She's late. The sun is high in the sky, beaming down on the blanket and food I brought. A million thoughts run through my head. Jacob found out and convinced her not to come. My father sent guards to follow me and they're blocking the path. Or worse. She's changed her mind about all this.
I lay down and stretch my arms behind my head. The long grass tickles my cheek and in the warmth of the day, I nearly fall asleep.
"Edward?" Isabella calls.
I pop up and turn toward her voice. She's emerging from the trees, a sad smile on her lips.
"Sorry I am late," she says once she reaches the blanket.
I brush her hair out of her face and kiss her cheek.
"I feel like you're always waiting on me."
"And I'd wait forever if you needed me to." I smile. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes." The tension in her body eases and she settles down onto the blanket beside me.
"What did you do yesterday?" I ask.
"Worked most of the morning. Then Jacob and I took the afternoon off and went to the lake."
"My mother used to take me to the lake when I young."
"My father did, as well." She smiles. "We would go at night, when the stars lit up the night sky and reflected perfectly in the lake. I always thought that must be what Heaven is like."
"I always thought Heaven was a big castle up in the clouds, where you got all the sweets you wanted and never got sent to bed early."
"Spoken like a true royal." She laughs and lays back, her hair sprawling in beautiful curls like a crown around her head.
I pluck a grape from our basket and offer it to her. She takes a bite and hums as the sweetness hits her tongue.
I want to kiss her. Badly. Ever since I did two nights ago, it's all I can think about.
I take her hand in mine and lean in, close enough to feel her breath on my lips. "May I kiss you?"
She trembles. "Yes."
The moment I press my lips to hers, she melts into the blanket. My hand trails down her neck and down her shoulders to her side, where it finds its home. Part of me wishes we could stay like this forever, tangled in each other, away from the troubles and responsibilities that find us back in the village.
Desire stirs in the pit of my stomach as my fingers drift south, searching for the feeling of her thigh beneath the fabric of her dress.
She tenses and cowers under me. I immediately pull back, thinking I scared her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," I stutter, hands up in the air. "I didn't mean to scare you, Isabella."
"You didn't scare me. I, fell off my horse yesterday and hurt my leg, but I'll be fine." She cannot look at me as she speaks.
She's lying. I do not know how I know, but I know it. Call it instinct or growing up with two sisters, but I know it.
"Try again, my Lady." I raise an eyebrow.
"I am fine." Her defiant eyes challenge me.
Anger flares in my belly, flushing my cheeks with heat. "Did someone do this to you? Did Jacob?"
"Absolutely not!" She snaps. "Jacob would never touch me!" She stands, brushing her dress off. Without another word, she turns and stomps back toward the path to the village.
"Isabella!" I call, running after her. "Bella?"
I follow her all the way back to the blacksmith's place, where she promptly goes inside and shuts the door in my face. Jacob stands outside, watching our exchange, or lack thereof.
"Trouble in paradise, Your Highness?" He asks, a smirk playing on his lips.
"She hurt her leg."
"Aye, she did. Fell off her horse yesterday."
I close my eyes and lean back against the door. "I thought someone hurt her."
Then, he laughs. An actual belly laugh, doubled over, nearly falling onto the ground. "If anyone decided to pick a fight with Bella, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be the one with the marks to show for it."
"Will you just...tell her I'm sorry I ruined our picnic?" I ask.
"Of course. Enjoy the rest of your day, Edward." He heads inside and even though I shouldn't, I hover by the door to listen.
"What did you tell him, Jacob?" Isabella asks.
"I told him the truth. That you fell off your horse yesterday," Jacob says. I sigh. "But it's up to you to tell him the rest of the truth," he continues.
"You know I cannot do that," Isabella says. "What if he tells his father?"
"You think it really matters when they find out?"
"It matters to me. You know that."
Whatever it is, it matters to me too. I just wish I mattered enough to be worth the truth.
A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you for reading! One of the shorter chapters, so apologies on that. Next week's will be longer :)
Thank you for all of your kind words and your love for a blacksmith and her Prince.
