I Found by Amber Run
"And I moved farther than I thought I could
But I missed you more than I thought I would."
XVI. Cliffs
"Hi," Abby whispered, staring up at Edward's gaze. He hadn't moved a muscle since he opened the door, and he hadn't shifted his eyes away from her for a single moment. He was acutely aware that the rest of his family were upstairs giving the two of them the privacy they needed.
"Abby," he said, quite taken aback that she was standing at his doorway. Edward nearly had to physically shake away the shock before remembering his manners, "Please come in."
She shook her head, "I uh - I actually wanted to show you something." Abby wasn't sure if his entire family was home. She had caught sight of Alice disappearing in a blink of an eye, and it took her by surprise. The petite girl vanished so quick it was almost as though she wasn't there. Sure, Abby was at the Cullen house, a house literally full of vampires, but she wasn't used to the...abilities.
"In the rain?" Edward raised an eyebrow.
Nodding, she sent him a sheepish look, "Kinda' yeah, is that okay with you and your family?"
He didn't have to ask permission, and he knew from her look that she knew that too. She didn't have to ask him; he'd simply follow her everywhere. Thus, he grabbed his rain coat and an extra umbrella, then followed her to her car.
Taking a look at the small size of her car and at the storm brewing around them, Edward suggested with a quirk to his lip, "Maybe we take my car?"
She released a small laugh, and replied with a nod, "Yeah, yeah that's smart. Do you mind if I drive?"
Dear, you can steal the car for all I care, Edward thought to himself before tossing her the keys. She caught them reflexively sending him a soft smile that sent a strike of warmth running through his cold veins, and the duo walked over to his family's garage that was located beneath the main structure of the house. The garage door was left open, and his car was parked near his brother's black Jeep on the far right of the room.
Abby got inside of the drivers seat, and Edward followed in suit watching her turn the car on.
"Your house is incredible," Abby stated, looking around the spacious garage with big eyes. It was a large three-car garage that had Edward's Volvo, Emmett's Jeep, and Rosalie's convertible nestled comfortably within. The walls were a bright white, and it was well lit with expensive lighting attached to the ceiling. Her concrete driveway definitely paled in comparison to this apartment sized garage.
"I'm sure Esme would love the compliment," Edward smiled at her before asking the question that was bound to pop up, "Do you mind telling me where we're going?"
Abby started the vehicle and replied, "Just trust me."
Always, he wished to say.
The ride was filled with the rain pattering against the car and Edward's soft classical music. Abby didn't utter a single word yet Edward could hear how erratic her heart beat against her chest. He wondered why that was: was it because she was sitting next to a monster? He didn't blame her. If he was human and sat next to him, he'd be petrified too.
Abby knew exactly where she was headed. She was showing Edward a part of her that no one else knew. She's never showed her feelings to someone. She had no idea how to do so. So, she was nervous and decided to take him to a place only her and her father once knew. Abby hadn't been back since her parents had passed, and the one person she'd ever come to this area with was Edward.
The storm soon settled down to a slight drizzle, and Abby knew that this was the perfect weather to show him her favorite spot in all of Forks, Washington just like she had promised him on that first day. The ride was a short one, only twenty minutes from his house, and Forks Highway lead to the one beach far off from La Push's many beaches. The road eventually started to get a little rocky due to her going off course but she knew the route by heart. She changed gears to go uphill, and continued to drive up the bumpy terrain - grateful that she wasn't in her own compact car. After minutes of driving uphill, a slim dirt road finally appeared and she gingerly got on, driving a little further up to reach the cliff side.
Arriving at the highest peak of Rialto Beach was her destination, and she arrived with her and Edward in one piece putting the car into park. The vampire in the passenger seat watched as a faint smile fell upon her lips as she stared out of the windshield toward the edge of the cliff. Her eyes were lit up as though she was reliving moments of her life in seconds. She shook her thick brunette hair out of the hood from her raincoat and pulled it back into a messy ponytail. She zipped up the rain coat to her chin before turning to look at him with the most loving look he's ever seen on her.
Her hair was a wet tangled frizzy mess placed haphazardly behind her neck. Her cheeks along with her nose were tinted red due to the brisk air, and her lips were slightly swollen from her biting them anxiously. And the air was knocked out of him. How she managed to do things that rendered him speechless was beyond him, but he adored every little thing she did.
"Come out," she whispered, looking at him with a gentle smile, "and don't bring the umbrella's."
Edward couldn't speak staring at her unfathomable beauty but nodded, then watched her exit his car without looking back at him. He walked out of the car and shut the door. She stood terribly close to the edge of the cliff. The wind huffed so harshly around her he was terrified she'd fall, and it took every nerve of his body to not move her away from the danger. But it was as though she had been here a thousand times because she seemed so comfortable where she stood. He came to stand next to her and saw that she had her eyes closed, a tiny smile upon on lips.
The wind buffeted her coat against her body, the cold seeping through, and the rain lashed against her cheeks. The slight sound of whistling could be heard due to the wind cutting through the branches of the few trees scattered around. The pounding waves below her created a bass soundtrack flowing through her eardrums. She opened her eyes, watching below her as the large gray waves of the Pacific crashed harshly against the jagged rocks. Huge logs were tossed around the waves as if they were toothpicks, and the trees bent so harshly as if they were going to break any moment. Through the wind and the crashing waves, Abby felt like she was stood atop of the entire world.
"On the first day of school," she started, continuing to stare out at the endless angry ocean as the magnificent waves broke down against the rocks, "you asked me to show you my favorite places in Forks. This is it." Without waiting for him to reply, she added, "My dad and I used to love watching the storms. I haven't been back since they -." Abby cut herself off and cleared her throat of the final word before deciding to glance at him to see him already giving her a pain-stricken look, "I've never brought anyone here."
Edward took in a deep breath and spoke gently, "Abby-"
She shook her head, letting out a shaky breath, "I was a coward, Edward. I was so incredibly stupid."
"You don't have to explain yourself -"
"Yes I do because I was so...scared," she interrupted him, taking a step toward him to mend the bridge between them. She looked up at him with her doe brown eyes that were filling with little droplets of moisture he recognized as tears, and he suddenly felt complete in himself. Abby bit her bottom lip to stop it from quivering, "I was scared that if I let myself become vulnerable around you, I'd lose you too," she swallowed a lump in her throat harshly, "and I couldn't go through it again. I'm not like you; I have nothing to offer you."
"Like me?" His eyes widened in shock. She was worried about not being a monster for him? How could she not see she's the purest soul he's ever come across? "You are everything, Abby, and it is because you are nothing like me." Edward's voice was velvety smooth, even through the winds and waves. He took a step towards her saying earnestly, "I could never leave you. I don't think I could without it utterly ruining me."
And with that reassurance, Abby collapsed into a thousand pieces into him all over again. He was it for her. With all that Abby's been through, Edward was the sole reason as to why it was easier to breathe everyday. There was a vital piece of her missing the last few weeks. She tried to fill it with friends, her art, and the food pantry but it stayed entirely empty. Standing atop of this cliff with him brought her back to life; it snapped her whole world into place.
Her lips started to tremble harshly, tears filled her eyes to the brim, and she nodded, "Good because I don't have the strength to stay away from you anymore, Edward. It hurts too much."
"So don't," he suddenly placed both of his ice cold palms on the nape of her neck. He used his thumb to stroke her jaw on either side of her face, and told her in the sweetest voice, "You are the most important thing to me, Abigail - the most important thing to me ever. You are the only one to have touched my unbeating heart. It will always be yours."
Abby felt like she was drowning; she couldn't possibly be sure that these were the words that Edward was speaking. It almost felt like she was in a dream; a beguiling, improbable dream. His golden eyes scorched from under his lashes, hypnotic and imploring while the wind ferociously moved his hair wildly around. Edward was a dream. He was her dream.
She grasped two fistfuls of the lapel of his expensive jacket and closed her eyes, feeling a few tears trail down her cheeks. Reopening them, she whispered, "I'm so sorry I kept you waiting." Edward gently wiped the stray tear away from her cheek with his thumb.
He scoffed, and took another step closer to her so they were mere inches apart, "I would've waited forever for you."
"Forever?" her eyes flashed to his perfectly smooth and symmetrical mouth. He was slowly leaning towards her, and she felt his cool breath brush against her lips. She leaned into him, inhaling his intoxicating scent even though the air around her was forcing her to smell something entirely else all she caught was a scent that was strictly Edward. She pushed up on her toes, barely reaching his chin and felt the muscles in the pit of her stomach tighten with hunger at the anticipation.
"And it would've been entirely worth the wait," Edward whispered, his lips delicately brushing against her own. He was trying to be good. He was trying to be the righteous man his mother and father prayed him to be on their deathbeds. He couldn't let himself go without being the old-fashioned man he'd always been. But Abigail Davis sure made him question his morals.
Then, she pressed her lips against his. Her arms were on his chest while his own wrapped around her tiny body, pressing her against him as gently as he could all the while lifting her up as though she weighed nothing. The heat between the two radiated, making them glow, making them whole. Her hands found the nape of his neck and grabbed a fistful of his hair, running her fingers through his soft silky bronze hair. Their lips moved against each other like they've kissed a hundred times before; somehow fitting perfectly, somehow feeling as though they should've been doing this the very moment they met.
He was in heaven. Edward had read so many novels written by many great authors about what heaven could've been, but none of them had Abigail Davis in their arms because this, right at this moment, was heaven.
After deeming entirely too cold for a mere human to be out in the pouring rain and treacherous wind, Edward decided to drive back to his place.
The secret smiles of absolute elation didn't leave their faces even when they got inside of his car. He put the car in reverse, and started to drive down the slightly rocky hill. His right hand left the steering wheel and instantly found her left intertwining their fingers together. Their conjoined hands were rested upon her left thigh. His hold only tightened, and his breath slightly hitched when he felt her unused hand brush her fingertips across his knuckles that were facing up. And he loved her, oh how he absolutely loved her.
"I want to know everything," Abby abruptly whispered, staring down at their joined hands. Happy, happy, happy - so fucking happy were the only thoughts being tossed around in her head. Any thoughts that didn't involve Edward Cullen were viciously erased by his perfect crooked smirk and perfect pale skin and perfect topaz eyes.
"What do you mean?" Edward wondered still reveling in the feeling of her fingertips brushing against the back of his palm.
"About you," she replied. She looked up and looked at his perfect side profile and perfect contour of his nose and perfect valley of his lips. Abby blinked, feeling the rush of blood rise to her entire face thinking of their long kiss. She released a breath, "I want to know everything about you."
He released a small chuckle, "I've lived a long life, Abby."
"And I want to know everything,"
Edward turned to smirk that knee shaking smirk at her, and she felt her cheeks flame when she saw his eyes full of something she was starting to comprehend: love.
"Well, if I'm being dreadfully honest," he let out a long breath before continuing, "my life was at a complete standstill for decades. And then, I met you and it felt like my life had finally started." He lifted their interlocked hands to press a delicate kiss upon the back of her hand, and she felt it light up in the most intoxicating flames.
She tried to shake away the blush that refused to leave her face and giggled, "You're ridiculous, Edward."
"Only slightly,"
The ride back somehow felt shorter, and Edward turned onto the unpaved road that lead to his family's home.
"How exactly did you know where we lived?" Edward wondered, driving the few miles up the narrowing, lengthy road.
"Are you kidding? Everyone know's where you live," Abby snorted. "A new house being built on the outskirts of Forks? It was going to call a lot of attention. Although, I did think I was getting lost down this road because it seemed so endless...and twisty."
Edward let out a laugh as the woods around them were beginning to thin, and then emerged the front lawn that could've easily been a miniature meadow. The forest didn't relent though as there were six cedars that shaded an entire acre with their vast sweep of branches. The trees held their protecting shadow right up to the walls of the house that rose among them, making obsolete the deep porch that wrapped around the first story.
The house, or should she say mansion, really was incredible with its obscure shape and wooden beams. It was three stories, plus the garage and was modern with windows all throughout the structure. And the river was close by, hidden in the impenetrable opacity of the forest.
"Your house really is something, Edward," Abby said, staring up in awe as Edward pulled up next to her car. The rain had ceased completely and the sun was starting to set, a beautiful cotton candy pink and shades of baby blue filling the sky.
His thumb was rubbing circles on the back of her hand and asked, "Would you like to come in?"
"Looking like this?!" Abby motioned to her mascara that was heavily smudged, her hair a frizzy mess, and her outfit that consisted of tights with an old raincoat.
"You look stunning," his eyes held nothing but the utmost sincerity.
Abby flushed, and rolled her eyes to keep the blush away, "Yeah, okay, whatever you say you flawless being."
"I'm serious," he chuckled. "You're the most stunning person I've come across in my long life."
"Edward," she let out a tiny plea, trying to cover her cheeks with her unused hand.
He laughed again, and said, "Let me get you home. We'll make a day where you feel comfortable to come inside. And besides, most of my family aren't home."
"Where are they?" Abby innocently wondered.
"They're uh -" Edward gaze turned away from her and he looked at the woods for a moment before returning to catch her eyes.
"Oh," she had caught on instantly, "you know, you've gotta' tell me more about this vampire thing."
Edward sighed, "I was hoping we wouldn't have to."
"Hey," she released his hold so she could lean over the armrest and placed the palm of her hand on his cold cheek, "being a vampire is a part of you. I want to know everything that has to do with you. I still have questions, pretty boy," Abby grinned at him while using her thumb to stroke the soft skin under his eye.
"That nicknames gonna's stick, isn't it?" He sneered.
"Oh, you know me so well,"
The vampire rolled his eyes before stepping out of the drivers seat, and using his ridiculous speed to open her door. She gave him a look over the unnecessary swiftness and watched him laugh as she handed him her keys, and the duo made their way over to her car. The ride to Abby's place was made with small chitchat, and before either of them knew it, her car was parked in her driveway next to Jay's Challenger.
Her head was on his shoulder, and his hand was enclosed in hers on her lap. Edward moved to place a soft kiss on the crown of her head, inhaling her incredible honeysuckle scent, and wondering if she was truly here with him - holding him, letting him hold her. It didn't feel real. The day didn't feel real. It all felt too good to be true, and he was worried it'd all be ripped away from him.
"I don't want you to go," Abby whispered in the quiet of the car.
"I'm not going anywhere," he gently promised her, tightening his hold on her hand.
"I know," she replied, turning her head to kiss his shoulder and use his arm as a way to hold her chin to look up at him. "But I was...wondering if you'd like to come see me tonight? I just...I just got you back, Edward and I - no, never mind, I'm sorry -"
He placed a light kiss upon her lips to stop her ramblings, and he pulled away smirking at her slightly flushed cheeks but saying in a kind tone, "Keep your window unlocked if you want me to come. If it's locked, I'll know you changed your mind. Don't ever worry about asking to see me, Abby. I'd spend every moment with you if I could."
She smiled up at him, big and bright with vivid glowing cheeks, and if Edward had needed to breath, he would've fainted due to lack of air seeing her smile at him. He knew it then that he was the luckiest man on earth because Abigail Davis looked at him with the most affection he'd ever seen on a person.
A/N: Ahhhh I'm so sorry for the delay of updating. Life kind of got in the way, between having a boyfriend, losing the boyfriend, working full time, and schooling full time, I just couldn't find time in the day to update and write.
But on the bright side, our favorite human and vampire are finally together! That means Bella's coming in soon. AND that means, drama will really unfold.
Enjoy the next few chapters as they'll be warm and full of light haha! Review, follow, favorite guys, *kisses*!
