All too soon, to my disappointment, I was back at the little white cottage on the corner of the street with a cop cruiser parked in front and an old rusted corvette flanked to its right. Kimi must've cut her shift early—great.
Despite my annoyances and predicting the onslaught of questions Kimi would purposefully dispose to me, Edward's attention was wholly fixed on me, which slightly distracted me. As the car's engine settled with various soft clicks, I matched Edward's intense though tender gaze with one of my own—hands still entwined. It wasn't quite night, but the flush of evening painted the sky. Bands of pink, orange, and yellows blended into light blue and deeper indigo. It was clear that the stars would soon start to come out.
It was hard to enjoy the sunset with Edward next to me, his gaze as admiring as it had been in the meadow. I had the wild impulse to lean over and shorten the distance between us with a kiss. Of course, I couldn't. It would be too dangerous to surprise him. And I didn't seem to have the same iron restraint that he had to keep my kisses, well, chaste.
Our mutual adoration was put to an end however when the porch light flickered on and the screen door creaked open. To my surprise, it wasn't just Kimi who was standing in the doorway, but better yet, Charlie, who seemed equally stern as his sister, both looking more and more like siblings.
Edward let out a low chuckle, seemingly amused by the sight, "You have a whole entourage it seems."
"No kidding," I huffed, abundantly more annoyed then I was moments prior. "Sorry about Kimi—this is a first for Charlie though. I guess they're—"
"Looking out for you," Edward finished. He didn't seem bothered by it at all. If anything, he seemed mildly delighted by it.
Lips pressed together, I fixed him an unamused frown. "I'm seventeen. I don't need a chaperone."
"It's me they don't trust. Not you."
I couldn't help but scoff at that, earning a impish grin from Edward. "Of course they don't. Though considering how much Kimi adores your dad, I think you'll find it doesn't take much to charm her."
"You should probably head in before they grow suspicious—that or burn holes into my car," he teased, referring to their intense staring as his lips quirked upwards.
