Author's note: Hello everyone! I hope you're all well. I'm wondering whether to up the rating on this story as, although nothing graphic's happened yet, there is some bad language involved, but don't want an M rating to put anyone off. What do you all think?
Anyway, here's the latest chapter for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
Chapter fourteen
The next few weeks passed slowly, yet quickly. It's hard to make sense of how that's possible, but, each Sunday night I would settle into bed, thinking how long each day had been, yet how quickly the week had actually passed. Charlie was swamped with work, mainly chasing up bogus leads on the Seattle Ripper, half of which were fabricated by bored townsfolk and the other half being the product of severe paranoia. Every evening I could see the frustration, anger and fear etch deeper and deeper lines on his tired face. He was never the most loquacious of people, but this workload weighing on his mind meant the words exchanged between us in the past few weeks could barely make up an entire sentence. Although it made the evenings a little dull and the atmosphere of the house somewhat tense, I never mentioned it and gave him plenty of space to work through it. Things would be back to normal soon...I hoped.
As for the Ripper, nothing had happened since the Port Angeles murder, but the authorities of all the neighbouring areas were on high alert for him or her. And Jacob-Goddamn-Black still hadn't called me back! It was pissing me off now. Seriously, how long can someone have a tantrum for and what exactly the Hell had I done to deserve such treatment? Okay, so maybe I was hanging around with his sworn enemies, but there was no reason we couldn't just discuss this like the young adults we were and move on. It had been almost two months since our last argument and, in a fit of frustration, agitation and boredom, I decided to forego any more pointless phone calls and just head straight over to La Push.
Without a car, the journey was a bit of a pain in the ass, but I hoped it would prove to Jacob just how eager I was to talk. I'd left pretty early, having nothing else to do with my Tuesday off and arrived at the reservation a little before eleven. Billy's truck was parked in the driveway, as was Jake's bike, so I figured somebody had to be home. I marched straight up to the door and knocked. There was no answer. Like a stalker, I pressed my ear up to the door to listen for any signs of life, but was unable to hear a thing with all the birds' insistent chattering. Leaving the porch and making my way over to the closest window, I stood on tiptoe and pressed my face to the glass to peer in, but the room looked empty.
I let out a frustrated sigh, but a shout from nearby caught my attention.
"In the garage, Bella!"
It was Jacob. I span and stormed over to his beloved garage, ready to chew him out. He was sat on a large tyre, fiddling with a series of vehicle parts as I entered, at which point he stood and parted his lips to speak, but I refused to let him.
"Where the Hell have you been?" I demanded. "You don't visit, you don't call, you get your dad to answer your phone. Are you a thirteen-year-old girl? I've been trying to contact you for weeks and I'm forced to get a God damned bus and shuttle-" I held up the tickets for him to see as evidence of my efforts. "-just to come over here and berate your sorry ass!"
"Must be hard having to rely on public transport after using the Cullen taxi service for so long," he sneered.
"Excuse me?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, from what I've seen, you lot have been getting along so well, I'm surprised you found time in your hectic schedule to even make it down here."
"What is your fucking problem, Jacob Black?" I ask, taking a couple of steps closer.
"The Cullens!" he replies angrily. "I've given you every warning, every chance to keep away from them, to keep yourself safe and you've ignored every single one!"
"I haven't ignored them," I explained. "I took in everything you said, but I'm not going to let your prejudices blind me to the fact that they've done nothing wrong."
"Nothing wrong?" he spluttered incredulously, mirroring my advance. "They're vampires! They feed off of people, Bella."
"But they don't!"
"Because of the treaty," he insisted. "But all it takes is one little slip, one tiny moment of weakness and its over. Boom! No more Bella Swan."
"Clearly, they're not that much of a threat if you can stay away from me for so long," I countered.
"Because I don't waste my time on a lost cause. If you wanna throw your life away, that's your decision."
"You're such a drama queen! I've been alone with them plenty of times-" I began.
"I'm sure you have," he muttered, but I chose to ignore it.
"-and they've had plenty of opportunities to kill me, but, guess what? Still alive, still breathing."
"For how long?" he shouts, moving closer until we're less than a foot apart. "How long will it be until they lose it? How long will it be until they disappear and Charlie gets a call saying his only child is dead?"
"That won't happen," I reply, adamantly. "Do you know how old Carlisle is? He's over four hundred years old and, in that time, hasn't fed off one single fucking person. How about that?"
"How do you know that isn't bullshit?"
"Oh my God!" I exclaimed, turning away from him and throwing my hands up in defeat.
"Even if it's true, Bella, it doesn't change what he is, what he could do!"
"And there are human beings out there who are capable of rape and murder, yet I don't see you condemning the entire human race!"
"Because people aren't born monsters, they're turned that way through misfortune and circumstance, and those psychopaths are a minority amongst their race."
"I think you're being a little too gracious towards the human race, there, Jacob," I said, looking back at him.
"Don't try changing the subject; this is about you hanging around with the Cullens."
"But they're victims of misfortune and circumstance, too. Why can't you even give them a break for at least trying?"
"Would you, in my position?"
I tried to think of an answer, but couldn't come up with any, so let out a long sigh. We weren't any closer to resolving this conflict. I wasn't asking him to be friends with any of them; I just wanted him to be friends with me. Why did it have to be an either or situation? Surely he could overlook it and we could get back to the way we used to be. He must have seen the pain on my face, because he let out a sigh of his own and his tone softened.
"Bella, I'm sorry," he said, his gaze fixed on the floor. "I just can't be around you knowing you're a mistake away from being gone forever. You seem to be born without the basic instinct for self preservation. If anyone else had found out what they were, they'd have run thousands of miles in the opposite direction, yet you're inching closer. Why? How can you relax around a trio of creatures that want nothing more than to have you for dinner?"
I pondered his questions, trying to find a reason for myself. He made many valid arguments, but there was so much he didn't know and chose to overlook. He didn't see the warmth and kindness in their eyes, or the generosity I'd experienced since knowing them.
"They're not the monsters you say they are," I replied, softly. "Carlisle spends hours every day saving lives. They haven't harmed a single person since moving here, you said so yourself. They're not skulking in the shadows, trying to lure hapless victims into their evil lair; they're just trying to be normal people, living normal lives. Why can't you accept that?"
"Bella, there isn't a thing you can say that will make me want to be their friend."
"I'm not asking you to be," I said, moving closer to him again, sensing a possible breakthrough. I got close enough to reach out and put my hand on his arm. "I just want us to be."
His dark eyes didn't look at me; they just stayed fixed to the floor. I counted the seconds that passed, hoping against hope that he would accept my offer of rekindling our friendship. I wanted to see his face, to be able to decipher the thoughts going through his brain at that moment, but he turned his back on me. A few more minutes of silent consideration followed, before he eventually faced me once more.
"And I can't convince you to stay away from the Cullens?" he asked.
"No," I replied. Nobody, no matter how important, would be allowed to decide who I did or didn't hang around with.
"Then I don't think we can be friends," he declared, his voice barely above a whisper.
It felt like being punched in the gut. With every previous fight, we'd hurled angry words back and forth like a ping pong ball and parted ways furiously. But, our friendship had been tough enough to weather the storms and come back stronger than ever. Not this time, though. His eyes refused to meet mine and his whole demeanour was of one regrettably saying goodbye. He turned away from me again and moisture filled my eyes. I'd hoped to hash it out, air our grievances and come to an agreement like our fathers, but had overlooked just how different our circumstances were to theirs'. There would be no agreeing to disagree. It was over.
The world blurred as tears tumbled down my face. I took several backwards steps away from him, before turning to leave. He didn't say a word.
000
I failed miserably at hiding my despondence as Charlie, despite being snowed under by a million other things, noticed immediately.
"Hey, Bells," he greeted. "What's up?"
For a brief moment, I considered telling him everything. He'd finally asked what was wrong and it was just the opening I needed to talk and offload my woes. He could fix it, make it better. He could talk to Billy and they could discuss it with the worldly-wise maturity that Jacob and I had yet to acquire. Then I turned around and saw his face. He was exhausted. Bags hung under his eyes, encircled by dark shadows that were a defining symptom of sleep deprivation and the frown lines above his dark bushy brows were far more pronounced than usual. That was when I changed my mind. He had way too many more important things to worry about.
"I'm just, uh, tired, Dad," I lied, rubbing a hand over my face to emphasise the point and hide anything capable of betraying my deceit. "Not as tired as you, though. Why don't you have a nap before tea's ready?"
"I can't," he sighed. "I'll never sleep tonight, otherwise. I also need to be awake in case I get called back in."
"Can't someone else deal with the cranks and crackpots?" I asked, annoyed by the spate of prank calls that had been happening recently.
"Unfortunately, even if we suspect its a hoax, we have a duty to respond. Annoying as Hell, but all part of the job."
"Well, dinner won't be long," I assured him. "Want a beer?"
"I thought you'd never ask," he answered with a faint smile.
It wasn't much, but it was the first sign of humour he'd given in a while. I swore to inflict large amounts of pain on whoever the prank calling little twerp was.
000
It was a dazzlingly glorious day of sunshine when October 21st came rolling in. I was worried. Would the Cullens still be able to go? My question was answered when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and read the text message from Alice.
On my way xx
I smiled in relief. After last week, I was more desperate than ever to put a little distance between me and Forks-even if it was only for one night. I quickly went through a mental checklist of everything I'd need, rushing to the bathroom when I realised I'd forgotten to pack my toothbrush. A car horn beeped outside and I looked out the bedroom window to see Alice's yellow Porsche waiting. Charlie and I exchanged farewells, before I carried my bag over to the car. Her window rolled down and she offered a beaming smile in greeting.
"Good morning," she said.
For obvious reasons, she couldn't get out of the vehicle, so I placed my backpack into the trunk myself, before climbing into the front passenger seat.
"All set?" she asked and I nodded. "Good. Are you alright with going back to mine first? All I've got to do is grab my bags and the boys and then we're off."
"Boys?" I chuckled. Never had that word come to mind when describing Carlisle or Jasper. "It's fine."
We zoomed to the house and, of course, she was first to get out. Before I could even finish closing the car door, she had glided through the front door, leaving the slow, cumbersome human to follow behind her. They 'boys' were waiting in the living room for us (well, me, actually. Alice was already long gone) and they both smiled as I approached.
"Alice packed last night," Carlisle began. "So, I am not exactly sure what she is doing." His eyes went to the stairs, where I could just imagine her flitting around like a rocket-fuelled Tinkerbell.
"I'll go put these in the car," said Jasper, a small suitcase in either hand. "See y'all outside."
I'd never get tired of that accent, especially when spoken with such a cool and clearly defined voice. Alice came down seconds later, a suitcase in one hand, holdall in the other and large handbag dangling off her right wrist.
"You do know we're only going for one night, right?" I asked, eyeing the amount of luggage she carried.
"I know," she replied, before walking away.
I turned to Carlisle. "If that's just for one night, then how many removal vans did you use getting here?"
He laughed, shaking his head. "You have no idea."
Ever the gentleman, he motioned for me to go first. I obeyed, enjoying chivalry I'd never experienced before and wished more men could be like that. How hard was it to just hold a door open for a woman, or pull her chair back for her to sit down? I knew some women hated it, claiming it treated them like lesser beings unable to perform such tasks for themselves, but I just called that ungrateful. Rather than an insult to feminism, I preferred such actions to be considered nothing more than good manners.
I walked over to the Porsche, beside which waited the black Mercedes. I wondered which car I'd be travelling in as, although my bag was in Alice's car, she might want to spend the journey with Jasper. The windows of both vehicles were tinted and in the sun's glare I couldn't make out either car's interior. A call from the Porsche soon informed me of the travel arrangements.
"You're with me, Ms Swan," Alice giggled, before her window slid back up again.
I smiled, walking over to the passenger door and my fingers had just grazed the handle when I looked over the bonnet. In that moment, I witnessed something so magnificent, the angels themselves would surely stop and stare. Carlisle Cullen was stood by the front door, turning his key in the lock and I got a perfect view of his side profile. A ray of sunlight was shining upon him, illuminating his entire body with a golden glow and it was like looking upon the angel Gabriel himself. His blonde hair crowned his head like a halo and, stood beside the magnificent house, his perfect posture made the entire scene resemble a Renaissance masterpiece. Beautiful as he was, though, none of that was what had me mesmerised. The sleeves of his t shirt were rolled up, meaning his face, neck and forearms were exposed. As the light touched the skin, it was reflected and every bare millimetre glistened as though coated in millions of tiny diamonds. I could barely breathe, the view was so exquisite. As he moved, the sparkles danced and miniscule beams of sunlight were thrown back into the air, the reflections making every surface around him glisten too. Starting with his elegant fingers, my eyes travelled up each arm, taking in the sight to burn it to memory. They skipped over the grey t shirt, angry at the garment for obstructing such a breath-taking sight. They reached the hollow of his throat and ever so slowly journeyed up the neck, along the sharp jaw line, revelling in the iridescent contours of his face. Even his lips shimmered, the pale pink offering a pleasant contrast to the gleaming white surrounding it. My brown irises landed on the tip of his straight nose, making their way up and up until they were met by two pools of liquid gold. Even if my life had depended on it, nothing would have forced my eyes away. I was entranced.
"Bella!"
I landed back on Earth with a violent jolt as something icy rested on top of my hand and I gasped. Alice was watching me through the passenger door window, giggling as I tried to regain my senses. My eyes sought out Carlisle, but he was no longer by the house. After a brief frantic search, I saw the top of his golden head disappear behind the bonnet of the Mercedes as he entered his car. I took a deep breath, before clutching the door handle firmly in my hand and opening the Porsche's door. Before I could sit down, Alice stopped me.
"Wait a sec, Bella," she instructed, before climbing out herself.
My brow crinkled in wonder as she skipped over to Carlisle's car and signalled for Jasper to open the window. Unfortunately, the path of sunlight didn't quite reach where she was stood, so I was unable to get a second viewing of the supernatural marvel that was a vampire in bright sunshine. After a conversation that lasted all of three seconds, the door opened and Jasper exited the black vehicle, before the pair came back my way, with Jasper circling the Porsche to stand beside me.
"Everything alright?" I asked.
"You're swapping with Jasper," Alice explained. "I can already tell you've got a million questions swarming inside that brain of yours and Carlisle is, by far, the most qualified to answer them all."
"O-oh...okay," I replied, stepping aside to give Jasper access to the yellow vehicle.
"Will five or six hours be enough to get all the answers you need?" the pixie asked teasingly.
"Maybe," I countered, before making my way over to occupy Jasper's previous seat. On the way to the car, I started to feel a little embarrassed. I mean, I had pretty much just gawped at Carlisle, which must have been extremely attractive. I hoped I hadn't made him too uncomfortable or anything. My face was all too eager to give away my discomfiture as I settled in the seat and buckled up. I wanted to apologise, but remembered the warning he had given me about saying sorry in his presence. However, maybe, in this case, it was justified.
"Ready?" he asked and I nodded, keeping my gaze down as I was unable to look at him. My eyes settled on his hand clutching the gear stick, instead, which remained stationary. After a moment, I realised the engine hadn't started, either. Outside, I heard the Porsche roar into life, before making it's way down the Cullen driveway and watched through the windshield as it raced into the distance. I wondered why we weren't following and that was when I finally looked at Carlisle's face.
"We'll follow in just a moment," he said, concern clouding his eyes. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright."
"Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine," I reassured. "I'm just...well...I'm sorry, y'know, for staring." My gaze lowered again.
"Under the circumstances, I think you can be forgiven," he replied. "It's not every day you see something like that."
"No, definitely not," I agreed. "And it's nothing like Alice described."
"How did she describe it?"
"She said you turn into glitter balls."
He started laughing and it was a lovely sound. "That's...interesting."
His good humour relaxed me and I was able to smile with him as my flushed face returned to a more neutral colour. "Not just any old glitter balls," I added. "Anthropomorphic ones."
"Sometimes, I feel there aren't enough Alices in the world," he remarked as he turned the ignition key.
"And other times?"
"I find it hard to handle only one."
000
The car sped along the quiet roads at a tremendous pace. Even moving at the speed we were, Alice was nowhere to be seen, so I dreaded to think how fast she was going. At least they were rich enough to pay the speeding fines-if they ever got caught, that is. It had been twenty minutes since we left the house and Carlisle was busy explaining why his skin reacted the way it did to sunlight.
"The cellular membrane of a vampire differs to that of a human as it is not soft or permeable. Instead, the crystalline properties cause our skin to react prismatically to the light, which gives it the shimmering-or glitter ball, if you prefer-effect you saw earlier."
"Wow," I replied, trying to understand anything he had just said. English Literature had always been my speciality at school, hence why I continued studying it at college. Sadly, the same could not be said for science. "To be honest, I didn't understand a lot of what you just said, but it sounds impressive."
"Did it ruin the magic?" he asked, smiling.
"No."
Carlisle's phone beeped and he glanced at it as it rested in the holder attached to the dashboard. "It's Alice," he elucidated. "She's berating me for being slow."
I looked at the speedometer and saw it was already well above the legal limit. "She calls this slow?"
"Patience was never her strong point. Are you comfortable going any faster? If not, we'll stay at this speed."
I considered it for a moment, before deciding to have a little flirt with danger. "Go ahead," I answered, and felt a jolt as the speed steadily started to increase. The landscape outside the window whizzed by and I was excited and terrified in equal measure.
"Are you sure this is alright?" he asked.
"It's fine," I insisted. "I've just never travelled this fast before. You've never totalled a car before, have you?"
"Not accidentally," he said.
I considered the comment, wondering at the meaning behind it. As I thought about it, the memory of a conversation I'd had with Alice embraced me. I remembered asking her why they had decided to live amongst humans, given that it required so much work on their part. During her explanation, she'd given me a brief overview of Carlisle's vampiric origins, including a saddening little titbit of information. She'd said that he tried to kill himself, not just once, but several times. Was his remark a reference to one of those times? But cars weren't around in those days, so had he tried again more recently? I didn't like the idea of him being so unhappy with his life that he felt there was no other way out and truly hoped that wasn't the case anymore. I had no idea how long my contemplative silence lasted, but it was broken by Carlisle's voice.
"Bella, I'm sorry," he apologised. "I didn't mean for that comment to come out."
"No, it's okay." I studied his face, trying to read the emotions hidden within, but was unsuccessful.
The silence resumed, and I added more and more questions to the ever-growing list in my head.
After several minutes, Carlisle infiltrated the quiet once again. "If your curiosity were water," he began. "We would be drowning in it."
I blushed. "Am I that obvious?"
"You have a very open face, Bella, which often makes for easy reading. That's not always a bad thing, though."
"I'm so-" I cut off the apology and his eyebrow quirked as he gave me a sideways glance. "-I mean, I just have a lot of questions, but I'm worried it'll annoy you. Also, they might be personal and I don't want to make anything awkward."
"It doesn't bother me, ask anything you like."
Hmm, where to begin? With his permission granted, my mind had free rein to fire an endless assortment of queries to the forefront of my brain. It was impossible to prioritise, so I decided to simply start at the beginning and go from there. "What was it like for you growing up?"
"I was born in London and the world was a very different place back then. My childhood was relatively simple and unremarkable, but rather regimented by religion. I was the only child of a pastor, who dedicated his life to ridding the world of supernatural evil. He scoured all of London, searching for werewolves, demons, vampires..." He threw a smirk my way. "Sadly, all he managed to rid the world of was innocent people."
I heard the sadness in his tone as he spoke. The loss of lives clearly affected him deeply.
"As I got older, about early teens, I think, I started to join him on his raids. I admired the cause and saw what he was trying to do, even if I didn't always agree with the method. As the years passed, I grew in experience and my father allowed me far more control over the raids. I was even allowed to lead them from time to time. I managed to save many families from my father's compassionless justice."
This was basically an elaborated version of what Alice had already told me, but it was amazing to hear it from the man himself.
"Eventually, I was able to take over completely, as my father got too sick to lead. I soon found out that supernatural evil was far less abundant than he had always led me to believe. That doesn't mean it wasn't there, of course."
I sat, utterly enthralled by his tale and found myself leaning closer to him as I listened. "You mean, when you were...bitten?"
He nodded. "I managed to do what my father never had-I found a vampire. He was living in the sewers and I gathered a group of men, hoping to destroy the creature. Following the logic of myth, we waited until nightfall, planning to ambush him, but it didn't go according to plan as we were unprepared for his speed and strength. A couple of the men were killed by him, before he ran and I, somewhat foolishly, followed. In hindsight, I realise that vampire must have been very old and malnourished, for it is the only explanation for how I was able to keep up with him. That was when he turned and attacked. It was over within seconds, faster than my brain was able to make sense of the situation. The moment I realised what had happened, I knew my life as I had known it was over. There was no way I could return to my father, knowing what I was about to become, so I ran away and hid as the transformation began."
"What was it like?" My breath was a captivated whisper. His description was so detailed, I could picture it in my mind's eye.
Carlisle took a moment, before answering. "I cannot describe the pain, Bella, it goes far beyond words; I can only describe it in colours. There was lots of red, followed by a period of pitch black. Then, when I eventually opened my eyes days later, I saw a blinding white light, before my mind was able to accommodate my newly heightened sense of sight. The change had lasted several days, but I cannot recall the exact number. Ironically, given my dire circumstances, it was a bright and cheerful day when I emerged from that dingy cellar to see my new reflection in a shop window. My reaction to the sight of a vampire in sunlight was a stark contrast to yours."
"I guess it's different when you're a spectator, rather than the protagonist," I said. "What did you do then?"
"The first few months were a blur and I cannot remember them in any great detail, save for a moment or two. I think most of that time was spent trying to come to terms with what I had become. With all my father had told me, I adamantly believed myself to be a monster, that there was no place in this world for a creature like me, so spent a great deal of energy trying to..." he hesitated, his eyes flitting to me, before returning to the windshield. I wondered if this was the part when he'd tried to commit suicide. "...end my new existence." It was less blunt than Alice's account, but no less heartbreaking. "Nothing worked and I decided to stay as far away from civilisation as I could. Had you been there, it would have been a very sad sight to see. I do not think I have ever resembled a human being less than at that moment in time."
He spoke so matter-of-factly, without a hint of emotion in his voice, but his eyes were telling a whole different story. He'd said my face was easy to read, but that trait was shared by those amber orbs. My chest swelled with sympathy, knowing there were very few who could ever understand the trials he had gone through. It certainly made me realise how easy my life was. The moisture started to build up in my eyes, but I was determined not to let it show. I refused to let anything interrupt him.
"Eventually," he continued. "I became so weak with hunger that I was unable to stop myself attacking a passing stag and that was the moment when everything changed. I realised there was an alternative to the monstrous existence I had feared to follow. I could feed, without taking innocent lives. I could remain on this Earth, without following the lifestyle of a demon. It invigorated me and, over the next several months, my new philosophy was born."
He carried on talking, telling me of the remainder of his time in England, before travelling through Europe. He spent most of his unlimited time learning, gaining a vast amount of knowledge by studying everything from art to medicine. That was when he found his true calling. He said it was very hard to describe the difficulty he faced in dealing with the substance he had vowed to never taste and I couldn't even grasp the concept of it taking two hundred years to perfect restraint. Yet, he never succumbed and I swore there was a glint of pride in his eyes as he told me that.
Then he came to Italy and discovered a sophisticated coven living in Volterra called the Volturi. Up until then, given the amount of his time spent amongst humans, he had only ever come across the occasional nomadic vampire, but the Volturi were the first group of civilised vampires he'd met. He lived with them for a few decades, before leaving and heading for the New World. There, he managed to meet with others who were willing to try his way of life and that was how the Cullen clan eventually formed.
I sat and took in every single syllable that left his mouth. I didn't interrupt or ask any questions. It was the most incredible story I had ever heard and was amazed that such a tale could be true-it blew Interview with the Vampire right out of the water. When he eventually finished, I let the tsunami of information wash over me as I tried to figure out my thoughts about it all. That proved to be an impossible task. The entire tale was an amalgamation of so many different emotions-sadness, tragedy, horror, hope, intrigue, joy. I felt overwhelmed and the moisture gathering on my lashes trickled down my cheeks. I tried to inconspicuously wipe the tears away, but Carlisle saw.
"Bella?" His eyes were wide with worry and he looked for a place to stop the car.
"I'm fine, honestly, I'm fine," I insisted, my voice thick with emotion as the vehicle came to a halt.
He was turned to face me, one arm leaning against the steering wheel as the other draped over the back of my seat. "Why are you crying?" He looked genuinely perplexed by my reaction.
"I don't know, I just..." I gave a quick, watery laugh. "It was one Hell of a story," I finished.
"I'm sorry," Carlisle sighed. "Perhaps it was too much in one go."
"No, no, it's fine," I maintained. "It was amazing! Some parts were just so scary, then full of hope and toil, and, then, some parts were just so-so sad..." More tears threatened join the party, but I denied them passage by rubbing my eyes with my sleeve.
"I had no idea it would have that much of an effect on you," he said, his gaze rolling over my entire face as he studied my condition. "I really am sorry. Next time, I'll condense it so you-"
"No, don't you dare!" I demanded, my hand shooting forward of its own accord to grip his arm. "I didn't mean to cry, it just happened. You've lived a remarkable life, but don't let this stop you from telling more. I'm sorry and promise not to do it again. Well...I'll try not to, anyway."
He was quiet for a while, his eyes never leaving mine as though assessing the truth of my assurances. Eventually, he spoke. "What did I say about apologising?"
"Hey, I'm allowed one," I argued. "If it's justified."
His eyes squinted a little, before he replied. "Hmm...alright, I'll give you that one." He slowly moved away and my hand slipped from his arm as he turned to face forwards again. "But that's your lot for today."
The Mercedes engine rumbled as he got ready to recommence our journey. My stomach lurched a little as he pushed down on the accelerator to get us back up to our previous speed. We were both quiet for a short while and I worried in case my tears had scared him off.
"So," I began, coaxing him to continue. "You were saying..?"
A smile spread across his lips. "You're incorrigible."
A/N: My chapters seem to be getting longer and longer, but never mind. I hope the length isn't becoming an issue for anyone. I hope you enjoyed and will see you all soon :)