She opened the locker and knew immediately.
It hadn’t been there before.
The paper sat folded, deliberate, like it had been placed by someone who understood exactly how long she would take to notice.
Bella didn’t reach for it right away.
She just stood there, aware she wasn’t alone.
From the pantry, Gerald’s voice rang out. “I’m not going to be your pet.”
Rosalie turned slowly. “You’re fine with being eaten, but being a pet is where you draw the line?”
“I have dignity.”
“You’re sitting on a stool in a pantry.”
“Dignified sitting. There’s a difference.”
“There really isn’t.”
“The eating one has nobility,” Gerald explained. “It’s a predator-prey dynamic. Natural. Respected. Being a pet is just… humiliating.”
“His logic is completely broken,” Edward announced.
The Cullen Christmas Party Author’s Note: This is one of five Christmas short stories featuring Bella and Jasper. Each story is a standalone piece that may or may not connect to the others. They are meant to be enjoyed as individual holiday moments. Thank you for reading!
Continue reading →The Tree That Almost Fit Author’s Note: This is one of five Christmas short stories featuring Bella and Jasper. Each story is a standalone piece that may or may not connect to the others. They are meant to be enjoyed as individual holiday moments. Thank you for reading!
Continue reading →Bella squinted through the rain-lashed windshield. There was something in the road. Something tall and dark and absolutely not supposed to be there.
She slammed on the brakes.
The figure didn’t move. Just stood there, rain streaming down what she now realized was a tuxedo. A very expensive, very wet tuxedo.
She rolled down her window. “Are you okay?”
The stranger turned. Golden eyes met hers, filled with more pain than she’d ever seen.
“No,” he said quietly. “But I’m hoping to be.”
Best decision she ever made, hitting that brake.
