– HAPPENSTANCE –
Chapter Sixteen
"No problem," Edward says, his crooked grin reappearing once he's assured that I'm okay. He rises from his crouch, looking down at me questioningly. "Are you ready to get up, or do you need a few more minutes?"
"I'm ready." I prove it by standing and giving my limbs a little shake. "I swear, I'm not usually that clumsy. I was just, ah—" I stop and clear my throat, uncertain of what to say at this point. "I don't know what happened."
Edward chuckles, watching me with amusement twinkling in his eyes. "Hey, I told you about all the sports I used to do; I'm no stranger to falling. Don't even worry about it."
"Thank you," I tell him again, so warmed by everything he's said and done in the last few minutes that I'm sure I'm just one big, life-sized blush. "And the blood thing . . ."
Edward shrugs. "We all have our quirks. I promise you, it wasn't bad at all. Just the tiniest little bit."
I nod, grateful for the reassurance while regretting that I need it. "It's, ah . . . it's just my own blood. I don't know why, but seeing it makes me feel like my insides are falling out, and . . . yeah. I kinda freak."
Edward smiles softly, and my pulse thumps a little harder at the clear acceptance in his gaze. "It's really fine. You don't have to explain." He takes a small step back and points to the trail, which is just beginning a gradual curve to the left. "It looks like we're about at the top. Do you want to keep going or head back the way we came?"
"Well . . ." Following his cue and letting my embarrassment drop, I pause and look around our current position. "If it's about the same distance either way, we might as well see something new."
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