LOVE AND DEATH, edward cullen

one

━━ love and death. (2024)
edward cullen x fem!oc
chapter one

It's been three years since I've seen my brother and four years since the incident happened. My relationship with my mother wasn't the strongest but living with my father the past three years has managed to bring me more peace than I've ever experienced in Phoenix.

Living with my father Charlie, our local sheriff in Forks Washington, occasionally felt too much like a dream. The first year was the hardest. I suffered from nightmares and bad eating habits while trying to adjust in a new home away from my brother. But Charlie was always patient with me and understanding, never pushed me to express my feelings and always offered time with me if I couldn't get myself out of bed. He didn't purposely ignore my boundaries or force me to do things that made me uncomfortable, one of the best things about my dad was the fact he never hovered.

After the incident my mother met a man named Phil and they got married almost immediately. He's a baseball player, apparently a really good one my brother says, but because he travels for work our mother never has time to see him. Which is why I got a text earlier this week that my brother was coming to live with me and our dad for a little while here in Forks.

Part of me was excited, mostly that little girl that always spent time hanging around her brother because she thought he was the coolest person in her life. The other part of me was hoping nothing was going to change with him being here. I finally got to have some kind of normalcy in my life and I didn't want it to disappear so suddenly from my fingertips.

"Aspen! Come down and see your brother."

I exited the bathroom after fixing my hair into a ponytail and nearly skipped down the stairs, most of my childhood was spent following my brother around like he was my best friend, part of me still viewed him that way.

By the front door stood my brother and Charlie carrying the two suitcases my brother probably packed for his time here.

He was holding a small cactus in his hand and was too preoccupied scanning the house to acknowledge me. "Hi Beau," I greeted him.

"Hey. Is that a new tv?" He gestured towards the living room with his finger.

"Yes, we got last year for Christmas." Charlie smiled proudly.

I remained silent until my brother stretched out his arm with the cactus and held it towards me. "Mom wanted you to have this in case you miss Phoenix."

I looked down at the plant and mumbled a quick thank you before taking it from him.

Charlie cleared his throat and picked up Beau's bags again. "We have your old bedroom ready for you, up the stairs and to the left."

"Yeah, I remember." Beau smiled. "Thanks dad."

"Aspen why don't you help your brother get settled? I have his homecoming surprise arriving in a minute."

I nodded my head and took one of the suitcases from my dad as Beau took the other. Dad has been working on this gift the past few weeks with Billy Black. It's an old Ford truck that they recently repaired so Beau could have something to drive around in.

My car was an early 2009 Honda Accord — she wasn't the best with the way the interior was falling apart and we've fixed the brakes at least three times now — but she was mine.

Beau didn't say much as I walked him up to his bedroom, he trailed behind me silently and when I opened the bedroom door I could've sworn he sighed in disbelief.

"What? You don't want your childhood photos and old band posters hanging up the wall anymore?" I tried to hide my laughter when my mouth clamped shut.

"No, no." Beau smiled anyways. "I just almost forgot who I was nearly ten years ago and now i'm embarrassed."