𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 | carlisle cullen (3)

(𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞) broken family

✧✧✧

CARLISLE WALKED SLOLWY BACK UP TO THE HOUSE, so slow in fact that by the time he'd made it to the long and gravelled driveway, the sky was completely dark. He turned, staring at the stars with a strained expression in his eyes. They lay perfectly still, hanging in display. His eyes could see their full beauty, the way they danced with light. The stars were all there, levitated around a blanket of indigo. They had not fallen, the memory still stood. It was painful to think about, this sky was so familiar to him in so many ways, ways in which he could not find comfort anymore.

Everyone was silent when Carlisle walked inside the house again. He'd missed Colorado more than he had realised. He only saw her around every corner. In the entrance room on New Years in that black dress that had enhanced everything about her so well, the way she'd told him to leave her alone but then when he looked to the stairs he saw her standing in cerulean and his heart lightened again. He'd see her in his bed, or by the piano, by every tree and in that goddamn lake. If Carlisle had it his way, he never would've seen that hidden lake again, water shimmering in blissful wonder. Unfortunately his silence had left for judgments to be made and Edward was staying out of his head, of course he was. No one would want to see the mess.

He stared at the slightly open door, a crack of golden light pooling onto the hardwood floor. They were all sat down waiting for him but deep down he knew they never had any expectations that he would really go back to how things had been so quickly. Carlisle listened for the smallest of noise, there was nothing. He paced to the stairs and walked halfway before something tugged him back, an invisible pull, another ghost he supposed or maybe just his better judgment.

Carlisle turned and stared at the door again before he walked back down the stairs and pushed it open carefully. They were all sat around, very still as though wanting to appear a certain way. What was it? Condolent, welcoming, comforting, sympathetic? Yet there was a similarity about where they sat. That was except for Bella who seemed misplaced inside this picture. Carlisle felt guilty for wishing she wasn't there because if she hadn't been Carlisle could've pretended he'd fallen into a memory instead of his horrible future.

"Thank you" Carlisle shut the door behind him, "for being there"

"Of course" Rosalie said very quickly, "we wouldn't have been anywhere else"

"We loved her too" Emmett stated almost bitterly.

"I know you did" Carlisle sighed.

"Come and sit down" Alice suggested. His chair was empty.

"No thank you"

"Your office called today—" Emmett began.

"He doesn't need to hear about that" Rosalie cut Emmett off very quickly, a hand on his arm to alert her husband that her snappish tone hadn't meant anything bad. Emmett looked guilty, he'd only been trying to pass on a simple message. Didn't they want to take his mind off everything?

"I called them" Carlisle leant against the door, "thank you"

"I'm sure they're understanding" Rosalie looked back up, "if they're not they don't deserve you anyway Carlisle"

"I didn't give them much opportunity to be" Carlisle muttered under his breath, "I quit"

"What?" Edward frowned in surprise, "quit?"