AUGUST • C.CULLEN

five

AUGUST
1912, COLOMBUS

August, donning an over-the-top party hat which Esme begged him to wear, hugs the young woman tightly as Carlisle stands by their car.

"I'll miss you, Auggie," She whispers, her head buried in the tall man's chest, "So much. You've been in my life for ten years, as crazy as it sounds, and I'm really, really, going to miss you. Please call me?"

August squeezes her, careful of her fragile body, and softly kisses her forehead. "The second I find a pay phone, I'll call you. Promise."

Esme laughs softly and pulls away, leaning on the railing of her home for balance. "I love you." She says, wiping away her tears and sniffing.

August twists his hand and a yellow daylily appears, a beauty of a fragile kind. It reminds him of Esme. He kisses it and then tucks it behind her ear. "I love you, too, Monkey. Be safe, yeah?"

Esme nods, tears falling faster as she frantically wipes at her eyes. "Mhm." Her eyes land on Carlisle's and she offers him a gentle smile. "Thank you so much for everything, Dr. Cullen. Make sure you take care of Auggie, you hear?"

"I certainly plan on it." He smiles. "Goodbye, Esme. Try not to put too much pressure on your leg for another few weeks, alright?"

"Yes, sir." Esme nods. Mrs Platt comes and whisks Esme away with a rushed fairwell to both men and mentions of a potential love match for Esme.

August chuckles at her grimace. Then, as he spins on his heel and joins Carlisle at the motorcar, he grins jokingly. "Shall we go, Dr. Cullen?"

Carlisle laughs and takes August's hand, kissing it before twirling him into a hug, pulling the party hat from his head. He steps close and presses a gentle kiss to August's shoulder. "We shall indeed, sir." He opens the passenger door for August and then slips around to the driver's seat, settling behind the wheel.

"Carlisle?"

Carlisle turns, admiring for a second as his scarf drapes fittingly around August's lithe body. "Yes, Dear?"

August lifts Carlisle's gloved hand to his lips and kisses it, smiling. "I love you."

Carlisle grins lovingly back, squeezing the brunette's hand. "I love you, too, Auggie."

With that, they begin their journey to the Windy City: Chicago.

—

' Tuesday 17th January, 1912
Dearest Esme Anne,

My deepest apologies for taking so long to write you. Carlisle and I have settled in to our small home in the city (it only took two weeks!). We are located only fifteen minutes from the hospital, and I have never been happier. Carlisle and I have participated in some fun extracurricular activities - or, 'activity', single... It is most enjoyable.

Recently I have found that when Carlisle is not with myself or absorbed in his studies, he is at the hospital, and I am home with nothing to do. There is not enough nature around the city to be able to converse freely with any of my kind that may be here and it is too soon to have made any friends. Perhaps I, too, should apply for a job?