Fight for You

| Nineteen |

2011

Edward was surprised when I told him we didn't need to leave the house to get beer or wine. Teaming pizza delivery and alcohol delivery to our door to make the perfect evening in.

I felt so at ease opening up to him. It may have been the liquid courage surging through my veins or it could have been the way he looked at me while I spoke that seemed like nothing in the world, at that single moment, mattered more than what I had to say.

We spent the night, and well into the morning, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. He learnt that I have an iron stomach and could win Fear Factor without even flinching. I had discovered Edward had the letter O tattooed on his shoulder for his sister Olivia and she had reciprocated and had an E inked on her shoulder.

We spoke about our childhoods, what we were like as teenagers. Edward told me about all of the different places he has travelled to and I drooled when he described in detail all of the locations on my travel wishlist.

Our lives and upbringings were polar opposites. The life of the Harvey's was extravagant and luxurious. Edward need only quietly voice his desire for something and it would appear without question. He had had the best education and excelled in all areas of the curriculum. His natural talent in all things athletic kept him busy during each and every season. Edward was top of his class every year. He explained to me that he never knew if he really was a model student or if the school faculty were just afraid of his father and his influence. As he explained his life to me, I never once heard an ounce of arrogance nor did he come across egotistic.

"Do you think if you weren't born into wealth that you'd still be so humble or modest?"

"I like to think that money doesn't change me but I can't tell you if I would be any different. This is who I am. If the day comes that I have less than a dollar to my name, I hope that I'm the same person I am today. Will you let me sleep on your couch then?" He laughed at his comment before shaking his head. "I do try and stay grounded as much as possible but I have the life some people can only dream of. It doesn't come without hard work and sacrifice."

"Where you are now, your career, is it where you want to be? Is this what you want to do with your life?" I posed the question and Edward sat quietly and thought for a moment.

"Do you know, aside from my parents, no one has ever asked me that before."

Rarely did I ask a question I didn't want an answer to. This was something I was really interested in. So often in films and movies, the rich kids do what is expected of them and not necessarily what they are passionate about. They pay no mind to what motivates or drives them and go down the path that is presented to them. Further on in the storyline, there would be a rebellion. The character going against expectation and following their dreams. I wondered if this was the case for Edward. He spoke so passionately of the company his father had built and nurtured from nothing. Although Edward didn't seem to regret his upbringing, his career so far or his family, I wondered if his path and the vision for his life is truly one that has been the product of his own desire or that of someone or something much different.

"Since the day I was born and maybe even before that, my life has been mapped out for me. Even though my career has seemingly been handed to me, I've not once been forced into any of it. My father explained to me, before I started working for him, that one day I could take over and it could all be mine but I've not felt pressure from him to be the one to take over." he fiddled with a loose thread on one of the couch cushions while he watched me listening to him.

Edward's face lit up as he relayed a memory to me of him and his father. "He would talk to me about all of the amazing projects he had worked on and he always had a story to tell. I think that sometimes when you think of major corporations you think of lots of paperwork, meetings and decision making but my father did so much more than that. He loved getting involved in projects and knowing exactly what was happening and going on. He made it sound exciting and he loved waking up and going to work. His passion and enthusiasm were contagious and I caught it something fierce."

"I suspect that's what makes you the ideal person for your position, especially as you've worked in so many of the different areas of the business. What is your job anyway? I know that you're here for the Asia, Pacific expansion but I don't know what you really do."

"Officially, I'm the Chief Visionary Officer," Edward announced proudly.

I laughed and gave him a sceptical look. "That sounds like a made-up job title."

He frowned and seemed genuinely offended. "I can assure it is not."

"Sorry Mr CVO," I joked

"Enough from you in the cheap seats."

"Oh knack off, I'm just playing."

"Did you just tell me to 'knack off'?" He laughed, "I'm supposed to say things like that."

We spent the remainder of the evening bantering back and forth, telling tales of our lives and adventures. There was an obvious divide in our upbringing and our families financial statuses yet Edward never made me feel of a lesser class. There was something about him that was so welcoming to my soul and he drew me in with every single word. In return, I felt him doing the same with me. It was as if we were magnetically charged to each other. Drawn to the other by a power rarely understood by anyone else.

Our conversations began flowing easily and we segwayed from one subject to the next. I surprised myself with how open I was being with Edward. He was learning things about me that I never thought I would share with anyone other than Finn. Normally, I would feel so exposed if anyone were to be privy to these things but with Edward, he asked the right questions and letting him in didn't at all feel like an intrusion.

I stifled a yawn in an attempt to hide that I was beginning to fade but Edward caught on.

"We should call it a night, you look exhausted."

"I was trying not to be too obvious."

He held his hand out to me and helped me up from my spot on the floor before I made my way around the house and turned the lights out and shut the house up. Edward stood in the doorway to the guest room and watched me flicking switches and turning locks. As I approached my own room, Edward smiled at me.

"Thanks again for having me stay."

"You're welcome. Goodnight Edward."

"Goodnight Whitney."