(Thomas POV)
When my eyes opened, they were immediately drawn to a pair of butterscotch eyes that I was certain had been watching me for a while.
She lay on her side, propped on one elbow, her head resting in her hand like she'd been perfectly content to stay like that forever. The thin gray light leaking through the curtains wasn't strong enough to make her sparkle, but it made her glow, and my pulse quicken.
"Morning," I muttered, voice rough, tongue dry.
Her smile widened a fraction. "Sleeping in a little today, I see. It's almost 6:15." A teasing lilt warmed her tone. "That's practically mid-morning for you."
I stretched, feeling the muscles in my back and shoulders loosen. Maybe last night's run had taken more out of me than I thought. "You didn't wake me?"
"You needed the extra rest," she said simply. Her fingers traced a slow line over my bare chest, light, absent, but undeniably comforting. "You woke twice. And your breathing changed three times. I almost woke you from fear you were having a nightmare."
"Sorry," I murmured automatically.
She pressed her palm flat over my heart, a cool anchor. "Don't apologize," she whispered. "With everything you've been carrying, I'm surprised you slept at all. Wolf, tiger, treaty…" Her eyes softened, "It's too much for anyone to shoulder alone."
I exhaled, not quite a laugh. "Yeah. There's a lot." I hesitated, staring at the ceiling before meeting her gaze again. "But I don't know why it feels like it's all on me."
Her hand slid up, brushing the line of my jaw with her thumb. "Because that's who you are," she said quietly. "You take responsibility for everything you care about. Even when it isn't yours to fix."
I frowned. "It's not healthy."
"No," she agreed gently. "It's not. But it is human. And you still are, Thomas. In all the best and worst ways."
I snorted. "Lucky me."
She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth. "Lucky me," she corrected.
That shut me up for a moment.
Her eyes glowed in the dim light, searching my face like she was reading something beneath the surface. "Do you want to tell me what kept waking you?"
I considered brushing it off, but her expression made that impossible. Edythe Cullen never demanded honesty, but she created a space where lying felt like insulting the ground she stood on.
"I kept thinking about Leah," I admitted. "About what she's dealing with. What she's trapped in. And… what might happen if the Elders decide to repeat history." My jaw tightened. "She deserves better."
"She does," Edythe murmured. "And she will have better. Because you'll make sure of it." She tapped a finger lightly over my heart. "And because she's stronger than even she knows."
I sighed. "I want to get the books to her sooner rather than later."
"Then we'll figure out a way," she said. "Together."
I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. "Yeah. Together."
Her smile softened, brightening the entire room. "And speaking of 'together'… if you want to make it to campus without Alice forcing an unsolicited outfit change, you have about twenty minutes left."
I groaned. "She already threatened my hair yesterday."
Edythe laughed, a warm, quiet sound that made my chest feel too small. "Then you'd better hurry, tiger."
But she didn't move.
Neither did I.
For one long moment, she just watched me. And I let myself watch her back.
And the velvet box hiding in my dresser drawer felt heavier on my mind than ever. Is this the moment? No… if I have to ask that, then it isn't the moment yet.
"You're staring," she murmured.
"You were staring first," I countered.
She gave me that tiny, smug, perfect smirk that said she knew exactly what she was doing to me. "So?"
I sat up, leaned forward, and pressed a kiss to her lips, slow, lingering, grounding. "So, we're both wasting our twenty minutes."
Edythe huffed a soft laugh. "You are impossible."
"And you like that about me."
She didn't deny it.
Instead, she slid gracefully off the bed in one fluid motion, moving toward the closet. "Go shower. Before I decide to pick your shirt for you."
"That's not a threat," I called after her.
"You're right," she said over her shoulder. "It's a promise."
I groaned and hauled myself out of bed. The floor was cold, but the sound of Edythe's quiet laughter followed me all the way to the bathroom door like warmth spreading under the skin.
Before I turned the water on, I heard Edythe call out, "Twenty Minutes,"
"Yeah, Yeah," I muttered, stepping into the shower.
I washed quickly, experience had taught me that Alice could and would break into my house if I crossed some invisible lateness threshold too often, then toweled off and dressed in the safest outfit I owned: dark jeans and a gray T-shirt.
When I stepped back into the bedroom, Edythe had already picked her outfit. Mostly. She was currently deciding between two scarves that looked nearly identical to me.
Her eyes swept over me, slow and appraising.
"Acceptable," she declared.
I nodded solemnly. "High praise."
She rolled her eyes, but the faint smile tugging at her mouth ruined the effect. "Let's go before Alice senses your fashion sins through the ether. We should have just enough time for you to eat and meet her before class."
I ate quickly, my mind wandering a bit. Once I was done, I grabbed my keys, and Edythe slipped her hand into mine.
As we walked to the truck, she glanced at me sideways. "We'll figure out Leah's situation, as far as getting the journals to her, you should just go there. It's not like you are banned from their land the way I am."
"Huh, I hadn't thought of that, simple and uncomplicated. Thank you."
You don't need to thank me," she replied. "You care about her. That's enough."
We reached the passenger door. I paused, thumb brushing over her knuckles.
"And you?" I asked.
She tilted her head. "Me what?"
"Do you mind?" I asked quietly. "How much I care about… all of them?"
Her smile was soft and immediate. "I fell in love with someone who protects people," she said simply. "It would be strange if I expected you to stop."
My throat tightened, warm, too full, too much, and I leaned down to kiss her, quick but earnest.
"Come on," she whispered when our lips parted, her forehead resting against mine for half a heartbeat. "Alice is waiting."
"Is that a threat or a warning?"
"Both."
I opened the door and closed it once she got in. Then walked to the driver's side and hopped in. Starting the truck, my mind went over the list once again.
School.
Leah.
The journals.
The ring hidden in my dresser drawer.
(Break)
Lunch at Forks High was exactly the same as I remembered, loud chatter, mystery pizza, and the lingering smell of bleach.
Our group had taken over one end of the long table near the windows: Bella wedged between Edward and Angela, Ben scribbling in a notebook, Alice practically vibrating out of her chair, and Edythe beside me, calm as ever.
"So," Angela asked as she unwrapped her sandwich, "how does it feel being back in actual classrooms again?"
I shrugged. "Not much different than studying in Nepal. The assignments look the same, the teachers look… tired. Feels normal."
Ben blinked. "Wait, so you're not behind at all?"
"Nope," I said, popping the 'p'. "The correspondence courses kept me on track. Carlisle made sure the credits counted, so now I just have to finish the in-person stuff."
Ben dropped his pencil. "Dude… I've lived in Forks my whole life and I'm behind."
Bella laughed into her drink. "Ben, he has an echoic memory. He could probably pass college exams if we handed them to him right now."
Alice chimed in with a groan. "Believe me, he could. I checked his planner. He's a walking academic cheat code."
"That's not how it works," I said.
Edythe arched a brow. "You memorized the school handbook in under an hour."
"I had to hear it first. That took more than an hour buy itself."
She smirked. "My point stands."
Angela nudged Ben. "Maybe Thomas can help with your physics review later."
Ben brightened instantly. "Would you? Seriously?"
"Physics is just math in a lab coat," I said. "I can help."
Bella snorted. "You keep saying things that belong on T-shirts."
Edward shook his head with a sigh. "Don't encourage him."
Alice leaned forward, finally unleashing what she'd clearly been holding in for ten minutes. "Do you know how infuriating it is that you did six months of senior coursework while climbing mountains, fighting… hiding from local animals, and you still walked in here more prepared than most?"
I blinked. "Is that a real question?"
Angela laughed. "She's jealous."
"Not jealous," Alice said primly. "Annoyed. It's different."
Bella gave her a look. "It's really not."
Alice rolled her eyes so hard they probably saw it in La Push.
Edythe squeezed my hand under the table. "Ignore her. She feels threatened by anyone who doesn't need color-coded Post-its."
"I do appreciate the Post-its," I said.
Alice gasped dramatically. "Finally! Validation!"
Ben chuckled. "I'm just impressed he kept up while living in a monastery on the other side of the planet."
"It wasn't a monastery," I corrected. "It was a—well, never mind, it's complicated."
Angela smiled softly. "I'm glad you're back, Thomas. It's nice having the group together again. Now we just need Jessica and Mike to get over their breakup and be friends again."
I felt Edythe lean into my shoulder, I glanced at her and smiled when I saw her smiling at me.
And as the others talked about finals, prom, and how Mr. Banner's patience was visibly decaying day by day, I realized something:
This, lunch, noise, friends, normalcy, was grounding me more than anything had since coming home.
Maybe Edythe was right.
Maybe I did fit here.
At least for now.