"Isn't there a movie for that?" James asked, picking Rachel's book up by the top so he could see the cover.
"The books are never like the movies." Macy scrunched up her nose. Rachel didn't disagree. She could list a handful of books that were far better than the movie. The book she had in her hands, however…that one might have been better as a movie.
She flipped another page, her eyes glossing over the words, "Honestly, I might try anything at this point. I can't keep up with this stupid thing." Though there may have been another…large, tall, dark-haired reason for that.
"Too many hot dates." Ashley winked, a cheeky smile on her lips, almost as if she'd read Rachel's mind.
Rach blushed. She hadn't told Ashley too much, just that she was hanging out with a guy that Bella had introduced her to. It wasn't a total lie.
"Yeah, yeah. I need to have the last three chapters read by next Monday, and at this rate I'll be lucky to have one chapter done in that time." She wondered if she could ask Emmett to read the book and summarize important points…but her important points and Emmett's would likely differ far too much for that.
"Aren't you so glad you have all these generals to get through before you can start on your nursing classes?" James teased, folding his straw wrapper into a ball to throw at Ashley. Their little lunch tradition was cute.
Macy didn't think so, rolling her eyes as Ashley dodged the paper ball. "You guys are children."
Rachel wondered what Macy would think of her and Emmett blowing the straw wrappers at each other during meals. Probably would fall in that same category.
What was the vegetarian vampire version of that? Was there one? Surely, he didn't use a straw to drink blood. Was that morbid to think about?
She decided it was.
"Can you believe midterms are in two weeks?" Macy changed the subject. Rachel pressed her lips together at Macy's excited tone. She wished she had Macy's drive for school. Maybe Rachel had just been away from the academic world too long. Maybe that's why most people went to college right after high school.
"Yippie." James felt the same way as Rachel, giving a half-hearted twirl of his hand. "Can't wait…."
"Oh, come on! Your first college semester is almost half over! Isn't that crazy to think about! Soon it'll be Thanksgiving, then the holidays!"
The holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas…thinking of them twisted Rachel's stomach. She almost…didn't want to go home. Back to Dennis and Theresa, it just didn't feel right. Back to the awkwardness, the shortness of temper, and the hovering…Rachel internally cringed. Was it wrong to stay in Seattle with Emmett over the holidays?
If she did that though, then she'd miss out on the McCarty family events. And those were events that she actually wanted to attend.
If she stayed with Emmett – forever – then she'd have to miss them for the rest of he-…their lives.
"Rach?" Ashley's voice pulled her back to the conversation and Rachel blinked a couple times to focus back in. When she caught her roommate's eyes, Ashley repeated her question, "Are you going home for the holidays?"
"Um, I'm not sure. I haven't talked to my parents at all." That had been true. She hadn't spoken to Dennis or Theresa. Judy had text her once to check in during the first couple weeks, but other than that, she hadn't really spoken to anyone from back home. Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe her leaving them would hurt less that way.
She probably should've started making plans though. It was already October and November would sneak up on her faster than she necessarily wanted it too. Part of her just really dreaded calling her parents, or more specifically, her mother.
"You okay?" Emmett asked shortly after pulling away from her dorm room. There was no way he could pick up on her emotions that fast. There was no way he read her that quickly.
"What's bothering you?"
Okay, maybe he could. Okay, maybe he always had.
Rachel sighed. Her mind was mush. "Just thinking about the holidays."
Emmett grinned, not at all picking up on her disdain for her situation. He had a one-track mind, and it didn't necessarily involve traveling and family drama. "Ahh, the great McCarty get together. Hopefully there's less fighting, but more pumpkin pie, eh?"
She scoffed, rolling her eyes as his thoughts. Yes, her Emmett hadn't changed very much. "First of all-"
"Pumpkin pie is gross." He mimicked her, even scrunching his face up like she did.
She lightly hit his arm, more for her benefit than his. "You're terrible. But yes, pumpkin pie is gross, so I don't share your sentiment on that. However, less fighting than our first Thanksgiving together would be much appreciated. When Henry said to save the showdown for the holiday, I really didn't think y'all would take it seriously."
Emmett just shrugged, completely nonchalant about fighting his brother. Though to be fair, it had been a long time coming. "Eh, shit happens. Snag me a piece of pie though, yeah? I miss Momma's homemade pie."
"Yes, Em. I'll definitely try to sneak a piece out of the house and on a seven-hour flight. It totally won't be crushed going through TSA." She could just imagine the mess that would make in her bag. Rachel shuddered.
"Alright, new plan. I go with you to Tennessee. You grab piece of pie after everyone is asleep. You slip it out my bedroom window to me, where I will be hiding. It's flawless."
Rachel giggled but was warmed at the thought of Emmett going back home with her. It certainly would make her trip more bearable; having Emmett to snuggle up with at night. They could lie in his bed and talk for far too long in the night…just like they used to.
"How about we wait and see if I even get invited to Thanksgiving first." Rachel said. No need to get anyone's hopes up. No need for him to know that her hopes were already up.
"You don't get invited to holidays?" Emmett had every right to question her statement. And honestly, she should've seen it coming.
"No, I do."
Emmett shook his head, playfully exasperated with her. "Girl, you had me all worried my family became jerks after I died."
"Oh, come on. You know Henry would never stand for such an injustice. He could never miss out on that Dutch apple pie." Rachel and Emmett both laughed at poor Henry's expense. Boy did like his pie.
"It is good pie." Em eventually empathized with a smirk. "Not as good as that other thing you made though. The cake and you stab it with a spoon."
Rachel thought for a moment, hung up on Emmett's strange wording her of cooking practices. She was fairly certain she hadn't stabbed anything…. "You mean the chocolate poke cake? Where you poke holes with the spoon handle?"
"Yes!" Emmett exclaimed, suddenly giddy. "Ugh, that was so good. I could've married you right then."
Rachel burst out laughing, amused that such a small thing was what 'won him over' and made him decide to keep her around. She knew he was joking, but part of her seriously thought that he likely hadn't been joking. "What do you do now? Boil some…never mind. Sorry. Was going to break a rule." She cringed at herself. Hopefully Emmett wasn't thirsty.
"Nah, you don't have to boil it. It's…you don't want to know that." He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head at himself. Though she wasn't 100% sure where he had been going, she had a good idea, and he was right. She didn't want to think about it.
Emmett rolled the window down slightly, something he did anytime he needed a break from the scent of Rachel's blood. She watched as he tilted his head slightly towards the open space, trying to get a bit more fresh air. The action made her feel worse about her slip, knowing that she made things more difficult for him unnecessarily. She'd been reckless and stupid. How long until that cost her more than just Emmett's comfort?
"Sorry." Rachel whispered, nervous about permeating the air with her breath, but wanting him to know that she was sorry for being foolish.
He shook his head, making a face briefly that was supposed to tell her that she was fine. The fact that he couldn't physically tell her that everything was fine, told her that it wasn't fine.
Emmett slowly pulled down their typical path into the woods, parking the Jeep in the same spot he always did. Rachel swore that the car would leave heavy imprints in the dirt from how often they stayed there. Maybe they could put a little sign up or make a parking spot for themselves. She thought back to the barn loft and Henry's childishly made 'Lover's Loft' sign.
"What are you thinking about?" Emmett asked, rolling the window up slightly. That was a good sign.
"Your dumb brother." Rachel smiled, more to herself, as she shook her head. She teased the living daylights out of him, but she had missed him terribly. She missed them all terribly.
Emmett knew exactly who she was talking about, chuckling as he wondered, "What about Henry?"
"I was just thinking of his little sign. Maybe we should make one out here."
He looked over at her, an amused smile on his face. His nostrils flared ever so slightly; taking a test breath, as Rachel had come to call it. "I'm trying to think of good names for it. Make out Maples?"
Rachel scoffed, bursting out laughing, "That's horrible. Are these even maple trees?"
"No idea." Emmett's chest shook lightly, the deep rumble filling the car. It was one of her favorite sounds.
Without warning, his open hand fell on the center console, and he wiggled his fingers at her. She knew exactly what he wanted, his sign for asking her to hold his hand, but she hesitated, "Is that okay? I want to make sure you're good."
"All good." Emmett confirmed with a nod. "My hands get cold; I need you to warm them up." He winked.
Cheesy excuse or not, Rachel eagerly took him up on his offer. Any amount of physical touch was something that Rachel would accept. Despite the drastic swing in his body temperature, she had come to find comfort in his contact. He was still her Emmett, even if he was a little different.
They watched the leaves rustle in the trees, each lost in their own thoughts for a moment. Emmett's thumb carefully stroked the back of Rachel's hand, an absentminded gesture as his mind took him to faraway places. She couldn't help but wonder what he had been thinking of. Did he miss his family too? Was he coming up with more silly spot names? Was he focusing on controlling his thirst?
He had never explained it to her before, but she thought it was a difficult thing to do, just by watching the struggle on his face some nights. Thankfully, it had never gotten too bad, though there were days that Emmett had to talk a quick walk, or run, in Rachel's opinion, just to clear his head a little. Those nights were usually cut short – Emmett being naturally less talkative so he couldn't smell her blood.
It was hard to watch.
She'd asked about different things she could do to help him, but in such close confines, there really wasn't much for her to do.
"Can I try something?" He asked suddenly, pulling Rachel out of her thought process. Her mind raced with different ideas on what he could want to try. Did he want to hug? Have her lean against him? More contact area to feel the warmth of her skin?
Regardless of what he wanted, she nodded, waiting his instruction so she didn't mess it up. He carefully turned her head towards him, the gentlest finger guiding under her jaw. His golden eyes scanned her features like he was memorizing her for a test. They started at the top of her head, taking in her hair, then her eyes – he smiled at those, then her nose, then her lips/chin? His heavy gaze lingered on that area, and she wondered if they were foreign to him. She hadn't changed that much, had she?
It wasn't until he started leaning in that she realized what he had been attempting.
Her heartrate picked up considerably, likely making the whole ordeal much harder on him. Had she not been focused on the thought of Emmett's lips against hers once again, she would've begged it to calm down. But the anticipation of such an intimate gesture, one that she hadn't gotten to experience in years, completely hijacked her brain.
His pace felt similar to that of a snail, seconds ticking by painfully slow, her mind rapidly flipping between begging him to hurry and encouraging him to take all the time he needed for himself. Nervous flutters pounded around her stomach the closer he got; she swore her body might combust before they actually connected. She instinctively licked her lips, mentally chiding herself for a brief moment, before the coolness of his skin brushed against hers.
And she was in heaven.
Her brain short-circuited, thankfully freezing her in place instead of throwing herself at him, as her body so desperately wanted. She wasn't alone in that desire, Emmett cupping her cheek and pulling her close to deepen the kiss almost as soon as it started. Their lips needed no refresher course, working together in sync just like during all those heated moments in the cab of Emmett's old truck. Rachel's entire body was on fire, the only thing preventing it from bursting into flames was Emmett's cool touch.
He pulled back far, far too soon. Her chest was heaving as she realized that she'd mostly forgotten to breathe, but she tried to tone it down so Em couldn't see just how worked up over one little kiss she was.
"God, I missed you." He groaned, tossing his head back in an anguish that Rachel felt deep in her soul. The window was promptly rolled down, and he turned a little to get deeper inhales of the unsaturated air. Rachel briefly wondered if she needed to start keeping brown paper bags in Emmett's Jeep for herself. How pathetic was that?
After a couple deep inhales, Emmett glanced over at Rachel, a small little smirk on his lips. "So, uh, you wanna meet my new family?"
"Emmett McCarty!" Rachel exclaimed, once again lightly smacking his arm. "Is that why you kissed me? To convince me to go meet your fancy new vampire family?"
"Ah, no!" He was quick to defend himself, even if he laughed the entire time he did it, "I kissed you because I wanted to…but if you say no, I'm going to have to kiss you again."
"Careful, Em. You make that a promise and I'll say no the rest of my life." She could just picture Henry making gagging faces in the background. If only that would've deterred her…. If Emmett kissed her like that every time, she'd never detach herself from him.
Emmett's smirk turned sultry, and Rachel swore she died. Was it possible to pass away from looking at someone? Could she have a heart attack at his gaze alone? "Alright, fair enough. If I promise there's a kiss in it for you, could I convince you to meet my family?"
Rachel had a hard time answering right away, not because she was hesitating or even thinking about meeting his family. She was far too entranced at the thought of another kiss, of their bodies connecting once more.
Only his worried gaze pulled her focus back in, and she blinked a couple times to try and regain herself. "Uh, yeah…yeah, sure."
He chuckled, not at all looking convinced at her response. "Are you good? Did I do something? I didn't mean to pressure you; I was just teasing you. I'm sorry, if you're not-"
"No, no, no. Sorry. I just…" Rachel blushed harder, her face flaming. She struggled to find the words, almost didn't want to find the words so Emmett couldn't tease the crap out of her.
"Too good of a prize, eh? I am quite a catch." Emmett didn't need her help to draw his own conclusions.
But how could she tell him otherwise?