Good Morning, Little Ones!

I know there were a lot of questions yesterday. We're going to start getting into those answers, but if you want to discuss anything, head over to Facebook. I'll start a discussion thread!

Thank you to Mel, Jill, and Paige!

.: Eighteen :.

The parchment is soft and worn in my hands like it's been handled for one hundred years. My eyes trace the looping scrawl over and over, trying to make sense of any of it.

It's ridiculous. Some weirdly elaborate hoax made up by a deranged mind.

I'm about to throw the papers down on the table when I see two small rectangles sitting by my coffee cup. I reach down, flipping them over. The breath in my lungs catches.

One is a portrait of a young man I'm certain is Edward, though the portrait looks like a man older than Edward is now.

The other one is me. Not just a woman who looks like me, but she is me. Down to the small mole under her right eyebrow. Only this photograph is at least one hundred years old, if not older.

"What the hell kind of game is this?" I ask, looking up at Edward.

He looks somber. "I know it's a lot to take in," he says quietly. He reaches into his leather coat and pulls out a third photograph, sliding it across the table. "That was me, about a month before I met Lina in 1939."

I stare down at the photo. It's him, undeniably him, but the photo feels authentically decades old.

"What's your angle?" I ask, my throat thick. I have a hard time looking at him, so I focus on the papers on the table between us.

"No angle," he says softly. My eyes flicker up to his, and I'm caught in that hypnotic gaze of his. "No tricks, just the truth."

I consider that. Everything he's put in front of me is insane, but also, so is the pull between us. I've never obsessed over someone as I have with him, and if I could blame that on a past life, well then so be it.

I sit back in the booth, looking up at Edward head-on. "So you decided to disobey my direct orders?" I ask, picking up the letter and waving it in front of him. "What happened to running the other way?"

Edward lets out a strangled laugh, his elbow coming up to land on the table as he shoves a hand through his hair.

"Like I haven't tried," he mutters. I frown at him, waiting for him to elaborate. He catches my gaze and lets out a long breath. "I've left town three times since I first met you. Even made it as far as Los Angeles once before I turned around." He pauses, piercing me with that gaze of his. "I physically can't leave, not now."

There is such raw honesty in his eyes that it's almost burning me. This is utterly batshit, but it's clear he believes it.

I look back down at the photos on the table, and a pang in my heart makes it hard to breathe for a moment. I've never been one to fixate over people. They come and go, and I don't care either way. That's how it's always been.

How it had been until Edward.

I glance up at him. His gaze is on the photos, a glassy look in his eyes. I may not trust much in this world, but I trust my instinct. I have to, it's the thing that's kept me alive this long.

"So, how do you break this curse?" I ask, tapping the letter with a single finger.

Edward blinks and looks up at me. "I don't know."

I nod.

"Who cursed us?"

"I don't know."

My eyes narrow. "Okay…" I pause, studying the letter once more. "So you really are from Chicago?"

He chuffs out a tight laugh. "Yes."

I lick my lips as I try to muddle through my swirling thoughts.

"What else do you know?"

He sits back in the booth, letting out a long sigh. "You want in?"

I don't know why he sounds so fucking surprised. I meet his gaze and nod. "Yeah, I want in."

I'm momentarily distracted by his tongue as it licks his plump bottom lip. I want to fucking bite that lip.

Then he nods and shifts, pulling his wallet out. He puts a couple of dollars on the table for our coffee before he reaches forward, scooping up the letter and photos. We stand from the booth, and even though there is much more important stuff happening, I can't help but be fully and utterly distracted by his body. He is seriously gorgeous, especially for a guy over one hundred years old.

We head out of the diner, and on the sidewalk, I stop and step into his personal space. He's caught off guard, his hands coming up to hold me to him on instinct.

"I want to clear the air," I say, gazing up at him. "This is why you won't sleep with me, right?"

His eyes are burning through the dark night, and I feel his whole body tense.

"Yes."

I let out a short breath.

"And if you weren't worried about dying and continuing some crazy-ass curse, you'd be railing me in your car right now?"

He shifts so fast, it takes my breath away. For the second time in a single night, he has me pressed up against a building, though this time he hoists me up so that my legs wrap around his waist, and his zipper is rubbing against my aching clit. I gasp as he bends his head toward mine.

"On every surface," he whispers in my ear. "At every opportunity." His teeth catch my earlobe, and my whole body is pulsing and shaking. I've never needed someone like I need Edward. My hands flex on his shoulders, and it takes supernatural willpower to push him back.

"Okay," I moan. "You don't have to prove it."

Reluctantly, he pulls back from me, and I have to stop myself from rubbing myself over his zipper because I'm dying for some sort of release. Our willpowers can't take that though, so I stay perfectly still, waiting. Edward lets out a long breath and then slowly sets me down.

"Maybe you should change before we head over."

I blink at him as my feet hit the ground again. "Head over where?"

He steps away from me, motioning toward his car. It takes a second for me to find my balance, but then I follow him, sliding into the passenger seat when he opens the door for me.

I take a second to try to center myself again.

It's pretty useless since his car smells completely of him. It only serves to turn me on more.

"Fuck," I mutter, pushing a hand up into my hair. Edward climbs into the car, and the first thing we both do once it's up and running is roll the windows down.

Edward smirks at me, and I can't help my smile.

"Where are we going?"

Edward pulls away from the curb before he glances at me.

"You're going to put on a parka or something else that will make it difficult to see you." He grunts. I giggle. "And then I'm going to show you what I know."

I let out a breath and nod.

Right, curse first, loopholes later.