Ed held the door for me and I walked in, looking around curiously.
What a nice place to stay, I thought, looking around at the elegant Victorian-style interior.
Ed and Al were staying at the same nice hotel, but had separate rooms. I was staying with Ed, making me much more anxious than I had been originally.
Ed closed the door and looked back over to where I observed my surroundings in awe.
Awkwardly, he cleared his throat, adjusting the collar to his white button-up shirt. My heart jumped, and my gaze wandered back to him, and I smiled.
"So," He said, his cheeks a light pink, "I was wondering... About earlier..." I nodded for him to go on, still puzzled as to where he was going. I took a seat on a couch, gesturing for him to come over, which he did. He sat a small distance away from me, and I got nervous, the slight gap between us making me feel awkward. I wanted to move closer, but with that distance, I felt awkward doing so.
That's when I finally realized something. Maybe... I thought, distressed, That kiss... Earlier... Was in the heat of the moment. Oh, oh no! I looked down at my lap, internally fretting. What if he doesn't like me anymore? What if he has a girlfriend? What if I was just misunderstanding everything? What if I was too forward earlier in assuming he still liked me and he felt pressured? What if I just humiliated myself? What if he rejects me? My blood ran cold, and I wrung my hands anxiously, before looking back up at Ed and urging him to continue.
"Earlier..." Ed said, embarrassed, "I... Kissed you so suddenly..." I gulped.
He's going to say he doesn't like me, he's going to say it and I did something completely stupid, I prepared myself for his next words.
"I... I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," Ed averted his gaze, "I... Did that so suddenly, and I wasn't even sure if you still liked me back..." I stared at him with wide eyes.
Wait... He was thinking the same thing? I bit my lip, my hope restored. Does that mean he still likes me? But, just to make sure, I took out my notebook and wrote down a question. I touched Ed's shoulder, and he turned back to me, his face reddening. I handed him the note, blushing vigorously.
Do you still like me?
Ed took the pencil and wrote a response down under my words before handing it back to me hesitantly and watching me closely for my reaction.
Yes.
A wide smile overtook my features, and I looked back at him, ecstatic. Without a second thought, I took his red face into my hands and kissed him, overjoyed beyond belief. At first, he was a bit startled, but eased into the kiss. He smiled into the kiss, pulling me closer. My heart sped up even more, if possible, when he deepened the kiss, and I made note that he was a very good kisser.
I pulled back, grinning breathlessly. He smirked back at me, and before I knew it, pushed me down onto the couch, hovering over me.
"You initiated it," He said, and I pouted. He sighed. "You've deprived me of this for five years, and all I get is a kiss?" I choked, smacking his chest in shock of his newfound audacity, but I couldn't help but noticed how... toned he was. I gave him a look, helplessly trying to preserve the last bit of innocence I still had left, and he laughed, getting off me and pulling me up.
"You're so cute," He chuckled, and I scrunched up my nose at him.
I finally felt alive. My heart had started beating after five years, and I was enjoying every minute of it.
I looked over at Ed. His laugh was more wonderful than music, and his smile meant more to me than any of the fake kindness I had been given over the years. Every one of my previous boyfriends, I noticed, was no match for him. None of them had beautiful, enrapturing eyes like he did. Their smiles weren't nearly as gorgeous as his, and none of them had that same sincerity to everything they did like him... And, I had to add, his body was so much better than any of them by far.
All the better for your future kids, A voice commented on my thoughts.
Truth, I growled, and Truth chuckled.
You're an adult, It said, For how long are you going to put off marrying him? I was taken aback.
Truth! I exclaimed in shock. I just met him again after five years! Give me a break! I was taken out of my thoughts by Ed's arms sneaking around my waist, tugging me onto his lap.
"Come on," He kissed my cheek lightly, "What're you thinking about?" I shook my head, blushing. He sighed.
"I'm not used to you being so quiet," He said, "I'll have to learn signs, won't I?" I snatched my notepad and got off his lap, making sure he couldn't see it as I wrote. His eyebrows furrowed, discontented at me moving away and curious about what I was writing. Once I finished the note, I stared at it for a moment, conflicted.
Should I really tell him? I pondered nervously.
Well, you'll have to sooner or later, Truth said, And who knows, the sooner you tell him the sooner you get your voice back.
There goes the romantic mood, I huffed.
It's now or never, Truth said, and I finally made up my resolve. I held out the note anxiously, and Ed took it, puzzled as to why I was so jumpy.
Once he had it, I distanced myself a few feet from the couch, completely aware that he would yell at me for one reason or another.
Ed looked up at me in complete shock. "What?" He stood up, and I flinched. Composing myself, I reached in my pocket and took the philosopher stone out.
My journey across the Gate really didn't take that much of it, and the liquid stone sloshed around in it's vial, glowing crimson.
"You used that to get across the Gate, didn't you?" His voice rose, and I felt a twinge of fear, and also a bit of frustration.
Whenever I had been in arguments like this, I could never yell back, so it just became them scolding me without understanding what really happened. Such a helpless feeling made me nauseous.
I set the vial down on the coffee table in front of the couch, crossing my arms and looking at him sternly. I scribbled down a reply before Ed could come up with something else to say.
I had a reason. He read, and he sighed angrily.
"Of course, you always have a reason," He snapped, and I scoffed. But since I had endured this for the past five years just fine, I maintained my patience and took the notebook from him to write again.
I'm not cruel enough to turn away the dying wish of the person who started all of this, I wrote, She came to me for help. What was I supposed to do when the woman who brought me here in the first place asked me to return her body to a loved one? She was DYING, Edward!
I had rendered Ed silent for a few moments as he took in my words. He sat back on the couch, running a hand through his hair and exhaling.
"Then why didn't you get your voice back?" He asked quietly, surprising me. I wrote back to him, confused.
I... I thought you would turn me away if I took the easy route, I replied, and his gaze met mine. His golden eyes bored into me with an intensity I hadn't seen.
"I would never turn you away." He stood back up, walking over to me. He wrapped his arms around me, and buried his face into the crook of my neck. "I love you... and I would never turn you away." He loosened his grip a little to lean back and look me in the eyes. "You'll never be able to do what Al and I did to get our bodies back. The only way to get your voice back would be to use that stone... And..." He trailed off, leaning his forehead against mine. "I want to hear your voice again, Lynette." I blushed, pulling away slightly to caress his cheek. He looked up at me, and gave me a sad smile.
"I think you should use it to get your voice back."
Hi guys!
While I was writing the last chapter, I took it upon myself to write most of this chapter too and put on the finishing touches today!
Welp, yeah Ed agreed to let Lynette use the philosopher stone to get her voice back. Thank you so much for all of your opinions on this! It helped a lot! :3
Pfft if you guys were just listening in on this it would sound like Ed holding a one-sided conversation!
Romancey stuffs~ At least its better than that painfully awkward stuff in TGHB! But meh it's so hard to write them as experienced adults!
My lovely readers, please review~!
Thanks!