Close to Nothing

It’s a shame vampires can’t sleep. That’s all I wanted now. Sleep.

I was lying on the bed in our hotel room. Christopher was still gone. I didn’t know where he was, I could only hope he was with our father. I spent two hours tearlessly sobbing into my pillow when Emmett brought me to the hotel. It was so unfair for such a good man to die. I vaguely remembered a quote I read somewhere ‘life sucks and then you die’.

I was on my side, staring out the window. I was only numb now. I accepted the fact that there was no way of bringing him back. Suddenly I felt the bed shift under somebody’s weight.

“Hey,” Emmett said softly. I saw his reflection in the window. He had dark circles under his eyes and he was looking at me warily. It’s been days since he fed and with all the moral support he was offering me, it was obvious he was exhausted.

We both stayed silent for a while and then he spoke up.

“It’s supposed to be that way, Ella,” he said and took my hand into his. I turned over onto my back and stared up at him. “It’s natural, everyone has to go sometime.” I didn’t reply. Of course I knew this but it was still unfair. I just stared up at the ceiling. Minutes passed by silently.

Emmett pressed my palm against his face. I felt the softness of his skin.
“Say something,” he almost pleaded. I gave him a small smile.
“Thanks for being here, Emmett,” I told him. He smiled.
“It’s no problem Ella, I like being in new places,” He shrugged. “By the way I saw this killer basketball court about three blocks from here, I’d love to try it out.” I looked at his wide grin. He was obviously trying to lift the mood in the room by changing the subject. I wasn’t about to stop him.
“Yeah, Christopher loved to play there,” I told him. Emmett laid down next to me and put his hands behind his head.

I couldn’t help admire the way his muscles looked. My eyes traveled from his strong arms to his torso where I was sure his six-pack felt like steel. I looked at his lips then. They were a gorgeous ruby red color and the shape was perfect. Suddenly Emmett’s eyes caught mine.

His eyes were dark but there was still a hint of a sparkling gold to them. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his. He was no longer lying next to me, he was hovering above me. I felt him run his hand down my arm and I involuntarily shivered. He wanted to kiss me, it was obvious but something was stopping him. He leaned toward me hesitantly. I was getting frustrated. I touched his cheek lightly and finally his lips met mine.

His lips were soft, gentle. It was as though he was almost afraid. I would have none of that. I kissed back eagerly, forgetting time, forgetting everything. And suddenly something stopped me: Rosalie. I pulled back and Emmett groaned. He leaned his forehead against my shoulder.

“Get off me Emmett,” I said gently. He obeyed and sat on the edge of the bed, his back to me. He let out a loud sigh.
“Why did you stop? Why don’t you want anything to happen between us?” he asked me in a gruff voice. I crawled a little closer to him.
“I do want something but I can’t take away another person’s happiness,” I mumbled. Emmett turned around and frowned.
“Who’s happiness?” he asked, obviously confused. I sighed.
“Rosalie’s obviously!” I retorted. “I’m taking you away from her when you two are obviously happy with each other.” Emmett snorted and turned away from me again.
“We’re not happy Eleanora. We’ve been getting into fights constantly. She’s always been stubborn and irritating but ever since Bella came into Edward’s life she’s been even worse. I can’t stand her sometimes, it’s unbearable,” he ranted.
“That’s why I need you,” he continued. “With you I feel so comfortable; I don’t have to think about what I say, I can goof off and you won’t criticize me, I love being with you.”

I crawled up behind him and wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my cheek to his.
“Well we can’t just flaunt around, showing everyone our relationship,” I muttered to him. He took my hand gently and pulled me onto his lap. He leaned down and whispered, “But who has to know?” and placed a small kiss right below my ear. I wanted to say something coherent but it was hard; Emmett was kissing gently down my jaw line. He refused to get anywhere near my lips. I growled in frustration and he chuckled.

“So what do you say?” he asked.
“I’m so in,” I replied and kissed him forcefully.