Still for Accio, still not ours.
Rosalie watched Emmett walk toward her. He was dressed casually as always, but she noticed his shorts were pressed. He was wearing a plaid button-up instead of his usual t-shirt, the sleeves rolled up his tanned forearms. His jaw line was a little scruffy, his hair damp around his ears and she briefly thought about what it would be like to run her nose along his jaw until she reached the spot where it curved up just below his ear, to feel the sensation of roughness against her skin and to smell soap and warmth and sea on him.
Her heart beat hard in anticipation as he came to stand next to the other side of the booth, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He wore a hesitant smile and dipped his chin down, his eyes darting to the empty seat and then back to her.
"Is this seat taken?"
She gestured to it with one hand, wrapping her other around her glass of beer to give it something to do. "It is now."
That smile widened and Rosalie grinned back at him, a little breathless. His legs were so long that his knee brushed against hers under the table as he got settled. It was strange having him so close and not feeling like she needed to push him away or run. It was both exhilarating and terrifying to invite him in like this, to lower her defenses. It probably seemed like such a small, insignificant thing to him, but it was a huge step for Rosalie. It was her acknowledging that there was something here and that she wanted to explore whatever that something was.
"Where are the spicy wings?" Emmett asked, his tone teasing and light. His body gave him away, though; she could feel his knee bobbing up and down quickly underneath the table, watched as his fingers played absently with the corner of his napkin. He was nervous and that made her feel more at ease. Maybe this wasn't insignificant to him after all.
"I thought I'd wait for you to order. The fries were just to tide me over until you got here."
Emmett's eyes locked with hers and his fingers stalled in their work fraying the edge of the napkin. "Well, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."
"No, not too long," Rosalie responded, cheeks flushing, and though she knew he was talking specifically about the food, she wasn't entirely sure she was.
He tilted his head slightly, a curious smile on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes darted from her face up to Jessica, who was sauntering toward them, a notepad in hand.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," she said with a wide smile.
"Just stop right there," Emmett replied, holding up his hand. "I'm sure you've got a lot to say, but do me a favor and zip it, okay?"
Jessica drew her fingers across her lips, miming a zipper, then tossed an invisible key behind her with a flourish.
"Damn, if only that was really possible," Emmett sighed with a grin.
"You're a real charmer, Em," Jessica snorted, turning to Rosalie, her pen pointed at Emmett. "If he's a smart ass like this to you, let me know and I'll make sure Chef spits in his food, okay?"
"I think I can handle him," Rosalie said, her mouth twitching to try and hold back a smile. He looked over at her, one side of his mouth drawing up further so that his grin went lopsided and Jessica looked between the two of them, shaking her head slowly with a laugh. She took their orders – an order of wings for her, messy fingers be damned, and a Philly cheese steak and a beer for him – then sauntered off, chuckling to herself.
Rosalie looked back at Emmett, whose knee had started going again, and took a sip of beer to fortify her nerves before she attempted an apology. She pulled at the neckline of her sweater and noticed that his eyes zeroed in on the exposed skin of her shoulder. She smiled to herself, remembering how Esme had casually mentioned Emmett's affinity for bare shoulders over the phone earlier. Most guys would go for the obvious – breasts, behind, even legs – but shoulders? It was such an unlikely choice and was just another example of the ways in which he continued to surprise her.
"So I – "
"Are you –"
They both stopped, laughing, and said in unison, "Go ahead." Rosalie raised an eyebrow and he mimicked her, his mouth framed by those deep dimples.
She drew in a deep breath, placing her hands flat on the table in front of her. "I'm sure I caught you off-guard with my note the other day and then dropping by your shop earlier. I'm sorry I've been so rude to you. You didn't deserve it and I feel terrible for treating you that way. I don't really have a good excuse for it other than that I assumed..." she trailed off, chewing at her bottom lip. "I assumed a lot of things about you, Emmett, and I'm sorry for that."
He nodded slowly, scratching at his jaw. "Apology accepted. I'm sorry, too, for what I said to you on Saturday. I obviously assumed things, too, and I was out of line."
"Well, you know what they say about assuming, right?" she replied, leaning forward and resting her chin against the heel of her palm. She tried to take him in subtly, to notice the small details she hadn't before, like the smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose, the small white scar that bordered his hairline, the way his eyes lit up, brilliant and warm focused on her.
"That it makes an ass out of you?" Emmett ventured with a grin.
Rosalie snorted softly. "You forgot the 'and me' part there, buddy."
"So you're calling me an ass?" He pretended to look affronted, but she could plainly make out the good-natured spark in his eyes. She secretly reveled in being the cause and the recipient of that look.
"Hey, I'm calling myself one, too!" she replied. "That has to count for something."
He laughed and shook his head. "All right, as long as we're in it together."
"It looks like we are," Rosalie said with a smile. Emmett smiled, too, his eyes lingering on her face. They stayed like that for a long moment, gazing at each other and grinning, before he exhaled, leaning back in his seat.
"I think we should start over," he suggested.
She tilted her head, curious. "Start over?"
He extended his hand across the table. "Hi, I'm Emmett." Rosalie let out a laugh, shaking her head. "Come on, don't leave me hanging."
With a roll of her eyes and a reluctant grin, she slipped her hand into his. His skin was warm and a little calloused and his fingers wrapped around hers, enveloping her in his grip. "Rosalie," she said.
"Nice to meet you, Rose," he replied. Her heart skipped a beat at the nickname. She hadn't been called that in so long, but somehow it sounded right coming from him. It was scary how right it sounded.
She leaned back slightly, increasing the space between them, but kept her hand in his. Her smile turned playful. "You too, Moondoggie."
Emmett's mouth dropped open and he squeezed her hand before releasing it. "You just completely ruined it."
"I didn't," she laughed. "I just think you should embrace the nickname."
His eyes sparkled with good humor as he shrugged. "Fine, Smurfette."
Rosalie wrinkled her nose. "I obviously got the short end of the nickname stick."
They were still teasing one another when Jessica brought their food and Emmett's beer. They dug in immediately and Rosalie swept her hair behind her shoulders so it wouldn't get sauce in it. She couldn't help her hum of appreciation in the first bite; she hadn't had wings in years and these were sinfully delicious and greasy. When she looked back up, he was watching her, a mysterious and thoughtful expression on his face. She raised a questioning eyebrow but he just smiled and shook his head, going back to his sandwich.
They continued to talk and laugh in between bites of food. She asked more questions than she answered, her curiosity about him only growing with each bit of information he fed her. The more he told her, the more she wanted to know. She found herself fascinated, leaning forward, her eyes wandering to his mouth more frequently with every sip of beer she took. Emmett regaled her with stories of tourists and their odd requests and demands, his laughter mingling with hers, and she noticed silently the way his face came alive when he talked about his work, how passionate and in love with it he was. She couldn't help envying his enthusiasm. He seemed to approach everything in life that way, with openness, a curiosity and enthusiasm that she knew she'd had at one time, that she felt slowly building back up inside of her. She couldn't help but wonder if it was her new home and the change of scenery that had caused that change in her, or if it was something else entirely.
Or maybe someone else? A voice that sounded suspiciously like Esme's whispered in Rosalie's ear.
Yes, things had certainly changed for her. And nothing highlighted that better than this man, an unexpected presence in her new life, sitting across from her now.
We're giggling over in our corner – next week? Next week is going to be interesting for these two. Need a weekend fix? Besides our individual Em and Rose stories (most of H's are on ADF only – pm if you want a copy and don't belong) there are lots of Em/Rose or non canon pairings with either Em or Rose in our faves – you should check them out!
Hope you all have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! See you next week.
