Waters Edge

Chapter 9

I found her, absolutely drenched and sitting on the bench where we first kissed. "I've been looking all over town for you, are you crazy?!" I asked loudly, trying to be heard over the pouring rain. She looked up from the ground and had been crying because of what she saw. "Edgeli, what's wrong?" I asked her, knowing already what it was that had her crying. "Edge please I love you, talk to me," I begged, sitting down next to her on the bench but she stood up and turned her back to me.

"For fuck's sake," I muttered, stood up and turned her around. I kissed her with every emotion that had been building up since the day she left me behind. I loved her, I hated her, I was mad at her, I missed her and I wanted her back.

She kissed me back with the same amount of emotion. Everything we felt for each other was being put into this kiss in the pouring rain. "I love you, Edgeli Addison, I will always only ever love you," I told her when we broke apart.

"I love you too," I said and pulled me back in for another kiss. She was shivering as we made out and as much as I was enjoying making out with her, I didn't want Edge getting sick. "Come on, let's get you inside," I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and leading her out of the park.

She was soaked through and shivering when I got her inside. "Why don't you go have a hot shower and I'll get you some dry clothes?" I suggested to her as I took off my raincoat.

"S...sounds go...good," she agreed before just walking off to the bathroom. I remembered I owed two stressed out chefs a location of a dissociated yacht steward.

I called Javi this time, "did you find her? Is she okay? Do we need to pay for Medicare? Because we can hit a bank," Javi rushed out and none of us wanted that. We'd all gone legit, all four of us, and knocking over a bank was not the kind of thing that legit people did.

"Ese, let the man speak," King said, shutting his cousin up. "Is she okay?" He asked me.

"She's soaked through and shivering but she'll be okay when she warms up," I assured them both.

"Do we..." Javi started.

"No, you do not need to knock over a bank," I interrupted him before he could finish the thought because it would be happening if he got to the end of that question, and none of us needed that kind of heat on us.

"We'll come by with breakfast before we set up for the day, via EJ's for some clothes," King said, "look after our girl," he ordered.

"Always will," I assured him and hung up on him. I heard the shower running and went up to go find her some clothes.

I had changed out of my wet jeans into sweats and was now going through my drawers, looking for something warm to give her. "So who was she?" Edge asked me.

"She doesn't matter, Edge, she doesn't mean anything to me," I told her and turned. She was standing there just in a towel. "Why were you with Skye?" I asked her. I'd wanted to ask since I found out about him but I wanted her in my life again so I couldn't go asking questions that could push her away.

"Because he was the complete opposite of you," she admitted, "I couldn't get over you so I ran at someone who was the total opposite so I could try to block you out of my heart," she told me and she kissed me. I kissed her back, putting my hand on her cheek and my other on her hip to pull her closer to me.

Nothing compared to being with Edge; I'd convinced myself that just having her as a friend had been enough but now I could finally kiss her, I could admit I was just trying to fool myself that it was good enough.

"So, what now?" I asked her, running my hands down her arm to hold her hands.

"I love you Teodoro Valdez but we are not having sex tonight," she told me.

"Why don't we warm you up in bed and watch Family Guy?" I suggested to her. Our first relationship, the young consuming love, had started with sex but she didn't want this one to and I didn't either.

"That sounds really good," she agreed and I kissed her again, "can I have a hot chocolate?" She asked me when we broke apart again.

"Yeah, I'll go make you one," I said and left her to get dressed. My phone buzzed as I headed into the kitchen with a text from Deena.

'D. Tomaso: So Aggie kissed you.'

Elementary school teachers were the worst gossips I'd ever met. They were worse gossip than Estrella women and those women all knew that I'd started dating a Gringa before I'd even finished asking Edge to be my girl.

'D. Tomaso: and you're apparently back with Edge Addison'

Deena knew my history with Edge, she knew my history with the Addison family. She'd been friends with EJ for years. I called her but only because I didn't need her having a physical version of this conversation to show when she gossiped.

"So are you actually back with Edge or is it just that you're still hopelessly in love with someone in a long term relationship?" She asked me, sounding skeptical.

"I wouldn't say we're together like we used to be but we're getting back together," I told her. "She's always been my one, everyone who knew us knew that," I reminded her.

"And we all know if it weren't for Red and Edge, you'd be a gangbanger and probably already dead or locked up," she said, "but Aggie doesn't know the history of the Johnny Cash & June Carter of Neptune Waters, she didn't know what she was trying to get herself in the middle of," she pointed out because I didn't talk about Edge with people, she'd left town and left me. It had hurt me but I understood why she'd needed to leave this place.

"I'll explain it to her next time I see her," I assured Deena, "see you on Monday," I said and hung up before she responded.

I finished making the hot chocolate and went back upstairs, "so what are we going to do now, T?" She asked me as I handed her the hot chocolate.

"Watch Family Guy," I said and turned on the TV but I knew that wasn't what she meant. "Honestly, E, I don't know how we have an adult relationships but we'll work it out," I told her and put my arm around her.

"I'm going out on a boat in two weeks," she told me and I couldn't help myself holding her a little tighter.

"For how long?" I asked her, feeling like I was about to lose her already.

"Just three days, out of San Fran," she told me, "I'm getting a bit land sick," she confessed and held the mug close to her, warming her hands.

"You were never good at dry land," I said and kissed her forehead.

"It's why I'm taking shifts down the marina with Owen, I've always been a water baby and it's how I'm going to get my fix to stay here," she said and I was well aware of how much the sea was a part of her soul.

We both fell asleep around 2 am and it felt right falling asleep next to her again. I didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow but right now, I was going to sleep with Edge in my arms and enjoy it before the real world had to come knocking.