Renewal [Emmett Cullen] (1)

[35- Shopping]

When we set out early on the overcast London day, I had no idea what to expect but as the driver inched closer and closer to the fashion district, I had a pretty good idea of her plans.

"Really Alice? It's our first day," I whinged as she paid the driver and dragged me out.

The intricate tiles inside this store looked extremely expensive, most likely hand carved. They fitted in well with the aesthetic of the surrounding buildings. Instead of flimsy plastic hangers in the department stores I frequented, the clothes were evenly spaced out on dark wood hangers, the brand monogrammed in gold on the arch of each one.

I followed Alice as she looked through the clothes, her wide eyes engrossed. I didn't want to touch anything, I was certain that it would be more expensive than all the items in my closet combined. Alice looked extremely happy, picking a handful of items off the rack in my size.  I groaned, I guess I was her human sized doll for the day. There was no point trying to resist, despite her small stature, Alice was incredibly manipulative.

We shopped for the entire first week, buying more clothes than necessary. I was certain that we visited every high end clothing store in the city.

"Do you really need 2 ballgowns?" I asked as we left what must have been the 20th store.

"I'm not sure when I'll next be back." I rolled my eyes, as if her excuse was legitimate. But I tried not to complain, how could I? We were in London, everything was new and exciting.

I insisted that for the rest of our trip we visit all the touristy attractions; Big Ben, Buckingham palace, tower eye. Alice didn't protest, she had her perfect week, I had mine.

The day I had been dreading for had finally came, we were leaving. Alice struggled to fit all her new purchases in her suitcase, even cramming some into mine.

I could barely sit still on the plane. Of course I was sad to leave, who wouldn't be. It was my first real vacation. But I was excited to go home and see Emmett. We messaged each other back and forth, impervious to the 5 hour time difference.

When we finally landed in Manchester, New Hampshire, Alice and I retrieved our checked luggage and made our way to the Volvo parked in the car lot.

"Are we going to do this kind of trip again?" I asked Alice.

She grinned, "Definitely! Going on vacation with Jasper gets annoying sometimes. He never lets me shop!"

"So that's why you invited me?"

"Not just to shop. To talk." She was right, we did talk about everything. Knowing that five vampires with super hearing could hear everything you said put limitations on conversations. In our hotel room I was free to share my deepest fears. Marriage popped up several times. I was scared to get married, I was so young but Alice said that age doesn't really matter when time doesn't effect you anymore. I didn't want my relationship with Emmett to change. He was my best friend and hopefully marriage doesn't change that.

As Alice pulled up the driveway, I saw my family waving inside.

"How was the trip?" Esme said when I got out of the car.

"Great! Alice and I had a lot of fun."

"Hopefully not too much!" Emmett said while he and Carlisle unloaded the car.

We all sat down in the living room. Alice sifted through her suitcase to hand out the gifts she had purchased for everyone.

"Ed, I found the album you were looking for. Esme, the fragrance that you like. Carlisle, we passed an antique shop and I found this clock. The shopkeeper didn't know the exact date it was made, my best guess would be the 1750s because of the detailing around the face. Em, El picked this out for you," She handed him the jersey I found at a small sporting goods store like it was dirty laundry. She made a fuss when I chose it. Alice quickly distributed the gifts. There were a murmur of 'thank you's before Alice started recounted our trip.

"Downstairs?" Emmett whispered. I nodded and he carried my suitcase, and in a second, I was back in our room.

He picked me up, spinning me between his arms, my head burrowed in his neck. I took deep breaths in, his exhilarating scent filling my lungs once again.

"I really missed you," he whispered, my feet gently touching the ground. He reached his hand across his body to hold my face, his smooth thumb tracing across my lips. I felt his face press into my hair.

We must have stayed like that for hours, satisfied in each other's company.

A knock on the door suspended our lengthy exchange, it was Jasper.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, smiling despite himself as he walked into the room, "Alice says there's going to be a real storm tonight, and Carlisle wants to play ball. Are you game?"

The words were all common enough, but the context confused me. I gathered that Alice was a bit more reliable than the weatherman.

"Do you want to go?" Emmett asked me, excited, his expression vivid.

"Sure." I couldn't disappoint such a face. "Um, where are we going?"

"Baseball. We have to wait for thunder to play — you'll see why," he promised.

"Vampires like baseball?"

"It's the American pastime," he said with mock solemnity.