Edward POV continued...
"Edward."
He leans down, shining his light into the car and I'm so fucking glad it's him this time.
"Yes sir." I say up to him.
He looks at me with disappointment in his eyes and I don't know why that bothers me, like I'm letting him down, but it does.
"Son, have you been drinking?" He looks at me in disbelief. I'm not drunk though, so I say no at first, but this isn't my first run in with Officer Swan. I know I have to tell him the truth.
And I do.
He looks down at me with stern eyes as he holds the flashlight at an angle towards me. "You got a death wish, son? You could've killed both of us tonight." He shines his flashlight to the passenger side and in the back seat as he continues, "You're lucky I pulled you over. Now turn the engine off, roll your window up and come get in my car, I'm takin' you home."
I do what he says.
He turns the blue lights off when I close my door and when he starts in the direction of my house, I tell him that my dad will kill me if he finds out. I beg him to let me call a friend to come get me. That doesn't go over so well, so he takes me to his house instead. I can't exactly ask him to drop me at Nate's, so it's my only option.
I don't know why he always saves my ass and acts like he cares, but he does. My own father doesn't even treat me as well as Officer Swan does.
.
.
.
When we go up the steps and into his house he points to the couch and grabs a blanket from a closet, tossing it on me, telling me to help myself to anything in the fridge. He hangs his coat on the hook by the door and goes up the stairs, telling me to get some rest.
There's a shotgun leaning against the wall in the corner of the room, where a fish is mounted above. The furniture is old, not like my house at all. It's comfortable here though.
When I fall into the couch, I look above the fireplace. Glancing sideways, I try to make out the images that are in the frames placed across the mantle.
Drawn to the photos... I sit up and make my way to them.
There are three pictures, all of the same girl.
A girl I recognize.
The brown eyed girl that left and never came back. The girl that had warm eyes and a kind smile that reminded me of my mother.
There's a picture of her in a bathing suit, soaking wet, with a popsicle in her hand. A wide smile across her face. I don't know why I smile back at the frames, but I do.
I scan another picture that shows an older girl with the same features, but taller, more developed. She's in the desert, holding a small potted cactus… hair blowing in the wind.
The last picture spreads like a spill… and stains my mind. A close up of her face.
She's beautiful now. I still remember her name.
I stare at those pictures for I don't know how long before I hear Officer Swan coming down the stairs. He speaks up when I don't bother looking away from the photo, and asks me if I need anything, coming to stand beside me. He says, "That's my Bells," grabbing the frame I'll never forget.
He walks to the couch and I follow, sinking in on the other side.
We sit on the couch as he holds the frame and tells me about the girl with the brown hair that used to share her lunch with me.
He tells me about her mom and how he loved her more than he'd ever loved any woman, but they just couldn't make it work.
He tells me love is real. And even though both of these women are gone, he still believes that love is real.
Officer Swan tells me the opposite of everything my father has ever told me.
And looking at those pictures one last time before I go to sleep that night, I know that he's right.
Love does exist... but only in blurry, painful memories of my mother's eyes and in a frame that sits on Officer Swan's mantle.
I look up to the ceiling before drifting off, and I thank God that it was Officer Swan that pulled me over tonight and then I thank God that the one girl that could ruin me left so long ago.
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A/N: Next up, another, older, Edward POV. Thank you so much for your follows, favs and reviews. Means the most. XOXO