chapter┊ ✦. :: twenty
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It had been a little over five and a half months. Carlisle and Lydia had a wonderful time in every place they visited, and they were currently in London. The blonde was probably the most excited to show Lydia so many things that time flew by quickly.

It was their fifth day in the city when his phone started ringing. He had been ignoring it all afternoon, but realizing that the calls were persistent, he decided it was a good time to answer. He and Lydia were having lunch at a nice café, well, Lydia was eating while Carlisle told her about some things in the city and the places he still wanted to visit.

He picked up the phone and furrowed his brow when he realized it was a call from Rosalie, and not only that, he had a million messages from Alice and Esme. He answered the call with concern, and Lydia watched him with interest as he seemed so rushed.

He stopped eating his slice of cheesecake and waited for Carlisle to finish the call before asking him what was going on.

"I understand, I'll go there immediately," he spoke with a somber tone, Lydia had never heard him use that tone before. "Call me when you're with the others."

He looked at Lydia with puppy eyes as soon as the call ended.

"What's wrong?"

Carlisle's expression softened when his eyes met Lydia's.

"It's Edward. He's in trouble," he seemed disappointed. He didn't want to leave, not yet.

He knew they would eventually return, but he honestly hoped it would be later rather than sooner. They had been the best months of his life.

Lydia looked at him alarmed. What could have happened for Carlisle to be like this?

"What happened to him?"

He shook his head, somewhat confused. Rosalie had told him everything very quickly, and he only caught half of her words. He tried to organize his thoughts quickly to explain.

"Edward thought Bella was dead, but Alice has already seen her and she's safe. No one can contact Edward, and Alice had a vision. She and Bella are heading to Italy to stop Edward," he explained, but it was confusing for Lydia. "Rosalie has already called the others, and we will meet at the Forks house, but we are closer to Italy so we will see Alice, Edward, and Bella at the international airport in Italy. I need to make sure everyone is okay."

Lydia nodded, worried. Her hunger had disappeared, so she grabbed the pretty backpack Carlisle had bought her during their visit to France and stood up. Both of them left the place quickly, although they were both disappointed to interrupt their trip.

Fortunately, they found a flight direct to Italy in two hours.

Lydia and Carlisle waited at the terminal for the others to arrive. The blonde had already bought five tickets, and the flight was leaving in an hour and a half. The girl held onto her counterpart's hand tightly, intertwining their fingers as they watched the people passing by. They had gone directly to the airport in London, so they forgot all their luggage. Carlisle told her he would take care of it. Although there was nothing really important, maybe just the pretty clothes she had bought in different countries.

The three of them arrived after almost half an hour. Lydia noticed how bad Edward looked and how Bella clung to his arm. What the hell had happened to them in those months? They hadn't had as good a time as she and Carlisle, that was for sure.

Lydia didn't really pay much attention to the conversation the others had, and she remained silent most of the time, but she never let go of Carlisle's hand tightly to feel safe.

"Aro knows about Lydia," Alice whispered. "He read our minds and seemed quite interested in her, but since Bella and Edward were the center of attention, he didn't say much about it."

"We must be careful," Edward spoke. "As long as they focus on Bella, the Volturi will forget about Lydia."

Carlisle seemed nervous, Edward already knew everything about the situation just by reading the blonde's mind, something he didn't like. If Aro read his mind again, Lydia would be in terrible danger.

The flight was also quiet, and Lydia slept on Carlisle's shoulder most of the time. She didn't expect to return so soon, but she was happy to be back home, especially with Carlisle. The vacation was great, but she also needed to return to work and not lose her usual rhythm. Would she get her old job back? Carlisle mentioned that he would arrange everything.

There was an hour left until they arrived when Bella started talking under her breath about werewolves. Lydia listened with interest but didn't look directly at her. Bella was sitting next to Edward in the seats in front. Carlisle quickly glanced at Lydia, both thinking the same thing but not saying anything about it.

Edward looked at them from the corner of his eye, reading their thoughts and understanding everything immediately. He didn't say anything either, and Carlisle was sure he wouldn't tell anyone, not even Bella.

Lydia sighed deeply when they arrived at the Cullen house. The others were already there, and apparently, they had cleaned and arranged everything. They were greeted with open arms except for Evander, who had a look of displeasure, as if he knew something that the others didn't. At least, that was the look he gave Bella, but he smiled when he saw Lydia and approached her to talk a little about her trip. It was quite a lengthy conversation while the others caught up.

It was almost ten o'clock at night when Edward took Bella home because Charlie had gone completely crazy about his daughter's sudden departure, and Edward had decided to give him some kind of convincing explanation.

Almost at midnight, Carlisle and Lydia headed to the latter's house. The blonde would have loved for her to stay at home, but he didn't have a place where she could sleep comfortably, or in general, nowhere to sleep. The living room wasn't a very good option.

Upon entering her home, she noticed all the boxes she had sent from Minnesota. She would have time to arrange everything and make her home feel a little more homey and less empty.

Lydia settled into her bed, one she had missed very much, and Carlisle lay down beside her. There was a comfortable silence where they both enjoyed each other's company.

"Do you regret coming back?" Carlisle asked softly and quietly.

She shook her head.

"Not really," she smiled, "as long as I'm with you, I don't care where we are

. Whether it's an island in the middle of the ocean or the top of a mountain in a snowstorm or the middle of the jungle. I'm happy to be with you and only you."

If Carlisle could cry, he would have. He couldn't remember the last time someone had told him something so beautiful. He loved Lydia with all his being. He couldn't even express in words how much he loved and adored her.

There was a short moment of silence. Carlisle kissed the girl's head gently before speaking.

"Whenever I'm with you, I feel more human, Lydia," he spoke softly, "and I hate admitting how much I like it."

She raised her head to look him in the eyes. She smiled with a certain tenderness.

"You're human, Carlisle. And no one can say otherwise."

He smiled too. He loved that feeling of being alive with her.

"I love you, Lydia."

"And I love you too, Carlisle."

They settled back into bed. Lydia let out a long sigh before speaking again.

"Carlisle, I've been thinking about it for a few days, and I know we came to an agreement, but..." she grabbed the man's shirt tightly, "maybe it's best to tell your family what we found out. I don't want to put them in danger because of me, and they have the right to know. They trusted me, and it makes me feel guilty to hide something so important from them."

He had also thought about it, but he didn't like the idea at all.

"If that's what you want, we'll tell them."

She nodded with her head resting on the man's chest.

"Yes, that's what I want."

"Okay, darling. We'll talk to them."

Lydia smiled and closed her eyes. She felt strangely content. Carlisle also closed his eyes to enjoy the sound of his beloved's heartbeat and the warmth she radiated.

For the first time in a long time, he feared the future. He wished that moment could last forever. Just the two of them, without worrying, without problems, without dramas. Just them.

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