Love My Way (Charlie SwanxEdward Cullen AU)

Chapter 1 - Newspaper

"Love my way, it's the new road. I follow where my mind goes. Swallow all your tears, my love and put on your new face. You can never win or lose if you don't run the race."

    Charlie was lost in his thoughts as he looked at his cassette player, sitting idly on his dresser blaring the Psychedelic Furs album. It was a great song, no doubt. But the lyrics felt too directed towards his current dilemma. He should've been more focused on studying for his exam, but his mind was far away from academics.

    He began to push the sleeves of his forest green flannel up his arms again just to fidget with something—anything to release his mind of the intrusive thoughts. His white tee shirt underneath seemed to dampen as he broke out into a nervous sweat.

This was unlike Charlie. He always put school, family, and his job first. His emotions came later, preferably when he was alone.

    "Charlie?"

    Or when he was around a certain mind reader.

    "You're in my head again," Charlie said with a sigh, putting down his pencil to stare at Edward who stood by the window like a statue gazing longingly out at the garden he was meant to guard. But what would that matter? The flourishing garden he had sworn to protect was only a few feet away from him. They were safer in this space than they would ever be anywhere else. Free from harm or judgment. Free to be themselves.

    "Your thoughts are very loud right now, forgive me. But to answer your question, yes."

    Charlie stared down at his pencil and fiddled with the eraser. "How come?" he asked.

Edward's hands found their way into his jean pockets. His patterned grey sweater seemed to reflect the mood of the gloomy Saturday afternoon. "I'm sure there'll come a day where we can feel unashamed of being ourselves."

    "Hmph."

    "You doubt me."

    "My parents keep asking where my girlfriend is." Charlie was quiet for a moment before gazing over at the newspaper he had scrapped that morning from the bait shop he worked at. "Over eight hundred men have died."

    This stirred something in Edward, who removed himself from the wall and walked over to the foot of Charlie's bed. Edward followed Charlie's line of sight.

    "Doctors in New York and California have diagnosed among homosexual men 41 cases of a rare and often rapidly fatal form of cancer. Eight of the victims died less than 24 months after the diagnosis was made."

    "What do you think it is?" Charlie asked.

    Edward didn't look at him for a minute. When he did, he offered a smile that didn't match his eyes. "They say it's called AIDS, but that there's no cure so far." His eyebrows quirked up as he heard Charlie's rapid thoughts. "You're scared."

    "Well, yeah. Yeah, I'm scared. Who wouldn't be?" His eyebrow lifted as he remembered Edward's immortality. He looked Edward up and down before saying, "Okay, besides you, Mr. Immortal."

    Edward chuckled softly before leaning down to press his lips to Charlie's forehead softly. Charlie huffed through his nose, feeling the calm rush through him like the sudden chill over his head. It didn't ease the fear but it sure made his muscles relax.

    "It's a difficult time for us," Edward whispered, his fingers brushing over Charlie's. Charlie pulled his hand away as if he had been zapped by an active electrical fence. The contact irritated him further. It wasn't that he didn't like to be touched, but the foreign feeling of being eased by another man still frightened him.