Bittersweet Redemption (ON HOLD)

Bonfire

Edward up top! He is UGH! ( Not the guy with the Ned Kelly beard )

INDIA

He smells so good. Like the forest that I grew up to love, mixed with berries and sweat. He smelt like home.

"W-we are having a bonfire tonight to welcome the newcomers" He stutters due to our skin on skin contact that occurred just moments ago. My eyes linger on the tattoo over his heart, I suck in a breath and my words get stuck in my throat, "W-we'll be there" I thought about declining but I guess we deserve a bit of fun after the couple of days we have had with the Rogues and all.
His mouth curves up into a half smile and his eyes are trained on mine, "Will there be booze?" Jay questions with a raised brow, "If there is, it better be the good kind... A man of my calibre deserves the good stuff" Jay continues whilst puffing out his chest and hitting it with is right fist.
"Only the good stuff, got it" Edward says with a smile and I can't help but grin along with him.

His eyes twinkle with happiness and the small dimples that reveal themselves, his teeth are slightly crooked but that only adds to his level of handsomeness and his nose his scattered with barely-there freckles. I catch myself staring at the beautiful jerk and clear my throat while diverting my eyes to Jay, "When and where?" I ask with mock coldness to cover up my sudden and unwanted adoration for him.
"U-uh 7? Out back?" He stutters as his eyes connect with mine and a shot of electricity travels up my spine and the the tips of my fingers tingle, stupid mating bond.
"Cool" I nod and we are involuntarily thrown into silence.

"Well I'm off! Women to charm, numbers to score" Jay smiles uncomfortably whilst bouncing on the balls of his feet and bringing his hands together in a clap.

I turn to leave and follow Jay but a firm hand wraps around my arm effectively putting a halt to my escape, it causes tingles and sparks to sizzle at my skin and butterflies to soar in my stomach, "C-can I talk to you?" His eyes hold a look of hope and I just cant bring myself to say no, even after all these years apart he still has a hold on me that I can't shake.

I nod with a tilted head and his lips curve into a small, grateful smile. His hand rests on the small of my back, dangerously low and I give him a warning glare which causes him to retract his hand with a nervous chuckle.

He nods in the direction of a small white bench nestled in a rose bush under a weeping willow, his hands are linked behind his back as he strolls over to the love seat and sits down, patting the spot next to him with a small smile. I sweep off the leaves and petals that have fallen onto the wood before sitting down, "So..." I mumble awkwardly after a couple of minutes of total silence, he takes in a deep breath before he starts his monologue, "I know you're probably sick of hearing this but i wont stop saying it until you give in, I am so deeply sorry about all those things I did to you back then, I was a stupid, fucked-up kid who didn't know what he had before he lost it" He says with one breath, all I do is stare at him urging him to continue, "This is such a clique thing to say but you were the best thing that ever happened to me and I was too blinded by my need to be popular to notice. The day Charlie told me you were gone completely destroyed me because me, the guy who was meant to love and protect you, forced you to run away from your home" I swear his eyes glaze over with tears, "If that is true, why did you sleep with all those girls" I asked generally confused, he stiffens and exhales a shaky breath, "At first it was the only thing that kept my mind off you and if you were safe or not, sex and alcohol numbed the pain but one day it stopped working and you occupied my mind night and day" He speaks softly whilst tugging at a fraying seam on his t-shirt.

"I wish I could forgive you... I've spent 3 years trying and failing to forget you... I cant let myself fall back into who I was all those years ago" I speak the truth and it hurts to say it out loud, like it wasn't real until my own ears heard it. He shifts next to me and the next thing I know he has my hands engulfed by his and he is kneeling in front of me, "Please. I need you in my life... I don't care if its just as friends, I just... I can't lose you now that I have found you" his words dig deep into my heart and unwanted tears roll down my cheek, my eyes flutter shut as his thumb smooths them away.