Iridescence | Edward x OC

31

In a fight, they're lethal. Around each other, they melt.

                                                  - Richelle Mead
-

Being in Edward's arms, Aris was able to catch some sleep the rest of the night. She was too exhausted to dream of anything in particular, but her sleep felt peaceful. Being in Edward's arms, she felt safe, cared for. She felt like nothing could hurt her as she basked in his embrace, his skin against hers, his arms around her body.

Edward stared out of the window for the rest of the night, counting the stars that were whiter than the moon's glow. He held onto each second that he spent with Aris wrapped in his arms, treasuring them like they were prized, and to him, they were. He didn't know when, if ever, he'd get to hold her like this again, having her so close to him. Feeling the touch of her body pressed against his. Holding her close enough that he could feel the breaths she let out tickle his skin.

So there he laid, treasuring every passing second until the sun rose, not knowing if this was the only chance he'd ever get to hold her like this.

The sun eventually did rise, signaling the start of a new day. However, no one could really classify it as a sunrise, seeing as the clouds of Forks Washington seemed to create a thick wall in front of it, letting no rays shine through.

Aris eventually stirred awake, her eyelashes fluttering open as she took in where she was, and how she fell asleep.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, you could've moved me." Her groggy voice flustered, her cheeks warming as she rubbed her eyes, taking in how she had fallen asleep in Edward's arms.

He rolled his eyes, looking at her unbelieving.

"You really think I'd do that? You think I'd give up any chance I got to hold you?"

Aris chuckled, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, and standing up to stretch.

"No, I suppose not." She smiled.

They both got dressed, in separate rooms of course, then heading downstairs and outside, towards Edward's car.

Aris skipped over to the drivers side, but before she could get her fingers around the handle, Edward sped in front of her, blocking her access to the door.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"I'm driving today, duh." She stated plainly, causing him to shake his head no. "Edward, it only makes sense if I drive. I'm the one who mapped out where we're going, and what we're doing." She argued, but he continued to shake his head no with his mouth pressed into a firm line. "Stop being a stubborn prick, I'm not gonna total your damn car." She snapped.

After what felt like several long minutes of the both of them standing there stubbornly, Edward finally relented, heading over to the passengers side.

Neither of them spoke of the night before, Edward not sure if he should bring it up, and Aris just not wanting to relive the terror that she felt. Though last night was different than normal because it was a different nightmare, it was also different for another reason, that being that it was the first night she'd actually gotten some sleep, aside from just solely nightmares. Due to that, she was now in a better mood than usual, actually feeling somewhat rested for the first time in a while.

"Where are we going?" Edward asked as Aris put the keys into the ignition, pulling out of the parking lot of the hotel.

"Nowhere in particular," she shrugged, "I just wanted to drive around town, maybe stop at places that look familiar to you. Get you used to being in this place again."