Shifting Moon Chapter 69: Understanding

First class that morning was nothing special. However, Alice did inform that I had to go to her house for the final fit of my suit for the dance. She and Rosalie had collaborated on everyone's outfits, and there was no way I was crossing those two at the sa ti.

I walked Alice to her class alone, as Jasper didn't co to pick her up today for so reason. During our walk, we noticed that the main topic of conversation today was that Edward and Bella had arrived at school together in Edward's car. It was a bigger story than when Edythe and I showed up together, I couldn't wait to tease Bella in class.

The rest of the day was what I had co to think of as normal for now. I focused on Edythe more than the teacher in math. Lunch was spent together with her family, minus Edward, because he was with Bella again. Edythe inford that they were doing the 20 questions ga, I just chuckled about that. After the lunch bell rang, I gave Edythe a quick kiss and headed for gym class. Then ca my last class of the day and my first opportunity to speak with Edward.

I spent a lot of ti working on my stance about his practice of being in her room without her knowing. It bothered , but from what Edythe told , it did serve an important purpose. Had I found out about this when Edward was ignoring Bella during the day, I would have told him to keep his presence as absent at night as he did during the day, without her permission. She shouldn't have to suffer his absence in perceived solitude while he watched her at her most vulnerable. But it seed they were moving forward with their relationship, so I needed to be calr about it.

Deep breath, large exhale. {Calm... Bella likes him, and he is Edythe's brother.} Emtt and Edward walked in together monts later, and the whispers started. My increased hearing caught Bella's na in several conversations, so I was sure Edward heard even better. {Duh, he can't shut off the mind reading. Bet he hears more than he wishes.}

After class started and enough ti passed that everyone was focusing on the teacher, I spoke at a volu I was sure Edward could hear, but no one else nearby could, except maybe Emtt.

"I need to understand your reason for being in her room without her knowing at night. I was able to sll your scent on the rocking chair in her room, facing her bed."

I saw his lips move just a bit a few tis until I was able to pick up what he was saying, "Nod if you can hear at this level."

I waited for him to get a bit clearer and then nodded. After that, I could see his face take on a thoughtful look, and then he would begin to open his mouth, only to close it as if he was hesitant to speak.

Finally, he spoke, "I want to assure you that I have never used any of my abilities to purposefully catch a young woman in a compromising position. Especially never Bella."

I nodded for him to continue, giving him the benefit of the doubt. {Let's face it, if he wanted to see Bella naked, he only had to watch through any girl's eyes during Gym class in the change room.} I told myself.

He continued after my nod. "I heard Edythe tell you about Bella being my singer, but I truly doubt you can understand just what that ans. Maybe on so level you can understand intellectually, but no one understands who hasn't found their own singer." As if he realized he was making a case for to object to their being together, Edward stopped talking for a mont and changed the topic a bit.

"My purpose of being in her room is to drown myself in her scent, so I can gain a level of immunity. I do agree that it is an infringent of her privacy, but I also assure you that I would never take liberties with her."

I turned to look at him with a bit of disbelief in my eyes. "We are guys, Edward. I don't care how old you are. Sex is never far from our minds." {Hmm, should I have really said that to my girlfriend's brother?} The snicker from Emtt told he was listening in on the conversation as well.

Edward thought a mont, "I am not saying Bella is not desirable, but the draw to her blood is much stronger than my biological urge to mate. With the temptation of her blood being absent, I will admit that my thoughts can be occasionally erotic. But as it stands right now, when I am in her presence, keeping my urge for her blood at bay drives any thought such as that out of my mind."

He then turned to look at , "I would expect you to keep such actions at bay as well. My sister is a good girl and was raised to marry before acting on such...inclinations. To our upbringing, your actions with my sister already border on the disrespectful, or more aptly described, scandalous. She tends more towards the openness of this generation, but deep down, she will still expect you to take responsibility for any actions you take."

I got a bit defensive there, after all, he made it sound like I could possibly force myself on Edythe. But I did have to remind myself that their mindset was rooted in the early 1900s. Still, I had to point out, "Edythe has the strength to make her thoughts on the subject known. However, the situation with Bella is more reliant on your control, not hers at the mont."

I took a mont to wonder if our extravagant wording was a result of conversing in Spanish or the subject we were discussing. Because I really didn't talk so... sanctimonious normally. Formal... yes, that's the way we seem to be talking. Before we could say more, the end-of-day school bell released us for the day.

Edward quickly spoke as I gathered my stuff, "Give until this weekend, I will tell Bella and only enter her room with her permission from that point forward."

I simply nodded at Edward, signaling the end of our conversation for now. Then I gathered up my stuff and walked out of the class and to my locker, where Edythe was waiting for . I smiled at her, "Hello gorgeous, mind giving a lift to your house? Alice says it's ti for my final fitting."

"That won't be a problem. I am proud of the way you handled the conversation with my brother."

I laughed, "You hear it all from his mind or sothing?"

She giggled, "Nope, he can sense when I'm in his mind. I was listening along with Emtt. He had trouble controlling his laughter. The formal way you two spoke to each other gave him fits the whole ti."

I smiled at her, "Yeah, it pushed my Spanish vocabulary a good bit. So many words that have different inflections to them."

We started to walk towards the parking lot, so I took her hand. "I will give it to him, though. The poor guy has it rough, from what you have told . Finding his singer, falling for her, and unburying emotions he hasn't felt in decades, if ever. Then cos along a guy trying to steal his sister from him at the sa ti. Then said guy grills him over his actions with his sister, who is the singer... Like I said, rough."

Edythe squeezed my hand, "Like you have it any easier. But thank you for looking at things from his point of view."

In the parking lot, I saw a group of boys grouped around a red BMW M3, drooling between excitedly talking about the vehicle and taking pictures. Parked next to it was Jasper's bike, with Alice climbing up behind Jasper at this mont. Once she was settled, Jasper didn't bother walking the bike back because of the crowd. Instead, he pulled forward onto the sidewalk and maneuvered around until he had a straight shot at the road and gassed it.

I chuckled as we made our way to Edythe's Roadrunner, "Your family could have its own car show here in town. Why such extravagant vehicles when you are working so hard at blending in?"

"It's a vice. We can move so fast on our own that having to sit in a slow-moving vehicle is a form of torture for us. So, we all tend to splurge on our chanical transportation."

All I could do was shake my head because I completely understood. Being able to travel at the speed I could in my tiger form makes every extra mont in a vehicle seem boring in contrast. Even walking in my normal form was irritating at tis. Then I thought about Bella's truck and laughed again, "Yet another reason to feel bad for your brother. Bella loves her slow old truck."