January, Day 17, 10:55

January, Day 17, 10:55, Saturday

"Okay Bella, you can take off the blind-fold now." Mike said to me after we'd stopped walking. "Yes, finally!" I exclaim, practically ripping the piece of cloth away from my head. The light burns my eyes as they are exposed to the sun. I look around and my previous words catch in my throat.

The scene in front of me is breathtaking. We're on First Beach and near a little cove away from everyone and everything. The shore is not five feet away, sparkling like crystals. The sky is the bluest I've ever seen it. A forest captures the space behind us; and a fire makes the surrounding area warm. Beside the fire are a red and white checked blanket, a wicker picnic basket and a vase of red roses resting on it. "Oh, Mike..." I breathe out. I don't know what to say. Behind me, I hear him quietly say "Do you like it?" I turn around to face him, my eyes brimming with tears. "I love it." I say to him as I lunge forward to hug him. He laughs lowly as his hands find their way around my waist.

I reach up to wipe the tears from my eyes and pull away from him. "Here, come and sit." He says to me, sitting down himself. I smile at him and sit down. "Are you hungry?" "Starving." I reply, laughing. "Good" he says, taking food out of the basket; sandwiches, drinks, chips, sweet stuff. "Wow, that's a lot of food." I say, laughing. He looks at me and says, "Yeah, well, I didn't know what kind of food you liked, so I just packed some stuff." "Oh, okay…" An awkward silence stretches out for a few minutes before I hear him say, "Well? Dig in!" then he grabs a bag of chips and starts to eat. I follow his lead and 'dig in'.

6:00 p.m.

Hours later, Mike and I lay on the blanket together staring into the sunset. It's exceptionally beautiful today; different shade of pinks, purples, oranges flooding the sky, filling it with their beauty. Mike's arm is lightly wrapped around my waist. I'm leaning on him, my head resting on his chest. I can hear his heartbeat, a comforting sound. I sigh softly and burrow into him a little more. In response, he tightens his grip on me, bringing me closer. The afternoon had been close to perfect, in my opinion; talking about our likes, our dislikes, past experiences, our old homes, now laying here together and watching the sunset. Mike suddenly looks down at and lightly kisses my forehead, then goes back to staring at the sun, a content expression on his face. The sky is now a dark orange, signaling that the sun is about to be gone. "Are you ready to go home now?" Mike asks me, quietly. I breathe out a "No." and he chuckles softly, bringing me even closer to him.

I shut my eyes, the feeling of happiness coursing through my veins. Seems like Mike finally got what he wanted, too. I'm glad that I could make him happy. It's odd, I only did this to make Jessica and Lauren mad, but ended up liking him. Ironic? I think so. The sun is completely gone now; the only light is coming from the now dimming fire. Mike sits up, sighing, his arm still around me and my head still on his chest, and says "I think we need to go now, Bella. I don't really want Chief Swan to put a restraining order against me." He adds, jokingly. He sighs once more and stands up, grabbing my hand and pulling me up, too. He then packs the blanket, the roses and vase, grabs my hand and heads back to his truck.

The whole ride home is filled with a comfortable silence, both of us reflecting on the day. When we get back to my house, the lights are on and Charlie's eyes can be seen peeping out of the blinds. I sigh and look over at Mike; "I had a really great time today, Mike. The best I've in a while." I say with a grateful smile towards him. "Yeah," he replies, "So did I. But I'm just glad you decided to come with me today." He finishes, shooting me an impish grin. My smile starts to fade as I glance back at the house, still seeing Charlie's probing eyes. Mike laughs and says "Guess you better go now, huh?" "Yeah, I probably should." I say back, embarrassed about Charlie's spying. I turn my head back to Mike to tell him goodbye and his face is right in front of mine. His eyes gaze into mine as the gap slowly closes, checking to see if I'd shove him away again. No way in hell was I going to turn him down now.

Authors note:
The dates and days are correct according to the book.