✧

No matter how hard she tried, Mia had been unable to move past the fear of getting caught just because of her mistake.

She's certain casting a spell set the Dark Lord's radar and at any second, he could send his loyal subjects in her direction. Telling her mother would be the wisest thing to do, but it's been a few days and nothing has happened. Everything is normal, well, as normal as it can get considering her world became much more complicated when learning her friend is a vampire. The only good thing about this is that Jessica doesn't remember what happened and chose to believe she was attacked by a wild animal.

Things like these rarely happen in a small town like Forks that it led to the police department getting involved. With the chief leading the mission, the hunt for the supposed wild animal began. If only they knew this attack was linked to the creatures of the night then maybe, they wouldn't be too willing to head into the forest with those useless weapons.

For the past few days, she's been ignoring Edward and it's not because he knows her secret or is afraid of what he is. It's the fact that he was going to leave town without saying goodbye. She kept her shock on the low and chose to help his secret remain inconspicuous, and yet, he was still willing to part ways within the blink of an eye.

She has tried to brush her anger aside, but it's frustrating seeing him not aware of what he did, which means he's not apologizing. The littlest of things count and him not knowing the reason behind her change in attitude is more than enough to fully vex her.

Everything has just been hectic and filled with lies. She can't even tell Bella what really happened since that would only endanger her and with a possible war approaching, she can't afford to involve an innocent person in the mess that's her life. It's moments like these when she regrets her choices and wishes to have a time turner. Maybe then, she'd make the decision of staying at home instead of attending the terrible party. That way, she wouldn't be dealing with the consequences of her actions.

It's not like Mia regrets helping Edward. If anything, she's more than grateful for having used her ability for the greater good. She can't imagine all the gossip Jessica would spread and how many more rumors would make the Cullens an even greater group of outcasts. Edward might not mention anything about it, but she can tell the exclusion affects him more than he lets on.

As the bell rings, Mia tries ignoring her pounding headache and rubs her temples. It helps that the corridor is dim from the pouring rain and rundown lighting, allowing her to get some type of alleviation. The bell rings once again, making her wince as she now cradles the back of her head in hopes of soothing her migraine.

Maybe it's the stress of her secret being out, but ever since Halloween, her headaches have remained with no intentions of leaving. Not even painkillers are helping, which leaves her with no other option than just hope they disappear soon.

"You're mad at me," Edward says it like he just made an incredible discovery, frustrating her much more.

Not sparing him a glance, she places her books inside her locker and rolls her eyes, "What gave it out? Me ignoring your calls or my jolly attitude?"

He knows he messed up by planning on not saying goodbye to her. If this had been the other way around, he would've been disappointed to say the least. "I'm sorry. I just- I didn't want to say goodbye to you," he admits, "You're my only friend and I couldn't bear not seeing you again."

Mia slams her locker closed and starts heading to the cafeteria with Edward trailing after her like a pleading puppy, "You were inconsiderate and selfish for only thinking about yourself and not how I would feel. I helped you and pushed my shock aside for your sake and this is what you handed me? That's like a slap on the face."

He turns quiet and just takes in her words. Her feelings are completely valid and she's being reasonable through all of this. He had been self-centered and should have thought of her before choosing the easy way out. "I know and I'll always be sorry for that."

"Good," she retorts, still not bothering to look at him. "You deserve to feel guilty about this."

"How long are you going to be mad at me for?" Edward nudges her shoulder playfully as he enchantingly stares at her.

"I haven't decided yet," Mia rolls her eyes at him as he places his arm around her. "Maybe for the rest of your life, which is forever," she whispers that last part and tries to refrain from smiling at his pouty face.

"I'll keep apologizing every day if I have to."

She looks away from him as a smirk appears on her face, "Okay, fine. I'll forgive you this time, but just know if you ever try this again, you're dead to me."

Placing his hand over his heart, he pretends to wince in pain, "Ouch. Way to break my heart, Grey."

"As if you have one," she remarks while placing a turkey sandwich on her tray and reaching for an apple. Her reflexes suddenly fail when the fruit topples down the counter and falls to the ground, except it lands on Edward's shoe that he bounces up into his hands in a rather picturesque way.

"You have a terrible sense of coordination," he hands her the fruit that she returns back to the container. "Weren't you getting that?"

"It fell on your shoe and I don't know what you've been stepping on," Mia circles around the counter to acquire more food and even though she promised herself not to, she's unable to contain her questions on the low. "That day on Halloween, I heard your sister say you guys were heading for a drink. Was that code for drinking... blood?"

Edward is taken off guard by her question. Inexplicably, he glances toward his siblings' table and notices their attentive eyes, which doesn't make this any better. "Yes. We were planning on going hunting that day. For obvious reasons, I had to lie."

"Oh, interesting," Mia tries to keep hidden how strange this is for her. Even if she already knew about the existence of vampires, it still leaves her astounded to have met one. It sure doesn't help knowing about their blood drinking, which is extremely unsettling. 

"As much as being friends is great, it would be better if we weren't," Edward hates doing this, but he doesn't want to pressure her in maintaining this friendship. He appreciates how willing she had been to help him, but this was a problem he should have handled on his own. Now he's gotten her involved and if anything were to happen to her because of him, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. 

She scoffs lightly, "Don't tell me you're one of those."

"One of those?"

"Those guys who want to play the mysterious type and are constantly claiming to be dangerous while telling everyone to stay away because it would be safer," Mia scoffs at such a thought, refusing to believe he's one of those. 

Edward tries to argue back, but it's hard to defend himself when everything she said was accurate. "Mia, you know what I am, which means you have knowledge on what my kind is capable of."

She gestures to her teeth and makes the motion of fake fangs, "You eat people."

His eyes widen in bewilderment at how calm she's acting, "And that doesn't bother you?"

"If I say it does, you're going to get offended," she says. "But if I say it doesn't, you're going to think of me as insane. Either way, there's no winning in this."

"If you're smart, you'd stay away from me," Edward speaks in a lower voice, one that expresses the gravity of the situation and how much he's considering this. 

Mia rolls her eyes, "You are aware that I'm a witch, right? I have been around the supernatural world for a very long time, so don't think of me as this defenseless girl. I have everything taken care of." She's tempted to leave the conversation, but if there's one thing she enjoys, it's proving her point, "And also, you're not as scary as you consider yourself to be, so instead of acting all broody, how about you take advantage of your abilities and enjoy life?"

Edward listens to her words and as much as he's afraid of what may happen, he has to admit that she's right. "I'll take that into consideration then."

"Good," she starts walking past him in the direction of her table, but is prevented from doing so when he reaches for her hand. 

"Are you free this Saturday?" Edward asks.

She softly smiles, "What are you thinking about?"

"Let's go to Seattle," he suggests, hoping she decides to accept his offer.

"I don't know," she pretends like she's giving some thought to it to make him believe she's about to deny. "Maybe."

"We're going this Saturday. I'll be picking you up," Edward doesn't give her a chance to respond since he's already walking away, leaving her standing like she was just given a math equation to solve.

"Do I even get a say in this?" she calls out, ignoring the curious looks from the passing students.

He hollers back, "Not a chance!"

Mia shakes her head with a smile and heads to her table. Like expected, everyone's eyes are on her, "What?"

"So... are you and Cullen a thing now?" Eric wiggles his eyebrows as he offers a teasing smirk. 

She laughs loudly, "Of course not. We're just friends."

"He seems really interested in you," Bella playfully nudges her on the shoulder and she turns to her as if having been betrayed.

"Not you too, Bells."

She raises her hands in surrender, "I'm just pointing out an observation."

Mia rolls her eyes, "Well it's wrong."

Eric stares ahead in perplexity, "How can an observation be wrong?"

Mike frowns at the topic of conversation and decides on changing it, "Anyway, so I was thinking of heading to the beach this Saturday. A few friends are having a party and I hear it gets quite wild."

"Isn't attending another party a little insensitive?" Mia appreciates him for changing the subject, but it still surprises her how he's willing to attend another event after the most recent events. "I mean, Jess is still at the hospital recovering."

Bella nods agreeingly, "That's what I said, but apparently Mike says that she would want us to go."

She takes a bite from her sandwich, narrowing her eyes at him, "Did Jessica tell you that, Newton?"

Mike grimaces at her comment, "I know her like the palm of my hand, so yes. She did tell me."

Raising her hands in surrender at his snarky tone, she leans back against the chair and chooses to just go along with his plan. It's clear everyone forgot about Jessica and evidently, they refuse to change their plans for their supposed best friend, "Whatever you say, Mikey."

Angela scoots herself closer to her, "Are you coming?"

Discreetly, she glances at Edward's table and is grateful for already having plans. Don't get her wrong, she would love attending the party, but she's never been to Seattle, so how can she choose staying in town over heading to the city? "I'd love to, but I have plans already."

"Oooh. Plans with Cullen?" Eric teases, causing Mike's gaze to harden.

Frowning, she just leans back against her chair in refusal to say anything, "That's for me to know and for you to think about."

"Come on, little Grey," Mike tries gaining more intel, worrying he could be losing his opportunity on asking her out. "Just admit it once and for all."

"There's nothing to admit," she argues, "And even if there was, you guys are the biggest gossipers, so I'm keeping this to myself."

"Hey!" Mike snaps, causing Angela to wince at his sudden rise in volume before he tosses a potato crisp at her. "We..." he gestures to him and Eric, "... can definitely keep a secret, especially for a friend."

"You know, I'm offended," Eric interjects and stares at her so intensely. "I'm the best secret keeper. I have kept all of our secrets."

Angela looks at him with a confused stare, "But you tell me everything-"

"Shh!" He holds a finger to his lips, begging her to stay quiet.

"Point proven," Mia boastfully folds her arms across her chest and feels grateful when the topic of conversation is changed.

Inexplicably, she finds herself glancing in Edward's direction. A ghost of a smile appears when finding him already doing the same. As if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't, she looks away from him and tries ignoring this strange feeling gathering in her chest. She's never felt this before, so this unfamiliarity brings a deep unsettlement to consume her.

If only she knew that Edward was feeling the same way and all this time, he had been focused solely on her.

__________________

Standing at the pier, Mia and Edward look out at the grand waters as the wind hits their faces and adds a little color to their skin. Arriving in Seattle took about three hours, but in all honesty, the drive didn't feel long.

With her excitement rummaging throughout her body, she spoke the entire ride without realizing it. She had never been anywhere in the states except for Forks, so spending an entire day in the city was truly exhilarating.

As they look out at the waters, Edward stares at her like he's studying a masterpiece. He's never seen her this delighted and completely mesmerized by anything, and it makes his dead heart start beating again. From the way her hair blows in perfect sync with the wind, the way the apples of her cheeks are turning a rosy tint, the way her eyes sparkle like constellations on the night sky, and the way her eyes are beaming with grace, he's unable to prevent his smile from becoming wider.

Mia tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, her dainty fingers becoming redder and colder that makes her blow warm air into them. She pulls at her jumper's sleeves and adjusts her red scarf, loving every moment of this autumn breeze and misty sight.

"What do you think?" Edward asks, gently placing his coat over her.

"I love it," she smiles, admiring the ferry boats in the distance and families walking around with such bliss. "I was a little skeptical, but I really love it. Thank you for bringing me here."

He nods, a nervous laugh escaping, "We can come anytime. It's not that far anyway."

"Three hours isn't far enough for you?" Mia nuzzles herself deeper into his coat, loving the strong yet also delicate smell of his cologne. Something along the lines of a fresh ocean wave with a hint of amber and cedarwood. She closes her eyes for a quarter of a second, taking in his alluring aroma that's becoming imprinted into her soul.

"I've traveled longer distances before," he tells her as they begin walking along the pier towards one of the restaurants nearby. "If you think Seattle is far, imagine running to Alaska."

"Alaska? Why would you run there and not take a flight?"

He doesn't want to admit that the run was linked to him trying to escape to the one place where he couldn't hurt anyone. It was during the time where he was struggling to maintain his thirst under control and with every minute that went by, the urge to cave to his vampiric tendencies was becoming greater. Not wanting to hurt anyone, he headed to the one place that always helped him clear his head. Having family over there is ideal, especially since the Denali Coven were a great help in helping him regain his control. If it weren't for them and his family, he's unsure of where he'd be right now.

"It's... complicated."

She looks up at him, sensing there's more to this, "I'm sure I can keep up."

Edward purses his lips, eventually taking a deep breath before choosing to confide in her, "I hit a dark patch. I was struggling to maintain my thirst under control that I thought I would hurt someone. I didn't want to become a monster, so I did what I knew best. I ran."

Mia remains quiet, not daring to interrupt from knowing how hard speaking about this must be. She understands not wanting to be a monster. It's all she's been afraid of ever since learning what's written in her blood, so can she dare judge him for this?

"We have family in Alaska. They're just like us," his voice gets lower as people walk by. "We help each other in situations like these, so I drove there and didn't look back. It was... hard, but it helped. I was able to return back to Forks and now I'm able to withstand being around large groups of people." He sighs, not sparing her a glance, "I'd understand if you're now afraid of being around me-"

"No," she cuts him off, not bothering to care for his attempt at scaring her off. "If you say you can handle your thirst, then I trust you. We all know what we can and cannot handle, so if you believe you're able to be around others, there's no reason for me to be afraid."

His eyes soften as he gazes down at her, a gentle smile rising from the corners of his lips in an appreciative way that she's not running away and has chosen to stay. She can tell that he needed to hear her say the words, an indication that he's not afraid of him and has chosen to take a leap of faith.

She's beyond grateful that he felt comfortable enough to confide about this to her that it nearly tempts her to express her own fears and insecurities about her destined fate. If he was able to trust her with this, then she could do the same, but as she tries voicing her thoughts, that everlasting thorn of trust issues prevents her from doing so. What if when he gets to know the real her, he decides to cut ties with her? Is she really about to risk losing his friendship over something like this?

"So, where are we going after?" Mia changes the subject so subtly that it goes unnoticed by him.

He points over in the direction of a small restaurant, one surrounded by neon lights and the glorious sound of jazz music. She smiles in delight and locks her arm with his before taking off into a sprint. It's been amazing exploring the city, but right now, all she wants is to have some dinner.

Once they reach the small bricked building, they're seated at a table by the window, allowing them to continue getting a glimpse of the pier. It doesn't take long for the waitress to come over and right away, Mia can tell she's interested in Edward. The way her green eyes hold a seductive sparkle and how quick she fixes her red hair upon seeing him, it's obvious the waitress is intrigued by him.

"What can I get you?" Her voice is soft and alluring as her gaze never once leaves him.

Edward ignores her and glances towards Mia, "What would you like?"

She clenches her jaw, annoyance pricking at her skin at the sharp glare the waitress sends her, "I'd like a cheeseburger with no onions, extra fries, a strawberry shake, and also a glass of water."

The waitress nods her head while writing it down. She moves her hair back and bites her lip in a flirty way once she turns her attention back to him, "And what about you?"

"The same as her," Edward never once looks at her, which definitely gets on her nerves. She turns away and leaves them alone, making Mia roll her eyes.

"Looks like someone has an admirer," she teasingly says while resting her chin on her hand.

"I know, but I don't care," he stares into her eyes, admiring the way the twinkling lights make their brown color appear as golden as daylight. "I'm with you, remember?"

"Good, 'cause if you had made googly eyes at that waitress, I would've destroyed you."

"Oh, yeah?" he challenges, teasing hanging at the tip of his tongue. "I'd like to see you try."

Mia would love to show him just how capable she is in defending herself. If she could use her magic at this instant, she would cast one of those defensive spells against him. That would serve him right. "You better watch your back then. I just might surprise you."

He laughs, causing her to gape at him in disbelief, "I doubt it."

"You know what, Cullen?"

The waitress comes back with their orders and sets their plates down. She smiles at Edward with that same flirty look, which makes Mia start to lose her patience, "Is there anything else I can get you?"

Barely looking at her, he says, "No. No thank you."

She turns around, but stares at him one last time past her shoulder, "Let me know. I'll be right over there if you need anything."

"And what about me?" Mia blurts out, taking the waitress by surprise. "What if I need something? Or is this impeccable service only reserved for handsome men?"

Edward has to look out the window to refrain himself from laughing. He knows how direct she can be, but never expected her to actually do this. Either way, he can't help but love it.

"No. Of course not!" the redhead exclaims, panic lacing her features. "I'll be right here if you also need anything."

Mia smiles at her, boastfulness apparent in her expression. She looks down at her plate and is about to take a bite from her food, when the sudden question pops into her head, "You don't think she would do anything to it?"

He softly laughs, shaking his head, "She didn't. I can assure you that."

"How can you be sure?"

Edward's eyes become filled with mischief, "I could hear her mind and trust me, she didn't do anything."

Now that's something she never saw coming. She knew the gifts that came with vampirism, but no textbook ever mentioned anything about mind reading. The thought of him being able to get into her head fills her with unease. Her mind is her sanctuary, the place where she doesn't have to worry of not having any privacy, and learning that Edward could know everything she's thinking just fills her with agitation.

"Wait, what? You could hear what she's thinking?" Her voice gets a few octaves higher, revealing her alarm, "So... you can read minds then."

He nods, his gaze strong and attentive, "But not yours."

"Phew, now that's a relief," Mia's grateful in knowing that all those Occlumency lessons worked after all. She should really thank Snape for putting her through it then.

"Oh, so you're happy about that?" Edward knits his brows together, curiosity washing over his complexion. "I wonder what you think about that you don't want me to know."

"There's this thing called privacy that I greatly appreciate having," she remarks and takes a giant bite from her burger. She starts noticing that he hasn't taken a bite from his food just yet, making her freeze in her tracks in refusal to continue eating if he's just going to sit there and watch. "Are you not going to eat? Or are vampires unable to?"

In a swift movement, he grabs the burger and takes a giant bite. "We can eat. Vampirism has evolved and has given our kind different kinds of abilities," he begins explaining, speaking in a lower voice than before. "Some have the gift of compulsion, others can go out in the day if they wear a ring or another token, and others are able to eat human food. It all depends on which type of vampire changes you."

"That must be incredible," she points out, taking a sip of her milkshake, "I can't imagine giving up food and only being able to consume blood, which sounds extremely disgusting. No offense."

"Yeah, well, once you're a vampire, it's all you crave for," he carelessly says and takes another bite.

"Am I the only one whose thoughts you can't read?" Mia wonders if there's someone out there with this same luck. It's already terrible enough that he knows what her friends think, so that means their conversations and actual thoughts on his family are well known.

"I can't read Bella's as well."

Her attention peeks at this simple statement. She knows better than to suspect her friend could be something supernatural, because not even in her life could everything become much stranger. However, it doesn't change how odd it is that out of all people in the world, she and Bella are the only ones immune to his ability. 

"You don't think she's a..." he pauses, almost as if for dramatic effect, "... witch?"

"It's highly unlikely," Mia shakes his words off and finishes up her food, not wanting to think of all the possibilities that this town could be the epicenter for all things strange. "Maybe she's just immune to your skill."

"What about you?" Edward manages to switch the topic back to her, his mind running a mile a minute as he can't shake this wonder off.

"My theory is that it's because I'm a mastered Occlumens," she tries not to laugh at his confused look that she resorts to looking away for a brief second. "Occlumency is an act of closing one's mind against Legilimency, which in simpler terms is mind reading."

Edward hums in thought for a moment, "Are all witches skilled at this?"

"Not all of them. It's a hard skill to master," Mia prides herself for her ability since that would mean her mind would always be protected, and with the imminent war approaching, she needs all the skills she can get. "You need to control your emotions, learn how to shut them down in dire times, and not everyone is able to."

From a young age, Mia's learned how to shut down her feelings. With everyone expecting the worst of her, she often broke down and spent hours on end crying about the exclusion. She wanted to be accepted, wanted to be known for who she is and not for what her name carried, but the world had settled on making her out as a monster.

It was tiring being controlled by her emotions that she decided on never letting anyone's words get through to her. If she needed to put on a tough facade, then so be it. She'd gladly do so if it means never caring for what the world thinks of her. With her learning to shut down her feelings, it made mastering Occlumency much easier. Something that her friends questioned her about and have begged her to teach them.

Noticing a change in her expression, Edward can't help from wondering what circumstances led her to learn this act. "What happened that you needed to learn this?"

Looking up from the table, Mia's brought out of her thoughts as she's now face to face with her choice on confiding in him or not. She's uncertain if mentioning anything about the Dark Lord and her father would be right, because that would mean involving him into the mess and dangers of the wizarding world. He might be a part of the supernatural, but there's no possible way that she would forgive herself if anything were to happen to him because of her.

Mia places her hands onto her lap, a weak attempt in trying to hide their fidgeting, "It's not something that I'm ready to talk about." She hopes he doesn't take this the wrong way considering he told her his truth and here she was not offering the same. "Well, at least not yet."

Edward gazes at her understandingly. The kind of gaze that's filled with comprehension and offers solace and a haven. It's nerve racking opening up to someone and he could never blame her for not being ready. He would wait until she's ready, he would give her all the time she needs, and would never dare make her feel terrible for not confiding in him just yet.

He reaches over and places his hand on hers, forgetting for the first time the contrast in their temperatures, "It's okay. Take all the time you need." He gently squeezes her hand, loving the way her eyes are beaming, "Besides, I live forever so I have a lot of time."

His attempt at reassurance worked as in a matter of seconds, all the terrible memories that were threatening to resurface became locked in the vault. She couldn't help herself from smiling and loving the way she felt being in this place... with him. It's strange that with him being a vampire and her being a witch, they could hurt each other and offer nothing but disturbances, and yet, here they are enjoying each other's company and feeling most welcomed for the first time.

"Do you remember anything from your human life?" she breaks the silence, her voice barely above a whisper.

Edward shifts uncomfortably in his chair, evident unease overcoming him. He looks down in thought, wondering how to admit his human life has left the remnants of his memories. Whenever he tries looking back at his past, there's nothing but pitch darkness. Not even a faint recollection, a fragment of a voice, or a faded image. There's absolutely nothing.

"I don't remember anything," he admits and Mia can tell by the way his shoulders have tensed, the way his brows have furrowed, and the way his eyes have lost their magical sparkle that this is anything but easy on him. If she were in his shoes, she's uncertain on how she'd react if she were to wake up as a vampire and have no memories of her past. "From what Carlisle told me, he said he found me on the verge of death. My heartbeat was extremely faint, so he helped me in the way he knew best."

Something about the way he said this makes her believe he didn't want to be helped. If anything, he would have preferred to have ridden death's carriage into the afterlife. Anything would be better than living a life surrendered to the shadows, without the chance of forming a family, or falling in love with an ordinary human since that would mean watching them grow old with time until eventually, the grim reaper comes knocking at their door.

Mia reaches forward, her hand still holding on to his, "Did he happen to know anything about your human life?"

"No. He just found me," Edward sighs heavily, his expression becoming adorned with a mixture of anguish and melancholy. "I've tried looking into my past, but there's no record of me out there. It's like... I didn't even exist before this, which only makes me wonder if I had any family who cared for me at all."

Mia hates seeing this look on his face. She hates seeing his once charismatic persona become nothing more than a shattered glass. He's being haunted by his past and the worst part is that he can't find any alleviation from this since apparently, there's not a string pulling him to the truth.

Before she can even offer any words of reassurance, he rings up a question that takes her off guard, "What about him? What happened to the person you thought I was?"

Her jaw clenches ever so slightly and her hands move back into the comfort of her pockets. She hasn't spoken about what happened that night to anyone except for Harry. Not even to her mother, who has tried countless times to get her to open up. It's been hard dealing with this knowing that someone she spent years arguing with had died as a spare, and as much as they never saw eye to eye with the other, it doesn't change how terrible and tragic that summer night had been.

"He-" she takes a deep breath, averting her gaze to anything but him. "He was killed in the summer by a dark wizard."

The tension in the room rises and Edward becomes discomforted in knowing the truth. He can tell his death affected her and even though she claimed he had been a pain in the ass, it's obvious that deep down she cared for him. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"No, it's okay," she assures him and clears her throat, "I did confuse you for him, so of course you're going to be curious."

"Is that why you moved here? To escape?"

Mia's body tenses and her mind starts running incredibly fast. She can feel her heart pounding against her ribcage and her blood running cold. Telling the complete truth about this move would be terrible, but the need to confide in someone keeps gnawing at her skin like piercing needles. "In a way, yes. My mother was worried that if he died on school grounds, then that means it's no longer safe and I could end up being the next one. She lost her friends in the first war, so she made the decision and moved us here in hopes of escaping."

There's so many conflicts in the supernatural world. If it isn't vampires fighting shapeshifters, witches fighting against other creatures, there's also the threat of the Volturi obliterating covens and only sparing the gifted ones. It never occurred to him that witches and wizards would also have conflicts between them. Seems everything he believed in had been wrong.

Noticing his pensive and concerned state, Mia concludes that it's better not to mention how using her magic puts her at risk of getting found. Knowing how he can be, she refuses to have him blame himself if she were to get discovered, so what better way to prevent it by remaining silent?

"Does anyone know you're here?" Edward's overwhelmed with distress and trepidation. The thought that anything could happen to her is more terrifying than anything beyond reach. If there's one thing he's certain about is that if the time comes and those dark wizards arrive, he would fight to the death for her.

"No. No one knows," she answers with haste, hoping he doesn't notice the nervousness in her eyes.

Like expected, Edward seems to know her much better than she does. He can see the pure anguish in her eyes and the sheer terror of the unknown. She has every right to be worried, especially with the future being uncertain.

"It's okay to be afraid," he stares at her as if stuck in a hypnotic trance, unwilling to break it and simply remain locked into the glory her amber eyes behold. "You don't need to hide it to prove that you're strong. Feeling emotions is what makes you human and there's nothing wrong in that."

Mia leans further from him, understanding where he's coming from, but not even through the logic of his words is she able to allow herself to feel her emotions. She's spent years masking her feelings with sarcasm or simply avoiding them, hoping that with time, the problem would go away, but this, this is something she sees in the trees. This is something she breathes and lives with, something that no matter what, it's bound to worsen over time.

She straightens her shoulders, refusing to dwell on the inevitable for the meantime, "Can we just go back to when we were sharing more about our skills?"

"Is everything alright over here?" the waitress returns with a smile directed at Edward and a sharp glare at Mia. She moves her red hair to the side, revealing her slender neck that becomes quite humorous to witness. If she knew what Edward was, she wouldn't be too explicit in showing it.

Edward finally turns to her, but his once softened gaze and friendly demeanor vanishes. Instead, he turns serious and offers nothing other than a nonchalant response, "It's more than perfect, but can we just have the check?"

"Separate or..." she looks over at Mia with a condescending smirk, "... together?"

Mia bites the inside of her cheek as her ears start burning and body fills with irritation. She knows better than to give a reaction, but this woman is irking her every nerve by not getting the hint that he's not interested.

Without thinking, she brings her hand to his and locks their fingers. She tilts her head, a soft smile making its way to her lips, "My boyfriend and I came together, so it definitely won't be separate."

The waitress' eyes widen, making it much more noticeable how this "revelation" made her world come crashing down. Her jaw tightens and her once patronizing smirk has been wiped off, "Of course. I'll be right back with your bill."

Just as she turns around, Mia abruptly drops his hand and bursts into a fit of laughter. The look on the waitress' face will forever remain engraved into her mind that she doesn't even notice how her action left Edward completely flustered. "That should teach her a lesson on not to make flirty eyes with a guy without making sure he's not taken."

"You should have read her mind," he laughs, unable to prevent it from becoming louder. "You will certainly haunt her for a very long time."

Mia runs her hands through her hair, attempting to contain her laughter by biting the inside of her cheek. She looks through the corner of her eye and covers her smile with her hands once the waitress returns. Her change is incredibly noticeable and instead of continuing to glance at Edward all adoringly, she's now addressing Mia with a softer and kinder look.

"Here you go," the redhead says and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear before turning away.

Edward brings his wallet out at the same time Mia does, causing him to shake his head at her in disapproval. "What are you doing? Put your money away 'cause I'm paying. I am your fake boyfriend right now."

Narrowing her eyes at him, she ignores his attempt in not letting her pay and manages to steal the bill from him. She runs through the numbers and places half of the amount, "We're paying it in equal parts, so deal with it."

As much as he wants to argue, he knows better than to get into an argument that he's bound to lose. She's always been headstrong and incredibly stubborn, so really, choosing to go against her wishes would make him the greatest fool to exist.

"You... are the strangest person I have ever met," Edward grumbles through a smile and Mia kicks him from under the table.

"Says the one who drinks blood," she whispers, knowing damn well he could hear her clearly.

As if on cue, the waitress returns and takes the bill. Not before receiving a tip from Mia that causes her to become delighted when noticing the amount. "Oh umm, thank you so much."

Heading out into the cold night, both of them are aware that it's time to head back to Forks. It's been an incredible day exploring the city with each other that it makes them reluctant to leave. Being surrounded by each other's company had been a breath of fresh air. It was something needed and majestic like the first fall of snow in the middle of October, filling them with an amalgamation of pure bliss and solace.

With their arms locked together, they take one last walk along the pier before hesitantly heading to the vehicle as they wonder when they'll get to experience a moment like this again.