Let the Rain Come Down
Thank you for the wonderful reviews and comments on this. Each one means a huge amount to me.
Just so you know, their journey isn't done just yet. There's more to come before I mark this as Complete.
Disclaimer: All characters owned and created by Stephenie Meyer.
This chapter is unbeta'ed – any errors are mine and I apologise in advance.
~o.O.o~
Chapter 18
Jasper's POV
Walking out of the kitchen, leaving behind the humming of the washer, I padded towards our new room, feeling burdened and not understanding it. Pressure built in my head until I thought it would burst before my vision abruptly blurred and hot tears trickled down my cheeks. Frustrated with myself, I rubbed them away with the heels of my hands, but more fell until I had to slip into our room and close the door in case Esme saw me and thought me an ungrateful creature.
How would I ever explain? What words could I offer in exchange for her overwhelming kindness?
"Jasper? What's wrong? Tell me, please."
Edward's worried voice made the tears fall faster, and I knelt on the bed and crawled to him. His arms enfolded me and I sobbed into his chest, feeling his hands stroking my hair and rubbing my shoulders while tears of frustration and despair soaked into the linen. When my sobs eased to snuffles in the safety of his arms, I felt him press kisses into my hair.
"Talk to me. What's happened? Was it when you went to get our stuff? Was it all ruined?"
Pushing myself up onto my elbow, I scrubbed at my face, seeing the love and worry in his eyes. I shook my head.
"I'm sorry. Today's been a lot to take in. It all felt so wrong without you." I sniffed hard, shuffling into a more comfortable position where I could look at him. "I got all our things. The mattress is soaked, though. I hope it dries out okay. I can't imagine how we'd get a new one."
"And?" His head tilted toward me, encouraging me to talk.
"And I saw the place. I mean, really saw it, without any of our own home comforts. Just the room." I shook my head, wanting to disbelieve it even now. "It's a mess. Really bad. Everywhere's wet, although Dr Cullen's tarp held, but it's so cold and-and-" My fingers tightened into a claw in utter frustration, "it's horrendous. How didn't we see it? The black mould? The damp? I knew we had water stains on the walls, but somehow I just didn't really see it." I scraped my hand through my hair.
Edward's hands were warm and comforting through my shirt.
"We only have the one light bulb and we don't get a lot of natural light anyway, not with the trees. A lot of the time we probably thought it was shadows." He was being sweet, trying to assuage my guilt.
"I should've noticed though. I feel responsible for us living in that…squalor."
"Hey, stop that. That's our home you're talking about. What did the landlord say? Does he know about me? Are we in trouble now?"
I swallowed hard, seeing his pale, worried frown.
"It's okay, I don't think he knows about you, no. I'm sure he would've said if he did. Ok, well, Esme took me in the car so I could bring back our things. I didn't want her to come in because I knew he'd be gross, but you know Esme…"
Edward chuckled. "She won't be thwarted. Not when she gets an idea in her head. So what happened?"
"I hoped he'd have noticed the tarp, or at least heard the crash, but of course he said he hadn't. I showed him the damage and that was when Esme intervened."
"She didn't?" Edward's eyes were wide.
"Oh – she did. She ripped into him for the state of the room and told him to get heaters in to dry it out before we moved back."
"No way! Is he going to do it?"
I sighed. "I don't know. He said it would up the rent and-"
Edward jerked in shock
"More rent? But we'll be back to where we were before if he…"
I touched my fingertips to his lips.
"I don't know what he'll do, but Esme gave him a piece of her mind when he suggested it. You'd have been so impressed – I barely got a word in. She was amazing. And you know the best thing?"
"What?" His eyes widened a fraction.
"She got us this week's rent back."
"You're kidding! He really paid up?" His mouth was open. I knew how he felt – I was still pinching myself.
"Yup. All of it. We can put it aside until we work out what to do. We need to agree on rent with Esme though. She's feeding us and…and…"
Edward looked worried. "What?"
"She's doing our laundry." My face fell. "I was going to dry our blankets in here and then take them to a laundromat later, but she has a machine and told me to use it whenever we needed to." I shook my head. "I feel so useless. So helpless. We can't go home and I can't look after us. I hate that I'm just taking with nothing to give."
Edward pushed himself up, trying to ignore the pain in his head, but I didn't miss the wince. He pulled me into him and held me tight. I fought back fresh tears that burned behind my lids.
"So that's what the tears were about. You feel guilty. I wish I knew why you punish yourself for things you can't control. You're not helpless, Jas. You're so far from helpless. I know it's hard to let someone step in and take control away from you, from us, but don't see it as a bad thing. Not here. No one wants to control us or tell us what to do." He swallowed. "When I'm better and our room's ready, we'll go home. Maybe he'll fix the place up now that Esme's embarrassed him. It could happen, right?"
I wanted to agree, but I couldn't. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility, but it was on the farthest reaches. If the place got cleaned up and the mould treated, he'd make us – well, me – pay for sure. If he priced us out of the room, what then? I was terrified of what would happen to us. We didn't get good things happen without a kicker. Everything was always overshadowed by worry. A good day could never be taken for granted.
"What if it doesn't? What if we don't even have a room anymore?"
He looked confused. I shook my head.
"I mean that he could let someone else have it and there'd be nothing we could do. Me causing a fuss might've lost us our home. I'm so stupid."
He grasped my hands, ducking his head to look at me.
"You. Are. Not. Stupid. The window had to be reported. We couldn't fix it. And it's not wrong to want to live someplace clean. Just because we lived on the streets before doesn't mean we shouldn't want a better life. We deserve it. We work hard for it. We pay rent on time and we've never caused him a minute's thought."
A hollow laugh escaped my tight throat.
"He told Esme I was a hustler. He straight up said that my customers would go elsewhere if I wasn't there. If she didn't know before, she knows now. He's scum. And Esme said the mould had made me sick, made my breathing bad. I hadn't thought of that, but he didn't care, Edward. If he'd known what happened to you I truly believe he wouldn't have cared about that either. He didn't give a shit about any of it. He made out we were lucky to have him as a landlord."
My mind was reeling, feeling everything spiral out of control. Sensing my growing panic, he grounded me with a kiss and a much-needed hug.
"I care. You how much I love you. You're my superhero."
I hiccupped.
"Some superhero."
"Letting someone help you isn't weak, Jas. You let me help you when you were sick. Now we both need help and Esme wouldn't have offered if she didn't want to. She knows we're independent."
I mumbled, my face in his neck. "I know. And I'm so glad you get to recuperate somewhere warm and safe, with a doctor on call if we need him. I guess I just don't know how to deal with it - it's like I can't trust it? Does that make sense? I don't remember having a mom figure in my life and I don't know how to feel. I'm scared to get used to it. Scared of finding something wonderful and losing it."
He pulled back and looked at me for a long second before kissing me again, gentle and slow. My panicked breathing had eased a fraction by the time the kiss broke. His lips brushed against my forehead.
"You're not alone. I feel like that too. No mom or sisters, just the housemother at the home. No comparison."
I shook my head, seeing the pain in his tired eyes. I felt intense guilt for adding to it with my own worries.
He smiled, a welcome light in my self-imposed darkness.
"I don't worry about it though. You know why? Because I don't believe that we'll lose Esme from our lives, I truly don't. I think she's so special to take two young guys from the wrong side of the tracks into her life and her home. She trusts us and we have to believe that we're worthy of that trust."
My eyes clenched shut for a moment, wanting so much to see this as he did, to feel how he felt. I felt so low, my head thumping from the cathartic release of emotion.
"Don't you ever feel that we take one step forward only to have everything come crashing down on us? How many more knocks can we take? It's like something wants us to know our place in life."
He looked so sad then.
"I can't bear you feeling like this, Jas. Everything changed the day we met and you took me in. The world can throw what it wants at us because we're meant to be, no matter what tries to separate us." He smiled, bashful.
I gazed at him, seeing nothing but him and the love I felt when he was close.
"Best day ever. I found my soulmate and looking after you gave me something to fight for. I knew that day that I wanted everything for you, to keep you safe, to make you happy. Always."
A tinge of pink stained his cheeks at my declaration.
"Now we look after each other. And we accept the help offered when we need it. Agreed? It's not all on your shoulders, my love." His palm cupped my face and my burning eyes fluttered closed when his thumb traced my eyebrow in a soothing motion. His words were soft, bending me to their will.
"Get into bed. Lay with me for a while. Then I'm going to take Esme up on her offer of some food. Hopefully, I can manage a little."
Kicking off my jeans and shucking my sweater, I climbed under the duvet and held him in my arms, letting his unconditional love soothe my jangled mind. His fingers traced my face, drawing circles on my scalp until my eyes drifted closed and we fell asleep in a soporific haze of love and devotion.
We slept for over an hour. When I woke my head was throbbing and I knew I needed a drink of water but didn't want to move. Edward's breathing was even and calm, sleeping off his pain. Sliding out of bed, I dressed and headed to the kitchen for water and Edward's painkillers. He was due for more and I suspected he would need them when he woke again.
Esme was out with Rosie and I felt bad that I hadn't offered to take her out for her evening walk. I would apologise when she returned. Thinking ahead, I reached for the coffee and switched on the kettle while I filled two glasses with cold water. Taking a sip, I felt my body relax at the feeling of cool water filling my throat. I finished the glass and refilled it, carrying the other to the bedroom. Edward would need to eat and drink something when he woke again; he'd not had anything at all since supper almost twenty-four hours before. I set the glass down and crept back out of the room, leaving him to sleep a while longer.
I sat down at the kitchen table to drink my water, hearing Esme talking to Rosie outside. When she came in I saw her warm smile, tempered with concern. I realised I must look wrecked after my meltdown earlier. She pulled out a chair and sat next to me, waiting for me to speak. When I didn't, staring into my water, she put a hand on my wrist.
"He's going to be fine, sweetheart. Carlisle thinks he'll be feeling much better in a day or so. Try not to worry. I know you will though. The two of you are so alike and there's nowhere else he'd rather be than with you. He's told me so. No matter what, his heart is glued to yours. It's a mystery to me why bad things happen to good people, but I know you'll both get past this whole unpleasant interlude and move forward."
How did she know the right things to say? I swallowed the lump in my throat, my voice cracking.
"Thank you, Esme. You've no idea who much that means to hear you say that."
Sadness was evident behind her smile. I looked up for a moment, trying to hide my reddened eyes.
"I'm sorry I didn't take Rosie out for you. I was with Edward. His head's still hurting so he's stayed in bed like Dr Cullen said. If it's not too much trouble, could I-you make him a little supper? He needs to eat and I know he's feeling a little hungrier now."
She brightened.
"I'd love to make you both something. Let's see what we have. Come on, help me find just the right thing to tempt his appetite."
I helped her prepare cheesy potato and corn fritters with scallions and bacon. They smelled so good that my stomach growled, making her laugh. I just knew Edward would go crazy when he got a taste. He adored his food.
When they were ready, I went to help Edward get up and dressed so he could join us at the table. We'd just eat in bed at home, but this wasn't our home and it wasn't polite to treat Esme's like a hotel. He was awake, groggy but feeling strong enough to walk through to the kitchen, wincing at the bright light. Esme noticed and closed the curtains for his comfort before setting our meals down in front of us, a fresh glass of water and two painkillers alongside Edward's place setting.
I watched him eat, seeing enthusiasm bloom when his appetite took hold. The flavours were wonderful, something I hadn't tried before but knew I would when we were home again. Despite my own enjoyment, I couldn't take my eyes off of him, just sending silent thanks to the universe that he was on the mend. In a couple of days, I would be back at work and I hated the idea of leaving him if he was still having dizzy spells and nausea. I contemplated asking Emmett for more time off but decided to wait and see.
He scraped his plate clean and took his pills with a big swallow of water before gulping down the rest of the glass. He looked up and saw us watching, smiles on our faces. He had colour in his cheeks and a brightness in his eyes despite the dark smudges beneath. He wiped his mouth with his knuckle and grinned.
"That was so delicious. We should have a go at making those, Jas."
My heart swelled.
"I watched Esme make them so we'll definitely be trying them."
Esme raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, enough of your modesty. It was a joint effort."
I grinned at her, enjoying her gentle scolding.
"It was so amazing to use a real stove. Room for a pan and a skillet makes it so much faster." I couldn't hide my enthusiasm for cooking. Edward's gentle smile in response was a balm to my soul.
After cleaning up, Edward and I curled up on the sofa and watched some TV. We watched some of a game show where people bid to win expensive items that seemed outrageous to me. Who needed those things? Whose life was made better by having designer shoes or the very latest set of headphones? Why were these things made out to be so important? Even the folks who won money seemed disappointed that it wasn't the amount they wanted. This staggered me. Free money, given to them with no strings attached, and they weren't happy? How could that be? It was literally money they didn't have to earn or scrape together. Edward's logical thought was that maybe they had to pay a fee to go on the show.
We asked Esme later.
"No, sweetheart. They write in for tickets to the show. Then it's luck if they're picked to play."
I was confused.
"But they look so angry when they don't win. I don't understand it. I mean, if it's luck just to get to play, they must expect not to win? Isn't it stacked in favour of the show rather than the player?"
She pulled a face. "I don't know. It looks good if they can give away a lot of money because it's good promo for the show and the network, but they can't do that all the time. I guess it's all about timing. If you get to play and no one's won for a few shows then perhaps your chance is higher? People still expect to win big though and no one likes disappointment."
She watched us process this. "Some people always want more. It's greed. No matter what they have, or how much, they always want more. Whereas some people, happy people, just want enough. Enough for their needs, enough to get by and live out their lives in contentment."
I looked around the room and took in the simple surroundings that seemed so homely and so very Esme. A vase of flowers, nothing ostentatious, comfortable furniture and plain carpeting. She wasn't a wealthy woman. She wasn't the type to throw it in anyone's face either even if she had money, I knew that by now, but she wasn't rich. She gave her time and her efforts to help others instead and found enrichment therein. I realised that if she won a large sum of money there was every chance a lot of it would go to help others.
~o.O.o~
Edward was feeling stronger after another day at home and so we decided to take a short walk the next morning to get some air. It was just the two of us, wrapped up against the cold, wandering in a circle around the neighbourhood. We didn't stray far and were soon back, pink-cheeked and bright, having been greeted by Esme's neighbours. They seemed genuine and friendly people and knew nothing of us to judge. They assumed we were family visiting. I knew Edward loved the idea of being seen as family and we said nothing to allay their thoughts.
I had work the following day and threw myself into it to keep occupied. Emmett asked about Edward and I watched his brow smooth when I told him everything was okay. Edward's job was heavier work than mine and he needed to be on top form before he returned so he was taking extra time as agreed with the doctor. I went to see the market owner and explained. They seemed understanding and wished him a speedy recovery. His friends had missed him and were relieved to hear he was on the mend. They hadn't seen either of us since the accident and this had fuelled concern that I was happy to dispel.
I was always overwhelmed when I found out folk worried about us.
Esme called Tanya and I spoke to her, letting her know he would be back in the next couple of days.
Before then, we hoped to move back home.
That night we lay in bed and I knew it had to be done.
"I'll go back tomorrow to look at the room and see if it's ready to move back. We can't risk the room going to someone else."
"No, you're right. We should be getting home if we can." His tone was flat and I wondered if he was in pain.
"We can come back and collect our things in the morning if it is, before I start my shift."
He was quiet for a minute. "We need to get home so I'm closer to the market. It's a longer walk from here. A bit farther to Happy Tails too, not that I mind the walk." He added the last part hastily and I shook my head.
As if anyone could ever judge him or call him lazy.
~o.O.o~
Edward walked ahead, acting determined and cheerful. I almost believed him, would've believed him, if we hadn't lain awake the previous night, huddled together in the dark, unsure of what lay ahead. When the door opened, the first thing that hit me was the stale, clammy air and the lingering odour of paint, proving that the room hadn't been kept warm despite Esme's haranguing of our landlord.
I could see the walls had been painted, a fresh coat of beige over the stains and mould. Had he had the mould treated? Or would it just come back again? I didn't know how that worked, but I didn't think paint was enough to eradicate it. I swallowed, walking over to the bed, back in its place beneath the newly replaced window frame. I couldn't hold back the stab of fear at the memory of that night and I fully expected to still hear glass shards crunching under my feet. A furtive glance reassured me that there was no sign of the event other than a stain on the floor from… I veered my mind away from that. I would wait until we were moved back in and then I'd find us a cheap rug at work to cover the… the mark. Maybe more than one to kill some of the chill from under the door. I noticed there wasn't a draught from the window now, the new frame more effective than the old, likely rotted one.
My hand made contact with the mattress and found it to be dry but cold, mottled with a few dry watermarks. A surreptitious sniff proved it hadn't been cleaned, the ominous musty smell of damp sticking to my hand.
Not good.
I'd feared this. I turned to Edward and caught him watching me, worry etched over his beautiful features.
"Is it bad? The bed?" His eyes were hollow. "If we covered it with a blanket under the sheet, would that help?"
I remembered Esme's words about mould and spores.
"No," I whispered. "I don't think that would do any good."
Esme appeared behind Edward, a box of food in her arms. She stopped, looking from me to Edward, sensing a problem before setting down the box on the counter. She took a sniff of the air and shook her head. I watched her lean over the mattress, recoiling after one sniff. She shook her head, turning to me.
"Help me turn this would you, boys? We were at her side in a moment, helping her flip the mattress. What we saw then made my stomach plummet. It was speckled with black mould, still damp to the touch. Completely unusable.
Ruined. He flipped it so we wouldn't notice.
Esme's pretty face darkened, and I wanted to make this better, reassure her that we'd be alright, we'd find a way to sort this.
It can't be hopeless, it can't. We can make this work.
We could wrap the mattress in plastic – it wouldn't be warm, but it would be better than the alternative. We had the tarp… would that work for one night? Maybe we could flatten large cardboard cartons from the grocery store and lay them on top. Or maybe we could pad the slatted bedframe with cartons and blankets and towels. It wouldn't be five-star luxury, but it would keep us out of the freezing draught.
I'll find us an old used mattress that doesn't have mould. People dump stuff all the time. It'll be okay. If we go out looking after dark…
Esme was staring at me and I realised that, in my panic, I'd zoned out for a moment.
"Absolutely not, Jasper. Whatever you're thinking, absolutely not. You are not sleeping on that. Promise me."
It was like she could read my mind. I knew Edward was steeling himself to move back here, to reclaim our independence. I was only too aware that he was struggling to muster up the enthusiasm inside but determined as always not to show it. He would be strong, stand up for what needed to be done, whereas I knew it was as I'd feared – we'd adapted so easily in a short space of time to being warm and comfortable. My chest was much improved by sleeping in a warm room and Edward was also doing much better now. We'd both got a healthier colour to our skin and, given time, we'd most likely gain a little weight back too. We were eating well and I loved cooking in Esme's kitchen, using her stove, not to mention the wonderful unending supply of hot running water.
And now it had to end because reality was knocking and couldn't be ignored. Time to get back to what we knew.
Edward's voice was tentative but with a steadfast edge. He took her hands.
"This is nothing. We've both endured far worse than this, Esme. We can't thank you enough for what you've done for us. It means the world, truly. Now it's time for us to get back on our feet."
Seeing, really seeing the worry and concern she was feeling bolstered me into getting moving. We couldn't have her feeling guilty for us. We weren't her problem anymore – she could have her life back now without us in her space. I collected our bedding and kitchen items and placed them on the counter, intent on making the best of our home once again, but the reality was that coming back didn't offer any real hope.
Esme's face was forlorn. I'd known she'd worry, especially about Edward, but he'd done his best to reassure her and she knew he wouldn't lie.
I heard a noise behind us and spun. Too late, I realised our landlord stood in the open doorway. His oily grin showed his satisfaction in having his tenants back in their rat-hole where they belonged. The problem was, he hadn't known we were tenants – plural - until now.
"Two of you now? Another one working the streets? I guess there must be enough demand out there." He looked at Esme, who stood shaking with barely contained rage, and backed out of the room. "We'll speak tomorrow about the rent increase once you've settled in. There'll need to be an adjustment of course to accommodate these new circumstances." His snuffly voice held a note of undisguised triumph and he shuffled off down the hall and up the stairs to the second floor.
I ran after him.
"What about the mattress? It's wet and mouldy– can't you spare us another one? We can't sleep on that. I'll get sick again. We both will."
My voice was plaintive and he paused without turning.
"You'll have to manage for tonight. I'll see if one can be found to replace it. I make no promises, you understand. I might have some old sofa cushions you can use if not."
With that, he was gone.
I wanted to curl up and sob. One step forward, three back. We would've been out on the streets months ago if he'd known about Edward from the start. There'd have been no way we could've afforded it back when we had almost no work, but the fact was now he'd be taking a larger chunk of our limited income. He'd no doubt claim it was to cover the cost of the paint job and window and hold it over us for evermore. Maybe I should be grateful that we'd kept it hidden for so long, but right now I wanted to scream into the void:
Why us? Why now?
It took more than a little reassurance before Esme left, her lingering glances of concern warming my heart. Once the door closed behind her, the tiny remaining piece of positivity drained from Edward and he sagged against the frame. The smell of paint was strong and I checked to see if it was dry. It seemed so, but with the walls so cold it was hard to be sure. We kept our jackets on and set about fixing up the place so everything was where it should be. Unpacking the boxes took no time at all and within minutes we had put away our linens, switched on the heater, and had the kettle burbling.
I had a thought. I leaned over the bath and checked it for glass shards and splinters. I doubted the workmen would've covered it while they made the repairs. Turned out I was right. It was discoloured with sawdust and took me several minutes to swill out until it was clean and safe to use, my hands red and aching from the icy water.
Edward had made coffee and I wrapped my hands around the warm mug, feeling them throb with the sudden heat. Blowing across the surface, I looked over at Edward, sipping his own.
"I thought we could use get some grocery cartons to cover the slats tonight. If that doesn't work, we'll spread the tarp on the floor and lay on the boxes for warmth. Tomorrow we go looking for anyone dumping a mattress. I know it's a long shot, especially as the weather's so bad, but we might get lucky. Maybe someone will advertise an old one cheap?" I shrugged, trying to impart hope into the statement.
His smile was bleak.
"Let's hope so." He sipped. "So what were you thinking when Esme stopped you?"
My lip quirked. "About wrapping the mattress in the tarp and using it anyway. Anything to avoid sleeping on the floor, you know? I really don't think my chest will like that a whole lot. I just didn't want to say anything, you know – in front of her. She owes us nothing and we've been so lucky to have a few days in comfort." I reached over and rubbed light circles on his inner wrist. "I'm so relieved to have you back in one piece. I was scared."
He set down his mug and took mine from me before pulling me into a tight hug. I felt my body seek his warmth through our jackets.
"I know you were." His warm breath plumed against my cheek. "We'll be okay, Jas. We're strong."
I smiled into his hair. He always knew what to say. I soaked up the feeling of his arms around me until it was time to go. I had work that afternoon and so it was with a heavy heart that I left him there, huddled in front of the heater.
~o.O.o~
After work, I went to the local stores asking for large empty cartons. I didn't want anyone to know the real reason we needed them and no one asked. With my arms wrapped around the flattened boxes, I staggered home, grateful it wasn't raining. Edward met me at the door and took some of the load from my arms. We dumped the mattress against the far wall and took a look at our materials. They weren't made of overly thick card, a couple were sturdier than the rest and so they became the base. Once all the slats were covered, we laid a blanket and sheet on top and gingerly sat down. Not great, but doable. We covered this with our other sheet and blanket, adding our pillows last, mercifully dry and mould free.
The phone rang and startled us both. It was Esme, asking if she and Rosie could come over. We agreed, and a few minutes later we heard a knock at the door. When she came in, a delighted Rosie at her heels, she held a folder full of papers.
"Hello, boys. After this morning, I went and did some research. Have either of you heard of the housing program?"
We both shook our heads, confused. She opened the folder and pulled out some forms.
"It's a way for low-income families to get housed properly. A way for you to be independent and have a clean and warm place to live. I've read all of this," she indicated the wad of papers, "and the one thing it doesn't tell me is if you'll qualify, but I see no problem with trying. If you're interested, I can help you with the paperwork for the application. It takes time for them to make a decision, I warn you. If you're successful, you're then moved to a waiting list. The waiting list can be up to a year."
I heard the hopeful inhale from Edward. Just the thought of a new place was a bright spot of hope, a new star in our sky.
"We'd like to try, Esme." Edward squeezed my hand, turning to me. "Another year, max, and we could have a proper home, Jas."
What he didn't say was what we were both thinking:
Another year here.
We could do this.
Esme's hand brushed Rosie's ears, the dog at her feet. She seemed distracted. I wondered why.
"Did you know that there's a bus route that passes the end of my street straight into town? It stops at Goodwill. It stops close by Happy Tails too. Having said that, I go that way a lot with my work so I could drop you off some days."
We stared, not fully believing what we were hearing. She clutched the folder tight, her knuckles whitening.
"I'd love it if you were to move in with me while we see what happens with the application. I know you'll want your independence and, who knows, you may find a place you like on your own, given time. The bottom line is, I don't want you living here anymore." She lifted her chin, her eyes shiny. "This isn't charity, or pity before you say anything because I know how you think." She looked straight at me. "We can agree all the formalities later so you feel in control. I'm proud to know you both. You're such kind, hardworking young men, and such good company for me and Rosie." Rosie looked up at the sound of her name and got an extra ear rub. "We love having you around. Would you consider moving back to your room? Will you come home?"
I wanted to sit down. Edward's hand tightened around mine, wanting to agree, wanting me to do the same but not wanting to go against my wishes. I squeezed his in return, feeling him shake. Looking up, I met her nervous gaze, flickering between us.
"Yes." My throat was dusty. "Yes. We'd love to."
Edward's beam matched hers.
~o.O.o~