Chapter 10: Nebraska

The alarm on Cori's bedside table blared loudly, waking herself and Edward up to a cold chill of morning. It was five on Monday morning, November the 19th. Their flight was in three hours. Cori was up first and turned on the light. She was getting dressed when Edward finally sat himself up in bed. They didn't exchange many words in their first minutes awake. They both knew what was happening and the excitement needed time to build from their tired minds. Eventually it did, and the two were all smiles and giggles, playfully packing and joking as the sun would rise with them. Eager for a week of nothing but a small town and Cori's family for Thanksgiving. Edward's much awaited walk through her childhood memories. It was a privilege to know her better, to understand her in a way he never understood anyone before. Back to her roots, back to Nebraska. The home of the grand plains and the Ruskers. Farmers fields and pine forests. Rustic and wholesome were her roots, and he yearned to take some comfort in that.

Cori was able to brew some coffee before they left and put them in thermoses. They showered, packed what was loose but needed, got on some comfortable clothes. Edward wearing his dark sage sweater and jeans, and Cori a sweater from her Univeristy in Lincoln and sweatpants. She tied her hair back in a half ponytail. They were still sluggish when they left the apartment and locked up. As they reached the bottom of their stairwell with their luggage, the cold air hit them like water. Now wide awake, the reality was setting in. Getting out of Gotham was a small victory, even if just for a week.

The drive in the cab was calm, two hours before rush hour. The sun was orange and warm, reflecting off the buildings like her Himalayan lamp. They reached the airport and it was busy given the approaching holiday. Even given the early hours. Everyone had the same idea, flying out to see their family for the holiday. Cori and Edward unpacked their bags from the trunk and walked inside with their hands joined. An easy action like they had rehearsed it many times, but within the two of them, they were mixed in excitement and fear. Edward's first flight, first time out of Gotham, first in Nebraska, first time meeting a girlfriend's parents. A million firsts all happening at once and it was like walking on another planet. Cori's confidence in doing it so many times was like his guide. However, she was gruellingly anticipating Edward meeting her mom. Her main worry wasn't that she wouldn't like him, or that he wouldn't like her. Both affable and easy to get along with. However, her mom was a character infamous for embarrassing her. She kept this anxiety hidden well.

She had their fares in her right hand as she came up to the agent. Surprisingly no rigmarole so commonly encountered when she came to the airport. Their ID's checked out, as did the tickets. They left their large suitcases on the ramp to be picked up in Lincoln and brought their bags to boarding. They were waiting to be boarded by two large windows looking out to the airfield. Their flight was Gotham, NY to Lincoln, NB, where Cori's mom would pick them up and drive them to Blue Valley. Cori had her head rested to Edward's shoulder, looking at her phone and texting her mom of their progress, who was heavily responding, not even needed to be seen to show excitement. They were called to board at 8:15am. They walked up the ramp together, Edward taking in every stimulation of new surroundings when he stepped on the plane. They found their seats and Cori said to him, "Take my seat."

"Why?"

"It's a window seat. This is your first time; you deserve the best view."

Edward kissed her cheek then moved into the seat by the window. Cori sat next to him and an older man with headphones sat in the isle. Edward asked her quietly, "What does it feel like?"

"When we take off?"

"Yeah."

"It's not bad. It's a little tug of the tummy… and then it's soaring. It's fun."

The flight attendant did the safety dance before the cockpit for everyone to see. The pilot spoke through "Welcome passengers to Flight 4B7 with service from Gotham City to Lincoln, Nebraska. We are second in line for take off and are expected to be in the air in seven minutes. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure your luggage under your chairs or in the overhead compartments. Please turn off all electronic devices such as phones at this time. Thank you for choosing WestLex Airlines."

Soon the plane began to move, driving up to the runway. Cori took Edward's hand, smiling giddily to him. He was nervous but returned it and pecked her lips. The plane picked up speed, and Edward opened the window to see the wing and engine. He could see the ground whooshing behind them at top speeds. Then a pull at his shoulders as the plane went up. The tug of his tummy like butterflies rose to his chest. He squinted his eyes and clenched her hand a little. She giggled at the feeling. After a few moments the sensation evened out and Edward opened his eyes. He looked out his window to see the city of Gotham fleeting below him. He was exhilarated to see it and smiled to the clouds hazing the window view. He flicked his head back to her and excitedly giggled, a laugh he'd make when he was either tickling her or chasing her around the apartment playfully. Cori giggled back and touched his nose with hers'.

"Fun, right?"

"Yup. Is landing the same thing?"

"Nah, landing just makes me wanna throw up." She said jokingly.

The phones were allowed to come on now, and they had five hours in the sky before Lincoln.

They talked for a little before phones were needed to quell the boredom.

Cori asked him as she pet his hand, "How you feelin'?"

"Good. Excited. It's… actually really nice to be out of Gotham. Like a weight off my shoulders."

"Like a bit of sunlight out of constant stormy clouds?"

Edward smiled and looked to her, "Yeah, a little. Like when I met you."

"You're gonna love Blue Valley. It's a beautiful little town built along a river. People are nice, the weather is nice, this time of year everything will be gold off the trees. And, you're gonna be meeting my mom. Like, as soon as we land. She's a character."

Edward asked quite sullenly, "Is she going to like me?"

Cori beamed a grin and laughed, "Dude. She's going to fucking love you. She'll be calling you her son in like… two seconds."

Edward sighed a bit relieved and looked ahead, resting his head back.

Until Cori mumbled, "She's just…"

He lifted his head, "She's just… what?"

Cori let her eyes wander as she explained, "She can be a bit much, is all. She's sweet but she's… invasive. She has a hard time understanding boundaries. Especially with me. Don't be afraid to tell her to stop if she's making you uncomfortable."

"Uh. Okay."

"And she's eccentric. Like… really eccentric. She's super animated and bubbly, like a cartoon character. Be prepared for lots of touching."

Edward flicked his head to her then with concern. Cori flinched, "Not like that! She's… cuddly. Like she gives lots of hugs and she might even pinch your cheeks. Poke your belly a little bit…" She proceeded to jokingly poke Edward's stomach, making him wiggle away and laugh.

"But she means well, that's all I'm saying. She knows about you already so don't be worried."

Edward asked, "So, she won't kick me out and tell me to leave her daughter alone?"

"Nah," laughed Cori, "She's a friendly hippie. Worst thing she'll do is offer you a rip off her bong."

Edward snorted a laugh and shook his head, a bit more at ease in the sky now that they'd been up for a while. After an hour or two he was in a Game of Wits book, and Cori was reading her fantasy novel with Florence and the Machine in her ear buds. Every once in a while, he'd look out the window. Mostly he'd see clouds, but when he'd catch the landscape below it was a quilt of fields and forests. Veins of rivers and patches of lakes. He wondered if they were passing over Ohio, Indiana, or Illinois. He'd lose minutes trying to find it out judging by the geography below.

By the time the entered the scape of Nebraska, Cori was asleep with her novel opened and cradled to her chest. Music was still blaring in her ears.

"We're now entering Nebraska, ladies and gentleman. The Cornhusker State. We're approaching the runway to Lincoln Airport and will be descending in twenty minutes time. Please fasten your seatbelts and turn off all electric devices. Thank you again for choosing WestLex Airlines."

Edward lightly took the earbud from Cori's left ear and rubbed her arm. She flinched awake and took out her other earbud.

"We're gonna be landing soon," he said, "figured you'd want to know."

Cori rubbed her eyes, "Damn, already? It's 2:00pm. I told my mom to be at the airport by two. God, I hope she is."

"As long as I'm with you I'm happy." Edward smiled as he closed his book and stuffed it back in his bag. Cori awed, doing the same for her book.

"Even in a stinky airport?"

He assured, "Even in a stinky airport."

Edward looked out the window again to see Lincoln City approaching. The plane began to descend, bringing a pressure in his ears and raising his stomach. Each time it would, it would rise a sense of nausea.

"You weren't kidding. This feels gross."

Cori laughed, "Yeah, it sucks."

Their ears were popping as they hit the landing strip. When it stopped, the captain gave his ending statements as passengers started to grab their things from the compartments. Cori and Edward grabbed their things and exited after the other through the narrow isle. Cori was already on her phone texting her mom.

"Hey, we've landed! You here??"

No response even as she got off the ramp and into the airport. The air in Nebraska was warmer than Gotham. Breezier and cleaner than Gotham's haze. Edward took it into his lungs welcomingly, enjoying the bright sun above. Twenty minutes went by as they went through security and got their luggage back, still no response from her mother. She gave her a call.

Cori hissed to herself as they walked from customs, "Pick up, mother."

The phone rang and rang till it hit her flamboyant voicemail. Cori growled and shoved her phone in her pocket.

"No answer?" Edward asked in concern.

"Nope. I swear if she slept in."

Edward asked, "She sleeps in till two?"

Cori sighed, "You'd be surprised."

Unbeknownst to Cori, a blue SUV was coming up to the parking lot outside Lincoln Airport. A pair of fuzzy pink dice hanging from her rear-view mirror. Even just the windows opened a tad, the nearby pedestrians in the lot could smell the Ylang Ylang. She parked out of the lines and fluffed her bob, streaked with grey and black like zebra print. She reapplied her rose lipstick and sprayed a bit more perfume over her fur and denim jacket. Her cheetah printed leggings stepped out of the car door planting her combat boots to pavement. She put out her smoke with the same boot as she closed the door behind her. She opened the tail gate and pulled out a long, white billboard. She had a smile that was infectious, bringing one to the people she'd pass by. One opened the door to the airport for her as she came up. She started to jog laughing jolly as she did so, a raspy crack in it. Every step she made would rattle in the bead necklaces along her neck.

The person laughed with her, not even sure why. It caught like a yawn, and they felt better with just a small ray of sunshine from her.

She laughed as she passed through the doors, "Watch out for this thing, it's bigger than me!" Referring to her white billboard with something written in black felt.

As she entered the airport she tucked her sunglasses up over her head, sweeping her black hair from her face.

She said to herself, "Okay, where's my baby?"

Meanwhile, Cori and Edward were waiting outside the luggage belt.

"Maybe we should walk out to the main area?" She suggested, taking his hand and pulling her luggage with the other. Cori looked around when they came into a jungle of people walking past. She asked to him, "You see her? Small Asian lady, usually wearing something… weird. Or doing something weird."

Edward looked over the heads and saw something distractingly obvious at the far end of the hall. A white billboard being held up clearly saying 'Cori and Edward', bouncing over the heads passing it by. When the bodies cleared, he saw a woman with a black bob, fur jacket, and cheetah pants. She was thin and a little over five feet, much like Cori.

"Uh. Cori." He tapped her arm and pointed. Cori's face went droll in the blink of an eye.

"Dear God."

Cori waved her hand up and swung it for her attention. Her mother immediately flung the billboard in the air and happily squealed, leaping in one spot with her arms out wide. Cori flattened her lips together and threw her hands up, letting them slap to her thighs at seeing her.

Her mother came running down the hall screaming like an excited child with her hands out to Cori. She smiled at her reaction, discreetly overjoyed to see her again. Cori held her arms out and fastened her walk to meet her mother's running gait. Then their embrace was introduced with a brunt of force on Cori's end. Her mother was squealing into her shoulder and holding her tighter with every second. Cori wove her arms back, letting her mother sway them unbridled in joy. A typical but welcoming reaction she knew she'd pull, and yet how seldom embarrassing it was, it was the embrace of home. Cori pulled her in tight and closed her eyes— resting her head to her shoulder.

"Oh, baby! I missed you! I missed you so much!" She started pecking Cori's cheek, "I missed you! I missed you!" She pulled her in for another hug, but Cori cut it short after almost a full minute.

Then her face was clasped, and Cori lazily smiled. Her mother's voice inflated with her southern accent, "Oh, look at you! God damn it, you're such a fucking cutie! That screen don't do you justice, baby."

Cori laughed, but then went stern, "Mom. A billboard. Really? I get that was a thing before cellphones but…"

"I'm seizing the moment, Coraline! I'm making a grand entrance! My baby is home where her heart lives, that is due for a grand gesture. A celebration! My heart is… up in the clouds right now!"

She started to hop while holding Cori's shoulders, squealing laughter. A returned forced smile from Cori.

Edward walked up to them, enjoying the reunion from afar but fearing now to be apart of it. Her mother looked up to him for a short glance and then her eyes stuck, her mouth fell wide.

"Holy shit!"

Cori looked back and introduced, "Mom. This is Edward. Edward this is Mom."

Her mother laughed heartily, coming over to Edward undaunted and patting his chest. He made a nervous smile.

"Look at this oak! Haha! You weren't kidding, he's tall as shit!" She looked back to Cori and jested, "Bet you climb him like a tree, too. If you know what I mean."

Her mothers laugh nearly drowned Cori's scolding, "Mom. You're already starting."

"Oh, tsk! I'm only kiddin'! Don't be so square, Cori," she held her arms out to Edward and smiled big, "Come here, sweetie!"

She pulled him in for a hug, and he gasped at her firm arms. She was too busy laughing against his chest patting his back. Cori winced but looked up at Edward who had a big smile on his face. She smiled back and winked.

She pulled away abruptly but still clasping his arms, "I'm tickled pink to meet ya', Edward! Now, you can call me Yumi. But! I wouldn't mind being called mom or mama. You dating my daughter, you are family, you hear?" Cori made an amused 'I-told-you-so' face up at him.

Edward didn't say anything, just nodded as stiff as a board. She laughed again, "Oh, shit. Would you take a gander at him! He's as cute as a button! Don't let the cat hold your tongue for too long, baby. I don't bite. You'll feel right at home in no time. Just look at you two. What a beautiful couple! He'll be makin' me some tall ass grandchildren. Haha!"

"Mom! Jesus Christ."

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Okay, get your bags, kids. We got a road trip ahead of us! One hour and a full album of Shania Twain and snacks. I got the whole caboodle!"

She began to walk away, and Cori called, "Mom, your sign."

Yumi waved her hand, "Oh, it's fine. Let's blow this popsicle stand!"

"You're just gonna leave it there. Mom, you can't just…"

"Cori. Leave it for the staff, that's their job, right?"

Cori went silent but shook her head, "No… just… No"

Edward and Cori followed Yumi and her drastic hand gestures all the way to the door. She continued to babble all the way to the car, even filling Cori's ears as they put their luggage and bags in the tailgate. Of course, Cori would usually nod and give short responses to show she was listening (but she wasn't). Edward was a fly on the wall, every now and then he'd be pulled into her rambling fondly and she'd shine a smile his way. Cori and Edward sat together in the back and Yumi was still going. Things about her job, personal things about her new boyfriend, her mortgage payments, her Thanksgiving planning, any and everything was on the table. She had a vibrancy to her voice, warm like a southern sun. She'd break laughs in and out of her sentences like breathing air. Edward was certain she didn't breathe. The capacity of her lungs a chasm to spill words after words with no effort.

They got on the highway towards Blue Valley, and she announced, "Would you kids like some music? I got the whole nine. I got the Beatles, Johnny Cash, Madonna, Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain…"

"You pick, mom."

"Shania Twain it is! Haha!"

Cori and Edward would make side glances to each other, smiling in amusement to the things she'd say. She put on Up! from Shania Twain on the stereo and Cori hoped that would be the end to the talking, but it wasn't.

A complete thirty minutes of constant chatter was enough to droll Cori and Edward's faces into their windows. Every now and then she would say something funny and the two would stifle their laughter. However, it was mostly a full narrative of Yumi's last seven months. Since the last time Cori saw her.

"You know that bitch at Berkin's Buy? Oh, shit. You're gonna love this one, Cori. Remember how she used to be such a twat to you when you worked there? Well, I went in there the other day. I was just smelling the flowers, and all of a sudden, I hear all of this shit talkin' at the till. Wouldn't you know it, Carrie Isley is chewing her ass out in front of a whole line. She couldn't even talk; Carrie wouldn't let her get a word in! She didn't like the attitude she was givin', and the bitch got called out for it."

Cori asked, "Wait, did you say Carrie?"

"Yeah, you know her?"

"Mom, she was my best friend in high school."

Yumi thought for a moment and gasped, "That's right! Haha! The Carrie Cori duo! She's the one who introduced you to pot, right?"

Cori smacked her lips and glanced to Edward, who was suggestively smiling and raised a brow. Cori sighed, "That's the one."

"Oh, Edward. You should have seen this girl in her day in school. There was this weird fashion trend goin' on, I don't know who the fuck thought it was a good idea. She'd cake on all this black shit on her eyes, dye her hair every colour of the rainbow. Oh! Remember the collars? I used to tell you, those things are for dogs, Cori. A boy sees you wearin' one he's gonna treat you like a dog, too."

"They're called chokers, mom."

"What the hell was that? Emu or something. Isn't that a bird?"

"Emo. It was a phase."

"I got a whole photo album of it, we can look at it tonight, Edward. How's that sound?"

Edward replied, "Uh. Sure."

Cori snipped back, "Uh. No."

"This kid used to give me heart attacks. Sneaking out at night with Carrie to go hang out with boys, oh fuck. You came home with fucking hickeys on your neck and I just said the hell with it! I bought her a phone. You wanna sneak out, just tell me in advance and call me. At least I'll know where you are."

Cori buried her face into her hands, "Ugh… mom, please."

"That was ten years ago, though. She's matured so much. No longer goes for the little pricks with the beanies smelling like cat piss and bong water. Look at this cat! You look like a good boy! Oh, I'm so happy! Tell me about yourself, Edward! What about your ma, she got a number? I'd love to chat it up with her."

Cori said as she kept talking, "Uh. Mom," she nervously looked over to Edward and sat up straight, "Mom."

"I don't have a mom. I was an orphan." Edward said it, breaking Yumi's current of speech.

Her voice deflated, "Oh, honey. I'm sorry."

Edward nodded shyly, "It's okay."

"But you got one now! Haha! You picked the right family to blend into, honey. We got you and we're gonna love you like the family you shoulda had!" Her finger waggled up as she kept looking at the road. Cori couldn't help but smile and snuck it to Edward, who warmly returned it, taking her hand.

Their drive was layered in rolling hills and farmland. It truly was the land of the cornfields, as they'd pass maize every county. No large cities to be seen, no large structures other than a coal mine. Large turbines in grassy knolls. Livestock such as cows roaming freely in the meadows. The prairies brought focus to the skies. White clouds wispy through baby blue. The sun bringing gold to the wheat crops. The harvest season in full effect, combines were hulling it all up. The trees were golden as Cori said, sans the pine, which rural Nebraska was abundant. The roads so empty it felt like an abandoned land of bounty. Edward seen it all in spectacle, for Cori it was the simplest touches of home. Each corner of her home state a thread of nostalgia. The most of it being the smells of her mother's car. Ripe in essential oils, tobacco smoke, and her rosy perfume. Her smell to a tee.

An hour had passed and Yumi was still nonstop chatting. It almost seemed as if she was just talking to herself given Cori had given up her affirmation adlibs. Edward glanced to Cori by his side. She looked up at him leaned back into her seat, her eyes dead and vacant. He mouthed the words amusingly, "She's still going."

Cori just blinked slow and nodded. Yumi announced something that caught Cori's attention, "So sobo and jiji will be coming down tomorrow afternoon. They stopped in Kansas; they just shot me a text. It's a long drive from Oklahoma to Nebraska! I tried to offer them a plane ticket, but you know sobo, she can be stubborn. You're gonna have to tell them about Celeste's case, Cori."

"What? You didn't tell them?"

"Well, no, Coraline, I didn't. I figured you would get around to it."

"Why do I have to, though?"

Yumi sighed, "Well, reopening the case wasn't my shtick, Cori. You know that. You got this running back up again; it should be you who shares the good news."

"It's good news, okay. You get a crumb of good news, and you'd go tell the neighbour's dog. Why not your parents?"

Yumi hesitated to say, the first time she'd gone quiet the entire ride.

"Mom?"

"Look, you're… grandfather and grandmother might have their objections, okay? They're… traditional, you know this. They might see it as dishonouring her memory or disrupting her spirit."

Cori exasperated a sigh as she rubbed her forehead.

"It's been twenty years, honey. To them it might be like digging her up or something."

"So, you left it for me."

"No, you just understand this stuff better than I do. All the cop stuff and what not. The DNA forensic things, that's your expertise. They don't see it like that, they would just see it as trying to get blood from a stone. You know, kinda like I did. You turned me around to it, I'm sure you can do the same for them!"

"Yeah, sure. Nothing like getting cursed out in Japanese at the dinner table. Can't wait."

Her mom laughed, "It'll be fine! They would never. They would to me, oh certainly. But you're their little hana. They're so excited to see you, by the way. I told them about Edward and…"

Cori grievously flicked her hand up and slapped it to her thigh, falling back against the seat.

"They wanna meet him! Keep them distracted with the good stuff. Then when you get the chance, slip in the bad news when they're not paying attention and go from there."

"What… like what you just did to me? Didn't work, mom."

"Sure it did. It'll work for sobo and jiji, too."

Another hour came and went, signs of Blue Valley were starting to come up. Familiar landmarks and then actual signs stating the miles to arrival. They passed the hump of descent into the valley, opening a vista of the bending river cradled by green hills. Two bridges over the river and adjacent to each side small portions of townscape. The feeling of coming home after years was something to be embellished and appreciated. Cori took in her valley with a smile, a valley she used to take for granted now showing off its beauty. Far from the dark and unforgiving concrete of Gotham. Where things were true in their meaning, pure and built from the ground up by the honest working. Where every face was familiar and kind, like an extension to her family.

She said to Edward, "This is it. Home sweet home."

He smiled out his window, "We're not in Gotham, anymore."

They came into town and let someone on horseback go across the street. Cori giggled, "Nope. Certainly not."

They would pass the shops and streets and every single one a memory. Whether she walked down it, played baseball in that field, worked at that store or bought her prom dress at that boutique, all of them had an echo of her childhood.

They went into a residential area, soon turning into a suburb by the river front. Walkways had children playing, couples walking their dogs, and trees shedding golden leaves over the road. Yumi would call out the names of the people she'd see and update Cori on their lives. Every single one she knew, and a child she knew their parents. They pulled up to a two-story home, made of brick and sage wood. A garage attached and paved driveway. Three large windows looking into the dining area, and a few more on the upper level to the bedrooms. The mailbox out front still faintly saying 'The Atkins'.

"Here we are, kiddos! Welcome back, and welcome home, Edward!"

Cori and Edward finally stressed their legs, already having some jet leg from the flight. They retrieved their luggage from the tailgate and Edward stayed staring up and down the street and to the house for a while.

"You grew up here?"

"That I did," said Cori, "Was born here, too. Home birth in the bathtub upstairs."

"That's right, honey! I wasn't gonna be shitting you out in a hospital bed, not by a damn sight."

"The imagery, mom."

Yumi opened the doors for Cori and Edward after they had their luggage from the tailgate. The SUV beeped and closed the tailgate itself, then locked the doors. Just coming up to the open door was a strong smell of eucalyptus. As they walked inside the smell was greeted with coffee, wood, and marijuana. Edward closed the door behind them as Yumi was heard setting this down in the kitchen. Cori was struggling with her bag up the carpet stairs to her old bedroom. Edward passed pictures along the wall of Cori as a child. Going from chubby, smiling infant, to pigtailed toddler with an elephant stuffed animal in almost every picture, then a baseball player with braces, a broody teenager, and then to her graduation from high school and university. A brief synapse of her life up the steps. There were a lot of pictures of Celeste, as well. His first time actually seeing her sister.

"Look at this Cori Hall of Fame," he said while admiring her photos, "It's confirmed. You were always cute."

"You dig the emo look?"

"No… too much make up. You do look good in black lipstick, though."

Cori scoffed a laugh and continued to her room. They left their bags on the floor as they went and sat on her bed together. Her bedroom was just how she left it at nineteen years old. Posters of her favourite bands like My Chemical Romance and Paramore, pictures of herself and friends, paintings she did in art class and a collection of various stickers all along the walls. Her own mural of loved things. She still had a desk and dresser, a bedside table with a lamp. The same black bed sheets and pillowcase with pink skulls.

Cori flopped to her back on the bed and sighed in exhaustion, as if she reached the summit and could finally breathe. Edward laid down beside her.

Cori asked, "So, what do you think?"

"About your mom or about your childhood home?"

"Both."

Edward replied softly, "I mean, you weren't wrong on the plane."

Cori blew a laugh from her lips but kept it in, "Nope. Told you. She's a lot."

"I like her, though. She kinda reminds me of you."

Cori looked to her side in a scowl, "Take that back."

"In the bestest way possible. Like, you two kinda have the same laugh. You both talk a lot, she's got you beat, but you do like to talk, sometimes. You're both warm and kind. You get a lot from her. Not bad things, but good things."

Cori smiled then, her relief shown in her eyes, "You like her?"

"Yeah. She's looks at me like… I'm someone who matters. You do the same, too."

Cori took his hand and kissed the top of his fingers.

"Just saying, makes sense you are who you are, now. I can still hear her voice in my head, though."

Cori laughed aloud, Edward joining and turning to his side to hold her into him. She wheezed, "Oh, God. Welcome to my world."

"Your world is comforting. I'm enjoying it, so far." He cooed against her lips. The two shared a kiss after long awaiting one during their two-hour drive. Cori's drive into his lips more passionate after what he had said, feeling an intimacy in his connection and acceptance shown in the last few hours.

Their kiss broke when Yumi called up the steps, "Hey, love-birds! You better not be bumping uglies! We still need to figure out dinner!"

Cori and Edward amusingly smiled for some time, until Cori broke the silence, "You're enjoying it, huh."

He chuckled in his throat and replied, "I think I spoke too soon."