going to get ready and go to work, okay, babe?"
I nodded and Justin slapped me on the butt, walking away. I closed me eyes and opened them to Travis, leaning on the door frame.
"How charming." He said through his teeth, obviously not taking a liking to my boyfriend.
I sighed. "He is. He's just jealous, is all." I opened the door more to motion for him to come in, but he waved his hand in protest.
"No, no. You are busy, I'll leave."
"No! Don't go! I am going to be so bored today. Justin has to go work at the firm and I'll be all alone. Stay."
Travis shook his head slowly, a smile playing on his lips.
My lower lip jutted out and I blinked my eyelashes in a cute way. Travis sighed and rolled his eyes. "That always gets me."
I beamed up at him. "That's exactly why I do it."
He shook his head. "So, what were you doing before I came here?" he paused, "Well, don't tell me if it's something sexual."
I scoffed. "I was watching cartoons, thank you very much."
He nodded. "Cool." and sat down on the couch next to me fluidly.
I picked up my eggs and toast, again, sitting cross-legged. Travis kept on looking at me, or the objects in my apartment, but never said anything. It almost looked like he wanted to say something to me, but he thought about it, again, and decided against it. It was annoying me just a little bit.

Justin walked by in a suit and tie and his eyes practically fell out of his skull. I guessed he didn't expect Travis to be on our couch, but he was. I got up quickly and wrapped my arms around Justin's neck. Justin put his hand on my butt and lifted me up. I laughed and gave him a kiss. He kissed me back, but I could tell that he wasn't looking at me, or closing his eyes. He was staring past me. I got down and looked at Travis and he looked angry. I turned back to Justin but he was walking away. I stood in the same place for a long moment, until Travis stood up. "Why are you with that guy?"
I frowned. "What, why? What kind of question is that?"
"A simple one." He snapped.
"Because I love him." He flinched.
"Are you sure he loves you?" He said, venom dripping from his words.
"Yes," I paused, my voice getting lower, "I'm positive." I was saddened by this. I really didn't know if Justin loved me, but I hoped more than anything.
Travis stopped being angry for a moment, walked to me, and hugged my shoulders. "I-" he started, but he just sighed and rubbed my back.
I didn't notice at first, but a few tears escaped my eyes and transferred themselves onto Travis' chest.
I laughed, wiping my eyes. "I'm such a girl."
Travis smiled a brilliantly gorgeous smile. "A marvelous one, at that."
I blushed, putting my head down to hide my face. He laughed and hugged me, again.
"You're so cute." He stated.
I shook my head. "Not in these clothes." I was now fully aware of what I was wearing. A long-sleeved, white shirt and some baggy, ripped-up sweats.
He looked down for a little too long. "I think you look beautiful."
I rolled my eyes. "You must be blind."
He laughed. "I have very good vision, for your information."
"Obviously not." I countered.
He rolled his eyes. I gasped as I felt my hair. That was a wreck, too. At least it wasn't pink anymore. My pink phase died quickly when it became June and my roots started to grow brown. I decided to get my hair decolorized, back to my normal hair color - which is a really ugly brown, in my opinion, that only a few people could pull off. Little did I know that Travis' hair was the same color as mine, so we pretty much looked alike in every possible way, accept for the fact that his eyes are beautifully dark blue and mine are no where near that gorgeous.
When our embrace finally ended I put my finger up. "Um, will you give me a moment?"
Travis nodded. "As many as you want, I have nothing but free time," he said in the most soft, silky, voice I had ever heard. He also smiled coyly, which made me suspicious but I decided to bring that up another time.
I walked into the shower - something I had been craving ever since I woke up. The smooth, warm stream of water enveloped every crevice of my body and I shivered with delight. It was the best thing to feel after an emotional moment with the man who you've a crush on for quite some time, even though you have a boyfriend that you've been with for five years.
I didn't really let myself think because I knew I would only get more depressed, and I didn't want to be depressed while hanging out with Travis, so I just thought about small things. Work. My boss' snooty attitude. Books I needed to catch up on, laundry I needed to do. Small things.
When I got out of the shower I saw that Travis was still sitting on the couch, flipping through channels.
I walked to my room and closed the door. Almost instantly I heard a knock. My heart rate sped up for a moment and I answered the door. Travis glanced down at me and put his hand around my arm. I felt sharp, cold where he was grasping me, but I didn't move away. I felt oddly content with him touching me.
When I looked at his face he seemed disoriented, almost like he wasn't even on Earth. Suddenly he wasn't grabbing my arm he was at my dresser. Then he was back in front if me, with troubled eyes.
“Wh-Why- How did you move so fast?”
“Put those on now!” He yelled.
I frowned, considering that he went manic while watching cartoons.
“If you've ever trusted me before you really need to trust me now.”
“Travis, why?” I asked, a little panicked my his tone.
“Something bad is going to happen really soon and I need to get you out of here.”
“Travis-”
I was cut off by his yelling words, “Do it or I can guarantee your death!”
I was shocked and mortified. I looked at the pile of clothes placed in my arms. “No underwear?”
He moved at the speed of light, again, going through two drawers and finding some underwear. “Hurry.”
He didn't walk out of the room to give me privacy so I asked, “Can you get out of here so I can change?”
He looked at me like I was insane. “I won't look, just change.”
I put on the clothes he gave me in less than 10 seconds and slipped on some sneakers.
He turned around and lifted me in his arms. “We're going to Forks, Washington.”
“Why?” I asked.
“So you will be safe.”
“In a place called Forks?” He growled and walked out of my apartment with me in his arms.
Several people looked at us as we walked toward his car, which was parked just outside of the apartment building.
He practically threw me in the car and we sped down the streets. I wasn't aware of how fast we were moving when we finally stopped at a gas station in Washington. It only took thirty minutes and I realized that we were moving at least one hundred miles per hour.
He pulled out his cellphone and walked to it very slowly, like he wanted me to hear.
“Carlisle, Esme . We are coming over.” A long pause. “The woman I was telling you about.” Another long pause, and a scoff. “No. It's not like that.” A short pause. “No!” A long pause. “No, something bad is going to happen to her. I need Alice's help.” A very brief pause. “Thirty minutes. Bye.” And he snapped the phone shut.
I was confused and frustrated. What was happening? Why was Travis taking me to another state to “keep me safe”. He turned and looked at me, his face was even paler than usual, and his eyes kept on darting everywhere, but they never hit me.
“Whats wrong?” I asked.
He didn't answer me so I walked away from him. “Fine, I'm going to leave.”
I heard him groan. “Stay with me, please.” He plead, grabbing my hand and pulling me back toward him.
I yanked my hand away from his and walked away even faster. Taking me hostage and driving me to another state was totally ridiculous. And what was that about something bad is going to happen? I sighed and turned, about to yell at him when his lips met mine.
I was angry for the first two seconds and I pulled away from him, about to slap him, but he just pulled me close to him again; I could feel the cold between us and it made me want to flinch away from him, but for some reason I was drawn. Our mouths parted and I breathed in the mint-chocolate of his breath. He laughed a little and pulled away from my face. I rolled me eyes. “What are you laughing about?”
He smiled, “I knew you would kiss me back...”
I put my head down, angry, confused, and now, guilty.
He sighed. “I'll explain once we get in the car.”
I sighed and walked to the car, awaiting whatever possible explanation Travis was going to dish out to me.