Genesis [Emmett Cullen] (2)

[17- Recuperation]

Bella returned to Forks on Friday. We all let out a huge sigh of relief, especially Edward. Hopefully we could all put this travesty behind us now.

Two days later, on the 20th of March, it was our anniversary. Eleven years. I still couldn't believe it. As a human, the thought of spending the rest of my life with one person honestly scared me, let alone eternity. What if they found me boring or became disinterested? But Emmett was my best friend. I felt more like myself than ever before. I wouldn't call if finding my other half because I wasn't half a person. It was like I had a treasure chest inside of me and the right person is the only one who has the key to unlock them. He changed me for the better.

Emmett and I turned our anniversary into a competition, whoever gave the best gift won whatever they wanted. Emmett had beaten me almost every year. This year I was more determined that ever to win and give the better gift.

I finished my video game over a month ago and miraculously managed to wait until today to share it with Emmett.

I walked into the living room with my gift and Emmett immediately switched off the sports game that was on.

"Happy anniversary," I said softly in an attempt to hide my excitement. He nimbly tore the wrapping paper off and opened the box.

"Is that the game?" He asked, holding up the hard drive in disbelief.

I nodded. Before I could say anything, Emmett moved suddenly, grabbing me and swinging me around, radiating joyful elation. He set me down and kissed me passionately.

"You haven't even got to the best part," I said, reaching into the box. "It's virtual reality so we have to wear these." I pulled out the two headsets. I had to do a lot of work on them, retrofitting them to our highly specific needs.

Emmett's jaw dropped, "Woah, I've always wanted to try VR!"

"I'm guessing you want to play now?"

"Like you even have to ask!"

I plugged my hard drive into the living room monitor and joined Emmett on the couch with the headsets and consoles.

"Ready?" I asked Emmett.

"So ready!" He enthused, and we strapped on our headsets. The overall premise of my game was simple; attack and takeover the enemy's base while keeping your own safe. It was almost like capture the flag, besides the fact that you can kill your opponent. With the high speed of the game, amount of moving parts and level of strategy involved, it would be virtually impossible for humans to keep up, which is why it was so perfect for us. Also, the opponents can think more than ten steps ahead so we could finally be challenged.

"That was incredible!" Emmett marvelled as we took off our headsets. I glanced at my watch, over four hours had passed. Geez, time really does fly when you're having fun.

"Wow!" Jasper commented. I turned to find our spectator watching us behind the couch. The VR headsets connected directly to the TV monitor so he could watch what we saw.

"What exactly makes this game different from something like Halo?" Jasper asked.

"This game is intelligent, it learns from its mistakes by reframing past failures. I've loaded it with thousands of battle tactics from different countries throughout time so it will be extremely hard to beat. Potentially even unbeatable." Jasper let out a whistle. I smiled, thankfully I bought several pairs so we could all play together.

The reason that we lost interest in so many video games is because they got predictable. That's why I developed the artificial intelligence, so that every time we played it was different, like playing a real person.

"Alright, as much as I would love to play all day, it's your turn." I beamed.

"Hey, everyone. You probably don't want to miss this," Emmett called out. Carlisle, Esme, and Alice joined us from upstairs. Edward was with Bella at her house.

From his back pocket, Emmett retrieved a small dark box wrapped in a ribbon. I shook it, producing a tantalizing rattle. Giving him a reassuring smile, I unwrap the box and open it. Nestled inside was a key fob for a car, a single word is embossed on the smooth plastic.

I look up at Emmett in disbelief, my eyes gleaming. Cautiously, I push the unlock button and a car beeped.

I dart outside to find the sound. And sitting in front of me, parked on our driveway, was pure beauty.

It was a Lamborghini. But not just any Lamborghini. It was a Lamborghini Aventador in the perfect color, matte black.

"Are you serious?" I squeaked. Everyone laughed.

"100%," Emmett smiled, watching my expression carefully. I stared at him incredously, gently skimming my finger around the outside.

"Most people need to take out a loan to buy this kind of car."

"Well fortunately for us, Alice is excellent at predicting changes in the stock market." Alice grinned, nodding her head in agreement.

"Do you like it?" Emmett questioned, "You said you wanted a new car, and I've done all I can to the Audi from a mechanical standpoint. It can't compete with something like this." Emmett was right. My Audi was old. Emmett had already bought two new Jeeps, but I was sentimental about it.

"I say a lot of things, most of which are dumb."

"You still haven't answered my question," he prompted.

I rolled my eyes, "Of course I love it," I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him.

He looks over at our family, "Do you mind giving us a sec?" They nod, smile, and then disappear back into the house.

"You do actually like it right?" He asked once again.

"Definitely. But you know you don't need to get me this kind of thing. I love it but I love you way more."

"I know but this is one way I can express how much I love you." We kissed again.

"So back to the competition," I suggested, "Who won?"

"You win, hands down," Emmett beamed.

"Yes!"

"And the choice is yours. Whatever you want."

"South America. I want to travel around South America after graduation. It'll be winter there so the days are short."

"Perfect." He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.

"Happy anniversary," I whispered.

"Happy anniversary."