The Face of Beauty to Fall For

“Hey, Em… You can go on break now.” Rachel--an assistant manager-- told me, walking back into the front to be barista again.

I sighed and stood, throwing my scrub brush in the bucket I had next to me. I stood from where I had been scrubbing the floor and stretched.

I pulled my hat, apron, and name tag off, setting them on top of the Red Bull display we had in the back and walked out. “I’ll be back in fifteen.” I muttered, grabbing a timer and heading towards the back.

“Ember!” I heard, groaning inwardly.

“Go away. I said I didn’t want to talk to you again. You’ve gone two weeks without it. I think you can handle the rest of my life.” I said, not stopping.

“Ember, wait.” He said, grabbing my arm.

I jerked away and turned to him. “Go. Away.” I said, putting most of my weight on my right foot.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

I rolled my eyes. “I have a broken rib, a bruised shoulder blade, and a torn Achilles tendon. How do you think I’m feeling?” I asked sharply.

He sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think--”

“No, Edward. You didn’t think. You fucking… I don’t even know WHAT you did, but you and your freak family ruined my life.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

He narrowed his eyes in frustration. “We were trying to help you… To keep you safe.”

“By hovering over me? How do you know that he was going to do anything to me? Hm? You’ve been around me for months and haven’t done anything.”

“He’s different than us. My family and I don’t feed on humans.” He said, his voice low.

“Oh. Yeah. I believe that.”

“We do! Dammit, Ember! Why are you being so stubborn?”

“Em, you okay?” AJ asked, walking over to us, seeing as how we were standing in the middle of the fiction section yelling at each other.

“I’m fine.” I said, looking at the timer.

“I’m being stubborn because I don’t want to see you anymore! I want you and your family to leave me alone. Get the hint, Edward.” I said, turning to walk away from him.

He smirked. “You forgive me.”

I turned, and laughed disbelievingly. “I do not.”

“Yes you do. You just thought it.”

I stopped. “One, I don’t know if you’re lying to me but for the sake of you not lying to me: Get out of my brain. And two, even if I do forgive you. I don’t want to see you and I’m at work, so be gone.” I said, knowing that I did forgive him made me even more pissed off.

He looked around. “Why do you work here?” He asked, picking up a thick black book with two hands holding an apple, “Twilight? That’s a stupid book name.”

I snatched it from him and placed it back on the shelf. “Yeah? The main character is a vampire. And a jerk just like you.” I said, looking at the timer and sighing. “Great. Thank you. Now I have to go back to work and I didn’t get a chance to sit down and rest myself.”

He shook his head and scooped me up.

“Hey! Let me down!” I said, frowning.

“Em, you alright?” Rachel asked as we passed her.

“She’s in pain from her broken rib and her heel… Is there any way I could take her to be examined?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Of course… We have enough people to cover her shift.” She said, picking up the phone and dialing something.

I looked over at Rebecca. “Would you clock me out?”

She nodded and typed my number into the register. “I hope you feel better.” She said with a sympathetic smile.

“Thank you.” I said, just as the door closed behind us. “You’re an ass.” I said, sulking when he set me down in the passenger seat of my car.

“Yes, but I got you out of scrubbing more floors, didn’t I?” He asked rhetorically, pulling off onto the road and heading for my house.

“And half a day’s pay.” I said miserably, watching the world zoom past.

“You don’t need the money.” He said, pulling up into the driveway of my house seemingly moments later.

“Uh.. Yeah I do… I’m seeing the bottom of my piggy bank right now.” I said, getting out and limping towards the front door.

“No, I mean… We can pay for you.” He said, following after me.

“I’m not a fucking charity.” I said, walking into the living room to see all of the Cullens/Hales sitting around watching The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

“Hi, Ember.” Elizabeth said sort of angrily and I wondered what I’d done to her.

“Hello, Elizabeth… Everyone.” I muttered, sitting on the chair that Emmett vacated for me.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I mean.. we’re over here a lot.. We can pay for things.” He said, sitting next to me.

“Right. Because you all eat so much.” I rolled my eyes.

“Rent then?”

I shook my head. “I’m going to work, Edward.”

“Working girl.” Elizabeth said, smirking a little.

I frowned. “That isn’t funny.”

“So you’ll quit?” He asked.

I sighed. “No.”

“Please?”

“No, Edward.”

“Please?”

I groaned and threw the pillow at him. “I’ll go seasonal?” I bargained.

He nodded. “Alright.”

I smiled smugly and leaned back, closing my eyes. “I hate you.” I said to him.

“I know.” He said with a smile in his voice.

“Stop acting smug. And seeing as how you’re the one that caused my injuries, you’re my slave. Get me orange juice.” I said, not really expecting him to get up and get me a glass, but he did.

“Anything else?” He asked.

“Uh… no.” I said, sniffing the juice as a precaution before taking a sip. “Hey, Emm… Where’s Rosalie?” I asked.

He stared at the screen. “She’s in the garage.” He said.

I hopped up suddenly, running as fast as my limp would allow, bursting in to see her knocking a dent out of a car parked next to mine. I sighed in relief, and slumped into a chair. “Nice car…” I said, looking over the car.

“1967 Plymouth GTX Convertible.” She said, looking over the engine. “Engine’s in good shape. It’s the body and the rag top that’s the most messed.”

I nodded. “New project?” I questioned.

“Edward asked me to.” She said, sighing a little. “I couldn’t pass up working on it.”

“What does Edward want it for?”

“You said you could take my Volvo in the quarter mile… So I got something that I could compete with.” He said, appearing beside me.

I looked over at him. “Fine. But if I win, I keep the car.”

He stuck his hand out for me to shake. “Deal.”

“No letting me win, either.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

“Good.”

MEANWHILE

“That’s enough.” James said, pulling the small girl from the dead body.

“He’s going to be noticed if we don’t break his face.” She said stubbornly.

“You can’t tell who he is. We have his wallet and clothes… No one will be the wiser.” He said, pulling her into a fierce kiss.

She kissed back for a minute before pushing him away. “Victoria hates when you do that.” She said, kicking the corpse in front of them before walking away.

“Victoria is no longer my mate, is she?” He asked, wrapping an arm around the small girl’s shoulders and walking alongside her.

“It doesn’t make it any better that you chose me over her, you know.” She told him.

He nodded and smirked evilly. “Yes, well… What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” He said, chuckling.

“So, where are we to go now?” She asked him.

“I’m thinking we should take a trip.” He told her.

“Where?”

He grinned, kissing her cheek and dropping his arm to take her hand. “Come. You’ll see in time.”

She nodded and followed him. “Okay.”