LOVE AND DEATH, edward cullen

thirty five

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

I was sitting outside of the diner I usually ate at with my dad and Beau, occupying the bench all to myself after grabbing a late snack but I had chosen to stay a little longer and sit outside.

The diner was particularly crowded tonight with a few families and groups of friends grabbing a late dinner.

I for one didn't feel like inviting anyone with me — especially after my interaction with Embry, I wanted to sit alone and calculate my thoughts. I didn't know what to believe anymore or who to trust. This was possibly just my karma for everything I've ever done in my life.

Edward was gone and Embry officially wanted nothing to do with me any longer.

I felt miserable — pitiful wasn't even a strong enough word to fully grasp how I also felt. Everything I tried to do for myself was slowly getting slapped back in my face.

I swayed my body back and forth with my elbows propped against my thighs. I stared blankly at the dirt while I waited for something — Anything to happen that would break this constant curse. I hated that I couldn't avoid it and that this was simply what my life has succumbed to. There was no chance for me to fix it and I no longer knew how. Every chance I took to fix the pieces that were broken, only fell apart more by turning into complete dust within my grasp.

I finally looked up from the ground and exhaled a heavy sigh I must've been holding onto for the past ten minutes. When my vision settled on an old truck, nearly similar to Beau's but a rusty cream color — Kai got out of the driver's seat and slammed the door shut.

He paused in his movements when he registered my presence sitting alone outside the diner. He tucked his hands deep within his coat pocket before he started making his way towards me.

"What are you doing here?"

I looked up at him and lazily raised an eyebrow. "I should ask you the same thing. You're on my side of town."

He chuckled softly and invited himself to sit down beside me on the bench. I had to slide towards the left a few centimeters to give him equal space on the bench.

We both fell silent for the moment until I decided to finally speak up. I didn't know what to do or say — I was mostly looking for a reason to vent now and he just so happened to be my closest target.

"Am I being punished?" The question was more miserable than intended. I leaned my chin against the palm of my hand and centered my attention back on the ground.

Kai shifted beside me before he cleared his throat. "What are you on about?"

"It feels like i'm being punished for the choices i've made in my life." I decided to get a glimpse at his face and caught him already watching me curiously. "The night at the movies — his obvious avoidance, then telling me to go away when I finally confronted him."

"It's complicated."

I sighed heavily and shook my head. "I'm getting sick of hearing that. Why is it complicated? What is everyone always hiding from me?"

I looked up at Kai again for a response but this time he was staring off towards the trees that were across the street. A few cars drove by with their headlights briefly illuminating us.