The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle.
Why not I with thine?
Love's Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
Saturday comes sooner than I expect, and although I am pumped that the weekend is finally here, the movie hangout I'd agreed to is a huge wet stain on my initial plan to stay in bed all day and stuff my face with chicken wings.
"I thought you said there'd be townie girls here?" Paul grumbles next to me.
Getting Paul to agree to be my plus one today was easier than I thought it would be. All I had to do was sweeten the deal by paying for his ticket, filling his car up with gas and promise to introduce him to some of my girlfriends from school.
The two of us are waiting outside of the movie theatre for Mike to return. He insisted that he would buy the snacks, and neither Paul nor I were jumping in to resist.
It is drizzling softly, and despite it being only 2pm, the sky is already a purplish/ dark blue hue.
"Everyone cancelled last minute, so it's just me you and Mike." A fat raindrop falls onto my nose, and I wipe it off in annoyance before pulling my Burberry coat closer to my body. Yes, you heard that right, Burberry. Your girl's no longer a category A broke bitch, no more GUGGI and Louis Vuitlon. I have stepped up.
He scoffs. "That's convenient." He takes a long sip out of his soda cup before continuing.
"That gawky kid is so in love with you. It's kind of pathetic really."
"Hey." I ineffectively shove at his shoulder.
"He is not in love with me. He's just…" I pause, trying to find the right words.
"What, hopelessly devoted to you?" He snickers.
I pinch his exposed bicep and twist. I smile to myself once he winces from the pain.
"You're making me regret bringing you here."
"Then it would've really been a date between the two of you, no buffer for him to not pull out all his moves."
I hate that he's right. So, I pinch him again, harder and longer this time.
"Ouch!" He yells.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did that hurt?" I ask him kindly, feigning regret.
"Uh, yeah!" He rubs his arm and stares at me with disgruntlement.
"Good." I smile maliciously.
"What that white kid sees in you, I'll never know." He shakes his head at me.
I kiss my teeth, then straighten up when I see Mike walking back towards us from the concession stand, his arms full of what I can only deduce are supposed to be our 'snacks'.
"Quit it, He's coming back." I say lowly to Paul.
"Hey, they didn't have any skittles. So, I got us M&Ms, twinkies, raisins, chocolate covered raisins, almonds, chocolate covered almonds, jellybeans, sour patch kids, some jerky and Hershey bars."
I stare at him, my mouth slightly agape. There is no way he's expecting us to eat all of that?
"You forgot the popcorn, Einstein. Paul pipes in sarcastically."
"Uh shit- I'm sorry" Mike's face turns pink.
"Mike it's okay, Paul was just joking around. You got us more than enough."
I reassure Mike before turning to glare at the freeloader who sipping on the same Sprite that Mike had brought for him.
"Anyway, I hate popcorn. All those kernels getting stuck in my teeth? No thank you."
Mike beams at me as if I hold the cure to cancer and I tentatively smile back. Man, this kid is weird.
I allow him to lead the us into the theatre hall, Paul trudging not too far behind us.
"I heard this movie's really good." Mike says as we walk past the rows looking for our seats. "My brother watched it last weekend with his girlfriend."
"I didn't know you had a brother." I turn to look at him, mildly surprised. Something about him just screamed 'only child'.
"Yeah, he's 3 years older than me. Do you have any siblings?"
"No, it's just me," My brows furrow as Mr Carter's face pops in my head, who knows how many kids that man has fathered, I just met him. Somehow, the thought of having siblings I don't know about unsettles me.
"At least I think so." I add as an afterthought.
He chuckles nervously, I can see he is not sure if I'm joking or not.
Before I take my seat, I see a tall figure in the corner of my eye, conspicuously trying to hide his face with a bucket of popcorn, but I can spot that forehead anywhere.
I look to the side to see if Paul has noticed him yet. He's gripping onto his drink and his body has tensed up.
This fucking guy.
"I'm going to the bathroom for a bit." I say in a rushed voice to Mike.
Mike looks startled but does not object, at least I don't give him the chance to. I hightail my ass out of there. Shouting loudly in my head for Edward to 'Follow me'.
I look back to see if he's actually following me, then I proceed to lead us into the empty alleyway outside the theatre.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him, unimpressed.
"I came to watch a movie." He lifts his chin diplomatically.
"Bullshit. You stalked me here didn't you." I point at his chest accusingly.
"I wouldn't say stalked… I just knew that you would be here after overhearing you and your friend talking at school and I cleared my day to make sure that I could be here as well. It seemed like an open invitation." He shrugs as if what he is saying sounds perfectly normal.
"So, you stalked me." "Edward, we agreed that we would stay away from each other." I cross my arms over my chest.
"I know, I'm sorry." He at least has the decency to look a little remorseful.
There's silence between us for a long time before I finally speak up. "You're making it really hard for me Edward." I groan.
"I miss you too. But you wanted this remember?"
"I never wanted any of this." He says despondently.
I sigh to myself forlornly. "I know. This isn't ideal for either one of us but we've just gotta deal with it."
"Would you call me selfish if I said I don't want to." He looks like a sad puppy, and all I want to do in this moment is pull him into my arms.
"I wish things were back to normal. I wish you weren't on this movie date with Mike." He says Mike's name with an exaggerated eye roll.
"It's not a date-." I interject. "Paul is with me."
"If it weren't for Paul, Mike would've had his way. I heard him plotting on how to get you alone this weekend. He's been all over you since you came back to school." There's a hint of bitterness in his tone and I can't help but relish in it.
"Are you jealous of Mike?" I say with an unintentional chuckle.
"I am not jealous." He scoffs and looks to the side.
"Well, well well, how the turntables turn." I grin at him.
Edward gives me a skeptical stare. "That doesn't sound even remotely right…"
I wave him off.
"Anyway, you don't have to worry about Mike or anyone else for that matter, I'll be waiting for you like old lady Rose waited for Jack- even if it does take '84 years'." I lower my voice and add some shakiness to it to mimic an old lady.
I wait for him to laugh, or even smile at my spot-on impersonation, if I do say so myself, of the old lady from Titanic. But nothing, Edward just stands there looking stoic and dare I say a little bit concerned.
"I don't want you to want that." He says after a short air of silence, his brows pulled together pensively.
"You're talking in circles now, Edward." I tell him with my hand on my hip.
"If you want to be with Mike, or anyone else, I shouldn't be the reason you can't."
"In fact, you'd be better off with someone like him, you don't need any of this calamity in your life."
I release a heavy groan and glare at him sternly. "There you go again, I've already told you I want to be with you, I don't care about anything or anyone else." I pause, realizing how desperate I sound.
"Wait… do you still want to be with me?"
If he doesn't, I might as well grow a red nose and put on some clown makeup because I would be turning into Boo Boo the Fool.
"I definitely do. More than anything," he moves closer to me and takes my hand.
"I just don't feel like all of this is fair for you, we hardly see each other and when we do, we can't speak to each other in case someone's around. It's selfish of me. You deserve to be someone's world without being hidden from it."
I huff deeply in exasperation. "You talk a big game, Edgar Allen Poe, but let's not front and say you'd be thrilled to see me with another guy." I cross my arms over my chest and stare him down impassively.
"Of course I wouldn't but-."
I cut him off before he can continue.
"And I definitely won't be a happy camper if I found out you moved on with some other bitch. You're it for me Edward, no one else could even try to take your place. And you can't tell me it's not the same for you. So yeah, it will continue to suck for the next couple of months. But what's a few months apart compared to forever with each other."
"Forever?" He sounds stunned.
"Forever ever." I smile sweetly at him.
"You want that with me?"
"Hells yeah."
"But what about your home, your real home. In that other world?"
"My real home is here with you."
"Was that too cheesy?" My face screws up in embarrassment. "Sometimes I say things without thinking them through. But I mean it. I really-" My words are cut off by Edward as he gently grabs my face and pulls me in for a kiss, I'm stunned for a second, but then I proceed to move my lips against his in reciprocation.
It isn't as depraved as the last kiss we shared on his porch last week. This kiss is softer but somehow just as intense. His hand caresses the nape of my neck while his other arm is wrapped tightly around my waist firmly locking me against him.
I become so engrossed in him that I'm deeply startled by a rowdy group of teens walking past the alleyway.
I pull away from him, my heart still racing and my cheeks burning.
"Woah." I smile softly at Edward, completely entranced.
He grins back at me and kisses my forehead lightly.
"I should go back to the movie." I say dazedly, swaying gently on my feet.
"Do you have to?"
"They're probably wondering where I am. A bathroom break can't be 40 minutes."
"You're right I'm sorry. I got carried away."
"No, It's okay. I liked it." My cheeks burn
"Uh chile, anyways." I chuckle nervously. "I'll call you okay." I nibble gently on my still tender bottom lip.
I wave at him timidly before turning and walking away slowly. Counting my steps in my head to prevent myself from skipping away like I'm six years old.
"Amiyah." He calls me before I've gone too far.
"Yeah?" I turn back around to face him. I flush when I see just how dishevelled he looks because of me. His hair is sticking up at odd angles from me running my fingers through it and his shirt is visibly rumpled.
Damn I wanna jump his bones.
"I love you." He tells me, staring intensely at me and smiling softly.
I grin at him stupidly, my heart lurching as if it's the first time I'm hearing him say that.
"I love you too." I say breathily.
"You were gone long." Mike whispers to me once I return and take my seat.
"Yeah. There was a long line."
"Long line, these nuts." I hear Paul mutter under his breath.
You know I'm really starting to regret teaching him 21st century slang.
"Did I miss anything important?" I ask with faux interest, ignoring Paul's snide comment.
"Reese Witherspoon is a ghost, but not really dead just in a coma and that guy is the only one who can see her." Mike fills me in, pointing at characters on the screen.
"Cool." I say, staring intently at my soda cup. I'd be lying if I said I gave a shit, my thoughts are fixated solely on the kiss I just had. I keep on replaying the scene over and over. The ghost of his lips hover over my own and even now my body is enveloped in goosebumps.
I stay like this for the duration of the movie I'm only startled out of my reverie when I feel Paul and Mike start to get up from both sides of me.
The movie has finished, and I did not catch a minute of it.
I follow suite, stumbling slightly as I gather my untouched snacks and my purse.
"That was quite the movie." I comment with gusto once we are outside.
"It was alright. Paul drones nonchalantly.
"Hey, I was thinking we could go out for something to eat? There's a Wendy's a couple of blocks away?"
I steal a glance at Paul, but he has been avoiding my gaze.
"I'd love to. But Paul's my ride back and he's got a thing-."
"I do?" He looks at me quizzically.
"Yes." I smile at Mike then turn to face Paul and silently threaten him by mimicking a knife sliding across my neck.
Paul looks more perturbed than intimidated, but nevertheless he complies.
"Oh. Right. I have uh- a work thing."
"How about a rain check?" I suggest to Mike genially.
"Uh sure. I guess I'll see you at school on Monday."
He leans in for a hug and I immediately fake a coughing fit.
"Are you okay?" He asks me, visibly concerned.
"Yeah, I think a bug just flew into my throat." I say hoarsely.
I clear my throat a few more times before saying. "Alright, see you Monday."
Grabbing Paul by his arm I pull him away and start speed walking towards the parking lot.
"Whew, that was a close call, am I right?" I say to him once we reach Paul's car.
"Don't pull me into your schemes, I for one was looking forward to a free meal."
"Relax," I giggle. "Ill get you a pizza on our way back to Forks."
"A full pizza." He points at me.
"They don't sell pizzas in halves, do they?" I roll my eyes at him good naturedly.
"And don't expect me to share. You want a slice, buy your own."
"You're going to eat a full pizza by yourself?" I narrow my eyes at him.
"I've seen you eat a whole tub of ice cream in one go, you didn't see me judging."
I smack my lips together and stare at him unblinking. "Touché."