The Rise of Lydia Rowe ↠ Jasper Hale (ON HOLD)

[3.04] seattle

"LOOK, I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN IN TOUCH," Adam told her over the phone, his voice clear against the background murmur of traffic and voices. "I just... needed time."

Lydia sighed, leaning back against the railing of the balcony outside of the Cullens' kitchen. She'd been in the process of helping Esme bake brownies for herself and Bella when Adam's contact popped up on her phone for the first time in two and a half months. "I get it—I don't necessarily agree, but... I get it."

She heard a bunch of cars honking on his end. "Where are you, anyway?" she asked, not sure he'd even give her an answer. 

"I just got off a plane in Munich," Adam told her. 

"Munich... you're in Germany?" she asked, a little awed. "You weren't kidding about how much you like to travel." 

"I'm more trying to get away from Meili at the moment," Adam confessed. 

"Meili?" Lydia asked. She felt like she'd heard that name before, but she couldn't remember where. "Who's that?" 

"One of our ancestors," Adam explained. "Meili Zhu. She tracked me down while I was in France trying to find Juliette."

"And you're trying to get away from her because...?" 

"She can be... a lot," Adam said. "Especially when she thinks you're doing something stupid." 

"Well, she's kind of got a point," Lydia murmured. 

Adam sighed heavily. "How've you been?" he asked, changing the subject. The background noise faded on his end with the sound of a car door closing. She heard his muffled voice talking—maybe giving an address to a taxi driver.

Lydia bit her lip, trying to think of how to answer that. "Well, you remember how a vampire attacked me and another girl last year?"

"I recall you mentioning that, yes," Adam said, audibly confused.

"Well, his girlfriend's coming after us to get revenge for his death, so we're all a little on edge," Lydia told her uncle.

"'We'?" Adam questioned. "You and that pack of shape-shifters?"

Lydia bit her lip slightly, aware that everyone in the house could hear their conversation clear as day. "And the Cullens," Lydia said, not even bothering to lower her voice. It wasn't like that would help. "They're back."

"What? Since when?" Adam asked.

"They came back the week after you left, actually," she told him. "I would have told you about it if you'd answered my texts." She didn't mean for it to sound as harsh as it came out, but she couldn't hide the hint of anger that slipped through. 

Adam sighed. "So, does that mean your ex is back, too?"

Lydia thanked the universe that Jasper was out hunting with Emmett and Carlisle and wasn't there to overhear her conversation. God knew how awkward that would feel. "He's... not my ex anymore," she said softly. "We're giving it another shot."

Adam's response was surprisingly understanding. "I wish I could say I'm surprised, but honestly... it seemed a bit inevitable."

"Yeah," Lydia agreed quietly. Adam knew as well as she did that both their kind and vampires fell in love once and stayed in love. Even though she'd fallen in love with Jasper before her transformation, a part of her knew he was it for her. They were soulmates, as cliché as it might have sounded.

"Are you happy?" Adam asked her, reminding her of Embry just a little.

"I am," she said. Biting the inside of her cheek, she added, "I'd be even happier if you came to visit."