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Here's Chapter Seven. I hope you guys like it...


Chapter Seven

Mary Grace Anderson

I liked how it felt like to faint, to lose that annoying consciousness and awareness of what was really going on. I loved to feel carefree, to restore one of the feelings I used to feel around my...well, Embry. I could think about him, right?

Embry.

His name was like magic to me. Though only now I felt like it was much heavier; I couldn't have him like I used to. Used to.

I couldn't believe I was about to tell Matt about the whole imprinting thing. I thanked God I didn't. But, could it be what Matt said? That he only needed some time? That we weren't over just yet?

But he always comes, or at least calls.

I hated reality more than anything now because,

A, Embry left.

B, I'm in HUGE trouble.

C, The previous combined.

I was about to hop down the bed when I heard someone call my name. I knew this voice too well. The only voice I loved to hear my name in.

Embry's voice.

I felt a fresh wave of tears rush through me as I remembered his voice. He couldn't have been here, in the hospital, right?

I had to calm myself down; I didn't want to stay here for much longer; I wanted to go home and sleep, restore that feeling I missed. I just hoped I wouldn't have nightmares.

"Mary," Embry's voice said again but in recognition this time. I didn't move an inch, hoping to hear his voice just one more time..."Mary, honey, look at me." That was when I felt his super-warm, massive hand touch my cheek. I gasped and looked at my left to find him actually there, sitting right beside me, in the hospital. Everything just didn't make any more sense."Are you okay? What happened?" he asked, frantic. I just kept staring at him, unable to comprehend anything now. He frowned and turned his head to Matt, who was standing not a foot away. He came closer and bent down to my eye-level.

"He's really here," he reassured with a smile," Just answer before he thinks you can't talk any more."

"Embry," I finally spoke, a smile creeping on my face. He sighed and Matt stepped back, a triumphant smile on his face.

"What happened?" he repeated and I suddenly felt ashamed of myself; he didn't leave, did he? Why else would he be here? I could feel my cheeks get hotter.

"I..." I paused, looking for an explanation," fainted." I simply said. He frowned again.

"Why?" he pushed. I grimaced and looked at Matt for support but I was surprised he wasn't there, and neither was Dr. Brooke, to think about it. Great; I had to deal with this all by myself.

"I-I was crying," I, again, kept my reply simple. He ran his hand through my hair and kissed my forehead. I relaxed for a second, thinking he wouldn't ask for a reason but I was wrong because the next thing he said was...

"Who made you cry?" he asked, only to make it harder for me to explain; what would I say? 'You'?

Apparently, that was what I said.

He looked extremely shocked, confused and...hurt. I wanted to slap myself for doing this to him.

"What did I do?" he asked, his voice came out merely a whisper,"Tell me what I did to make you cry, I promise, Mary, I would never-" I cut him off, my breath heavier from all the pressure. I leaned back on the bed.

"You didn't do anything. I was just being stupid." I avoided eye-contact, playing with the edge of my sleeve. He stayed silent for a moment. I hated this silence; it was uncomfortable.

"No, there has to be a reason," he said, probably more to himself,"Just tell me what I did wrong. I wouldn't get upset, I promise." I let out a tear I didn't realize I was holding. He wiped it away before it even reached my chin." Please," he begged. I just hugged him.

"Promise you wouldn't get upset?" I asked. He nodded in my shoulder. I liked it better this way; I wouldn't have to see his face when I tell him." I-I thought you...left-" I choked the word,"When you sent me the text message and then didn't answer your phone, it all seemed awfully familiar to me; it reminded me of what happened...before. I mean, you're always there; you always come. I just couldn't make any sense out of it. It hurt like Hell, Em. It hurt to think that I lost you," I whispered the last part, my tears ruining his shirt."Then, Matt called and wanted to know what happened- He wanted to help me and he was at the party so I told him I'd meet him at the corner, then I told him and well, I'm here now." He pulled away and I avoided eye-contact with him.

"Mary," he breathed." I told you that I would never leave you," he said. I looked at my hands, resisting tears; I have ruined everything.

"I know," I managed to choke, my fingers hurting from the strength of my fist."I'm sorry," I apologized, still not looking at him.

"No- No, Mary, that's not it," he said," I wanted to apologize for that; I know I shouldn't have-" he paused. I never heard him stutter."It's all my fault," he concluded. I looked at him immediately.

"No!" I objected," It's not your fault I have...issues." It's not your fault I'm all broken, it's not your fault I'm so weak, it's not your fault I don't have any faith in myself. It was never your fault.

He was about to speak again when Dad came into view, reminding me of B, I was in huge trouble. I was just glad he couldn't take it on Embry this time.

He rushed to my side and Embry stood up, his face unreadable. I grimaced, knowing that I shouldn't have told him any of this. He must think I'm nuts now.

"Sweetie," Dad breathed, stroking my hair," Are you better now?" he asked," Matt and Dr. Brooke told me what happened." I felt a knit in my stomach, and not a good one. He would get back to dealing with me with over-sensitivity like 18 months ago, after the Max thing. They all dealt with me with great care, like I could snap any minute.

I just nodded, getting on my feet again.

"You have to take your vitamins regularly. I suppose you still have them?" Dr. Brooke asked. I nodded again." Just make sure they didn't expire." I let out a small smile.

"I didn't buy them that long ago," I said, grabbing my sweater.

"Let's go home," Dad said, his hand on my back. I glanced at Embry who nodded and ran a hand through my hair again.

"I'll call you tomorrow," he promised. I nodded and went with Dad, unable to do anything else. I felt really sleepy by then; it was about 3am or something. As soon as we were in the car I spoke up.

"Aren't you going to yell?" I asked,"Punish me? Ground me? Do anything at all?" I hated this silence. He sighed.

"Do you want me to?" he asked, focusing on the road. I sighed in frustration.

"No, it's just-" I decided to just tell him what was on my mind and get this over with,"I hate it when you deal with me like I'm super-sensitive."

"You fainted from crying, Mary," he reminded me.

I rolled my eyes," I'm hypotensive and I don't take my vitamins, that was to be expected."

I noticed how his grip tightened on the steering wheel," Matt really told me everything." Thanks, Matt.

"And?" I pushed.

"Honestly, honey, it's not normal. You thought he left you because he said he needed some time alone," he said. Since when was anything about our relationship 'normal'?

"Right after you talked to him," I pointed out." If it was anywhere near last time then that was to be expected, too."

"I only told him to take care of you," he defended.

"How would I know?" I asked rhetorically. He sighed again.

"Alright then," he started," What were you thinking, going out in the middle of the night without telling anybody? Who knows what could've happened to you? Thank God you only fainted." He was really mad. I could sense he didn't just say that because I asked him to.

I gulped and looked out of the window. We were finally home.

"Sorry, Dad," I whispered as he parked. He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"I just need you to be more careful, sweetie. You're almost a grown up now, you need to think more about stuff." That's better." I know you can do that," he said. I kissed his cheek.

"I'll do my best," I promised.

"That includes taking your vitamins," he said in a warning tone. I just nodded and got out of the car, heading towards the house.

This is much better.

I woke up the next morning on some noise downstairs. I groaned as I glanced at my watch; it was still 10am and I haven't slept well enough. However, I got up and did my usual routine, trying to pretend my best that yesterday didn't happen, especially the very last part.

I was going to call Embry but decided it was too early; he could be asleep. So I went downstairs just to find Mom and Dad in the kitchen, arguing, apparently.

"Still! You should've called!" Mom yelled.

"Amelia," Dad said in a warning tone. I entered the kitchen then. They both noticed my presence and stopped talking. I rolled my eyes.

"Good morning," I said, grabbing a toast, not really caring to heat it, and nibbling on it; I wasn't that hungry.

"Good morning, honey, are you okay?" Mom asked, I stopped eating and sighed.

"I'm okay, everything's fine. Dunno whether I'm grounded or not. And, no, Dad shouldn't have called; you would've freaked out," I said, playing with my food. Dad chuckled.

"You're not grounded," he announced,"But, you're not allowed out of the house after 8pm." I opened my mouth to object but shut it immediately; at least I got to go out in the morning.

"Is Embry allowed in?" I asked," After 8pm, I mean?" He thought about it for a moment and nodded.

"9:30 tops," he said. I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

I left and got upstairs to open my computer, work a little before Embry calls. I thought again about that, my life was revolving around him. Not that I minded that much.

I spent the next hour on Facebook and MSN then I checked my inbox...I only found one message that wasn't spam.

From: j-cox pghigh. com

Subject: Yearbook

Content:

I hope you had a fun weekend. Our next meeting will be tomorrow at 11am. Don't forget to get your tasks.

Please reply if you are having any problems.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Cox

Oh. I almost forgot about the cover thing. I'm almost done but I still have to complete the plain drafts I have. I, immediately, began working on it. I didn't realize that 3 hours had passed except when I heard my phone ring. I ran to it, knowing it was Embry. I answered immediately.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey, honey," he said. I smiled and blushed. Good thing he wasn't here to see it."How're you?"

"'Am good," I said," You?"

"Fine," he said," Do you want to go out? Oh, wait," he paused," Are you grounded?"

"Nope."

"Weird," he commented.

"I know," I replied, the smile never leaving my face."Where do you want to go?" I asked, knowing that I'd still have to stick to the compromise I had with Dad.

"I don't know," he said,"Maybe First Beach? It's sunny today- Something that doesn't happen often around here- and the water is good." I thought about that for a second. Where was my tankini? Oh, right- In the dr-"Mary?" he called when I didn't answer.

"Oh, okay," I answered," It wouldn't be that cold, right?" I asked.

"You have me," he answered," Plus, I don't think it's that cold." It's almost December, Embry.

"Okay, then." I didn't really care about the cold around him.

"Pick you up in an hour?" he suggested. I glanced at my clock; it was 1:30pm.

"Sure," I said," See you."

"See you." And, with that, I ended the call. I sighed happily and threw myself on the bed.

I drifted to thoughts a little- What made me think that he really left? Am I that unconfident?

As soon as he said that he wanted some time alone he- What?

How couldn't I think about that?!

Something happened! Something super-major happened with Embry that made him send me this message. God! I feel so stupid.

I wondered a little what could have happened with him but remembered I had to get ready. Oh, and tell Mom I was going out.

I ran downstairs to find Mom with Allen in the living room, watching TV.

"Hey, Mom?" I said.

"Yes, honey?" she answered, turning her head to me.

"I'm going to First Beach with Embry in a few, is it okay?" The question wasn't really for permission, I just wanted her to know. She smiled.

"Yeah, sure," she said,"Just the beach, right?" she asked and I nodded.

"Gee, I wonder where they're really going," Al commented, only to earn a glare from me.

"If you had a girlfriend, maybe I would've asked you to come. But, too bad," I teased. I wasn't going to take him with me even if he had a girlfriend.

"Whatever," he grumbled and Mom chuckled. I went upstairs and got the tankini out of the drawer.

I eyed my blue-and-black tankini and decided to wear my white, V-neck top with my dark blue skinny jeans on it. I wasn't going to tell anyone what we were going to do.

I wore them all and grabbed my sweater, my over-sized, never-really-used, white bag and put extra clothes in there, just in case, along with a towel and my hairbrush. As for my hair, I just dried it and let it down, knowing it will be wet later, so there wasn't a need to do anything special.

"Mary!" Al called from downstairs,"Your boyfriend's here," he announced, monotonously. Sometimes I wished I could trade Allen for Matt. I chuckled at the thought and went downstairs to find Embry waiting and Mom wasn't there; she had to work.

He grinned when he saw me,"Hey," he said and kissed me cheek. I blushed.

"Hey," I greeted him back,"I'm ready," I said. He took my bag from me.

"Do you have your vitamins?" he asked. Ugh; I forgot to take them today.

"No." Sometimes he made me feel like he's my father. Now was definitely one of those times.

He gave me a disapproving look," Go get it," he said and I nodded and left him for less than a minute to get my box of Centrum. I opened it and swallowed one with a glass of water, putting it back with the medicine.

"I took one," I said, grabbing his hand." Come on, let's go." He smiled and led me to his motorcycle. I sat in my usual spot; right in front of him, my bag in my hand now. He hopped on, too, and started it, causing it to roar to life. I leaned back on his chest and felt the wind hit me, without any rain.

"So," I started when I noticed how silent he was," What happened?" I asked. I could almost see his eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"W-" I cut him off.

"Yesterday," I clarified," What made you send me this text?" 'If you're not leaving me', I wanted to add. He tensed.

"Nothing," he said. But even I could tell it was a lie.

"Aw, come on, Em," I pushed," Maybe I could help." He sighed.

"I- Just-" he stuttered," I had a little...argument with Mom," he said. I could tell that wasn't all the story. But if he didn't feel comfortable enough to talk about it, I wouldn't push.

"Oh," I said," It's going to be fine," I reassured him though I didn't know what the 'argument' was about."I mean, I argue with Dad all the time," I said. He chuckled.

"Yeah," he breathed." Your brother doesn't like me that much," he commented, changing the subject. I rolled my eyes.

"He doesn't like me that much," I said and we both laughed," No, really. Besides, since when does girlfriend's brother like the boyfriend?" he laughed again. I loved it when he laughed. Or, to be more accurate, when I made him laugh.

"Yeah, you're right," he said."Here we are." He parked the motorcycle and we both headed towards First Beach. The water looked good indeed. In fact, there were about 15 people there, something that I didn't think happens in this time of the year.

As soon as we were finally about a couple of feet away from the water he turned to me,"Are you going to go?" he asked, gesturing towards the water. I nodded and he grinned. He took off his shirt and jeans to stay in only a black swimsuit. I had to focus really hard to be able to concentrate on taking off my own clothes.

I did quickly and threw my jeans and top on my bag, turning to Embry a little self-consciously; I wasn't the skinniest person alive. Talk about self-consciousness.

He smiled when he saw me, something he always does. I'd bet that blush was becoming a permenant thing.

"You're beautiful," he whispered in my ear,"Now, come on," he took my hand and led me to the water. The temperature of the sand wasn't suggesting, in any way, that the water would be warm. Which was to be expected, I think.

The freezing water hit my foot and I shivered, stopping in my place. Embry chuckled.

"It's not so cold," he commented. Yeah, easy for you to say, Mr. Can't-feel-the-cold. I didn't move, waiting to get used to it."Come closer." He was a couple of feet deeper into the water so I shook my head. He sighed and came closer to me. I could feel his heat better now.

"Okay," I mumbled and he laughed at my tone, dragging me inside. When he was so close, the water actually felt refreshing more than anything.

We kept walking for a while until the water came to my waist. He jumped into the water and got his head out, gesturing for me to do the same. I shot him a horrified look and he rolled his eyes and did something I didn't expect; he got up and carried me, bridal style, and ran, really fast, deeper into the water, until the water came to his neck, that I was, now, gripping with all I had of force.

"N-No," I said as I tried to put my foot down but realized I couldn't; I was too short.

"Calm down," he said gently, removing a wet strand of hair from my face; the waves totally soaked us when we were there. I could feel my heart pounding loudly in my chest, but not for the usual reasons; I was afraid. I hated to feel like I couldn't take control.

"E-Embry," I said," L-Let's just get a l-little bit out." His face was smug.

"I won't let you go," he promised. Why did I have this feeling that this wasn't just about the water?

"I know, I know," I said, a little frantically,"Just- get us to a place where I can actually stand up." He rolled his eyes.

"Do you trust me?" he asked. I nodded."Do you trust that I would keep you safe?" he asked.

"Yeah," I sighed, relaxing just the tiniest bit. He leaned down and kissed me, not quickly this time. I kissed him back, forgetting about where we were or how we were.

"I love you," he said and a wave hit us right when I wanted to say my "I love you, too."

More than I ever thought possible, Em, more than I ever thought possible.

Sooo

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