The Tale of the Brokenhearted

Chapter 7: You're Right, and You're Welcome

"Okay, so we're here now. What do we do?" Leah casually strolled around my living room. I sat down on the couch and exhaled much harder than I needed to.

"I don't know, Leah, you're the one who comes up with the master plans, remember? I just tag along and go with the flow." She turned to me only long enough to roll her eyes at me.

"Well it was kinda your idea for us to hang out here in the first place, E.C."

"E.C.?" I asked to make sure she wasn't insulting me or anything.

"Your name is Edward Cullen isn't it?" She plopped down beside me. "I'm too lazy to say your full name right now."

"So you call me E.C. and I call you…?" I paused, allowing her to fill in the blank.

"LE-AH," she chuckled as she tucked her feet under herself on the couch.

"Nope, now my goal for the night is finding you an appropriate nickname." I angled closer to her so that our arms were touching;, once again her skin gave me a little buzzing tickle.

"Isn't my name short enough?" She muttered. She was still sort of in a funk, and not her quick witted self. I was hoping that my horrible attempts at humor and entertainment would be able to pull her quickly out of it. I needed that to work, because if she was in a funk there was absolutely no one else that could pull me out of mine.

"Yeah, but I have to find something, to mess with you if nothing else." I snickered to myself and she smirked a little and then sighed.

"Do what you feel E.C.," Leah said casually as she adjusted herself again, this time placing her legs in my lap. She leaned forward and grabbed the remote off the coffee table. I toyed with her socked feet as she tried to settle on a channel to watch.

"Nothing's on." I complained and tapped a little rhythm on the top of her foot.

"Wow, you vampires are SO observant." She scoffed and rolled her eyes playfully, however I could still see the sadness in them. At least she was trying, and for that I was thankful.

"You lady wolves are so rude." I said as I lifted her into my arms and stood up. "I've got an idea." I proceeded to carry her out of the room, fireman fashion.

"Why should I do anything with you? You just called me rude!" She shouted as she squirmed, trying to free herself. She wasn't trying too hard. We'd been through this too many times, she knew I was stronger and that she'd tire herself out trying to escape. She also knew that I was faster than her; if I picked her up she would get to experience my awesome speed, which she was jealous of, yet fascinated by at the same time.

"Trust me; you'll want to do this." I let her down as we entered the music room. I sat down at my piano, and Leah just stood by the door frame, looking unsure. "I want you to sing for me," I urged, as my fingers wondered along the white and black keys. I played a song I knew she was familiar with.

"I don't sing for other people like that… not anymore, anyway," she murmured as she sank down beside me. I stopped playing and turned my eyes to my right, to catch the profile of her face. She was hurting, her teeth were clenched, and her jaw was locked.

"You have to let him go, Leah," I whispered. "He's moved on and you… I've overstepped," I stopped myself mid-sentence and we sat in a room thick with uncomfortable silence. I was afraid that I'd offended Leah. She and I had vented to each other before, but I'd never offered her my opinion or advice. I was afraid that she'd call me a hypocrite, because that's exactly what I was. How could I tell her to move on when the majority of my thoughts were so still wrapped up in Bella? She glanced at me momentarily and thought the same thing, but said nothing. She just closed her eyes and sighed as she combed her fingers through her ebony hair, which had grown long enough to dance along her shoulder blades. I had become fascinated by her dark silk-like locks ever since she mentioned she was growing them back out. She hated her hair short; she consider herself butch enough without having to keep short hair. She didn't care whether she looked like a shaggy dog when she phased. She opened her eyes to find me staring. I was caught up in my own thoughts, I didn't catch on in enough time to refocus my stare. She scoffed the moment off with a bitter snicker, she gently placed her hands on a couple of the keys of my piano. She played, at first off key, and then she played a melody that resembled rhythm and blues, I assumed, since I rarely listened to that type of music… and then she began to sang.