Old Soul

Chapter Thirty: Finality

A few days later, I pull on an ocean blue sundress with a pattern of little pink flowers on it and a cropped jean jacket. I tie my hair up into a decent ponytail, even though there are a few stray hairs, that will not cooperate, no matter how much I beg, plead, threaten, or curse them. I make my way down the stairs carefully, my wrapped ankle giving me some pain. Emmett sent me a text inviting me on a "cute ass lunch date with a cute ass vampire," to which I responded "Alice or Rosalie?". He was not amused. I grab my sandals by the front door before making my way to the kitchen to find my mother.

"I'm going on a date with Emmett. Please don't tell Dad." I give her my best puppy dog eyes. My dad hasn't been the most welcoming to Emmett, thinking it was his recklessness that caused my accident. I turn to go back to the front door when I hear my mom call out.

"Bryce! Raquel is going on a date with Emmett!" I whirl around, my hand on the front door.

"Betrayal! I expect this from Will, but from you, my dear mother? How could you?"

She peeks her head into the front hall. "Do you really have the time to be dramatic?"

I sigh. She's right. I can hear my father's footsteps thundering down the stairs.

"This isn't over." I half mumble, throwing the door open and making my escape. I manage to get into my car and up the driveway before my dad has opened the front door and is angrily gesturing at me to get back in the house. I back out of the driveway, giving him a cheery wave before turning onto the main road and taking the familiar route to the Cullen house.

Emmett's waiting for me on the front steps, his knee bouncing in nerves. I park my car in the yard and climb out. Emmett gets up and comes over to me, greeting me with a kiss on my cheek.

"You look pretty." He strokes my cheek with his hand, sending a pleasant shiver through my body.

"Thank you. What's on the agenda for today?"

"I'll show you. Hop on." He turns around, letting me hop up onto his back. He takes off through the forest surrounding his home, and after a few moments of blurred running, I figure out where he's headed. He sets me down in the same clearing where we had our first kiss, but this time there's a red checkered blanket with a picnic basket on the ground beside the brook. I look up at Emmett, who nods towards the blanket, taking my hand and pulling me over and down onto it.

"We aren't pulling a Goldilocks here, are we?" I raise an eyebrow. Emmett laughs, the sound echoing around us.

"No, I did have Esme's help with the food, and Alice gave me directions on how to make it 'aesthetic,' whatever that means." he does air quotes around the words. I open the basket to find a ham and cheese sandwich, a bottle of lemonade, some blueberries, and a chocolate cupcake.

"Did you make these?" I ask.

"Mostly Esme did. I was never a chef in my human life." I pull out the sandwich and begin eating it. After I swallow a few bites, I break the silence.

"When you asked me on a lunch date I was a little concerned over whether I'd be receiving the meal or I'd be the meal." Emmett smirks.

"Well, you are a whole buffet—" I snort. "But you're too cute to eat. Bite, on the other hand." He shrugs. We've fallen into a joking pattern over me being turned. I look down at the blanket and see a black "R + E" sewn into the fabric, surrounded by a crimson embroidered heart.

"Did Esme sew this too?" I look up at him. He scratches the back of his neck and looks sheepish.

"Actually, I did."