The Twilight 25: 10/25
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Aesthetic
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Alice/Jasper
Rating: G
There was something astoundingly beautiful about Alice Brandon. It was not just her striking features, though it was that as well. It was in the way she walked, or more, danced, through the halls with an elegance that surpassed that of everyone else. Or in the-what seemed to be-constant smile on her face. She was kind to everyone she met and never judged anyone. It didn’t matter if they were tall, short, thin or fat; they were people, just the same as everyone else. And in that, she more stunning than anyone else he had ever met.
It was no secret amongst his friends that Jasper Whitlock had a thing for Alice Brandon. It was also no secret that he didn’t have the nerve to approach her. Instead, he watched her from afar. He believed that one day he may talk to her, but for now, he was more than content to watch and wait.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Awkward
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Charlie/Bella
Rating: PG
“Hey, Bella. How you feeling today?”
looks at him. She doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even blink, just stares. Then she looks away. She walks slowly, zombie-like, to an armchair and sits. It’s the first time she’s come downstairs in a long while. It’s a start.
“Do you want anything to eat? I was gonna order pizza. You want some?” His words pierce the silent air; stilted, disruptive.
She shakes her head and turns her blank gaze to the television screen. He’s watching the game. She hates baseball, he knows. Yet she doesn’t seem to care. Doesn’t seem to even notice what’s in front of her.
“C’mon, Bells, talk to me.” His voice is desperate. He’s done nothing but sit here and watch his only daughter waste away in front of him for the past month, unable to reach out to her, to find her in the sea of depression she’s been caught in. He’d only had her back for the shortest time, and now she’s gone, except she’s still here, sitting in front of him, and that’s so much worse.
She ignores him. He sighs and turns away. There’s nothing he can do.
His eyes are drawn from the baseball match playing out in front of him when he hears soft sounds emanating from her. She’s crying quietly to herself, trying to hide her face from him but he can still hear her.
“Bella...”
At her name, she cries harder. He didn’t think sport could bring painful memories to the forefront of her mind. Stupid. How could he be so stupid? Of course it could. Of course it would.
She’s sobbing now and he has no idea what to do. How can he help her? How can he make it better? He can’t, but he can’t just let his daughter cry, either.
He stands and walks towards her. “Shh, Bella. Shh.” He kneels beside her and strokes her back tentatively. He’s never been one for emotion, and neither has she. They’re both private people: kept to themselves, never shared more than they had to. And now here they are. Renee would be so much better at this than he. She would be able to hold her daughter and make some of the unbearable pain go away. She would be make it better. He can’t.
So Bella cries and he holds her, awkward, hesitant, pulling back as much as he’s pushing forward. He can’t offer her what he should be able to, can’t give her what she needs, but he’s doing his best. It’s all he can do.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Crusade
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: PG
“You can’t go, Edward.” Her voice is steel and ice. “I won’t let you.” She steps forward. He steps back.
“You can’t stop me. If I leave, you won’t be able to find me.” He moves back again, with each step increasing the distance between them. His face is pained, heartbroken, and why won’t she take this seriously?
“You don’t really believe that, do you?” She laughs, and there’s something not right about the sound. It pierces the quiet, sullen silence; shrill and high. “This bond between us, it’s too strong. It won’t let you go, it won’t let us be apart.”
His head shakes. “I can break it. It’s not too late.”
“It’s very much too late.”
“Stop it, Bella. You can’t change my mind. I’m going. You need to be safe. You can’t be that with me.”
“I’ll come after you. I’ll know exactly where you are.” She smiles, too wide, too fierce. Her teeth glisten.
“Then I’ll keep moving. I won’t ever stop.” He keeps moving backwards as she keeps moving forward. This entire thing is a dance, a contest: who can gain the upper hand, who can win. He has to win.
“And I’ll keep coming.” She giggles and gives a little twirl, unexpectedly coming too close to him. “I won’t ever stop.”
He places a hand on her shoulder, steadying her where she sways. “I’m sorry, Bella. This is the last time you’ll ever see me. Goodbye.”
His hand disappears from her shoulder, and when she looks up, he’s gone. She thinks she should feel something. Her heart breaking in her chest, her entire world crashing down around her. She should cry; sob, let the tears run like a river, because it should all be too much.
Instead, she just stands there, swaying slightly as if suspended in motion. Because she knows this isn’t the end. Edward has a thing for theatrics. In time, he’ll come around. Right now, she can feel him, inside of her. And if she closes her eyes, she can see him, running through the forest, hair blowing in the wind. She won’t ever give up. She won’t ever stop trying to find him. He can run but he can’t hide. Not from her. And eventually, he won’t want to run anymore.
She’ll devote her life to this quest. She’ll go after him. Someday, she’ll find him. And then she’ll have won.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Jealousy
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Mike/Bella
Rating: G
You don’t see me. Don’t even know I exist. Well, not in that way. You only see him. Your perfect boyfriend. He’s good-looking, so much more than any other guy in the school, smart, outstandingly so, and I wouldn’t have thought funny but by the way you toss your head back and scream with laughter, he must be. You walk through the corridors hand in hand, unaffected by the stares and whispers you get from everyone around you, wrapped in your own little world. He kisses you softly, holds you delicately, and I can see you melting into him.
You’re too good for him, you know. Way too good. Don’t you remember how he left you? I do. You were broken, just a shell. You didn’t talk, didn’t eat, just floated. And I was there for you throughout. I always wanted to help you, always tried to help you. I cared for you, as I do still. But, no, once he’s back, all is forgiven. You go back to being young and in love like you were before and you forget about how he destroyed you. And you forget about everything I did, everything I went through, now that he’s back. I don’t matter anymore. Not like he does.
Why don’t you see it?! We could be so good together. You don’t look right standing beside him. But us...we would be something. Something special. We could do great things. This thing you have with him, it won’t last. But we would be eternal. We would love each other till the day we died. It would be beautiful.
So please, Bella. I’m begging you. I know I’m just some stupid high school kid, no match for the glorious Edward Cullen. But I could be, if you let me. I could be everything you wanted and more. Please.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Juvenile
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: PG
“I am not a child,” I say. I cross my arms across my chest and stamp my foot. “So do not treat me like one.”
Edward raises an eyebrow at me. “You just stamped your foot,” he says.
“That means nothing.”
“Sure it does.” He smirks and turns to walk away.
“Don’t walk away from me!” I cry. “I’m talking to you, Edward. Don’t you dare walk away from me.”
He looks back and, seeing my angry expression, faces me once more. “Sorry, Bella.”
“You should be.” Then I sigh. “Edward, just because you’re hundreds of years older than me doesn’t mean you can act like you’re better than me and treat me like a little kid.”
“I don’t, Bella-”
“I’m your girlfriend, Edward. And I know I’m not as wise as you, but I’m not an idiot.”
“I never said you were-”
“I love you, okay? And you love me. But I can’t let you push me around like you do. I’m old enough to make my own decisions, and if anyone is telling me what I can and can’t do, it should be Charlie, not you. Okay?”
Edward sighs. “Bella, I’m just trying to protect you. It’s not safe and you’re blind-sighted by your obsession with-”
“Stop it! This is exactly what I’m talking about. I don’t care if you’re trying to protect me, you’re treating me like a child. If you have a problem with something, then we’ll talk it over like mature adults. You won’t order me around.” I glare at him.
“Alright. I’ll back off. But you have to listen to me. And you have to stop throwing temper-tantrums when you don’t get your way.”
I open my mouth to argue but he just looks at me.
“Fine,” I huff.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Play
Pen name: just_drifitng_6
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: G
“Play for me, Edward,” Bella says. They stand in the music room, and she gestures to the grand piano in the middle of the room. “It’s been too long since I’ve heard you.”
Edward smiles. “What do you want me to play?” he asks as he walks towards his piano. Bella trails behind.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. Anything.”
Edward sits down on the stool and pulls her down beside him. He begins with the familiar melody of Claire de Lune, the notes soft and sweet. Bella wraps her arms around his waist and rests her head on his shoulder.
“That’s such a beautiful song,” she murmurs.
“It reminds me of you every time I play it,” he tells her.
She smiles and pulls herself closer to him. “You’re amazing, Edward,” she says.
He laughs. “So are you, Bella.”
They sit in silence after that. Edward plays on for hours, and Bella listens in quiet contentment to his beautiful music.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Sky
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: G
“See, that one’s Virgo,” he says, pointing to the group of stars in the sky. They lie on the sand, looking at the stars. It’s a quiet night, silent save for their soft murmurs and the distant roar of the waves breaking on the shore. The sky is alight with a million glistening stars and he’s showing her the constellations. His arm is around her, holding her close.
“Sometimes I dream I can reach the sky,” she says softly. “That if I just stretch a little taller, I’ll be able to touch the sky.”
He smiles against her neck. “When I’m with you, Bella, I feel I’m already dancing among them.”
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Vivid
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Alice/Jasper
Rating: PG
The vivid images flash across her mind, each new one replacing the one before it too quickly for her to discern what they are. The colours play like a movie moving in super speed, dancing and twirling, having fun. She tries to latch onto something, anything, but the pictures are moving so fast. She feels helpless, trapped. These are her visions, she should be able to control them, make sense of them.
Her eyes open with a start and she breathes raggedly, though she doesn’t need the air. All of a sudden she feels tired and worn. She wants to rest, though that is impossible. Slowly, she looks up to where her husband watches her worriedly.
“It happened again, Jazz.”
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Voracious
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: PG
The smell of her surrounds him as she sits down. She’s everywhere, every way he turns. He can’t escape the mouth-watering scent. He tries to clear his mind, distract himself from overwhelming urge to suck her dry. But it’s impossible. She is too sweet, too beautiful. He cannot hold out much longer. The monster inside him is fighting so hard and it’s winning. He hears her sigh and shift her head and it comes again more powerful than ever. He wants to latch onto her throat and drain the warm blood from her body until there is nothing left. He wants to feel it slide down his throat, slippery and wet. He wants to feel her go limp in his arms, blood no longer flowing through her veins. She’s such a fragile creature, it would be so easy. Simple. He would barely have to lift a finger. He leans forward slightly, no longer in control of his own body. He wants this, so he will have it. As he moves closer, he hears the voice of his sister screaming through his head: Edward, no! but it is too late.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Worship
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Alice/Jasper
Rating: PG
“Tell me about Maria,” Alice asks one night. They sit in a dusty hotel room, her on the bed and him in the only chair in the room. Unable to sleep, they pass the nights talking. Endlessly talking, about things that came before, or things they hope will come. He’s known her for years, and he loves her more than anything, but still Jasper dislikes telling her about his past. He’s ashamed: she’s so innocent and pure. She loves life. He doesn’t want to taint her thoughts by recounting the horrors he’s witnessed and caused. Still, he doesn’t like lying to her either.
“What do you want to know?” he asks.
Alice hums and twirls a piece of hair between her fingers. “What did she look like?” she asks. She’s nervous, he can tell, hesitant and slightly worried.
“She was small, shorter than you, but there was an air around her. It made her appear much larger than she was. She had long, dark brown hair and blood-red eyes.”
“Was she beautiful?” she asks.
“Very.”
“Did you love her?”
Jasper can feel her hurt, so strong. She’s trying to hide it, dilute it, but she can’t. He stands abruptly and moves quickly towards her. He kneels at the foot of the bed and takes her face into her hands as he speaks earnestly. “I thought I did. When she changed me, she was the only thing I had. I worshiped the ground she walked on. But it was an obsession. I was obsessed with her, I didn’t love her.”
Alice nods and looks away, trying to pull away from his hands.
“Look at me, Alice. That’s not what love is. I didn’t love her. I love you. I love you and I never want to be anywhere else. Okay?”
Alice’s eyes meet him and she nods again, but he can feel the joy radiating off her. He stands and lifts her into his arms, holding her tightly. “I never want to be anywhere but with you.”
Prompt: Aesthetic
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Alice/Jasper
Rating: G
There was something astoundingly beautiful about Alice Brandon. It was not just her striking features, though it was that as well. It was in the way she walked, or more, danced, through the halls with an elegance that surpassed that of everyone else. Or in the-what seemed to be-constant smile on her face. She was kind to everyone she met and never judged anyone. It didn’t matter if they were tall, short, thin or fat; they were people, just the same as everyone else. And in that, she more stunning than anyone else he had ever met.
It was no secret amongst his friends that Jasper Whitlock had a thing for Alice Brandon. It was also no secret that he didn’t have the nerve to approach her. Instead, he watched her from afar. He believed that one day he may talk to her, but for now, he was more than content to watch and wait.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Awkward
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Charlie/Bella
Rating: PG
“Hey, Bella. How you feeling today?”
looks at him. She doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even blink, just stares. Then she looks away. She walks slowly, zombie-like, to an armchair and sits. It’s the first time she’s come downstairs in a long while. It’s a start.
“Do you want anything to eat? I was gonna order pizza. You want some?” His words pierce the silent air; stilted, disruptive.
She shakes her head and turns her blank gaze to the television screen. He’s watching the game. She hates baseball, he knows. Yet she doesn’t seem to care. Doesn’t seem to even notice what’s in front of her.
“C’mon, Bells, talk to me.” His voice is desperate. He’s done nothing but sit here and watch his only daughter waste away in front of him for the past month, unable to reach out to her, to find her in the sea of depression she’s been caught in. He’d only had her back for the shortest time, and now she’s gone, except she’s still here, sitting in front of him, and that’s so much worse.
She ignores him. He sighs and turns away. There’s nothing he can do.
His eyes are drawn from the baseball match playing out in front of him when he hears soft sounds emanating from her. She’s crying quietly to herself, trying to hide her face from him but he can still hear her.
“Bella...”
At her name, she cries harder. He didn’t think sport could bring painful memories to the forefront of her mind. Stupid. How could he be so stupid? Of course it could. Of course it would.
She’s sobbing now and he has no idea what to do. How can he help her? How can he make it better? He can’t, but he can’t just let his daughter cry, either.
He stands and walks towards her. “Shh, Bella. Shh.” He kneels beside her and strokes her back tentatively. He’s never been one for emotion, and neither has she. They’re both private people: kept to themselves, never shared more than they had to. And now here they are. Renee would be so much better at this than he. She would be able to hold her daughter and make some of the unbearable pain go away. She would be make it better. He can’t.
So Bella cries and he holds her, awkward, hesitant, pulling back as much as he’s pushing forward. He can’t offer her what he should be able to, can’t give her what she needs, but he’s doing his best. It’s all he can do.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Crusade
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: PG
“You can’t go, Edward.” Her voice is steel and ice. “I won’t let you.” She steps forward. He steps back.
“You can’t stop me. If I leave, you won’t be able to find me.” He moves back again, with each step increasing the distance between them. His face is pained, heartbroken, and why won’t she take this seriously?
“You don’t really believe that, do you?” She laughs, and there’s something not right about the sound. It pierces the quiet, sullen silence; shrill and high. “This bond between us, it’s too strong. It won’t let you go, it won’t let us be apart.”
His head shakes. “I can break it. It’s not too late.”
“It’s very much too late.”
“Stop it, Bella. You can’t change my mind. I’m going. You need to be safe. You can’t be that with me.”
“I’ll come after you. I’ll know exactly where you are.” She smiles, too wide, too fierce. Her teeth glisten.
“Then I’ll keep moving. I won’t ever stop.” He keeps moving backwards as she keeps moving forward. This entire thing is a dance, a contest: who can gain the upper hand, who can win. He has to win.
“And I’ll keep coming.” She giggles and gives a little twirl, unexpectedly coming too close to him. “I won’t ever stop.”
He places a hand on her shoulder, steadying her where she sways. “I’m sorry, Bella. This is the last time you’ll ever see me. Goodbye.”
His hand disappears from her shoulder, and when she looks up, he’s gone. She thinks she should feel something. Her heart breaking in her chest, her entire world crashing down around her. She should cry; sob, let the tears run like a river, because it should all be too much.
Instead, she just stands there, swaying slightly as if suspended in motion. Because she knows this isn’t the end. Edward has a thing for theatrics. In time, he’ll come around. Right now, she can feel him, inside of her. And if she closes her eyes, she can see him, running through the forest, hair blowing in the wind. She won’t ever give up. She won’t ever stop trying to find him. He can run but he can’t hide. Not from her. And eventually, he won’t want to run anymore.
She’ll devote her life to this quest. She’ll go after him. Someday, she’ll find him. And then she’ll have won.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Jealousy
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Mike/Bella
Rating: G
You don’t see me. Don’t even know I exist. Well, not in that way. You only see him. Your perfect boyfriend. He’s good-looking, so much more than any other guy in the school, smart, outstandingly so, and I wouldn’t have thought funny but by the way you toss your head back and scream with laughter, he must be. You walk through the corridors hand in hand, unaffected by the stares and whispers you get from everyone around you, wrapped in your own little world. He kisses you softly, holds you delicately, and I can see you melting into him.
You’re too good for him, you know. Way too good. Don’t you remember how he left you? I do. You were broken, just a shell. You didn’t talk, didn’t eat, just floated. And I was there for you throughout. I always wanted to help you, always tried to help you. I cared for you, as I do still. But, no, once he’s back, all is forgiven. You go back to being young and in love like you were before and you forget about how he destroyed you. And you forget about everything I did, everything I went through, now that he’s back. I don’t matter anymore. Not like he does.
Why don’t you see it?! We could be so good together. You don’t look right standing beside him. But us...we would be something. Something special. We could do great things. This thing you have with him, it won’t last. But we would be eternal. We would love each other till the day we died. It would be beautiful.
So please, Bella. I’m begging you. I know I’m just some stupid high school kid, no match for the glorious Edward Cullen. But I could be, if you let me. I could be everything you wanted and more. Please.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Juvenile
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: PG
“I am not a child,” I say. I cross my arms across my chest and stamp my foot. “So do not treat me like one.”
Edward raises an eyebrow at me. “You just stamped your foot,” he says.
“That means nothing.”
“Sure it does.” He smirks and turns to walk away.
“Don’t walk away from me!” I cry. “I’m talking to you, Edward. Don’t you dare walk away from me.”
He looks back and, seeing my angry expression, faces me once more. “Sorry, Bella.”
“You should be.” Then I sigh. “Edward, just because you’re hundreds of years older than me doesn’t mean you can act like you’re better than me and treat me like a little kid.”
“I don’t, Bella-”
“I’m your girlfriend, Edward. And I know I’m not as wise as you, but I’m not an idiot.”
“I never said you were-”
“I love you, okay? And you love me. But I can’t let you push me around like you do. I’m old enough to make my own decisions, and if anyone is telling me what I can and can’t do, it should be Charlie, not you. Okay?”
Edward sighs. “Bella, I’m just trying to protect you. It’s not safe and you’re blind-sighted by your obsession with-”
“Stop it! This is exactly what I’m talking about. I don’t care if you’re trying to protect me, you’re treating me like a child. If you have a problem with something, then we’ll talk it over like mature adults. You won’t order me around.” I glare at him.
“Alright. I’ll back off. But you have to listen to me. And you have to stop throwing temper-tantrums when you don’t get your way.”
I open my mouth to argue but he just looks at me.
“Fine,” I huff.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Play
Pen name: just_drifitng_6
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: G
“Play for me, Edward,” Bella says. They stand in the music room, and she gestures to the grand piano in the middle of the room. “It’s been too long since I’ve heard you.”
Edward smiles. “What do you want me to play?” he asks as he walks towards his piano. Bella trails behind.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. Anything.”
Edward sits down on the stool and pulls her down beside him. He begins with the familiar melody of Claire de Lune, the notes soft and sweet. Bella wraps her arms around his waist and rests her head on his shoulder.
“That’s such a beautiful song,” she murmurs.
“It reminds me of you every time I play it,” he tells her.
She smiles and pulls herself closer to him. “You’re amazing, Edward,” she says.
He laughs. “So are you, Bella.”
They sit in silence after that. Edward plays on for hours, and Bella listens in quiet contentment to his beautiful music.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Sky
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: G
“See, that one’s Virgo,” he says, pointing to the group of stars in the sky. They lie on the sand, looking at the stars. It’s a quiet night, silent save for their soft murmurs and the distant roar of the waves breaking on the shore. The sky is alight with a million glistening stars and he’s showing her the constellations. His arm is around her, holding her close.
“Sometimes I dream I can reach the sky,” she says softly. “That if I just stretch a little taller, I’ll be able to touch the sky.”
He smiles against her neck. “When I’m with you, Bella, I feel I’m already dancing among them.”
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Vivid
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Alice/Jasper
Rating: PG
The vivid images flash across her mind, each new one replacing the one before it too quickly for her to discern what they are. The colours play like a movie moving in super speed, dancing and twirling, having fun. She tries to latch onto something, anything, but the pictures are moving so fast. She feels helpless, trapped. These are her visions, she should be able to control them, make sense of them.
Her eyes open with a start and she breathes raggedly, though she doesn’t need the air. All of a sudden she feels tired and worn. She wants to rest, though that is impossible. Slowly, she looks up to where her husband watches her worriedly.
“It happened again, Jazz.”
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Voracious
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: PG
The smell of her surrounds him as she sits down. She’s everywhere, every way he turns. He can’t escape the mouth-watering scent. He tries to clear his mind, distract himself from overwhelming urge to suck her dry. But it’s impossible. She is too sweet, too beautiful. He cannot hold out much longer. The monster inside him is fighting so hard and it’s winning. He hears her sigh and shift her head and it comes again more powerful than ever. He wants to latch onto her throat and drain the warm blood from her body until there is nothing left. He wants to feel it slide down his throat, slippery and wet. He wants to feel her go limp in his arms, blood no longer flowing through her veins. She’s such a fragile creature, it would be so easy. Simple. He would barely have to lift a finger. He leans forward slightly, no longer in control of his own body. He wants this, so he will have it. As he moves closer, he hears the voice of his sister screaming through his head: Edward, no! but it is too late.
The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt: Worship
Pen name: just_drifting_6
Pairing: Alice/Jasper
Rating: PG
“Tell me about Maria,” Alice asks one night. They sit in a dusty hotel room, her on the bed and him in the only chair in the room. Unable to sleep, they pass the nights talking. Endlessly talking, about things that came before, or things they hope will come. He’s known her for years, and he loves her more than anything, but still Jasper dislikes telling her about his past. He’s ashamed: she’s so innocent and pure. She loves life. He doesn’t want to taint her thoughts by recounting the horrors he’s witnessed and caused. Still, he doesn’t like lying to her either.
“What do you want to know?” he asks.
Alice hums and twirls a piece of hair between her fingers. “What did she look like?” she asks. She’s nervous, he can tell, hesitant and slightly worried.
“She was small, shorter than you, but there was an air around her. It made her appear much larger than she was. She had long, dark brown hair and blood-red eyes.”
“Was she beautiful?” she asks.
“Very.”
“Did you love her?”
Jasper can feel her hurt, so strong. She’s trying to hide it, dilute it, but she can’t. He stands abruptly and moves quickly towards her. He kneels at the foot of the bed and takes her face into her hands as he speaks earnestly. “I thought I did. When she changed me, she was the only thing I had. I worshiped the ground she walked on. But it was an obsession. I was obsessed with her, I didn’t love her.”
Alice nods and looks away, trying to pull away from his hands.
“Look at me, Alice. That’s not what love is. I didn’t love her. I love you. I love you and I never want to be anywhere else. Okay?”
Alice’s eyes meet him and she nods again, but he can feel the joy radiating off her. He stands and lifts her into his arms, holding her tightly. “I never want to be anywhere but with you.”