CHAPTER TWENTY
heat energy
Despite the fact that summer had finally reached as far as Forks, the wind was cool and brisk, whipping at Violet's loose hair, threatening to tangle it. She tried to ignore the tickle of the breeze, the dancing of her strawberry locks, to instead focus on the opened doors of the garage and the Jeep that sat waiting to roll out onto the road. But it was Rosalie that distracted her, despite the gleam of the green paint and the flash of the new tyres.
The conversation between Rosalie and her dad was a light one, but Violet stressed nonetheless. Robbie knew what not to say, but that didn't stop her from fearing. They stood similarly: Rosalie with her hands on her hips, her dad with his arms crossed over his chest, both with widened shoulders and firmed legs, facing the newly finished truck. It was as if Violet wasn't even there, and she wished they'd never been introduced.
"Are we going to test drive this or what?" Violet shouted, finally deciding to stride toward the driver's seat, blocking their view. "I didn't call you both here just to admire my hard work."
Robbie rolled his eyes but stepped forward to place his hands on her shoulders. "I'm proud of you, kid," he said, and Violet glared at the pet name, cheeks flaring red. "Now go try it. I want to know it won't fail above fifty."
"We've got this. Old faithful isn't going to fail under a bit of speed," Violet said. Rosalie followed her to the truck, hopping into the passenger seat. Violet smiled as her dad leaned down to give her a kiss on the head, and she made her way to the front seat, almost buzzing with excitement.
Pulling her hair back from her face, Violet tied it back against her head. Rosalie watched her as she did it, amber eyes unreadable but clouded with something noticeable. Something had changed since last she had seen her. It was undeniable, with the sizzle in the air that threatened to electrocute her, should she get too close.
"Ready?"
"Born ready," Rosalie said, and then Violet was rushing to push the clutch down, pulling from the garage with a jagged screech.
The air was fresh against her face, beaded with the mist of early morning rain that still lingered. With the windows wide open, the wind whipped through the truck like a tunnel, cooling the heat that had dallied on her cheeks. By her side, Rosalie was grinning as the Jeep sped down the darkened roads of the outskirts of Forks, the expression the most obvious one Violet had ever seen on her. It spoke of a glee Violet had never seen her experience, one that had her laughing happily, pressing her foot down on the accelerator, zipping past the canvas of hemlock and fir.
It was as if her wild laughs and shouts gave the truck energy. It felt right to finally be behind the wheel, driving through the remote roads of her hometown, and more than that, it felt like a buildup. Soon it would be the rest of the country that they drove through, with unfamiliar sights and sounds and people. The very thought of it felt like a breath of fresh air. And Rosalie would be with her the entire way, another piece of knowledge that would have felt too bizarre to be real only a few months ago. The very sight of her in the passenger's seat made Violet want to burst.
With the wind still howling through the windows, Rosalie's loose locks were wild around her face, gleaming like spun silk. Her eyes seemed brighter then, haloed in gold, flashing across everything from the trees, to the road, to the wheel, to Violet herself. For a moment, she was almost lost in the sight, until the feeling of the bumps of the road made her present again.
"Do you want to drive?" Violet found herself saying, remembering the times she'd been in Rosalie's own cars. They were finer, sleeker builds, worth more than Violet could imagine, but something felt comforting about the image of Rosalie Hale driving her freshened, old Jeep.
"Yes," Rosalie said, and Violet grinned, obsessed with the fact that she didn't question it. This was a dual victory, it felt like.
Violet swerved to the side of the road with precision, feeling the Jeep jolt beneath them easily. As the truck rolled to a stop, she hopped out, switching seats with Rosalie. Behind the wheel, Rose looked as at home as Violet had felt.
"How do you feel?"
"How do I feel?" Rosalie said, and Violet couldn't prevent the sly, teasing smile that was swiped on her lips.
"Can't have you driving my Jeep while angry, can I? I've seen the damage that happens," she said, leaving Rosalie to tut.
"Your safer with me in the driver's seat than anyone. Alice swears in a past life I was a race car driver."
"Past life?" Violet said, feeling herself leaving forward. That magnetic energy had only multiplied, with their spaces combining in the confined area of the truck. She wondered what had changed in those last days, but she liked it, whatever it was. "For some random reason that brings me no comfort at all."
Rosalie only tilted her head to the side, chin raised, gazing down at her through dark lashes with a lazy look. Her feet were moving before Violet could even comprehend her intentions. Smoothly and swiftly, the Jeep pulled away, guided through the long, winding streets by a steady hand.
The speed began to pick up, and with it Rosalie's recklessness. The wheels were skidding, as she rounded each wide corner with a control that left her eyes widening in surprise. Violet's heart was racing, one hand gripping the side of the door, the other Rosalie's arm. The moment she let out a yelp of fright, the truck was slowing to a stop, pulling to the side once more, as if Rose had suddenly waken up.
"What the hell was that about? You could have killed us!" Violet shouted, eyes squeezing shut and then opening again, only to find Rosalie staring straight back at her, lips parted. "Not to mention the fact my jeep would have been trashed. Two years I've been working on it. Two years, Rosalie-"
She was interrupted by Rosalie leaning forward swiftly, lips joining hers, pressure forming again Violet. The swift movement took the air from Violet's lungs and it took a moment for her to realise that Rosalie was kissing her. But as quickly as Rose had leaned in, she was pulling away, expression hard to read. Violet could only look at her dumbfounded.
"What was that for?"
She could still feel her against her lips, soft and welcomed, hands lingering by her sides but not touching. Violet wanted to reach for her again, to have her rich perfume flooding her senses once again.
"You wouldn't let me speak," Rosalie said.
"That normally doesn't stop you," Violet said, her words coming out breathless and shallow. "Drive."
Rosalie didn't react straight away, only watched her with careful eyes.
"You heard me," Violet said, eyes darkening and smirk lifting. "I trust you. So drive."
Her lips were on hers again in seconds, and this time Violet reacted, bringing her hand to wrap around Rosalie's hair, chest pressing her again the seat. A light gasp left her lips, allowing Violet to deepen the kiss.
It felt so right. How long had she yearned for such a thing? But it always had to be the other girl who would initiate it. Rosalie who was so hard to read. Rosalie who made Violet feel as if she was on fire each time her golden eyes landed on her. The promise of a single summer remained in the back of her head, but Violet ignored it. At that moment in time, this was all she wanted. Rosalie was all she wanted.
The Jeep thrummed to life once again, thriving beneath her control. It was impressive, how new the truck looked and how well it drove, thanks to Violet's care. But for once, it wasn't the vehicle that took her attention, that left her stricken with an understandable silence.
Rosalie's skin was still hot where Violet had pressed against her. The scent of mint and metal and her coconut shampoo still swarmed her nose and had Rose inhaling deeply, eyes closing for the faintest, unnoticeable moment. The girl's heart rate was raised, loud in Rosalie's ears, like music.
She'd kissed her. Rosalie had kissed her.
It felt right now. That fear, that offstandishness had been a deep want, a desire. She understood, now, how Edward felt. Violet was something she couldn't lose, and yet eventually she would. But that day would come on her own terms. A summer was still what they had, a time just for them, with no family to overwatch and overbear. To Canada and Alaska, they would go. That thought, with the feeling of Violet's lips still fresh against hers, and the touch of her hand against her shoulder, made Rosalie feel more alive than ever.
With her arms held wide, Violet was standing in the back of the truck bed now, eyes closed and teeth pulled into a grin. A laugh was bubbling in her chest, matching the cadence of her heart, fast and joyous, a song that Rosalie longed to match. She was beautiful- the words almost slipped from Rose's lips- with hair whipping across her face and a lively flush spreading across her nose and her cheeks. Such human joy made her envious, made her long and lust for the girl that breathed life.
She didn't want to go home, didn't want to leave Violet when she was so close, when things were changing on her own terms. The moment she stepped into the house, they would know that things had shifted. Rosalie could imagine it already: Esme's proud and warm smile, Alice's screech of excitement, and Edward's smug look as he read her thoughts like a book. Yet Rosalie didn't seem to mind the image.
faintly, Rosalie wondered if Alice had seen this much. If she'd seen Violet standing on the back of the Jeep, glee contagious and hands roaming. If she'd seen the sporadic kisses shared, the deep and the desperate, the chaste and the quick. Either way, it didn't matter. Rosalie knew this was right by the world. They had their summer, and for the time being, Violet felt like home.
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