Twilight The Stranger's Gaze

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The week passed without any major developments—at least, on the surface.

Nate kept his distance, watching from the sidelines as Edward and Bella wove, thread by thread, a relationship that felt inevitable. There was something in the way Bella looked at him, in how she smiled even when he said nothing, that made it obvious she was falling. Fast. Hard. Maybe past the point of no return.

But then there were the questions. The doubts. Nate recognized them. He knew that, sooner or later, Bella would find out the truth. Or Edward would tell her. Either way, the road led to the same destination.

And a part of him—a bigger part than he was willing to admit—was hoping it would happen soon.

As for Alice... well. Alice had vanished from his radar.

Not literally, of course. He still saw her in the hallways, in class, and sometimes in the cafeteria sitting with her family. But their eyes never met. They didn't speak. It was as if that moment in the car, that almost-kiss, that fleeting connection, had been a mistake neither of them wanted to acknowledge.

Or maybe it wasn't a mistake. Maybe it was a message. And for once, he had decided to listen.

Nate took it as a sign to stay away from the supernatural world. He thought that if he didn't look at it, didn't seek it, didn't provoke it... then maybe it wouldn't keep approaching him. Maybe that was the deal. An unspoken one. Unwritten. Undeclared.

But he wasn't even sure that deal truly existed.

Worse yet, he had a persistent, uncomfortable suspicion: that even when Bella found out the truth—when she knew what Edward was—she wouldn't walk away. She wouldn't be afraid. She wouldn't leave.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Nate continued with his normal routine, with one reluctant exception: he began spending more time with Jessica.

Not because he was genuinely interested, but because he felt he had to try. He wanted to see if he could feel something for a normal girl. If he could go back to belonging in a world where people didn't stop vans with their hands, didn't have visions, didn't run faster than cars.

But the more time he spent with Jessica, the more he caught himself checking the time. Her forced laughs exhausted him. Her jokes about the Cullens felt silly—though part of him found comfort in the mundane nature of her ignorance.

Saturday arrived.

They had planned a trip to La Push. Bella would drive her truck. Eric, Angela, and the others would ride with Mike. And somehow, Nate still wasn't sure how he'd agreed to pick up Jessica.

They were driving down the highway when she, thrilled by Nate's unexpected attention, leaned into his shoulder with an exaggerated smile.

"Weirdly, you agreed to come with me," she said with a nervous giggle. "Honestly, I thought you didn't even like me."

Nate barely smiled. His fingers tapped quietly on the steering wheel.

"I thought it might be a good idea to make more friends."

"Friends?" she repeated, tilting her head like she didn't quite understand the word. "Is that all you think of me?"

He glanced at her. He liked direct people, but this was just awkward. He didn't answer right away.

"I don't know, Jessica," he finally said. "I just thought it'd be nice to get out for a bit… distract myself."

"Well, I'm okay with that," she replied, scooting closer. "Because honestly… I always thought you were really cute. You must've broken a lot of hearts back in your old town, right?"

Nate gave a short, hollow laugh. If Bella were there, she'd know instantly it was fake.

"Not at all… but thanks for the compliment."

Jessica didn't let up. She watched him like every gesture was fascinating.

"You're mysterious, you know? Always so quiet, like you're hiding something. I like that," she winked. "Though I bet there's someone you like already, isn't there?"

Nate swallowed and kept his eyes on the road. For a moment, his mind drifted elsewhere. He remembered how, just once, he'd felt truly seen. Then he looked at Jessica, and everything felt… loud. Shallow.

"I'm not looking for anything right now," he said, not putting much weight into it.

"Nothing?" she repeated, surprised, like he was speaking another language. "Wow, didn't expect that. I thought you were dating Bella before she got all weird with Edward."

Nate frowned slightly.

"Bella and I are just friends."

"Uh-huh…" Jessica murmured, unconvinced. Then she laughed it off. "Well, better for me, right?"

He forced a smile and turned on the radio to fill the growing silence.

Pop music filled the car—light and empty. Jessica hummed along, while Nate silently wished the drive would end as quickly as possible.

He glanced at her again. Jessica was a pretty girl, sure. But she didn't reach him. The more time he spent with her, the more he noticed her imperfections. Worse: the more he noticed himself pretending.

Jessica was interested in him, yes. But not in the real him. She liked the image—the quiet, handsome guy. She didn't listen to what he said. She didn't see him. And that, for Nate, was heavy.

He looked back at the road, focusing on the trees swaying along the roadside. He gripped the steering wheel as if it could anchor him to something real.

He didn't know how much longer he could keep faking it.

Thankfully, the drive didn't last as long as it felt.

The ocean breeze carried salt into the parking lot, where the group was already stepping out of their cars. The sky remained overcast, and the air had that wet chill typical of La Push.

Jessica was the first out. She immediately ran to Angela, greeting her with exaggerated enthusiasm. Nate shut off the engine and leaned back for a moment, eyes closed, before opening the door. In the distance, he heard laughter. The carefree murmur of teenagers on a day off. Everything seemed… normal.

Mike got out of his car next. His eyes briefly met Nate's. Just a glance, but enough to feel it: tension. Mike said nothing, but the discomfort was almost tangible.

Nate simply nodded politely and closed his door.

Then Bella appeared beside him, approaching silently. She leaned in and whispered:

"I thought you were into Alice. And now you're with Jessica... You're more complicated than I thought."

Nate smiled, tilting his head as if the comment didn't faze him. But inside, something clenched in his chest.

"I think you're reading too much into things," he said calmly, not looking at her.

Before Bella could respond, Nate glanced away. He had spotted something. In the distance, near the picnic tables, Jake was walking toward them with two guys.

"I invited Jacob," Nate explained, half to himself, half to the others who were starting to watch with curiosity.

Jacob raised a hand in greeting, cheerful, as if he were genuinely happy to see them.

"Bella! Nate!" he called out, hurrying over. Beside him walked two taller, broader boys. One had a neutral, almost stern expression. The other looked like he struggled to stay calm. There was something wild in the way he scanned the group.

Jake arrived first, grinning brightly.

"These are my friends: Sam and Paul."

"Nice to meet you," Sam said, stepping forward and shaking Nate's hand.

The handshake was firm. The gaze is direct. Almost too much.

"You're just like Billy described you," Sam added.

Nate stared a second too long. Did Billy talk about him to others? Why? It felt strange, but he brushed it off. Or at least, filed it away for later.

Bella also greeted them, her smile tight. Her discomfort with anything unknown still showed. Paul nodded in return, barely.

Then, unable to resist, Jessica reappeared. She grabbed Bella's arm with false familiarity, eyeing the newcomers curiously.

"Don't take it personally," she said loudly, without a filter. "Bella's just upset her boyfriend, the mysterious Cullen, didn't want to come."

Sam barely turned his head to look at her. His voice was low but clear.

"The Cullens can't come here."

With that, he walked off toward the group already settling near the picnic area. Paul followed, after a glance at Nate.

Bella frowned.

"What did he mean by that?" she murmured, but no one answered.

Nate already knew what was coming. He watched as Bella moved away from Jessica and walked toward Jacob, drawn by curiosity like it was a current she couldn't resist.

He stood there a moment longer, feeling the sand crunch under his shoes. He looked out at the ocean, wishing he were anywhere else.

Jessica returned to his side, oblivious to the emotional storm brewing around them.

"So... are we gonna walk on the beach, or what?"

Nate smiled, without much warmth.

"Sure," he said. "Let's go."

He gave one last glance at Bella, now seated next to Jacob.

They started walking in silence, tracing the coastline. The waves crashed softly against the black stones, and the mist from the sea clung lightly to their clothes. Jessica chattered endlessly, waving her hands, unaware that Nate was barely nodding.

"And then Angela said Eric might ask her to the dance. Can you believe it? She acted all surprised, but I knew she was secretly hoping for it. Sometimes people are way more predictable than they think."

Nate muttered a vague "Mmm" without stopping. His eyes wandered toward the horizon, tracing the grey line where the sea met the sky. The wind stung his face, and he wasn't sure if it was the salt or his frustration burning his eyes.

Jessica kept talking, not noticing her words were bouncing off an ever-thickening mental wall. Nate walked beside her, but he wasn't there. His mind was somewhere far, far away.

All of this is a waste of time, he thought. I'm pretending something can happen here, but I can't force interest that isn't real.

He remembered that night in the car. The shared silence with Alice. The intensity of her gaze. That electric feeling he still couldn't fully explain. Was it real? Or just the result of her vampiric allure?

Maybe that was it, he thought. Maybe I got dazzled.

He wondered if talking to Alice again would make that feeling vanish—or if it would just stir it up even more. Maybe it was better to face her again, understand her, and figure out what had gotten under his skin.

Jessica laughed at something she'd said, and Nate barely registered it. He glanced at her. She seemed satisfied, convinced things were going well. She even took his arm lightly, leaning a little closer than necessary.

"I think you and I would make a good couple," she said with a shy, flirty smile. "You're different, you know? Mysterious. But not in the dumb, dramatic way Edward is. With you, it feels real."

Nate didn't respond. He stopped to look at the sea, and then, Jessica stepped forward. She rose on her tiptoes and, without warning, leaned in to kiss him.

Her hand brushed his chest. Her lips reached for his.

Nate stepped back—not harshly, but firmly enough.

"No," he said quietly. "Jessica... I'm not interested in you like that."

Jessica blinked. Her smile slowly faded, replaced by a mix of disappointment and offense.

"Excuse me? Then what's all this been? You've been sending mixed signals all day."

Nate lowered his eyes for a moment. She was right. He had been unclear. He'd let things drag on, and even if he had his reasons, it wasn't fair to her.

"You're right," he admitted. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you think otherwise. That was my mistake."

She didn't reply. She crossed her arms, clearly annoyed, and turned her head away.

Nate sighed. He turned around and walked back toward the rest of the group, gathered near the tables. In the distance, he spotted Bella with Jacob, leaning toward each other. Bella's body language was… strange. She looked him in the eyes while laughing a little too loudly, twirling her hair. It looked like a clumsy attempt at… flirting.

Nate just raised an eyebrow.

Apparently, today was the day for mixed signals.