The First Drop Of Rain

Chapter fifteen

Nearly a week had passed. Finally, I was given the okay to ditch my crutch, and Edward and I's relationship, or whatever you wanted to call it, sat oddly in the "watch movies and talk all night and maybe kiss stage." Rose had grown wary of me, and Emmet seemed apologetic enough while still standing by her side. Alice seemed electric with the idea, and Jasper seemed as if he was just happy to see us happy. Carlisle was approving, or so I had been informed, and as told by Edward, Esme whole heartedly approved. Today was the day I was supposed to meet Esme, and was going to see Edward's home for the first time. I was so incredibly nervous that I couldn't stop fidgeting and fixing the hem of my skirt in the mirror. It was the first time I had really gotten to look at my leg in the mirror from this angle in a month, it was striped with nearly faded pink scars that would probably fade to the slightly raised white. Personally I think it made me look like a badass, but Edward seemed saddened by their presence for whatever bizarre reason. There was a knock on my door, just a gentle tapping, before the door creaked open. My father stood in his full uniform with a slight smile, just happy to see me no longer on a crutch and in a boot.

"Hey hon I just wanted to make sure you were set for today?" Ever since the accident he has hated leaving me on Saturdays for his shift.

"Yeah dad, I've got plans set and some homework that I still need to do." I smiled back to him shortly and watched him awkwardly nod and leave, shutting the door on his way.

After he was gone Edward and his fancy car showed up ready to take me to his home where his family of sorts awaited. I stood nervously in the doorway with my tiny backpack purse slung over my shoulder. Edward climbed out of his car and stared at me from just outside of his open door. I knew he could hear the racing thoughts in my mind, the thoughts of anxiety and worry over what his family would actually think of me in a place so removed from the constraints of the human experience.

"Ara, I promise none of them have any negative thoughts towards you." He said with a smile as he approached me.

"Are we sure about that because Rosalie seems to have a tad bit of disdain."

"I'm absolutely sure that Rose doesn't think anything about you that she wouldn't say straight to your face." He shot a smile as I met his gaze with a glare.

"You see, that is the thing I'm worried about. That she will say it to my face, and then I'll have to fist fight her, and of course she would win, but my effort would be notable." I sighed and began to walk off my porch toward where he stood at the base of the stairs.

"Emmett would love that." He chuckled and wrapped his ice cold arm around my shoulders and walked with me to my side of the car, where as always he opened the door for me and helped me in. After my crutch had been removed from the situation I made protests about him still doing this, but he insisted that Esme would have his head if she found out he was anything less than a gentleman. He seemed to like the stream of thoughts that came to my mind after that about how, if it were up to me, chivalry would have died when car doors became common. I just hated waiting for someone to open or close my door when I was fully capable. Granted with Edward the wait wasn't long but it was still a wait of such and that was enough for me.

I would never be able to conceptualize the blinding speed that Edward drove at, but the fear of the speed was nothing compared to the adrenaline that pumped in my veins at a lightning pace. I turned my attention away from the window and just stared at Edward's face as he drove. I saw the smallest smile creep onto his face and watched and wondered what his mind contained, envious that I did not possess the power he did. He turned suddenly down a pathway I didn't even realize was there and we began going up what would have been described as treacherous terrain to anyone who couldn't navigate a car like it was a feather drifting on the wind. I realized we had been riding in silence the whole way, and only began to realize I had no idea where my thoughts had taken me, just that I had lost a bit of time during a zone out. Embarrassment flushed my body and reddened my face to which I heard Edward give a soft chuckle as he parked the car in front of a massive white house nestled into a grove of trees as if it had just sprung from the earth like the trees around it.