Interminable E. Cullen

Chapter 3

Even a week didn't seem to be long enough.

Edward had tried to stay away but regardless of how much time he spent in Denali he couldn't forget about Ophelia. So now here he was, being a creepy stalker vampire, sitting in the trees outside the Swan residence. 

The girl was completely chaotic. How one could be so reckless doing simple tasks, especially when literally blind, was beyond his thought comprehension. He watched as she woke up grumpily, stumbling about her room as her horse of a guide dog tried desperately to direct her or move things out of her way so she didn't hurt herself. 

Edward felt exhausted for the dog, who seemed to be on extra high alert knowing his owner was clumsy in the most chaotic way possible. Let's just say she didn't make the poor thing's job any easier. 

The part that got him the most was when she walked passed her sister's door, he could hear her stop and hesitate, probably testing to see if she was awake before the storm broke loose. 

"Oh my god, oh my god!" Ophelia shouted, making Edward jump in surprise. He was so tempted to go check on her, see if she was okay or what was happening. 

"WHAT IS IT? Are you hurt?" Her sister came bursting through her bedroom door, seeing Ophelia seated on the ground. 

"I can't see!" 

Bella started looking around frantically, stuttering as she held the first aid kit, before realizing the joke. Ophelia sat snorting, out of breath and laughing at the prank that Edward was nearly convinced Emmett and Jasper had a hand in. 

"Opie! I can't believe you did that you scared the crap out of me!" 

"I'm sorry Bells. You overslept." Edward did not find that funny. He huffed, still perched in the tree only annoyed that he fell for it too. 

It only took a second before the two had reconciled, Bella trying desperately to convince her sister to eat something for breakfast while Ophelia protested, insisting on just making coffee. Edward watched as the girl carelessly floated around the kitchen making coffee, almost injuring herself plenty of times. It was like watching a ticking time bomb, he was sure she would trip over something or accidentally hurt herself.  

He had to go before she made his head explode from nerves. 

"Bella can I ask you something?" Ophelia asked quietly. 

"Of course."

"Is it weird that I, well I-" she stuttered, struggling to find the right words. "I guess I'm a little hurt in a way. That that boy hasn't been at school since we talked. I know it's dumb and it could've been something unrelated to me but I don't know what it is." 

"It's not dumb Opie. I do think you should find someone else to form a crush on. He seems like a tool," Bella responded. 

"Bells!" 

Taking her sister's bag and twisting a lid on top of her travel cup, they left off to school, Bella being careful to drive extra safe due to the icy roads. But today felt different for Ophelia, she could feel that something was shifting and she would be seeing more of the strange boy from biology class. 

And she was right. Walking into biology she heard her sister grumble under her breath as she led her to her seat. Sitting down, Ophelia could feel the cool temperature from the boy next to her. 

"Hello, my name is Edward Cullen. You're Ophelia Swan." He started, cringing inwardly at the tone of his voice. 

Ophelia angled herself to face him more. "Nice to meet you," she held out her hand for him to shake. Edward didn't want to shake her hand but he felt it was impolite not to, but he regretted it as soon as he felt the spark of electricity run through his hand at her warm touch. She smiled, despite getting a chill down her spine. "It's raining again today. I have an extra coffee today if you need something warm to drink." 

Edward furrowed his brows, confused. "Need something warm to drink?" He asked. 

"You were gone last week, I just assumed you were sick." When he didn't respond she started rambling. "I didn't bring it specifically for you if that's what you think. I just happened to have brought two today and you happened to show up today and since we were talking I thought I'd offer." 

Blinking, Edward chuckled at her response. "It's okay. I'm more of a tea person anyway. Do you like the rain?" 

Bella was struggling to tune into their conversation because of Mike's incessant talking in her ear, but she could make out Ophelia's smile. The only bit she could hear was the rain. Come on buddy, you asked her about the weather, Bella thought to herself, mentally face palming for him. 

"I do actually. I love the cold weather, especially here. My sister doesn't though, she prefers our old home in Phoenix." Edward watched as Ophelia brightened at the mention of her sister and it made him unintentionally smile also. 

"Why did you move?" He asked. 

She stopped, thinking for a moment. "Our mom's husband Phil has to travel for work and we knew she wanted to go with him. We just figured we'd come stay with our dad for awhile." 

He watched her smile fall, automatically not liking that reaction. 

God, Edward get it together. She's just a girl with amazing smelling blood. 

"Are you happy here?"

"Bella and I-" Edward interrupted. 

"I mean are you  happy here? In Forks with your dad." He asked again, emphasis on the you. 

"Yes." 

The rest of the day was uneventful, Bella had watched as her sister glowed after the conversation in class. Ophelia wasn't sure what it was about the boy that made her feel so happy despite his strange actions. 

"No no. Allow me, it's the least I can do after scaring you this morning," Ophelia giggled as they made their way to the truck. Opening Bella's door and dramatically ushering her in she closed it afterwards, accidentally dropping the keys for a second. 

As she bent down to reach for them, she heard the screeching just as Edward could see Alice's vision. 

Edward couldn't stop himself, he couldn't let her die. Her blood could spill and it send him into a frenzy, or Jasper at that. 

At least that's what he tried to tell himself. 

Ophelia could feel a freezing, stone-like body shove against her and hear the loud noise of the other vehicle being pushed. A cold arm was wrapped around her waist, and ringing was in her ears. 

"Ophelia, hey look at me. Ophelia." Edward's voice came in and she could feel his other hand grab her chin gently, angling her face towards him. 

"Are you okay?" They both asked at the same time before he let out a breath of disbelief. 

"You're the one that just almost died and you're asking if I'm okay?" He shook his head, not comprehending how that was the first thing on her mind. 

"Oh no, Bella." 

"She's fin-" He was cut off when Bella swung open her door, knocking him out of the way on accident. Edward would've accidentally dropped Ophelia had it not been for his grip on her waist. 

"Oh my gosh Opie! Are you okay?" Bella carefully pulled her sister into her own arms before looking at the boy in front of her gratefully. Edward didn't need to be able to read minds to understand the thoughts probably swirling around in both of their heads. 

By the time the other students made their way around the accident, he was gone.