A/N: I'm really thankful for the reviews.

Arabesque – Salyu

several times during our far-too-long-for-my-liking drive edward attempts to hold my hand across the console. he laughs as i dodge him repeatedly and begins to make a game out of attempting to catch me… until finally i sit on my fingers and deliberately turn to look out the window. the trees race past us like they're being stretched over a large pan. it feels relaxing to watch.

"we are going to have to talk to one another at some point during this trip."

"you're right. this is that point during this trip."

"okay, i won't tease you anymore. i promise. besides, it's starting to become no fun, having you glare at me all the time."

"and here i thought you were just about ready to cum at the sight of it." edward laughs warmly and i hear the leather of the steering wheel squeal as he grips it.

"had i known you were like this i wouldn't have bothered with the other candidates forks high has to offer." i remain silent, staring at the trees. everything is so lush and green, moist as a freshly baked cake. i feel waterlogged just looking at the thick foliage. "so what's your favorite swimming stroke?" i look over at him for the first time to determine if he's completely serious.

"the breaststroke. it's when your arms move forward at the surface of the water and—"

"i know what it is. i also know how to swim. i prefer the sidestroke but i'm not generally invested in any specific position." his eyes remain on the road as he speaks. i place my hands in my lap and continue to look at him.

"were you a part of a swimming team before?"

"no but my sister is on the swimming team now. hearing her talk pool jargon has taught me a few things. she's your teammate i believe. alice cullen?"

"i know of alice cullen. we're in the same club but she's rarely at the pool at our school."

"that's probably because our parents have had an indoor pool built for her." seeing my expression when he looks over at me, he quickly recovers. "it's nothing extravagant, not olympic size. but just something for her to practice in." he take a sharp turn up a roadless pathway. i'm jostled several times in my seat before i huff and ask.

"where are you taking me?"

"when i first moved here, when i first met alice, she took me to this place not too far from here and told me it'd be our hideout from the 'growed ups'. we would come here, rain or shine, everyday after school." the volvo slows until edward parks beside a giant overturned tree covered in dense moss. "from here we walk about half a mile up a strong slope. it's a good thing you weren't too stubborn about not eating breakfast."

"i'd have been better off going to school." we both exit the vehicle and begin walking immediately, dancing around heavy ferns and glittering under the light peeking through the leaves. it's obvious that edward is intentionally walking slow to keep pace with me, holding up stalks of vegetation and liberating my ankles from vines. i trip numerous times along the pathway and hear my breathing become loud and labored, but edward makes no mention of it – not even a taunt. i guess he really is committing to not making fun of me, much to my chagrin. without the banter i'm forced to focus on how hot it is in this forest and how difficult it is for me to walk without incident. i slick my hair back with my sweat, tucking a few strands behind my ears.

"do you actually like school?" edward asks, his voice thoughtful. "i never see you really interact with anyone there. i figured you were always just waiting to leave."

"i neither like or dislike it. it's just a matter of course, a long winded stepping stone." i trip over a small stone and grab edward's arm instinctively to halt my fall. my greasy, sweaty hand slides down his bicep and rests on his cool forearm. "you're not hot at all?"

"a stepping stone to where? you're not planning on remaining in forks?" i let go of his forearm and grab the tree beside him. we both pause at the trunk and take a break.

"i never think of it that way. i just know that regardless of whatever i end up doing in life, education will be a vital component. there's no way of escaping it." edward hums in agreement, watching as i catch my breath and run my fingers through my hair.

"your hair isn't black."

"so?"

"so, this is monumental. i've never seen you with your hair dry, it's always wet and dark and slippery. i always thought your hair was black but it's brown. chestnut actually."

"what does this mean?"

"nothing. or something. i just feel like i'm seeing another side of you bella." slowly he steps forward, his eyes trained on me like i'm poised to pounce. i stay completely still and watch as his hand reaches forward, hovering in the air before gently running down my hair from scalp to tip. "it'd be nice if no one else could see you like this. forever." i indulge him a few moments more before stepping away.

"edward, just yesterday you were unnecessarily callous with a girl you'd previously professed undying love to. forgive me if i don't hold much stock in your compliments."

"my feelings and words are always true when i first start liking them, you know." he turns away from me and heads up the path at a faster pace, leaving me to hurry after him. "it's just that when things progress and they start to reciprocate my feelings, it goes wrong. i think about the fact that they love me and i feel disappointed. then disgusted."

"is that so." i murmur, staring at the rich color of his bronze hair in the sunlight. he says nothing more for the remainder of the walk, only looking over his shoulder a couple of times to be certain i haven't fallen into some uncharted sinkhole. i spend the walk processing my newfound information on edward cullen. commitment issues? womanizing habits disguising a deeper fatal flaw? he's managed to remain serious the entire hike but part of me is still bracing for some unwanted advances. afterall, i am alone on a hike with a young man i hardly know. and no one knows where i am. not even i know where i am. my only dependable connection to civilization right now is a seventeen year old skirt chaser.

the gravity of that information, of my irresponsibility, sinks its teeth into my flesh and gives me brief chills. despite the sweat on my forehead and neck, goosebumps sprout across my skin. edward is right. i am a mess this morning.

"just up here," edward calls from a few yards away. i notice that he begins unbuttoning his shirt and apprehension courses through me.

"what's just up there?" i call back, nervously wringing the cloth of my blouse. he pauses at the base of a broken tree and sits on the trunk, removing his shirt altogether.

"hurry up, you look like you're about to have a heat stroke." when i finally reach him at the tree trunk, i'm able to see that the slope has leveled out and the density of the trees has decreased to the point of creating a small clearing. soft wild flowers dance in the breeze that now caresses and cools my face. the grass shifts and grows thicker, lush as it leads to large pond. "i'm jumping in," he says, tossing a daring look in my direction. he doesn't understand; he hasn't fully grasped the significance of water for me nor will he ever. my heartrate picks up and my mouth and skin suddenly feel dry and tight. edward and his words fade into the background, the periphery of my life. i walk through the clearing, shedding down to my bra and underwear as i get closer to the pond.

i stop at the edge to look at the light waves wafting across the rocks and gaze at my muddled reflection. the stones are small and round, like little pearls rubbing against the soles of my feet. fine green film sits atop the water. i scatter some of it with my legs as i wade deeper into the pond, preparing my breath and my limbs for the dive in.

push.

it's cold but welcoming. i kick my legs as hard as i can and glide beneath the surface, enjoying the nonexistent drift and the sharp sting my eyes incur from being slightly open. once i get far enough from the shore, i return briefly to the surface for another bout of air before diving back under and allowing myself to sink effortlessly. my entire body is numbed, my entire presence is muted. i blend seamlessly into the flora, relaxed and refreshed.

what does anyone know? the sentence sits on my chest like a small paperweight. what did edward hope to accomplish by bringing me here? what is he aware of and just how long has he been observing me? it's quite possible that almost everyone in forks knows i would enjoy a scene like this, but no one has ever extended their hand to me. no one has ever shown me anything beyond the bare minimum. so why that guy? why is it that the one who can act so coldly to those who love him is able to respond to my frostiness with warmth?

i return to the surface and swipe at my eyes, breathing deeply and admiring the landscape surrounding the pond. off into the distance i can see the mountains, regal and sharp. overhead the birds fly quietly, landing in nearby trees and squawking only occasionally. i am at peace. i turn to the shore and see edward sitting on the moist soil, allowing the water to wet his legs. even from this substantial distance i can see that his eyes are trained on me, absorbing my every move. i don't like it. i swim towards him in large breaststrokes, prepared to give him a piece of my mind.

"no wonder you're so awkward on land," he offers softly. "you're a fish. i've never seen you more graceful than when you're in the water." i wring out my hair beside him and flip it over my shoulder. "your 'black' hair is back."

"what happened to you jumping in?" i tease, sitting beside him. "afraid the loch ness would come find you?"

"i never actually swim in the pond. that was more alice's thing. i prefer to take in the larger picture than participate in the scene. you two would really get along." he turns his eyes away from me and offers them to the mountains.

"so this is where your younger sister would take you to get away. didn't your parents worry when you both were away for two long?"

for the first time, i hear edward cullen's laughter turn bitter and harsh. it startles me for a moment, so much so that i lean forward to analyze his expression. his eyebrows are furrowed, his eyes hard moss covered stones.

"they worried about alice, you mean."

"and you?"

"my parents were indifferent." i stare at him like you would a statue in an extravagant courtyard. his mouth is set in a rigid line. his nostrils are flared. this is edward's true face of irritation. of high strung annoyance.

"what were you two getting away from when you came here, if you don't mind me asking?"

"i don't think alice was really running away from anything. i just think she knew i needed to get away and provided the tools and destination for my escape. i used to really envy alice, almost hate her. but when she took me here and i sat at the shore and watched her swim away from me, all those feelings would melt away. and i would be able to see how hard she was trying to reach out to me. and i would be able to see how difficult i was being towards her… and for no good reason." i look towards the water, now trying to imagine tiny alice cullen slipping away from the both of us in elfin butterfly strokes. "alice and i don't have the same mother. her mother is esme, my stepmother. my mother is elizabeth, my father's former mistress."

i let a giant sigh out into the air, feeling dehydrated by the weight of his words. i dip my toes into the pond water and hum for him to continue.

"i had lived with my mother for most of my life until she gradually began to deteriorate due to her breast cancer. she wished for me to leave seattle and come to forks, to live with my father. after she passed on, i did. i was what, thirteen, fourteen? alice was eleven. i wanted to strangle her half the time. here i was, grieving over the loss of the most important woman in my life and she was asking me about whether or not i wanted to play 'barbie beauty babe salon'.

"but she was a child. and i was made to grow old before my time. i was so blinded by my jealousy of her that i wasn't able to see that she was trying to cheer me up. that was her way of bringing me joy.

"and it was hard. it is hard, living in a household where my mother was previously known as the homewrecker. esme does her best but sometimes the tension feels so thick…" he shakes his head. "i could seriously do without living there."

i sigh again and lean back, resting my head on my shoulders.

"why are you telling me this edward?" i have to go back into the water now. i have to take all of these words and leave them at the bottom of this pond.

edward leans forward, his eyes smoldering. i adjust my posture and stare up at him as he looms over and closer to me. i watch as the moss turns the stone to cream and swirls inside his sockets. it's very compelling.

"because i know for a fact that you won't pity me." his lips curl back to reveal a kind smile. "this will be our secret." he winks me at me before turning back to the mountains, now relinquishing himself to relaxation, giving the atmosphere his full attention.

i wade as deep as i can into the water before diving under and swimming away from him.