"Timeless" - Narnian Autumn Writing Challenge - Oneshot Collection

"Everything"

Word count: 1414

Prompt: Early night

Notes:

• Rita Alden and Ulrich Booker are OC's created by StorySnippets SaharaCastine and myself

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Bright and full, the stars were just beginning to twinkle, barely visible in the evening sky beyond the window, and Edmund's temper wasn't even beginning to cool. Not even dropping a single notch.

Anger was creeping up and taking hold of him, his breathing came out hard, and his hands clenched into tight fists. Whenever the chair he sat on creaked he thought he might throw it outside and demolish it.

The whole house smelled like cookies and laughter filled the atmosphere, but his mood just kept plummeting.

He drummed his fingers lightly on the table, nibbling at a piece of licorice Lucy had given him earlier, it tasted stale; of course.

"Edmund," Rita suddenly showed up beside him, her Auburn curls flowing loose from behind her ears, she took the licorice from him, "This is absolutely ridiculous!"

"What? My feelings are? I can't help what I saw." He knew he was being short with her but he didn't care right now. His eyes hardened and he focused on the wooden texture of the table. And he was upset at her for taking his licorice, even if it had been stale.

"You need to drop this weird obsession of thinking I like Ulrich Booker." Her lips pouted.

"Well, he likes you." Ed stood and moved away from the table, eyeing the door. Who wouldn't like stupid little ambitious, angel red-headed Ulrich? Someday he would most likely be richer than any of the Pevensies could ever even imagine.

Rita huffed, putting down the oven mitt she'd been using while helping Lucy bake cookies back in the kitchen, and then she set the licorice down on the table, "You're being stupidly jealous and crazy."

Out from the kitchen, Peter poked his head into the living room, "Are you guys okay in here?" He stirred a bowlful of batter with a blue spatula, grinning.

Rita smiled sweetly at Peter and nodded.

That was the last straw.

Not looking at her, he snatched a coat and rushed it on, picked up the licorice lying on the table then stormed outside, hearing the door eerily creak in the wind and then as it was shut.

Angrily walking past every familiar landmark by his parent's house, Ed kicked at each rock or leaf in his path unnecessarily.

What was the point of love? It was too complicated. And he doubted himself so much that he always assumed Rita was angry with him or falling for any man who walked in front of her.

He slumped down in front of a cornfield, not even remembering where he'd gone and feeling the hard ground beneath him. The licorice still tasted stale, but he ate it anyway.

Maybe he should've just left Rita and Peter alone together. Edmund didn't have the right things to have in a relationship. He wasn't romantic, or, not very much so, he was awkward and quiet.

He didn't know how to do love. What if Rita left him? Would that be for the better? Maybe she would be happier with someone like Ulrich.

But he didn't want to let her go, she completed him in so many ways. Rita was his everything. Yet, if she wasn't happy, he didn't want to keep her from being happy with someone else.