The First Drop Of Rain

Chapter Eighteen

November had swept in with a series of flurries, but all the snow melted just slightly before the next snowfall happened. I had had a series of awkward conversations with my father about boys, and about Edward specifically. He insisted on meeting Edward, and of course Edward was all for it. "What am I even supposed to call you." I asked Edward with a panicked gaze. We were sitting on the sofa at his house, Les Mis was playing in the background and it was early, Fontaine hadn't even sold her hair yet.

"Well what do you want to call me?" He looked down curiously, I was nestled into his chest comfortably, cocooned in a blanket because the whole freezing to death thing was a mood killer.

I played with the edge of my sweatshirt sleeve as I thought about it. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to call him, the age gap between us was a tad concerning, even if we just went off the age he stopped at he still had two years on me, and I had only recently turned 15. As far as the school was concerned he was 16, because there was no way he would ever pass for a 15 year old. I guess if I went as far as the outside world was concerned it wasn't a weird age gap, and he was in my dating pool. "Well if we really had to put a label on it... I'm sure you already know what I'm thinking." I stared at my hands as they twisted the cuff of the hoodie.

"Actually today I don't. It was a shock this was the movie you chose, and I haven't been able to pull a coherent thought from you all day." Edward said, seeming almost uncomfortable with that idea.

"What!? Is there something wrong with me?" I was instantly worried, but gained a small chuckle from Edward instead of matched panic.

"No, you've just been very distracted today, your mind is going a million miles a minute and honestly I'm having trouble keeping up." He reassured me. "If I had listened a little closer I would have heard you singing 24601 repeatedly in your head before it began, but instead I kept hearing Christmas music, and oddly enough, professor Umbridge from Harry Potter saying her line about the OWLs."

"Oh that's my favorite and I don't really know why, awful character, iconic lines." I laughed, catching myself distracted and trying to focus back in. Edward could tell I had lost my course of reasoning, and reminded me of the original topic of conversation. "Okay yeah, so if I had to put a label on it, maybe... boyfriend?" I shrunk into myself and the blanket, all but pulling the drawstring on my hoodie to completely conceal myself.

"If that's what you want." He spoke in coy words, knowing how that phrase affected me.

"Only if it's what you want." I spoke muffled through the blanket, though I knew he could hear me perfectly well. His fingers pulled the blanket away from my face, and then gently reached up to cup my cheek. "Oh I know." I laughed and shrank back into myself. Before anything else could be said, I got distracted. In my defense Master of the House had began to play, and that one is enough to distract me from almost anything.

I woke up in Edward's arms still, the movie was over and I had missed the final number, I fell asleep at some point between Jon leaving and the Master of the House reprise. I stretched in his arms and turned to look at him, he smiled down at me and brushed my hair out of my face. "Good nap?" He asked sweetly as I cracked my fingers.

"Mmhmm." I turned slightly to bury my face into his chest. The smell of honeysuckles overwhelmed my nose. "Still sleepy". I grumbled, hearing him laugh with my face against his chest made it reverberate in my ears. I felt his hands brush through my hair almost absentmindedly, and that sensation was enough to knock me out once more. I had read that someone running their fingers through your hair was soothing, but in this context I had never experienced it. Oh boy was I glad I did. When I awoke again it was later in the day, and Edward had shifted to wake me up.