Chapter Text
Alice had invited this human she met at school to come over for dinner. It was nice to finally be able to put a face to the name I kept hearing constantly. I already like her from the little stories they tell me about her. I heard she genuinely wanted to help Jasper with his "anxiety." Which was just so sweet of her. She even gave him a stress ball. Edward kept boasting about how sweet she was, and I felt so happy that he finally found his mate. It's too bad he can't be close to her yet because of how she smells to him.
Emmett keeps telling me about how well she plays dodgeball, even managing to catch a ball Rosalie threw. He says she laughs at his jokes, so she's the perfect friend to him. Jasper says he feels comfortable around her. At first, he felt like her scent might overwhelm him, but when he got closer to her, he noticed it didn't affect him anymore. To say I'm excited is an understatement of the lifetime. I decided on something more simple for Saturday dinner.
I chose fettuccine Alfredo and garlic bread. We can eat human foods, but they won't sustain us. We would have to eat an unfathomable amount if we tried. If we infuse it with blood, then we can eat and sustain ourselves without getting bored with the foods we eat. I started with making the noodles from scratch, rolling out the dough by hand and prepping them on a rack to sit and dry. I pulled out a pot next to make the Alfredo sauce next.
When I glanced up when everything was just about ready, I noticed that Carlise had been watching me cook. "How long have you been there, darling?" I asked.
He smiled at me. "A couple hours." He answered. He walked up to me and gave me a loving kiss on my lips. "You looked so focused I didn't want to interrupt." He stated as he caressed my cheeks.
I giggled at him. "I was pretty focused; I hope she likes dinner. I can't wait to meet her."
He nodded at me. "I can't wait to meet Edward's mate too. She must be something. Edward has never been so enthusiastic before."
We moved away from the stove to the dining table and sat down. "I can't believe there'll be another gifted person joining our family." I said excitedly.
Carlisle nodded back eagerly. "I can't wait." He said as he grinned widely. Something about the way he said and grinned made me uncomfortable in a way I couldn't explain, but I brushed it off. I got up and decided to check on the food even though it had only been five minutes. Edward walked into the kitchen at that moment so I could focus on him instead of the unsteady feeling Carlisle evoked at his behavior.
"Edward, will you be joining us for dinner?" I asked him with a bright smile. He shook his head, and I furrowed my brow. "Why not?" I asked.
He was quick to reassure me. "I would like to properly meet her at school before I start courting her." He stated. "We haven't even exchanged a greeting yet; I feel it would be improper to dine with her before." He added. I nodded my understanding; he always was old-fashioned.
"You'll be missed; I'll make sure to have some leftovers for you." I say. He shakes his head quickly.
"No, thank you." He replies. Edward thinks eating human food is gross because, and I quote, 'We are monsters and don't deserve to eat at all, no less enjoy food.' I think it's a little silly, but what can you do? Carlisle left the kitchen shortly after; I found myself sighing in relief oddly. I'd been doing that a lot lately. As I was finishing up dinner, Alice and Jasper strode into the kitchen.
"Hi, Esme." Alice said brightly.
"Hi, Alice, you sound excited." I said with a fond smile.
She beamed at me. "Of course I'm excited. You're going to love her." She says. I chuckle.
"Looking ahead, are we?" I ask. She grimaces, and I frown.
"Is everything alright, dear?" I ask as I clasp her hands in mine. She nods.
"Yes, it's just I can't see her." I give her a puzzled look.
"I—what?" I ask.
"I can't see her." Alice stresses. Oh, so that's her power.
"At all?" I question.
"Not even a glimpse really." She says, sounding a little refreshed with a hint of frustration.
Jasper chimes in. "I can't influence her either." He states.
I blink. "Wow, so Edward can't hear her thoughts, Alice can't see her in visions, and you can't influence her emotions?" I ask.
Jasper nods and responds. "I couldn't feel her emotions all too well at first either unless they were directed at me. But when we got closer, it felt like maybe she was influencing me?" He states a bit unsure of himself. "I dunno how to 'plain it. She makes me feel at ease when I'm with her; I don't even feel bloodlust at her scent anymore." He adds. I nod as I process the information he gave me.
"That sounds... great but dangerous." I say cautiously. Alice butted into the conversation then.
"Trust me, she's really sweet; nothing to worry about." She says cheerfully. I nod but feel a little skeptical.
When she finally arrives, I can quite literally smell her from outside. Oh, goodness, she smells like fresh vanilla. I can vaguely hear Alice scaring her and Bella's heart racing for a second. It's a good thing Edward stayed away for now. Her scent would make him feral if her heart raced. As she walks up to the house, I squeeze Carlisle's hands in anticipation. When she walked into the living room, my breath hitched into my throat even though I didn't breathe. It felt like my undead heart had phantom palpitations.
Carlisle squeezed my hand; he probably thought it was thirst. I knew as soon as I laid eyes on her I could never hurt her on purpose. When we locked eyes, I had to physically try not to shiver. Her eyes were a deep brown, and I could see crinkles around them. She must smile with her eyes. Her hair was a deep brown, definitely a few shades darker than mine. It has a slight curl to it. She has a button-shaped nose, and... Carlisle is getting up.
I quickly pull my eyes off hers so I can focus. I vaguely register what Carlisle says. "...finally meet you, Isabella."
She responds. "It's nice to finally meet you too." Her name is so pretty: Isabella... Her voice is so calm and smooth. It is a very good thing Edward isn't here. Oh god, Edward, she's meant to be Edward's! Don't panic. Focus. I hold out a hand toward her.
"It's wonderful to meet you, Isabella." I hope I don't sound weird to her. I want her to like me. She grabs my hand, and I sigh. Her hand is soft and warm. She flashes me a warm smile and nods; my heart just about melts.
"What are we having?" She asks.
"I made chicken Alfredo and garlic bread. I wasn't sure what you would like." I try not to meet her eyes lest I get lost in them again. I hope she likes dinner.
"I eat almost everything; I like Alfredo." She replies. I relax and gesture to the kitchen. As I set the dinner table, I notice Jasper throwing me questioning looks. He must feel the absolute whirlwind going through me. I try to ignore him for the time being. When we sit down to eat, I can't help but stare at her; she's so gorgeous. I can feel myself wanting to sigh wistfully, but I hold myself back. Luckily, everyone's too busy also staring at Isabella.
She seems to get a bit fed up with it, and since she has our attention. She asks. "What's up with Edward?" I'll admit that is not at all what I thought she would say. I'm a bit at a loss for words. Emmett choked on a noodle, but Carlisle answered first.
"How do you mean?" He says.
She adds. "I mean, it feels like he's avoiding me for whatever reason." I glance at Carlisle, and he looks a bit confused. She rephrases herself. "He hasn't been in school since the day we locked eyes, and he isn't here for dinner. I mean, even Rosalie is here." She points out.
Rosalie seems to scowl at her a bit harder than she already was. "What is that supposed to mean?" She bites out.
Isabella quickly says. "Well, you seem upset by my presence most of the time. You even tried to take my head off during dodgeball." I had to hold back a hiss bubbling up my throat at that. Jasper meets my eye then, and I know there'll be a conversation about it later.
"Rosalie, that's rude." I state as calmly as I can. Rosalie deflects her attention back at Isabella then.
"It's not that I don't like you; I just wanted to be sure you weren't interacting with us for the wrong reasons." I can understand Rosalie's explanation, but she has to be careful; she's my... she's human and delicate. Isabella nods at Rosalie with an understanding look on her face.
"I understand your reasoning." She replies. Isabella turns back toward me and Carlisle. "So, why has Edward been avoiding me?" She says and takes a bite of food. I'm too busy still staring at Isabella to answer, so Carlisle answers instead.
"He didn't want to make you uncomfortable by coming to dinner..." And I stopped listening at that point; she must have noticed my staring. Isabella looked up from her plate and met my eye.
"The food is delicious, Esme." I gave her a frankly very cheesy smile at that. I saw a bit of blush covering her cheeks and practically preened at it. When everyone finished eating, it was getting late, and Isabella had to leave. Everyone headed to their own space after dinner. I headed outside to my indoor greenhouse waiting for the inevitable conversation with Jasper to come up.