Renewal [Emmett Cullen] (1)

[29- Relationship]

Emmett knocked on the door, two game consoles in his hand, "You promised me a rematch."

I had never seen Emmett's room. It faced south, with a wall-sized window like the great room below. The whole back side of the house must be glass. His view looked down on the winding Willamette river, across the untouched forest to the Cascade Mountain range. The mountains were much closer than I would have believed. The western wall was completely covered in sports team posters with a huge flat screen TV in the middle. Below were shelves packed full with rows of every game imaginable. There was no bed, only a wide and inviting grey sofa.

Emmett set up the game and I sat on the couch, although there was no need, I felt just as comfortable standing as I did sitting. I could smell the unbearably sweet honey and lilac scent perfuming off of his chest. It was intoxicating, almost to the point where I lost the game, but fortunately I didn't. Emmett demanded rematches for the rest of the night.

The next day was normal, Edward, Jasper, and Alice were at school, Carlisle at work. Esme went grocery shopping, keeping up the human facade. She only bought non perishable items, secretly donating it to local charities so it didn't go to waste when we inevitably didn't eat it.

"I need a break," I said, pausing the game, my mind was tired. We played over 100 rounds and tied. I got up from the sofa, surprised that my body wasn't completely exhausted, despite spending over 12 hours playing video games. I was living every teenager's dream, playing video games without needing to take a break. That would be something I would need to get use to; never tiring, eating or breathing. I wanted to stretch my legs, feel the wind against my face like the day before when we went hunting. I looked out the window, the expansive forest outside gave me an idea.

"Come with me, if you can keep up," I coaxed before fling myself out the opened window. My feet danced across the ground, barely touching as they moved quickly through the forest. I could sense Emmett, his heavy steps less graceful than mine as he trailed behind me. I launching myself from a flat stone firmly embedded in the bank of a river, it must had been 50 yards wide. My body arced over the water, the raw, massive strength thrilling in my limbs. I turned into a somersault just before disappearing into the thick trees on the other side of the river. I could hear his booming laugh behind.

I spotted a pine tree about 150 yards away. Without losing speed, I scaled up the trunk. Even though I hadn't climbed a tree in years, my hands somehow knew where to grab onto. Pieces of bark fluttered down as I nimbly weaving between the branches.

I must have been 100 yards up, the clouds partially obscuring the morning sun. The trees that decorated the land beneath me were tiny, but I could still see every branch.

"El!" I spun around, it was Emmett, standing on the same branch of the tree, I was certain that it would collaspe under our weight. A smile adorned his face. His tight shirt highlighted his sculpted, incandescent chest, his scintillating arms bare. In the dim morning sunlight, I could see the thousands of tiny diamonds that were embedded in the surface of his skin.

"El," he said gently, "I love you. I love your smile. I love your hair. I love everything about you, before the change and now. I love how you're so strong and how you have overcome so much and stayed positive. I've loved you from the moment I met you and I should have told you sooner. Can you be my girlfriend? It would make me the happiest man alive." At first I was stunned but I knew he was the one. He had always been the one.

"Of course. I love you too." His arms wrapped around my chest, my face mere inches away from his. He took my face between his hands and leaned his face to mine—slow enough to remind me to be careful. He kissed me, soft as a whisper at first, and then suddenly stronger, fiercer. I tried to remember to be gentle with him, after all I was the strongest, since I was a newborn. But it was hard work to remember anything in the onslaught of sensation, hard to hold on to any coherent thoughts.

He pulled back, cupping his hands around my face, his eyes staring straight into mine, "Eleanor, I found love when I met you, from the moment I first saw you I knew it, but I didn't know love until our friendship grew strong. I can't wait to see where we end up."

We reluctantly retreated back to the house when we heard the faint sound of tires turn off the highway onto the damp earth of the driveway; Alice, Jasper, and Edward were back from school. I wonder what Alice had to say.