‹ Prequel: Freefall
Status: Complete
Plummet
19
After sitting, desolate and pathetic, on the floor for longer than I care to admit, I went online and looked into the nearest community college. It was still accepting students, because so few people had enrolled. I could do it.
And it would be cheaper, I reasoned. Besides, I wasn’t being one of those silly girls who gave up great opportunities for a relationship that would probably not work out. Hadn’t he just told me, indirectly, that I had forever with him?
Forever with Embry.
Instead of scaring me, it had me feeling better than I had in days. It was something, I thought, that I could get used to. Embry was someone I didn’t want to live without. Couldn’t live without?
With that revelation, I found myself enrolling online.
It was official. I was staying in Washington. Now to just tell Embry.
I sprinted down the stairs and threw open the front door, almost slamming it into Embry’s face. Thank goodness for his quick, wolfy reflexes. “Embry! I was just coming to look for you.”
“Took you long enough,” he said. I noticed that he was leaning casually against the fencing that went around my front porch.
“You mean you just stood here and waited for me to come looking for you? You arrogant-”
“Woah, woah, steady,” he cut me off. “I went for a run. You just have good timing. Still, it took you a spectacularly long time to come after me. Don’t you care for me at all?” Though he meant that in a lighthearted way, I knew, it came out strained.
“I,” I began, pausing for dramatic effect, “was enrolling in college here.” I watched his expression melt from barely-masked anxiety to delight. He picked me up and spun me around in circles. I batted at his head, laughing and telling him to put me down, but he didn’t listen.
“I’m getting dizzy,” I finally protested.
“Fine, fine. But wow! You’re staying!” We looked at each other for a long moment, and he repeated, “You’re staying.” He leaned in to kiss me, but when we were a whisper apart, I heard excited yapping.
I ducked around Embry, running out into the yard. “Archie?!”
He was there, barking happily and trying to run up my legs. I dropped to the ground and let him smother me with puppy kisses. “Archie!” I said again, laughing and crying and feeling happier than I had in my life.
I was staying with Embry. Archie was back. My financial worries were gone. So was Dad, but… well, he would want me to be happy. Every day I believed that more.
Embry knelt on the ground next to me and I grinned at him. “He’s back,” Embry said. I didn’t bother pointing out that I already knew it. I was too busy petting Archie, cuddling him, cooing.
I’d missed the little bugger something fierce. Besides, he was a link to my dad. A personal one. He’d remembered, all these years, that I wanted a dog. That made Archie so, so much more precious.
After a time, I carried Archie back into the house and Embry followed. I didn’t want to give Archie a chance to run away again. Besides, he was in desperate need of a bath. Wherever he’d been staying these past few days, it hadn’t been very clean.
Later that night, I could tell that both Embry and I were stalling. I didn’t want him to leave yet, and he didn’t want to leave me. Honestly, I was afraid. It was getting easier, being in the house, but I didn’t know if I could handle being alone in it yet. Every time I looked at the clock and saw that it was getting late, then later, my heart started racing and my palms started sweating. Without Embry, what was to stop the vampire from coming back?
Finally, I reached the point where I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay awake much longer. It was past two in the morning, and I was dead on my feet. Embry and I were cuddled up on the couch, watching bad late-night television. “Stay,” I said groggily.
“I’m glad you want me to, because otherwise I was going to be spending the night on your porch. I’m not leaving you here alone.” He was so perfect… it was no wonder I was in love with him.
Love? Wasn’t it too soon?
I struggled to wrap my mind around it for a few moments before I relaxed again. Some people simply fall in love, I thought, and some… well, they plummeted, hard and fast. “I love you,” I whispered as I drifted to sleep.
And it would be cheaper, I reasoned. Besides, I wasn’t being one of those silly girls who gave up great opportunities for a relationship that would probably not work out. Hadn’t he just told me, indirectly, that I had forever with him?
Forever with Embry.
Instead of scaring me, it had me feeling better than I had in days. It was something, I thought, that I could get used to. Embry was someone I didn’t want to live without. Couldn’t live without?
With that revelation, I found myself enrolling online.
It was official. I was staying in Washington. Now to just tell Embry.
I sprinted down the stairs and threw open the front door, almost slamming it into Embry’s face. Thank goodness for his quick, wolfy reflexes. “Embry! I was just coming to look for you.”
“Took you long enough,” he said. I noticed that he was leaning casually against the fencing that went around my front porch.
“You mean you just stood here and waited for me to come looking for you? You arrogant-”
“Woah, woah, steady,” he cut me off. “I went for a run. You just have good timing. Still, it took you a spectacularly long time to come after me. Don’t you care for me at all?” Though he meant that in a lighthearted way, I knew, it came out strained.
“I,” I began, pausing for dramatic effect, “was enrolling in college here.” I watched his expression melt from barely-masked anxiety to delight. He picked me up and spun me around in circles. I batted at his head, laughing and telling him to put me down, but he didn’t listen.
“I’m getting dizzy,” I finally protested.
“Fine, fine. But wow! You’re staying!” We looked at each other for a long moment, and he repeated, “You’re staying.” He leaned in to kiss me, but when we were a whisper apart, I heard excited yapping.
I ducked around Embry, running out into the yard. “Archie?!”
He was there, barking happily and trying to run up my legs. I dropped to the ground and let him smother me with puppy kisses. “Archie!” I said again, laughing and crying and feeling happier than I had in my life.
I was staying with Embry. Archie was back. My financial worries were gone. So was Dad, but… well, he would want me to be happy. Every day I believed that more.
Embry knelt on the ground next to me and I grinned at him. “He’s back,” Embry said. I didn’t bother pointing out that I already knew it. I was too busy petting Archie, cuddling him, cooing.
I’d missed the little bugger something fierce. Besides, he was a link to my dad. A personal one. He’d remembered, all these years, that I wanted a dog. That made Archie so, so much more precious.
After a time, I carried Archie back into the house and Embry followed. I didn’t want to give Archie a chance to run away again. Besides, he was in desperate need of a bath. Wherever he’d been staying these past few days, it hadn’t been very clean.
Later that night, I could tell that both Embry and I were stalling. I didn’t want him to leave yet, and he didn’t want to leave me. Honestly, I was afraid. It was getting easier, being in the house, but I didn’t know if I could handle being alone in it yet. Every time I looked at the clock and saw that it was getting late, then later, my heart started racing and my palms started sweating. Without Embry, what was to stop the vampire from coming back?
Finally, I reached the point where I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay awake much longer. It was past two in the morning, and I was dead on my feet. Embry and I were cuddled up on the couch, watching bad late-night television. “Stay,” I said groggily.
“I’m glad you want me to, because otherwise I was going to be spending the night on your porch. I’m not leaving you here alone.” He was so perfect… it was no wonder I was in love with him.
Love? Wasn’t it too soon?
I struggled to wrap my mind around it for a few moments before I relaxed again. Some people simply fall in love, I thought, and some… well, they plummeted, hard and fast. “I love you,” I whispered as I drifted to sleep.