Ooof, sorry friends! I've had this chapter queued up and ready to post for two days now, but Fórn really took over things, and well, I'm moving this weekend.
But here it is!
All mistakes are on me.
Chapter Thirty-Five: Bella
November 5, 2022
Cambridge, England
It's fucking cold outside.
After I'd jumped Edward's bones earlier, we both needed a nap before heading out for the night. It's Bonfire night in the UK, which I guess means the pyros have free rein of things.
It's totally my kind of night.
"I wish I could take a shot," I whine, stamping my feet in my boots. Edward laughs, pulling me to his side under his arm. He's always so fucking warm, and I curl into him.
"Come on, we'll find a fire to stand near."
There aren't that many actual bonfires, much to my disappointment. In fact, aside from a few tiki-torches in someone's lawn, I don't see any fire.
"What's the deal?" I snap.
"I don't know. Last time I celebrated bonfire night, it was in Scotland. They really went wild with it up there."
"Ugh, stuffy Cambridge," I gripe.
He grins.
"I think there are supposed to be fireworks soon," he offers.
"Okay fine but first I need hot chocolate."
"That, I can do."
We head to a street vendor that's been set up for the night and hop in line. "This country is weird," I say, looking around at the semi-festival that's been set up. Edward laughs.
"I think they say the same thing about us," he points out.
"Yeah," I agree. "But at least that weird is founded in something."
Edward arches a brow. "I'm almost afraid to ask," he says slowly.
"Capitalism. It's a cornerstone of our country and yeah, it sucks, but that's who we are and we own it. England feels like it's trying to own this Capitalist identity without actually calling them themselves Capitalists, like they're ashamed of it or something." I shake my head. "Own it, embrace it. Then they can be a proper dumpster fire, just like us."
Edward laughs so hard, it shakes us both.
"Now you have your opening lines if you ever get to meet the queen," he chokes. I smirk.
"Don't think I wouldn't," I warn.
He laughs, leaning down to kiss me. It warms me better than any hot chocolate would. "Of course you would. We might get banned from a number of countries, but it just might be worth it," he chuckles. I giggle and unzip his jacket, curling into his chest. He pulls his jacket as tight around us as possible.
"You're so supportive," I giggle.
"Are you kidding? I'd follow your crazy ass to the end of the world, and even then I firmly believe you'd find a way to keep going."
I smirk at him. "Of course I would. I'm a woman. We don't just take breaks for the end of the world. We have shit to do."
His laugh tickles through me, and I snuggle into his arms. He smells warm from the whisky he drank earlier, and a little spicy from his cinnamon toothpaste. I want to eat him up.
"Bella," he warns, when I start snuggling deeper into his chest.
"But you smell good," I whine.
He laughs. "Baby, we're in public around children. If you want another round, we have to skip the fireworks and hot chocolate and go home now."
I giggle and nip at his chest. He grunts as my teeth scrape him through his shirt.
"I'll behave," I lie.
Edward snorts. "Liar." He's smiling though, so I know he doesn't mind.
I try to behave. We get our hot chocolates, and the gooey goodness of the marshmallows piled on top help to distract me. We find a spot to watch the fireworks as we sip our drinks, and I can't help but think about next year when we'll have Spawn. Will they like fireworks eventually? Probably not when they are a baby, but what about after that?
I sip my chocolate, letting my mind wander around Spawn. At this point, all I can hope is that the kid ends up even being a little like me.
I glance at Edward at the thought and grin. A little like him wouldn't be so bad either.
Either way, I think we're in for a pretty big adventure, and even though it's scary, I realize as the first fireworks crack across the sky that it's also pretty exciting too.
