𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲 , 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 Discontinued!

Chapter Eleven

Edward Cullen was certain that if he had a heartbeat, it would be roaring in his ears. As he drove back to school, he kept the windows open, soaking up Lucinda's scent. 

He took slow, deep breaths that filled his lungs before exhaling the air with a shaky sigh. He didn't need to look at his hands to notice that he was trembling.

Fortunately, the final hour had not yet passed, giving him enough time to gather his thoughts. A look in the mirror revealed how blown his pupils were, obscuring the ochre of his eyes. 

He ran his fingers through his hair and pursed his lips, inadvertently remembering how soft her skin was against his lips. Edward frowned.

He'd only known her for a few months, but he already adored her. He craved her touch, adored the sound of her voice, and was nearly intoxicated by her scent with each breath.

 Every time he wasn't near her, it felt like someone was tearing him apart. If her actions were any indication, Edward deduced Lucinda was attracted to him, but he had no way of knowing for certain. Her mental silence was fascinating as well as frustrating.

Although... When he was carrying her to the front desk, he heard muffled voices through static. He'd done it again in the car when he grabbed her wrist. She considered kissing him for a split second. And he had wished for her to do so.

He wanted her to kiss him, tangling her fingers in his hair, pry his lips apart with her tongue and gently cradle his face as if he were the frail one, straddle him so her warmth soaked into his skin through their clothes.

 He wanted her to keep looking at him as if he were something to be treasured and guarded. He yearned for her so badly—

When the passenger door opened, Edward nearly jumped out of his skin.

Ha! You were caught off guard. That's a first for me. As he slid into his seat, Emmett smiled broadly. "With how erratic you've been lately, I'm sure Ms. Goff thinks you're on drugs." 

"What were you doing today?" With a curious tilt of his head, he inquired.

"I was... doing good deeds," Edward thought back to the weight of Lucinda in his arms, a smile tugging at his mouth.

Emmett's brow furrowed, his confusion visible even without peering into his thoughts.

"Taking care of the sick and all that." Edward laughed as he continued.

"Oh!" It took a moment, but Emmett's mind finally clicked. That, and the scent of Lucinda. "Are you referring to Lucinda?" His grin reappeared, and he wiggled his brows.

Edward rolled his eyes as he considered his brother's thoughts. They were, however, not far from Edward's mind not long ago...

"She has a pleasant scent, doesn't she?" Emmett continued, taking another deep breath.

Before the words could even register, he let out a growl, his lips curling back to bare his teeth in a furious snarl. The possessive rage brewing in his chest was a new experience for him.

"Hey, easy!," Emmett said as he raised his hands in surrender, amusement in his eyes. "She's my mate too."

The rest of their siblings had just arrived. Rosalie recognized Lucinda's scent right away, a scowl marring her pretty face and her eyes glaring at Edward. Jasper noticed as well but remained silent as he looked down at his lap. 

Jealousy then reared its ugly head.

As Alice skipped over with Lucinda's bag slung over her shoulder, Edward brushed it off and lowered his window. He placed the keys to Lucinda's truck in her outstretched palm. "You have to tell me everything," Alice said.

"But—"

"There are no buts." Edward sighed deeply as Alice waved her finger at him.

。∙∶⋆∶∙˚

He trailed her all the way to the Enya's house. The rain was still pouring heavily, the heavy drops pounding the car's roof. Edward was skeptical that Lucinda would be able to hear the roar of her car's engine over the rain and distant thunder. Nonetheless, he looked up at her window, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. There was no such luck.

Edward had no idea if she was even in the house. He became frustrated yet again because he couldn't hear her thoughts clearly. Did she consume anything? Was she all right? Was she dozing off? Did she value him as much as he valued her?

Edward made eye contact with Jasper through the mirror, and a wave of calm washed over him. Jasper's amused explanation was that you were worried. Alice climbed into the back seat, curled up against her mate's side, and they sped home. The moment they arrived, everyone went their separate ways.

Emmett and Jasper were playing an elaborate chess game with seven additional boards and a complicated set of rules. Edward was not allowed to play, and Alice was not allowed to play either; they could only play with each other. 

Rosalie sulked on the sofa, flipping through the channels, pausing for a second. He overheard her thinking about going to the garage to work on her BMW. While Esme, who was upstairs, hummed as she looked over a new set of blueprints, Alice was purchasing some clothes for her project — Rosalie's wardrobe — on her laptop.

Alice came to a halt in her search and made eye contact with Jasper behind Emmett's back, mouthing his next moves at her companion. Jasper maintained a neutral expression as he followed her instructions and cut off Emmett's favorite knight. Jasper smirked as Emmett groaned in frustration.

Edward shook his head at them and turned his gaze to the grand piano a few steps away from the entryway. When he realized how long it had been since he had played, he felt a pang of shame in his stomach. He approached it slowly and sat down. Edward took a slow breath and gently ran his hand up the scales to check the tuning. Perfect.

Esme paused and tilted her head upstairs.

When his fingers curled around Lucinda's wrist, he played the first song that came to mind. Edward smiled, delighted that it sounded even better than he'd hoped.

Esme exclaimed with delight as she dropped everything she was doing to take a seat on the top step of the staircase. She leaned against the banister, listening as Edward added a harmonizing line and allowed the main melody to weave through it. Esme sighed contentedly, a new song after such a long time. What a lovely melody.

Esme's hands rested on his shoulders, her thoughts urging him on. The song was captivating, but it was lacking in depth. He experimented with the bridge, but it didn't feel right. "It's endearing. Is there a name for it?" Esme inquired, perplexed. He didn't have to look at her to see that she was happy.

"No, not yet." Even as his thoughts wandered to long brown hair and kind hazel eyes, Edward responded.

"Does it have a backstory?" She continued, subtly coaxing the information from him. His music brought her great joy, and he felt bad for robbing her of it for so long.

"I suppose it's a lullaby," He murmured again as he approached the bridge, finally getting it right. It easily led to the next movement and took on its own life.

"A lullaby," Esme said to herself again.

He composed a lullaby for a girl older than her years, sleeping peacefully in a bed too big for her, her long and thick black hair strewn over her pillow like a dark halo.