The Bonds Between Us • E.Cullen x Fem oc x B. Swan

Chapter 60°

The two girls sat in the truck, though it was quiet, Bella seemed to be stuck in her head. The potholes and the uneven roads making for an even more uncomfortable ride.

Cori knew that Bella had realized something was wrong. She didn't want to bring up the conversation. She didn't want to bring up the past, the break up, anything. She avoided Bella's gaze as she could feel the brunette's eyes on her, almost eating away at her.

"Cori-" "Don't." Cori said softly as she shook her head. "If we want to work on this, whatever this is, we have to talk." Bella told the girl and Cori sighed. "What?" Cori asked, her resolve breaking as her mental walls started to break as well.

"What was with the burger. I know you weren't actually sick." The brunette told her. "It was Embry's question." Cori told her. "About how long it had been since you had a burger?" Bella asked, brows furrowed, and Cori nodded. "Why?" "Because I don't really eat, okay." Cori snapped but sighed. "I'm sorry."

"How long has it been since you had a full meal Cori?" Bella asked, though she didn't know if she really wanted to know the answer. "What's your definition of a full meal?" Cori asked. Bella looked at her with narrow led eyes. Cori sighed.

"It's probably been about three months. I'm not hungry, and when I do eat, then he gets brought up and it's all for nothing." "What do you mean?" Bella asked, her eyes shining in worry. "Every time he's brought up Bella, I get sick. Like physically sick. I see his eyes, his face, and it makes me nauseous. Everything about him makes me sick Bella. I wish I had never met him." Cori said shocking the brunette.

Bella just stared out the windshield, thinking of her next words before she actually spoke. "Do you regret meeting me?" Bella asked, her voice wobbly just thinking of the redheads answer. "No, no of course not. We were meant to be together no matter what. I would have always found you Bella." Cori told her and it seemed as if a weight was lifted from the brunette's shoulders.

"What do you mean? That you would have always found me?" Bella asked and Cori sighed. "The mná doiléir part of me is a warrior. She is made to protect someone, someone who couldn't protect themselves." Cori told her and it seemed to dawn on Bella who she was talking about. "Me. You were created for me?" Bella asked. Cori chuckled lightly.

"Quite literally yes. In gym, when we first met, when we connected eyes for the first time-" "It was like something clicked." Bella told the red head and Cori smiled, happy the feeling wasn't one sided.

"Yeah. Like something clicked. It was our connection. Our souls bonding, Bella. My soul is bound to yours, and will continue to be until I die." "Why not until I die?" Bella asked, fearful of the answer. "Because if anything or anyone wants to get to you, they have to get through me."

🩸

Making back to the Swan house the two girls sat in the truck, just enjoying each others company. "Did you want to come inside?" Bella asked the redhead and Cori looked at her, her blue eyes taking in Bella's worn and wary expression. "Yeah." Cori said softly as she opened the door.

Bella met her at the tail end of the old truck, leading Cori up to the door as she fished in her pocket for the key to the house. Cori heard the door unlock as it swung open, Bella making her way inside, Cori right on her heels, both girls kicking off their muddy shoes at the entry way. "My dad's at work so we have the run of the house." Bella told her and Cori nodded.

They both hated this. The two girls didn't know where they stood with each other, both wanting more but not wanting to take the first step. It was awkward between them when it never used to be, and they both hated it.

Bella played with the tips of her hair as Cori seemed to find the floor and walls interesting as she leaned against the counter. "I've never been real good with emotions." Cori started out, gaining Bella's attention.

"My ADHD makes it hard. It makes me live in the moment, not really thinking about the future. I feel emotions, I process them, I'm just not good at expressing them. That's why so much comes out in bursts of anger. It's why people say I have a short fuse. I don't, well I do, but it's all just kinda built up emotion. And that's not fair to you." Cori said looking into Bella's warm brown eyes.

"What can I do to help?" Bella asked her. "I don't know. He wasn't good at listening, so I usually kept it short and sweet unless it was anger and he got the full brunt. I don't want to be that way with you. I don't want to drive you away." Cori told her as tears collected in her eyes.

"You didn't drive him away Cori. He must have had his reasons. No matter what they were, you weren't the reason they left." Bella told her pulling the girl into a hug and Cori's walls came tumbling down. Her body seemed to sag against Bella's as tears soaked into the brunette's shirt. Gasps turned into sobs as Cori's damn of emotion seemed to break.

Easing them both to the floor, Bella held Cori in her arms as she cried tears of her own. And there they sat for hours, trading tears and hushed whispers, basking in each other's presence.

"I want you back." Cori whispered into the quiet house. "And you will." Bella told her. "What?" "You need to heal Cori, both of us do. You're not losing me. I'll be by your side. When the times right, we'll be together forever." Bella told her, for once being the stronger of the two.

"You promise?" Cori asked weakly. "I promise. Pinky promise." Bella told her as the two locked the small digits together.

A/N: I'm not crying, you're crying!!!

Also thank you guys so much for 55k reads on this story!!! My mind is blown!! Love you all so much! 🥰