"What about our connection? Is there something that explains it?"
♡
Still holding Theo's hand, Rosemary closed her eyes at the question.
"Yes, there is. Vampires have something called a mate. It can be another vampire or a human, or whatever. A mate is the person who is perfect for the vampire. They share a bond that isn't replaceable, they share an incredible and unconditional love, and that, forever. If the person dies, or rejected them, the vampire will be in so much pain, even more than when they turned," She explained, taking her beloved's hand to her mouth and kissing each of his finger.
"So, you like, choose the right person for you?" He asked.
"No, it's like soulmate, we are connected since the beginning of our life, our human life. Mates sometimes don't find themselves. Vampires feel the bond much more than human, even if they feel something for the other one too," Rosemary stopped herself, feeling like she would spoke too much.
"So, Esme and Carlisle, Rosalie and Emmett, Jasper and Alice... They are mates," Theo asked, avoiding the question he wanted to ask.
"Yes, Carlisle turned Esme, Rosalie found Emmett and brought him here for Carlisle to change him, and Jasper and Alice met each other before joining us. Edward hasn't met his mate yet," Rosemary listed, also avoiding the question she knew he wanted to ask.
"Can vampires have other partners than their mate?"
"Yes, but mates are a sacred thing. Most of our kind waits for the right one before settling down, but some people, like my cousins, enjoyed meeting a lot of people as they wait for their mate. It's up to the person, really," Rosemary smiled when she thought of the Denali coven.
"Your cousins?" Theo let out a small grin, surprised.
"Yeah, there's another coven in Denali that drinks from animals. We considered each other like cousins. Other than the mate bond, vampires can develop many bonds with other people. My family and I have a deep family bond, particularly me and Edward. He felt a real brotherly connection with me and that's why he turned me," She smiled fondly as she thought about what she had gained since she became a vampire.
"I wonder..." Theo trailed out, not really knowing how to say this. He wanted to ask if she had met her mate, but he didn't want to be disappointed if he wasn't. But the connection he had with her surely wasn't nothing? "Have you found your mate?" He looked down, not wanting to meet her eyes. Rosemary decided otherwise because she cupped his face and made him face her.
"I have," She stated in a quiet voice, making Theo's heart miss a beat from the intensity of her look. "And I am staring at him right now," The dark-haired vampire let go of her mate's face as she watched his eyes widened in shock.
"R-really?" He stuttered, a soft red slowly blossoming around his cheeks when she nodded. "So, fate had put us together..." He continued, implying that Rosemary was stuck with him.
"And I wouldn't have it any other way," She tucked a stray of his hair behind his ear.
"How can you be sure about this?" Theodore murmured, slightly insecure.
"Theodore Forge," Rosemary started, biting her lower lip in nervosity. "I'd choose you in a million. Forever. And it's not because of the bond. It helps, but even without it, I know we'd a connection. I am in love with the person I'm getting to know more every day," Stopping herself, Rosemary got up because she couldn't stand the tension.
She had said it. She admitted she was in love with him. Before she could start overthinking it, arms being wrapped around her waist stop her from pacing. Theo's hand was pressed on the back of her head and brought her into his chest. Closing his eyes, he rested his lips on her forehead and stayed there for a few seconds. He wanted her to know he felt it too, but he had to think about everything that happened today. It was a lot to take in, and Theo didn't know if he could digest all the information in one time.
"My father is coming to get me soon," He murmured, not wanting to break the soothing atmosphere. Nodding, Rosemary still didn't make any move to get out from his hold. Walking downstairs, they sat in the living room until Waylon got there. The vampire was happy to see the revelations hadn't change much, but she knew it was always in the back of his mind and that he still needed time. And she was going to let him as much time as he needed.
When they heard a honk coming from outside, both of the mates sighed, slightly disappointed. Helping her up from her sitting position, Theo brought Rosemary into his arms, hugging her tightly to his chest.
"I'll see you on Monday," The young woman spoke in a soft loving voice, forcing herself to let go of her mate. Still standing in front of her, Theo pushed her hair away before cupping her cheek, leaning down a little to kiss her lips gently. He wanted to stay here with Rosemary, but he knew he had to spend some time alone to think about all of this. With a last hug and a last kiss on her cheek, Theo joined his father in their car.
"Good day?" Waylon asked with a huge smile, wiggling his eyebrows teasingly.
"Yes," Theo chuckled, looking down with a grin to hide his blushing face. Understanding his son didn't want to tell more, the older man drove home with a smile of his own, happy to see that his son had some fun.
Back in her room, Rosemary was thinking over everything that occurred today when she noticed what was on her nightstand. The small flower that Theo had given her days ago seemed to have blossomed back normally instead of the faded appearance it had this morning. Frowning, she took noticed it was the second time she saw a phenomenon like this around Theo. She had to talk to Carlisle about this.
♡
The next day, Theo and his friends were at First Beach once again. Eric, Mike, Tyler and Lauren were playing soccer, Jessica was sunbathing and reading a magazine while Angela and Theo were walking down the water.
"You haven't said anything about what happened yesterday yet," Angela reminded her best friend, nudging him with her elbow, who gulped. It was not like he could talk about much of what happened with Rosemary.
"Um, I met her family, we talked a lot..." He trailed out, thinking about everything. Angela could perfectly notice the blush that travelled down his cheeks.
"There's something you're not telling me," The girl pointed out, making Theo smile.
"We might have kissed," He looked away from his friend, who squealed in excitement. "Maybe more than once," He added after chuckling at Angela's reaction.
"I'm so happy for you! I've been waiting for this to happen. Wait, I have to tell Jess," She ran towards their friend, who dropped her magazine with a huge smile. Theo was still away from them, laughing at their reactions and thought about Rosemary some more. This morning, he had spent some time thinking about her confessions. It seemed unreal and it blew his mind that so many things he always thought were fiction were real, after all. Getting out of his thoughts as he noticed some movements on his right, Theo glanced that way and his eyes widened when he noticed Leah Clearwater, the girl he and Angela had met the last time they came in La Push, and a guy he didn't know. He had the same copper skin than Leah and seemed to be twice Theo's weight.
"Ange!" He shouted, trying to grab her attention as he walked closer to the duo. "Hi, Leah. We hadn't talked much last time we saw you, I'm Theo," He extended his hand, making the Clearwater girl shake it. Angela got beside them and glanced at the huge guy beside her crush.
"This is Sam Uley, my boyfriend," Leah smiled up at him, making the young man wrap an arm around her waist and bring her closer to his body. Angela lost the soft smile she had.
"Oh, nice to meet you," Theo spoke in a quiet voice as he glanced at his best friend in worry. Angela felt like her lips were glued together, and she had a hard time breathing. She knew it was too good to be true; the one girl she had a real interest for was not single. But what confused her more was the fact that it hurt more than it should have. She had seen Leah once, and had developed some crush on her since, and now that she knew she had a boyfriend, Angela felt like it hurt physically. Thinking it was silly, she just shook her head and glanced up at the Forge young man.
"Eric wants to show us some pictures he took, we should go," The Weber girl talked lowly, sending a small, forced smile at the couple. Nodding in understanding, Theo turned back to them.
"I guess we'll see each other some other time," Wrapping an arm around Angela's shoulders, Theo led her away, not before meeting Sam's look. Scrunching his nose slightly, the Quileute man looked confused before he said goodbye, walking away with Leah. "You okay, Ange?"
"Yes, why wouldn't I?" Theo shot her an unimpressed look. "I'm just disappointed, I felt like we had some type of connection," She shrugged, partially hiding her face from her best friend's sight. Sighing, Theo tightened his hold on her.
"If it's meant to be, it will happen. But now let's concentrate on today," With a last side hug, Theo brought her back to their friends and joined the game. The young blond man was trying to focus on what was happening right now, but he couldn't help but wonder, why Sam looked at him that way? Like he picked up on something that they couldn't.
♡
The next morning, Theo was eating breakfast when he heard someone knocking. Waylon was already at work, so with small hesitant steps, he opened the door.
"Good morning," Rosemary smiled softly at her mate, fiddling with her hands. "I hope I don't bother you..." She trailed out, her smile slowly fading. Theodore only stared at her in awe, taking her in his arms.
"Never," He spoke quietly, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He had thought about it the past night too and he concluded he couldn't live without her. He had fallen too deep already and there was no turning back now. "I missed you," The human smiled when he heard the girl giggling.
"You saw me two days ago," She replied, lifting her head to look at him properly.
"Still missed you," He smiled lovingly down at her before pressing his lips to hers softly. They parted a few seconds later and Theo stepped back to let her enter.
"So... can I guess you're okay with everything?" Rosemary twirled a stray of her long dark hair with her finger, trying to reassure herself.
"I think you can," He smiled shyly before sitting down at the table, bringing the girl down on his lap. "I have a few questions, though," The vampire nodded. "Am I in danger? Not necessary by you, but..." She shook her head.
"Because you're my mate, your scent is the most calming and pleasant smell I have ever came across. As for my family, your scent is still calming and not strong enough for them to be thirsty. And for other vampires, well..." She took a small breath, trying to calm herself down. Theo could see her eyes switching to a dangerous black color. "I'll hunt anyone who dares to hurt you, or even look at you the wrong way, down. And that is a promise," She cupped his face with both of her hands, calming down just by looking at him. When her eyes were back to the usual golden color, Theo tightened his hold on her waist.
"And my father?" He wondered.
"Same thing. I'll protect him with everything I have."
"And my friends?" The human voiced his other worry.
"Same thing," Rosemary chuckled. "I already consider them my friends too, you don't have to worry about any of them," Once he nodded with a small smile, the vampire pecked his lips quickly before jumping up from his lap. "Come on, we have to get to school. You're riding with us, today," Theo chuckled and called Mike to tell him he didn't need a lift. The young blond man finished getting ready before he joined his crush - was she his girlfriend now? - outside.
"Good morning, Theodore," Esme smiled from the driver's seat, Edward turning his head to greet him too from the passenger seat.
"Morning," He blushed when Rosemary grabbed his hand, rubbing it softly with her own.
"Ready to get stare at?" Edward teased him, a smirk resting on his lips.
Oh, Theo had forgotten about this part.
♡
Thank you for reading, I hope you liked this chapter! <3