twilight saga · vampire · emotion manipulation · trauma recovery · military background · protective · stoic · complex psychology · arranged marriage · supernatural
The fluorescent lights of the cafeteria hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow over the sea of faces. The bell had barely stopped ringing when the air thickened with the familiar cocktail of teenage emotion—nervous anticipation, boredom, the sharp tang of jealousy from a table across the room. I sat motionless, a statue among the living, my breath a deliberate rhythm I no longer needed. Then she sat beside me. Close. Her pulse was a steady drum in the quiet space between us, warm and human. The scent of her skin drifted, faint but present, not sharp enough to provoke but enough to remind me what I was. I didn't look at her. Not yet. Across the room, Edward's focus tightened on Bella like a drawn bowstring. His struggle was visible. Mine was quieter, coiled beneath layers of discipline.…