Midnight Sun (Twilight #1.5)(68)

"The truth, please," Bella said.

"I don't think you get to choose," Jacob chuckled at her expression.

"Still, I think it's about time the truth was put out on the table," Bella said. "I want to see how he'll react once I know what he is."

We sat in silence while the waitress replenished her supply of soda.

"Well, go ahead," I said, jaw locked, when she was gone.

"Why are you in Port Angeles?"

"Well, somehow I don't think he's going to answer that question," Jacob chuckled. "You know, he can't really say 'I was stalking you'."

That was too easy a question - for her. It gave away nothing, while my answer, if truthful, would give away much too much. Let her reveal something first.

"That's not fair," Bella huffed. "I give away things all the time... you should tell me something for once."

"Next," I said.

"But that's the easiest one!'

"Next," I said again.

She was frustrated by my refusal. She looked away from me, down to her food.

Slowly, thinking hard, she took a bite and chewed with deliberation. She washed it down with more coke, and then finally looked up at me. Her eyes were narrow with suspicion.

Jacob chuckled at this; he could so picture Bella doing that.

"Okay then," she said. "Let's say, hypothetically, of course, that...someone...could know what people are thinking, read minds, you know - with just a few exceptions."

"What?" Jacob said. "How the hell did you figure that one out?"

"I don't know," Bella shrugged. "Maybe when he was talking about Mike's thoughts and all."

"You really are perceptive," Jacob mumbled.

It could be worse.

"He's not shocked at all that you figured that out," Jacob muttered. "I thought it was shocking."

This explained that little half-smile in the car. She was quick - no one else had ever guessed this about me. Except for Carlisle, and it had been rather obvious then, in the beginning, when I'd answered all his thoughts as if he'd spoken them to me. He'd understood before I had...

Bella smiled at that; for some reason she found that image nice.

This question wasn't so bad. While it was clear that she knew that there was something wrong with me, was not as serious as it could have been. Mind-reading was, after all, not a facet of the vampire cannon. I went along with her hypothesis.

"Just one exception," I corrected. "Hypothetically."

She fought a smile - my vague honesty pleased her.

"Well, seeing as you're hardly ever honest with me, that's not hard to believe," Bella mumbled.

"All right, with one exception, then. How does that work? What are the limitations? How would...that someone...find someone else at exactly the right time? How would he know that she was in trouble?"

"Hypothetically?"

"Sure." Her lips twitched, and her liquid brown eyes were eager.

"Well," I hesitated. "If...that someone..."

"Let's call him 'Joe,'" she suggested.

"Joe," Jacob laughed and Bella chuckled. "Why?"

"I always liked the name Joe," Bella shrugged.

I had to smile at her enthusiasm. Did she really think the truth would be a good thing? If my secrets were pleasant, why would I keep them from her?

"Joe, then," I agreed. "If Joe had been paying attention, the timing wouldn't have needed to be quite so exact." I shook my head and repressed a shudder at the thought of how close I had been to being too late today. "Only you could get into trouble in a town this small. You would have devastated their crime rate statistics for a decade, you know."

Jacob grimaced at this... that wasn't something to joke about. He also thought that it really wouldn't have been Bella who devastated the crime rate, but didn't say anything.

Her lips turned down at the corners, and pouted out. "We were speaking of a hypothetical case."

Jacob gave a weak smile at that.

I laughed at her irritation.

Her lips, her skin... They looked so soft. I wanted to touch them. I wanted to press my fingertip against the corner of her frown and turn it up. Impossible. My skin would be repellent to her.

"Yes, we were," I said, returning to the conversation before I could depress myself too thoroughly. "Shall we call you 'Jane'?"

"No... I don't like Jane," Bella said and Jacob chuckled at that.

She leaned across the table toward me, all humor and irritation gone from her wide eyes.

"How did you know?" she asked, her voice low and intense.

Should I tell her the truth? And, if so, what portion?

I wanted to tell her. I wanted to deserve the trust I could still see on her face.

"You can trust me, you know," she whispered, and she reached one hand forward as if to touch my hands where they rested on top of the empty table before me.

"Ha," Bella said, "I knew this whole touching aversion thing was all in his head."

I pulled them back - hating the thought of her reaction to my frigid stone skin -  and she dropped her hand.

"If I'm reaching for you, I don't care about that," Bella said a little irritated at that.