Petals of rose filled fields and orchards
Forbidden fruits that we indulge in
Told me hold out my tongue, and I swear
It put heaven into focus
Playing all our hеart's chords
I've never hеard a song quite like this one, it's new
I'll have to tell our kids
How I did drugs for (you, you)
Rook Monroe - I Did Drugs For You
"Edward! You're back." Emmet ran up to his brother just as he stepped through the front door of their home.
"Man, it's like you don't even live here anymore. I've missed you buddy! Mi hermano. You know what we should do? We should spend the day together! Just you and I."
"Rose isn't here is she?" He says knowingly. Emmet's being extra clingy. Something he only does when he's apart from his mate.
He deflates. "She left 8 hours ago. Shopping."
He could empathise with his brother's pain. Just a few minutes ago, his own mate had chased him out of her hospital room and sent him home, albeit her reasoning was she wanted to make sure that he fed, noting that the last time he had done so was before her attack- two weeks ago.
He was resistant but agreed that he needed to feed.
He had only stopped by his home to change into appropriate hunting wear. He'd go find something to feed on, come back home to take a shower, then return to Forks General within the hour.
But Emmet looks so miserable. And Amiyah did say that she'd be spending the day with her wolf friend, Paul.
"I could hang out with you for a while." He relents, feeling pity towards his brother.
"Great! Let me go fetch Monopoly." Emmett says with a wide grin.
Edward sighs internally. He sucks at Monopoly.
««««
"Ohh, bad luck. go straight to jail, do not pass go do not collect $200." Emmet winces as he reads the community chest card for his brother.
"Do you want to buy my 'Get out of Jail Free' card?" Emmet offers kindly.
"You know I barely have enough to get by." Edward says with a frustrated frown.
They've been playing the board game for only 20 minutes and Emmet's already purchased all the major real estate and Edward's on the verge of declaring bankruptcy.
He hates this game.
The brothers hear Alice enter through the kitchen window but are too engrossed their game. She finds them in the living room sitting on the couch, facing each other with a board game set up on the coffee table between them.
"How's the game going?" she asks Emmet with a smirk, while perching herself on the couch's arm next to Edward.
"Edward's losing as usual."
"It's too soon to call." He grumbles petulantly.
"Have you asked her yet?" Alice asks with a nudge to Edward's shoulder.
"Not yet." He shifts uncomfortably on the couch.
"She's getting discharged in a few days."
"I know."
"Then why haven't you asked her yet?"
"Because he's a coward." Emmet answers while shaking the dice in his hand.
"I'm just waiting for the right time." Edward says calmly.
Alice speculatively presses her lips together. "He's right, you are being a coward."
Edward has been meaning to ask Amiyah for the past week if she could move in with him. It was Carlisle who initially suggested it. Amiyah's going to need constant care and supervision with all the injuries she sustained. But since none of the Cullen's are allowed on Quileute land, and neither Edward nor Carlisle wanted Amiyah living alone, the only plausible course of action was for Amiyah to come live with them temporarily.
He had vetted it with his entire family before concluding that he'd ask her. Even Jasper seemed confident that he could stay in control while she stayed with them. But Edward was still too nervous to ask her. He had tried googling "How to ask your girlfriend to move in with you." But none of the answers really factored in a vampire-human relationship.
"That's not fair. You don't understand how big of an ask this is. I need to make sure that everything's perfect."
"You're being a child... she's going to say yes." Alice says with conviction.
"She will? You're certain?" He presses anxiously.
"Of course I'm certain. Did you forget that I can see the future?" Alice rolls her Eyes at her brother in annoyance.
"You always say the future isn't set in stone, and I don't want her to say yes because she feels like it's her only option."
"But...it is her only option." She furrows her brows at him.
"Yes, but I don't want her to feel like it is."
"Jesus." Alice exhales in defeat.
"I don't see what the big deal is. All you're doing is asking your human girlfriend to move into a house full of vampires so that you can help nurse her back to health as she recovers... from a vampire attack. Yeah, the odds are certainly in your favour." Emmet says playfully.
"Oh my God, I am an idiot." He throws his head into his palms visibly distraught.
"Don't listen to him, he's being a dick. Amiyah knows she's safe here. So just ask her already."
"I will. Soon, probably. Definitely before her party."
Emmet, who had been counting his Monopoly dollars like a 1940's mobster, pauses and looks up at his siblings suspiciously.
"Wait-what party?"
"Edward's throwing Amiyah a surprise birthday party on Saturday. It's so sweet, he's invited all her friends from school and even hired a DJ. He's going all out." Alice gushes, her mood lightening by the change in topic.
"So, I suppose my invitation got lost in the mail then?" He glares at them flatly.
"You're invited too, the whole family is. It slipped my mind to inform you all, that's it." Edward says placatingly.
"Yeah, I only know about it because I've been helping him with the preparations. Of course, he had to get permission from Carlise and Esme first. And you know I don't like keeping things from Jasper. Oh, and Edward asked me to tell Rosalie about it in advance, she hates being the last one in the know." Alice admits.
"So everyone knew about the party but me? Thank you, Alice that brought me so much comfort." Emmet sighs exasperatedly, licks his thumb and continues counting the fake money with a frustrated vigour.
With a dismissive wave of her hand Alice turns her head back to Edward.
"So what are you getting her? Jewellery? A car?" Alice gasps excitedly. "A romantic getaway?"
Edward cringes, Alice's gift ideas sound astronomically better than his actual gift to her. "No... I uh," he scratches his elbow. "I made her a CD filled with all the songs I composed for her with some poems to accompany them"
Alice smiles sweetly at her brother. "She's going to love it!"
He runs "You don't think it's too simple? Maybe I should get her a car instead? Its just that Amiyah doesn't have her license yet, but I could get her some lessons too?" Edward suggested hastily.
"No! Don't change a thing. It's perfect." She clasps her hands together excitedly.
"I hope she thinks so too." He exhaled nervously.
"Aw Edward, you really love her, don't you?" Alice grins happily at her brother.
He looks at his sister oddly. "Of course, I love her. I thought I've been quite obvious."
"I mean you love love her." She presses her hand to her chest, overcome with emotion.
"There's a difference?" He asks, his brows pulled together.
Her grin widens "A huge one!" She pulls him into a tight side embrace
"I'm really happy for you Edward." She says into his shoulder.
"Thank you." He smiles at her softly.
"Well, I'll let you two get back to your game. Emmet, go easy on him. You know he sucks at Monopoly." Alice flounces off the couch and darts upstairs.
"I haven't been to a human party in decades." Emmet remarks once Alice is upstairs. "Will I have to dance? They keep coming up with new moves every year, I can't keep up."
"Just don't be weird. Humans are very low-key; they don't make such a big deal of things."
"Don't be weird? This advice is coming from the King of Weird." Emmet scoffs in disbelief. "And since when did you become such an expert on humans? I swear, you bang one human girl and suddenly you're the Steve Irwin for vampires." He says, shaking his head.
"Do you have to be so crass?" Edward grumbles and tries avoiding eye contact with his brother by picking up the dice in preparation for his turn.
Emmet, noticing the shift in Edward's confidence decides to pry further. "Oh my God. Don't tell me you two haven't done it yet?"
"I'm not talking about this with you."
"Holy shit. You haven't! I'm astounded. You astound me, Edward. You two are mates! You know when Rosalie and I got together we couldn't keep our hand off each other."
"I know," Edward grimaced painfully. "I was there."
"What? Do you not want to bang her?" He scratches his head and looks at his brother expectantly.
"No. I mean I do!" Edward sputtered uncomfortably. "Could you please not use the word 'bang'?"
"What's the matter? Talk to big bro Emmet, I can help." Emmet leans forward and unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt.
"I do not need your help." Edward sniffs. "And I am older than you."
"Sure, in vampire years. But I have 20 human years to your 17, kiddo." Edward rolled his eyes at his brother referring to him as 'kiddo'. "And in those 20 years I banged a lot a human girls." Emmet hesitates then raises his voice loud enough for one on the other end of the house to hear him. "Every single one of them meaningless flings that could not even begin to compare to my beautiful, extraordinary wife, of whom I am eternally lucky to be married to.
"Nice save."
"As I was saying, I had hoes in different area codes. So, you've definitely come to the right person for help."
"Again, I did not come to you for help, because I don't need any help. Not that it's any of your business but, Amiyah and I are remaining abstinent."
Emmet looks at Edward with poorly concealed bewilderment. "Oh... is this a religious thing?" He says with a wince.
"No." Edward sighs painfully. "I just don't want to kill her."
A frown etches itself on emmet's face as his confusion deepens. "Perdón?"
Edward doesn't elaborate. Instead, he reaches quickly for the table in front of them and effortlessly snaps off one of the metal table legs.
Emmet groans deeply. "Here we go."
Edward holds up the piece of metal for Emmet to inspect, the burly vampire lazily watches his brother's demonstration
He then closes his hand for a brief second, his fingers contracting gently, and then it opens again. Without a word, he offers his brother the crushed, uneven lump of black metal. Emmet gives his brother a deadpanned stare, then looks down at the piece of metal. It's been moulded to the inside of his hand, like a piece of play dough squeezed in a child's fist. A half-second passes, and the shape crumbles into black sand in his palm.
"Wow, thanks for that fascinating visual demonstration, Bill Nye. But I already know how strong we are, what did that have to do with anything?" Emmet demands, tapping his foot impatiently.
"What if I lose control while Amiyah and I are being... intimate?"
"What, like you're a one-pump-chump? I'm sure she'll understand. It's your first time after all, you'll get better at it." Emmet says with an encouraging smile.
"No. I mean what if crush her bones when I hold her. Or I rip off her hands when she tries to touch me. I can't be with her the way a normal man could, it might just kill her."
Emmet's smile turns into a concerned grimace. "Oh Edward. Oh sweet, silly, stupid, virginal Edward." He pats his brother's shoulder comfortingly. "Do you know how sex works at all?" He asks with genuine curiosity.
"Of course I do." Edward barked back at his brother.
"What you just described sounded like something off National Geographic. Sex isn't a demonic act that turns you into a mindless, uncontrollable ogre. You'll still be you, and you've never hurt Amiyah before, so sex won't change that. Shit." Emmet frowned at his brother. "Ripping off her hands? Where does a thought like that even come from? Do you exclusively watch torture porn? Cause that might be it?"
"No Emmet, I do not exclusively watch torture porn." Edward quipped at him snappily.
"So just on Fridays then?" Emmet winked at him boyishly.
"Funny." He drawls with a dry look.
"Look Ed, I say all this to say. Don't let your overactive imagination stop you from getting your dick wet."
"That was very profound Emmet, thank you." The sarcasm is dripping from Edward's words but Emmet chooses to ignore it.
"Hey, I can get deep." Emmet leans back and lazily folds his arms behind his head. "I do have 2 psychology degrees."
"And you'd say that this conversation was you putting any one of those degrees to good use?"
"Pretty much." He gives his brother a dimpled grin.
"Hmm." Edward murmurs to himself curtly.
"Anything else you want some advice on? Oh!" Emmet snapped his fingers together and points to Edward. "Do you want to borrow one of my sex playlists? I made a great one in '98 for Rose's and I's last honeymoon. Let me tell 'ya, we didn't the room for days." Emmet smiled fondly as he remembered the passionate nights he and his wife had shared.
Edward felt sick. If there was ever a moment he wished he couldn't read minds this would be it.
"Actually, Emmet you could do me a favour and rip my head clean off my body."
"Stop poking your nose into my thoughts." He shrugged unapologetically.
"Stop thinking so loud." Edward snarled.
They both hear the rumble of a car engine approaching their driveway. Whoever it is must be at least 10 minutes away. But Emmet jumps up from the couch like it's on fire.
"Rose is home!" He perks up like a puppy excited over its owner's return, and quickly runs out of the house.
Edward leans back into the couch and rakes his fingers through his hair, his head swirling but with not one cognitive thought.
Minutes later Rose struts into the house wearing a pair of sunglasses and a simple summer dress. Emmet trails behind her carrying 13 shopping bags: 7 in his right hand and 6 in his left. Rose only has a small purse hanging from her shoulder.
"Edward." She stops in the living room and greets her brother civilly.
"Did you buy out the whole store?" He inquired sarcastically.
"There was a sale," Rosalie shrugs and tosses her blonde her behind her shoulder. "That reminds me." Rose moves over to her husband and rummages through one of the shopping bags he's holding. "Your human is moving in soon, right?"
"Yes...probably... maybe." Edward mutters, anxious that the matter was being brought up again.
"He hasn't asked her yet, babe." Emmet informs her cheerily.
Rosalie stops rummaging through the bags and turns to narrow her brow at him. "Chickenshit."
"I'm just waiting for the right moment." Edward grumbles.
"Uh huh... well I got her something anyway. Rosalie, finally finding what she's looking for, pulls out a shallow, matte black box and throws it to Edward. He catches it with ease and stares at it quizzically.
"What's this?"
"You can call it a welcome present." She shrugs as if its no big deal. "The scarf came free with a bag I'd been eyeing. And green isn't really my colour."
"You look exquisite in every colour, babe." Emmet chimes behind her earnestly.
Rose softly smiles before raising her palm to pull her husband's face closer to hers and kissing his cheek tenderly.
Edward opens the box to find a silken emerald coloured scarf folded delicately inside.
"But why give this to Amiyah, you hate her."
"I don't hate her Edward." She rolls her eyes and turns to her husband. "Babe, did I ever say I hated his human?" She asks him with an innocent pout.
"I have never heard you say a bad thing about her, baby." Emmet agrees dutifully.
"See?" Rosalie gives a half shrug.
"Please. You've been nothing but adverse toward not only Amiyah, but our relationship since I revealed that she was mine." Edward pointed out heatedly.
Rosalie huffs drearily. "I will admit that I wasn't her biggest fan in the beginning. But my feelings towards her were largely influenced by how you, in typical Edward Cullen style, chose to run into something with very little regard of anyone else but yourself."
Edward, frowning at his sister's words, defensively interjects. "That could not be further from the truth." Rosalie holds up her hand to cut him off.
"Come on Edward, we all know how impulsive you can be, not to mention egocentric, self-righteous and irrational. But regardless of all of that you are my brother. And I am forced to love you. And you love Amiyah, so..." She gestures flimsily to the green fabric in Edward's hand. "I got her a scarf."
He looks down at the scarf, inspecting it warily.
"Edward it's a scarf, there's no nefarious motive. Give it to your human, or don't. I do not care."
She turns around to face her mate. "Come babe, you can watch as I try on what I bought."
She nips his earlobe and saunters up the stairs, while Emmet stares up at her in wonder.
"Alright see you later, Eddie." Emmet calls distractedly to his brother. Still staring at his wife's retreating form and completely disregarding their unfinished Monopoly game.
Edward huffs. His family never ceases to amaze him
Hi everyone. Sorry I took so long. I was busy with finals. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll update sooner next time I promise. Please don't forget to vote and most importantly comment. I love hearing from you guys.