Hey guys! sorry I took so long to update. I'm in London on my summer vacation right now, so things have been pretty hectic, but I'm staying up real late to get this done. I've almost reached the required word limit and once I reach that i can relax a bit and complete my story a bit slower. Since I'm in grade 12, I'll be pretty busy and hence the less frequent updates. Don't say I didn't warn you. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! Enjoy:
"So, are you sure you aren't going to tell me where we're going tonight?" I asked Emmett again.
"Well, I suppose it's not that big of a secret, but I want you to be surprised. It's one of my favorite restaurant. Why don't you put in a CD?" He suggested. I flipped through his CD album, looking for something that I also liked.
"You like Switchfoot?" I asked in surprise, seeing a familiar CD.
"Yeah, they're really amazing," he nodded, not taking his eyes off the road. "And their lyrics are deep. They make you think, and I like that. Hey put on "This is Your Life", would you? It's one of my favorites from this CD." I inserted the CD into the player and skipped the first track, since the song that he requested was the second one.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," I agreed. This song really made me think about my life, and whether what I was doing was right. "It's one of my favorite songs, too."
Yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead, yesterday is a promise that you've broken
Don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes
This is your life, and today is all you've got now
Yeah, and today is all you'll ever have
Don't close your eyes, Don't close your eyes
This is your life, are you who you want to be
This is your life, are you who you want to be
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be when the world was younger and you had everything to lose
I found myself singing softly along with the song, and from the corner of my eye I saw that Emmett was, too. We listened to a few more songs before he turned into a parking lot and turned off the engine of his car. I stepped out of the car, and looked around to see if I could recognize where we were. A brightly lit sign, saying 'Casa dela Sol' shone above us.
"Casa dela Sol?" I asked, curiously.
"It's a Mediterranean restaurant, and they have live music and salsa dancing, tattooing, face painting, caricature, and more interactive activities. I usually come here alone; you're the first person I've brought here." He confessed. I looked away, blushing. Wow, that was so sweet.
"OK," was all I could say. He led me into the restaurant, and I was immediately engulfed by the lively music, and chatter of the customers.
"Wow, it sure is loud in here!" I yelled over the commotion. Emmett just smiled knowingly at me. I followed him to an empty table for two, and sat down opposite him.
"I hope you like it. I mean, it's no fancy restaurant or anything, but it's very cozy, and-"
"Emmett," I interrupted him, and smiled. "It's perfect." He smiled so brilliantly at me, that it left me breathless. How could a guy have such an effect on me in such a short time? It was a buffet, so we served ourselves from the large variety of food which was lined up on the counters. During dinner, I didn't talk that much; mostly I was listening to whatever Emmett was saying. He often asked me for my opinion on things, and I just answered him briefly. He never seemed satisfied, but he just let it go. After we finished eating the main course, we served ourselves some dessert and settled back at our table.
"OK, Rosalie, here's the deal. I'm the one who's doing all the talking here. So, tell me about you, about your life." He strummed his fingers on the table, waiting for me to start.
"Well," I started slowly. "I was born in and grew up in New York. I did my elementary schooling there. That was when my parents were together." I winced at the memories. I glanced at Emmett. He was just looking down at his hands, listening intently. "Then, when I was in 6th grade, my mom … passed away." I couldn't bear to tell him how. "My dad and I moved to Seattle, and I started my junior high there in Seattle. I met Alice and Bella in grade 11. I had never noticed them before, especially in the 10th grade, when…. No, no, never mind," I almost choked. No, Rose, stop it. I could not let him know. I could never tell anyone. "And we've been best friends ever since." I plastered a smile on my face, but inside I felt like I was being torn apart. "What about you?"
Emmett had been born in Los Angeles, but his father, being a professor, kept being transferred from university to university, so Emmett had never lived in one place his while life. North Caroline, Minnesota, and New Jersey were a few of the places he had lived. And he said that he had always wanted to live in a place where it was always sunny, so when he was accepted into UCLA, he had grabbed the opportunity. I laughed when he told me that it was much better than living in negative zero temperature.
Suddenly, my cell phone rang. I pulled it out of my purse and saw the caller ID.
"Excuse me," I told Emmett and moved outside the restaurant for better reception. "Hi, dad, what's up? Where are you?"
"Hi Rosie," He said. I missed his voice. He kept traveling due to work, and it seemed like I was seeing him less and less now; it felt like I was losing him, too. I felt a deep sadness blossom inside of me. "Well, I was in the city and was wondering if you wanted to grab dinner tonight."
"Actually, dad, I'm on a date." I heard silence on the other end.
"A date?" He sounded stressed. "Rosie, are you sure? I mean, after, you know…" I squeezed my eyes shut.
"It's fine, dad. He's a really nice guy. And Alice even approves of him. That means, something. You know, dad, don't you, that it takes a lot for Alice to approve of someone? I'll be fine. Please don't worry about me. Can we meet tomorrow?"
"Sure, sweetie. Just tell me the time and place, and I'll be there. I love you."
""Love you too, dad." I said sadly. I pressed the end button and stared at the sidewalk for a moment. Things would never be the same. After mom's death, dad had plunged himself into his work. I think that if he didn't have that work, he would've broken down. And it would've destroyed me to see him like that. I felt a tear roll down my face. Damn it, I seemed to cry for everything nowadays.
"Hey, Rosalie?" Emmett asked me softly from behind.
"Yeah?" I spun around, surprised by his presence. His brow wrinkled as he looked at my face. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" I felt around my mouth.
"Why are you crying?" He asked, concerned. I lifted a hand up to my cheek and sure enough, it was slightly wet.
"Oh, it's- it's nothing," I stuttered.
"Oh, actually I wasn't sure, but are you ready to leave? It's getting a bit late." He asked me uncertainly. I checked the time on my watch and realized that I had been having so much fun that time had passed by quicker than normal. It was already 11:45pm.
"Um, ok. I'm finished eating, anyway." I replied. "Do you mind if I go to the washroom before we leave? I'll just be a moment." He agreed, and I hurried to the ladies' room. I leaned on the counter and examined my reflection in the mirror. My mascara was a little smudged, but other than that, it was not clearly visible that I had cried. Then how had Emmett known? I quickly re-did my make-up and joined Emmett near his car. A red jeep screeched to a halt in the next parking space and its driver stepped out. I wouldn't have paid any attention to that car, seeing as a lot of people drove rashly like that, unless the driver hadn't spoken to me.
"Why, hello, Ms Rosalie Hale. Fancy seeing you here." I froze at the sound of his voice. It was a voice that I could recognize even in my worst nightmares. I took a deep breath and slowly turned around, my worst fears confirmed. It was him; it was the guy who caused me sleepless nights and whose presence tortured me.
"Don't tell me that you've forgotten me, already, babe. How can you not remember?" His words made me shiver in fear. A few guys jumped out of the jeep, and stood around him.
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Emmett demanded angrily, seeing me so distressed. He stepped a little forward.
"Oh, who is this, Rosie? Got a new guy, have you?" He drawled.
"E-E-Emmett, this is-"
"The name's Royce. Royce King." He held out his hand for Emmett to shake, but Emmett just glared stonily at him. "This chick and I go back a long time, don't we, honey?" He lifted his hand and stroked the side of my face. I slapped away his hand with my trembling one.
"If you ever touch her again, I swear to God I will – " Emmett roared.
"You can't touch me, dude. So don't even try." He smirked at me, and then turned and left. I felt my knees give out under me and I covered my head in my hands and started to cry. How had he found me again? I thought I could leave my past behind when I left Seattle, but here it was again, right in front of my eyes. How long would it keep haunting me?
"Rosalie, what's wrong?" Emmett dropped to his knees beside me and put his hand on my shoulder. I jerked away from him automatically, and then started crying even more, because I knew that I had hurt him with this gesture.
"Can you just take me home? Please?" I choked.
"Sure," He said in a resigned voice. The car ride home was silent; no conversation, no music, nothing. When we got to my apartment, Emmett silently opened the door for me, and followed me up the stairs. Even the elevator ride was quiet. I felt just awful, and was about to apologize, but I was afraid that I would break down again. As we reached my apartment, Emmett suddenly grabbed my hand.
"Rosalie, wait. Before you leave, I want to say something to you. I know that you're hiding something from me, and I really wish that you trusted me enough to tell me. But obviously you yourself haven't come to terms with whatever's bothering you, so I don't expect you to tell me as of now. But like I told you before, I will wait for you. \i hope you can trust me. And I'm sorry." I could see the pain in his eyes; this was hurting him so much. All he wanted was for me to see him as a friend who I could trust, and who could be by my side. But I was just being too stubborn. After so many years, I had finally found someone who I enjoyed spending time with, someone who made my day when I saw them. And I was just shunning him out. I knocked quietly on the door and waited for Alice or Bella to open it. When it did open, I imagined how my appearance would have looked to Bella or Alice and didn't even flinch when they gasped in concern.
"Rose, honey, what's wrong?" Bella wrapped her arms around me. "Alice, get here quick." She called inside. Alice sprinted to the door and gasped.
"Oh my god, Rose! Are you alright?" She wrapped her arms around me, too, and they both led me to the sofa. "Talk to me, Rose," Alice demanded. "Did Emmett do anything? Because I swear if he hurt you, I will not let him-"
"Alice, it's not Emmett. Emmett didn't do anything. He's been so understanding, it's just not fair to him. I'm hurting him, Alice, and it's hurting me to see him upset like this." And then I realized that though I wanted a few people who would always stand by my side, all I was doing was alienating them. "You know what, guys?" I stood up. "I will tell you everything soon. That I promise you. I can't do this anymore. Every time I see the hurt in your eyes, it's like my heart is being shred to pieces. I can't keep hurting the people who are close to me. You know what? I need to talk to Emmett now. This has got to stop." I flipped my phone open, and found Emmett number from the dialed numbers. It rang for a while before the automated voice said 'The caller currently is out of network or cannot attend to your call. Please try again later'. Damn it, where was he? I dialed it again and let it ring.
"Hello?" Emmett said in a sleepy voice.
"Emmett, it's me, Rosalie. I need to meet you right now. There's something you should know." I said, in a rushed voice. I could just picture Emmett scratching his head and looking at his watch, wondering why I was calling him this late at night asking if we could meet.
"But, Rose-" He tried to protest.
"Please don't let me down, Emmett. I'll meet you at the Golden Café in ten minutes. Please don't be late." I disconnected the call and was about to hurry out the door when I noticed that it had started raining. Ugh, did it have to rain now? Grumbling, I pulled on my raincoat, pulled the hood over my head, grabbed my car keys and headed out the door.
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