Decode

When I returned, I had already chugged down half of my cup.

“So, what do you want?” I asked.

“I want to know about Edward’s character.” he said.

“Aren’t you reading it?” I asked, confused.

“ Yeah,” he whined, “But it’s so confusing. What is his problem?”

Wow, he was cute. I laughed and smiled.

“What?” he asked, smiling back.

“Uh,” I cleared my throat. “Edward is described in the book and by Bella as being charming, polite, determined, and very stubborn. He is very protective over Bella and puts her safety, humanity and welfare before anything else. He often over-analyzes situations and has a tendency to overreact, especially in situations where Bella's safety is at risk. He retains some outdated speech from his human life in the early 20th century, and can be very romantic. Edward sees himself as a monster, and after falling in love with Bella, he desperately wishes that he were human instead of a vampire. He possesses superhuman beauty, strength, speed, endurance, and agility. His scent and voice are enormously seductive, so much so that he occasionally sends Bella into a pliant daze entirely by accident. He is the fastest of the Cullen’s, able to outrun any of them. Perhaps as a result of a talent for empathy in his human life, Edward can also read the mind of anyone within a few miles of himself. Edward is musical, able to play the piano like a virtuoso. He enjoys a wide range of music, including classical, jazz, progressive metal, alternative rock, and punk rock, but dislikes country. He prefers indie rock to mainstream, and appreciates rock and classical music equally.”

“You’re messing with me. How the hell do you know all of that?” he asked, half amused and freaked out. I shrugged. I pointed to myself and said, “Twilighter.”

“Anything else that I may find beneficiary?” he asked.

“Uh, well I think you’ll be set for now. Just keep reading and you’ll be able to see it.” I said. He shrugged. “Thanks.”

“Any time.”

There was a moment where we just smiled and stared at each other. I got awkward out, so I was the first to look away.

“So, uh.” I bit my lip, “what do you like to do?”

“I play guitar and piano.”

“Really?” I asked, impressed, “That’s awesome. What style?”

He looked almost relieved, and answered, “With piano I play all over the place. I like to play acoustic guitar with finger picking and nice melodies.”

I raised my cup as if to cheer. “Well, who doesn’t?” I smiled. He smiled in return.

“So what are you doing Thursday?” he asked. I sat there for a moment, thinking. For some reason “getting married” didn’t want to come out. That’s exactly what I was doing, but why couldn’t I tell him? Maybe because he was nice, and if I told him, it’d ruin things. Not like it mattered, I was marrying the man of my dreams on Thursday. I cleared my throat.

“I’m going out of town with some girlfriends.” I said. I immediately felt bad for lying to him.

“Oh that’s sounds like fun.” he said. I noticed the time. “I have to go. I’ll see you around.” I said. He got up and walked towards me. I outstretched his hand. I took it, and shook.

“Thanks for letting me occupy your time.” I said.

“Thanks for helping me break down a character.” he smiled. I walked out the door and put my sunglasses on, smiling from ear to ear.